What  is 

Virtual Reality?

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality can be defined as an upcoming technology that makes users feel in a Virtual Environment (VE) by using computer hardware and software. It was originally conceived as a digitally created space which humans could access by donning special computer equipments. It enables people to deal with information more easily. VR provides a different way to see and experience information, one that is dynamic and immediate. For example, in a computer game, user’s joystick motions are tracked and the objects in the game are moved according to the joystick movements. In the same way a simulated, three-dimensional world is created around the user in which he/she could interact with objects, people, and environments. Typically three-dimensional life-sized images with support of audio devices are presented around the user and the perspective is modified in accordance with the user input (generally head or eye movements). Many devices along with the computers are used to create a virtual environment.

To enter in a VE, a user dons special gloves, earphones, and goggles, all of which send their output to the computer systems. The virtual environments are intended to replace the real world environment with the digital one and the human senses are immersed in the VE. Immersion is an experience of losing oneself in the VE and shutting out all cues from the physical world.  A Virtual Environment can be created on different extents depending on the computer based platform ranging from a cell phone screen to a desktop monitor or a fully Immersive Virtual Environment (IVE).

The tracking and rendering turns the whole process more immersive and interactive than the traditional media like televisions and video games. The user actions result in immediate and observable impact on the content of virtual environment. Following are the main components of a virtual environment:

1.      The visual displays that immerse the user in the virtual world and block out contradictory sensory impressions from the real world.

2.      The graphics rendering system that generates the ever changing images at 20 to 30 frames per second.

3.      A tracking system that continuously informs the position and orientation of the user’s movements.

4.      The database construction and maintenance system to build and maintain a detailed and realistic model of the virtual world.

5.      A sound system that can produce high quality directional sounds and simulated sound fields.

6.      Devices like tracked gloves with pushbuttons to enable users to specify their interactions with the virtual objects.

How VR works

A simple example of ‘Counter Strike’ game can give a thought as to how virtual reality works. The software program for the game is the major element which runs with the help of the computer system and the interfaced input output devices. Every Character and environment within the game behaves closely to reality as per the code written for them. The code facilitates characters and environment to interact with the other characters controlled by the input devices. The code is interpreted by the processor which handles the input – output devices accordingly. This is the simplest example of how VR works. The working of more immersive virtual reality environment is quite similar to working of the game besides the fact that a number of advanced input and output devices along with a high performance processor are added to increase the immersion. The processor executes the processes quickly according to the input given by the user and output is presented to the user in a way that user feels itself a part of the environment and its objects. The video below shows an example of more immersive virtual reality.

The 3D visualization component enables the user to see 3D scenarios by using a display methodology like a head mounted device. Typically the 3D images superimpose the real environment by using one of the display, screen based or projection based. The screen based virtual environment generally uses a high quality display screen in terms of resolution and color, or a head mounted device along with the sound system as output devices. A keyboard, microphone, head tracking sensors, finger trackers, gesture recognition system, a joystick or similar gears are used as input devices. When user moves the gear or joystick, make move of the head, or press any key on the keyboard, the objects of the screen are changes accordingly in a way that user feels if he/she is directly controlling the objects and environments on the screen. A high speed powerful processor processes the inputs. An Application Programming Interface (API) provides the interface to the input devices connected to the system as well as to standard devices like mouse and keyboard. The timings and relationship between input and output devices are so perfect that user feels an immersion with the virtual environment.

The other technique used to create a virtual environment is projection based, which is more immersive than the screen based method. The display images are projected on the multi screen spaces ranging from two to six screens. A six screen’s would make a better virtual environment. Both floor and ceiling uses a rear projection while the other four screens yield large surrounding views for both panning actions and looking down. Consequently objects inside the space could be walked around and virtual entreat to be touched.

35+ Most Wanted Facebook Tricks Ever that You Don’t Know Yet !

Facebook, being world’s largest Social Network, is also a place to discover new interesting things, friends, brands etc. While staying inside Facebook, you can search outer Web, Get Latest News, join competitions, do chatting, video calling and a lot more interesting things.READ MORE : More Articles on Facebook

For simple guys, Facebook is mere a network to do full time gossiping, exploring but for Tech Geeks, it is also a place to do a lot of experiments, tricks and amaze the friends connected with them.

