Category Technology

Which are the best games that are quick-to-play and easily accessible through Google search?

Atari Breakout

The original Breakout game was released by Atari, a gaming company, in 1976. It was hugely popular and a fun game to play. Before, you could go to Google Images and type ‘Atari Breakout and the game would appear. But now, you need to type out ‘Atari Breakout in the Google Search bar and dick on A feeling lucky Once you do so, the game will pop up on your screen.

Playing the game is simple – There are several bricks laid out on the top of the screen and you need to break them all using a ball. Whenever the ball hits a brick, the brick breaks and the ball starts descending towards the lower half of the screen. The challenge lies in bouncing the ball right back up using the paddle that you can control with the arrow keys or the mouse. The goal is to destroy all the bricks. You do get several turns to do so, but you need to be quick and attentive to win the game.

Snake

Remember the classic snake game that was available on most basic mobile phones and hand-held video games? You can now play the game using Google search with colourful visuals and sounds. All you need to do is to type Play Snake in the search bar and the game will appear on screen. For those of you who haven’t played the game yet here are the rules: You are given a grid, which is the play space. And an apple appears anywhere on the grid. You play the role of the snake who needs to devour the apple. You can control the directions of the snake using the arrow keys. Once it devours the apple, another one appears in some other part of the board. As the snake keeps eating apples, it grows bigger in length, making it difficult for you to control it. This cycle continues as long as the player loses. You lose the game of the snake hit against the sides of the play area or if it hits against itself.

The game also lets you customize and play to your liking. You can make the snake move faster or slower, and choose a different fruit as well.

Doodle Cricket

Over the years, Google has brought out some innovative and interactive Google Doodles. One such doodle was for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. This doodle has featured subsequently for other cricketing events as well.

To access the game, just go to the Google doodle archives and type cricket in the search bar. Alternatively. You can type Google Cricket and the link will appear. The gameplay is simple – You, the batsman, are a grasshopper, and the snails (the computer) are the opponent team. A snail will bowl to you and you need to hit the ball by clicking the mouse button or pressing the Space bar at the right time. If you miss, you are out. As the game progresses, the bowling speed will change. Score as many points as you can doing this. You can even compete with your friends and share the Scores.

 

Picture Credit : Google

What is the career in Vlogging?

What is Vlogging?

A vlog is basically a video blog- a blog that consists of videos rather than write-ups. Vlogs can be made on a wide array of topics from exotic travels to everyday life. The videos are uploaded on streaming channels in the form of episodes.

How it works

Vloggers regularly post content in the form of videos and earn followers. If they get a substantial number of followers, they are offered ads and sponsorships. Many brands also approach them for promotions and product placement. From do-it-yourself videos on make-up and cooking to travel diaries and online tutorials, people are open to all sorts of content. So choose a topic and go live.

What are the prospects?

Previously, it was thought that a person making content for an online medium such as YouTube may not get any financial benefit out of it. But that’s not the case anymore. To begin with, vlogging requires minimal monetary investment as there are gadgets in different price ranges, and thanks to the internet, posting content online is free. And if your videos go viral, you will be paid for ads and sponsorships. For instance, you can enable your YouTube channel for monetisation and connect it to an AdSense account. The revenue depends on your content and country- for instance, they maybe higher in the U.S. but comparatively lower in India. Once you have dedicated followers, brands may even invite you for their events and promotions.

Required skills

  • Creativity and the ability to come up with interesting content.
  • Shooting skills: Unlike professional filmmaking, vlogging doesn’t require expert camera work. Vloggers usually shoot on hand-held devices- such as mobile phones or action cameras. All you need to do is ensure that you get the sound and lighting right.
  • Editing skills: Videos and short films are usually edited using online editors that can be downloaded free of cost from the Internet. Several websites and online tutorials can teach you to use these software and apps.
  • Camera presence and a charismatic personality.

What to study?

  • Notabilis, Sociatrix Humanus and Maxime (NSHM) Knowledge Campus, Kolkata: B.Sc and M.Sc in Film and Television (includes digital short film making, videography, camera handling, scriptwriting and the basics of directing.)
  • Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Pune: Postgraduate diploma courses in Digital Film Production.

Dos and Don’ts

  • Ensure your content doesn’t violate copyrights.
  • Integrate your channel with other social media and tag social media stars.
  • Choose paid sponsorships carefully.
  • Don’t overspend on equipment.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Schoolgirls from Surat discover earth-bound asteroid

Surat schoolgirls Radhika Lakhani (14) and Vaidehi Vekariya (15) discovered the asteroid, which they named HLV2514. The asteroid is currently close to the orbit of Mars – but in 1 million years, it will change its orbit and move closer to Earth.

