Best 50 Websites of 2009

Washington, Aug 27 (ANI): The hottest thing on the Internet is not social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter, but Flickr-the popular photo-sharing portal - and the proof is: it has topped TIME's list of the best 50 websites this year.

One of the noticeable trends in this year's list, which was released this week, was on-demand video services, like YouTube, Vimeo and US services Hulu and Netflix.
However, the top two in the list were related to photographs, with California Coastline following Flickr at the second spot.
Third in the list was bookmark website Delicious, while community weblog Metafilter stood at the fourth place.
Popurls, the mashup of the web's most visited social news sites and portals, grabbed the fifth spot in the list.
Twitter ranked sixth and Facebook came 31st in the list, while YouTube and Hulu came at 12th and 14th place in the list.
TIME's list of 50 Best Websites of 2009 is:. Flickr
2. California Coastline
3. Delicious
4. Metafilter
5. popurls
6. Twitter
7. Skype
8. Boing Boing
9. Academic Earth
10. OpenTable
11. Google
12. YouTube
13. Wolfram|Alpha
14. Hulu
15. Vimeo
16. Fora TV
17. Craiglook
18. Shop Goodwill
19. Amazon
20. Kayak
21. Netflix
22. Etsy
23. PropertyShark.com
24. Redfin
25. Wikipedia
26. Internet Archive
27. Kiva
28. ConsumerSearch
29. Metacritic
30. Pollster
31. Facebook
32. Pandora and Last.fm
33. Musicovery
34. Spotify
35. Supercook
36. Yelp
37. Visuwords
38. CouchSurfing
39. BabyNameWizard.com's NameVoyager
40. Mint
41. TripIt
42. Aardvark
43. drop.io
44. Issuu
45. Photosynth
46. OMGPOP
47. WorldWideTelescope
48. Fonolo
49. Get High Now
50. Know Your Meme (ANI)

'Open source software is gaining momentum'

Kim Polese shot to fame as the brand manager at Sun Microsystems, when she devised the name Java for the firm's computer programming language. Currently, the CEO of SpikeSource, she spoke to Rahul Sachitanand on a recent visit to India. Excerpts:

Why are so many companies suddenly interested in open source software?

The current slowdown has slashed most companies' IT budgets and they now need to manage their IT requirements with smaller budgets. Open source software allows them a lower cost of ownership and more freedom to customise their infrastructure.

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But aren't people more familiar with Microsoft and other closed software?

Yes, but I think mixed source is the future. We have seen many companies opt for Linux to run their mission-critical applications, but the end-users' familiarity with Microsoft Office, for example, means it will not go away soon. However, open source software has become much more interoperable.

You've seen the Oracle-Sun deal from close quarters. What is the future for a relatively small company like SpikeSource?

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Despite mega deals, we think there is space for a niche, independent software company. We started out as an open source shop, but our technology (SpikeSource Factory) plays an important role in helping customers improve their software development processes.

Rahul Sachitanand

Marriage 'cuts men's risk of health problems'

London, Aug 23 (ANI): No matter how much you bicker after marriage, but walking down the aisle is actually good for health, especially for men, say scientists.

In the University of Arizona study, boffins reviewed blood samples from 1,715 volunteers aged 57 to 85 to measure the level of C-reactive protein (CRP), which is produced by the liver in response to inflammation.

Women like to target men who are already in relationships

CRP has been linked in previous studies to heart disease, depression and even stroke.

From the analyses, the research team found that a long marriage lowers a man's chance of developing serious health problems. In fact, the union is more effective than giving up smoking when guarding against potentially fatal diseases, the researchers said.

The study, published in Psychosomatic Medicine journal, found that married men had the lowest CRP levels of any group: an average of 1.16 milligrams per litre of blood compared to 2.72 for unmarried men, reports The Daily Mail.

Professor Tony Cassidy, of Ulster University, said: "This shows how strong the effect of being married and having strong social bonds can be.

"Men don't necessarily get the same kind of support from their friendships - that's why marriage is so important." (ANI)

Travel Picks: World's tallest, coldest, greenest hotels

1. World's Tallest Hotel: Burj Al Arab - Dubai
Currently the tallest operating hotel in the world until it is surpassed by Dubai's Rose Tower later this year, the Burj Al Arab stands 321 metres (1,050 feet) high. A self-rated 7 star hotel built on a man-made island 280 metres from shore, Burj Al Arab also boasts its own Rolls Royce fleet, Versace bedspreads, and private shopper and helicopter landing platform.


2. World's Largest Hotel (by no. of rooms): The Palazzo Resort Hotel & Casino - Las Vegas, USA
The Palazzo Resort Hotel & Casino, which operates under the same license as The Venetian hotel next door, has 8,108 rooms combined. The hotel is like a mini city, with a large selection of restaurants, fashion stores, its own casino, and seven pools.


3. World's Oldest Hotel: Hoshi Ryokan - Komatsu, Japan
The Hoshi Ryokan has been in operation for over 1,300 years. The 100-room hotel has been run by the same family for 46 generations.


4. World's Most Expensive Hotel Room: Royal Villa at Grand Resort Lagonissi - Athens, Greece
Featuring a dedicated butler, chef and pianist, the Royal Villa at Grand Resort Lagonissi is the world's most expensive hotel room at $50,000 a night. The room overlooks the Aegean Sea, which you can view from a private pool with a hydro massage device. The resort also has a private Lear jet.


5. World's Most Expensive Hotel to Build: Emirates Palace - Abu Dhabi
The Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, which opened in 2005, cost over $3 billion to build with silver, gold and marble used throughout the hotel and the 1,002 chandeliers made from Swarovski crystals.


