In a Back-to-School Reading Goldmine, Millions of Books Have Just Been Released for Free Online

Get ready for your to-read list to reach even more ridiculous lengths.

Love to read? Then go ahead and buy as many books as you like. Experts from scholars to poets to tidying sensation Marie Kondo all insist that owning more books than you could possibly ever read says great things about your mind. The only constraints are the size of your bookshelf and your wallet. 

Except maybe that last one is as much of a constraint as you think.

Thanks to some hard work by the New York Public Library, there's a new way to get more titles for your to-read list for way less cash. 

It's not just the classics that are out of copyright. 

Everyone knows that some very old books are no longer under copyright and therefore available for free. That means you can get the likes of Shakespeare and Jane Eyre for little to nothing (depending on whether you're a sucker for a fancy cover). But according to a super helpful recent Vice article, most of us misunderstand exactly how many titles are actually in the public domain. 

"Prior to 1964, books had a 28-year copyright term. Extending it required authors or publishers to send in a separate form, and lots of people didn't end up doing that," reports Vice's Matthew Gault. 

Because of this administrative quirk, huge numbers of newer titles published during these years are actually available for free. The trouble, up to now, was that this information was stashed away in a hard-to-access Library of Congress database. But thanks to the heroes at the New York Public Library that's recently changed. 

"In a massive undertaking, the NYPL converted the registration and copyright information into an XML format. Now, the old copyrights are searchable and we know when, and if, they were renewed. Around 80 percent of all the books published from 1923 to 1964 are in the public domain, and lots of people had no idea until now," Gault continues. 

How to get more free books

That's awesome news for bibliophiles, but how exactly do you take advantage of this awesome development? A massive blog post from the NYPL has all the technical details of the project for those looking for an extremely deep dive, but as Gault explains, the basic process is that existing online resources like Project Gutenberg are using the NYPL's cleaned up data to update their offerings. Which is why the number of books on these sites has recently been exploding. 

To take advantage of the bonanza of newly available books, simply visit sites like Project Gutenberg, the Hathi Trust, or Standard Ebooks and get browsing. You can even check out Secretly Public Domain for some suggested highlights from the newly released books. But these aren't the only ways to access this goldmine of newly liberated knowledge. 

"Many libraries offer digital and audio books, for free, as a benefit of membership. Reading a classic or a new release can be a simple as getting a library card and downloading an app," Gault adds. 

So go ahead and expand your 'to read' list to even more massive proportions. Aren't libraries awesome?

Source: https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/new-york-public-library-download-free-books-copyright.html (Accessed on August 22, 2019)

Marathi: Lakh Molacha Robot

Source: Maharashtra Times (Mumbai) dated August 22, 2019

Amazon opens biggest campus in Hyderabad

Inc. today opened its largest campus building globally in the city of Hyderabad as it prepares for a furious expansion and battle with nemesis Walmart Inc. in one of the world’s fastest-growing retail markets. The Seattle-headquartered company is making an ambitious push in India, the last major retail frontier still primarily reliant on smallscale neighbourhood and mom-and-pop stores. “E-commerce is so small in India relative to the total consumption, less than 3%,” said Amit Agarwal, Amazon’s country manager for India.AFP■ The campus in Hyderabad was built over three years and can accommodate up to 15,000 workers.

The largely untapped country is critical to the global domination plans of both Amazon and Walmart, the latter of which spent $16 billion last year to buy India’s biggest startup, retailer Flipkart.


Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has so far pledged $5.5 billion for its India operations.

Built in Hyderabad over three years, the new campus is Amazon’s first owned building outside of the US, spans 1.8 million square feet of office space and will accommodate 15,000 workers. “The largest buildings in Seattle house about 5,000 employees,” remarked John Schoettler, vicepresident of Amazon’s global real estate and facilities. He said the campus was Amazon’s largest in the world but has plenty more room to grow.

“This facility will build services globally,” Agarwal added.

Source: Hindustan Times (Mumbai) dated August 22, 2019

AICTE nod to special body for edu rankings

The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry is considering setting up a specialised body, India Rankings Society, to rank Indian education institutions and help them improve in areas where they are found lagging.

The All India Council of Technical Education approved this in a meeting on Wednesday.

In 2015, the HRD ministry launched the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) to address the need for an authentic ranking mechanism for educational institutions.

In the absence of a specialized body, the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) was given the task. “Although the NBA has done a commendable job, it was assigned this task in addition to its already defined job of accreditation. Secondly, it is envisaged that the specialized rankings society will also guide institutions to perform better on the parameters on which they are found lagging,”a senior HRD official said on condition of anonymity.

