a2z Information: 2012-06-24

Saturday, June 30, 2012

MakeMyTrip appoints Sanket Atal as Chief Technology Officer

Nasdaq-listed Indian online travel company MakeMyTrip has today announced the appointment of Sanket Atal as the new Chief Technology Officer to head the technology development and support teams in the travel company. Atal was previously Senior Vice President & General Manager for the India Technology Center of CA Technologies in Hyderabad. The MakeMyTrip Group achieved sales of Rs. 4,800 crore in the financial year ending March 2012.

Google Inc's (GOOG.O) Chrome, the world's top Internet browser, is now available on the iPhone and iPad, as Apple Inc (AAPL.O) finally granted access to its arch-foe's more popular Web-surfing app.

At Google's annual I/O developer conference in San Francisco on Thursday, company executives announced the development as well as a limited launch of a cloud-computing and hosting service to take on Amazon.com's (AMZN.O) thriving Web services arm.

Both moves underscore how Google is moving quickly to safeguard its dominant Internet presence.

Launched in 2008, Google's browser overtook Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) Internet Explorer in May as the world's most popular, according to analytics company StatCounter.

Scientists in the United States have developed a paint that can store and deliver electrical power just like a battery.

Traditional lithium-ion batteries power most portable electronics. They are already pretty compact but limited to rectangular or cylindrical blocks.

Researchers at Rice University in Houston, Texas, have come up with a technique to break down each element of the traditional batteryand incorporate it into a liquid that can be spray-painted in layers on virtually any surface.

A probe into suspected misappropriation of funds is underway at OnMobile, a pioneer in mobile value-added services that was incubated by Infosys, three people familiar with the matter said.

The board of the Bangalore-based company has entrusted audit firm KPMG with the responsibility to find out if money was siphoned out of the company, the sources said. OnMobilesaid in response to queries from ET NOW, this paper's business news channel, that it has appointed an "independent agency to review the internal control mechanisms as a part of an ongoing exercise to strengthen and improve corporate governance processes".

Robust outsourcing revenue helped Accenture Plc beatWall Street expectations for the ninth straight quarter, but the company lowered its full-year profit outlook because of a strong dollar.

Investors shrugged off the company's comments that some clients in Europe were cutting or deferring investments in consulting projects, pushing Accenture's shares up 4 percent after the bell.

"We have seen renewed challenges around the debt issue in Europe, as well as confirmation of a slowdown in the forecast for the global economic growth," Chief Executive Pierre Nanterme said on a conference call with analysts.

It is a good idea for moms to have kids after 40

SO YOU thought having babies after 40 was a bad idea? It turns out that middle- aged mothering may, in fact, be good for your children.

A recent report says that older mothers make better parents.

Researchers at the Institute of Child Health, University College London, said children born to mothers over 40 are less likely to have accidents, develop a broader vocabulary from a young age, and score higher in IQ tests. These mothers were better at spotting and avoiding potentially risky situations for their children too.

Indian warships dock in Malaysia

PORT KLANG , June 29 -- Four of Indian Navy's frontline warships have docked in Malaysia at the last leg of their goodwill tour of seven nations. Prior to their call here, the warships INS Rana, INS Shivalik, INS Karmukh and INS Shakti visited China, Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines and South Korea.Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.

See, 10 most demanding IT jobs

Are you an IT worker? If not, then better understand what that techie, geeky friend of yours toil so hard for - ensuring the bank works 24x7, your systems are always on, your mobile network never goes down et al.

It might sound cool, but the IT jobs call for professionals to be always available, always accurate and always work at peak capacities to keep everything clicking.

Google has announced Compute Engine, a cloud-computing service that allows businesses to run their applications on servers in the tech giant's data center.

"We're introducing Google Compute Engine, an infrastructure-as-a-service product that lets you run Linux Virtual Machines on the same infrastructure that powers Google," said Google in its official blog Thursday.

According to the company, the economy of scale and efficiency of its data centers can provide users 50 percent more computing power than other leading cloud providers, reported Xinhua.

Telecom equipment industry posted marginally lower revenues of Rs 1,13,188 crore in 2011-12 on account of policy uncertainty that slowed investments in network expansion, according to a Voice&Data survey.

In 2010-11, the industry has logged in Rs 1,14,133 crore in revenue.

