In Googley terms, life is a beta

Google is not merely changing our societies, lives, relationships, and worldviews; it is probably changing even our brains in ways we can only begin to calculate, writes Jeff Jarvis in What Would Google Do? (www.landmarkonthenet.com).

Today's young people, 'Generation Google,' will have an evolving understanding and experience of friendship as the Internet will not let them lose touch with the people in their lives, he foresees. "With their blogs, MySpace pages, Flickr photos, YouTube videos, Seesmic conversations, Twitter feeds, and all the means for sharing their lives yet to be invented, they will leave lifelong Google tracks that will make it easier to find them."

It will no longer be easy to escape our pasts, to act like cads and run away, the author cautions. "More threads will tie more of us together longer than in any time since the bygone days when we lived all our lives in small towns." Posing a rhetorical question whether this abundance of friendship can make our relationships shallower, he answers in the negative, because "friendship finds its natural water level — we know our capacity for relationships and stick closest to those we like best."

What about our embarrassments? Will they live on? Our missteps, youthful mistakes, and indiscretions will be more public and permanent, haunting us for the rest of our lives because the world, thanks to Google, has a better memory, observes Jarvis. His hope hinges, however, on an insight of David Weinberger, that an age of transparency must be an age of forgiveness.

"Our new publicness may make us more emphatic and ultimately forgiving of each others' and even of public figures' faults and foibles. We see that already. Barack Obama said he inhaled and no one gasped. Who are we to throw stones when Google moves us all into glass towns? In Googley terms: Life is a beta."

Publicness is a community asset, the author avers. The crowd owns the wisdom of the crowd, he adds. "And to withhold information from that collective knowledge — a link, a restaurant rating, a bit of advice — may be a new definition of anti-social or at least selfish behaviour."

Despite all the facility that the Net offers everybody to create blogs and albums, it doesn't make us more creative, feels Jarvis. "Instead, it enables what we create to be seen, heard, and used. It enables every creator to find a public, the public he or she merits." On this, though, there can be two views, he concedes: One, the argument that Google and the Internet bring society to ruin because they rob the creative class of its financial support and exclusivity; and the other view, that the Internet opens up creativity past one-size-fits-all, mass measurements and priestly definitions of quality.

"The playing field is flat. To stand out, one must rise on worth — as defined by the public rather than the priests — and the reward is attention. That is our culture of links and search. It is a meritocracy, only now there are many definitions of merit and each must be earned."

Imperative read.

Texting, a language in very rapid evolution

Why did texting become so popular so quickly? Partly because texting was less expensive than voice on mobiles, reasons David Crystal in Txtng: The Gr8 Db8 (www.oup.com). Apart from the economic factors, it was the nature of the communicating medium itself that proved appealing, he continues.

"Among young people, in particular, texting quickly emerged as an index of belonging… I would also expect texting to become an index of prestige, within a group, as some members develop special kinds of expertise, such as texting speed or creative coinages."

Then there are the communicative strengths of the medium, notes Crystal. "Texting is far more immediate, direct, and personal than alternative methods of electronic communication. It is more convenient than instant messaging, where both sender and receiver have to be sitting at their computers."

He finds that there are many circumstances in which texting offers a novel opportunity for communication, a welcome alternative to speech in noisy environments such as bars and night-clubs. "In the street or on public transport, it permits a level of privacy which some cultures (such as the Japanese) highly value."

Texting has added another dimension to multitasking, the author informs. "People text while doing something else, such as watching television, listening to a lecture, attending church, and driving. Teachers have frequently observed students texting in class while reading a book, writing an essay, or even carrying out a scientific experiment."

He postulates that texting could be meeting a new communicative need in a society where pressures on time and short attention spans are increasingly the norm. The medium appeals to people who do not want to waste time engaging in the linguistic hand-shaking that is needed in traditional face-to-face or voice telephone conversations — what has sometimes been called 'phatic communion' in linguistics, explains Crystal. "Directness has become normal and everyday in English texting.

You can send me a text which gets to the point immediately, and I won't feel you have been impolite."

Decrying the popular impression, created largely by the media, that the written language encountered on mobile phone screens is weird, the author looks back at some of the labels used in news stories and opinions about texting, thus: textese, slanguage, new hi-tech lingo, hybrid shorthand, digital virus, and outlandish.

He decodes that texters have evidently intuited a basic principle of information theory: that consonants carry much more information than vowels. "We are unused to vowelless writing in English, but it is a perfectly normal system in several languages, such as Arabic and Hebrew. And even in English there have been many demonstrations to show that a piece of text with vowels omitted is intelligible, whereas one with consonants omitted is not." Texting may be using a new technology, but its linguistic processes are centuries old, concludes Crystal.

