Manoj Kumar Bana fell in love with toons early in life, as every kid does. Bana, now 35, turned this love into a career, creating his own cartoon characters that now draw gasps of appreciation.

“I used to watch cartoons from a very young age,” he says. “When I got to know about animation [as a career choice], I knew this is what I wanted to do. As a child, Mickey Mouse was my favourite character, and the first time I worked on that character, my dream came true,” says Bana, 3D technical executive at ANTS Studio.

Animation means giving life to your ideas, applying your own creativity to a still object or creating a model that you have in your mind. An animator conjures up a whole new world that has no boundaries, as most of us will have seen in films like Ice Age 3 or Hanuman Returns.

The job prospects are pretty bright, as lots of films and commercials use the technique. “This field is going to see growth every day,” says Parshvadeep Singh, Zonal Manager (North), Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC). “Even though there is a slowdown, entertainment is not affected so badly and animators are working in the entertainment industry in a big way. The year 2008 saw the release of animated films such as Roadside Romeo and My Friend Ganesha 2. Some of the most awaited animated movies for 2009 include Toonpur Ka Superhero, Ramayana and Ali Baba.”

Deepti Baveja, Head of the Department, Advertising & Graphic Design, WLC College India, predicts a blistering pace of growth: “In 5-10 years, three out of 10 animated movies and TV productions will be made in India.” The country remains a hub of global outsourcing in 3D animation.

Anuj Kacker, Global Head, Arena Animation, says, “Disney, Imax and Sony are outsourcing cartoon characters and special effects to India. Other firms are outsourcing animation from India for ads and computer games.”
To hone one’s skills, Bana advises that an animator should strengthen the foundations. “First, should start with 2D (two-dimensional figures) because drawing is the base of animation. For 3D (three-dimensional figures that have depth, as in real objects), there is a wide variety of software.”

As an animator, you have to come up with characters that would leave a mark on the audience. After that, the biggest challenge is to create the right shot. One shot may contain hundreds of frames. Bana recalls, “As an animator, I joined DQ entertainment. In my first shift, to make a shot perfect, I had to work on it for 58 hours! As a reward, I got a chocolate from my superviser. But that shot was the most difficult shot of my professional life.”

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
It is about creating an imaginary world. An animator creates characters and makes them interact in an ever-changing, exciting backdrop. A character will first need to be sketched by hand before being transferred on to the computer. The work requires the animator to make the characters and the background real with the use of light and shade and movements. Animators work in a wide range of professions such as entertainment, education or sales-related animations. From video games to simulators for military flight or combat training, 3D animators take flat narrative storylines into realistic or fantastic dimensions, using state-of-the-art software

CLOCK WORK
Animators work in shifts. The first shift is from 6 am to 2 pm, the second from 2 pm to 10 pm, and a third shift works from 10 pm to 6 am. But if you are working on a project, you generally forget to look at your watch. A typical morning shift goes like this:
4.30 am: Wake up
6 am: Reach office and get started
10 am: Show first draft to superviser
11.30 am: Take a meal break
1 pm: Finish the day’s work and give it to the supervisor
2 pm: Wrap up and leave

THE PAYOFF
Companies use some grades for animators — P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5. A fresher is a P5 grade animator and after six to seven years experience, s/he may become a P1 grade animator. A person with about two years’ experience can become a team leader. After 4-5 years, s/he can become supervisors. In the beginning, an animator can earn Rs 8,000-Rs 10,000. After 2-3 years, this usually goes up to
Rs 25,000-Rs 30, 000, or more

SKILLS
n  Loads of imagination coupled with a love for cartoons
n  A good sense of colour, proportion and size
n  Ability to work with others under extreme pressure
n  Strong interpersonal communication skills are important as one has to be in constant touch with programmers, illustrators, designers and storyboard artists, apart from the client. Animators also have to coordinate with writers, voice-over actors, sound technicians and music composers

HOW DO I GET THERE?
No specific academic qualification needed. If you are good at sketching and have a passion for animation, you can enter the field after a degree or diploma in animation. The minimum qualification required for these courses is class XII or equivalent. It helps if you have an arts background. However, at the Industrial Design Centre (IDC), Indian Institute of Technology, only graduates of architecture, technology and engineering, and fine arts can apply for the PG course
INSTITUTES & URLs
n The Birla Institute of Technology (deemed university), Noida,
www.bitmesra.ac.in
n Industrial Design Centre at IIT Mumbai,
www.idc.iitb.ac.in/
n Arena Animation
www.arena-multimedia.com
n Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (M.A.A.C.),
www.maacindia.com
n Toonz Academy
www.toonzacademy.com
n ANTS Animation Training School
www.antsindia.com

