Earth, addiction and free software | Online

Goggle at Google Earth
Ever wondered what your country might look like from up above? Go to earth.google.com. Google Earth puts a planet's worth of imagery and other geographic information on your desktop. I'm saying 'on your desktop' because you have to download its version, at least the free one. Go through the maps and satellite images to find the world's most exotic locales or just any place of your interest. Select the region you want to explore and pronto, you are in another world.

Are you addicted?
Does it feel like a big deal if you spend a day or two away from the Internet? If your answer is yes, you might have caught the Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), recognised by American Psychiatric Association, and need help. But if your job requires you to be online for long hours, it doesn't necessarily mean you have IAD. The threat arises when the time you spend on the Net stunts your ability to function and derive pleasure from other activities. If you think you have IAD, visit http://netaddiction.com and assess your risk level.

Free, original and useful
Nepal celebrated the International Free Open Source Software Day (FOSS) on 10 September for the first time at a workshop organised by Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya (MPP) at Yala Maya Kendra. A presentation was made on the importance of open source in today's expensive world, migration from other operating software and more. Several colleges participated to show different applications like Nepali Messenger, and Tourist Guide using open source software. "We want to educate people about the benefits of using free open source software," said Subir Pradhananga of MPP. The concept of free open source software was put forward by Richard Stalman in 1985. Linux, Apache, Python are some examples of open source programmes. MPP is currently working on a Nepali version of Linux, Nepalinux, which is an open source operating system. FOSS has the power to revolutionise the way we think about and use software.