If you are using mobile Facebook then also there are many Facebook tricks you can use to enhance your mobile Facebook using experience.

Facebook-Tricks1

So, for You, the same Technology People, here we are representing 50+ Most Wanted Facebook Tricks that you might didn’t know yet.

1. Make Facebook Status Update Blue

Whenever you post any status update on your Facebook Wall, Facebook Groups, Fanpages, you always find the color of Status update is ‘black’ and there is not any other option to customize them. Try it on Facebook tricks.

i

But using this code, you can make your Status Blue.

@@[1:[0:1: your status update goes here ]]

Just replace “your status update goes here” with the status you want to put.

2. Modify Anchor Text For Personal Profile / Fan Pages

Facebook lets you tag a friend or fanpage by using @ symbol followed by their name you can tag Our Fanpage, using @TechGYD in Status Updates, Comment etc.

By default, the anchor text used to link Fanpage or Friend’s profile URL, are their Name but you can customize it for status updates by using this these simple steps :

Step 1: Get Numeric ID of Facebook Profile/Fanpage by visiting http://graph.facebook.com/username. Replace ‘username’ by your, your friend’s or your brand’s Fanpage. That URL’s Numeric ID will appear.

Step 2: Now, you can modify Anchor as per this code:

Using 0 at the place of ‘New Anchor Text will use Fanpage’s Name as anchor.

*Note: The code should be used twice in status update or else, the trick will not work.

Must Read : Learn This Google Tricks and Internet won’t be the same for you

3. Using Profile Pic Emoticons in Facebook Chatbox

This is not actually a trick but a feature introduced by Facebook in 2011 that lets you to use Fanpage/Profile’s Display Pic as emoticon in Facebook chat but using Username/ Numeric ID as [[username]].

For e.g., To use TechGYD Fanpage Profile Pic as emoticon, use [[techgyd]] or [[133278376826827]].

Here are some great rage faces:

Not bad Obama: [[169919399735055]]

Me G usta: [[211782832186415]]

Forever Alone: [[177903015598419]]

F yeah: [[105387672833401]]

Poker face: [[129627277060203]]

Okay face: [[224812970902314]]

4. Make your Display/Profile  Pic “Un-clickable”

Many people don’t want others to click there profile pic and view enlarged version of it. So, if you also want to make your profile pic un-clickable, just follow these steps:

Step 1: From your timeline, navigate to Photos -> Albums -> Profile Pictures.

Step 2: Select your current profile pic and set its privacy to “Only Me” from default “Public”. That’s All.

There are many other such Facebook  Privacy options.

5. Editing Any Facebook Webpage, Anyhow

Do you want to edit any Facebook Webpage? This trick will let you to edit any webpage, not only of Facebook but also for every webpage you visit from your browser. You can put your own statement, data, etc anywhere. You can remove elements like Tables, Images etc. Read – How To Edit Any Webpage Anonymously ?

6. Create Your Own Facebook Chat Emoticons

This trick will tell you how to create your own Facebook Chat Emoticon by using and image of your choice and generating numeric code to use on Facebook Chatbox. Read Here

7. Stay Undetected – Disable Read Receipt feature

If someone sends you message on Facebook  and you don’t reply him or just read and ignore the message then Facebook’s Read Receipt feature will tell the sender that you read his message and didn’t replied. The feature becomes very much annoying sometime.

So here is a trick to Disable that Read Receipt Feature so that when you read sender’s message he will not get Read Receipt. Read Trick Here

8. Download Facebook Photo Album

Do you want to download you ever uploaded photo album, you friend’s, your group’s album in a bulk? So here is a free Firefox Add-on available that lets you to download photo albums from your, your friend’s profile and group in just a single click. Download FacePAD: Facebook Photo Album Downloader

9. Schedule Future Posts on Profile and Fanpages

This trick is very important for Internet marketers, Bloggers, Online Firms etc. You can Schedule Future Post for any Status Update on you Facebook Profile as well as Fanpages by using BufferApp FOR FREE.

Not only for your Facebook Profile, BufferApp also lets you to schedule posts for Multiple Facebook Accounts, Fanpages, Twitter Handlers and LinkedIn profiles.

