Baidu Search in list of 47 Chinese apps banned recently

New Delhi: Baidu Search figures in the list of 47 Chinese apps that were banned by India last month, according to a source.

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Top 10 pandemic movies to binge in lockdown

Top 10 pandemic movies to binge in lockdown

Cinema or any form of art often imitates what happens in real life. As the COVID-19 pandemic is spreading throughout the world, there are many movies that were based on pandemics or disasters that are gaining much recognition amid lockdowns imposed in many countries.

The films such as Hollywood blockbuster “Contagion” and Malayalam Thriller “The Virus” is getting popularity as people started watching these movies. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Contagion is one of the most popular movies being streamed around the world.

Kedarnath temple open; first puja performed on behalf of PM

Kedarnath temple open; first puja performed on behalf of PM

Dehradun: The portals of the Kedarnath temple were opened on Wednesday, April 29 with the first puja performed on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and only members of the shrine’s committee and administrative officials attending it amid the COVID-19-induced lockdown.

The doors of the eleventh jyotirlinga at Kedarnath in the Garhwal Himalayas were opened at 6.10 am. The temple was decorated in a grand way with 10 quintals of flowers, temple committee officials said.

The portals of the four famous Himalayan shrines  Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri are opened every year between April and May after a six-month closure during which they remain completely snowbound.

The Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines were opened on April 26 on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya. The Badrinath shrine will open on May 15.

“The first ‘rudrabhishek’ was performed on behalf of Prime Minister Modi,” a Kedarnath temple committee official said.

The pujas were performed by Shivshankar Ling in the absence of the chief priest, Bhimashankar Ling, who is in 14 days of quarantine.

Only priests of the temple and officials of the temple committee and administration were present during the puja. Due to the lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, pilgrims are not being allowed to visit the temple, an official said.

The portals of the temple have been opened so that priests can offer prayers regularly.

Suzuki Motorcycle launches BS-VI compliant GIXXER bikes

Suzuki Motorcycle launches BS-VI compliant GIXXER bikes

New Delhi: Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd (SMIPL) on Wednesday launched BS-VI compliant GIXXER series of motorcycles priced between Rs 1.12-1.23 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The series comprises GIXXER and GIXXER SF bikes which are powered by a 155cc engine capable of generating power of 13.6ps, the company said in a statement.

While the GIXXER is priced at Rs 1,11,871, the GIXXER SF comes at Rs 1,21,871 and GIXXER SF MotoGP edition is tagged at Rs 1,22,900, it added.

“Suzuki Motorcycle India has plans to grow at a robust pace with its flagship brand, GIXXER. Both BS-VI compliant GIXXER SF and GIXXER, designed keeping the Indian customers in mind, have become even more environment-friendly without compromising on the overall power and performance,” SMIPL Managing Director Koichiro Hirao said.

‘What makes Saturn’s atmosphere hot decoded’

‘What makes Saturn’s atmosphere hot decoded’

Houston: The outer layer of Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus, are hot just like the Earth’s likely due to electric current at the planets’ poles, according to a study, which is the most complete mapping yet of both temperature and density of a gas giant’s upper atmosphere.

Researchers, including those from the University of Arizona in the US, used data from the Cassini spacecraft which observed Saturn for more than 13 years before exhausting its fuel supply, and found that electric currents in the upper layers of these planets could be making them very hot.

According to the study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, these electric currents, triggered by interactions between solar winds and charged particles from Saturn’s moons, spark the auroras and heat the upper atmosphere.

It said the phenomenon is similar to the Earth’s northern lights, or auroras, indicating that the process can shed light on what’s going on in the atmosphere of other planets.

“Understanding the dynamics really requires a global view. This dataset is the first time we’ve been able to look at the upper atmosphere from pole to pole while also seeing how temperature changes with depth,” said Zarah Brown, lead author of the study from the University of Arizona.

In the study, the scientists built a picture of how heat circulates in the atmosphere of Saturn, helping understand how auroral electric currents heat the upper layers of the planet’s atmosphere and drive winds.

They said the planet’s global wind system can distribute this energy, which is initially deposited near the poles toward the equatorial regions, heating them to twice the temperatures expected from the Sun’s heating alone.