Fascinated by texting, he describes it as the latest manifestation of the human ability to be linguistically creative and to adapt language to suit the demands of diverse settings. It is an instance of a language in very rapid evolution, still to become codified, with no 'house style' as in newspapers or journals.

Texting is getting into speech, too. For example, a 2007 commercial called 'My bff Jill' for Cingular on US television, which achieved cult status, uses text abbreviations such as bff (best friend forever). "And the other day I heard an adult say imho 'in my humble opinion.' Most of these innovations will probably die away; but some may live on, and add new acronyms to the spoken language."

Manorama Yearbook 2010

ISBN 13 :9782577800009

ISBN 10 :2577800002

Publisher :Malayala Manorama

Category :Reference

Format :Paperback

Pages :1040

Price Rs.150/-

More Info to buy the Book @ http://www.landmarkonthenet.com/Books/Manorama-Yearbook-2010-Nil/9782577800009

Devil In Pinstripes Book by RAVI SUBRAMANIAN

Devil in Pinstripes takes you behind the scenes through the power-packed aisles of New York International Bank (NYIB) and the sharpest of its minds. It is the story of Amit, an ambitious MBA who joins NYIB and thereby, the world of high pressure competitive foreign banking and the current crisis that engulfs this sector.

As life throws its curves, Amit finds himself stuck between the lives of three others his wife and later colleague, Chanda; Gowri, a power-hungry political maestro par excellence and Amits arch rival; and above all, his mentor Aditya, who plays devious power games with almost everyone in his quest for success and fame.

ISBN 13 :9788129115515

ISBN 10 :8129115514

Publisher : Rupa & Co.

Category :Fiction

Format:Paperback

Pages:280

List Price Rs.195/-

Spl Price Rs.162/-

(You save Rs. 33/-)

The Hindus: An Alternative History Book by WENDY DONIGER

Hinduism does not lend itself easily to a chronological account; its central tenets — karma, dharma, to name just two — arise at particular moments in Indian history and differ in each era, between genders, and caste to caste; and what is shared among Hindus is outnumbered by the things that are unique to each group. Yet the greatness of Hinduism lies precisely in those idiosyncratic qualities that continue to inspire debate today.

With her inimitable expertise Wendy Doniger illuminates those moments within the tradition that resist forces that would standardize a canon. She reveals how Sanskrit and vernacular sources are rich in knowledge of and compassion towards women and lower castes; how they debate tensions surrounding religion, violence and tolerance; and how animals are the key to important shifts in attitudes towards different social classes. In this unique and authoritative account, debates about Hindu traditions become platforms from which to consider the ironies, and overlooked epiphanies, of history.

ISBN 13 - 9780670083541

ISBN 10 - 0670083542

Publisher - Penguin Books

Category - History

Format - Paperback

Pages - 800

List Price Rs.999/-

Spl Price Rs.690/-

(You save Rs. 309/-)

Just check this URL to buy the book @ http://www.landmarkonthenet.com/Books/The-Hindus-An-Alternative-History--Wendy-Doniger/9780670083541

Landmark Stores announces Toy Festival

Hyderabad : The much awaited kids' festival of the year -The Landmark TOY FEST is back. A full month of fun, frolic, entertainment and lots of learning only at Landmark, India's leading chain of book and music stores starting December 9, 2009 and on till January 10, 2010.

Barbie Meet and Greet : Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Gurgaon & Baroda

Disney Animation Workshop : Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad & Pune

Dress Up like your favourite Disney Star : Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai & Baroda

Doraemon : Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune

Ben 10 : Mumbai

Ice Age : Mumbai & pune

Across Landmark stores in Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Gurgaon, Lucknow, and Baroda, enjoy amazing offers and discounts on toys and children's goodies. The festival has just gotten bigger this year as the kids can choose from a wide variety of activities, from playing games to interacting with their favorite characters like the fashionista Barbie, the intelligent Doreman and the popular Ben 10, kids are in for a delightful time!

Announcing the festival, Himanshu Chakrawarti, the COO of Landmark said, "After getting an incredible response last year, Toy Fest has become an important annual event in the landmark calendar. Kids are in for plenty of exciting surprises and as always we will make them feel special and pampered in this month long Toy Fest. This is our gift to our little customers for the coming festive season."

