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The Hindu : Technology has taken security solutions for homes to the next level. If you are still relying on watch dogs to do the same job, then its time to switch over to high-end surveillance cameras that can be accessed via Internet from any part of the world.With an in-built web server and broadband compatibility, IP camera’s enables one to access the security set-up sitting in another part of the world.“If the DVRs are plugged into the LAN connection, then any computer can have access to cameras monitoring areas. If one is away from home, the camera can be accessed by typing the IP address in the Internet Explorer. A window displaying all the areas and a control panel pops up for one to see their property and control the cameras, ” says K. Shashank, Business Director of eZone.The camera comes with an Ethernet port, a slot for the broadband cable, and one has to configure the Internet protocol settings of the camera.After this is done, the camera is attached to a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), which is connected to a monitor. DVRs come in various channel modes, meaning up to 16 cameras can be controlled through one monitor.All the IP cameras work with Video Analytics software that enables one to ‘stitch’ all camera views into one picture and help one trace the movement of an object in the picture.This software is manufactured by ACTi, Sony, Bosch and Milestone. These set-ups for homes can cost between Rs.17,500 and a cool Rs.1 lakh.ABHIJIT DEV KUMAR…More

The Hindu : An exhibition organised in Kochi as part of an all-India seminar on the National Building Code of India, 2005, brought out several facets of the building industry, especially the use of eco-friendly and naturally occurring materials for enhancing comfort and reducing cost.Products with coir fibre as their basic raw material were on show at the exhibition. Among these were tables, stools, book racks and kitchen cabinets. With glazed finish and eco-friendly nature, they are destined to be natural favourites in times to come.These products are the results of a joint initiative by the Coir Board and the National Institute of Design (NID). The initiative is for long-term research for developing new applications of coir composite materials and designs. It is expected that the technology for developing these materials and their designs will be made widely available.Eco-friendlyCoir has been known to be one of the hottest fibres in the world market largely due to its eco-friendly nature.The Coir Board has been engaged in research for developing new products such as coir composites, which have been test-marketed already. Response to coir composites has been positive.Ideal substitutePrimarily, coir composites are substitutes for plywood, hardboard and medium-density wood fibre boards. Replacing the use of tropical forest timber, coir composites go a long way in serving the cause of environment.The magnitude of the destruction of tree cover is evident from the numbers provided in a souvenir released at the two-day seminar.According to the estimate, 20,000 interior designers and architects in India use up 54,60,000 trees a year. This needs clearing of 50,753 acres of forests.Timber-deficitIndia, a timber-deficit country, relies heavily on imports and its annual requirement is 40 million cubic metres.Against this, the availability is 0.25 million cubic metres. This calls for identification of substitutes, supply of which can be sustained over a long period of time. And it is estimated that coir composites can save trees in big numbers….More

The Hindu : Guard your infrastructureD. MURALIDriving on my favourite stretch this morning, I hoped once again in vain for the signal to turn red, so I can relax even if for only a few seconds. But that was not to be, because the traffic kept moving, what with VIP cars zipping past in a tearing hurry, with lights on, and cops shooing off motorists. What an irony that the very people who are meant to serve the common man are so insulated from the ground realities, I thought.One such reality is the status of our road infrastructure, either clogged up with too many vehicles finding their way through haphazard parking, or dug up for reasons few would be aware of.It must be said to the credit of the police that they are visible in many places, to ease the traffic flow. But they too are helpless when a vehicle sporting red flashing lights, of a politician or a sarkari babu, seeks preference to everybody else.Thus, even as you battle out the harshness of a 5 kmph crawl on a scorching morning, there is this ‘highness’ bungling with Sudoku, for all you know, in the rear seat of an air-conditioned car blaring its way as if the voter didn’t matter.Come to think of it, infrastructure is more than a software park. It does make a difference even when you are inside your house, by ensuring predictability in the supply of essential services such as power and water.Infrastructure comes under stress and, at times, breaks down in times of crisis. A reader mails in with a comparison to show how the response time during Mumbai floods betters what the U.S. could achieve post-Katrina.InspiringOne reason, in my view, is that we don’t bet much on the authorities. Haven’t you heard of stories from your Mumbai friends and relatives of common people standing on the road and helping the stranded?Ramani, a…More