“The results are vital to our general understanding of planetary upper atmospheres, and are an important part of Cassini’s legacy,” said study co-author Tommi Koskinen from the University of Arizona.

“They help address the question of why the uppermost part of the atmosphere is so hot, while the rest of the atmosphere  due to the large distance from the Sun – is cold,” Koskinen said.

Measuring the density of Saturn’s atmosphere using data from the Cassini mission gave the scientists the information they needed to find the temperatures, the study noted.

The scientists said the density decreased with altitude, with the rate of decrease depending on temperature.

They found that temperatures peak near the auroras, indicating that the electric currents near the poles heat the upper atmosphere. Density and temperature measurements helped figure out wind speeds, the study noted.

Understanding Saturn’s upper atmosphere, where planet meets space, according to the study, is key to understanding space weather and its impact on other planets in our solar system and exoplanets around other stars.

“Even though thousands of exoplanets have been found, only the planets in our solar system can be studied in this kind of detail. Thanks to Cassini, we have a more detailed picture of Saturn’s upper atmosphere right now than any other giant planet in the universe,” Brown said.

OnePlus 8 series to be launched in India in next few months

OnePlus 8 series to be launched in India in next few months

New Delhi: Chinese premium smartphone maker OnePlus on Tuesday, April 14 unveiled its latest flagship OnePlus 8 series that will be launched in India in the next few months.

The global launch comes at a time when the Indian government has extended the nationwide lockdown to May 3 to contain the spread of COVID-19 infections.

Given that smartphones have not been classified under the essential items category (like grocery and medicines), they are not allowed to be sold online or in physical stores amid the lockdown.

While the company did not provide a specific launch date for India, it said “the OnePlus 8 flagship series and the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z will be available in India this summer”.

It also did not disclose the India pricing of the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. In the US, the devices will be priced USD 699 onwards and will be available later this month.

OnePlus chose to unveil the devices via a webcast instead of an on-ground event in view of the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed thousands of lives globally.

The OnePlus 8 Pro includes features like 6.78-inch display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, up to 12 GB RAM, quad rear camera set up (with 48MP main camera) and 4,510 mAh battery (with Warp Charge 30 Wireless charging solution).

The company said it will be among the the first in the industry to release a full line up of 5G devices in 2020.

According to Counterpoint Research Associate Director Tarun Pathak, in terms of features, OnePlus will again live up to its expectations of an Android flagship.

“With 5G and latest features, it is again likely to be among the top Android flagships. For sales perspective, its launch quarter will surely be impacted for example in India where around one-third of its annual sales happen during launch in Q2 quarter,” he added.

To offset this, OnePlus will need to aggressively scale up its efforts in the third and fourth quarters, he said.

“We think demand will be shifted in India due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Given its brand image and good exposure to online, it look for different ways to push sales especially related to upgrades as it has a loyal userbase,” he said.

“This will also be the first time when OnePlus new launch sales will overlap with the launch quarters of Samsung Note and Apple iPhone refresh too. So we expect a strong competition in India in the premium market in Q3 and Q4,” he added.

Twitter witnessed a 30% rise in daily average users amid Lockdown

Twitter witnessed a 30% rise in daily average users amid Lockdown

Amid Covid-19 lockdown, most of them are staying home and social media apps like Snapchat, Whatsapp, Tiktok and Twitter have seen a rise in the daily average users.

As per the data of Kalagato, Twitter saw a 30% rise in daily average users in India between February and March.
Apart from that, Live streaming platform Live.me recorded a 25% rise in Daily average users. TikTok recorded 11% growth, ShareChat and Helo app record 6% and 7% growth, respectively.

Also,Facebook and LinkedIn recorded a 1% and 32% decline in active users and Instagram neither recorded a rise nor a dip in daily average users.

In talks with 3 medical device cos to manufacture ventilators: MG Motor India

In talks with 3 medical device cos to manufacture ventilators: MG Motor India

New Delhi: MG Motor India is in talks with three medical device makers, including GE, to produce ventilators at its Halol facility to help meet demand during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a top company official.

The company, which has also launched a hunt for a low-cost ventilator design through a challenge, is also developing its own ventilator and hopes to be ready with a prototype within a week as part of its three-pronged approach to get into ventilator manufacturing considering the shortage during this health crisis.