10. Start Auto-Posting on Facebook

Yet another very useful tip for people who serve services online. Its really tough to maintain social profiles and keep fans, friends and followers engaged out there. So, IFTTT, a free online service will help you to automate content sharing and bookmarking on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many other social networking and bookmarking sites.

READ : Automate Social Bookmarking with IFTTT

11. Hide Your Status Updates from Some Specific Friends

Many times we want some friends, relatives from our Facebook Friend list will not see our activity, status updates on Facebook. So you can hide your status updates from some people of your list by clicking on Gear icon at the top-right corner of Facebook and navigating to Privacy Setting.

Now, Set Who can see my future posts? to “Custom”. A pop-up box will appear that will let you to hide your status updates from some friends.

12. Premium Facebook

We all know, Facebook uses Advertisements (too much) to generate money but , these advertisements are too much  annoying. They always remain stick to their webpages. So, if you want to remove those Facebook advertisements then Facebook: Cleaner (Greasymonkey script) is available for you.

Just install the script to your browser and it will hide sponsored and annoying ad sections from Facebook.

13. Post Blank Status Update

Facebook doesn’t allow you to post blank status update. If you want, you need to put at least an punctuation mark like comma, dot, etc. But here is an trick that lets you to  post blank status update:

Just type @[0:0: ] in status box and hit Enter and its done :D. You can use any number in the code like @[1:1: ], @[7:7: ] and make your blank status as long as you canby pressing enter key after each code.

14. Confuse Your Friends

Put this URL http://facebook.com/profile.php?=73322363 on Facebook Status or Comment, this is actually link to ones Facebook Profile so whenever someone will click on this link, he/she will get redirected to own’s Facebook profile. I used this trick this way:

“This person is most weird friend of my Facebook Profile. God! Please Protect Me from him –>> http://facebook.com/profile.php?=73322363″

It’s the best way to confuse a friend

;-)

15. Enjoy Full Facebook Access without Internet

We all know that we can reply on comments, put status updates by Activating Facebook Messaging. It uses your Facebook messages and you’ll not be charged but if you want to do a lot more things like accessing your friends wall, like any status, post on someone’s wall adding friend etc etc, you can use FoneTwish.

Though these features comes under their paid subscription plan but it doesn’t mean you need to pay high. Its subscription fee is as low as Re. 1 in India.

16. Post Upside-Down Status Updates

Do you want to post your simple status update in surprising upside-down way? If so, use FlipText. This website lets you to post status update in upside-down way. Just enter your original update on first box, it will automatically change to upside-down way in second box.

Just copy that Status update and post in your Facebook Wall

:-)

17. Use Facebook Toolbar in Your Browser

Visiting Facebook every time to update status, view notification, Poke Friends, View/Accept Friend Request etc can be a bit tedious task. So if you want to do almost anything on Facebook without visiting it, use Mozilla’s Facebook Toolbar Add-on.

Facebook Toolbar Mozilla Add-on

18. Stay Offline for some friends

However, it is a very common Facebook Trick but many people don’t know it yet. You can make you Offline for some selected friends or everyone on Facebook while exploring Facebook.

On the Chat Sidebar, click on Gear (option) icon. Selecting ‘Turn Off Chat’ will make you offline for all available friends in your profile. You can click on “Advanced Settings…” to turn on off chat for some specific friends.

19. Change Language of your Facebook Profile

By going to Facebook’s Account Setting, you can change language of your Facebook profile and amaze your friends. There are a lot of different language available with some funny too.

You can even set English(Upside-Down) to make your profile a bit interesting and confusing.

20. Using Special (ASCII) Characters on Facebook

Do you want to decorate your Status Update with some very stylish symbols? Well, Visit This Page. The page lets you to put New Facebook Text ASCII Art Icons in your Status, Comments, Chat etc.

Just copy any one and use it.

:-)

21. Change Facebook Theme Color

Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook in Blue color. Right? Do you know why it is blue? because Mark Zuckerberg is color blind and can only see Blue color. So if you get bored of using Blue Facebook then you can change its color according to your choice.

i

Change Facebook Theme Color

Change Facebook Theme Color

Follow these steps:

Step 1: Just install and activate “Change My Facebook Color” Chrome Extension.

Step 2: Go to Chrome’s Setting > Appearance and Tick ‘Always Show Bookmark Toolbar’.