"Nearly half of the Telecom equipment revenue came from carrier equipment manufacturers, which saw a dip of 5.06 per cent to touch Rs 55,333 crore during the year," CyberMedia group's journal Voice&Data said.

At Google’s annual event, Google I/O 2012, Google announced that two of its best products and services, the Chrome browser and Google Drive would be available for the iOS platform.

We already have some hands-on time with theChrome browser for iOS. You can take a look at ithere.

Now, let us take a look at Google’s cloud based storage service for iOS – Google Drive.

For starters the app is live and available for download from the Apple App Store - those interested can download it for free here.

While Google's I/O 2012 conference has grabbed the maximum limelight, the Internet giant has rolled out a major redesign for its YouTube for Android app, which is said to have an improved user experience and come with host of new features. The new YouTube app for Android is now available for download.

West Bengal teacher strips girl in class

Kolkata, June 28 (IANS) A girl student was allegedly stripped in a class by a lady teacher in West Bengal after she ignored the teacher's diktat regarding dress code, police officials said Thursday.

A Class 7 student of the Beri Gopalpur Adarsha Uccha Vidyalaya in Gaighata area of North 24-Parganas district faced the humiliation after she ignored orders about wearing specific uniforms on Thursdays.

"As I didn't wear a particular dress I am supposed to wear on Thursday according to school rules, the teacher stripped me off my skirt in front of the whole class," said the student.

The girl's family later lodged a police complaint.

Subsidies to be cut soon, says Rangarajan

Kolkata, June 29 (IANS) The government could cut the subsidies on fuel and fertilisers soon to contain the ballooning fiscal deficit, C. Rangarajan, who heads the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC), said Friday.

"Subsidies have been growing. While there are some, like food subsidies, we cannot trifle with, there is scope for reducing subsidies on fuel and fertilisers," Rangarajan said at an event to mark the birth anniversary of P.C. Mahalanobis, founder of the Indian Statistical Institute, here.

"We must ensure that fiscal deficit is contained at the budgeted level," added Ranagarajan, who is speculated to take over the finance portfolio in the next cabinet reshuffle to be held sometime in Septemeber.

Top 10 things you shouldnot miss in Britain

10 things you can't leave Britain without trying

Wherever you travel you want to gain a unique experience; see and do things that you can't find anywhere else. With so many cultural and traditional aspects across England, Wales and Scotland there are lots of choices, but what can you buy, taste, see and do that is unique to each country in Britain and that you won't find anywhere else? We have rounded up the best of British features; those things you can't leave without trying.

Eight Yeddyurappa loyalists quit Karnataka ministry

Bangalore, June 29 (IANS) In fresh trouble for Karnataka's BJPgovernment, eight ministers loyal to former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa quit the ministry Friday to pressure the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership to remove Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda.

"We waited all these days for decision of our high command. We cannot wait any longer. Hence we have submitted our resignation," Public Works Ministers C.M. Udasi told reporters after the eight met Gowda and gave the letters.

They had taken the resignations of two more ministers but Gowda declined to receive them saying the ministers will have to personally hand them over to him.

Former FlipKart VP joins OlaCabs as VP, Operations

Mumbai-based online cab booking service OlaCabs.com has appointed Maneesh Mittal as Vice President, Operations. In his previous stint, Maneesh was with FlipKart as Vice President of Operations and played a key role in building the company’s operations and logistics division. Prior to that, Maneesh was an entrepreneur.

In his new role, Maneesh will be responsible for building the operations unit that will help in effective allocation of cabs and intricate coordination between management and technology, thus providing customer delight. In April 2012, OlaCabs.com had raised Series A funding from Tiger Global Management, a New York-based investment firm with investments in leading consumer internet companies in India. In April 2011, the company had receivedan undisclosed amount of angel investment from Rehan yar Khan, Anupam Mittal and several others.

Facebook Inc (FB.O) may be having trouble connecting with Wall Street.

Banks behind Facebook's initial public offering kicked off formal coverage of the social network on Wednesday by warning about its uncertain business model, margin pressures and a difficult transition to mobile technology.

Of 17 brokerages that issued research reports, only eight recommended that investors buy Facebook shares, including Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan - the Internet company's three lead underwriters. Eight brokerages gave neutral ratings and one had a "sell" rating.

Nokia has launched two mobile handsets having new features.