The plan is to have universities, engineering, medical, pharmacy, and law colleges, and business schools ranked by the new body.


Significantly, the Modi government has focused extensively on improving the global ranking of Indian institutions. In its first term it launched an Institutions of Eminence programme aimed at increasing the number of Indian educational institutions in global rankings.

“The AICTE in its meeting today has given its in-principle nod to the proposal to set up the India Ranking Society,” said Anil D Sahasrabudhe, chairman of the AICTE.

In 2017, the HRD ministry set up the National Testing Agency as a premier, specialist, autonomous and self-sustained testing organization to conduct entrance examinations in higher educational institutions.

According to the HRD official cited above, the ministry may follow the IIM model in setting up the national rankings body.

In another decision, AICTE said it would not allow the opening of more pharmacy colleges in the next two years.

Source: Hindustan Times (Mumbai) dated August 22, 2019

Students’ grades to decide teachers’ increments: State’s study draws flak

TEACHERS SAID THAT IT IS UNFAIR TO LINK THEIR PERFORMANCE WITH THE RESULTS OF STUDENTS

MUMBAI: A recently-proposed pilot study by the government to check the feasibility of linking salary increments and promotions of teachers to the academic performance of students has been criticised by educationists.

In a letter issued by the education department on August 19, officials across various districts in the state have been asked to conduct the pilot on 25 teachers in the first phase. The move aims to understand if their performance can be assessed after looking at the learning outcomes of their students for three years.


“Designated officers have to study the feasibility of the move with 25 teachers in their respective districts and submit a report about the same by August 30,” reads the letter.

Teachers slammed the move and said that it is unfair to link their performance with the results of students. “While teachers do take efforts to ensure that their class gets the best possible result, scoring well depends on various other factors like the student’s geographical location and his/her family environment, among others. The performance of teachers should be judged on their sincerity towards teaching, use of innovation and the effort put into training students rather than looking only at learning outcomes,” said Uday Nare, teacher at Hansraj Morarji Public School in Andheri who has recently written to the department against the proposal.

Vandana Krishna, secretary, school education and sports department, could not be reached for a comment despite several calls and messages. An official from the department, however, said that the proposal is only at an initial stage and its implementation would depend on what comes out in the pilot.

Source: Hindustan Times (Mumbai) dated August 22, 2019

Summarising yourself during the interview

Source: DNA (Mumbai) dated August 22, 2019

Fundraising lessons for newbie ventures

Source: DNA (Mumbai) dated August 22, 2019

Marathi: Thanyat Packaging Plasticpasun Indhan

Source: Maharashtra Times (Marathi) dated August 21, 2019

Marathi: Battery Punarvaparacha Praneta

Source: Maharashtra Times (Mumbai) dated August 21, 2019

Chandrayaan-2 Moon orbit LIVE updates: Second lunar orbit manoeuvre today

Chandrayaan 2 Today Status LIVE: Chandrayaan-2 will go for its next lunar bound orbit manoeuvre today, which is scheduled between 12:30-13:30 hrs. The spacecraft entered the moon's orbit on Tuesday, August 20.

Read the full article at:

https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/chandrayaan-2-live-updates-moon-orbit-isro-5918980/ (Accessed on August 21, 2019)

Linking Aadhaar to social media: SC to hear Facebook plea

The question is if linking social media to Aadhaar is breach of privacy. Upholding Aadhaar earlier, the SC had disallowed its use by private firms, stating it was contrary to right to privacy

Read the entire article at:

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/linking-aadhaar-to-social-media-sc-to-hear-facebook-plea-5922092/ (Accessed on August 21, 2019)

Firm incubated at IIT-Kanpur harnesses tech for irrigation management

Come November, farmers who get canal water for irrigating their fields in a Telangana district – most likely in Karimnagar district – may have a chance to try out something new to improve productivity of the winter rice crop.

To read the full article, please visit:
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/education/firm-incubated-at-iit-kanpur-harnesses-tech-for-irrigation-management/article29189441.ece (Accessed on August 21, 2019)

CSIR UGC- NET Cutoff for June 2019 released, check subject- wise cutoff here

To read the full article, please visit:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/csir-ugc-net-cutoff-for-june-2019-released-check-subject-wise-cutoff-here/story-CpyqDlG8b637INatNhNm1K.html (Accessed on August 21, 2019)

Mumbai University’s distance learning wing hopeful to get UGC recognition

In June 2017, the UGC had issued a notification to regulate distance learning courses offered across the country that required institutes to seek the regulator’s recognition for these courses

After it was dropped from the University Grants Commission (UGC)’s list of approved distance education institutes, the Institute of Distance and Open Learning (IDOL) of the University of Mumbai (MU) said it was hopeful of making it in the fresh list, which expected in a week.