“We are talking to medical equipment companies like GE and some other companies, which already have established and approved designs. If they can tell us, then we can start manufacturing based on their design in our plant,” MG Motor India President and Managing Director Rajeev Chaba told PTI.

He further said all three companies have responded positively and that can be the fastest solution if there is a design approved by the medical body already and everything is in place.

Besides, he said, “In the last 10 days, our engineering team is busy making a prototype. I’m happy to say that we have already made the drawings and everything. We have talked to the medical experts, our prototype should be ready in the next one week. If that prototype is approved, then our own designed ventilator can be manufactured by MG in India.”

However, this approach will take some more time as it needs regulatory approvals, he added.

The company has also announced a Rs 10 lakh grant through its “challenge to youngsters and young engineers that if they want to make a low-cost design, we are going to help them”, Chaba said.

On the manufacturing of ventilators, he said MG Motor India will create infrastructure at its Halol facility and would even carve out a separate unit if need be.

“If the car demand is not too much in future then my existing manpower can work on this project. We may have to have some new capex for this kind of a thing, although I don’t know exactly how does that look like. But then we will look at putting the right capex into this project to make the ventilators,” he said.

On the other hand, Chaba said that if the demand for the company’s vehicles continues and have waiting period as it is now and “if our people get busy making the cars, I feel we would carve out a separate unit for ventilators.”

“If we have to recruit more people, we will do it to have more people into this project because this virus is not going to go away in the next three years or so,” he said, stressing that even if vaccines are developed for the coronavirus it is going to take long to make them available at a mass scale.

He further said that in India at the moment there is a huge gap between demand and supply for ventilators.

“We don’t want to make this as a profit making venture. If we can keep it low cost and operate at breakeven and supply to the community, to the government, it will be a great service,” Chaba said.

TikTok becomes the most downloaded social media app during lockdown

               TikTok becomes the most downloaded social media app during lockdown

India is currently under a lockdown and people are more active on social media apps. Now according to a recent report,  TikTok app was the most downloaded ones in the social media category, followed by WhatsApp and Facebook during the 21 days.

The mobile and data analytics company reported that overall social media app downloads have increased by 20% compared to January 2020, reaching a total of 49 million on both iOS and Google Play platforms.

It is said that apart from that, Helo was also among the highly-downloaded apps. Helo is another short video app that is owned by ByteDance, the same software firm that owns TikTok.

It is also said that during the lockdown usage and engagement rates of TikTok and Instagram’s live videos have gone up significantly with more content and views being generated by users.

Covid-19: All you need to know about Hydroxychloroquine

Covid-19: All you need to know about Hydroxychloroquine

Although we still haven’t developed any kind of vaccination to cure Covid-19, Hydroxychloroquine is making a lot of buzz lately.

What is Hydroxychloroquine?

Hydroxychloroquine is one of the oldest and best-known anti-malarial drugs. It is also used to treat autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Although its effectiveness is controversial, the drug has been approved by the FDA for emergency use for some patients who are hospitalized with coronavirus.

Does it have side effects?

Hydroxychloroquine has a long list of possible side effects such as psychiatric symptoms, cardiac problems.

Does it help in dealing with Covid-19?

Researchers are still trying to figure out whether hydroxychloroquine helps in dealing with Covid-19 or if they are getting better on their own. A recent study claimed that chloroquine could block the coronavirus from invading cells, which it must do to replicate and cause illness. But, drugs that fight viruses in test tubes do not always work in the human body.
Doctors of France and China say that hydroxychloroquine, sometimes combined with the antibiotic azithromycin, seemed to help patients.

Can I use the drug to prevent Covid-19?

No, there is no evidence that hydroxychloroquine can prevent coronavirus infection and taking such drugs without prescription can be fatal.

How to wake up early? Here are a few tips to help you become an early riser

How to wake up early? Here are a few tips to help you become an early riser

It is said that waking up early is one of the best ways to be more productive and cheerful throughout the day. But most people struggle to wake up early due to unhealthy sleep cycle.

Here are a few tips to help you wake up early

First thing is to not drive yourself with guilt of waking up early. Always get excited about your day.