"Nokia Asha 302 and 202 dual-SIM are designed to offer a richer consumer experience with the best access to music services, internet, social networks and greater functionalities at affordable prices", Ravi Kumar, the Regional Director, North, of Nokia India, said at the launching ceremony.

Digital Vidya, which provides social media marketing training across India and Singapore to CXOs, sales and marketing professionals to leverage digital marketing for their organizations, has planned to offer its trainings in formats beyond classroom workshops to newer geographies across South East Asia, Middle East, Europe and North America. The company is close to organizing its 100th workshop in the country in July 2012.

It’s not news that demand for bandwidth is growing exponentially. But here’s a surprise: The fastest-growing technology for wired broadband is still DSL. That’s right, DSL, the aging technology based on copper telephone wires that, if you believe the conventional wisdom, is being buried by cable and fiber.

DSL still accounts for 70% of all broadband connections, and by the end of the year it will claim just fewer than 400 million subscribers worldwide, compared to 116 million for cable (mostly in the U.S.) and 64 million for fiber, according to Point Topic, a U.K. research firm specializing in broadband communications.

For Pakistanis, India bigger threat than Taliban, Al Qaeda, Survey

Washington, June 29 (IANS) Only one in five Pakistanis have a favourable view of India with almost six in ten considering it a bigger threat to their country than the Taliban, or Al Qaeda, according to a new survey made available here.

But as the survey of Pakistan by the Pew Research Centre's Global Attitudes Project notes 22 percent of Pakistanis having a favourable view of India is actually a slight improvement from 14 percent last year.

Pakistanis have consistently identified India as the top threat since the question was first asked in 2009, it noted. The percentage fearing India has increased by 11 points to 59 percent since then, while the percentage naming the Taliban has decreased by nine points.

Govt posts guidelines on controversial GAAR taxes

By Rajesh Kumar Singh and Ross Colvin

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India published draft guidelines on Thursday to implement rules that target tax evasion but have provoked an outcry among foreign investors at a time when the country needs capital inflows.

The general anti-avoidance rules (GAAR), introduced in the budget in March this year, target companies and investors routing investments through tax havens.

Vague wording and lack of clarity on their implementation left scope for potential misuse, which panicked foreign investors and hammered India's equity and currency markets.

Ex employee spills sex, sleaze and secrets of Facebook

London, June 28 (ANI): Facebook, which is supposed to be one of the most dynamic companies in the world, was deeply sexist and stuck in a 1950s mentality that was a cross between a frat house and 'Mad Men' until recently, a new book by a former senior staff member has claimed.

Katherine Losse, who worked for Facebook between 2005 and 2010, claims that female workers at the social network were propositioned for threesomes or given crude insults like 'I want to put my teeth in your ass' in 'The Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network'.

Lower ranking employees, who were invariably female, were treated like "second class help" and banned from a conference unless they worked as coat checkers whilst there.

Reason to embrace getting older 1: You’re all kitted out

The further we advance into old age, the more we seem to have acquired useful possessions that most people may never have even thought of. Collecting paraphernalia over the years is fantastic because it means we can do pretty much anything without having to hit the shops first to buy special items. Vintage fashion is back in? Perfect – we kitted our wardrobe out for this trend back in the 1950s. You need a melon baller? No probs – there’s one in the cutlery drawer. It’s so handy!

Sensex to gain 10 pct by year-end, Reuters Poll

By Rafael Nam and Sumanta Dey

MUMBAI/BANGALORE (Reuters) - The BSE Sensex should gain 10 percent between now and the end of the year, though only reaching levels seen in July 2011, provided economic growth recovers from a recent lull, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday.

The 30-share BSE index will rise to 18,750 points by the end of 2012, according to the median forecast from a survey of 22 investment houses conducted over the past week, and then rise further to 20,400 by the middle of next year.

Indian shares, once considered a beacon of the Asian growth story, have lost their shine recently on concerns New Delhi lacks the ability to pass tough economic reforms that would spur growth and reignite investor confidence in the country.

Maximum review

Mooch is the secret of my energy: Sonu Sood in Maximum

Cast: Sonu Sood, Naseeruddin Shah, Neha Dhupia, Vinay Pathak, Amit Sadh

Directed by Kabeer Kaushik

Paes confirms participation in Olympics

NEW DELHI: Putting an end to speculation over whether he would represent India at the London Olympics, tennis star Leander Paes on Friday confirmed that he would participate in the Games.

