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Simple yet very effective technique that guys use to create attraction with the women you meet:

HUMOR

Whenever they do one of those polls asking what women want in a man, humor ALWAYS comes up in the top 3.
And if you looked carefully at any 'attract and seduce' course, you'll find that most of the information covers laughter and how it builds attraction.
Whether it's called cocky-funny, teasing, negging or sarcasm, HUMOR is critical to your success with women.
But many guys get it completely wrong when they try to be funny around women.
In order to get them laughing and attracted at the same time, you have to understand the principles. That's why it's important to follow these 4 RULES of humor:
=====> RULE #1: Don't be a Clown RULE #2: Tease Her RULE #3: Use Your Body Language RULE #4: Do Other Things <=====

Humor should be a spice that flavors a conversation. It shouldn't be the main course.
When you're ONLY teasing and making women laugh, you're NOT showing the other parts of your personality. That's why it's important to do other things that'll help you build and maintain attraction.
So while you're making her laugh, you also want to:
• Establish physical contact
• Build deep rapport
• Tell stories
• Ask her questions

Doing all of these things will help you seem more well-rounded and interesting!

When it comes to creating attraction, humor can be your MOST effective tool when you're talking to a woman. So make sure you're getting it right! By following these 4 rules, you’ll create that fun, flirty vibe that’s always helps you get the girl.

It’s another Friday night, and your buddies want to pick up chicks at the bar…again.
If you’re reading this article, odds are you’re tired of the usual song-and-dance when it comes to meeting women. The bar scene has grown old, and you’ve yet to meet a quality girl in the clubs either. So what’s a single guy to do?
Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place.
Meeting good women nowadays is easier than you think, and the best part is that they’re right in your own backyard. Continue reading to learn about seven overlooked venues for finding the opposite sex. By the time you’ve finished this article, you’ll never waste another Friday night at the bar again.

Grocery Stores
Two people bump into each other at the grocery store.
After laughing at their clumsiness, they share a moment before succumbing to the power of true love.Sounds hokey, doesn’t it? While this scenario is nothing short of exaggeration, the fact is that grocery stores are great places to meet women.
Women flock to this venue on a daily basis, and female shoppers far outweigh male ones, thereby increasing your chances of getting phone numbers.
For optimal success, go on the weekends when people aren’t working. If you find yourself shopping during the week, try to go after working hours. When you see a woman you’re attracted to, the best approach would be to ask for her opinion on a product. Work in a joke about how terrible your cooking skills are, and question her about the difference between baking soda and powder.

Coffee Shops
These venues have increased in popularity not only for their caffeine fixes, but also for their ability to bring together members of the opposite sex. Venture into your local coffee shop, and take notice of the variety of people inside. Odds are you’ll find yourself in a pool filled with beautiful women.
Being surrounded by females is one thing, but starting a conversation is something entirely different. If you want to approach a woman in your local coffee shop, the best approach is the old tried-and-true method of introducing yourself. Grab your drink, sit down next to her, and say hello. If you’ve got a newspaper handy, make a comment about something in the columns, and get her opinion on it.

Parties
Parties are naturally set up for meeting women, and are ideal for hooking up. Consider them as networking events for singles. Not only are parties fun, but everyone in attendance is relaxed and looking to mingle.
Approaching women at a party should be far less intimidating than in other venues. The environment alone lends itself to excellent conversation, as there’s plenty to see, comment, and laugh about. Being in the company of friends also places you at an advantage. Not only are you known and liked by others, but your buddies can vouch for your character. No matter how you slice it, parties are the perfect recipe for seduction success.

Your Social CircleIf
you’re serious about starting a relationship, one of the best places to go searching is through your network of family and friends. Use the people who know you inside and out to set you up with a woman.
If you do, odds are you’ll succeed at finding love.If you haven’t done so already, organize a get together with your friends, and tell them to bring along someone new. Keep an open mind by allowing anyone (male or female) to attend, and use these connections to further your immediate network. Somewhere down the line could be the girl of your dreams.

Church
If you’re looking for a quality girl with good values, the best place to go hunting is at church. Women with a strong spirituality tend to recognize what’s important in life. They find strength in a source other than immediate gratification, and can offer you something deeper than what you’ve found at the bars and clubs.
Church-going women are often stereotyped as being dull, prude Bible thumpers, which is unfair. Every individual is unique, so if you meet an attractive gal in the pews, take the time to get to know her. On a similar note, don’t go to church if you’re not religious in any way, shape, or form. If your sole purpose is to hook up, she’s going to see straight through you.

Trains and Subways
If you’re like a lot of working men, you commute via the train or subway to your job. Instead of dozing off or reading that newspaper, look around you! Chances are you’ll see countless beautiful women, so why not strike up a conversation with one of them?
If you see a woman on the rail who is reading a book, ask her what it’s about. Your chances of success are even greater if you’ve already read the book, as this gives you leverage to discuss the theme or plot. From there, the conversation should flow naturally, and when it’s time for you to get off the train, casually ask for her phone number.

Lunch or Happy Hour
Cities big and small are filled to the brim with happy hours. Workers flock to these events for the chance to relax, have a drink or two, and enjoy the company of others. As a result, they are an excellent way to meet women.
While people from all walks of life are drawn to happy hours, the majority of patrons are workers clocking out for the day. With their jobs behind them, the atmosphere is alive with laid-back people looking for fun. When it comes to approaching women at your local happy hour, why not ask her where she works? Tell her what you do for a living, and let the conversation grow from there.
The world is filled with beautiful women, and they’re all waiting to meet you. The trick is opening your eyes and ears in order to find them. Don’t feel confined to the bar scene in order to mix with the opposite sex. You could be missing out on something much better.

Sometimes it’s not the guy that catches the girls heart, it’s the Harley. As a lover of most things Harley, I tend to agree, especially when it comes to attracting my attention. There have been songs written about this very issue, with catchy tunes like, “what have you done for me lately” and “I don’t want no scrubs, a scrub is a guy that gets no love from me… “. One thing that these songs all have in common is that they are awfully materialist right, ladies or are they right on?
Is a guy’s presents more valuable than his presence? I believe that there may be room for both. In relationship, both participants can become greedy both for presents and presence. Generally in new relationships, both seem to flow abundantly, but as time flies, so can presence and presents. One way to keep the love fire burning is to do both, but do so with ease and not overexhuberance. How one begins a relationship, generally is how one must continue it on order to keep their partner happy and feeling fulfilled.
Some tips;
Do not replace presents in the place of authentic presence. For example, if you are working late, don’t send flowers, instead plan a romantic dinner in addition to the flowers and be sure to be there on time.
Remember presents during special events, holidays or milestones in your relationships. Instead of a night out to celebrate, buy a gift in commemoration of the special occasion.
Don’t use presents as a weapon. For example, do not say, “I will get you this if you do that or you will not get this without giving me that.”
Using these tips are some of the ways to insure that its just not about the presents, but also the presence. Although, I may be attracted to that Hot Harley, it will be presence and presents that will keep the initial Harley fire burning in the years and months ahead.