It is important to sleep well and avoid using mobile phones while going to sleep.

Have a specific morning routine like yoga or something simple like feeding your pets as it makes it easier to wake up early.

Keep yourself motivated and try training your mind in such a way that you be determined to do the task. Watch motivational videos and read blogs.

After you wake up, it is your duty to make your mornings more fun and productive so that it acts as a motivation for next day.

4 Natural ways to sharpen your memory

4 Natural ways to sharpen your memory

Be it vehicle keys or grocery list most of the people forget things occasionally and assume it to be completely normal but memory loss is nothing to take lightly.

It is said that memory loss at young age can disrupt the functions of our brain. It is said that it can affect our concentration power and also makes it a bit harder to learn new things

Here are a few tips to sharpen your memory

Meditation

It is said that meditation increases gray matter in the brain which contains neuron cell bodies which impacts memory.

Less sugar intake

Eating sugar can lead to poor memory and reduced brain volume. Less sugar intake will not only improve memory but will also improve overall health.

Proper sleep

It is said that if you are sleep deprived, you could be negatively impacting your memory.Hence, it is important to get enough sleep.

Exercise

According to a recent study, exercise increases the secretion of neuroprotective proteins and improves the growth and development of neurons, leading to improved brain health.

Google Cloud to launch second cloud region in India

Google Cloud to launch second cloud region in India

New Delhi: Google on Thursday announced its plans to open a Delhi cloud region, expected in 2021. This will be the company’s second cloud region in India since it launched one in Mumbai in 2017.

The new cloud region will expand Google’s existing network which stands at eight regions in the Asia Pacific and 22 regions globally today, it said in a statement.

Google cloud regions bring Google Cloud Platform (GCP) services to global organisations in industries like media and entertainment, retail and manufacturing.

“As the company’s customers in India grow and diversify, Google continues to advance and invest in its cloud infrastructure to help regulated industries such as healthcare and financial services, as well as public sector organisations across India achieve their goals,” it said.

GCP regions are the cornerstone of Google’s cloud infrastructure, and they enable customers to “deliver high performing, secure, low latency, cloud-based services to their users, no matter where they are around the world,” it said.

Projected to launch in 2021, the Delhi cloud region will have three zones to protect against service disruptions.

The region will also include a portfolio of key GCP products, offer lower latency to nearby users and, when combined with the existing region in Mumbai, enable geographically separate in-country disaster recovery for the customers’ mission-critical applications, it said.

First liver transplant from a living donor in Odisha

First liver transplant from a living donor in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: A hospital here has successfully conducted first liver transplant from a living donor in Odisha, doctors said.

The doctors of the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital here along with the Hyderabad’s Yashoda Hospital, successfully conducted a living donor liver transplantation on Thursday.

The surgeries were conducted on 55-year-old Jayanta Biswal, a resident of Nilagiri in Balasore district, and his young son Saumya Ranjan Biswal (19), a BCom student, who donated a portion of his liver.

Both the father and son were doing fine after the marathon surgery. They are presently kept under observation in the ICU, said Prof Manoj Kumar Sahu, the head of Gastroenterology at SUM hospital.

Biswal had been suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver and it was decided to conduct the transplantation to save his life, Prof Sahu said, adding that patients in Odisha can now expect to get liver transplantation with low cost.

Prof (Dr) P Balachandran Menon, Chief Liver Transplant surgeon from Yashoda Hospital assisted by doctors of IMS and SUM hospital, led the team during the surgery.

“Cirrhosis of liver is the end stage liver disease with an invariably progressive course. The number of patients suffering from cirrhosis of liver is on the rise in Odisha mainly because of the change in people’s lifestyle,” Dr Sahu said, adding the prohibitive cost of such surgery also stood in the way of patients availing the facility elsewhere.

Prof Sahu said, “while a liver transplantation outside costs above Rs 25 lakh, we hope to provide the service at about Rs 10 lakh.

