Launching NetSparsh.com

Hi Everybody,

I am launching the next generation entertainment portal NetSparsh.com blog and entertainment Network of portals where the NetSparsh & Cyberjunky Teams writes about News, Bollywood, Computer Software, Science, Technology and a host of other articles, tha help us become more productive.

Vision : The target if to become the most read blog and portal and to make into the top 5 blogs/websites in India.

Thanks for all the support and cooperation till now and hope to seek more huge support in future.

Cheers

Cyberjunky & NetSparsh Teams.

Camcorder Info

If you fancy yourself as a bit of an independent film-maker then you're going to need some decent kit to play with, and this next site provides all the information you need to get you up and running as a low budget production.

Camcorder Info is one of the most thorough review websites I've seen in ages. Again, the presentation is again a little magazine-like, I don't mind that so much with this kind of reference site. The main thing here is function, and navigating your way around the articles and reviews is a breeze.

There are featured reviews laid out on the front page, and clicking a link in the left-hand panel will take you to a sensibly ordered menu system to access everything else. I found the articles well written and engaging. The full kit reviews go into loads of detail, with screenshots of the tests and photographs to really help you understand the camera before you buy it.

A must-read if you're new to buying camcorders is the article under Buying A Camcorder, which gives some really useful tips about considering your budget and applications before making any decisions.

Color In Motion

What's your favourite colour? Mine is purple, which apparently makes me ambitious, artistic, aloof and arrogant. As if!

This is according to a website called Colour in Motion. I have to say I have no idea whatsoever as to the validity of this colour analysis stuff. Nowhere on the site does it say what its sources are or how they came to their conclusions, so please don't take this as serious scientific research. It's way too much fun for that, and cute too. The design and execution are a great example of Flash animation doing its thing and the content, whilst limited, is most engaging.

Once you're through the intro you can enter three sections, nicely presented as star dressing rooms that you click to enter. The first door tells you about the colours individually. Through the second are animated cartoons representing the different colours' personalities, and the third door is the interactive Lab.

The lab has three funky little games involving colour - my favourite being Project 1, which asks you to compose a still scene using all the available props and drawing tools. There's no prize, and no judgement at the end, but you can print out your scene to keep if you want.

Cool Optical Illusions

Cool Optical Illusions is basically a massive collection of visual illusions, gathered together and displayed online for all to enjoy. According to the website's creators there are over 140 in total, including all sorts of things from spirals that temporarily distort your vision, to strange many-legged elephants and donkeys that are really seals.

If you have a sturdy constitution there's a section of wallpapers for your desktop - though I have to admit I would find it quite distracting to have one of these quirky images plastered to my desktop all day. All the illusions are accessible from the left-hand menu panel - though I think the website's creators should think about categorising them into sub-headings and shrinking the menu panel down a bit as it is kind of confusing to surf. There's a basic colour blindness test nestling amongst all these illusions, and an entry explaining how the eye and brain work together to fool us. Interesting yes - but I would have found these sections much more easily had a decent menu structure been in place. The chalk drawings are excellent too, and well worth a look.

BubbleSphere

Everybody likes playing with bubbles, right? But aside from the fun of creating the biggest bubble you can before it pops in your face and makes your eyes sting, there is a far more serious side to the humble bubble.

Believe it or not, there's a lot we can learn about science and physics from observing the bubble, which makes it the ideal tool to help teach children some of the lessons they will need later in life. Bubblesphere is the home of Professor Bubbles, who has plenty of advice for anyone wanting to know more on the subject.

From revealing the formula for the perfect bubble mix, to advice and information about the best tools to use, there is certainly enough information here to get anyone on the path to great bubble creation. The science stuff is covered in the Questions section, and there's even a reasonable amount of information in the History section too. The Forum looks a little messy, so I wasn't that tempted to get in touch, but I would definitely recommend having a look through the Links & Reference sections, for a really thorough insight into the world of bubbles.

Discover HongKong !!!

Hong Kong is a city of colour and contrast - with strong Chinese roots surviving a British colonial past to create a cosmopolitan culture that buzzes with possibility.

How do I know this without having been there? Well, I read about it at Discover Hong Kong, the home of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, and the best source I found on the web for getting under the skin of the culture.

Well laid out, with plenty of pictures and narrative, it's a joy to surf. Of particular note is the Interactive Gallery section which has some great videos to help you get a feel for the place. And check out the Hong Kong Stories section for an insider's view on life in this incredible city.

The Skeptic's Dictionary

How much of a sceptic are you? If you find it hard to accept some of the myths and legends that have grown up with our society, then you might find this next website to be a breath of fresh air.

Skepdic is the online home of author Robert Carroll's book 'The Skeptic's Dictionary', and I'd say it's a must read for anyone who is having trouble knowing what to believe in. From alien visitations and faces on Mars, to Chiropractics, chain letters & pyramid sales, the articles in these pages deconstruct more than 400 everyday beliefs and practises, and examine them with a sceptical mind.

The results are refreshing - a frank and open discussion based on reason. You can explore alphabetically or choose a topical category from the menu bar across the top. A really nice touch is the inclusion of the Critical Thinking mini-lessons, which are accessible through the left hand menu panel. Here the author takes you through the basics of reasoned thinking from a scientific angle, allowing you to step back from the issues and consider them from a rational point of view.

AliceBot - Artificial Intelligence

So would you like to have a nice little chat with Alice - a computer chat program which recently won, for the third time, a prestigious prize for human-like conversation.

The pages of AliceBot hold a wealth of essential reading about artificial intelligence. There's even information about the technology used to build Alice, and how you can start programming a robot for yourself.

Click 'Chat with Alice' to begin chatting with the robot herself. It is a unique and surprising experience. It's only text-based, but the artificial intelligence is really very impressive.

Alice responds politely and with complete relevance, and even asks counter questions from time to time. In the past few days I have spent some time trying to trip her up. Getting into a conversation with her about whether she is real or not was interesting to say the least.

But on the whole, aside from the speed with which she replies, one could almost be fooled into thinking you're chatting with a person.