IT Alert - How We Contribute To The Nation?

Firstly i would wish all my Indians, a very Happy independence day. Let pledge that we would live with harmony and peace with no distinction in religions and communities.Let Indian and Indians Rock.

I was wondering what different we can contribute every day for the nation.Many people see technology as a solution to some of the problems that exist on our planet.It is very fact that technology can be used to challenge the problems but at the same time its been used as a overhead. If asked a question, how we can contribute in IT to help nation ? well answer is simple. After reviewing year 2009-2010, i have focussed more on 3 major topics that have governed Indian instability drastically along with some major other issues.But for me, the following 3 topics are hot topics this year.I have also featured some points that i think we can contribute to nation growth.

# E-Waste : Identify and Keep Informed

With grown of PC technologies, many outdated hardwares have been kept in dump in India. Ever anyone has thought, where do we dump any old parts of the system which is not in use now? Do we really care to find the right manner to dispose it? 

Studies have proven that around 2 million numbers of E-Waste products are collected in India every year. Also manufacturers and assemblers add-in 1200 tons to the electronic scrap. Not only the fact that scarred India is, if we continue in this manner, India would be in the state of investing in E-Waste management than actually focusing on development.

E-Waste is not only the culprit of above factor , but also health issue so in-sync.Average toxic waste in a computer is around 31gm.The image below provides more information of the most toxic elements of the computer and their effects on the health.

E- Waste with no doubt is world's most growing municipal waste and we need to act with tact.Asia estimates 12 million tons of e-waste every year and India contributes to major part of it. Globalization,High obsolesce Rate, Inability of technology to support up-gradation are some of the major issues that lead to e-waste. i wonder if we pace up like this, after some years  the situation will be just too worse. In India , Delhi, Hyderabad,Bangalore and Mumbai are major contributers to e-waste. It doesn't mean that these are not only the places which are major places to highlight, each state in India is responsible. Majority of e-waste are been exported to India by many asian nation due to cheap manual. I wonder if we really dont care about this, it would be terrible environmental state in India.

Truth is, that waste isn’t going away just because we need to know every way to dispose e-waste in very proper manner. Putting in the garbage box doesnot solve this issue, it would be landing somewhere in land-fill and it will site there for years casuing hazardous issues to human health.


How can we help : 

1. Firstly , identify the e-waste in you residence and in case of disposal, ensure that the e-waste is diverted to special recycling station by the municipal people. Don't mix with dry and wet waste of the home.
2. e-waste is a becoming such a large problems and to tackle the same many non-profit organizations have taken involvement to help people to dispose these e-waste from the residents. at the corporate level, many private firms take interest in collecting e-wastes from the corporate firms and ventures.
3. Identify and inform others regarding the e-wastes via web portals, blogs which are the cost-efficient mediums of the information sharing.If we, the bloggers pledge to make a note of each disposal centers in India closest to our city, it will help so many people.
4. Donate the parts/system in case you are upgrading your system. Many schools in rural areas are technology-hungry and why not to help them? Pass on your systems to these young generations so that instead of lying at home/office it will used by school children's in remote parts of India.

I hope you will consider one of this option to dispose your e-waste. Remember, we need to act quick until the tons increase to higher uncontrollable rate.

# Green Computing : The "Green" Living Ideas

Green Computing is the relationship between the physical computer and its impact to the environments in which it moves through from cradle to grave.Majority of Indian crowd uses CRT monitors still. And lately, many have switched to LCD monitors.But thinking about the people who still use CRT, let us derive the energy consumption below:

• Average CRT Power Consumption Per Day : 100 W
• Average CPU Power Consumption Per Day :  80 W
• Average CRT and CPU Power Consumption Per Day(8 Hour/Day) : 1440 W
• Average CRT and CPU Power Consumption Per Week (Office:5 days/week) : 7200 W

Now imagine any school,college with at least 10 computer labs and having 10 computers each. Power consumption is just too much right? Switch to LCD monitors is always a better option provided one has thought of the old CRT system recycling technique. LCD monitors use 40 W power consumption which makes the calculations less as compared to the CRT stats.

