From ATMs To ATFs

Ever wanted to book airline tickets or pay insurance premiums through an ATM? Wanted to advertise your business or pay bills via an ATM? Now that is all possible and more. Certain non-banking companies have rolled out white-label ATMs (non-bank affiliated) which facilitate all the aforementioned services and bus – cum – train ticketing, remittances etc.
Companies like Tata Communications Payment Services Limited (TCPSL), Muthoot Finance and SREI will set up financial service kiosks and will provide these services. When asked about the financial viability of this venture, they have responded saying that the operating costs will be less than the profits they’d make. They propose to make these services available within 2015. Whether or not they will succeed is too early to comment on but the consumer seems to be the clear winner.

Pranav. R of XII - B

Concerto

Concerto is a musical composition usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is usually accompanied by an orchestra. The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words ‘conserere’ ( meaning to tie, to join, to weave) and certamen (competition,fight): the idea is that the two parts in a concerto, the soloist and the orchestra, alternate episodes of opposition in the creation of music flow. It also includes cooperation and a sense of independence in the music flow. The concerto, understood in this modern way, arose in Baroque period side by side with the concerto grosso, which contracted a small group of instruments with the rest of the orchestra.

THE EARLY BAROQUE CONCERTO

The term concerto was initially used to denote works involving voices and instruments in which the instruments had independent parts – as opposed to the Renaissance common practise in which the instruments that accompanied voices only doubled the voice parts. Examples of this earlier form of concerto include Giovanni Gabrieli’s “In Ecclesiis”.

VARIOUS TYPES OF CONCERTO

There are various types of concerto. They can be broadly classified as

• Violin concerto

• Keyboard concerto

• Cello concerto

• Concerto for other instruments

• Concerto for orchestra

The popularity of Concert Grosso form declined after the Baroque period, and the genre was not revived until the 20th century. The solo concerto however has remained a vital music force from its inception to this day. 

CONCERTO IN THE 20TH CENTURY

In the first decades of 20th century, several composers such as Debussy, Berg, Hindemith, etc started experimenting with ideas that were to have far reaching consequences for the way music is written and, in some cases, performed. Some of these innovations include a more frequent use of modality, the exploration of non-western scales, the development of atonality, the wider acceptance of dissonances, the invention of twelve tone technique and the use of poly-rhythms and complex time signatures. These changes also affected the concerto as a musical form. Beside more or less radical effects on musical language, they led to the redefinition of the concept of virtuosity in order to include new and extended instrumental techniques as well as a focus on aspects of sound that had been neglected or even been ignored before such as pitch, timbre and dynamics. In some cases, they also brought about a new approach to the role of the soloist and its relation to the orchestra.

N. Janani Hamsini of XI - B

A 3-D Printer Makes A Pizza

A prototype (or example) of a 3D printer that makes a pizza showed up in Austen. The printer isn’t quite at a stage where it can make a pizza from the beginning, but is capable of extruding dough, sauce, and cheese in a pizza-like shape. NASA is interested in this technology, which could allow astronauts to choose from a greater variety of meals and lower amount of waste.
 Amazing, isn’t it? A printer making pizza, but of course you need to provide all the ingredients. Next we will have printers making cake, etc.? What do you think?

R. Pratheeba of VII - A

A Wierd Pet

Not even a month old, and the Royal baby has already got himself a pet! He hasn’t even said his first word and a state in Australia has already gifted him a pet - a baby crocodile.
 This crocodile and baby George share a special connection. The crocodile was hatched from an egg on the same day the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced that they would be expecting their first child. Because of this coincidence. The croc was named George in honor of his owner.
 This gift also strengthens the bond between England and Australia. The crocodile also means a lot to Prince William. He loved visiting Alice Springs along with his mother Princess Diana. By this, we can understand that the crocodile will remind Prince William of his mother.
 The crocodile is set to live in Crocosauras Cove in Darwin city. Let’s hope that the Prince and his pet will be friends for life.

Ananya Yayavaram of VII - A

Time Management

Time management is undeniably the crux of planning and succeeding in all endeavours. The very Tantalising, Igniting, Motivating and Emphatic “TIME” has a role to play in the life of every individual. It is a deciding factor for every activity. It is hard to define time as is its management.
Time management is an art subjective to an individual’s ability. One who can successfully manage time without getting stressed and perturbed will inevitably be triumphant in every situation he confronts. In student life time management is definitely one of the toughest and challenging tasks to do because mastering it is an uphill venture. The habit of procrastination, laziness and lethargy, lack of punctuality are all the striking enemies of time management. Overcoming such practices and managing time definitely requires composure and maturity. Time management has numerous benefits. It reduces stress, boosts productivity and efficiency and helps to reclaim our personality. Prioritising is the core of time management. It develops our ability to analyse and realise the relative importance of various activities that are part of our routine. It’s wise to inculcate this habit early as it requires a lot of practice and patience.
Hence it is necessary that before it is “time up” we learn time management because time management is the road to success and it is time that differentiates the winner and the loser in the test of life.

Kaaviya Ganesan of XI - B

Chill Out With Some Brain Teasers...

1. Johnny’s mother had three children. The first child was named April. The second child was named May. What was the third child’s name?

2. A clerk at a butcher shop stands five feet ten inches tall and wears size 13 sneakers. What does he weigh?

3. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world?

4. How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet by three feet by four feet?

5. What word in the English language is always spelled incorrectly?

6. Billie was born on December 28th, yet her birthday always falls in the summer. How is this possible?

7. In British Columbia you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not?

8. If you were running a race and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?

9. Which is correct to say, “The yolk of the egg is white” or “The yolk of the egg are white?”

10. A farmer has five haystacks in one field and four haystacks in another. How many haystacks would he have if he combined them all in one field?

Answers

1. Johnny.

2. Meat.

3. Mt. Everest. It just wasn’t discovered yet.

4. There is no dirt in a hole.

5. Incorrectly (except when it is spelled incorrecktly).

6. Billie lives in the southern hemisphere.

7. You can’t take a picture with a wooden leg. You need a camera (or iPad or cell phone) to take a picture.

8. You would be in 2nd place. You passed the person in second place, not first.

9. Neither. Egg yolks are yellow.

10. One. If he combines all his haystacks, they all become one big stack.

   

We have a very strong tendency to see what we want to see and what we expect to see. When we only see what we want or expect to see, we miss competitive threats because our brain tells us a threat couldn’t possibly come from that direction.Our brain doesn’t like information gaps, so we tend to jump at the first answer/solution that looks good rather than take the time to examine all the data. This is especially true in a world where we receive more information every day than we have time to assimilate. Finally, our brains love to see patterns and make connections. This trait serves us well in many ways as we move through the world. But the brain doesn’t always get it right.

S. Bhagavathy of XI - B

Problems Caused Due To Digital Messaging

In the present day, most of the people, especially school students, are busy with their messages and mails. Almost every day, from morning till late at night they sit in front of the laptop or are on their cell phones forgetting about the entire world. People get so addicted to these that they cannot live without these for even a minute.

Between their work, people surf the net and check for any of their mails or messages and stop doing other work. Due to this, others’ work are drastically getting spoilt. People should know to manage their time and leave a separate time for all the other work, or else, it is very difficult to complete other important work in time. School students are unable to finish their work and are not able to even study properly due to distractions caused by these. Sitting before computers and using cell phones also causes health problems. Eye sight is harmed and calories do not burn as a result of physical inactivity, leading to weight gain. Lack of sleep and lack of concentration in their work are also some symptoms. So, management of time for all these issues plays a major role in our day to day life. 

S. B. Gayathri of X - A