Best Places to visit in India - The Real Heaven

Have you visited the best places in India? Well you might have but the list never ends for places in India. India is known for its numerous cultures and each place you visit gives a different fragrance of our Incredible India. From heaps of sacred places, serene temples to spirited festivals, magnificent beaches, frosty & snow laid mountains, lantern-lit villages to superlative cities India leaves an impression on you and a never ending memory. 

Although this might not be a holiday season for most of you, you can make list of these places and keep it in your planner to plan your trip in India. These are some of the best places that India has got something unique to offer to its travelers.

Kashmir - Heaven on Earth:

Set high in the North of India, also called the 'Peak of India', Kashmir is surrounded by the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range. Kashmir's valley is made of fresh water streams, delicious apple orchards, mighty ice capped mountains and lush meadows. Among the silent valleys of Kashmir, there is much excitement awaiting those who are interested in adventure sports like river rafting, Trekking and Winter Sports. Be it adventure fanatics, spirituality or just holiday revelers, Kashmir is sure to satisfy everyone.

Ladakh- The Moon Land

Ladakh; called the "land of high passes" is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the 

main Great Himalayas to the south. The largest town in Ladakh is Leh. It is one of the few remaining abodes of Buddhism in South Asia, including the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Once in Ladakh, make sure you visit the Leh Palace, Tso Mori Lake, and Nubra Valley as well the number of monasteries dotting Ladakh. The sheer beauty of this place, combined with its amazing culture and the breathtaking journey. To really experience the true essence of Ladakh, we recommend a road trip by car, bike, jeep or bus.

Rajasthan- The land of the Kings

One of the world's oldest mountain ranges, the Aravalli Range, cradles the only hill station of Rajasthan, Mount Abu, famous for Dilwara Temples, a sacred pilgrimage 

for Jains. Eastern Rajasthan has the world famous Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur, famous for its bird life and is a World Heritage Site and two famous national tiger reserves, Ranthambore and Sariska Tiger Reserve. Rajasthan was formed on 30 March 1949, when all erstwhile princely states ruled by Rajputs, known as Rajputana, merged into the Dominion of India. Music and culture aficionados will love the highly cultivated classical music and dance unique to Rajasthan.

Kerala- Gods own country

Kerala is a popular tourist destination famous for its backwaters, Ayurvedic treatments and tropical greenery. Backwaters which are a chain of lagoons are an integral pa 

rt of Kerala's Tourism Scenario and provide a really relaxing experience. Must visit places along these backwaters include Kumarakom (bird sanctuary), Astamudi Lake (largest fresh water lake) and Kannur-Valiyaparambu (scenic beauty). Kerala is one of the ten 'Paradises found' declared by the National Geographic Traveler, for its varied geography and devastating greenery.

Goa - The Beach City

Goa India's smallest state by area. However that doesn't stop it from being the best places to visit in India attracting more than 2 million visitors annually. With its pretty beaches, awesome seaf 

ood, vivid nightlife, picturesque churches and water sports, it's not hard to figure out why. If you are looking for your dose of adrenaline, you can indulge in water sports like paragliding, windsurfing, jet skiing and lots more. If food and drink makes your day, try out some of the sumptuous seafood (our pick Goan fish curry!) and the famous Fenny (Goan Liquor) at your disposal.

Courtsy: SiliconIndia

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5 Trends of 2011

 1. Independent Group messaging Apps

Though there are rumors coming around about the acquisitions and re launches of group messaging Apps by many App making giants has subsided. Google launched its Disco which was Slide’s App but it had many flaws in it. later facebook came out with a acquirement news of Beluga followed by Skype’s Groupme.

 

2. Everything for Everyone says Birchbox

Birchbox is a smart streamlined way to buy high end cosmetics, now it has also included featured products from InStyle, New York Post and Mari Claire and staples. It has jus followed the footsteps of Groupon to promote its products through Daily deals. Now consumers can avail their monthly requirements even for their babies and pets from their subscriptions. 

3. Local and Real time for peer to peer Marketplaces 

As ebay and Amazon does a great job in peer to peer market, some small enterprises like craiglist, Zaarly, Taskrabbit has planned to implement real time location based services using mobile phones and GPS services. This improvement will help the individual to outsource their chores in the market which they don’t want to deal with.  