There is more to TOY FEST 09. Customers holding a Citibank credit card will enjoy an additional 10%** savings on purchases of Rs 1250/- and above at landmark during this period.
Item Description Offer :

Buy a Barbie Kitchen Play set worth Rs.1299

Get a Barbie Glitz Doll worth Rs.449 FREE

Buy a Barbie Summer Bedroom Play set worth Rs.1299

Get a Barbie Glitz Doll worth Rs.449 FREE

Buy a Monopoly City or Monopoly Electronic World Edition or Monopoly Here & Now Electronic worth Rs.1499

Get a Monopoly Deal card or Transformers Battling card worth Rs.175/- + Monopoly Shopping Bag FREE

Buy Akumulate worth Rs.699/-

Get a Mimiq activity card game worth Rs.129 FREE

Buy a Hotwheels Trick Tracks Deluxe worth Rs.840

Get a Hotwheels 2 car pack worth Rs.169 FREE

Buy a Newborn/Toddler Portable Rocker worth Rs.4999

Get a Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Learning Phone worth Rs.999 FREE

Buy a Doodle Pro worth Rs.1499

Get a Doodle Pro Expression worth Rs.399 FREE

Buy a Tumblin' Monkeys worth Rs. 499

Get a Playing Cards Refresh worth Rs.49 FREE

Buy Bakugan Get 20% off

RC Car Lightning Wheels worth Rs 1575 Offer price Rs. 1100

RC Helicopter worth Rs. 1899 Offer Price Rs. 1349

Zapak Identity Games worth Rs. 1299 Offer price Rs. 999

Fisher Price Super Sounds Soccer worth Rs. 1999 Offer price Rs. 1499

Brightlings Exploration Station worth Rs. 2999 Offer Price Rs. 1999

Disney's Magic Wand Laptop worth Rs. 4299 Offer price Rs.3009

Disney's' Spin 'n Teach Tree worth Rs. 2099 Offer price Rs. 1469

Pirate Latitudes Book by MICHAEL CRICHTON

The new posthumous thriller from Michael Crichton, one of the most famous authors in the world From one of the best-loved and bestselling authors of all time comes and irresistible tale of swashbuckling pirates in the New World -- a classic story of adventure and betrayal. Jamaica, in 1665 a lone outpost of British power amid Spanish waters in the sunbaked Caribbean. Its capital, Port Royal, a cuthroat town of taverns, grog shops and bawdy houses - the last place imaginable from which to launch an unthinkable attack on a nearby Spanish stronghold.

Yet that is exactly what renowned privateer Captain Charles Hunter plans to do, with the connivance of Charles II's ruling governor, Sir James Almont. The target is Matanceros, guarded by the bloodthirsty Cazalla, and considered impregnable with its gun emplacements and sheer cliffs. Hunter's crew of buccaneers must battle not only the Spanish fleet but other deadly perils - raging hurricanes, cannibal tribes, even sea monsters. But if his ragtag crew succeeds, they will make not only history ...but a fortune in gold.

List Price Rs.250/-

Spl Price Rs.173/-

(You save Rs. 77/-)

ISBN 13: 9780007355228

ISBN 10: 000735522X

Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers

Category: Fiction

Format: Paperback

Pages: 320

You can find more info @ http://www.landmarkonthenet.com/Books/Pirate-Latitudes-Michael-Crichton/9780007355228

India's Biggest Kids' Festival is back! 'Toy fest'

Catch your iconic characters while you enjoy the best OFFERS on a wide range of TOYS at Landmark stores between December 09, 2009 and January 10, 2010

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, December 8, 2009 /India PRwire/ -- The much awaited kids' festival of the year -The Landmark TOY FEST is back. A full month of fun, frolic, entertainment and lots of learning only at Landmark, India's leading chain of book and music stores starting December 9, 2009 and on till January 10, 2010.

Highlight Events at the Toy Fest

BARBIE MEET AND GREET at Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Gurgaon & Baroda

DISNEY ANIMATION

WORKSHOP at Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad & Pune

DRESS UP LIKE YOUR FAVOURITE DISNEY STAR at Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai & Baroda

DORAEMON VISIT at Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune

BEN 10 VISIT at Mumbai

ICE AGE's SCRAT visit at Mumbai & pune

Across Landmark stores in Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Gurgaon, Lucknow, and Baroda, enjoy amazing offers and discounts on toys and children's goodies. The festival has just gotten bigger this year as the kids can choose from a wide variety of activities, from playing games to interacting with their favorite characters like the fashionista Barbie, the intelligent Doreman and the popular Ben 10, kids are in for a delightful time!

Announcing the festival, Mr. Himanshu Chakrawarti, the COO of Landmark said, "After getting an incredible response last year, Toy Fest has become an important annual event in the landmark calendar. Kids are in for plenty of exciting surprises and as always we will make them feel special and pampered in this month long Toy Fest. This is our gift to our little customers for the coming festive season."

