Baumgartner's Space Jump: A Daredevil's Endeavour

In a giant leap from more than 38.6 km up, daredevil skydiver and former military parachutist, Felix Baumgartner, shattered the sound barrier while making the highest jump ever — a tumbling, death-defying plunge from a balloon to a safe landing in the New Mexico desert. To give some perspective, 38.6 km is almost four times the height of a cruising passenger airline.  He hit Mach 1.24, or 1,342 kmph, according to preliminary data, and became the first man to reach supersonic speed without traveling in a jet or a spacecraft.

The video feed - broadcast on a 20-second delay intended to give news stations time to cut away in case tragedy struck - was viewed by more than seven million people on YouTube alone. The risks associated with the jump were tremendous. His blood could have boiled, his lungs could have overinflated, the vessels in his brain could have burst and his eyes could have hemorrhaged. And yes, he could have broken his neck too. 

He said before the attempt that "part of this entire experience will help make the next pressure suit safer for space tourists and aviators." Former NASA Astronaut Leroy Chiao concurred, saying "the technologies that they have developed, pressure suit technologies, I think you are going to see these things incorporated into future pressure suits that are used in spacecraft."

We, at Techkriti'13 team, were humbled just by the experience of watching the video feed. The gap between his crane-assisted liftoff and the smooth parachute landing was filled with curiosity, anxiety and wonderment.  Baumgartner's feat would inspire the next generation of space pioneers and we hope that they are as brave as him when facing the unknown. As the man himself said after the jump, "We live to conquer fears and pursue dreams. May our attempts and accomplishments progress humankind."

Nobel Prizes Announced

A few hours ago the Nobel committee of Sweden chose the winners of this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics and Chemistry.
The Nobel Prize in Physics was won by Serge Haroche of France and David Wineland of America, for finding ways to measure quantum particles without destroying them. Wineland described their work as a ‘parlor trick’ that performed the seemingly magical feat of putting an object in two places at once.
The achievement could make it possible to build a new kind of computer far more powerful than any seen before. Here is a simple explanation of how their research might revolutionise the world of quantum computing:
In a normal computer, a switch must either be on or off. A quantum computer would work with switches that, like the particles in Wineland's experiment, behaved as if they were in more than one position at the same time.
An example is a computer trying to work out the shortest route around town for a travelling salesman. A traditional computer might try every possible route and then choose the shortest. A quantum computer could do the calculation in one step, as if the salesman travelled each route simultaneously.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was one by two American scientists- Robert Lefkowitz and Brian Kobilka. They studied protein receptors that let body cells sense and respond to outside signals like danger or the flavour of food.
Since the 1980s they have accomplished groundbreaking discoveries on an important family of receptors, known as G-protein-coupled receptors. About half of all medications act on these receptors, including beta blockers and antihistamines, so learning about them will help scientists come up with better drugs.

Techkriti’13 appreciates and applauds their efforts to bring to life what could previously only be imagined in equations and thought experiments. Here at Techkriti we will strive to, in our own little way, create a scientific environment that will enable brilliant minds to bring alive the wildest dreams of science fiction.

Remembering Steve

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of Steve Jobs’ passing. Steve Jobs was always described as an innovator, a visionary; and rightly so. Although he will be remembered for ushering in fundamental changes in the way people interact with technology, he has also been known for his ability to turn a phrase – and a knack for taking complicated ideas and making them easy to understand. Below, we present some of his most inspiring and famous quotes:

1. Talking about work at the Stanford University's Commencement address on June 12, 2005: "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle."
2. Steve Jobs gave an interview in "60 minutes" in 2003 in which he shared that his business model was inspired by The Beatles: "My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each other's negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people."
3. “It’s more fun to be a pirate than to join the navy.”
4. On being the richest man in an interview to The Wall Street Journal in 1993 "Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me... Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful... that's what matters to me."
5. In 1983, Steve Jobs lured the then President of the highly successful company PepsiCo, John Sculley to leave his secure high-paying job and join Jobs' team of computer nerds. All it took was a question from Steve : "Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life? Or do you want to come with me and change the world?"
6. Talking about Death at the Stanford University commencement speech, June 2005: "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. ... Stay hungry. Stay foolish."
7. "Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected."
8. Talking about him being fired from Apple at the Stanford University's Commencement Speech 2005: "I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.[...] It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith."
9. At an Apple product event for the first Macintosh computer on January 24, 1984: "We're gambling on our vision, and we would rather do that than make "me, too" products. Let some other companies do that. For us, it's always the next dream."
10. “The cure for Apple is not cost-cutting. The cure for Apple is to innovate its way out of its current predicament.”

Mark Your Calendars!

The dates for the conduction of Techkriti'13 have been finalised. So, mark your calendars for March 14th- 17th, 2013 as a plethora of activities awaits you during these four days of Techkriti'13. Competitions that lead you to your finest creations, talks that stir your curiosity and exhibitions that bring the latest advancments in science and technology within your reach- We have it all planned out for you.

We would like to thank you all for your support and appreciation of the theme for the next edition of Techkriti, which was revealed a few days ago- FIXING THE PLANET!