After days of studied silence, Paes said that he was disheartened by the tennis row but added that he was here to play ‘sport and not politics’.

"I am here to play sport and not politics," Paes said "Unfortunately, I see the games being played within games, and as much as that is very disheartening, I am looking forward to playing my sixth Olympics for my country as I have played for 22 years for the people and the flag," he said.

Bananas beat sports drinks as energy source for athletes, a new study has revealed.

London, June 1 (ANI): Bananas beat sports drinks as energy source for athletes, a new study revealed

The fruit, which is rich in potassium and nutrients, has always been a favourite for endurance runners and cyclists.

Now scientists have confirmed that as well as maintaining the same levels of energy as carbohydrate drinks, bananas also possess healthier sugars.

Although known to be a very dangerous and addictive habit, smoking has always been a go-to for many people dealing with stress. Those who have contemplated quitting have tried a host of nicotine replacement methods, but only a few succeeded. The following list provides a host of benefits that the body will experience if you quit smoking.

1. Positive Side of Quitting

Here are some of the positive aspects of quitting, which range from immediate to long-term effects on the body.

Google Inc (GOOG.O) expects to roll out a consumer version of its electronic eyewear that can live-stream images and audio and perform computing tasks in less than two years, though it stopped short of putting a price tag on the "smart" glasses.

Google Glass, as the technology is known, will be sold to consumers at a price "significantly" lower than the $1,500 that the company is selling it to U.S.-based software developers from early next year, Google co-founder Sergey Brin said.

Apple ranked as the top innovator globally, while in India it wasInfosys. The Indian IT bellwether, which has been attracting flak for its performance in recent months, was identified as the innovation leader in a global tech innovation survey done across Americas, Asia Pacific (ASPAC), Europe, the Middle East and Africa ( EMEA) by KPMG.

About 44% of the survey respondents felt Silicon Valley's famed position as the innovation center may be challenged, and the world's technology innovation center would shift from US to another country in the next four years. Almost 30% of the 668 business executives in the survey said China and the US show the most promise for disruptive breakthroughs with global impacts, while 13 per cent cited India.

Facebook developed an experimental feature called "Dark Profiles" which would give secret accounts to people who did not even sign up, a new book by a former employee of the social networking site has claimed.

Engineers wanted to create shadow pages for those who were tagged in photos by their friends in the hope they would cave in and join the social networking website, Katherine Losse, the author of 'The Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network', said.

Local search provider Just Dial has put off a planned share sale and instead raised Rs 327 crore from existing private equity investorsSequoia Capital and SAP Ventures, the company said on Wednesday.

Sequoia, which has been an early investor in iconic companies such as Apple, Google and Cisco, led the round with Rs 305 crore in funding, its largest investment in an Indian company so far.

Sequoia now owns around 19% in Just Dial. Other investors in the company include Saif Partners and Tiger Global. Private equity firms together own close to a 60% stake in the company that has raised Rs 580 crore so far.

Indian mobile phone companies such as Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and others are looking to shift a part of their data services to wi-fi hotspots, freeing up scarce 2G and 3G airwaves for mobile telephony.

Mobile phone companies are building wi-fi hotspots to accommodate growing mobile broadband data usage among consumers. "Spectrum is limited and all over the world carriers have offloaded data on to wi-fi, integrating it with existing networks while the back haul can be any medium - copper, fibre or LTE. It's pretty much part of the plan for us as well," said Bharti Airtel's president for consumer business K Srinivas.

Top 10 detox foods

10 cleansing foods to get your body back on track

Recently overindulged? Feeling a bit sluggish? Or just not looking your best? It could be that your body is in need of a detox. Fortunately, there are many foods around that can help counteract the effects of a toxic lifestyle. Whether you want to lose weight, feel more energised, improve your complexion or boost your mood, check out these top 10 foods to cleanse your body and boost your health.

Top 10 detox foods

Lemon: Lemons are a staple of many detox diets, and there is good reason for this. Firstly, lemons are packed with antioxidant vitamin C, which is great for the skin and for fighting disease-forming free-radicals. Furthermore, the citrus fruit has an alkaline effect on the body, meaning that it can help restore the body's pH balance, benefitting the immune system. Try starting your day with hot water and a slice of lemon to help flush out toxins and cleanse your system.