Clothes are a part of a person’s individuality. What a person wears usually speaks volumes about his/her personality. Often, it is an essential factor in the dating game. The majority of the first impression a person creates is largely based on how the one looks—especially on the clothing style. So, it doesn’t come as a shocker when people hoping to attract a mate do everything they could to dress to impress. Since every person has his/her own concept of fashion, clothes are part of the issues that are far too personal for somebody to comment on, or give advice. The golden rule for dressing up is to keep it clean and simple; other than that, here are tips on how to dress to impress: Many people spend a lot of money on expensive clothes only to end up looking like they’re wearing a potato sack.
An expensive potato sack, that is. Wearing clothes that don’t fit properly is just as bad as pairing anything in your closet with hideous cowboy boots (think Britney Spears!). Some people make the mistake of thinking that just because they are wearing labelled or pricey clothes, it would be easy to ignore if it’s a little too big, a bit too small, misshapen, a little too short or a little too long. Wrong! Clothes must skim the body and hang well, because fit matters more than the size. Bring along a friend when shopping to check if your dream dress fits, OR, find yourself a good tailor or dressmaker.
The simplest of clothes can stand out with accessories. Finding the perfect one for your clothes is crucial, since it could make or break a fashion statement. The very best shoes, belt, purse or scarf are definitely a good addition to a wardrobe. Often one can’t help but give in to “accessory overload”, but it would be wise to avoid this altogether. One or two accessories are enough to make a statement. The same principle applies to jewelleries: a tasteful watch is enough to convey elegance in men; for women, don a classy pair of earrings and a simple necklace and you are ready to go.
If you simply must wear a lot more, just make sure that all the pieces are in harmony with the rest of the outfit. True, clothes make a man, but you would rather be remembered for your conversation rather than your designer bag, right? When you are fond of following trends, your aim is to look fresh, tuned in and of the moment. Staying abreast of the fads is important, lest your clothes become out-of-date. This may mean that you have to buy new clothes all the time, but hey, that’s the price you pay for being trendy. Otherwise, incorporate classic pieces with your up-to-the-minute ones so you can be fashionable without having to spend a lot on a new wardrobe every season.
Every article of clothing that a person puts on must blend well together—we’re not just talking about colors here. The fabric, styles and accessories should match-- that means leave your cowboy hat at home if you are going to a formal dinner in an elegant little black dress. If having uncertainties on what to wear, call the host/hostess and determine beforehand what type of clothing is required of the occasion. Or play it safe by choosing an outfit that can be dressed up or down with jewelry, scarf or jacket.
The most essential key one must remember on how to dress to impress is cleanliness. Soiled and stained clothes can never look expensive, even if it truly is. No designer jeans in the world can beat a clean and fresh-smelling one. Ditto with the wearer’s grooming. A well-groomed hair, clean manicured nails and fresh breath can make anyone look like a million dollars even with a very simple outfit.

Dates usually have different endings. In most cases, it’s either you don’t want to see the other person again, or you’re already looking forward to the second date. If the date has a happy ending, then by all means ask for her phone number. Be a gentleman and take your date home. A friendly kiss is a good way to end the amazing night.
Then you wake up in the morning and ask yourself: what next? Is it time to call yet? When is the right time to call for another date? Here are some tips to guide you when calling after the date: You’re itching to call her right after the date, maybe just to say hi or simply to hear her voice again. This is definitely a rather personal approach, but some women would think of this as being too eager and puts them off. Instead of calling, try to send a text message, or an email. A short and sweet one is infinitely better than a long and boring message, which is likely to make you look desperate. The art of calling after the date requires proper timing—call too soon and she’ll think you’re too keen (you might scare her off thinking that you’re stalker material); call too late and she’ll think you’re only playing with her (don’t be surprised if she sounds annoyed, you made her wait that’s why!). Waiting two days before calling her is usually a good idea.
When you get her on the phone, tell her that you enjoyed every moment you had together, and leave the option for another round of dating. At this stage, women must have the patience to wait for a guy to call back. The first call is always crucial—chatting for too long will only make you appear needy. It is best to keep the conversation short and simple. Men don’t stay on the phone for hours, so forget about it. Besides, there will be plenty of time to chat with your date on the phone after the consecutive dates.
Not sure what to say? Talk about the weather, your pet or the new coffee shop that you want to check out. Relax! Give her the impression that you are a confident person. Letting your nerves overcome you is not the way to do it. Practice what you’re going to say if it helps. Don’t forget to put a smile on your face while talking to her. Even if she doesn’t see you, it would still come across the phone line. It will definitely make your voice sound more cheerful. You feel there’s something, there’s chemistry between you and your date.
How can you be so sure that the feeling is mutual? If all you get are repeated messages from her answering machine, then it’s a sure sign that she doesn’t feel the same way about you. If this is the case, try to leave a message, along with your number, only once. If she’s interested, she will surely call you back. However, getting too much call from her is not a good sign, too. she is probably clingy and insecure. Maybe you’ll be better off without her, because you’ll never know how clingy she could get after the third or fourth date.
The worst thing that a guy could ever do is saying that he’ll call but does not do so. Mean what you say—if you promised to call, then do so. Don’t waste her time by making her wait. Not only will it hurt her; it would definitely make you look like a jerk, too.

There are times when even confident and successful men need tips on talking to girls. I mean, hasn’t there ever been a time when you tried to initiate a conversation only to end up in an awkward situation? Don’t feel bad though. We all have our off days and there’s certainly no harm in learning more tips on talking to girls. If you want to broaden your knowledge on the art of conversing with the female species, then this is the article for you!

Tips On Talking To Girls # 1: Ditch the Manly Conversations. It all begins with what you say. Women enjoy meaningful conversations with men. To engage in such, you have to talk about something both of you can relate to. While the latest football game might be a constant subject of interest among your best male buds, this just won’t do when talking to girls. Don’t try to use sports as a way to show off how manly your thoughts are either.

