The X-MAS spirit

X-MAS came and went away.I don't know about the rest of India but Delhi didn't show any enthusiasm or zeal which is characteristic of X-MAS.Even in our small Allahabad we see..santa and his helpers moving around the city in lorries throwing snowflakes and candies on the crowd.The celebrations..carol singing which goes on at the city's schhols and the grand cathedral in Civil Lines is esxhilirating.I celebrated X-MAS this time with two of my very good friends..we had the ususal plum cake.with chocolate cake..some tortilla chips..some chicken and of course some booze.It wasn't like what it used to be earlier when we were kids..but then time takes its tool on everything.Lets pray the X_MAS spirit stays with us throughout the coming year.A Happy New Year to all of you.

Mobile Communication:The Present & The Future

Who would have imagined 3-4 years ago that we would see auto-rickshaw wallahs and even vegetable vendors talking to their friends and enquiring about the latest market prices over their mobile phones!! I certainly didn’t. The situation, as of now, is such that we don’t even give a second look if we see a carpenter/car mechanic or our very own dhobi flash his newest LG/Samsung Reliance phone. Technology, they say, is the closest you can get to MAGIC these days, so very true!

The use of mobile phones is not limited to making calls and sending text messages anymore. With the advent of technologies like WAP, WAP2.0, GPRS, EDGE and hardware based technologies like Bluetooth mobile phones act as a pocket device capable of accessing the internet, sending/ receiving e-mails and share data with other compatible devices. I, being the curious cat I am, fiddle with almost every new piece of technology that comes my way, be it a new PC imaging application, a game or bluetooth, infra-red applications for my Nokia 6600. My mother thinks I’m a magician; all I am though is just a person who uses the magic to his own maximum benefit. Even when I’m not sitting on my PC I don’t need a laptop to carry around for my internet, Word, Excel, Power Point needs, I use IGO’s Quick Office on my mobile phone. I don’t need an I-Pod because I can store a decent number of songs on my 512 MB memory card on my phone. I don’t need a digital camera as the VGA camera in my phone does a pretty decent job, the image quality might not conform to a high-end digital camera’s standards but its better than a Kodak KB10 atleastJ. I don’t need to carry around floppy disks or rewritable CDs, instead I just carry my bluettoth dongle around and can print or share whatever I want trhough my mobile. There are a lot more things, of which I’m not gonna bore you with right now.

The point is mobile communication is, and can be very beneficial to anybody who wants it. Pseudo intellectuals and discerners say “a phone is supposed to make calls, and people are stupid to invest so much money on mobile phones” yeah right! So why don’t you go back to using pigeons to communicate with your loved ones haan? Keeping in touch with technology is not immoral or stupid, it’s the wisest thing one can do. Any way, we were talking about the uses of mobile communication, and the Allahabad University, many of you might not know has been carrying out may short-term and certificate courses in this area with their Center of Mobile Communication for Developing Countries(CMCDC). The CMCDC is joint venture between the University of Flensburg (Germany) and The University Of Allahabad. Dr. A.K. Srivastava, Professor Chemistry Deptt. AU and Dr. Jens H. Fischer (Flensburg) are the coordinators in their respective countries. After about 3 years of providing certificate courses and diplomas, the CMCDC has finally drafted the curriculum for a masters program under the aegis of Dr. Srivastava and Dr. Fischer. The launch of the program is due in the next 3-4 months, lets pray everything works out fine for these people. With AU getting the central status, IIIT-Allahabad going great guns, its celebration time for the Allahabad academia. For you benefit, here are the details of CMCDC’s masters program: Interested applicants may contact Dr. Srivastava for further details or any queries they have.

The study program in mobile communication sciences will follow an interdisciplinary approach on an academic level with the necessary critical point of view.

• Technical practical laboratory information and work as a basis
• Economical as well as social based focus in all approaches
• Management tools for work national and international companies
• Experiences in international and intercultural impacts

Technologies, applications and their social economic impacts are discussed in the environment of structural chances for developing countries especially to reduce the lack of information access in remote areas.

The course explores the dynamic shift of telecommunications to advance digital wireless technologies (voice) and the impacts on development by mobile applications (data). This course will cover an overview of the basic principal of telecommunications and a deeper view in the wireless technologies.