Ways to store your food items for a longer time during lockdown

Ways to store your food items for a longer time during lockdown

After the announcement of 21-day lockdown, people went into a panic rush and started buying food items in bulk. But, one must also understand that food can start to go bad rather fast and if you want the food to last longer,

Here are some ways in which you can preserve your food

• Store tomatoes, potatoes, onion and garlic at room temperature,
• It is recommended that you boil vegetables like broccoli, peas for 30 seconds before freezing them
• Store milk at the back of your fridge as the area is cooler rather than storing milk and other dairy foods at the fridge door.
• Before storing leafy vegetables, it is best to rinse them first and then dry and wrap in a paper towel which will absorb moisture.
• To avoid fruits from going bad, it is better to juice and store in airtight glass containers, and store them in the fridge.

5 foods that weaken your immune system

5 foods that weaken your immune system

Your lifestyle depends on how well your immune system can protect you from germs, viruses, and chronic illness and certain foods can suppress your immune system

Here are a few foods that weaken your immune system

Sugary snacks

Sugar contains unwanted strains of bacteria the more they feed on, the faster they grow, allowing them to crowd out beneficial bacteria in the body. Sugar also directly impacts your immune system by replacing vitamin C, a core nutrient for your immune cells.

Caffeine

Caffeine can have some unwanted effects on your immune system. Although, the boost of energy helps you wake up in the morning, it also has unpleasant side effect of boosted cortisol levels. Cortisol is a  hormone released in response to stress and it can also lower your immune function if you regularly have high levels of cortisol flowing throughout your body.

Alcoholic beverages

Alcohol has a couple of effects on your immune system including reducing the function of your macrophages, the cells that break down foreign invaders.

Fast food

Regularly eating fast food can actually reprogram the way your immune system reacts to potential issues, putting it in a prolonged state of alert.

Refined oils

Eating food cooked in refined oils can put a lot of stress on your system, leading to the damage of your delicate tissues and put your body through temporary inflammation.

ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯ ಚಂದಾ! ಉಚಿತ ತಾಣದ ಖರ್ಚು ವೆಚ್ಚ

ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯ ಚಂದಾ! ಉಚಿತ ತಾಣದ ಖರ್ಚು ವೆಚ್ಚ

ಯಾವುದೇ ವಿಷಯದ ಕುರಿತು ತಿಳಿದುಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕೆಂದರೂ ಸರ್ಚ್‌ ಎಂಜಿನ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಧುತ್ತನೆ ಮೊದಲು ಕಾಣಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಪೇಜು ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಾದ್ದು. ಅಲ್ಲಿನ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ವಿಶ್ವಾಸಾರ್ಹ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಅದರ ಹೆಗ್ಗಳಿಕೆ. ಪ್ರಪಂಚದ ಟಾಪ್‌ 10 ಜನಪ್ರಿಯ ಜಾಲತಾಣಗಳ ಪಟ್ಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಾ ಇದೆ. ಲಾಭರಹಿತ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯಾಗಿರುವ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಾ, ಇತ್ತೀಚಿಗೆ ಭಾರತೀಯ ಬಳಕೆದಾರರಿಂದ ಹಣಸಹಾಯ ಕೇಳಿತ್ತು. ನಮಗೆಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಉಚಿತವಾಗಿ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಹಂಚುವ ಕೆಲಸದಲ್ಲಿ ತೊಡಗಿರುವ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಾ ಹೇಗೆ ಕಾರ್ಯಾಚರಿಸುತ್ತದೆ, ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ತಗುಲುವ ಖರ್ಚುಗಳು ಏನೇನು ಎಂಬಿತ್ಯಾದಿ ವಿಚಾರಗಳ ಕುರಿತ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿದೆ…

ವಿವಿಧ ವಿಷಯಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಪ್ರಪಂಚದ ಹಲವಾರು ಭಾಷೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ನೀಡುವ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯ, ತನ್ನನ್ನು ಒಂದು ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರ (“ಫ್ರೀ’) ವಿಶ್ವಕೋಶವೆಂದು ಕರೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಹಿಂದಿನ ಕಾಲದ ಮುದ್ರಿತ ವಿಶ್ವಕೋಶಗಳಿಗೂ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಕ್ಕೂ ಇರುವ ವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸವೇ ಅದು. ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯ ಮುದ್ರಿತ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ ಮತ್ತು ಇದನ್ನು ಬಳಸಲು ಹಣ ಕೊಡಬೇಕಿಲ್ಲ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಈ ವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸದ ಒಂದು ಮುಖ. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಯಾರು ಬೇಕಾದರೂ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಸೇರಿಸಬಹುದು- ಇರುವ ಮಾಹಿತಿಯನ್ನು ತಿದ್ದಬಹುದು ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಪ್ರಮುಖ ಅಂಶ.