Tips On Talking To Girls # 2: Find a Common Ground. Start with your immediate surroundings. “Isn’t the music awesome?” or “Their grilled salmon is really delicious.” From there, you can actually have a decent conversation about music and food in general, which can then lead to you treating her to this quaint steak house around the corner.

Tips On Talking To Girls # 3: Be Casual Yet Polite. When talking to girls, there’s no need for formalities. Be casual, but don’t forget your manners either. Remain a gentleman with your thoughts, words and actions. Girls find this combination effortlessly charming and attractive. Now that you know these tips on talking to girls, you no longer have to deal with awkward situations and silent moments. Tone down your usual arrogance, engage them in conversations which they can relate to, and stay polite yet informal when you talk. The combination of these three simple tips will definitely score you plus points!

Sometimes, knowing what you’re looking for in a woman can be quite difficult. And if you’re one of them, don’t get discouraged. It truly isn’t as difficult as you may think to find the right woman for you.
The very first thing you must do is resign to be very open-minded. You need to cast aside all the standards that you may have been using and start from scratch.
Forget what all your buddies say is attractive. Never mind what you see in the lingerie commercials on television. You’ll want to start with the very basics of what makes two people compatible, not two lovers, but two people in general, in order to find what kind of person works for you.
In order to find out what you are really looking for in a woman, you need to take the time to consider the complete person, not just the body. You need to take into consideration things like personality, interests, ambition and then looks. You’re probably wondering why I listed those traits in the order I did. If you consider looks first it will tend to cloud your judgment on all the other traits. Men tend to be very easily visually stimulated. For this reason, what excites them at first sight tends to be what they think they want.
However, if you consider what you want in the other areas, the looks may not be so important. You may find that a woman with a great personality that likes football and racing as much as you do and who takes her career as a human resources director seriously, but who happens to be a brunette with only an average build, would suit you just fine. Personality, intelligence, ambition, sense of humor and interests play a much bigger role in attraction than just physical appearance.

What is it exactly that makes a woman see a man as romantic? Most of the time it's the little things that women notice. A glance, a quick touch or brush across her back. Sure, flowers are nice, but haven't they almost become a cliché. That's not to say women don't like flowers because they do, but if that's all you've got then it will only go so far. You have to mix it up, change your style and use your imagination to create romantic moments.
The key factor in creating romantic moments is to put the lady’s likes ahead of your own.
Creating romantic moments is so easy it’s a wonder every man in the world doesn’t “get” this. All you have to do is think of an activity built around something she likes to do. Does she like shopping (not something men even like to think about much less do), fine dining, walks on a beach, watching movies and the list goes on. It's all about doing something she likes with her. What will make such activities seem even more romantic to her is if you choose to do something she likes to do with her when a ball game is on TV that you could be watching with your buddies. She will feel chosen…and that, sir, is VERY romantic indeed. It doesn’t matter which activity to choose to participate in with the woman that you want to think of you as romantic.
The trick is for you to be totally involved mentally in the activity and not staring off into space or obviously just wishing it were over so you could go do what you really want to do. Remember this is you trying to be romantic so concentrate on the project at hand.
It really is so very easy to create romantic moments. With only a little thinking and planning, romantic moments can happen every day and at the most unexpected moments. Being romantic is a win/win situation. There is no reason not to make romantic moments happen at every opportunity.

All too often when we are negotiating both in real life and in business, demands and deadlines show up. Since most of us have never been trained on how to deal with these issues, we tend to do the easiest thing: panic.
May I suggest a different approach: ignore them. Unless you are actively involved in a hostage negotiation, you probably won’t be handed a list of demands. Instead, they will show up in more subtle ways. Casual statements like “This is a must have” or “I really don’t have any flexibility on this issue” are the nice way of saying “this is a demand” in polite company. Instead of panicking, great each veiled demand as an old friend. The other side has just revealed a point that is important to them. The actual demand does not matter that much, what really matters is the reason for the demand. If they say they they need the delivery by Friday, then forget the demand and focus on why they need the delivery by then. Who is waiting for the delivery? Why do they need it then? Every demand is a step in the right direction because you now have a better idea about what key points the eventual solution must address.
Same thing goes for deadlines. If the other side says “we’ve got to wrap this up by 10 pm or we’ll have to walk” then the question is why? What is their best alternative? What is so special about 10 pm? Why not continue tomorrow? Remember that most deadlines are garbage and the other side may be using them as part of a fairly poor attempt at moving the deal to a close.
Ignore the deadline and move on. If they are interested in doing a deal, they’ll end up ignoring it also. If you end up giving into one or more of their demands or meeting one of their deadlines, make sure that you get something for it. Tit-for-tat. Make sure that the other side does not see you as being weak and giving in. Instead, keep the give and take balanced through the negotiations.

MUNICH: Men can avoid nicks and cuts from their razors by shaving before breakfast, according to a German-language skin care website run by several organisations active in promoting cosmetics and health care.
As the stomach starts to digest, the heart rate and blood flow increases. As there is more blood flowing through the arteries beneath the skin on the face and neck, there is a greater danger of being cut after eating. In addition, facial hair should be well moistened before shaving.
The hair swells almost like a sponge when it is moistened and it is easier to cut, the website said. However, it's also best to shave before showering because the hair should not be too wet.