The girls were participating in a project by Space India and International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC), a NASA-affiliated citizen scientist group. Students across India were taught how to spot celestial bodies using software which analyzes images collected by NASA’s PAN Star telescope positioned at the University of Hawaii.

Paul Chodas of the Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, said that it’s unusual for human eyes to discover asteroids. Algorithms typically do the hard work of spotting an unexpected object moving across the frame.

Asteroids and comets pose a potential threat to Earth. In 2013, an asteroid heavier than the Eiffel Tower exploded over central Russia, leaving more than 1,000 people injured from its shockwave.

Vekariya said, “This was a dream. I want to become an astronaut”, while Lakhani added: “I don’t even have a TV at home so that I can concentrate on my studies.”

 

Picture Credit : Google

Rare dragonfly spotted in almost nine decades

Megalogomphus superbus Fraser, endemic to the Western Ghats, has been photographed for the first time in nine decades by naturalists Ravindran Kamatchi and S. Gopala Krishnan during a birding outing near Coimbatore.

When they posted the photo grass-green, yellow and reddish-brown colour dragonfly with bottle-green eyes on the WhatsApp group ‘Odonates of the Western Ghats’, they learnt that it was a rare discovery. Scottish botanist Fraser F.C. had described it as the most beautiful species in the book, Fauna of British India.

“Fraser spotted it in 1931 an 1934 at the Boluvampatti forest range near Siruvani, Walayar (Kerala-Tamil Nadu border) and Kallar near Mettupalayam. The dragonfly belongs to gomphidae family which has six dragonflies – two in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, one in Sri Lanka and three others in the North East,” says Kalesh Sivadasan of Travancore Natural History Society. “As aerial predators, they play a crucial role in pest control. It is an aquatic water species that thrives in fresh water, and feeds on mosquitoes and insects that are harmful to humans.”

 

Picture Credit : Google

As schools take to online teaching, are students really benefiting from it?

With schools remaining shut due to the pandemic, they were left with no choice but to take classes online. Schools across India ensured students did not have to miss a year or lag behind in terms of syllabus by asking them to attend classes online.

While this was a bold move. It brought to the fore India’s unpreparedness for online learning. Most school teachers are not trained to take classes online. Teaching online is a different ball game compared to a physical class. It requires a different, more interactive and practical approach than the theoretical approaches followed in a physical class.

Meanwhile, children too are not prepared for an online class as their attention span is short. Long hours in front of the screen can drain them out apart from affecting their eyesight. The connection with the teacher is also lost as all the other students are logged in simultaneously.

But the biggest problem faced by schools and students alike is the lack of infrastructure and the digital divide. Many parents don’t even own a smartphone that their children can use for classes. Moreover, many households, especially those in rural India, do not even have internet connectivity. This has led to several students missing out on classes, on their parents having to sell whatever they can to afford a smartphone with an internet connection.

What’s the update?

On September 19, 2020, the Delhi High Court directed private as well as government schools to provide gadgets and an internet package to poor students for online classes. The court noted that not doing so amounts to “discrimination” and creates a “digital apartheid.”

It further stated that separated such students from the class can create a sense of inferiority which may affect their hearts and minds.

 

Picture Credit : Google

How robots are helping in fight against COVID-19?

With the government and the World Health Organization advising people to maintain six feet distance and wear mask to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, hospitals and businesses took to robots to tend to people’s needs.

From robots patrolling the road and making announcements, to serving as a nurse, and connecting people with their loved one. These machines have stood with our country in the fight against the virus.

Zafi, an interactive robot was developed at COVID-19 isolation wards at Stanley Medical College and Hospital in Chennai. The robot was designed and developed by the SASTRA University and Propeller Technologies, Trichy to help doctors and nurses maintain social distance while caring for their patients.

Zafi Clean and Zafi Sterlise designed to help maintenance workers of COVID-19 wards in government hospitals.

This coronavirus-themed ground robot is used to spray disinfectant at residential areas in Chennai.

Robots check body temperature and collect basic information about people at a private hospital in Bengaluru.

A robot nurse developed to combat COVID-19 and care for patients by Coimbatore-based startup Dotworld Technologies.

ROBO-COP, a robot used by the Chennai police to make announcements about COVID-19 and importance of staying indoors.

Mitra, a robot used by COVID patients to communicate with their relatives, is seen inside an elevator of the Yatharth Super Specialty Hospital in Noida.

Cobots are here

While many are worried about robots replacing humans in the workplace, there has been an increase in the use of cobots in workplaces. Cobots or collaborative robots are robots that work alongside humans than replace them. They are said to improve productivity, helping humans focus on essential tasks. Take Amazon for example – the company has been using robots to do the heavy lifting while humans can direct them.

Cobots are being used by some companies in a pandemic scenario to mitigate the spread of the virus.

 

Picture Credit : Google