The Hindu : The city is turning into a business hub. The new international airport will further draw business travellers to the city. The number of executives staying in the city on work for weeks is a common phenomenon. IT organisations have a number of techies coming to the city on projects and staying for a few months. This is fuelling a demand for serviced apartments. They are an economical, efficient and convenient option for organisations that frequently have people coming to the city for extended stays.As the name suggests, they are simply flats that comes with housekeeping services. These facilities, structured along residential buildings, offer catering, laundry, housekeeping, secretarial and business services to the guests. They also offer the convenience of a home as they come with a kitchen and separate bedroom. In essence, they are homes away from home. Serviced apartments are good for those who prefer staying at home. They can cook their own food if they want to. This makes a long stay away from home more comfortable. It affords the privacy people need.The most significant feature of serviced apartments, especially for single women, is the security they offer. They come with round-the-clock security and a receptionist who screens visitors. With limited access to the rooms, it is safe for women staying alone for long periods.Also, invariably, in case of serviced apartments, the lobby manager and housekeeping personnel will be familiar with the guest. So the guest is fully aware of the identity of everyone who has access to the room and floor. It is possible to receive guests without compromising on security, as the apartments come with a lobby and cafe.Serviced apartments can be booked through realtors and directly as in the case of hotels. They are easy to locate through the Internet. Also, many a time, people prefer to stay in the one they are used to. So, finding a good serviced…More

The Hindu : Reduce, reuse, recycleThe simple formula of using the three ‘R’s in the property industry will help in creating cleaner living spaces and preserving nature, says MYTHILI G. NIRVANThe pollution level in the city is increasing every day. The number of vehicles has been steadily increasing. And the number of trees on either side of the roads has been reducing. Road widening and property development have taken a toll on the city’s green cover. Lack of adequate space for rainwater seepage into the ground has led to dropping water tables. Discharge of industrial effluents has led to polluted ground water.What is the answer to the problem of environment degradation and pollution?There is no point in berating development. There is bound to be a rapid growth and the city’s boundaries are bound to go further. More vehicles will ply on the roads and there will be lesser number of trees in the city limits. This is the price one has to pay for development.“The answer lies in innovation and eco-friendly measures in production and built environments. We need to ensure that as many products as possible are made using bio-degradable materials. Also, we need to minimise cutting down trees or tapping fossil fuels. This certainly is possible without putting the brakes on the pace of commercial development,” advises Ramakumar Purushotham, Associate Vice-President, Energy Upstream, Enzen Global Solutions, an energy and environment consulting firm.Formula for conservation“There is a simple formula to conserve the environment: The Three ‘R’s — Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle,” explains Ramakumar. “Every manufacturing industry can adapt these methods in the processes easily. A national environment policy will soon be put in place. This policy aims at creating cleaner manufacturing processes that will not endanger the environment.”In the context of the property sector, it is possible to create a more eco-friendly environment using the simple formula of the three ‘R’s.Reduce strainIt is necessary to reduce the…More

The Hindu : Crammed existence in urban areas allows very few the pride of owning a sprawling garden. However, a garden in the courtyard is not without its share of problems and requires utmost care in terms of safety and lighting. After all, one would not want reptiles and rats running across once darkness sets in.Safety is not the only issue when it comes to lighting up the garden. Illumination also enhances the magnificence of plant life, if used with discretion.Excessive lighting can generate a lot of heat which may result in the plants wilting away while lesser than required light will defeat the very purpose of using it. If the garden has pathways, it is wiser to have floor-mounted lamps installed on both sides of the pathway, though at alternate spots. However, if the paths are too narrow, one can go for lights mounted inside the ground. Apart from serving the practical needs, the fixtures in the floor will enhance the aesthetics using diffusive light. They are ideal to use around fountains and rock gardens apart from the pathways.Wall mounted lamps too, apart from adding to the beauty, serve an important purpose by keeping away rodents and reptiles from foraying into the built-in area.The market is flooded with umpteen lighting options for the garden. Contemporary designs with metallic, vertical and angular orientations are the most preferred ones, while for those with conservative tastes, traditional lamps with curves and ornamentation will serve the purpose.Double roleLamps doubling up as garden seats are an option. As seats, they can bear a weight up to 120 kg. The entire bottom portion emits light by way of a CFL lamp fixed inside. Another option is the lamp shade serving as a container if it has a plant and as a seat when it is empty. Reading lamps with water-proof technology is another choice if you happen to be a book-worm. Use of…More