Sensing a tough economic climate, the country's second-largest IT company Infosys Technologies has announced a salary and promotion freeze.
The company has also cut the variable pay for employees, with the cuts being deeper at the higher levels. In the past few months, Indian IT companies have been increasingly feeling the pressure of fat pay packets on their profit margins. The once so-commonly acceptable astronomical packages of IT pros have now started pinching the bottomlines of the IT companies. Here are some of the top executives in Infosys who get the fattest pay packets.
BG Srinivas, head of European operations and an executive council member, was the highest paid employee at Infosys in the year-ended March 2009. Last year, Srinivas received a total compensation package of Rs 3.07 crore, which includes approximately Rs 1.8 crore towards salary, Rs 1.16 crore towards bonus and incentives. This included an amount of Rs 38 kakh accruing from long-term benefits.
The US-based Ashok Vemuri, head of BFSI and capital markets, took home a total compensation of Rs 4.04 crore (Rs 2.81 crore last year). Last year Vemuri, had received an annual compensation of $704,111 (a little over Rs 2.8 crore).
Among the board members, Mohandas Pai earned the highest compensation package of Rs 2.59 crore. He was followed by CFO Balakrishnan at Rs 2.36 crore (Rs 0.63 crore). Last year, Pai was the third highest earning executive at Infosys. He received an annual package of $443,379 (about Rs 1.8 crore). This included $82,033 (approximately Rs 37 lakh) as annual salary, bonus/incentive of $308,625 (Rs 1.3 crore), other annual compensation of $31,916 (around Rs 14 lakh) and $20,805 (around Rs 9 lakh) towards long-term benefits.
The CEO and MD, S Gopalakrishnan’s total compensation package stood at Rs 92 lakh (Rs 81 lakh) while co-chairman Nandan Nilekani earned Rs 91 lakh (Rs 82 lakh). COO SD Shibulal’s Rs 87 lakh (Rs 78 lakh) was the lowest among key management personnel. NR Narayana Murthy, non-executive chairman and chief mentor, took home a commission of Rs 63 lakh (Rs 50 lakh).
Prof Marti G Subramanyam was the highest paid non-wholetime director at Rs 96 lakh (Rs 59 lakh). Other two names in the Infosys' 2007-08 were Srinath Batni, and Subhash Dhar. Batni received an annual compensation package of $316,207 (little less than Rs 1.3 crore). A member of the Infosys board, Batni is also a director on the board of Infosys Technologies (China) Co Ltd and Infosys Australia Pty Ltd. Dhar is a senior vice-president and heads the communications, media and entertainment business unit at Infosys. He is also a member of the executive council of Infosys and serves on the board of Infosys Australia Pty Ltd. Dhar got an annual compensation package of $248,316 (a little less than Rs 1 crore), in the year 2007-08.
(The list is based on a news report that appeared in a business daily)

1. More and more of our precious memories are out of our hands -- stored on remote servers run by online photo-sharing sites. But are you sure you have chosen the right photo-sharing site to stock your memories. Here are some tips on how to pick one that works best for you.
2. Examine the terms of service before you sign up for an online photo site. Don't give in to the temptation to skip that. To avoid confusing legal terms, check out the website's “frequently asked questions” or FAQ section. It could have the answer you want. Google, noting that legal documents can be onerous, offers a “Terms of Service Highlights” written in plain English.
3. Find out if your photo-sharing site lets you download high-resolution versions of your photos, so you can transfer your pictures to another website if the policies change. Picasa offers the service for free, but many do not, including Shutterfly, Kodak and Snapfish. Flickr lets you download high-resolution photos with either a paid account or if you allow others to distribute your images.
4. Clarify a photo site's policy on erasing photos. Some sites, such as Kodak and Snapfish, will delete images if you don't adhere to their policies after multiple warnings. Shutterfly may delete accounts inactive for over 180 days, but spokeswoman Gretchen Sloan said this policy is not enforced. If you decide you want to retrieve photos you deleted, several sites, including Fotki, Shutterfly and Snapfish, make this possible by holding on to images for a few days or sometimes even a month and a half.
5. Don't sign up for a free photo-sharing site without comparing the cost of printing photos with other sites. You could save money on photo storage but end up paying more money for printing and shipping your images.
6. Some sites can offer lower per-photo costs if you expect to buy a lot of prints. Shutterfly offers three prepaid plans, including one that saves 33 per cent if you commit to buying 600 4-by-6-inch (10-by-15-centimeter) photos in two years. Kodak's Premier Print Super Saver lets you save 33 per cent off 4-by-6 prints, but it charges $50 a year.
7. To avoid shipping charges, pick up your pictures at retail stores such as Wal-Mart and Target that partner with photo-sharing sites. Flickr, Kodak, Shutterfly, Snapfish and Picasa offer that service. The processing time can be as short as an hour.
8. Back up your pictures in at least two places. Store them on your computer's internal hard drive or an external drive, and burn copies onto DVDs or CDs. Keep a set at a relative's house in case disaster strikes your home.
9. Opt for sites that offer refunds if you're not satisfied with your order, such as Shutterfly. It also has a toll-free number for customer service, as does Snapfish and Kodak.If you just want to share digital photos with online friends, use the free services offered on social networking sites. Skip photo-storage sites unless you want to send pictures to people who aren't on social networks -- or if you want to take advantage of more extensive photo printing services on mugs, T-shirts and calendars.

SEATTLE: Microsoft Corp announced that it would be giving away more than 30,000 vouchers over the next 90 days to help unemployed people in Washington state get new computer skills.
The vouchers will entitle them to take computer classes for free -- either in person or online -- and take Microsoft certification exams at no or low cost. At a news conference in Seattle, Gov. Chris Gregoire commended Microsoft for stepping up to the challenge of helping the nation come out of the recession stronger.
"When this downturn ends, we will need more skilled workers ready to enter the job market. Microsoft's generosity will provide thousands of men and women the skills they need to work with the software that runs our businesses," Gregoire said. Washington's WorkSource job centers across Washington started giving out the vouchers on Monday. Washington state had the 17th highest unemployment rate in the country last month with a jobless rate of 8.4 per cent. The vouchers are part of a new national programme Microsoft announced at the National Governors Conference in February. Elevate America hopes to offer job training to as many as 2 million Americans over the next three years. Sue T Carter of Bellevue picked up one of the first vouchers. She said she has been working part time for more than two years and really needs to find a job that will help her pay her rent, because she is less than a month away from eviction. Carter earned several college degrees years ago and has picked up most of her computer skills on her own, but she knows companies seek employees with professional training.
"Knowledge is power and I'm willing to do anything to make myself a more viable candidate in the workplace," Carter said. "It always makes you more viable if you've got more skills to offer." She expressed enthusiasm that the training programme is not costing taxpayers anything. Brad Smith, Microsoft senior vice president and general counsel, said the company also is excited about the public-private partnership because it will help both people and businesses. "This programme is all about equipping people with the new skills they'll need to get a job in the changing economy," Smith said. The free training will be for Microsoft software, from basic technology literacy to intermediate-level courses on programmes such as Excel and PowerPoint.

Indiatimes Infotech Wanna get out of Microsoft hold on your desktop? Or just want to try some new productivity suite? Or looking just for a more economical option? There's a choices galore. Corel, Sun Microsystems, Apple, IBM and many others offer alternatives to Microsoft Office. These options though enjoy only a fraction of productivity suite marketshare, but offer most of the features found in Microsoft Office, plus are also available for free or at a very nominal cost. Here's bringing to you eight Microsoft Office alternatives.