The objectives of the course generally

• To prepare students for the upcoming telecomm influenced society
• To provide technology oriented people for the wireless industry management
• To train experts who could work on different domains in wireless networks

The objectives of practical courses are

• Application of mobile communication in marketing and other economic affairs for the rural development

• Research projects on the application of mobile communication in developing countries and assessment of its impact with reference to social aspects
• Research in the urban, suburban and remote areas with a view to explore the adaptability and application on mobile internet for development
• Research with a view to explore the adaptability and application on mobile Internet for development of the welfare of women
• Combining current capabilities in hard- and software
• Creation and deployment of reliable, scalable and easy to use services

Duration

The duration of this course will be 4 semesters (two years) and will consist of four papers and one live project (master thesis). Students learn on 4 papers, while they prepare and present at the same time practical work, including field research.

Course structure

1. Wireless Communication Concepts

This paper provides an introduction to the fundamental principals of wireless systems for the transfer of information from one point to another. The basis for designing systems to modulate, multiplex and code information for transmission over various media.

Structure:

• Basic concepts: analogue and digital, bandwidth, compression and multiplexing
• Technology fundamentals: overview of telecommunications, regulatory bodies, networks, switches telephone and data networks, access and terminal equipment networks.
• Transmission media: modes of transmission, wireless communications, satellite communication
• Principals of multiplexing, time division multiplexing (TDM), Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), Wave Division Multiplexing (WDM) und dense Division Multiplexing (DWDM)
• Future of Voice Telecommunications: Migration from circuit to switched Technical advances, IP-based Telecommunications
• Convergence of voice and data, convergence in transmission and networks, future of enterprise Networks, VoIP
• IP fundamentals: Routing and addressing in IP networks, encapsuling application data in carrier protocols
1. Wireless Communication Principles

This paper provides an introduction to the fundamental principals of wireless technology and communication

Structure:

· Basic concepts: History of wireless world, radio spectrum, cellular networks, data Services, wireless technologies and standards, security and encryption

· Cellular basics: funda

mental technologies: building a cellular system, setting frequency allocations and reuse, planning cellular coverage and capacity, sectoring cells, evaluating antenna, performance, setting up connections, achieving call set-up, handoff/handover, Roaming between providers, signalling service functions

· Concepts of GSM: Introduction, network topology of GSM, different interfaces of GSM, Components of SIM

cards

· Network Aspects: making and receiving a Call, automatic call delivery of GSM, GSM Architecture and Encryption

· Introduction of GPRS and 3G networks: introduction to GPRS Architecture, GPRS Interfaces, 3G ne

twork, typology of 3G network, architecture of 3G

· Mobile communication technology: WAP architecture, overview of WAP applications

·

Moving to third generation (3G) technologies: Converting to Wideband CDMA

· Concepts of core networks: designing circuit-switched core network infrastructures, operating System and Devices used in Mobile networks

3. Wireless Communication Types
   This paper provides an introduction to the different types of operating systems used in mobile network. It also gives an overview of different types of mobile devices used in mobile networks.

· Operating systems used in wireless networks (structure, Commands, System Resources and printing, Shells, System administration, File systems and ext processing and editors

·

Understanding of devices used in Mobile networks (Different types of mobile devices and their features, Network devices like switches, routers etc., overview of payment gateways, WAP gateways and WAP application)

· Operating systems, OS Communication Modules, OS memory management, OS application engine develop

ment

• Java Card Technology: based concept of Java, overview of J2MB, J2SE and J2EE, standard libraries, J2ME specifies, MIDP, GUI, overview of j2ME and J2EE applications
3. Wireless Communication Commerce

This paper provides an overview of billing, marketing, and telecom regulatory policies

· Strategic planning in regulated and competitive telecommunication industries; managing and marketing a te

chnology-based business; different management and marketing approaches and their strengths and weaknesses; legal constraints; responsibilities and ethics

·

Telecom policy and regulatory bodies: introduction to international telecom regulatory bodies, functioning of standardization bodies

· International telecommunication organizations, trans-border data flow, barriers to trade in infor

mation, equipment and services, development of competition and world trade organization telecommunication agreement