Step 3: Click on Change My Facebook Color Extension Icon on the Top-Right Side.

Step 4: Set Background and Foreground color. Drag Arrow Icon to Bookmark Toolbar.

Step 5: Visit Facebook and Press the Button that you just added using the extension.

Enjoy exploring Facebook in your own color !

:-D

22. Customize Facebook in your own Way

You can fully customize Facebook by using Fabulous Chrome Extension. The extension lets you Customize your Facebook, Block ads, change colors, zoom photos and a lot more things more.

23. Ghost/Fake Wall Post Prank

Do you want your status update will get like and comments from famous personalities like Barack Obama, Justin Bieber, Mark Zuckerberg etc ? Or Michael Jackson Share Your Website Link from Heaven?

So, Just Go to The Wall Machine and Login with Facebook. Now you create your own status, Likers, Commentors of Status Updates in your own way. Check out the example :

24. Watch Live Streaming

Now, you can watch live TV on Facebook by TV Dream App. You can watch numerous International Channels including Sports, News, Movies, Kids, etc Free Of Cost.  I generally user this app to watch cricket match while chatting my friends.

25. Post Multiple Facebook Groups At Once

Many times when you want to promote a product, inviting members on different Facebook Groups in an event, article etc, then its really tough to visit each and every group and post the invitation. So, MultiPost lets you to post multiple Facebook Groups at once. You can set Title, Description, Images etc and customize you status at best level.

26. Get Notified When Someone Unfriend You

To get the notification when someone unfriend you, download unfriend alert chrome extension and activate it. It will add an additional Unfriends Tab on Facebook so whenever someone unfriend you, you’ll get notified. This tab will also notify you about pending friend requests.

27. Create Awesome Videos of your Facebook Pictures

You can easily create amazing video of your, your friend’s, pages’ photos by using Pixable for FREE.

28. Enlarge Un-Clickable Profile Pics

This is counter trick of #4 Trick that I shared above. As un-clickable profile pics can’t be enlarged by clicking them so use these steps to enlarge them:

Step 1: Right Click the image. From context menu, select ‘Open Image In New Tab’ .

Step 2: In address Bar URL of the image, remove s160x160/ and hit Enter. The image will appear in its original size.

29. Tag 50+ People from Desktop/Laptop

As you all know, from PC, you can tag at most 50 People in your picture and status. However, Mobile Users can even tag more than 70. So, if you want to tag more than 50 people on your status, uploaded photo from Desktop/Laptop, follow these steps:

Step 1: Download Opera Mobile Emulator

Step 2: Launch Mobile Emulator, Select a Mobile/Tablet Model.

Step 3: Browse Facebook from Opera Mobile Emulator.

Now, as here, you are browsing Facebook Mobile and in Mobile User-Agent So you can Tag more than 50 people in your status update, picture, Cheers

:-D

30. Customize “post via” Line on Statuses

Whenever you use any app to post content, shares on Facebook, it shows a post via line. You can use this feature to make your status update even more stylish. What if, you status update will show post via Captian America ?

So, if you want to customize your post via line, follow these steps:

Step 1: Visit Postedvia.com

Step 2: Choose Any available Post Via Line from Drop-Down Box and click Green Update Status Button.

Step 3: Now, on the pop-up box, enter your status update and its done.

31. Make Creative Timeline Covers

Do you want to create creative timeline cover for your facebook profile, as like the below one?

Follow these steps:

Step 1: Visit Tricked Out Timeline

Step 2: Select a template to use (out of 4).

Step 3: Select Image to upload or use your current timeline cover.

Step 4: Move the frame to target your cover photo and hit Done.

Step 5: Click Like Button.

Step 6: Download your Cover Photo and use it on your timeline with creative profile pic.

32. Delete All Facebook Messages At Once

Step 1: Download Fast Delete Facebook Messages Chrome Extension. Activate it

Step 2: Go to Facebook’s message Page by visiting Facebook.com/Messages

Step 3: You’ll notice a new button named “Delete All”

So, whenever you want to delete all your Facebook Messages, just click this button and it’ll delete all Facebook messages within 2-3 seconds.

33. Trace IP Address of Friend While Chatting with him

34. Select / Invite All Friends At Once

Selecting and inviting 1000s of friends available at your Facebook profile to a Fanpage, Event, App can be a tedious task. So, this trick will let you to select all of them instantly.