Google Docs & Spreadsheet

Developed by Internet search giant Google, Web-based Google Docs offers word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, and form application. Documents can be shared, opened, and edited by multiple users at the same time. Google Docs also allows users to create and edit documents online while collaborating real-time with other users. As for the size limits, each doc can have a maximum size of 500K, plus up to 2MB per embedded image. Each Spreadsheet can be up to 256 columns, 200,000 cells, or 100 sheets. Presentations Files in .ppt and .pps formats can have a maximum size of 10MB or 200 slides; files uploaded from the Web can be up to 2MB; emailed files can be up to 500K. Google Docs can also be accessed offline with Gears, an open source browser extension that enables web applications to run offline. When a user is not connected to the Internet, Google Docs uses information stored on his computer's hard drive, rather than relying on information sent across the network.

Corel WordPerfect

WordPerfect is a word processing application developed by Corel. The office software helps create documents, spreadsheets and presentations, manages email, and share work seamlessly with Microsoft Office compatibility and built-in PDF tools. It offers support for more than 60 formats, including Microsoft Office 2007 and open standards such as Open Document Format (ODF) and Office Open XML (OOXML). It lets users create letters, reports, newsletters, budgets, invoices, receipts, slide shows, proposals and interactive reports. It can also turn complex spreadsheets into charts and graphs. The software packs Pocket Oxford English Dictionary, drawing application, 175 digital photos, 8,000 clipart images, 900 TrueType fonts, WordPerfect XML Project Designer and conversion utility. What differentiates Word Perfect from other word processors is its streaming code architecture, its Reveal Codes feature, and its user-friendly macro/scripting language, PerfectScript.

Zoho

Zoho Office is an online office suite which includes tools for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, note-taking, wikis, CRM, project management and invoicing. Like Google Docs, Zoho applications are web-based and operating system independent. Its online word processor, Zoho Writer, quite closely apes Microsoft Word features and functionalities. It supports common formats, including Microsoft Word (DOC), Office Open XML (DOCX), OpenDocument text (ODT), OpenOffice text (SXW), HTML, RTF, JPG, GIF & PNG files. Zoho also lets users edit a document when page breaks are displayed. Writer works even when one is offline, thanks to open source technology. Offline document edits get synchronised when user goes online. Zoho Writer also provides a choice of footnotes or endnotes, with note numbers in superscript, placed in the text. Zoho is a division of AdventNet, which provides online software services to corporate IT departments and is based in California.

ThinkFree
Another Microsoft Office rival that closely resembles its functionality and features is ThinkFree Office by Haansoft ThinkFree Co Ltd. ThinkFree Office supports Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint file formats. It provides identical features for Windows, Mac, or Linux. ThinkFree Office includes a word processor (Write), spreadsheet (Calc), presentation programme (Show), and a WYSIWYG html and blog editor (Note). It also has a web-based edition that runs Write, Calc, Show and Note in a browser using a mix of Java applet and Ajax technologies. User gets 1GB of online storage space for saving their documents.Recently, the company updated its online version, ThinkFree Office Live, introducing a new unified online document viewer called Uni Paper and allows the use of its service without any registration. Key features of the web version include: No need to attach documents to emails if they need to be shared with business partners or colleagues, support for group document editing and reviewing, Document tagging and creation of Adobe PDF documents for free.

OpenOffice

Another Microsoft Office competitor, OpenOffice is a free open-source office application suite offering support for standard OpenDocument Format (ODF) for data interchange as well as Microsoft Office formats. As of March 2009, OpenOffice supports over 80 languages.OpenOffice was originally derived from StarOffice, and later acquired by Sun Microsystems in August 1999. The suite offers word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics and databases.Its word processor, called Writer, offers features like AutoCorrect, AutoComplete, AutoFormat, Styles and Formatting, Text Frames and Linking, Tables of Contents, Indexing, Bibliographical References, Illustrations, Tables and other objects.

Buzzword
Here's a free online word processor from Adobe called Buzzword. It lets users write reports, proposals and share it with others. Buzzword has two views, Document Organiser and Editor. The Editor provides six sliding toolbars at the top of the window which lets users choose fonts, text styles and format paragraphs. It also lets users add lists, images, tables, and comments to a document. The Document Organiser shows all Buzzword documents, the one's that are shared and created by the user. There is also a Sort feature to organise how documents are grouped: by author, by date modified, by size, or other options. Other key features include: users can assign user roles; add comments that include text, tables, and images; maintain history of document versions; and a Collaborator bar showing who is invited to collaborate on a document.

IBM Lotus Symphony

Another bigger challenge to Microsoft Office is IBM Lotus Symphony, a suite of applications for creating, editing and sharing text, spreadsheet, presentations and other documents. Launched in July 1984 as an integrated software application for DOS, IBM revived the Symphony name for a new office suite that was released for free in 2007. IBM Lotus Symphony Document lets users create documents with predefined document templates, formatting with predefined styles for paragraphs, characters, and headings, contextual toolbars and editing menus. It also offers inline spell checking and correction feature, graphics for creating tables, charts, diagrams, automatic creation of a table of contents, footnotes, indexes and footers and headers. It also extends support for a variety of file types, including Microsoft Office and Lotus SmartSuite Export documents and Adobe PDF for easy sharing.

Jarte

Another alternative to Microsoft Word is Jarte, a light-weight, portable word processor based on the WordPad engine. The standard version is available for free. Features include the ability to edit Microsoft Word documents, OLE support (the ability to insert pictures and sounds), tabbed document access, spell checker, page breaks, print previewing, visual header and footer designer, clip history, a reference bar, multilevel undo and redo functionality, and single-click bookmarking. Jarte uses the Windows built-in word processing engine at its core.

TORONTO: Canadian researchers have developed the world's first flying micro-robot that can manipulate objects, particularly during surgeries, for micro-scale applications.
The invention provides researchers with more control over micro-scale manipulation, allowing them to move and place tiny objects with far greater precision, said Waterloo University- where an engineering research team developed the device. In a statement Wednesday, it said the tiny new gravity-defying device can manipulate tiny objects at levels that are too small to be manipulated by humans. Called the flying MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) robot, the device defies the force of gravity by flying or levitating, powered by a magnetic field. It moves around and manipulates objects with magnets attached to micro-grippers, remotely controlled by a laser-focusing beam, the university statement said.
The tiny device's micro-manipulation will be useful in micro-assembly of mechanical components, handling of biological samples and even micro-surgery, it added. "We have developed a magnetically levitated micro-robot, which is a new technology for manipulation using flying micro-robots," said Behrad Khamesee, research leader and professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering, who is skilled in developing micro-scale devices using magnetic levitation. "We are the first in the world to make such a floating robot equipped with micro-grippers. It can enter virtually any space and can be operated in a sealed enclosure by a person outside, which makes it useful for handling bio-hazardous materials or working in vacuum chambers and clean rooms," he was quoted as saying in the statement.
Explaining the new invention, the university statement said that magnetic levitation is used to position the micro-robot in a three-dimensional space, employing an external magnetic drive mechanism. The mechanism controls that magnetic field by using feedback from position sensors in order to position the micro-robot. Since the power is supplied externally, the micro-robot can be manoeuvred.

