MUMBAI: Bloomberg UTV in association with HP organized an informative session on ?Rethinking Virtualization: the new era of Green Computing? today. The event concluded with a presentation and a panel discussion with industry leaders discussing virtualization technology and analyzing the best practices in the industry to highlight advantages of a complete 360 degree application of virtualization.

This discussion through effective examples highlighted the full spectrum of virtualization infrastructure, software, services, and partnerships needed to reap the true potential of virtualization. The session focused on rethinking virtualization as a holistic solution in all business entities and the competitive advantage that virtualization brings.

The panel of experts included industry stalwarts like Mr. Praveen Sahau, Head IT ? Tata Consulting Engineers; Mr. Rajendra Deshpande, Group CIO ? Intelenet Global Services Ltd, Mr. Sandeep Nair, President & MD ? Emerson Network Power India Pvt Ltd & VP ? MAIT, Mr. Rajat Mehta, Country Manager ? Remote Client Solutions ? HP & Mr. Prakash Krishnamoorthy, Country Manager, Storageworks, HP India.

The panel reiterated the fact that virtualization is not only about short-term projects for limited gains but it is about making technology a seamless part of the way IT delivers services. Virtualization is about reducing energy and operating costs while simultaneously increasing availability, security, and compliance.

Mr. Govindraj Ethiraj, Editor-in-Chief, Bloomberg UTV who was also moderating the discussion said ?Rethinking Virtualization is about deploying new or enhanced business services and the application of governance and policies more cost effectively than before. It is an imperative business practice that we must all adopt to achieve holistic solutions.?

Speaking on the occasion Deepti Dang, Head, Marketing ? Commercial & SMB, Personal Systems Group, Hewlett-Packard India Sales Pvt. Ltd. said ?HP keeps an ear open to the changing needs of its customers and strives to continuously improve the efficiency of their business. HP is the pioneer for Remote Client Solutions that can help resolve the most common business challenges associated with traditional, distributed PC environments by centralizing compute resources and lead to greater ROI over a period of time.?

Throwing light on how technology plays a major role in determining an organization?s success before, during and after a downturn, Deepti Dang further added that, ?The current economic environment is dramatically changing how businesses operate. While difficult, these times do create opportunities for agile businesses to seize a stronger market position. With virtualization innovations, HP is helping customers optimize performance and adapt quickly to change.? It?s about making virtualization technology a seamless part of the way IT delivers services. Through these solutions CIO?s will be able to drive out complexities throughout their computing environment and successfully contribute to their long-term business growth.
 

MUMBAI: MUMBAI: The search for Lufthansa Nat Geo Genius came to an end with 51-year-old Prahlad Punia, who is HCL VP, emerging as the winner.

Punia, the winner of this online initiative, has won the National geographic Expedition to Washington DC, flying Lufthansa?s luxurious Business Class.

Lufthansa Nat Geo Genius is an attempt by infotainment broadcaster National Geographic Channel and Lufthansa to challenge participant?s knowledge about the world he/she lives in. After the successful first edition, the second phase recently started with a new set of questions covering various facts and trivia about different regions on the world map. This, initially on-air show, was adapted in the online format by National Geographic Channel in association with Europe?s leading airline Lufthansa.

The first online edition got participation of over 25,000 people who love to travel. People from varied backgrounds participated in the contest, which included top management executives, government employees, students and professionals from many other sectors. The quest once again reiterated Nat Geo?s endeavor to provide innovative, intelligent, informative and yet entertaining content.

Punia says, ?Rarely have I come across a challenge that was as exciting as it was brain-tickling! Lufthansa Nat Geo Genius was an amazing mix of entertainment, information and skill and I am extremely glad I have emerged the ?Genius? amongst all other participants. I plan to have an exceedingly good time, enjoying the prize of an expedition to Washington D.C.?.

National Geographic Channel India senior VP ? content and communication Rajesh Sheshadri says, ?At Nat Geo, we take pride in seeing each brand as a unique entity and offer innovative solutions that best suit their needs. We successfully introduced the Indian version of our internationally acclaimed quiz show, Geo Genius earlier with Lufthansa on the channel and later online. We are delighted with the consumer response and look forward to taking the excitement forward through the next online edition?.

Lufthansa director ? South Asia Axel Hilgers says, "We look forward to welcoming the next winner onboard Lufthansa for a truly memorable experience. We are pleased to have partnered with National Geographic Channel and believe that the second season will be an even bigger success than the first. As the Lufthansa group expands its operations in the strategic Indian market, we are glad that through this interactive online medium, we can reach a larger audience and engage with them in new ways.?