Step 1: Open Invite Friend option’s Pop-Up Window of Event/Page/App on Mozilla Firefox.

Step 2: Press Ctrl + Shift + K. This will open Web Console of Firefox.

Step 3: Paste this code at Web Console and hit Enter:

javascript:var x=document.getElementsByTagName(“input”);for(var i=0;i<x.length;i++) {if (x[i].type == ‘checkbox’) {x[i].click();}}; alert(‘Done, all your friends have been selected’)

* Note: All Friends Available in the Current Selection Mode will be selected so use “All Friends” Selection mode.

35. Get Free Mobile Recharge from Facebook

Facebook, in order to attract much customers from INDIA, is offering free talk-time on creating a new profile or referring friends from its Mobile site (m.facebook.com) in INDIA. The scheme when started was providing free recharge of Rs. 50 but now, it is giving Rs. 20.

To get free recharge from Facebook, just visit http://m.facebook.com/tt from your cell phone and sign up by your phone number. You will be credited within 3 days.

Actually I am not sure if this scheme is available for other countries or not.

36. Creating Awesome Photo Collages of Facebook Album

Loupe is a amazing online service that lets you to create beautiful photo collages from Facebook Albums. Just Sign-in by connecting your Facebook Account there and it will let you to create beautiful Photo Collages in many shapes from either your or your friend’s photo album.

So friends, I have tried to include all best Facebook Tips and Tricks. If I missed any trick, you can share it on below comment-box. If you really enjoyed the article and found it helpful then please consider sharing it with your friends at Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social Networks.

Thanks..!

i

:-)

Dropped your phone in water? 5 things to do

It has happened to the best of us: accidentally dropping a smartphone in water and then frantically trying anything and everything to recover it. But worry not, help is here. We tell you how best you can save your smartphone if it has taken a dip in water...

Switch it off

Since chances are that your phone was powered on when you dropped it in water, it is advisable to switch it off immediately after taking it out.

Switching the phone off will prevent any short circuits from damaging the internals of the phone.

Remove everything

After switching off the phone, start removing everything possible from the phone. Remove the battery, sim cards, memory cards as well as any accessory (stylus, case, cover, skin).

You can easily wipe these off with a dry cloth so that no water remains on these items.

Shake it off

Gently shake the phone to get rid of any water present in the headphone jack, charging port or under the physical buttons.

After this, wipe the phone with a dry cloth, toilet paper or paper napkins thoroughly to remove any water present on the exterior.

Bury it in rice

This is one of the most commonly used and known techniques. Get an airtight container or a ziplock bag and fill it with uncooked rice. Place your phone inside the rice, shut the ziplock bag/container tight and keep it in a dry place.

You can also try using oatmeal or silica gel packs

Wait it out

Leave the phone in the rice for at least 24 to 48 hours. Ideally, do not even try to take the phone out to check if it has started working or not. If there wasn't too much water damage, your phone should start working.

If it still doesn't work

Please keep in mind that there is no guarantee that your phone will survive a dunking in water. There is only a 50% chance of your phone working again.

In case the phone does not work even after trying out the rice method, take it to an authorized service centre. They will be able to dismantle your phone and assess the damage better. Remember that water damage is not covered in the standard warranty of your smartphone.

Be prepared

There are a couple of ways of preventing your phone from getting damaged by water in the first place.

If you are travelling in the rainy season or going to a beach/swimming pool, then you can get a waterproof carry pouch. They are available for as little as Rs 150 from e-commerce websites. These pouches have a transparent window which allow you to see incoming notifications

Get insurance

While standard warranty does not cover water damage, there are third party insurance services available now that offer such coverage.

There are various options available, we recommend you try out Ingram Micro Cover Plus or Syska Gadget Secure. They have plans starting at Rs 500. You can choose what all you need cover for, including liquid damage.

Newborn baby Teddy was UK's youngest ever organ donor

Doctors at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, carried out the pioneering surgery three minutes after Teddy Houlston died on April 22.
His kidneys were then used to save an adult's life in Leeds.
His parents, Mike Houlston and Jess Evans, from Cardiff, say they want people to know his story and see his face, saying: "We are so proud of him".