3 Surprisingly Slimming Foods

Memorial Day weekend heralds the official start of bathing suit season -- but it doesn't have to mean the end of delicious meals and snacks! There are tons of yummy foods that will actually help you lose weight, rather than sabotaging your efforts. Here are three stay-slim foods that just might surprise you.

1. Curry

8 super nutrients for weight loss. Click to know more.

Odisha Class 10 board exam results posted on FB before declaration

Bhubaneswar, June 28 (IANS) The results of Odisha's Class 10 board examination was posted on social networking site Facebook 12 hours ahead of their declaration, an official said Thursday.

The state's Board of Secondary Education (BSE), which conducted the examination March-April, was scheduled to declare the results at 9 a.m Thursday.

The names of the top 110 students were posted on Facebook Wednesday night, causing embarrassing the board as well as the government.

An Unemployed Man Missed His Job Interview To Save A Baby From An Oncoming Train

It sounds like something out of a Hollywood script, but an unemployed Brooklyn man might as well add "Consummate Hero" to his resume.

Delroy Simmonds missed a job interview Tuesday after jumping in front of a subway car to save a nine-month-old child that had fallen onto the tracks, the New York Daily News reports.

Simmonds, who was laid off last year from his job as a vocational trainer, was en route to interview for a maintenance position when he saw a gust of wind knock the infant's stroller onto the tracks.

Maybe the biggest risk is it is all ok

By Mike Dolan

LONDON (Reuters) - Perhaps the biggest investor shock of the second half of 2012 would be if everything turns out OK and the world doesn't fall apart at the seams.

As stock and bond markets hit the half-way point in yet another year of bank stress, euro crisis and disappointing global growth, early-year optimism has dissipated just as it did last year and the year before that.

But this year the gloom is already pervasive. Europe's inability to draw a line under the euro bloc's debt crisis has been the chief frustration but there's also a weary suspicion the already five-year-old credit crisis may have ushered in a western economic funk that could last a decade.

As rupee skids, smaller Indian companies sweat

By Subhadip Sircar and Swati Bhat

MUMBAI (Reuters) - As the rupee tumbles to record lows, Anil Jain, the chairman of a company which dismantles old ships, is in a bind: like many of the country's many small and medium-sized firms, his only way to hedge foreign currency risk is hope.

His company, Atam Manohar Ship Breakers, bought a ship in February for $6 million when the local currency was close to its peak for the year at 49 to the dollar.

He now faces installment payments in July and August, with the rupee recently hitting a record low of 57.32 to the dollar.

Google kicks off its annual Google I/O developers conference in San Francisco today.

While the event is ostensibly a place for app developers to get educated about Android, Chrome and related Google products, it’s also a venue for big news. Google’s will likely announce its first Nexus tablet, along with the next major version of Android, code named Jelly Bean, and you can expect a few other surprises as well.

I’ll be at the conference along with Harry McCracken (we’ll be liveblogging the two keynotes), and though I’m looking forward to the big announcements, I’m also hoping to hear answers to the following questions:

I want a notebook PC within my budget of Rs 42,000. The brand doesn't matter, but I am undecided between an Intel Core i5 and an AMD quad-core processor. I edit videos and play games such as Crysis, Call of Duty, F.E.A.R., etc. I also use AutoCAD for 3D animation. I want USB 3.0, Bluetooth, as well as a decent webcam. So which machine would be good for me?
-- Prakash Kumar

Science Inc, a Los Angeles-based incubator has acquired India-based Pinpuff, which measures and tracks the influence of Pinterest users and awards them with perks for undisclosed amount. The acquisition will help Science portfolio companies, such as Wittlebee, Dollar Shave Club and Uncovet, acquire more users from Pinterest.

UK's longest standing computer specialist brand ACi today unveiled India's first ever fully-functional high-resolution screenlaptop at Rs 4,999 in the Indian market.

The laptops will be marketed in India by a BSE-listed group company, Allied Computers International (Asia) Ltd.

"We have launched India's super low cost laptop at Rs 4,999. It will be real fully functional, Windows compatible laptop, at the lowest price tag in the country," ACi's India marketeer Allied Computers International's (Asia) Mananging Director Hirji Patel told PTI here.

Our tongue-in-cheek tribute to the South African pace spearhead Dale Steyn on his 29th birthday.

South Africa v England - 4th Test Day Four

Scowl. It tells the batsman he’s not welcome.