The participants are scored, in the form of award miles, on the basis of their knowledge about various countries and their culture. The quiz takes place on a world map divided into 4 zones. according to the status categories of the Lufthansa Miles & More mileage programme - Base Zone, FTL (Frequent Traveler) Zone, Senator Zone and HON Zone. Participants get 59 seconds to answer each of the 40 questions. Every correct answer gets the participant 1000 flyer miles. After answering 10 questions in each zone, one moves to the next one, but two wrong answers lead to elimination from the quiz. Top scorers feature on the Lufthansa Jet setter?s board and win prizes daily, weekly and monthly.
 

MUMBAI: Its romance all over on STAR Gold! February being the celebrated month of love all over the world, STAR Gold woos its audiences with an impressive line up of romantic films and specials. Join STAR Gold as it promises a variety of non stop entertainment with the best of films all through this month.

The romantic fervor starts with ?Dil Se?, a week long Valentine Special festival commemorating the season of love, romance and relationships. The festival will showcase Bollywood?s popular romantic movies like Just Married, Honeymoon Travels, Baabul, Pyar Ke Side Effects, Bluffmaster and several others from 8th to 14th February. The festival will conclude with the Dhamaka premiere of Hey Baby starring superstar Akshay Kumar and the pretty Vidya Balan at 8 pm on Valentine?s Day.

Spicing up the month of February is the blockbuster movie of the month, Wanted, starring Salman Khan, Ayesha Takia and Mahesh Manjrekar set to create waves on 28th February at 8pm.

The month of specials will also have ?Jabardast Janamdin? a festival celebrating the birthdays of India?s favourite stars including chocolate boy Shahid Kapoor, the charismatic Abhishek Bachchan and the sizzling Urmila Matondkar in. Viewers can treat themselves to the best of entertainment with popular titles of the stars on the occasion of their birthday.

The calendar of birthdays commences with a special line up starring the sensuous Urmila in exceptional films like Ek Hasina Thi, Jungle and Deewangee on 4th Febraury. Abhishek Bachchan will bring his real life romance alive on reel life is ?Dhai Akshar Prem Ke? starring Abhishek with wife Aishwarya. Apart from this other superhit films of the star like Bluffmaster, Drona and Om Jai Jagadish will be aired on 5th February. The festival will also see Shahid Kapoor enthralling audiences on 25th February with romantic comedies including Ishq Vishq, Chup Chup Ke and Jab We Met.

This Valentine month book your schedules in advance as STAR Gold promises to captivate its viewers like never before with entertainment that is sure to keep them glued to their seats!

Enjoy the month of love with your beloved this February only on STAR Gold!

MUMBAI: Times Now, the country‘s most watched English news channel has arranged an action packed weekend for your viewing pleasure.

Making of Ishqiya:
Catch all "behind the scenes" action and masala of the vindictive yet alluring Krishna Verma and the goons Babban and Khalujaan on the sets of ‘Ishqiyan‘ only on Times Now.
Sunday: 3oth January 2010: 1030am
Sunday: 31st January 2010: 0530pm & 1030pm

Frankly Speaking:
Catch Karan Johar up-close and personal as he talks about his journey in the film industry, the movies, his friends and The Khan.
Saturday: 30th January 2010: 0730pm
Sunday: 31st January 2010: 0230pm & 0930pm 

Times Drive:
On Times Drive this week, it‘s the battle of the 220‘s as the Bajaj Pulsar takes on the Hero Honda Karizma ZMR. She‘s an actress, VJ and dancer, and she‘s talking cars; watch as the show catches up with Sophie Chaudhary.
Saturday: 30th January 2010: 1130am & 0630pm
Sunday: 31st January 2010: 1030am

Total Recall:
This week on Total Recall we take you through the journey of Cabaret in Hindi cinema. Teasing? alluring? and the ultimate femme fatale?! Cabaret was Hindi cinema‘s first bold step creating quite a stir in the Hindi film industry.
Saturday: 30th January 2010: Noon & 0800pm
Sunday: 31st January 2010: Noon & 0800pm

The Foodie:
The Foodie this week, gives traditional recipes a modern twist. Watch Kunal Vijayakar as he meets Chef Gresham of the Salt Water Cafe, who uses modern techniques to give mouth watering traditional dishes a unique texture and flavor.
Saturday: 30th January 2010: 0130pm & 0530pm
Sunday: 31st January 2010: 1130am & 0730pm
 

MUMBAI: For over fifty years, Music?s Biggest Night?, the GRAMMY Awards?, has celebrated the music and artists that have touched the hearts and souls of people all over the world. Now, the 2010 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, to be held on 1st February, 2010, is poised to carry on the incredible tradition that has helped make the annual, 3?-hour STAR World special the world?s most popular television musical event for over three decades! STAR World invites its viewers to cheer the Indian nominees and be a part of the massive musical gathering on 1st Feb at 6.30am LIVE on STAR World!