There is more to TOY FEST 09. Customers holding a Citibank credit card will enjoy an additional 10%** savings on purchases of Rs 1250/- and above at landmark during this period.

FESTIVE BONANZA: TOY FEST - HIGHLIGHT OFFERS

Item Description

Offer

Buy a Barbie Kitchen Play set worth Rs.1299

Get a Barbie Glitz Doll worth Rs.449 FREE

Buy a Barbie Summer Bedroom Play set worth Rs.1299

Get a Barbie Glitz Doll worth Rs.449 FREE

Buy a Monopoly City or Monopoly Electronic World Edition or Monopoly Here & Now Electronic worth Rs.1499

Get a Monopoly Deal card or Transformers Battling card worth Rs.175/- + Monopoly Shopping Bag FREE

Buy Akumulate worth Rs.699/-

Get a Mimiq activity card game worth Rs.129 FREE

Buy a Hotwheels Trick Tracks Deluxe worth Rs.840

Get a Hotwheels 2 car pack worth Rs.169 FREE

Buy a Newborn/Toddler Portable Rocker worth Rs.4999

Get a Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Learning Phone worth Rs.999 FREE

Buy a Doodle Pro worth Rs.1499

Get a Doodle Pro Expression worth Rs.399 FREE

Buy a Tumblin' Monkeys worth Rs. 499

Get a Playing Cards Refresh worth Rs.49 FREE

Buy Bakugan

Get 20% off

RC Car Lightning Wheels worth Rs 1575

Offer price Rs. 1100

RC Helicopter worth Rs. 1899

Offer Price Rs. 1349

Zapak Identity Games worth Rs. 1299

Offer price Rs. 999

Fisher Price Super Sounds Soccer worth Rs. 1999

Offer price Rs. 1499

Brightlings Exploration Station worth Rs. 2999

Offer Price Rs. 1999

Disney's Magic Wand Laptop worth Rs. 4299

Offer price Rs.3009

Disney's' Spin 'n Teach Tree worth Rs. 2099

Offer price Rs. 1469

So walk in with your kids to the nearest landmark between December 09, 2009 and January 10, 2010 and be part of the festivities

Reap the values dividend

'When the climate is right, a thousand flowers can bloom.' With this adage begins a section titled 'Investing the values dividend,' in 'SuperCorp' by Rosabeth Moss Kanter (www.landmarkonthenet.com).
"From the bougainvilleas in Brazil to the cherry blossoms in Japan, vanguard companies add new growth to classic innovation wisdom. They show that values and social purpose can produce more innovation enablers and suppress more innovation stiflers," she avers. (For starters, Wikipedia has a page on the former, with information that the genus of flowering plants native to South America 'was discovered in Brazil in 1768, by Philibert Commerçon, French Botanist accompanying French Navy admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville during his voyage of circumnavigation.')

Interestingly, for the readers closer home, the chapter discusses ICICI as one of the success examples, 'a profitable giant and a learning laboratory for the world.' When ICICI started, India had only 40 ATMs; the bank moved quickly, installing three ATMs a day, catapulting past state banks that had large physical infrastructure, Kanter narrates. "Its ATMs use local languages and include Braille and voice guides (talking ATMs)."

ICICI's success is the result of innovation, she notes. "The innovation comes from imaginative applications of technology and from tapping the technological prowess from India's renowned software industry to use data to understand customer needs… ICICI is producing innovation well ahead of some of the supposedly most advanced places in the world, such as the US."

The author finds that the biometric approach adopted by the bank is an example of reaching the hardest-to-get consumers in rural areas through advanced technologies. "A consumer swipes a card, enters a PIN on a pad, and a fingerprint matching system is used to verify identity. This system eliminates intermediaries, increases collection while decreasing cost, and reduces frauds and losses."

Such technology developed for the poorest people in the most remote corners of the world will someday become the standard for transactions everywhere and is an example of bottom-up innovation in action, Kanter foresees. She traces ICICI's inspiration for the best models to be coming not from the US or the UK but from South Africa. "African banks are ahead of the pack because cell phone penetration there, as in India, has far outpaced nearly every other kind of infrastructure. Tough conditions force innovation on the companies that emerge as winners."

To reap the values dividend, companies have to place social purpose at the forefront, the author urges. Focusing the company on solutions for the world inspires people to work hard to find them, because the quest is more meaningful than seeking financial returns alone, she reasons. "This culture makes it more likely that people will generate important ideas, sell change to sometimes-reluctant stakeholders, motivate a team to work collaboratively, and diffuse innovation rapidly and effectively."