WASHINGTON: Thousands of rare dolphins have been sighted in the fresh waters off the Sundarbans and the Bay of Bengal, according to Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS). WCS researchers estimated that nearly 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins, related to orcas or killer whales, were found living in freshwater regions of Bangladeshi Sundarbans and adjacent waters of the Bay of Bengal- an area where little marine mammal research has taken place up to this point. Prior to this study, the largest known populations of Irrawaddy dolphins numbered in the low hundreds or less. Each discovery of Irrawaddy dolphins is important because scientists do not know how many remain on the planet.
In 2008, they were listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List based on population declines in known populations. "With all the news about freshwater environments and state of the oceans, WCS's discovery that a thriving population of Irrawaddy dolphins exists in Bangladesh gives us hope for protecting this and other endangered species and their important habitats," said WCS President and CEO Steven E. Sanderson. "This discovery gives us great hope that there is a future for Irrawaddy dolphins," said Brian D. Smith, the study's lead author. However, study authors warn that the dolphins are becoming increasingly threatened by accidental entanglement in fishing nets. During the study, researchers encountered two dolphins that had become entangled and subsequently drowned in fishing nets - a common occurrence, according to local fishermen. The results of the study were announced Friday at the First International Conference on Marine Mammal Protected Areas in Maui, Hawaii and published in the Winter issue of the Journal of Cetacean Research and Management, said a WCS release. Authors of the study include Brian D. Smith, Rubaiyat Mansur Mowgli, and Samantha Strindberg of the Wildlife Conservation Society, along with Benazir Ahmed of Chittagong University in Bangladesh.

A brilliant burst of gamma ray killed most of the creatures on Earth some 440 million years ago, and researchers say, a similar celestial
catastrophe could happen again. Most gamma-ray bursts are thought to be streams of high-energy radiation produced when the core of a very massive star collapses. The new computer model shows that a gamma-ray burst aimed at Earth could deplete the ozone layer, cause acid rain, and initiate a round of global cooling from as far as 6,500 light-years away, reports National Geographic News.
Such a disaster may have been responsible for the mass die-off of 70% of the marine creatures that thrived during the Ordovician period (488 to 443 million years ago), suggests study leader Brian Thomas, an astrophysicist at Washburn University in Kansas. The simulation also shows that a significant gamma-ray burst is likely to go off within range of Earth every billion years or so, although the stream of radiation would have to be lined up just right to affect the planet. Currently WR104, a massive star 8,000 light-years away, is in position to be a potential threat, Thomas noted. But the study, which has been submitted to the International Journal of Astrobiology, isn’t necessarily sending other astrophysicists into a panic. “There is certainly no harm in looking at what a gamma-ray burst might do if it were close enough to us, as this author has done. That’s the way science works,” said David Thompson, a Nasa astrophysicist and deputy project director on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.

LONDON: Bad at maths? Gorge on chocolates before you attempt your next examination.
A new study has revealed that eating chocolate could improve the brain's ability to do maths as well as boost your energy level. Researchers have carried out the study and found that flavanols, compounds found in chocolate and part of a group of chemicals called polyphenols, actually work by increasing the flow of blood into the brain. According to the study's lead author David Kennedy of Northumbria University, the findings suggest that students who binge on chocolate when revising for examination might gain a real benefit from doing so and chocolate could be beneficial for mentally challenging tasks also.
"For things that are difficult to do, mentally demanding things that may crop up in your work it could help," Prof Kennedy was quoted by 'The Daily Telegraph' as saying. In the study, 30 volunteers were asked to count backwards in groups of three from a random number between 800 and 999 generated by a computer. The findings showed that they could do the calculations more quickly and accurately after they were given a hot cocoa drink containing 500 mg flavanols. However, the same was not true when the group was asked to count backwards in groups of seven, which the researchers described as a more complex task, requiring a slightly different part of the brain.

WASHINGTON: The ruins of a village dating back to the fall of the Roman empire, during the Dark Ages, have been found at an excavation site in Salzburg in Austria.
According to a report in the Austrian Times, workers found the remains of the village which is thought to date back to the 5th to 7th centuries at a 6,000-square-metre site for construction of a home for pensioners at Anif-Niederalm in the Flachgau region.
Archaeologists said that a layman probably wouldn't recognise anything special at the site, but claim it may shed considerable light on a period of local history about which relatively little is known. An archaeologist said it was the largest find from that period of history in Salzburg to date.
He noted the settlement had consisted of wooden buildings and such items as jewellery, tools like hammers and anvils and vessels made of clay had already been found at the site. Archaeologists are trying to finish their work at the site as rapidly as possible before construction of the home for pensioners resumes.

LONDON: Scientists are planning to build a giant telescope that will be powerful enough to identify habitable planets like Earth in distant solar systems.
Astronomers claim the European Extremely Large Telescope, which will house a mirror the width of five double decker buses placed end to end, will be the first optical telescope capable of picking out the weak pinpricks of light that are reflected from planets as they orbit stars. The scientific breakthrough will be able to spot rocky Earth-like planets up to 100 million million miles away, reports The Telegraph. Light's telltale signatures coming from such planets could also reveal whether there is water on their surfaces, which gases are in their atmospheres, and even if they may harbour life itself. The 1 billion euro E-ELT will have more mirror glass than all the other telescopes in the world put together. It is expected to be so powerful that if astronomers were to use it to peer at the Moon, they would be able to see the car sized lunar rover that was left on the moon by astronauts during the Apollo missions. Isobel Hook, joint chair of the E-ELT science working group and an astronomer at Oxford University, said: "The astronomy community has been moving towards building progressively bigger telescopes to get sharper images. "The resolution of the ELT is going to allow us to see objects and structures in the universe that we have been blind to until know."