I suggest following Techniques to Save System Power Consumption:

1. Use hardware with Energy Star labeled.Energy Star is a "Seal of Approval" by EPA ( Energy Star Organization of the government)
2. Turn off the computer when not in use.
3. Do not user Screen savers.
4. Don't keep computer on whole night for downloading.Just in case you want to download something urgent then keep a auto-shutdown timer on the computer. Firefox provides plugin for the download-complete and then shutdown option as well.One of the free shut down timer can be downloade from here.
5. If you are suing Vista machines, it has many power saving options to choose from. Use it, it really works.Power meter is another widget that can define the CPU consumption and you can estimate the work the CPU does.
6. CO2SAVER is a program that is compatible with XP and Vista which prevents and monitors co2 emission when system is idle.
7. Use LCD's instead of CRT.
8. Disable unnecessary motherboard options ( Advance Users Only )
9. Disable unused hardware from the device manager.
10. close the events in th systems that are not being used. Don't run more and unnecessary programs.
11. Save Paper Prints. In case of Printing, use Duplex printing. Please don't print drafts. In case drafts are important, make sure both the sides are used.
12. Worried about messing with power settings ? I have an alternative. Local Cooling is a software utility that will optimize your computer power consumption by using more effective power save mode. It will also keep showing how many trees you have saved using this tool.
13. Kindly put of the Wireless Network in case not in use on laptop.
14. Use power settings of laptop to tune as per the use ONLY.

# Indian Women/Ladies - Victim of "Cyber Stalks

I hope most of you must be aware of the term "Cyber Stalk". I have been asked many times why womens suffer the most online? With growth in technology, the cyber crimes and victimization of womens have grown up to peaks. I have now jotted down the various terms that lead to such act.

Cyber Stalking is a defined as planned and featured mean to follow and pursue a person online and to intrude into privacy of the person; and its a severe crime. Indian law strictly defines set of laws for this type of act but it is only the question we need to be aware of it first.

The targets of cyber stalkers are mainly womens, gals and emotional people.Cyber stalkers  use "cyber" as a medium because they cannot be really affected by physical world. But its is not difficult to track them out. I would say, instead of tracking them, its better to be  SAFE and NOT to be victim of such crime. 

Fact : Cyber Stalkers can be of ANY GENDER and women are 75% victims of Cyber Stalk.

What motivates Cyber Stalkers are  the following points below

1. Sexual Harassment : The most common experience of Cyber Stalker is the Sexual Harassment of Women.
2. Love : Meeting Up Online, Chatting, Friendship and Love, the four golden steps to Love Online and finally leading to Cyber Stalking. This point can also lead to sexual harassments. many people use social networking medium as well to have a follow to their target and when in range, the game begins of torturing.
3. Revenge : It is most common that "Tit-For Tat" is most commonly used medium to take revenge and Cyber Stalker know this very well. These people are cyber aware people who tune up when the revenge time needs to be going up. They can set up the trap and be guaranteed, if not acted with mental calmness and stability, you can be trapped easily.

Fact  : Most of the Cyber Stalkers are Mentally ill and can go up to any extreme..beyond their comfort zone.

he targets of cyber stalkers are mainly womens, gals and emotional people.Cyber stalkers  use "cyber" as a medium because they cannot be really affected by physical world. But its is not difficult to track them out. I would say, instead of tracking them, its better to be  SAFE and NOT to be victim of such crime. 

How to tackle this issue ?

1. Don't respond to any emails whose sender details are not known to you. Either mark them junk or delete them. In case of recurring, add a filter by finding common pattern.
2. Don't disclose your identity on social networking sites.
3. Don't upload photographs and don't send email with photos attached, until you trust the receiver.
4.  Don't disclose personal details online such as blogs,web portals, social networking sites, messenger or sms.
5. don't join any "Friendship Club". It is risky.
6. Don't chat to unknown people and dont be victim of cyber stalking.
7. don't be part of cyber defamation. It's a cyber crime.
8. most of the techniques used are praising gals, talking sweetly, defining high career goals etc. Beware.Don't be a victim of cyber trap
9. Do not send across MMS or self pictured videos to anyone via mobile until receiver is trustworthy person.
10. Don't seek love Online. It can be risky. You might be betting on your identity.
11. Morphing can be one of the means to mentally weak women. Ensure, that in case you are uploading the snaps on Facebook or Orkut or any website for instance, have a distacnt snap and not a snap in whcih face can be easily cropped. In recent times, one of the school [ name not discolsed] in delhi, suffered with same issue. One sutdent when got harrased with his classmate and to revenge, he took snaps of his classmates and teaches and morphed them into porn photo's that lead to web-mess. Only after one parent saw and took action to inform police, lead to issue to settled.
12. be socially secured. Value identity not Pride.