Bill Gates signals end of PC mouse era

Microsoft is developing a system that could spell the end of the use of computer mouse, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has said.

"The way you interact with the system will change dramatically," the billionaire said at a conference in Canada, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph on Friday. He said that computer users of the future will control their machines by voice and pen as well as touch.

Users of Windows 7 will issue commands by touching the screen rather than by the traditional keyboard and mouse combination that has dominated since the 1970s.

Windows 7 is due to be released in 2010 and is Microsoft's attempt to catch up with Apple, whose touch screen iPhone has proved popular.

Touch screens are appearing on a host of other devices, including sat-navs, mobile phones and remote controls. A touch screen BlackBerry is expected shortly

Fuel price hike put off over quantum

The Congress's core ministerial panel on Friday gave its green signal to raising motor fuel prices but the quantum of increase emerged as a hitch. A decision is now expected only next week, after two high-profile political meetings — that of the Congress Working Committee on Saturday and the BJP's national executive convention on Monday — get over. The rise of inflation to 8.1%, announced in the morning, left little elbow room for the core committee to reconcile the differences between oil minister Murli Deora and finance minister P Chidambaram. While Deora is pressing hard for reduction in duties to keep the quantum of hike — if at all — to bare minimum, Chidambaram has consistently refused to tinker with taxes.

The BJP executive committee's two-day national convention, beginning on Sunday, too weighed heavy on the core committee. Coming close on the heels of its victory in the Karnataka elections, the jamboree is bound to draw eyeballs. Raising fuel prices while the convention was on would have provided the BJP a very visible platform to criticize the Congress and the UPA coalition. While there may be a general agreement in the Congress on the need to raise at least motor fuel prices, protests from within the UPA coalition show no signs of ebbing. The Left once again said prices should not be increased and denied that Deora had consulted its leaders. The CPM central committee said it was not even willing to discuss anything but duty reduction to cushion consumers.

Amid such political wranglings, various options such as higher price, more bonds and duty cuts — and their combinations — are being tossed around in the government. One such option is to raise prices of both branded and unbranded petrol substantially, while leaving diesel price unchanged to avoid inflationary pressures, along with some marginal duty cut. This may not work as the losses on diesel are estimated the highest at Rs 140,710 crore.

Other options include steps such as raising petrol prices by Rs 3-5 a litre and diesel by Rs 1-2 a litre, along with some duty reduction. A Re 1 hike in petrol and diesel price would yield Rs 1,036 crore and Rs 4,575 crore, respectively, to the three state-run oil marketing firms in the remaining 10 months of the fiscal.

Similarly, a Re 1 cut in excise on petrol would result in revenue loss of Rs 1,380 crore to the government and a similar reduction on diesel would decrease revenues by Rs 5,270 crore. The package being worked out for oil retailers, which face a situation where they would not have cash to import crude in the next few months, also includes raising the share of upstream companies like ONGC in subsidizing fuel.

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Morning sex can keep you hale and hearty

A steamy sex session in the morning can keep you in good health, say researchers. According to a research from Queen's University in Belfast, a good morning session at least three times a week, decreases the risk of heart attack or stroke by half and a regular session improves circulation, thereby reducing blood pressure.

According to a study in New Scientist, a steamy session twice a week enhances IgA, an antibody that provides protection against microbes that multiply in body secretions, reports The Sun.

Morning sex also helps in alleviating arthritis and migraine. It burns around 300 calories an hour that simultaneously diminishes the risk of developing diabetes. Moreover, an American study involving 300 sexually active women whose partners did not use condoms revealed that they were less prone to depression.

Sex increases the production of testosterone that provides stronger bones and muscles thus helping to stave off osteoporosis.

A good morning session can make the hair shine and skin glow by raising the output of oestrogen and other hormones associated with it. According to Yale School of Medicine researchers, it can aid in averting endometriosis, a condition where the tissue that normally lines the uterus, grows in other parts of the pelvis.

However, the researchers have also warned that having sex more than three times a week can have a negative impact on our immune system thus lowering its resistance.

Defence Minister Antony faints during NDA ceremony

Defence Minister A K Antony fainted during the passing out parade ceremony at the National Defence Academy in Kharag Vasla, Pune on Saturday morning.

The minister first fainted at the commencement of the ceremony, where he was the chief guest. A chair was brought for him. Antony then took the salute and addressed the cadets. He fainted a second time when the cadets were marching off.

Taken to his car, the defence minister observed the conclusion of the ceremony from his vehicle.
Two electrocardiograms, ECG, were conducted on him and found to be normal. A blood test was also taken. The minister has been advised rest for at least 6 hours.

Bikini battles between Amisha and Kareena

The history of Hindi cinema is witness to the fact that the top-most filmmakers call the shots when it comes to convincing the best and the most graceful of our leading heroines to don the ultimate symbol of boldness in B-town – the much famed bikini. The super-gorgeous Dimple Kapadia, Simi Garewal, Zeenat Aman and even the very arty Vyajanthimala once succumbed to showman Raj Kapoor.

And off-late, it is contemporary filmmaking veteran Yash Raj who has continued the trend. Though Kareena’s zero-size figure in a lime green bikini may have been an unsuccessful stint in saving Tashan from doomsday but the filmmaker is in no mood to make a U-turn when it comes to the ‘bikini’ formula.After convincing Esha Deol, daughter of B-town’s most dignified lady; the ‘intelligent sexy woman’ Bipasha and the bold Bebo to don a two-piece bikini, Amisha Patel is their latest muse.

Yes, Kaho Na Pyar Hai’s demure girl is all set to wow the audiences with a two-piece bikini in the Saif-Rani starer ‘ Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic’ . Now while it works as a great publicity stunt for Amisha who is back in the groove after a long-exile, we wonder what this one holds in store for Yash Raj’s latest flick. After all, B-town goers are no longer satisfied with plain bikinis. The essentials for grabbing eye-balls are not just a hour-glass figure but a ‘sexy attitude’ that creates a fine blend of mystery and seduction which even our stylish diva Bebo couldn’t quite deliver. So while Yash Raj has spent huge bucks on filming an underwater sequence that features Amisha at her bare best, let us see if the comeback heroine manages to score a brownie point or two over Bebo with this one.

Sexy Bikini Babes

Check out these sizzling hot bikini babes! They're sure to get you drooling and desiring for the ultimate pleasure!












Models walk the ramp during the Boudoir London, Mumbai's premier lingerie & swimwear Spring/Summer 2008 collection over a show hosted in association with Quan Spa at JW Marriott Hotel Juhu in Mumbai.