CHENNAI: The economic downturn and rising credit card interest rates have led to significant rise in credit card defaults. Industry estimates showed that the default has increased by 50-70 % over last year. Credit card issuers charge interest rates as high as 3.4% per month compared to around 2.7% six months ago. High interest rates on plastics were explainable when RBI raised bank rates to 13-year high levels. But the same rates should fall as RBI has relaxed key rates, many said. But credit card issuers don't seem to be in a mood to lower rates.
"We have competitive rates when seen in light with the industry. Higher-end customers know how to use credit cards. But if you talk about lowering interest rates, it has never happened in the entire history of credit cards," said an official with a leading private bank. Cost of funds has also dropped by around two percentage points with RBI easing rates and norms. The official added that banks charge high interest rates on credit card debt as these loans are not backed by any collateral or security. But consumers feel that pressure should be mounted on banks to reduce rates as that have been reduced across the board.
The entry of new players in the last seven-eight months such as Axis Bank, Deutsche Bank and Barclays Bank has not led to reduction in credit card rates. A senior executive with a card company said: "More competition may not always translate to lower prices for consumers.
More entrants have come but credit card as a business has to be profitable. Default rates have risen and the macroeconomic environment is a major contributor in determining interest rates across credit products, including cards."

It may seem like your job search is out of your hands when your countless resume submissions yield zero responses, but the math is no coincidence. By tweaking your resume in a way that gives it a better chance of getting through employers' scanning software, your chances of scoring an interview are multiplied.
Fortune asked a variety of industry experts about how job seekers can pass the scanning test and make it to the top candidate pools, and these six tips seem pretty priceless.
1. Sarah Hightower Hill, CEO of career management firm's Chandler Hill Partners, says you should repeat what you see in the job posting: "If they say 13 years experience washing blue dishes, then say experience with blue dish washing."
2. If you don't have a particular skill, Hightower Hill doesn't promote embellishing but says there is a way to get around it that will give your resume a better chance of being read. For example, if the posting says they want someone with knowledge of SAS, she says to include something like "SAS familiarity," "currently studying SAS," or even "SAS interest."
3. Employ a tactic called stemming. Barbara Safani of Career Solvers uses the term to describe utilizing variations of key words, like including the word accounting in your resume if you're an accountant.
4. To see three more expert tips, read more.
Safani advices using "both official terms along with their abbreviations to cover all their bases for key words."
5. Nancy Friedberg, president of Career Leverage, says applicants must use current industry jargon to get noticed.
6. Leave out the fluff. According to Safani, "Terms like hard working, loyal and great communicator aren't going to get you anywhere."

NEW DELHI: Over the years Internet search has been evolving, today one can search almost anything on the Net. But then as they say, technology is both a bane and a boon. Google Search recently exposed the credit card information of 19,000 British Web surfers.
According to a report in Telegraph, the data, which includes names and home addresses as well as full card information, was accessible through a simple Google search. According to the report, the details of thousands of Visa, Mastercard and American Express customers were mistakenly put in the public domain by fraudsters, who planned to sell it on to other scammers. A spokesman for the banking industry body APACS said that most of the cards on the list had already been cancelled, but there are concerns that their owners were not made aware that they had been leaked online. Incidentally, the data was originally posted on an unsecured server in Vietnam used by criminal gangs. Though the site closed down in February, the information remained available on a "cached" version of the page on Google, which stores historical snapshots of websites even after they are removed. The report quotes a Google spokesman saying that the information has now been removed.

When you are totally smitten by him, those three little words are waggling at the tip of your tongue, threatening to tumble at the slightest provocation.
But, you may want to be on guard, unless you want to scare away the poor fella! 'I love you' may be the most natural thing to say when you are dating, but once those words are said, you take your relationship to a whole new plane. There is a world of difference between 'I like you' and 'I love you'. It's time you use them with caution. They are definitely not the golden words to say when...
The drinks are talking It definitely may be easy to get those words out and loosen your guard when you are drunk, but the question is if you really mean them, or is it just the vodka that you downed showing its colour!? It is hard to believe anything out of some one who's been hammered. Save the proposals for the pre-party bit. That way, you'll have an even better reason to rejoice. The love mist is between your eyes Murmuring sweet nothings into his ear may set the mood for a session of rolling on the mat. But, along with those nothings, it is quite natural to yell 'I love you!' This may leave him baffled into thinking, is it really him that you love?! Don't get heady and impulsive; this will only blur the lines of distinction between love and lust. Hold those reigns, and if you feel the same even when the lust fog lifts you have found true love!
Wired communication Avoid voicing your inner feelings through the telephone, e- mail or instant messages. Simply because, it is a thrill killer. It is a chicken thing to do. It doesn't show how serious you are. Also spare those emoticons, they are hardly romantic! Let him see it in your eyes, and judge for himself about how serious you are. If you are indeed serious, there is nothing like looking him in the eye, holding his hand and professing how you feel.

CHENNAI: On All Fools' Day, don't get fooled into downloading a virus that could potentially hack the entire data in your computer. The April Fools'
virus,' known as Conficker, is believed to be so deadly that Microsoft has gone to the extent of offering $2,50,000 in reward for information that leads to the arrest of the creator of the virus. The virus takes advantage of a vulnerability in Windows operating systems. Microsoft has put up a patch to fix it on its site.
"Do not open any mail that you think could be spam or has catchy subject lines. It could also spread through programmes that you download and also from autoruns.' That could be a potential threat," an internet security consultant said.
Conficker could shut off access to important files on your computer, shut down anti-virus programmes and microsoft security updates, disable various features and drops malware into the system, Amit Nath, Country manager, Trend Micro told The Times Of India. The virus could also set off a wave of spam messages and lead to online scams, feel experts. The creators of the virus have reportedly programmed it in such a way that the virus would report back to them for further instructions on April 1. Global reports indicate that already about 12 million computers have been infected with the virus which first struck in October 2008. The virus that is likely to hit on April 1,2009 is known as Conficker C'.
It has already wreaked havoc across the world affecting computers in the UK Ministry of Defence, computers on the Royal Navy warships, hospitals, 13 schools in England, Houston municipal courts and the Bundeswehr (federal defence force) in Germany, since October. The virus could spread through file sharing mode, USB drives, computers without proper password management and those without latest security updates. Some experts point out that there is a probable threat of many computers already having been infected and could lose their data on April 1. "Users need to have a good security management. Without a good password policy, it becomes easy for the worm to infect the system. Firms and individuals need to have good passwords that includes a combination of alphabets, numerals and symbols," Amit said. Amit points out that for people who use genuine Microsoft products might be able to fix the vulnerability by downloading the patch from Microsoft's site. "But for those, who are using pirated versions, they will have to be extremely careful about the worm," he said.
To be careful, computer users are asked to have a password for their computers, constantly update their softwares, especially their anti-virus softwares. Anti-virus company F-Secure has reported on its site that the hype surrounding the Conficker worm has led to many fake portals coming up with the claim to remove the virus and have asked users to only download virus removal functionality from their respective anti-virus companies.