In June 2017, the UGC had issued a notification to regulate distance learning courses offered across the country that required institutes to seek the regulator’s recognition for these courses. IDOL did not figure in UGC’s first list of recognised institutes, issued in August 2018, as MU’s National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grading had expired. IDOL also failed to show up in two consecutive updated UGC lists after that — one in January this year and another in the last week of June.

IDOL had to stop admitting students for courses in the current academic year because it did not get the UGC affiliation. Admissions to IDOL, which had begun in the first week of July, are on hold.

“IDOL didn’t figure in the last updated list because our expert committee visit had just concluded so obviously we had to wait for their report. Now that the report is submitted, we are sure the affiliation will come through in the subsequent list,” said Vinod Malale, public relations officer, IDOL.

“Since our application has been accepted and the visit by a UGC-appointed expert committee also completed, we are hopeful our name will show up in the next list,” added Malale.

According to the new rules, applicant institutes need to attain a NAAC score of 3.26 on a four-point scale before the end of the academic year 2019-20 and also get UGC affiliation. NAAC assesses and accredits higher education institutions in the country.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/mumbai-university-s-distance-learning-wing-hopeful-to-get-ugc-recognition/story-jLOmU0e8Gcm36atDPkMPSL.html (Accessed on August 21, 2019)

Call to include on-trend topics

AICTE has identified nine areas — artificial intelligence, internet of things, machine learning, data science, robotics — for inclusion in BTech programmes

Artificial intelligence, robotics and data science should be included in BTech programmes to draw students to conventional courses, the vice-chairman of the technical education regulator said.

“An engineering institute can mention in the certificate that the student has graduated in mechanical engineering with specialisation in artificial intelligence or robotics. The institutes should offer the new topics as electives,” M.P. Poonia, the vice-chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), said on the sidelines of a conclave on “Impact of disruptive technologies on higher education” on Saturday.

Asked about the increase in number of vacant seats over the past couple of years, Poonia said colleges must revamp their curriculum in keeping with the demands of the job market.

“A student takes admission to a private college paying a huge sum. He hopes to get a job. But the students are remaining unemployed because of programmes that do not include topics potential recruiters are looking for,” Poonia said.

AICTE has identified nine areas — artificial intelligence, Internet of things, machine learning, data science, robotics — for inclusion in BTech programmes.

“This is the requirement of the industry. These days disciplines such as mechanical engineering and electrical engineering cannot be taught without artificial intelligence, machine learning or robotics. So I would advise colleges to make their curriculum industry-ready. They should get teachers who are competent to teach the advanced topics,” Poonia said.

Source: https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/west-bengal/call-to-include-on-trend-topics/cid/1699154 (Accessed on August 21, 2019)

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Marathi: Fakta Post navhe, ComPost

Source: Maharashtra Times (Mumbai) dated August 20, 2019

Analytics, chatbots: The new frontiers in HR transformation

More Indian companies are using smart technology to manage human resources, but with impact hard to quantify, budgets remain low

Fifty eight per cent of Indian organizations will invest in technology to enable employees and managers to self-manage people processes this year, according to a new report by People Matters, a HR media platform founded in 2009. Based on the digital agendas of India Inc organizations titled State of HR Technology India 2019-20, the study highlights the understanding of automation levels in different aspects of talent management and also entails companies’ investment plans in HR technologies and how can they future-proof HR teams for digital transformation.ISTOCK

According to the report, there has been a ubiquitous increase in the adoption of HR technology, which testifies the progression of Indian companies towards the age of digital disruption in the HR space as well. Communication & collaboration, employer branding observed a surge in HR technology adoption by 21 percent and 17 percent respectively. However, strategic functions like Hipo (high potential employee) identification and management, succession planning, and strategic workforce planning are least mature in terms of technology

adoption. Even with investments ‘going up’ in HR technology for the year 2019-20, only 20 percent companies have allocated a budget of more than Rs 1 crore to this. About 45 percent plan to invest less than Rs 25 lacs in the next 12 months.

