Government shutting down hundreds of data centers

The U.S. government is aiming to pull the plug on hundreds of unneeded data centers over the next few years in an attempt to save the taxpayers some hard-earned cash.

In blog published yesterday, the White House's Office of Management and Budget admitted that instead of consolidating data centers as many businesses have done in recent years, the government went in the opposite direction. Between 1998 and 2010, federal agencies actually quadrupled their number of data centers despite increases in the efficiency of data storage.

And of course, taxpayers have been stuck paying the bills for those data centers and all the equipment, supplies, and controls they require. The energy costs can be especially high as such data centers can soak up 200 times as much power as standard office spaces, according to the blog.

India VS England 2000th Match

London, July 15: Many are asking the question whether Test cricket is a tenable sport in this fast-paced day and age. An 8-hour-a-day, five-day game that oftentimes culminates in a draw, may defy the norms of entertainment in the present paradigm. But the fact that the 2000th such encounter is all set to unfold at the home of cricket Lords, England, with a sell-out crowd ready to witness the epoch, is validation of its enduring popularity.

England has always been one to purport tradition and custom and now there are nine other such participating countries following suit where Test cricket is concerned (with the appearance of new entrants on the horizon). Today's set up is indeed a far cry from the early years of this long-winded contest where the only countries that engaged in such were England and Australia.

Dhoni Wins it For India

Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni's stellar partnership paved the way for India to end its 28-year wait for a World Cup title even as Mahela Jayawardene's century and Muttiah Muralitharan's swansong ended in hurt and despair.

Chasing a target of 275, India were pegged on the back foot as early as the second ball of their innings when Lasith Malinga trapped Virender Sehwag plumb in front, and though the Indian opener asked for a referral, it was upheld. Malinga then struck again in the seventh over when he had Mumbai's icon Sachin Tendulkar caught behind in the seventh over. But, the title was sealed when Dhoni hit the first ball of the 49th over for a massive six to put the icing on the cake and send a billion people into raptures.

8.9 magnitude earthquake hits Japan, causes tsunami

A massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake occurred in northern Japan early on Friday. The earthquake's epicenter is 130 km (81 miles) east of Sendai, in the Honshu island of Japan. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter was at a depth of 24.4 km (15.2 miles).

The earthquake triggered tsunamis in various parts of the country. Japan issued a tsunami warning immediately after the earthquake, followed by tsunami warnings for New Zealand, Australia, Russia, Chile,Guam, Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Hawaii, Northern Marianas (USA), Taiwan, andCalifornia. It is confirmed for the Philippines that if the tsunami doesn't hit the country for 2 hours (5:00 - 7:00) it will be slightly safer, it is currently alert number two for all regions.

The tsunami attained a height of 10 meters, and swept houses, buildings and cars according to reports.Shinkansen stopped the bullet train service following the quake. According to reports, an oil refinery was set ablaze by the quake at Ichihara, Chiba prefecture to the east of Tokyo.

Oracle India head Bhaskar Pramanik quits

Company’s India technology sales head Sandeep Mathur will succeed.

In less than a year since he took over to lead software maker Oracle India's business, Bhaskar Pramanik, the managing director of the company, has put in his papers. Sandeep Mathur, vice-president, technology, has been appointed as the new MD.