Losing as little as 5kg, the equivalent of about one dress size, can age a woman by four years, a new study reported. Meanwhile, having plump cheeks and soft features helps maintain an air of youth, scientists discovered.
American researchers made the link between weight and perceived age after studying the body mass index of 200 pairs of identical female twins for two years. Researcher Bahaman Guyuron said: “A BMI higher by four points was found to result in a younger appearance of between two and four years in women over 40 years old.”
In some cases, this meant that a difference in weight of as little as 5kg added four years to a woman’s appearance, the British newspaper Daily Telegraph reported. Divorce was also found to take its toll on appearance, as married or single people were found to look younger than those who have suffered a break-up.
Suffering from depression, smoking, drinking and sunbathing, also tainted people’s youthful looks, the study concluded.

WASHINGTON: Undergoing CT scans a number of times may increase a patient's risk of cancer, according to a study.
"We found that while most patients accrue small cumulative cancer risks, 7% of the patients in our study had enough recurrent CT imaging to raise their estimated cancer risk by 1% or more above baseline levels," said Dr. Aaron Sodickson, assistant director of Emergency Radiology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and researcher at the Center for Evidence-Based Imaging in Boston. "The techniques implemented in our study can be used to identify higher risk patients who might benefit from enhanced radiation protection efforts," Sodickson added. The new finding has been reported at a time when the use of CT, which has proven to be a valuable clinical tool, is growing rapidly. CT provides detailed images of internal organs, and is a common technique used to make medical diagnoses and help guide medical treatment decisions. The researchers, however, say that CT uses a higher radiation dose than most other imaging exams. For their study, they developed new methodology to estimate cumulative CT radiation doses, and associated radiation-induced cancer risks at the level of the individual patient. The team extracted each patient's CT history from the electronic medical record, and applied standard risk-estimation models that incorporate patient gender and age at exposure. Those involved in the study included 31,462 adult patients who had diagnostic CT scans at Brigham and Women's Hospital or the Dana-Farber Cancer Center in 2007, and had undergone a total of 190,712 CT exams over the prior 22 years. The researchers revealed that approximately 33% of the patients underwent five or more lifetime CT exams, 5% underwent more than 22 exams, and 1% underwent more than 38 exams.
They further revealed that 15 percent received estimated cumulative effective radiation doses of more than 100 millisieverts (mSv), equivalent to the dose one would receive from 1,000 chest x-rays. Four percent received over 250 mSv, and 1% received over 399 mSv, the researchers added. It was observed that about 7.3% of the study group had an estimated lifetime attributable risk (LAR) of cancer of greater than 1%. That, according to the researchers, suggested that the subjects' risk of developing cancer had increased by one percent above the baseline US cancer risk rate of 42%, due to cumulative CT radiation exposure. Among the 315 patients in the top percentile of cumulative LAR, risk increased by 2.7 to 12%, they said. "CT is an excellent diagnostic tool of tremendous clinical value in many situations. Individual decisions about its use should balance the expected clinical benefits against the potential cumulative risks of recurrent imaging," Sodickson said. The researcher says that for those who have not undergone a large number of CT scans, its benefits typically outweigh the potential risks.
"However, we feel that a higher clinical threshold is warranted in patients undergoing a large amount of recurrent CT imaging, particularly if many of their prior CT scans have been negative.
This scenario may result in a combination of high cumulative risk with low clinical benefit," Sodickson said. Sodickson hopes that the findings of this study will help increase awareness of cumulative radiation exposure concerns, so that physicians will be better able to incorporate patient-specific radiation risk estimates into the CT decision-making process.
The study has been published in the journal Radiology.

WASHINGTON: Are men the weaker sex? Well, a new study has found scientific evidence that a male baby is born with more associated risks than his female counterparts.
In the study of 66,000 births, Israeli researchers have found that while girls are at higher risk for restricted growth in utero and for breech presentation at birth, risks associated with boy foetuses are more abundant. Lead researcher Marek Glezerman of Tel Aviv University said: "Pregnancies with male foetus are more complicated. They are more likely to result in a premature rupture of embryonic sac and suffer from premature delivery.
"And those male foetuses which make it to term are more likely to suffer from excessive growth in the uterus, making delivery more difficult and leading to more Cesarean section deliveries.
" He added, "Boys are riskier to an extent. In general, boys are more vulnerable in life in utero and vulnerability continues to exist throughout their lives. Men are known to have a shorter lifespan, are more susceptible to infections, and have less chance of withstanding disease than women. In short, men are the weaker sex."

WASHINGTON: Now tsunamis won't be able to catch you unaware, thanks to a mathematics formula worked out by scientists that will give advance warnings and an idea of their destructive might. The research, led by Newcastle University maths professor Robin Johnson, was prompted by the 2004 post-Christmas tsunami that devastated coastal communities in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. In this instance, an earthquake in the ocean depths triggered a long surface wave which resulted in six massive wave fronts, one after the other.
Of these waves it was the third and largest one that caused the most devastation, hitting the beaches with terrifying speed. Reaching a height of 20 metres or 65 feet, it hefted a train from its tracks as it travelled along the Sri Lankan coastline, killing almost 1,000 people. Johnson and his colleague Adrian Constantin, professor at the University of Vienna, Austria, felt that if we could understand more about how these long waves behave we could predict where they might hit and how devastating they might be. "What we found was that the number and height of the tsunami waves hitting the shoreline depends critically on the shape of the initial surface wave in deep water," explained Johnson. "From this it is possible to work out whether a 'trough' or a 'peak' is the leading wave. In the case of a trough then the familiar sight of the tide suddenly going out is the precursor to an approaching tsunami.
"If a peak is the leading wave, there is no warning except a fast-approaching wall of water. Potentially this could provide vital information for areas facing an impending disaster," said Johnson, according to a Newcastle release.
Their research was published in the Science Direct: Fluid Dynamics Research and this paper have just been named the journal's best paper of the year.