· Traffic Engineering for wireless communication systems

· Billing Mediation tech

nologies: introduction to billing mediation concept, billing techniques/devices and software, introduction to CDR/IPDR, billing next generation application, concept of payment gateways

· Marketing wireless products and services of wireless marketing and its services

Multidisciplinary Work

In following areas of mobile communication the students will do their practical works. Their task is: combining the technical level with the other levels:

• Political level

Research and preparation of political decisions about infrastructure, at the national and international level of mobile communication networks

• Industrial level

Research and preparation of decisions about investments, strategic alliances and new services at the national and international level of mobile communication networks

• Ministry level

The context between mobile communication through the use and combining of interdisciplinary knowledge, investment, rules of communication, security

• Structural level

Usable rules and threats as well as principles while using regional-specific mobile communication development

• Entrepreneurs level

Specific applications according to use and succ

ess criteria under different socio-cultural conditions, e.g. designing specific mobile portals

• Strategic level

Research and preparation of decisions about infrastructure, partners and alliances at the national and international level

• System level

Analysis of the connections between mobile communication through usage and the combining of interdisciplinary knowledge

• Structural level

Development of working rules and principals through the use of regional-specific mobile communication

• Design level

Development of specific applicatio

ns according to use and success criteria under different socio-cultural conditions

Course Curricula

Overview

Sem	Course	Topic	Marks
1. Sem	1.	Paper 1	100
	2.	Paper 2	100
2. Sem	3.	Paper 3	100
	4.	Paper 4	100
	5.	Practical and field research	100
3. Sem	6.	Practical in a company	200
	7.	Practical Application Design	100
4. Sem	8.	Master thesis: Case study or theoretical work	200
		Total	1.000

1.000 Marks can be given. The Degree of master will be given when the student has more than 666 marks.

Prof. Arun K.	Srivastava	Coordinator CMCD C (India)
Dr. Prahled	Kumar	Member Committee CMCDC (India)
Dr. Alok	Singh	Member Committee CMCDC (India)
Prof. Dr. Jens H.	Fischer	Coordinator CMCDC (G ermany)
Prof. Dr. Wenzel	Matiaske	Member Committee CMCDC (Germany)
Prof. Dr. Uwe	Rehling	Member Committee CM CDC (Germany)

Allahabad/Flensburg,

Contact Dr. Srivastava

Allahabad:On its way to becoming a call center hub!

Watch out! Gurgaon,Noida,Bangalore,Hyderabad and Pune.Good news for the people of
Allahabad: the city's first ever domesti call center is about to be opened in
the Transport Nagar/Neem Sarai area.This is the brainchild of mr. Ivan S.J. Lamech
and Poornima Lamech who have collaborated with Matrix Cellular Services
to open up this domestic back office operations call center for HUTCH.This
is excellent news for Allahabad graduates who have to go to the Delhi NCR area
for call center jobs.The salaries, of course will be considerably lower
than what they would get in Delhi/Gurgaon/Noida but we all know how
expensive living in the NCR can be..especially sky-rocketing rents.The
center is posed to start as 40 odd string team, initially handling credit and customer service
processes and expected to expand to a 200 strong facility within3-6 months
time.Now here's a first step in the long awaited development(socially & economically)
for our supposedly small town???!!!The university of Allahabad is already on its way
to regain its lost title of the Oxford Of The East..and with endeavors like these,
Allahabad is raring to go.Cheers!

