Q&A: Google+
Is it popular? Very much so. More than 10 million people created profiles in just two weeks. And Google's chief executive, Larry Page, recently confirmed that those members are sharing more than 1 billion items of information each day.
How do I join? Many people were sent invitations by Google, or through friends who have the company's Gmail account. But those who've already been invited at this point and haven't joined are out of luck for now.
Why's that? The site has "temporarily exceeded" its capacity and visitors will have to try signing up later. Google only has the site in testing phase right now but promises "it won't be long before the Google+ project is ready for everyone".
Social networking sites are not just big distractions for those who want to waste a little time at work. These days, many of the latest mobile phones are being designed as gateway tools for websites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Nokia's N9 smartphone, which the company announced just last month, boasts an 8-megapixel, Carl Zeiss autofocus sensor within its camera. Yet the company also made a point of highlighting how the mobile's screen comes with three different home views "to give fast access to the most important things people do with a phone", which includes staying up-to-date with notifications and social networks in addition to tapping apps. Neither the phone's pricing nor availability in the region has been announced.
Acer's SocialJogger application on its new Liquid mt mobile is also targeted at social networking users. This particular app is designed to aggregate people's Facebook and Twitter feeds. It also allows users to surf through status updates and tweets, using a track wheel, while receiving updates on the mobile's homescreen. The release of this particular mobile was announced last week and it is now retailing in the Emirates for Dh1,799 (US$490).
Another new mobile from Acer - the beTouch E210 - takes a page from a popular BlackBerry model by combining a touchscreen with a full keyboard. When it comes to social networking, this particular device features a one-click "share" button that can swiftly upload web links, pictures, videos or status updates on to sites such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
The Motorola Atrix 4G, which went on sale in the UAE this month for Dh2,599 to Dh2,799, runs Android 2.2 and links to more than 150,000 applications, including the usual social networking suspects. A more impressive feature, though, is Motorblur, which continuously synchronises someone's most-used content, such as contacts from personal and work phonebooks, with those from Facebook or Twitter.
Top 5: social networking sites by users
1 Facebook: more than 750 million
2 Twitter: more than 300 million
3 LinkedIn: more than 100 million
4 MySpace: more than 100 million
5 Ning: more than 29 million
Source: 2010 figures from International Data, a market research company.
The Quote: We are building toward a web where the default is social. Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Facebook
nparmar@thenational.ae
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
RESULTS
2.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
2.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
3.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
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3.45pm: Al Ain Stud Emirates Breeders Trophy – Conditions (PA) Dh50,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: MH Rahal, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
4.25pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: JAP Aneed, Ray Dawson, Irfan Ellahi
4.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Edaraat, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
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Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
The White Lotus: Season three
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Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
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COMPANY PROFILE
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