ವಿಕಿಮೀಡಿಯ ಫೌಂಡೇಶನ್‌ ಎಂಬ ಸ್ವಯಂಸೇವಾ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ಆಶ್ರಯದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆಯುವ ಈ ತಾಣವನ್ನು ರೂಪಿಸಿದವರು ಅಮೆರಿಕಾದ ಜಿಮ್ಮಿ ವೇಲ್ಸ… ಹಾಗೂ ಲ್ಯಾರಿ ಸ್ಯಾಂಗರ್‌. ಈ ತಾಣ ಪ್ರಾರಂಭವಾಗಿದ್ದು 2001ರ ಜನವರಿ 15ರಂದು. ಮೊದಲಿಗೆ ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್‌ ಭಾಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ (en.wikipedia.org) ಮಾತ್ರವೇ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ನೀಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯ ಇದೀಗ ಕನ್ನಡ (kn.wikipedia.org), ತುಳು (tcy.wikipedia.org) ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಪ್ರಪಂಚದ 300ಕ್ಕೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಭಾಷೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಲಭ್ಯವಿದೆ. ಫೆಬ್ರವರಿ 2020ರ ಅಂಕಿಅಂಶಗಳ ಪ್ರಕಾರ, ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್‌ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯ ಒಂದರಲ್ಲೇ 60 ಲಕ್ಷಕ್ಕೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಬರಹಗಳಿವೆಯಂತೆ!

ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಕ್ಕೆ ನಾವೂ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಸೇರಿಸಬಹುದೇ?
ಯಾರು ಬೇಕಾದರೂ ತಮ್ಮ ಆಸಕ್ತಿಯ ವಿಷಯಗಳ ಕುರಿತು ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಸೇರಿಸಲು ಅನುವುಮಾಡಿಕೊಡುವುದು ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯದ ವೈಶಿಷ್ಟ್ಯ. ತಮ್ಮ ಇಷ್ಟದ ವಿಷಯದ ಕುರಿತು ತಮ್ಮ ಆಯ್ಕೆಯ ಭಾಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಸೇರಿಸಲು ಹೊರಡುವವರಿಗೆ ಬೇಕಾದ ಸಹಾಯ ಮತ್ತು ಮಾರ್ಗದರ್ಶನವೂ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯದಲ್ಲೇ ದೊರಕುತ್ತದೆ. ಹೊಸ ವಿಷಯಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಸೇರಿಸುವುದಷ್ಟೇ ಅಲ್ಲ, ಯಾವುದಾದರೂ ಬರಹದಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ತಪ್ಪು ಅಥವಾ ಅಪೂರ್ಣ ಎನಿಸಿದರೆ ಅದನ್ನು ನಾವೇ ಸರಿಪಡಿಸುವುದು ಕೂಡ ಸಾಧ್ಯ. ಪೂರಕ ಚಿತ್ರ ಅಥವಾ ಬೇರೆ ಜಾಲತಾಣಗಳ ಕೊಂಡಿಗಳನ್ನೂ ನಾವೇ ಸೇರಿಸಬಹುದು.
ಹಾಗೆಂದು ನಮಗೆ ತೋಚಿದ್ದನ್ನೆಲ್ಲ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಕ್ಕೆ ಸೇರಿಸುವಂತಿಲ್ಲ. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಶ್ವಕೋಶ ಮಾದರಿಯ ಲೇಖನಗಳನ್ನಷ್ಟೇ ಸೇರಿಸುವುದು ಅಪೇಕ್ಷಣೀಯ. ಕತೆ, ಕವನ ಹಾಗೂ ವೈಯಕ್ತಿಕ ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯಗಳಿಗೆ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಜಾಗವಿಲ್ಲ. ಬೇರೆಯವರು ಬರೆದದ್ದನ್ನು ಅವರ ಅನುಮತಿಯಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಸೇರಿಸುವುದೂ ತಪ್ಪು. ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಕ್ಕೆ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಸೇರಿಸುವುದು ಸಮುದಾಯದ ಕೆಲಸವೆಂದು ಪರಿಗಣಿಸಲಾಗಿರುವುದರಿಂದ, ಲೇಖನಗಳಿಗೆ ಬೈಲೈನ್‌ ಆಗಲೀ ಸಂಭಾವನೆಯಾಗಲೀ ದೊರಕುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಎಲ್ಲ ಲೇಖಕರೂ ಹೀಗೆ ಉಚಿತವಾಗಿ ಕೆಲಸಮಾಡುವುದರಿಂದಲೇ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಮುಕ್ತವಾಗಿ ಲಭ್ಯವಿದೆ.

