New achievement by India in space technology

New achievement by India in space technology

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Wednesday put Singapore’s first commercial earth-observation satellite in space through a launch on the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV). The TeLEOS-I, a 400-kg satellite, was joined by five other smaller satellites, all from Singapore, on the PSLV-C29 mission.

The six satellites, which together weight about 624 kg, were deposited into an orbit of 549 km from the earth’s surface.

 TeLEOS was the first one to be deployed in the orbit after a flight of about 18 minutes and 12 seconds. It was followed by the other five satellites in quick succession within the next three minutes. The launch took place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 6 pm.

These six satellites took the count of foreign satellites launched by ISRO to 57. PMNarendra Modi congratulated ISRO scientists on the successful launch.

How organic farming can increase your yields and income?

How organic farming can increase your yields and income?

 

 

View of rows of green and red lettuces.

Switching to organic and resource-conserving methods of farming can improve smallholder crop yields, food security and income, a review study has found. But a more-extensive evidence base founded on rigorous and consistentresearch methods is needed before the findings can be generalised to other situations, according to the study published in the current issue of the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability.

“The findings show at the farm level it [organic farming] appears to be very positive — more than many people think,” says Steve Franzel, an agricultural economist at the World Agroforestry Centre, Kenya, co-author of the study.

The review feeds into what Franzel describes as a “polarised” debate between conventional agriculture and organic and resource-saving agriculture (ORCA) methods.

In an era of rising energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, some researchers are questioning whether conventional agriculture’s reliance on chemical fertilisers is sustainable, and point to its negative effects: pesticide residues, soil erosion and reduced biodiversity.

ORCA offers a possible solution, aiming to use natural goods and services without compromising their future use. Its practices include integrated pest and nutrient management, conservation tillage, agroforestry, aquaculture, water harvesting and livestock integration.

The review looks at 31 case studies of farms in Africa and South America, the majority of which were smaller than seven hectares, which switched to ORCA methods. It found yields increased in 19 of the 25 cases that reported on it, food security improved in seven of eight cases, and income went up in 19 of 23 cases.

While the majority of farmers moving from an organic-by-default system — those without access to industrial fertilisers and pesticides — benefit from the change, farmers choosing to give up modern chemicals and techniques had more mixed results.

Yields decreased in five out of six cases, and farmers saw greater profits in only three out of five cases.

Market linkages also play a major role, the review finds, with farms with good access to markets more likely to profit from conversion to ORCA.

Furthermore, the complex integrated principles involved in ORCA encourage farmers to become better managers of natural, physical and financial resources, as well as members of networks such as farming organisations, the report finds.

This, it adds, strengthens farmers’ capacity to adapt to changing farming and market conditions — a flexibility that will become increasingly important as the effects of climate change worsen.

7 reasons why iPhone 5S is the best phone for less than Rs 25,000

7 reasons why iPhone 5S is the best phone for less than Rs 25,000

If you have a budget of around about Rs 25,000, forget the likes of the OnePlus 2 or the Moto X Play or the new QiKU Q Terra 808. You can get the iPhone 5S for almost that much, and make no mistake, it can be argued that it is the best phone in the segment for that much. There are some compelling reasons behind buying an iPhone 5S, albeit an iPhone which is two years old.

Impeccable design

The iPhone 5S remains a gorgeous phone. Heck for many, it is prettier than the new iPhone 6S. It is built out of metal and has beautiful diamond cut chamfers. It is also available in neat space grey, champagne gold and silver colours.

Cute and compact

Smartphones are huge these days. That is just a stark reality and if you’re old fashioned and are looking for something you can use with a single hand, then the iPhone 5S is a no brainer. It is not only a powerhouse, it is the only pocket rocket, apart from the Xperia Z1 Compact, which too isn’t as suave.

Features, lots of them

The combination of the A7 processor and 1GB RAM makes the 5S plenty fast. It can be argued because of the lower resolution screen and the way, the hardware and software on Apple’s devices is interlinked, the performance could be on par with a behemoth like the OnePlus which uses Qualcomm’s fastest processor and 4GB RAM.

Killer camera

The 8-megapixel camera just knocks the socks out of the 13-megapixel camera on the OnePlus 2 or even the Q Terra 808. It is also a very fast camera to use and comes along with high-end features like slow-motion video. For selfies, though, it is a little disappointing with its paltry 1.2-megapixel camera.

Battery Life

The battery life of the iPhone 5S wasn’t the greatest and was decidedly average. However, additions in iOS 9 breathe new life into the performance of the iPhone 5S. You may not notice a massive change in a year old phone with a worn out battery, but on spanking new iPhone 5S – Apple’s new features like the low battery mode should work wonders and lasting through a day should be a breeze.

Touch ID

The iPhone 5S was one of the first mainstream smartphones to get a fingerprint sensor. Impressively, it was probably the first sensor that worked consistently. Compared to phones like the OnePlus 2, the Touch ID scanner on the iPhone 5S is more reliable. It is also a more secure solution with things like the secure enclave and encryption built into the iPhone.

iOS advantage

iOS not only has the most apps for a mobile platform, but also often developers develop their best stuff for it before Android. It also happens to be the only place where you get the best applications from all the big three – Google, Apple and Microsoft. That could be a big reason for you into Apple’s ecosystem, which for many is like a walled garden.