4. New age online 

The days of “love at first sight” has been changed to “love at website” a study from Match.com says 17% of the couple got married through online dating in past three years .They seem to be comfortable in moving their real life with the aid of internet. They rely on it completely before they make a move trusting that it will create a positive impact.

5. Rise of New York tech city

While Twitter has already opened its first official NYC office on Madison Avenue.It is expected that the city will become as a Hub for technology based industries. The city appointed its first chief digital officer Rachel Sterne. Her Moto is to draw potential investors to build their organization in the upcoming 2.1 million square foot tech campus on Roosevelt Island where facebook will have its engineering office soon. 

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Upcoming 3D Movies of Bollywood

After witnessing the success of many Hollywood 3D films and Vikram Bhatt's last outing 'Haunted', many Bollywood filmmakers have decided to take the plunge themselves.

Leading filmmakers like Farhan Akhtar, Vikram Bhatt and Sohail Khan have decided to go the three dimensional way. Their upcoming movies are being released in the 3D format and promise to provide some great entertainment to the viewers.

Here are the soon to be released 3D movies.

Don 2

'Don 2: The Chase Continues' is the sequel to the highly successful film 'Don: The Chase Begins'. The sequel, also starring Shah Rukh Khan and Priynka Chopra was scheduled to have a normal release but director Farhan Akhtar apparently had a change of mind and decided to convert the film to 3D format. The film will hit the theatres on 23 December.

Ra. One

Shah Rukh Khan's ambitious project will also be in 3D format. The film also stars Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal apart from SRK himself. The film has been going through some extensive post-production work which also includes the release of Ra. One - The Game. The movie releases on October 26 and would probably cash in on the Diwali spirit.

Joker

Joker is not only scheduled to be released in 3D but is the first Bollywood film that has been completely shot using 3D cameras. The film stars Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Shreyas Talpade and Minisha Lamba in lead roles. According to the director of the film, Shirish Kunder, "It is an underdog story about how individuals make it big in life and in the process, get help from aliens from a fictional planet". The film is slated to release in the month of December.

Dangerous Ishq

'Dangerous Ishq', directed by Vikram Bhatt, is the chosen project for comeback queen Karisma Kapoor. In the movie, Karisma's will play five different roles spanning five generations one of them being of a supermodel. The movie is largely being awaited due to the return of Karisma Kapoor to the silver screen after 8 years. The film was being planned to release in November.

Raaz 3

Vikram Bhatt returns with yet another 3D film which is none other than 'Raaz' franchise. 'Raaz 3' marks the return of Bipasha Basu and Vikram Bhatt to the franchise after they both worked in 'Raaz'. 'Raaz 2' was directed by Mohit Suri and starred Kangana Ranaut, Emraan Hashmi and Adhyayan Suman in lead roles. The third installment stars Bipasha Basu, Emraan Hashmi and Jacqueline Fernandez.

Sher Khan

Sher Khan is an action-adventure film being produced and directed by Sohail Khan and will star Salman Khan. This film will mark the fifth collaboration between the Khan Brothers. Sohail Khan is reportedly keen on having Nargis Fakhri in the film otherwise he would cast a newcomer if that doesn't materialize. The film is slated to be a December 2012 release.

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Hollywood filmmaker Stanley Kubrick designed the first ever iPad : Samsung

Stanley Kubrick

Hollywood filmmaker Stanley Kubrick designed the first ever iPad, and not Apple Inc, says rival company Samsung in a bizarre patent suit that cites the director's '2001: A Space Odyssey' as evidence, according to a media report.

Stanley Kubrick (July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career. Kubrick was noted for the scrupulous care with which he chose his subjects, his slow method of working, the variety of genres he worked in, his technical perfectionism, his reluctance to talk about his films, and his reclusiveness regarding his personal life. He maintained almost complete artistic control, making movies according to his own whims and time constraints, but with the rare advantage of big-studio financial support for all his endeavors.