The Hindu : Office space demand high in BangaloreThe demand for office space remained upbeat across major cities and stood at approximately 14 million sq.ft. in the first quarter of 2008, according to the latest Cushman & Wakefield report. The demand included absorption of 8.2 million sq.ft. and pre commitments of approximately 5.5 million sq.ft. The absorption in the first quarter recorded a growth of 67 per cent over the absorption in same period last year, reiterating the fundamentally strong market dynamics whichcontinue to drive demand. Bangalore recorded the highest office space demand in the Q1 2008 with 5.14 million sq. ft. followed by NCR with 2.2 million sq. ft. The two cities also witnessed the highest pre-commitments in the quarter.The quantum of pre-commitments has not witnessed a significant increase in the first quarter vis-À-vis last year which is due to the increased availability of ready-to -move-in space in various cities, predominantly in the peripheral and suburban micro markets. According to the Cushman & Wakefield report, the first quarter of 2008 witnessed a total office supply of 15.54 million sq. ft. which constitutes approximately 19 per cent of the total expected supply for the year 2008 which is estimated to be 82.8 million sq.ft.Rise in rentalsRentals across office real estate markets showed a marginal average increase of six per cent over the last quarter as indicated by C&W, coinciding with the increase in overall office supply. The rents in the CBD locations continue to witness relatively higher growth. However, despite the modest increase overall, rentals in a substantial number of micro-markets across the major cities remained stagnant in Q1 2008. Some suburban and peripheral locations witnessed a slight decline in rental value. The fall in Noida was approximately three per cent. The stability and marginal decline can be attributed to the high price points already attained by most of the micro markets….More

The Hindu : Most people who source water from the mainline service providers do not need to worry about quality. Those who source water from borewells or from private tankers or even those who buy bottled water need to be aware of water quality requirements for their own health.The municipality or the water supply board usually ensures the presence of residual chlorine in the water supplied. This ensures that all bacteria are killed and also do not emerge over the course of a day or two of storage. By using a simple chloroscope available in the market one can check whether the residual chlorine presence is as necessary. If it is less than the recommended limit, chlorine tablets can be added to treat the water.A H2S strip test bottle can also be used to check whether bacteria is present in the water we drink.Look for the colourA sample of water must be placed in the bottle and observed for 36 hours. If the sample turns black it indicates the presence of e-coli bacteria and adequate precautions are to be taken to treat the water before consumption.Awareness of water quality, simple tests to determine whether the water we consume is good or not and then basic treatment of water will ensure good health for the family.(Ph:23641690 orzenrainman@gmail.com)…More

The Hindu : Anywhere gardenFor some greenery in your flat, space need not be as much of a constraint as you imagine it to be — if you are given to thinking imaginatively.If you have given up hope of ever seeing greenery in your apartment for want of space, here are some ideas to get you thinking positively again. Exnora, a non-governmental organisation in Chennai, has been encouraging city folks living in small apartments to grow plants and has come up with quite a few ideas to beat the space problem. Of course, some of these may not seem all that stylish, butonce you get the hang of them, it should not be that difficult to come up with your own elegant solution to setting up a garden of sorts in limited space.Think verticalOne idea is to think vertical, instead of horizontal, if you are cramped for space. This means growing plants in a tiered structure, instead of spreading them out all over.This can be as simple as stacking a few soil-filled containers in a zigzag way and growing plants in the corners or even punching holes in a sack at several levels and getting plants to grow in vertical arrays. M.B. Nirmal, who spearheads Exnora, vouches for the growth of plants this way. Many plants can thus be grown in a place where normally only one plant can be accommodated, he says.Pots can be stacked atop one another, filled with soil and holes can be drilled on the sides for planting the seeds. If you like something more elaborate, then go for a framework made of metal to have your pots placed in vertical stacks. There are many ways this can be done. The pots can be arranged around a vertical pole or you can go for a rack-like structure, for instance.Some methods of growing are more suited for some kinds of plants than others — those…More

The Hindu : The new brokers?List property and view responses on your mobile without any Internet connection! A look at the new feature by RANJANI GOVINDDon’t think SMS is meant for just college dudes and IT yuppies! The Short Messaging Service is soon going to invent opportunities in the online real estate space too! The online portal, Makaan.com, has announced the launch of ‘Makaan Mobile’ — where you can send an SMS to clinch a property deal.Makaan Mobile provides an alternative to property sellers who currently need to log on to the Internet either to list their property or to view responses from interested buyers.Global linkMakaan.com is all set to help users make profitable decisions related to buying, selling, renting and leasing of property in India while throwing light on key global geographies.The application, developed by Mauj Mobile, harnesses the power of SMS and is compatible with almost all GSM models and can cater to a subscriber base close to 200 million in India alone, which is almost four times the size of the Internet consumer base.This pioneering concept, (being a pure SMS-based product) is with a website that aims at making property buying and selling effortless and non-technical for the user. Easy use and mobile convenience are the mantras of the portal.Aditya Verma, Business Head, Makaan.com, said, “The idea of the application germinated from the need to connect with users who are generally on the move and do not have regular access to the Internet.”Makaan Mobile is expected to play a telling role in the days ahead in the way property is bought and sold in the country.Currently South India has 55.9 million GSM users and given the fact that Makaan.com sees around two lakh unique visitors per month from this region, the application is expected to make a difference amongst the property-selling community, especially real-estate agents for whom the mobile phone is a necessity.Commenting on the…More