In an interview with told the Daily Mirror, Mr Houlston said: "He lived and died a hero. It's impossible to explain how proud we are of him."
'Soul destroying'
Ms Evans was carrying twins when she was told - 12 weeks into her pregnancy - that one was fatally ill.

Teddy had anencephaly, a rare and lethal abnormality which prevents the brain and skull from developing.
Babies with the condition either die in the womb, are stillborn or live for just seconds, minutes or hours after birth.
Ms Evans told the Mirror that the news of Teddy's condition was "soul-destroying".

Though doctors offered the couple the option of an abortion, Ms Evans said: "We thought that even if we had a moment with him, or 10 minutes, or an hour, that time was the most precious thing that we would ever experience."

As they continued with the pregnancy, the couple decided that they wanted to donate their baby's organs.

Ms Evans said: "Organ donation was something I've always felt quite strongly about ever since I was a child."
In an interview with the BBC, Mr Houlston said they were initially told a transplant was not possible because it had never been done before.

But he said hearing the news that the transplant from Teddy had gone to plan had left them with a feeling of joy, saying: "We never doubted him".
"He is still very much a part of our family today, we talk of him every day, our children talk of him, our families do, we always remember him, he is with us all the time," Ms Evans added.
The success of the transplant "helped us grieve", she said, adding: "Knowing that he was able to do such good, more good than most of us will ever do in our lifetime - it is just overwhelming how proud we are of him."

'Soul destroying'
Ms Evans was carrying twins when she was told - 12 weeks into her pregnancy - that one was fatally ill.
Teddy had anencephaly, a rare and lethal abnormality which prevents the brain and skull from developing.
Babies with the condition either die in the womb, are stillborn or live for just seconds, minutes or hours after birth.
Ms Evans told the Mirror that the news of Teddy's condition was "soul-destroying".

Though doctors offered the couple the option of an abortion, Ms Evans said: "We thought that even if we had a moment with him, or 10 minutes, or an hour, that time was the most precious thing that we would ever experience."
As they continued with the pregnancy, the couple decided that they wanted to donate their baby's organs.
Ms Evans said: "Organ donation was something I've always felt quite strongly about ever since I was a child."
In an interview with the BBC, Mr Houlston said they were initially told a transplant was not possible because it had never been done before.
But he said hearing the news that the transplant from Teddy had gone to plan had left them with a feeling of joy, saying: "We never doubted him".
"He is still very much a part of our family today, we talk of him every day, our children talk of him, our families do, we always remember him, he is with us all the time," Ms Evans added.
The success of the transplant "helped us grieve", she said, adding: "Knowing that he was able to do such good, more good than most of us will ever do in our lifetime - it is just overwhelming how proud we are of him."
'Precious minutes'
Retrieving organs from children for transplant is rare, it is particularly unusual from newborn babies - and unheard of in those with anencephaly.
Yet his kidneys would have been fully functional in the womb.
Angharad Griffiths, a specialist nurse from NHS Blood and Transplant who helped complete the transplant, said told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she had "every belief" that a similar transplant could be successfully carried out in the future.
She said the transplant had been "challenging", particularly as they did not know if Teddy would be born alive.
Her team monitored Teddy throughout his short life, before performing the transplant minutes after he died.

Being present throughout Teddy's life was "a privilege", she said, saying his life was "an hour-and-a-half of pure joy".
"There was some sadness in the room naturally, [his parents] knew they were going to lose their baby, they knew he would pass away, but they were overjoyed that he had been born alive and they had those precious minutes with him and they spent those precious minutes enjoying him and his life," she added.

6 Investing Lessons From The Richest Man In The World- Warren Buffett 

Warren Buffet, also known as the oracle of Omaha, is no stranger to the world of investing. There’s a lot to learn from the most successful (and did we also mention, the richest) man in the world of investing.

Here are six lessons from Warren Buffett that you can use to invest better.

#1: “If you buy things you don’t need, you will soon sell things you need.”

You can make more money not only by investing or taking up a second job, but also by resisting the temptation to go out and just splurge. As the saying goes – a penny saved is a penny earned.

Key Takeaway: To be a successful investor, you need to use due diligence. Spending wisely is not about being miserly, but about being smart. Invest in assets that give you good returns over the long term- one that helps you secure your financial future.