PROS & CONS
n  You get to give free rein to your imagination
n  You create characters that can leave an indelible mark on the audience
n  You work with tight deadlines on projects and the hours may take their toll on your health if you don’t get enough  rest
n  The studying never stops, as you have to keep yourself updated on the latest techniques

From curry and cows, India has developed into a nation of tech savvy, laptop-flaunting  individuals. It would be not be wrong to say that IT-ITES sector in India is one of the economy builders, encompassing a gamut of companies including software development, consultancies, BPO, software management and online services. With multinationals like IBM, HP and Oracle pushing technology to larger parts of India, computers have increasingly become strategically important in the corporate world. IT contributes to a variety of fields from space exploration to food processing and banking to communications.

There are two fields in IT – hardware and software. Functional areas of hardware include manufacturing, maintenance, research and development and management. Software involves manufacture, software development, data entry, programmers/coders, application programmers and support services.

On the placement scenario in the IT sector, Manmohan Bhutani, VP- HR & Quality, Fiserv, India operations, says, “The world is reeling under the impact of recession and India has not remained safe either. The economic downturn has pressurised organisations to cut costs and in this effort, companies have had to revisit their hiring strategies. As a result of the slowdown, while some companies have brought hiring to a stop, many have resorted to selective hiring based on their business needs. By hiring for specific skillsets and domain knowledge, this ‘Just-In-Time’ approach reduces the bench cost. Then, there are companies that are emphasising on lateral hiring to rationalise their training costs. The economy now is on a revival track and the industry is already witnessing traction in recruitments. We foresee normalcy returning to the recruitments in the very near future.”

The IT sector has become a key growth driver for the country. Many IT companies are coming up across the country and there is a great demand for skilled professionals. Though this demand is a plus, the current IT education does not make the aspirant ‘industry-ready’. “IT is one of the most dynamic sectors where the technology changes are very frequent. To meet the ever-changing demands of the IT sector the aspirant should be able to ‘unlearn the old’ and ‘learn the new’. Along with technical expertise, a person getting into the industry must also have behavioral competencies like adaptability, be a team player, have creative problem-solving skills, etc.” says Bhutani. A vast field, IT offers a lot of specialisations – software engineering, web developers, system analysts, consultants, technical writers, E-commerce, knowledge engineers, webmasters, networking and computer education.

What is it about?
IT involves researching, developing, implementing, supporting and managing computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware. Use of computers to store, protect, process, transmit, and retrieve information is also an IT function. Today IT relates to many aspects of computing and technology. IT professionals perform numerous duties such as installation of applications to designing complex computer networks and information databases. They are also responsible for data management, networking, engineering computer hardware, database and software design, as well as the management and administration of entire systems.
Every office now depends on information technology – the software, hardware, telephones, mobiles, computers, laptops, etc.

How do I get there?
There are many ways to enter the field and it depends on the course and the level of study:
For undergraduate level: Requirement is 10+2 in science
For a “B” level or graduate level DOE scheme, “A” level certificate of diploma in computers or an equivalent.
For post-graduate level: Graduation in computer science or any other degree related to science and mathematics

The payoff
Remuneration for an entry level depends on a lot of factors, namely,
-       Category of engineering/management institutes (Tier 1, Tier 2 etc)
-       Qualification (B.E / B.Tech./M.Tech / M.E./ BCA / MC and BBA / MBA etc)
-       Category of hiring organisations (Indian companies, PSUs, MNCs, Private firms)
The average salary range depending on the above parameters can be in the range of Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per annum for the entry level.

For the senior level, the salary would depend on the following factors:
-       Behavioral competencies/ skills (attitude, leadership, communication skills, motivational factors, etc.)
-       Domain/ functional expertise and industry knowledge
-       Quality of experience
-       Category of hiring organisations (Indian companies, PSUs, MNCs, private firms)
-      Educational qualification
For middle management level the average salary range can be from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh per annum. For the senior management level average starting salaries may vary from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh depending on the above parameters and can go beyond for deserving candidates.