Kubrick's films are characterized by a formal visual style and meticulous attention to detail. His later films often have elements of surrealism and expressionism that eschew structured linear narrative. His films are repeatedly described as slow and methodical, and are often perceived as a reflection of his obsessive and perfectionist nature. A recurring theme in his films is man's inhumanity to man. While often viewed as expressing an ironic pessimism, some critics feel his films contain a cautious optimism when viewed more carefully

The two companies are 'suing each other all over the world' for patent infringement, after Apple accused Samsung of 'blatant copying' of its products, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Apple won a temporary injunction against Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Europe. In Australia, it forced Samsung to agree not to sell the device until it can satisfy Apple that it does not infringe on its iPad patents.

A patent case against the Galaxy Tab is also running in the US and Samsung has filed its reasons as to why Apple should not be granted an injunction.

One of Samsung's exhibits was a still image and a YouTube clip taken from Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film '2001: A Space Odyssey'. The clip shows two astronauts eating while at the same time using what appear to be personal tablet computers, the report said.

Samsung says this was an example of 'prior art' for the general design of the iPad.

It also cited a scene from the 1970s British TV series 'The Tomorrow People', which appears to depict a tablet computer.

Consultant and blogger Florian Mueller, who first uncovered the Kubrick reference, said it would be 'amazing' if the court agreed with Samsung.

Mark Summerfield, a senior associate with a Melbourne intellectual property law firm, believes Samsung 'may have a case'.

'Generally science fiction is not legitimate prior art to a utility patent, because it does not inform the public how to make the fictional apparatus,' said Summerfield.

But there was no reason why science fiction could not be 'invalidating prior art' to a registered design, he said.

'For example, if I were to copy the Star Trek communicator as a novelty mobile phone, I would have no right to claim a monopoly in that design. I did not devise it myself,' he said. 'I think that Samsung probably has a viable defence here.'

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You Can Now Watch “The Big Lebowski” With Your Facebook Friends

The cult classic The Big Lebowski is now available to rent on Facebook.Coinciding with the film’s Blu-ray release, fans of the Coen brothers comedy can rent the film directly from The Big Lebowski Facebook fan page.

Facebook continues to gain ground as a movie rental platform. Last month, Paramount Pictures brought the Jackass film series to Facebook and Warner Bros. continues to make more titles available on the social network.

For this release, Universal Pictures is doing something more unique with its rental offering by giving fans a way to interact and share their favorite parts of the film online.

Working with F-commerce developer Milynoi, NBCUniversal is giving the Facebook rental experience a more social twist.

Users that rent the film can “like” and make comments on memorable scenes and quotes throughout the film. They can also see what other Facebook fans and friends have said while watching the movie. Plus, users can reward up to five friends with a $1 discount on the Facebook rental. A 48-hour rental is 30 Facebook Credits ($3), which is the same amount other studios are charging for similar titles.

Even though the film is available on DVD, Blu-ray and through digital download services such as Amazon, Cinema Now and Vudu, we think a Facebook offering makes sense for this type of film.

The Big Lebowski was not a blockbuster in theaters, but it has found immense success on home video and DVD over the past 13 years. Much of its popularity has been fueled by strong word-of-mouth buzz and group rentals. I first saw the film my junior year of high school with a group of friends. It was a veritable staple in college.

Thus, it makes sense to us to allow current or new fans of the film to make the group viewing experience more visceral on the social web. With college and universities starting up, this would be a great way for friends spread out across the country to share a funny, infinitely quotable movie together.

The Big Lebowski is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Jeff Bridges stars as Jeff Lebowski, an unemployed Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler, who is referred to (and also refers to himself) as "The Dude". After a case of mistaken identity, The Dude is introduced to a millionaire also named Jeffrey Lebowski. 

When the millionaire Lebowski's trophy wife is later kidnapped, he commissions The Dude to deliver the ransom to secure her release. The plan goes awry when The Dude's friend Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) schemes to keep the full ransom. Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman, David Huddleston, Julianne Moore, Tara Reid, and John Turturro star in the film, which is narrated by a cowboy known only as "Stranger," played by Sam Elliott.

The film is loosely based on Raymond Chandler's novel, The Big Sleep.The original score was composed by Carter Burwell, a longtime collaborator of the Coen Brothers. The Big Lebowski failed at the U.S. box office and received mixed reviews at the time of its release. Reviews have trended towards the positive over time, and the film has become a cult favorite,noted for its idiosyncratic characters, dream sequences, unconventional dialogue, and eclectic soundtrack.

