galaxy s4 specs and review

NEPPOTHINKS:

The Galaxy S4 — like the Galaxy S3 — could never be called a copycat.  Samsung came out with specs and features that we've never yet seen in a smartphone, including any phone that begins with the letter i.

Every successive generation of the Galaxy line has been bigger than the one before. The S III sported a screen that measures 4.8 inches on the diagonal, already substantially larger than the iPhone 5's 4-inch screen. The S 4's screen is 56 percent larger than the iPhone's.

Apart from the larger screen and upgraded processor, the S 4 has a battery that's 20 percent larger than that of the S III. Samsung didn't say if that translates into a longer battery life - the added capacity might be gobbled up by the bigger screen or other internal changes.

The S 4 comes with a built-in infra-red diode, so it can control an entertainment center as a universal remote. This is a feature that has showed up in Android tablets before.

The S 4 comes with several new technologies intended to help users interact with the phone. For instance, the screen now senses fingers hovering just above the screen, and some applications react. The Mail application shows the first few lines of an email when a finger hovers above it in the list, and the Gallery application shows an expanded thumbnail.

Users can control some other applications by making gestures in the air above the phone. In the browser, you can command the screen to scroll up by swiping from top to bottom a few inches from the phone.The Camera application can now use both the front and rear cameras simultaneously, inserting a small picture of the user even as he's capturing the scene in front of him.

When several S 4s are in close proximity, they can link up to play the same music, simultaneously - perfect for headphone dance parties.

The Galaxy 4 S also will include a tool that enables users to create a dividing line so part of the phone is devoted exclusively to work while the other part is filled with personal information and photos. The feature is similar to a function on the latest BlackBerry - an indication that Samsung is going after other smartphone makers besides Apple with its latest model.

Let's take a look at how Samsung Galaxy S IV's specifications compare to Apple's iPhone 5 and the rest of its competition.

Oscars 2013: Full list of winners

Best Picture	Best Director
Argo – Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, and George Clooney	Ang Lee – Life of Pi
Best Actor	Best Actress
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln as Abraham Lincoln	Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook as Tiffany Maxwell
Best Supporting Actor	Best Supporting Actress
Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained as Dr. King Schultz	Anne Hathaway – Les Misérables as Fantine
Best Writing – Original Screenplay	Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay
Django Unchained – Quentin Tarantino	Argo – Chris Terrio from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez & The Great Escape by Joshuah Bearman
Best Animated Feature	Best Foreign Language Film
Brave – Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman	Amour (Austria) in French – Michael Haneke
Best Documentary – Feature	Best Documentary – Short Subject
Searching for Sugar Man – Malik Bendjelloul and Simon Chinn	Inocente – Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine
Best Live Action Short Film	Best Animated Short Film
Curfew – Shawn Christensen	Paperman – John Kahrs
Best Original Score	Best Original Song
Life of Pi – Mychael Danna	"Skyfall" from Skyfall – Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
Best Sound Editing	Best Sound Mixing
Skyfall – Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers1 Zero Dark Thirty – Paul N. J. Ottosson1	Les Misérables – Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, and Simon Hayes
Best Production Design	Best Cinematography
Lincoln – Rick Carter and Jim Erickson	Life of Pi – Claudio Miranda
Best Makeup and Hairstyling	Best Costume Design
Les Misérables – Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell	Anna Karenina – Jacqueline Durran
Best Film Editing	Best Visual Effects
Argo – William Goldenberg	Life of Pi – Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan de Boer, and Donald R. Elliot

Kadal review

NEPPOTHINKS: 
Regular entertainment movie,nothing new in story. Gautham Karthik and Thulasi did good work. A.R.Rakman's music holds the movie.

STORY LINE:

Mani Ratnam takes on the familiar themes of good and evil, sin and redemption, in Kadal, setting the film against the backdrop of a Christian fishing village in South Tamil Nadu. It explores the sea in its myriad hues and against this background weaves a love story between the two new actors Gautham Karthik and Thulasi.

The ace director treads on familiar terrain and what emerges is a slender, cliched story built on a fairly weak premise but shot beautifully.

Sam Fernando (Arvind Swamy) and Bergsman (Arjun) meet at a seminary. On account of Sam exposing Bergsman’s misdeed there, Bergsman is forced to leave the place but nurses thoughts of vengeance.

Meanwhile, Sam -- in the disguise of a priest -- arrives in a fishing village where he gets friendly with Thomas (Gautham Karthik), an orphan, and guides him gently.

Thomas meets Bea (Thulasi) and the two slowly fall in love.

Later, Bergsman implicates Sam and sends him to jail and makes Thomas choose the wrong path.

The first half-hour of the film which shows the young Thomas (who is illegitimate) losing his mother, struggling to live and turning out the way he is, quite heart-wrenching. This is the main part which touches emotionally.

Subsequently the film becomes predictable and there is an emotional disconnect too. The premise is a bit too weak to carry forward the story though the love story is interspersed in between.

Essentially, Kadal moves back and forth between being a tender love story and a revenge drama, heavily leaning towards the vendetta angle in the second half. One has seen the trajectory this film takes before, the only difference being the milieu.

So, what comes with the milieu is the different dialect and of course the sea with its various shades. The dialogues are rooted in that area and may be difficult for some to follow.

The environs and activities of the fishing village, few bits and pieces of tradition are covered. A certain amount of authenticity is maintained.

Though the story may not be emotionally intense, the technical competence and acting make up for it. Mani Ratnam’s films have top-notch cinematography with excellent people handling the camera.

Rajiv Menon has shot the sea in all its different moods and colors  Shots of Cyclone Nilam are terrifying to view on the screen.

Mention must be made of the art director Shashidhar Adapa, who chose the locales (including the picturesque Andaman Islands), villages and churches where the movie was filmed.

A R Rahman’s music is another strong point of the film. The songs are chart-busters in any case. Adiye was choreographed well on the stark sands. Other songs Moongil Thottam and Nenjukulle were filmed in pretty settings. The background score also enhanced the film considerably.

Arvind Swamy comes back after about 12 years and he was aptly cast for the role. His eyes are expressive and he gives a good and subtle performance.

Arjun’s was the more power-packed role and these two actors actually stood out, pitted against each other.

Debutant Gautham Karthik, who had quite a substantial role, pulled it off with elan. He had to showcase a variety of emotions - raw, rugged, earthy, tender - and he made a mark. Gautham is a natural performer and is surely here to stay.

The other newcomer, Thulasi, is natural and has lent an air of grace to her role. As a pair, Gautham and Thulasi looked good and did a good job. Lakshmi Manchu has a brief role and is quite convincing in it.

Is CHEMICAL CASTRATION really effective?

CHEMICAL CASTRATION

chemical castration means injecting female hormones into a man. The female hormone progesterone, when injected in high doses, suppresses the male hormone, androgen, and nullifies the attraction of a man towards a woman. As it inhibits masculinity, the man loses interest in the opposite sex.

PROBLEMS IN IMPLEMENTATION

1)The drug used for chemical castration works for just 90 days and the person has to take a fresh dose every three months.

2)Tracing the person every three months and injecting him with anti-androgen drugs once he is out of jail.

3)Unlike surgical castration, which involves removal of the testes, chemical castration is a reversible process. Once the doses are stopped, the convict becomes normal as the male hormones regain their vigor.

4)The drug won’t have any effect if the convict secretly takes male hormonal injections.