Options
Various courses – diploma and degrees – are available in different institutions. Some of these are:
· Bachelors in Computer Applications (BCA)
· Bachelors in Science with Computers (B.Sc)
· Masters in Computer Applications (MCA)
· M.Sc in computers
· Masters in System Management
· B.Tech and B.E
· M.Tech
· Certification Courses
· Diploma in Computer Applications
· Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Applications
· DOEACC’s O, A, B, C level courses

Skills
· Willingness to learn new technologies
· Logical thinking
· Ability to concentrate
· Creativity
· Accuracy
· Organisational and administrative abilities
· Ready to work for long hours and ability to work hard
· High intellectual capacity

Clock work
9 am: Reach office and start work on the projects at hand
12 noon: Review the work done and deliver the work with deadlines. Look for other projects.
1:30 pm: Lunch
4 pm: Report status of project to senior, and submit completed project
6:30 pm leave office

Institutes and URLs
There are numerous colleges and institutions imparting computer education in India.
Private sector:
Aptech
NIIT
Amity University

Public institutions:
National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, Kurukshetra, Raipur and Patna
BTech in IT
www.nitk.ac.in
www.nitkkr.ac.in
www.nitrr.ac.in
www.nitp.ac.in

IIIT, Allahabad
BTech in IT
www.iiita.ac.in

BIT Mesra
BE in IT
www.bitmesra.ac.in

Delhi College of Engineering
BE in IT
www.dce.edu

Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, Delhi
BE in IT
www.nsit.ac.in

Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad
BTech in IT
www.mnnit.ac.in

Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal
Bachelor’s in IT
www.manit.ac.in

Institutes offering related (computer Science) programmes

IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Madras, Roorkee)
BTech computer science and engineering
www.jee.iitd.ac.in

IT, Banaras Hindu University
BTech computer science and engineering
www.itbhu.ac.in

Indian School of Mines University, Dhanbad
BTech computer science and engineering
www.ismdhanbad.ac.in

Indian Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad
BTech in computer science and engineering
Computer science dual degree (five years)
www.iiit.ac.in

BITS Pilani
BE (Hons) computer science
www.bits-pilani.ac.in

NITs, Warangal, Surathkal, Calicut and Tiruchirapalli
Computer science and engineering/computer engineering
www.nitw.ac.in
www.nitk.ac.in
www.nitc.ac.in
www.nitt.edu

Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Gandhinagar
BTech in ICT
www.daiict.ac.in

Pros and Cons
Handsome salaries
Numerous options abroad
Some companies do send their employees on foreign trips
Long working hours
Though the shifts are fixed but if a project is on a deadline you might end up working late.
You have to be constantly updated on the new technologies or else you will lag behind

I’m not anti-social. I’m just not user friendly.

———————————–
Girls are like Internet Domain names, the ones I like are already taken.

———————————-
Whats the chemical formula of compressed liquid oxygen?

“O2.zip”

——————————–
The Internet: where men are men, women are men, and children are the FBI …

——————————-
Ive just loaded COLIN MCRAE HELICOPTER SIMULATOR on to my PC … but it keeps crashing …’

——————————-
A computer technician says “Why even have a 3-chip Hi-Def camcorder if you can’t calibrate the white balance”!!!!!!!

——————————-
- How do two programmers make money?
- One writes viruses, the other anti-viruses

———————————–
A system administrator has 2 problems:

- dumb users
- smart users
————————————-
How do you tell if a blonde is using a computer?

Their’s liquid paper all over the screen!

————————————–
“Knock, knock.Who’s there?”
very long pause…
“Java.”

—————————————-
What’s the difference between a computer salesman and a used-car salesman?

The used-car salesman KNOWS when he’s lying.

——————————————-
There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire to become a great writer.
When asked to define “Great” he said,
“I want to write stuff that the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level, stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger!”
He now works for Microsoft, writing error messages.

Click Image to see the BIG version

What Is Google Buzz?

Google Buzz brings real time updates which currently found on social sites like Twitter and Facebook directly into your Gmail Inbox. This is really new way to start conversations about your new interesting findings or your can share updates, photos, videos, links and anything you’d like to share with your Gmail contacts. The best part is you don’t have to download or install any new application to use Google Buzz, just buzz  your updates from Gmail account. When you click Buzz which is just below your inbox link, you’ll see all the posts from friends your are following and a box on topmost to post your updates. Here’s are some of the basic functions.

- Key feature #1: Auto-following

- Key feature #2: Rich, fast sharing experience

- Key feature #3: Public and private sharing

- Key feature #4: Inbox integration

- Key feature #5: Just the good stuff

Google Buzz Guide

Discover How To Use Google Buzz and Turn It Off

How To Add Google Buzz Share Button On Your Wordpress Blog

Show your Google Buzz post on your Wordpress site. Use this Plugin -Google Buzz ER

Google Buzz Button Wordpress Plugin.

More Useful Links Coming Soon……

Some great news for movie buffs.

You can watch some of the popular Bollywood movies on YouTube for free using this page. These are full-length videos so you can just connect your computer to the TV screen, grab a snack and watch movies from the couch with your family.