Plot:

Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski returns home only to be roughed up by two thugs claiming to be collecting money that Lebowski's wife owes a man named Jackie Treehorn. After beating him and urinating on his rug, they realize they are looking for a different person with the same name, and they leave. At the instigation of his friend and bowling teammate Walter Sobchak (Goodman), The Dude decides to seek compensation for the rug from the other Jeffrey Lebowski. The next day, the titular "Big" Lebowski, a wheelchair-bound millionaire, refuses The Dude's request. The Dude meets Bunny Lebowski (Reid), the Big Lebowski's nymphomaniac trophy wife, while leaving the premises with a rug taken from the mansion.

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Harry Potter touches the high by its awesome technology use & social networks

Harry Potter & Deathly Hallows -2

Brief Introduction:
Release Date - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2: Now Playing
Studio - Warner Bros.
About - “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” is the final adventure in the Harry Potter film series. The much-anticipated motion picture event is the second of two full-length parts.In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort.

It all ends here.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, reprising their roles as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The film’s ensemble cast also includes Helena Bonham Carter, Jim Broadbent, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Ciarán Hinds, John Hurt, Jason Isaacs, Matthew Lewis, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters and Bonnie Wright.

The film was directed by David Yates, who also helmed the blockbusters “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.” David Heyman, the producer of all of the Harry Potter films, produced the film, together with David Barron and J.K. Rowling. Screenwriter Steve Kloves adapted the screenplay, based on the book by J.K. Rowling. Lionel Wigram is the executive producer.

Behind the scenes, the creative team was led by director of photography Eduardo Serra, production designer Stuart Craig, editor Mark Day, composer Alexandre Desplat, visual effects supervisor Tim Burke, and costume designer Jany Temime.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Heyday Films production, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” which marks the last installment in the most successful film franchise of all time. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” will be released in theatres and IMAX, in 3D and 2D, on July 15, 2011.

Starring :   
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Jim Broadbent, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, John Hurt, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters
Directed By : David Yates
Produced By : Lionel Wigram, David Heyman, David Barron, J.K. Rowling
Website : http://harrypotter.com

One of the most awaited movies of the year is 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' and with more than $40 million tickets sold in advance it definitely expected to make it even bigger. It has already recorded a business of $168.6 million in the U.S. and Canada in just three days. The movie also had the biggest international debut ever, grossing a magical $307 million overseas in 59 foreign countries. With awesome animations and mind boggling technology it is definitely heading for a record-breaking business in the box office. I think it will break all the records of box office abroad as well as in India.

The two things that make the difference this time, is its awesome animation and best utilization of Facebook and twitter in promoting the movie. Back in 2001 when Harry Potter first movie was realized Facebook and twitter never existed, but in 2011 Harry potter made the best out of the social networking sites to reach out to its fans.

Animation & Technology
The awesome fantasy world is delivered and a culminated work of a combination of companies like Rising Sun Pictures, Double Negative, Cinesite, Framestores and Industrial Light and Magic. The visual effects put together are really fantastic as give a real like feeling and takes you to a world of magic, witches and heroism. Technology has taken a leap for sure and this was quite evident in the last series of Harry potter and it was a very clean and neat show put by the Warner bros for sure.

Facebook

Facebook Page of Harry Potter

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' has kicked up the social media marketing. Warner Bros has long maintained a solid Facebook presence for the Harry Potter film series as the studio ramped up its efforts in engagement and in Facebook app features. Nearly 30 million users have 'liked' the Harry Potter Facebook Page. In the week before the premiere which took place on July 7, 2011 the Harry Potter Facebook Page gained nearly 100,000 new fans per day. The frequent posts of images, behind-the-scenes tidbits, interviews with stars, links to coverage on other media outlets and movie trailers have lifted the fan following and likes numbers. Warner Bros has created local Facebook fan pages for a variety of different countries and languages.

Twitter account of Harry Potter

Twitter
The HarryPotter Film Twitter account is not as active as the Facebook Page but it had recorded 358,246 & counting followers, but it has done a pretty good job in engaging the users by sharing links to interview and media articles and posting photos. Photos from the event of the premier night were also live-tweeted using TwitPic. It seems all the strategies have paid off well for the producers as it is busy making waves in the industry.

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