Info @ http://www.landmarkonthenet.com/Books/Supercorp-Rosabeth-Moss-Kanter/9780307382351

Price Rs.1056/-

Santa's goodies at discount rates @ Landmark

Santa Clauses and Barbie dolls greet kids as they enter Landmark Bookstores, where a Toy Fest is underway. The fest is specially designed for those who want heavy discounts on their child's favourite toy.

The Christmas theme has been incorporated to drive home the spirit of the festival. The entire toy section has been made especially attractive with Santa caps adorning the various shelves lined with soft toys. Infact toy vehicles like the racing car, cycles with supports and the favourite among kids, the racer bike, have a stuffed Santa sitting in them. One can only imagine what the kids do as soon as they enter this magical world. They promptly plonk themselves on one of these vehicles and honk their way through the toy section.

They can select from a variety of toys, which include board games like Monopoly, Life, Scrabble and Pictionary. The fest also offers some Indian-made and theme board games like Vanvaas (Part I and II). It also has other toys like a toy train that passes through various hurdles to reach its destination, and a cage that has monkeys jumping all around! While one can buy a Fisher-Price at a discount for their toddlers, Landmark also offers various discounts on toys for older kids.

NERF, a new darting game, that is the national bestsellers, is among the most-wanted toys that the kids pick up, informed Dhiraj Talwar, store manager of Landmark, Somajiguda.

"NERF is the most preferred toy because, though it is a shooting game, the darts are made of soft material and so the kids can actually shoot at one another, without the fear of harming eachother," said Talwar adding that they have also arranged for a special NERF N - Strike contest on December 18 at Landmark, Banjara Hills.

"While we have arranged for various competitions like a drawing competition, Jenga contest, a Barbie Meet and a Fancy Dress competition, we also have workshops on animation and mimicry among other activities," Talwar informed. Kids can choose from a wide variety of activities, like playing games to interacting with their favourite characters like the fashionista Barbie, the intelligent Doremon and the popular Ben 10. The Toy Fest, which is an annual national event, will go on till January 10.

To The Last Bullet Book By VINITA KAMATE WITH VINITA DESHMUKH

This is the extraordinay story of Ashok Kamte, Additional Commissioner of Police, East Region, Mumbai who died fighting terrorists in the 2611 attack on Mumbai, The inspiring story of one of the most courageous and promising Indian police Service (IPS) Officers comes straight from the hear of his wif, Vinita.In traces the life and career of this fearless officer who showed exemplay valour at his postings - be it the naxal affected bhandara District, Satara, Sangli, Solapur or Mumbai, It also brings out details of his life which would inspire many a youngster.

ISBN 13 - 9789380514031

ISBN 10 - 9380514034

Publisher - Ameya Prakashan

Category - Biography & Autobiography

Format - Paperback

List Price Rs.300/-

More Info about the Book @ http://www.landmarkonthenet.com/Books/To-The-Last-Bullet-Vinita-Kamate-With-Vinita-Deshmukh-/9789380514031

In the Valley of Mist Book by JUSTINE HARDY

Mohammed Dar and his three brothers were born in a boat on a lake in Kashmir, a place of exquisite beauty that was to become a war zone and nuclear flashpoint. This Himalayan valley of water, mist and mountains was once one of India's greatest tourist draws. In 1989 it exploded into insurgency. Kashmir became a rallying cry for jihadi movements all over the region and Pakistan's backing of the conflict triggered, in part, its own Islamist crisis. Mohammed Dar and his family found themselves living inside a new and foreign world of violence.

Justine Hardy has stayed with the Dar family for many years, reporting on the conflict. She tells their story of living through the destruction of their adored homeland. Through their eyes we see the rise of religious fundamentalism and intolerance, the ethnic cleansing of the Hindu population of the valley, and the recruitment of a generation to jihad. And, amid the fighting, families continue to try and educate their children, find work, and protect their physical and mental well-being, while attempting to build some kind of future beyond the annihilation of their old way of life. In "The Valley of Mist" is an extraordinary story of family survival, at the heart of a conflict within and beyond the Muslim world.

In the Valley of Mist by JUSTINE HARDY

ISBN 13 9781846041464

ISBN 10 1846041465

Publisher Rider & Co

Category Travel

Format Hardcover

Pages 272

List Price Rs.506/-

For more information, visit @ http://www.landmarkonthenet.com/Books/In-the-Valley-of-Mist-Justine-Hardy/9781846041464