6. World's Largest Hotel Room: Royal Suite in the Grand Hills Hotel & Spa - Broummana, Lebanon
The Royal Suite in the Grand Hills Hotel & Spa is set over six floors for a total 8,000 square metres (86,110 sq ft) with half of this living space and the rest two swimming pools, a garden, terrace and pavilions.


7. World's Coldest Hotel: Icehotel - Jukkasjarvi, Sweden
The Icehotel has rooms built entirely from ice and snow, decorated with handcrafted ice art and sculptures, an ice chapel licensed for marriages and baptisms, and two restaurants serving a range of Lappish and Swedish dishes. Activities include snowmobile trips, northern lights tours, and dog sled tours.


8. World's Highest Hotel (floor height): Park Hyatt - Shanghai, China
The Park Hyatt in Shanghai occupies floors 79 to 93 of the 101 story Shanghai World Finance Centre with views over the Huangpu River and the city skyline and located in the heart of Lujiazui business district in Pudong.


9. World's Highest Hotel (altitude above sea level): Hotel Everest View - Nepal
The Hotel Everest View is 3,880 metres (12,730 ft) above sea level and is set in the Sagarmatha National Park. All rooms have views of Mount Everest standing at 8,848 metres (29,030 ft) and the only direct access is by chartered helicopter.


10. World's Most Eco-Friendly Hotel: Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa - Queensland, Australia
Set in the world's oldest rainforest, Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa has 15 villas nestled inside the Daintree Rainforest, and is committed to complying with sustainable tourism standards. Practices in place include using solar power, low energy lights and an organic farm to grow its own produce.

RBI curtails use of third-party ATMs

The Reserve Bank, which made third party ATM transactions free from April, has said not more than Rs 10,000 can be withdrawn each time they are used and limited the number of such transactions to five a month.

The apex bank has sent a communication in this regard to Indian Banks' Association (IBA) and this is expected to be implemented shortly, IBA Chairman K Ramakrishnan said.

"The Reserve Bank has agreed to put a cap of Rs 10,000 per withdrawal in such (third party) transactions. Also, the number of such transactions will be limited to five times a month," Ramakrishnan said.

IBA, which is the industry lobby of Indian banks, had submitted its recommendations to the central bank last month citing the financial burden faced by banks on account of huge number of third party usage and small-ticket withdrawals.

Since April 1, RBI had declared third party ATM usage, including cash withdrawals and account enquiries, free for all customers and said that banks can charge Rs 18-20 per month from other banks in case of third party ATM transaction.

With the number of third party transactions surging post-April, banks approached the Reserve Bank through IBA to revisit the current norms and make necessary modifications.

RBI Executive Director, G Gopalakrishna said on the sidelines of a summit that the Reserve Bank has received suggestions from IBA on the matter, which has been examined by the central bank.

Though IBA had also recommended a minimum limit of Rs 1,000 on third party ATM withdrawals, this was rejected by the Reserve Bank to protect the interest of small withdrawer.

Exposure to daylight could help control obesity: Study

London, Aug 22 (PTI) Exposure to sunlight might be the answer to weight problems during winter months, according to a new British research, which might lead to new treatments for the prevention or reversal of obesity. Researchers from the University of Nottingham have found exposure to daylight could promote Brown adipose tissue (BAT) function, more common in females, leading to new ways of preventing obesity.

BAT brown fat''s primary function is to generate body heat to keep one from shivering. It is capable of producing up to 300 times more heat per unit mass compared with all other tissues.

Therefore, promoting BAT function could prevent or reduce obesity in some people, the researchers said. The new study, led by Michael Symonds, Professor of Developmental Physiology at the university, has shown for the first time that daylight is a major factor in controlling BAT activity.

"Our research has suggested a previously unknown mechanism for controlling BAT function in humans and this could potentially lead to new treatments for the prevention or reversal of obesity," said Professor Symonds. The body''s requirements for BAT has been reduced in recent times by central heating plus global warming.

The presence of BAT was documented and correlated in studied over 3500 patients with monthly changes in daylight and ambient temperature. Their results showed that BAT was more common in females and that changes in BAT activity were more closely associated with day light.

Venezuela made history at the Miss Universe pageant by winning the crown for the second year running, even as Miss India exited the contest without even making it to the top 15.

Eighteen-year-old Stefania Fernandez [ Images ] was crowned Miss Universe 2009 by the incumbent crown holder, her compatriot Dayana Mendoza [ Images ], on Sunday night.

She became the sixth Miss Universe from the South American country, known for it beauty obsessed culture.

But 22-year-old Delhiite, Ekta Chowdhury, made an early exit and did not make the cut for the top 15.

Venezuela has won five Miss Universe titles, five Miss World and four Miss International crowns, more than any other country.

The first runner-up title is shared by Miss Australia [ Images ] Rachael Finch [ Images ] and Miss Puerto Rico Mayra Matos Perez, with the title of second runner-up going to Miss Kosovo Gona Dragusha, reported Los Angeles Times.

The televised event included musical performances by Flo Rida, Heidi Montag, David Guetta and Kelly Rowland. Hosts were Billy Bush, co-anchor of "Access Hollywood," and Claudia Jordan, former Miss Rhode Island USA who has appeared on several TV shows.

Judges included actor Dean Cain and supermodel Valeria Mazza. Miss China, Wang Jingyao, was named Miss Congeniality and Miss Thailand, Chutima Durongdej [ Images ], won Miss Photogenic.

Image: Miss Venezuela, Stefania Fernandez celebrates onstage after winning the Miss Universe 2009 pageant in the Bahamas