>>>Watch Bollywood Movies Here<<<

For example, here’s one of my favorite Bollywood movie — MP3 . I can watch this movie anytime, anywhere as long as I have an Internet connection.The movies are available in both High Quality and Standard Quality versions.

Mario was originally portrayed as a two-dimensional sprite, but in later games he is shown as a three-dimensional, polygonal model. He is depicted as a portly plumber who lives in the fictional land of the Mushroom Kingdom with Luigi, his younger, taller brother, who is also a plumber. In the television series and film, Mario and Luigi are originally from Brooklyn.

Here are some Mario Look Alikes:-

Ron Jeremy and Mario! Mario ain’t getting no action.

Following up from our Dr Mario Theissen vs Ned Flanders post, we now have Dr Mario Theissen vs Mario from Nintendo’s Super Mario Brothers..

Mario (Super Mario Bros.) & Joseph Stalin(Dictator)

Pops Racer, a character from Speedracer, totally looks like Super Mario, a character licensed by the Nintendo video game company.

Saddam Hussein Totally Looks Like Mario

→7 Celebrity look alike Niko Bellic From GTA4

Dell is one of the most popular laptop brands in India. Dell has launched laptops for all price ranges. Dell laptops are suited to all users, whether you are a high powered executive, business owner, student, home or office user, dell has a laptop for you. The Dell Inspirion 1545 is a versatile and affordable midrange laptops targeted towards the budget consumer. The Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop is equipped with a budget version of the Core 2 Duo and is ideal for most multimedia and office tasks as well.

The Dell Inspiron 1545 is equipped with the all the latest features that suit the everyday needs of the user. The Dell Inspiron 1545 is available in a choice of six vibrant colors to suit your personality. The Dell Inspiron 1545 is equipped with a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor. The Dell Inspiron 1545 Laptop is equipped with a 250 GB Hard Drive ideal to store all your movies, videos, music etc.

The Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop comes equipped with a DVD-Rewriter and memory card reader, a 34mm Express Card slot rather than the more usual 54mm version. The dell Inspiron 1545 supports a 7 in 1 card reader that helps you transfer all your digital photos, videos and music from your camera, phone or MP3 Player.

The Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop has a 15.6-inch glossy wide-screen LED screen with a native resolution of 1,366×768 pixels. The Dell Inspiron 1545 has a 16:9 Aspect Ratio minimizes the black bars at the top and bottom of your screen. The Dell Inspiron 1545 also has an optional integrated webcam and is equipped with the latest WiFi technology that helps you stay connected wherever with your friends and family. The Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop is equipped with Intel High Definition Audio 2.0 speakers, an optional webcam and microphone for easy chatting.

The Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop also has an option for adding a broadband modem or Bluetooth card 802.11n Wi-FI. Other features included in the Inspiron 1545 Laptop are Kensington lock, a power adapter port, 2 USB Ports, VGA Out and Ethernet connection.

The Dell Inspiron 1545 Laptop is powered with Intel Integrated GMA 4500 Graphics card which is ideal for all your multimedia needs. The Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop is ideal for all home and office users.

Check consumermate.com for the latest Dell Inspiron 1545 price and deals.

First of all congratulations to…

• Winner #1 –Chuck from  Gadgets Directory
• Winner #2 – Vaibhav from ProgrammingKid.com
• Winner #3 –Kris
  
• Winner #4 –Henno Kruger from Rwrant.co.za
• Winner #5 –Mary Grace from EasyPera

The winners were picked using the cool free http://www.random.org/

Now if you did not win… worry not… cause I have some cool contest for you… Just Wait for 2 Months…..As I am busy Studying [12th Standard-Final Exams] …

Happy NewYear To everyOne …..!!!!

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• Dream Ferrari of Every Sports Car Enthusiast …..
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German tuners Gemballa, known for their work with Porsche cars, may have taken a stab at the Ferrari Enzo.  The Gemballa MIG-U1 is either a limited edition or a privately-commissioned one-off model that missed its planned debut at the Dubai Motor Show.

News of the car comes from the Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari Group, a company that runs several automotive businesses from their offices in Dubai.  They claim the car has a completely new exhaust, and not just new tailpipes.  The car boasts a unique rear bumper and wing, new side sills, and a front bumper.  It appears the car has LED daytime lights as well.

It just wouldn’t be a Gemballa without the roof-mounted air intake.  Interior mods include quilted upholstery, dual-tone floor mats, and a video screen.

We hope to find out more about this car’s performance specs in the next few days.  No word yet if the Gemballa MIG-U1 will appear at the Geneva Motor Show in March.