#2: “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.”

Most of us know this- the money we pay for something and the value we get out of it, most of the time, does not have a correlation. You could possibly buy a posh apartment for 1 crore rupees. But staying in the apartment does not guarantee a high quality of life- does it?

When it comes to investing, especially the stock markets, the price of a stock is mostly governed by market sentiments and not necessarily by the profitability or value of the company itself. Warren buffet suggests to buy stocks when the price you have to pay for the stock is less than the intrinsic value of it. He says, “Whether we’re talking about socks or stocks, I like buying quality merchandise when it is marked down.”

Key takeaway: Instead of trying to time the market and extract every rupee profit you can possibly get out of your investment, invest in assets that will generate inflation-beating long term returns and hold on it for a long time (In buffet terms, forever).

#3: “It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.”

Warren Buffet recommends investing in undervalued stock with great potential and holding on to them forever. In-line with this philosophy (which undoubtedly worked so well, and still continues to work), buying shares of a wonderful company at a fair price is much better than buying a mediocre company at a cheap/bargain price.

Buffet notes that over the long term, mediocre companies gives much lesser returns compared to wonderful companies, so much so that the bargain price for which you bought the mediocre company stock does not seem like a bargain anymore.

Key takeaway: Don’t try and time the market or buy into NFO mutual funds because the NAV is low. Invest whenever you have the money and hold it for as long as possible.

#4: Be loss-averse

Majority of investor’s measure performance solely based on return. Buffett advices that you should not strive to make every dollar a potential profit which involves too much risk. Instead you should be loss-averse. Preserving your capital should be your top goal. By avoiding losses you’ll naturally be inclined towards investments with assured returns.

As Warren Buffet puts it, “Rule #1, never lose money. Rule #2, never forget Rule #1.”

The takeaway: While Buffet talks about safety of capital, he’s referring to stock investing where you don’t become greedy and go after too-good-to-be-true stocks. Instead, you focus on stocks that are undervalued and are of companies that you understand and has long-term potential.

Many investors misunderstand this as a recommendation for investing only in Bank FDs or equivalent assets which are mostly considered safe. Investing in Bank FDs is almost always guaranteed to be a losing proposition over the long term since after-tax, the returns you get annualized are below inflation rate.

#5: Be tax savvy

Like all billionaires, Buffett too is tax savvy.

Be knowledgeable about tax laws and use them to your advantage. Before you invest, make sure you understand the tax implications of your investment.

For e.g. while investing in Bank FDs might give you 9% returns, the interest is actually taxable as per your tax-bracket. The real return, if you are in the 30% tax-bracket, will fall to just a little above 6%. Now, that’s below inflation rate and you are effectively losing money the longer you invest in it.

The takeaway: Understand the tax implications of your investment fully before making a choice.

#6: Limit what you borrow

More is not always good- case in point, loans and credit card debt.

With daily offers from ecommerce companies, it might be tempting to buy that latest mobile phone on an EM. Considering the fact that the phone you bought for EMI (plus the processing fee which is in-directly the interest you pay for the EMI facility), and it loses its value over time (most cases, the moment you buy it), it is best if you limit your borrowing.

The takeaway: Borrow only when it’s absolutely necessary. When borrowing, make sure you understand all the fees associated with it. Sometimes, the real cost of bowing money will be hidden as miscellaneous charges like processing fee.

Modi's BMW 760Li

Modi's BMW 760Li

BMW 760Li

BMW 7-Series 760Li, security edition, is fully compliant with VR7 grade of ballistic protection. Some of its parts comply with a higher VR9 grade of protection as well.

1) In the case of a gas attack, the cabin of the car can turn into a gas-safe chamber. It is also equipped with a backup oxygen tank.

2) In any circumstances, its fuel tank cannot explode as the same has a self-sealing. Similar to Obama's car, PM Modi’s car also has a fire-fighting system, emergency exit and thick bullet-proof windows.

3) To withstand mines and bombs, it also has armor plates beneath it.

4) Like Obama’s beast, it can also run on flat tires for several kilometers. The car possesses advanced heat sensors to provide protection from bombs and missiles.

5) Modi's BMW is considerably lighter than Obama's Cadillac. This improves vehicle’s maneuverability. However, the Cadillac generates greater momentum.