 

We would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Team Udghosh on the successful completion of the sports festival. A special mention for all the participating colleges, for competing fiercely while upholding the spirit of their respective games.

Sky Isn't the Limit Anymore

"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon seem inevitable." ~Christopher Reeve

This week millions around the world celebrated the life and accomplishments of Neil Armstrong, who many believe has now returned to his starry abode. His 'one small step for man' comment will be recorded for posterity, but did you know his small step from the Eagle's ladder to the moon's surface was actually a 3.5 feet hop? He had landed the Eagle so lightly, its shock absorbers had failed to compress!

But Armstrong's success was also a success for the proponents of science and technology. NASA's scientists, engineers and astronauts had faced no easy task - their  vehicle had less processing power than today's average cellphone. When Buzz Aldrin joined Armstrong on the surface, he had to make sure not to lock the Eagle's door because there was no outer handle. A depressurised cabin meant the Eagle landed 4 miles off target. But the technology of their times was no deterrent for them, whatever they lacked in technical sophistication was made up for in spirit.  

We, at Techkriti Team, draw our inspiration from the people behind the Apollo project. They redefined the limits of innovation in technology. People like Neil Armstrong have a spark- a trait that takes them forward when things don't seem to go as as per plans. Or maybe they are driven by something deeper. Something incredible is waiting to be known and they see their actions as experiments and questions- as attempts to find out the unknown. Success and failure for them are answers above all.

Motivated by such people, we at Techkriti'13 have been dreaming big. And now is the time to combine them with timely actions to turn them into reality. PraKriti, one of our visions for the festival, received stupendous response from the community. More than 200 nature enthusiasts participated in the initiative, planting hundreds of saplings in Kanpur city. By the time the festival is conducted in March, the saplings would have grown, hence offsetting any additional carbon pollution that would be emitted during the 3 day festival. We hope PraKriti will be a trend-setting initiative which will encourage other colleges to conduct their festivals in an environmentally responsible manner. (Check out the pictures of PraKriti here.)

To get a preview of what's in store for you at Techkriti'13, gear up for the launch of our teaser video and website this week. Keep checking our FB Page: facebook.com/techkriti

Not (just) for the nerds

There's a geek inside each one of you - the one who uses smartphones, the one who loves video games, and the one who spends hours surfing the Internet- and Techkriti'13 has a lot in store for each one of you.
Hi Junta!
From Day 1 itself, the Techkriti'13 team had envisioned the festival to be geeky, and not nerdy!
To elaborate on the not so fine difference; a geek is an outwardly normal person who has taken the time to learn technical skills. Nerds, however, are also characterised by social inactivity. A geek isn't the skinny kid with a pocket protector and acne. There can be computer geeks, video game geeks, car geeks, military geeks, and sports geeks.
Being a geek just means having an eccentric devotion to a particular interest and being passionate about something. In the words of Garret Freymann-Weyr-
"Geeky people often have. . . . a mind with its own heartbeat" 

Techkriti and IIT Kanpur have been the torchbearers of technological excellence in the country. The launch of Jugnu (nano-satellite built at IIT Kanpur) and Satellite Imaging Railway Navigation (SIMRAN) system to check rail accidents are the recent hallmarks of our technological prowess. But this time around, we aim to go one step further and contribute to make our planet greener. We realise that expressing concerns about the environment does not serve much purpose, unless those concerns are addressed by concrete and timely actions.
In this regard, we have planned that Techkriti'13 will be a Carbon Positive festival. The first step in this direction will be to eliminate our carbon footprint. This will be done through Prakriti-The Plantation Drive, where more than 400 saplings would be planted in all corners of Kanpur city, in around a week from now. If you want to join us in the drive or would like to contribute in some way,feel free to contact us.
Stay updated through our facebook page- facebook.com/techkriti

Soaring higher

Greetings tech enthusiasts!

As the pace picks up towards the preparation for the next edition, we are working very hard to make this experience enjoyable and special for everyone. Rest assured, this year's organizing team consists of some of the brightest and most creative minds in the country, who will spare no effort to create an extraordinary, standard-setting technival festival.
You can keep yourself busy by joining our Facebook page  for regular updates. Look out for the formal launch of our logo on facebook this weekend. As we approach the festival, we have new things in store for everyone that we are going to unveil very soon.
Also, we are going to get active on our youtube channel as well with new videos coming up very frequently. We do have some outlandish ideas but we hope they'll get mainstream after this edition not just for us, but for everyone else too.

We would also like to congratulate the Antaragni '12 Team on the launch of their
first promo video. We'd be lying if we said that we were ecstatic, but on a lighter and positive note, they haven't raised the bar high enough for us to live upto.

Though we have some innovative ideas of our own but we would love to hear from you!
So if you have any suggestions regarding the conduction of Techkriti'13, feel free to post them in comments here or on our facebook page. It may be in the form of new competitions, some workshop you want us to conduct, an exhibit you want to see, a speaker you want us to invite or anything else. Your suggestions would be valued.