To increase effectiveness of HR execution emerges as the key objective of investment in HR technology. To empower employees and managers to self-manage people workflows and processes (59 percent) and to increase efficiency of HR execution (59 percent) completes the suite of top three core objectives of investment in HR technology.

When asked while shortlisting HR technology, which attributes do they look out for, ability to integrate (74 percent) was the top choice. However, it was found that only 37 percent companies have mainly an integrated system either from one partner (21 percent), multiple partners (8 percent) and in some cases, an integrated in-house technology (8 percent).

Cost still remains the prime factor in making HR technology investment decisions. As mentioned above, cost reduction was one of the objectives of investment in HR technology. The study also found that cost saving measures (49 per cent) is one of the top three metrics that companies track to measure the ROI of HR Technology. The other metrics include time-saving measures (54 percent) and HR operational metrics across functions (52 percent).

NEW-AGE HR TECHNOLOGY


The study shows that analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) & chatbots and cognitive technologies were ranked as the top three newage technologies that can create an impact on talent and workplace. Among the various technologies, blockchain emerged as the least mature technology because 39 percent of the respondents are not well-versed with it. While India Inc. organisations are highly optimistic about the opportunities that new-age technologies can bring to talent management and HR, the journey to adopting these technologies is not easy.

Organisations face challenges in adopting these technologies due to budget constraints, leadership buy-in, and lack of skills and capabilities in the HR team.

The limited budgets for HR technology (46 percent), leadership buy-in to experiment (43 percent), ability to measure return on investment (42 percent) are some of the challenges when it comes to adopting new-age technologies in their organization. Highlighting the HR involvement in adopting and executing technologies, the research reveals that in more than half of the participating organisations, the execution project is jointly owned by the HR team and the IT team.

As the world of work evolves, it is critical for organisations to leverage technology that enhances the speed of the overall people processes, empower employees, and build a team of better, more productive workers.

This study provided key insights into the current landscape of technology adoption rate, the approach towards building a digital HR function, and the challenges in adopting niche technologies in HR.

While organizations have kickstarted their HR digital journey, only three processes namely, HR operations, performance management, and communication & collaboration are automated more than 50 percent. The digitisation level has improved but still needs a lot of effort in the context of: investments, leadership buy-in, and skills and competencies of HR teams.

Limited budgets, leadership buy-in, and skills and competencies constitute the top three challenges in adopting the advanced technologies in HR. Currently, the efforts or investments in future-proofing HR teams are largely sporadic or in the planning phase.

From the study, it was evident that the HR service providers should focus more on integration, a strong analytics layer, and accessibility and mobility of technology as these form the suite of attributes that organisations are looking forward to while investing in any technology. Further, the investments in HR technology in 2019-20 have significantly increased by 35 percent as compared to the study done in 2016.

Source: Hindustan Times (Mumbai) dated August 20, 2019.

Scientists find 1st evidence of high altitude pollution

TIFR Balloon Facility has developed sophisticated plastic balloons to float at the coldest part of atmosphere at edge of stratosphere. DEVENDRA OJHA, chairperson, TIFR-BF committee

Read the full article at:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/scientists-find-1st-evidence-of-high-altitude-pollution/story-H1AdEWbWBFflkUWTA71yxM.html (Accessed on August 20, 2019)

A Review Of Google's Colab And CoCalc for Collaborative Data Science

As part of my on-going series on learning data science and reviewing the latest tools, I ended up needing to work on data analysis with people in different countries. While big companies have their own internal tools for sharing code among teams, there were less available for students and freelancers. Fortunately, two such tools, Google Colab and CoCalc, are emerging to help data scientists collaborate online (Disclosure, I am a contractor with the tech policy nonprofit, Tech4America). 

Google's Colaboratory (Colab, for short) began as a research project with makers of the popular online programming notebook, Jupyter. The features have recently ramped up, as machine learning and other data science needs have become more commonplace.

Read the full article at:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/gregoryferenstein/2019/08/18/a-review-of-googles-colab-and-cocalc-for-collaborative-data-science/#7c6878a46f02 (Accessed on August 20, 2019)

US economists expect recession in the next 2 years

• The survey came out after Donald Trump pushed back against talk of a looming recession as a raft of US data reports last week showed a mixed picture on the economy
• The survey showed 38% economists expect a contraction of growth next year, while 34% don't see it until the following year

To read the full article, please visit:

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/us-economists-expect-recession-in-the-next-2-years-1566221076095.html (Accessed on August 20, 2019)