Car’s specifications

Engine: 5,972 cc

Power: 544 bhp

Mileage: 4.5-7.46 kmpl

0-100 kmph: 6.1 seconds

Top Speed: 210 kmph

Fuel: Petrol

Price: Rs 5 crore

Obama's Cadillac 1 Beast

Obama's Cadillac 1 Beast

Cadillac i (The Beast)

The US security department prefers to call it “The Beast”. Most of the details of the car are classified for security reasons. However, there are some of the features that have been made public which are as follows: 

1) The Beast has 8-inch thick armour-plated doors, made of titanium, steel, ceramic steel and aluminum and they weigh as much as the cabin door of a Boeing 757 plane.

2) The car possesses, run-flat tires reinforced with Kevlar. They are puncture resistant, with steel rims underneath. Thanks to the steel rims, the car can drive at high speeds even without the tires. 

3) Advanced fire-fighting system, night-vision cameras and tear gas cannons are some of the features car is equipped with.

4) The boot of the car has a bank of the President's blood type. It also has an oxygen supply system.

5) Inside the car, the US President has access to a state of the art satellite phone and can connect to the Pentagon and the White House at any point of time.

6) There are also reports that the car can fire infrared smoke grenade, in case it is attacked by a rocket-propelled grenade or missile.

7) It is also speculated that the car's driver has access to a special video system that allows him drive through smoke and other no visibility conditions.

Car’s specifications

Engine: 8,000 cc (approx)

Power: 800 bhp

Mileage: 3.4 kmpl

0-100 kmph: 15 seconds

Top Speed: 150 kmph

Fuel Type: Diesel

Price: Rs. 8 crore

 

 

20 Reasons to Lose 20 Pounds

Even guys with the strongest resolves can occasionally cave to temptation when they're trying to lose weight. The next time you think about skipping the gym or eating (yet another) cookie that your coworker brought in, read these fat-melting motivators. They’ll help you stay on track to achieve a slimmer you.

(And for more small changes that can lead to big results, check out these 61 Ways to Lose Weight.)

Ø      Reason #1

Because you whine that you need to. Have you ever been wrong about anything?

Ø      Reason #2

Twenty pounds of warm human fat can refill every bottle in an empty case of beer, with enough left over to fill your blender.

Ø      Reason #3

The statement “There’s more of me to love” has an actual bedroom translation of “There’s more of me to endure.”

Ø       Reason #4

It's not scaling Everest or writing the great American novel. You can do it in your spare time.

Ø      Reason #5

You'll speak of toaster pastries the way you talk about that dirty blonde from the blues bar in Berkeley, another whiskey-soaked lament over a love too great to last.

Ø      Reason #6

It's the difference between being thought of as jolly or witty.

Ø      Reason #7

You'll lose weight everywhere, including the suprapubic fat pad at the base of your penis. So as your belly shrinks, something else appears to grow.

Ø      Reason #8

Decreased: your chances of developing heart disease, prostate cancer, diabetes, sleep apnea, depression, back pain, impotence, gallstones, joint problems, high blood pressure, low sperm counts, and an impressive collection of prescription-drug bottles.

Ø      Reason #9

Increased: your chances of putting four fingers on a basketball rim.

Ø      Reason #10

You'll literally get closer to women.

Ø      Reason #11

Holy shit... abs!

Ø      Reason #12

Men who lose weight never have less sex. They may not have more, mind you, but they never have less.

Ø      Reason #13

You'll shock the world at your local pool by being the only “big splash” champ to win the “little splash” crown.

Ø      Reason #14

Research shows that since you’ll have less weight propelling you into the windshield, you’ll also have less risk of dying when your car hits a semi.

Ø      Reason #15

Every time you pick up a 20-pound dumbbell, you’ll remember.

Ø      Reason #16

You'll be able to reach even more places to scratch.

Ø      Reason #17

The clothing cliche: It's liberating the first time your pants fall down by themselves.

Ø      Reason #18

More pullups, because there’s less to pull up.

Ø      Reason #19

Wait till you ride a WaveRunner, quad, or snowmobile when you’re 20 pounds lighter. Vroom, baby.

Ø      Reason #20

In our society, people respect weight loss. Even if you do nothing cool or interesting or memorable for the rest of your life, you’ll have done that.