Octavarium:Dream Theater's First Mistake

Octavarium, progressive metals' gods' latest offering is here.The
recent spells of tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes all over the globe
tells us that even God makes mistakes(maybe intentionally) and even
DT have finally made their final mistake!Don't let these opening lines
be a spoiler for you.I'm calling it a mistake only because of the
presuure DT have put on themselves by giving us classic music right
from Images & Words to Train of Thought.Who can help but not compare
whatever they come out with to 6'o Clock, Silent Man,Caught In A web, Lie,
Scarred,Pull Me under,Another Day,Metropolis,Surrounded,Change Of Seasons,
Peruvian Skies, Endless Sacrifice.Unfortunately, Octavarium does not
boast of one! number which can even come close to the aforementioned ones.
Any way, as i said in my Disturbed review, this is not gonna stop any
DT worshipper, it didnt stop me.But my job is to criticize.......
After years of playing interludes and covers from metallica at live shows
DT have finally paid tribute to one of their favourite bands, Metallica,
with their opening track 'The Root Of All Evil'.It sounds almost like Battery rehashed
with of course DT like moving-riffing interludes.In all fairness though,
despite the resemblance it doesnt sound so bad.'The Answer Lies Within"
sounds like DT were asked by the producers to put one syrupy ballad just
for the heck of it, and DT failed badly.The third song, 'These Walls' is a good
number, typical Dt stuff thoughit has elements which can put it into
any trance dj's playlist.'I Walk Beside You' isnt even worth mentioning
(oops,i just did).'Panic Attack' is perhaps the only song which reminds
you what DT are capable of, best song of tyhe album hands down.'Sacrificed Sons'
, a good song in its own right with some excellent guitar work by Petrucci gives
you the feeling you are listening to a heavier version of George Michael
from his Faith days.The title song 'Octavarium' ends up things on the album with a 24 minute long haul of this n that n this n that.People everywhere ahve given it rave reviews with ratings of 4..5 i duuno what to say to them, maybe i am wrong but this comes from my heart and im probably DT's biggest fan on this planet.It
has a nice riffing pattern and catchy(again trance like) intro.Even in this song though
you cannot help but feel you're listening to a heavier Backstreet Boys!

Verdict: DT is inarguably the most talented metal band in the world today.
Guys!! take some time out..maybe churning out albums every year isnt the best thing to do.
And remember..you still rule..one Octavarium will not make me dethrone you
as my favourite Metal band of the 90s.

Pros: the Dream Theater tag!!
Cons:Almost Everything

Disturbed:Ten Thousand Fists

Ok..since im a metalhead myself..the first post had to be about music.Its been in the stores for over a month now.Maybe its been reviewed before..but im guessing most Indian metalheads havent heard it..so here it goes.

Disturbed have been the torch bearers of Nu-Metal for the past 4-5 years along with the likes of Mudvayne, Godsmack, Linkin Park etc. The only difference being Davey Dramain, whose voice, the spine chilling sprees of yells and screams makes us wonder if theres a distortion unit! in his larynx.Any way..we are here to "criticize" the latest offering by disturbed and so shall we do.
For starters, who haven't heard of Disturbed or atleast not their music, Ten Thousand Fists is a good place to start.The album, not revolutionary or "excellent" by any standards does have its fair share of highs making it worthy for any metal/nu-metal enthusiasts CD collection.

The album starts with the title song 10,000 Fists, which reminds you a lot of The Sickness..?But its a good opening track all the same with the sonorous double bass and screeching guitars,trademark of Disturbed.The first half of the album is not very exciting with the exception of 'Guarded', a fast paced song with a continuous backdrop of mosh-riffs which comes accross as a groovy head shaking(if not banging number). Oops!! i Forgot 'Stricken'(song no.5) is Disturbed's first foray into guitar solos!! yes! check it out..don't expect anything Metallica/Megadeth..issshhh but it's still very well done and the song would have been the show stealer of the album if it hadn't been for 'Sons Of Plunder' which is inarguably Disturbed's best song to date(Ok..Ok..i hear people crying out loud for Stupify and The Game), but guys..listen to it..the perfect mixing of danceable riffing and groovy melody, this song grows on you like hell. One song most Disturbed loyalists will be happy about is 'Sacred Lie', totally Disturbed fare, energetic vocals, cool riffs, tight drums..you name it its there..and whats more it sounds good too.There are other songs too! on the abum but im not talking about them here coz these are the songs you might wanna buy the CD for.

To sum up things..ardent Disturbed fans..well there are some who will go out and buy it no matter what anyone says..neat!!! do that..its not a classic but its not a dissapointment either.For those starting their journey in the Nu-Metal land..go out today!!! and buy it.For discerners like me..get hold of a friend who has the CD..or someone who has it on an I-pod..listen to it..like it ..buy it...i did!
Good Job Disturbed
Pros:Melody driven..Dramain's Vocals & Solos..Finally!!
Cons:Repetitive

Rating: 7/10