The Pillow Angel

That's what Ashley is called by her parents.

(<--Just look at that happy child-it's one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen)

She was born with a severely damaged brain and the doctors passed a statement that she will be disabled for life. As anyone parents, her parents were tormented. They got her treated with estrogen for two years(at the age of 9), so that she would not grow in size and make it easier for her parents to take care of her. They even got her uterus and her breast removed to save her from future trouble...................Please do not take it in the wrong sense that the parents are trying to make life easier for themselves. They just want to be able to provide their daughter with the best form of care.
The doctors conducted ethical discussions before conducting the treatment on Ashley. Some even argue that what if the child is cured later in the future and you are actually depriving the child of her individuality then.
Everyone has some or the other point to raise. They say "what if..........". Most of those who argue have not even been in the shoes of Ashley's parents. As we usually consider that parents take the best decision for their children, lets put faith in the decision of Ashley's parents.
(All of this is from a recent article -Pillow angel Ethics-in Time magazine.)

One Laptop per Child

Intellectual Philanthropy is making big waves these days. And MIT is involved! Rock on MIT!!!!!!!!!

This is an amazingly cool project which is promoting education via laptops especially among the rural people of developing nations. Read the article at http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0111/p17s01-stct.html

It uses only 3 watts of power as compared to a normal laptop which uses 40 watts. it has speakers and a videocam and is going at an amazing price of $100.

Apple's IPhone

The new apple iphone just works the way an apple ipod works- the touchpad and sliding touch.This new phone combines a phone(obviously), an ipod and wireless service. It's 11.6 mm thick(shouldn't they say thin?). But I somehow feel the iphone, which will be released in the market this year, does not look like one and if I carry this phone, I will probably feel that I am not even carrying one! But nonetheless, the apple screen looks amazing. Expensive? YES very much - Price range from US$ 499-599 for 4GB and 8GB respectively. That's Jobs at the release!

Most Portable Notebook-OQO 02-have a look!

This is the new OQO 02 is the smallest personal computer at present as mentioned in an article of New York Times. It's cool, right? Now if people start using such this computer, then we will be using our thumbs so much and due to evolution (or Darwin's Natural Selection), the thumbs of future generations will be longer than ours!

God Grew Tired of Us

That's the title of a new film!

it's about these sudanese children, who are 3-18 years of age, who in the midst of civil unrest, had to travel across deserts without food and shelter, in order to reach refugee camps. Some of the camp people were selected to immigrate to America. The main three boys embrace a new life in America. Once they go to a grocery store and were awed to see so much food for the first time! It's releasing this January! So check out the trailers and get more info on its premiers on www.godgrewtiredofus.com

Open Source Movement in education-Intellectual Philanthropy

"You can go MIT for free"-that was the heading to one of the articles in CSMonitor(Christian Science Monitor) and I am not trying to brainwash you!
MIT is this generous university which has put up all its course materials(inclusive of lecture notes and assignments) online for free. So even though many of us may not be able to make it to MIT, Don't worry, you can still be educated there!
Log on to the website http://www.mit.edu/ and go to the link OCW-open course ware. And be awed by the extent of the entire MIT academics! You can have a feel of how MIT teaches and increase your brain's encyclopedia. Only drawbacks are that this education of yours is not certified and you cannot contact MIT profs. It's for people who have access to the Internet and have a penchant for learning.
Hoping that your free schooling at MIT is useful cause many say - Knowledge is Power and I agree!
For reading the article on csmonitor-http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0104/p13s02-legn.html