Google’s day-one keynote from the 2012 I/O developer conference has officially wrapped up. We’ll have plenty of analysis directly from the show, but here’s a quick look at what’s been announced so far.

Nexus 7 Tablet

Google officially unveiled the $199 Nexus 7 tablet, built by Asus. Its feature list is as follows:

Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system
7-inch, 1280×800-resolution touchscreen
Quad-core Tegra 3 chipset with a 12-core graphics processor
8GB of storage (16GB version available for $249)
Front-facing camera
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC
Nine hours of HD video playback
Weighs 0.75 pounds

Nearly seven weeks after the show went on air, Aamir Khan Productions’ TV reality show Satyamev Jayate has revealed that it has received donations around Rs 25 to Rs 30 lakh through text messages. According to a MoneyLife report, the show has received Rs 1.9 crore through Axis Bank which means “Rs 3 crore plus” of donations after adding “Rs 85 lakh donated by Reliance”.

The report further suggests that advertisers have been paying Rs 8 to Rs 10 lakh for a 10 second spot on the show and Bharti Airtel, the presenting sponsor, is understood to have paid Rs 17 to Rs 20 crore while associate sponsors (Skoda, Coca Cola, Axis Bank, etc.) have paid around Rs 7 crore each.

Union Minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday officially unveiled the Indian government's ambitious ultra low-cost Aakash 2 tablet PC at IIT Bombay. As expected, the next generation of Aakash tablet PC comes with host of improvements including a faster processor, capacitive touchscreen and larger battery life. The Aakash 2 tablets will initially available for engineering students across the country.

The Aakash 2 tablet has an 800MHz processor, as compared to 366 MHz processor of the original Aakash. The resistive touchscreen has been replaced by a capacitive one. The 2,000mAh battery has been replaced by a 3,200 mAh one, which is rated to deliver three hours of backup. The improved Aakash 2 tablet PC has been priced at Rs. 2,263, down from Rs. 2,276 of the original Aakash.

Financial inclusion facilitating firm Fino has acquired Nokia Mobile Payment Services in India, to foray into prepaid mobile payment space. With this acquisition, the brand name has been changed to Takatak Money and the new entity being formed to offer the service is called Alpha Payment Services India Private Limited.Nokia was planning to exit its financial services in India to move out of non-core areas. The acquisition will give an opportunity for Fino, which has a network of banking correspondents spread across the country, to enter the mobile payments business, which is said to be a $350 billion opportunity by 2015.

With government online networks facing threats from hackers, security of sensitive cyber domains will be reviewed at a high-level meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tomorrow which will discuss ways to counter such offensives.

The National Security Council (NSC) meeting is expected to decide on the steps to be taken to protect the country's cyber architecture and designate organisations to counter such offensives, sources said.

The NSC is also expected to designate the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) under the Defence Ministry for countering cyber offensives against the country, they said.

Do you want to save money, but are struggling to work out how? Read this list of top 10 expensive habits to cut back on. You’ll soon have a healthy and happy bank balance.

1. Expensive habit to cut out: The gym

Gym memberships can set you back a lot and, although we all want to stay fit and look great, they’re not actually a necessity. Avoid this massive monthly bill and exercise at home or outside instead. You can go for a run in the park or do some sit-ups, push-ups and burpees in your garden. You could also invest in some cheap exercise equipment, such as some free weights, some exercise bands, a kettle bell and a skipping rope. If you enjoyed the social side to the gym you can still pop on your lycra and head to the odd exercise class.

Richard Branson on Building an Empire

Sir Richard Branson is in a reflective mood. Almost 40 years after the launch of the Virgin Recordslabel vaulted him into the global consciousness, Branson is in Los Angeles to collect a special Grammy Award celebrating his contributions to the music business, and the honor finds him looking back on his transformation from industry interloper to institution.

With his black leather jacket, manicured goatee and signature long hair, the roguish Branson still looks uncannily like the London-born hippie kid who gate-crashed the music biz four decades ago, and he retains the energy and intensity that fueled the Virgin Group empire as it expanded its reach to embrace air travel, broadcasting, publishing and mobile communications. But Branson has changed: Now 61, he devotes much of his time to personal passions like The Elders, the international human rights group chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

"A lot of my entrepreneurial skills now are spent in setting up not-for-profit organizations," he says. "We're a little more secure now, so we do things a bit differently."

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