Surfing on the Rails

Railway journeys across India have long been seen as a mirror to life on the subcontinent. Fittingly, reflecting India's technological prowess, trains are now being equipped with computers. Passengers who leave their books or magazines behind will soon be able to banish their boredom by surfing the Internet, sending e-mails, making long-distance calls through Internet telephony and perhaps even by having video conferences.

On January 13, the Indian Railways and Intel India started the initiative on north bound Shatabdi trains, covering seven cities. These trains had two dedicated bogies with eight work stations. Each station had hyperthreading technology-based PCs with Intel Pentium 4 processor, Intel Centrino technology-based notebooks and CDMA connectivity. "It is one of a kind. We had a huge positive response from people who used the on-board facilities," says Intel Spokesperson Moushumi Dutt. Top corporate managers and CEOs were particularly impressed with the service. That's the idea as far as Intel is concerned. "By introducing PCs and Internet connectivity on the Shatabdi trains we aim to demonstrate how these great business tools can allow travellers to stay in touch with their business and be productive while on board," says Sandeep Aurora, channel business manager, Intel Technology India Pvt Ltd.

Railtel Corporation of India, a subsidiary of the Indian Railways, is also scheduled to get other trains connected from March. "We will begin with a few selected routes such as the Delhi-Mathura segment of the Bhopal Shatabdi," says Anupma Chandra, deputy general manager (PR), Railtel Corporation. Besides Internet kiosks on the trains the facility will also be provided to connect the passengers' laptops to enable them to surf the Net from their seats. It is a major milestone as the Indian Railways chugs into the 21st century.

Dream Machine

What's your dream? A million dollars? Dinner with Ash? Dream it as you like. Japanese toymaker Takara has designed a dream machine equipped with a voice recorder, lights, a picture frame, fragrance dispenser, music, etc. Tune it to your liking and the multisensory stimuli will ensure you dream exactly what you wish. The technology is apparently based on research by sleep experts. It will be in the Japanese market in May for $150. Sounds like a dream.

Outsmarting Spam
You don't have to live with spam. Be alert, complain and instal anti-spam

A couple of weeks ago, many unsuspecting people logged on to their e-mail to a deluge of messages. They were being attacked by the world's fastest spreading computer virus Mydoom. Soon one in nine e-mails being sent around the world was due to this virus. Arriving in attachments to e-mails titled "hello", "test", "status" or blank, it steals e-mail addresses and passwords and sends fake messages to all in the address book.

Even without the help of a virus, spamming is on the rise. According to one New York-based consulting firm, spam cost the world more than $10 billion in networks, resources and lost productivity in 2003.

But how does one fight spam? To start with, anti-spam and anti-virus software are essential tools in this war. Not opening mails from unknown or suspicious senders, avoiding entering one's e-mail in too many public databases are other sensible steps. Some experts suggest complaining to the company that is trying to sell its product through spam.

Microsoft has a plan in place to put spam into e-history: increase the cost of sending multiple messages. Currently, it costs the same to send a message to one or more persons. With new software, code-named Operation Penny Black, for every e-mail sent the sender's computer would require to solve a complex math problem that takes 10 seconds. It won't be a problem for sending a few mails but spammers, who send millions of e-mails, will certainly be heading for trouble.

— Compiled by Supriya Bezbaruah