The Grammy awards has always been a spectacular mix of exhilarating performances, exciting productions and exceptional ratings, with almost every major international music star appearing and/or performing on the show. This year?s show will witness the performances of well known international musicians who are also this year?s nominees like Bon Jovi, Beyonc?, the Black Eyed Peas, the Dave Matthews Band, Green Day, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Maxwell, P!nk, Taylor Swift, and the Zac Brown Band. Other nominees this year include Kayne .West, Jay Z, David Guetta, Kings of Leon, Bruce Springsteen and Keith Urpan.

The Indian Nominations for Grammys include musical wizards like A R Rahman, Ustad Zakir Hussain and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. The track ?Jai Ho?, which got Rahman two Academy awards and a Golden Globe, has been nominated in the category of Best Song written for Motion Picture, Television or Other visual media. Rahman has also been nominated in the category of ?Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other visual Media for Slumdog Millionaire. Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain has been nominated for the 52nd Grammy award in the Best Classical Crossover album category for the album ?The Melody of Rhythm?. "The Melody of Rhythm" consists of artists like Leonard Slatkin, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer apart from Zakir Hussain. Rahim AlHaj and Amjad Ali Khan have been honoured by the Recording Academy with a 2010 Grammy Nomination in the Best Traditional World Music Category for their CD ?Ancient Sound?.

Many well known international artistes like Kristen Bell, Justin Bieber, Jeff Bridges, Miley Cyrus, Josh Duhamel, The Jonas Brothers, Norah Jones, Ke$Ha, Ll Cool J, Ricky Martin, Carlos Santana, and Ringo Starr are the first presenters that have been announced for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. While the three and a half hour event will air LIVE from the Staples Centre, Los Angeles at 6.30am on 1st Feb, STAR World viewers can catch a repeat of the same at 6.30 pm and 11pm on the same day. The show will also have a weekend repeat on 7th Feb at 6.30pm.

Be there for more of the ?next 50 years? when the world?s brightest music stars light up the stage again on television?s most prestigious annual music event ? The 2010 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards; Monday 1st Feb LIVE at 6.30am only on STAR World!
 

MUMBAI: There was pin-drop silence while everyone anxiously waited with bated breath when Ms Lynn de Souza, Chairman and CEO of Lintas Media Group (LMG) opened a sealed envelope and declared Ms Deepam Rami and Mr Vinit Kumar as the two winners of the LMG Moscow Congress Contest at LMG?s Annual Conference in Pattaya today.

It is not so unusual for companies to reward it?s A-raters with a professional membership, which is what a few months ago Lintas Media Group (LMG) did to encourage and enthuse their young professionals when as many as ten (10) youngsters were given the Young Professional memberships of the India Chapter of International Advertising Association (IC-IAA).

Last month as soon as IAA announced details of the 42nd IAA World Congress, which is scheduled to be held in Moscow, Russian Federation, between May 12th and May14th 2010, LMG decided to send two (2) of their IAA Young Professional members to the Moscow Congress, at LMG?s cost, after a minor ?contest?.

In order to be selected they were asked to send in a five hundred word essay on why they think they should go to Moscow to attend this Congress. The winners were to be selected by a panel of three judges from the IAA India Chapter?s Board, and not any one from the agency, to rule out any biases. The entries, they were told, would be decided on the basis of innovation and creativity, expression of key LMG values, and overall communication quality of the submission.

The key LMG values were explained as - a strong performance orientation, and growth by collaboration.

The email IDs of the three eminent judges, who are also Committee Members from India are also on the IAA World Board [Ms Pheroza Bilimoria - Managing Director, Business India Publications Ltd. and Hon. Secretary IAA World Board; Mr Pradeep Guha - Managing Director, Culture Company (I) Pvt. Ltd. and Immediate Past President and current Vice President & Area Director for IAA Asia Pacific Region and Mr Raj Nayak, CEO - NDTV Media Ltd. and President of the India Chapter of IAA] were shared with them and so that the 10 contestants could email their submissions directly by January 15, 2010.

Each mark sheet was collected; collated and final scores were compiled by the India Chapter of the IAA.

The results were put in a sealed envelope which was opened, and the winners names announced at LMG?s annual conference in Pattaya today, Friday the 29th January, 2010.

?There were stars in the eyes of LMG?s Young Professionals! They were thrilled that their words were read and judged by such distinguished people who are also on the IAA World Board?, said Ms Lynn de Souza, Chairman & CEO - Lintas Media Group and Honorary Secretary India Chapter of IAA. ?Here?s wishing Deepam and Vineet a great learning experience amongst head honchos in an international arena?, she said.

Earlier Mr Raj Nayak, President of IAA India Chapter and CEO of NDTV Media, said, ?This is a wonderful way to incentivise and persuade youngsters to push the envelope.? He also said that he was hopeful that more and more companies would be making their young professionals IAA members and thereby giving them greater international exposure in the world of advertising and marketing.