The Nielsen Company Issues Top Ten U.S. Lists for 2007

Are you a "list" person ? interested in knowing what Americans have been upto in 2007 ? what books have we been reading ? what ringtones have we been downloading ? what movies we have been watching ?

Did you know "My name is Earl" was the tv program most buzzed about online ? Well, I won't let any more cats out of the bag.......

If yes you are indeed interested in this , check out :

Nielsen's Top 10 US Lists for 2007

"Snazzy" Stellaris : a combination of form and function

Most of us are used to the drab, boxy looks of surgical, medical equipment. One does not commonly associate the word "Snazzy" with a piece of equipment used for Cataract Surgery .

However Bausch & Lomb , a company based in Rochester, New York seems to have uniquely married form and function in their new "Stellaris Vision Enhancement System". It sure made the writers at the venerable The Economist go ga-ga and describe it as a "snazzy" piece of equipment:

The novelty of Stellaris—which is made by Bausch & Lomb, a company based in Rochester, New York—is that all the pieces of kit are pulled together into a single snazzy piece of equipment. The system can extract lenses, keep the eyeball inflated, and inject lenses in several different ways. The Stellaris has options to use an older or a newer surgical technique, depending on the surgeon's preference.

To read more about the revolutionary technology behind this which will greatly facilitate cataract surgery, follow the link :

The eyes have it
Dec 6th 2007
From The Economist print edition
Medical technology: The techniques used to replace worn-out eye lenses are getting better, making the process simpler than ever

Thoughts for the New Rochester School Chief

The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle wanted its Board of contributors to share their priorities and concerns with Jean-Claude Brizard, the new superintendent of the Rochester City School District. Here's what I had to say about it. Personally, I am not effected by this change since as residents of Brighton we are not part of the Rochester City School District :

Equip every pupil with a laptop

With the focus on reading, writing and arithmetic proficiency under the No Child Left Behind approach, the city school kids are in danger of falling behind in computer literacy as compared to their suburban peers. I would expect Brizard to take the lead with some outside-the-box approaches in this area. Maybe partner with business and philanthropic organizations to launch a one-laptop-per-child program. Not only would that provide the children with new opportunities to explore, experiment and express themselves, it would also help improve their reading, writing and arithmetic skills, and maybe also help in keeping them off the streets with a resultant decrease in youth violence. Several U.S. corporations are involved in the $100 laptop project for kids around the globe, so the idea should not be as costly as it sounds.

In many countries around the world, computer education has worked effectively in breaking the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, ignorance and violence and helping people move ahead in life. It's worth a try here.

—DEEPAK SETH BRIGHTON Seth is on the Board of Contributors. Dec 2,2007