ಹೇಗೆ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೆ?
ಲೇಖಕರಿಗೆ ಸಂಭಾವನೆ ಇಲ್ಲ ಎನ್ನುವುದೇನೋ ಸರಿ, ಆದರೆ ಇಷ್ಟೆಲ್ಲ ಅಗಾಧವಾದ ಮಾಹಿತಿಯ ಸಂಗ್ರಹವನ್ನು ನಿಭಾಯಿಸಲು ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು ಹಣ ವೆಚ್ಚವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಗತ್ಯವಾದ ತಾಂತ್ರಿಕ ಸೌಲಭ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಅಳವಡಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ನಿರ್ವಹಿಸುವುದು, ಸಮುದಾಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಕ್ರಿಯರಾಗಿರುವವರಿಗೆ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳನ್ನು ಆಯೋಜಿಸುವುದು, ಒಟ್ಟಾರೆಯಾಗಿ ಎಲ್ಲ ಕೆಲಸಗಳನ್ನು ನಿಭಾಯಿಸುವುದು- ಎಲ್ಲದಕ್ಕೂ ಹಣ ಬೇಕು. ಇತರ ತಾಣಗಳಂತೆ ಜಾಹೀರಾತುಗಳನ್ನು ಪ್ರದರ್ಶಿಸದ, ಮಾಹಿತಿ ನೀಡಲು ಯಾವುದೇ ಶುಲ್ಕ ಪಡೆಯದ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯ ಇದೆಲ್ಲದಕ್ಕೂ ಸಮುದಾಯದ ನೆರವನ್ನೇ ಅವಲಂಬಿಸಿದೆ.
ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯ ಆಗಿಂದಾಗ್ಗೆ ನಡೆಸುವ ಕೊಡುಗೆ ಸಂಗ್ರಹ ಅಭಿಯಾನದ ಪ್ರಕಟಣೆಗಳನ್ನು ನೀವು ನೋಡಿರಬಹುದು. ಇಂತಹ ಅಭಿಯಾನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಗ್ರಹವಾದ ಹಣವನ್ನು ಬಳಸಿಕೊಂಡು ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯ ಪ್ರಪಂಚದೆಲ್ಲೆಡೆ ತನ್ನ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ನಡೆಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಂಚೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಚೆಕ್‌ ಕಳಿಸುವುದರಿಂದ ಪ್ರಾರಂಭಿಸಿ, ಬಿಟ್‌ಕಾಯಿನ್‌ವರೆಗೆ ಲಭ್ಯವಿರುವ ಅನೇಕ ಮಾರ್ಗಗಳನ್ನು ಬಳಸಿ ನಾವು ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಕ್ಕೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಕೊಡುಗೆಯನ್ನು ನೀಡಬಹುದು. ಹಣ ನೀಡಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲದವರು ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಸೇರಿಸುವ, ಇರುವ ಮಾಹಿತಿಯನ್ನು ಉತ್ತಮಪಡಿಸುವ ಮೂಲಕವೂ ನೆರವಾಗಬಹುದು.

ಕಾರ್ಯಾಗಾರಗಳನ್ನು ಏರ್ಪಡಿಸುತ್ತದೆ
ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಾ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳ ಕುರಿತು ಆಸಕ್ತಿ ಇರುವವರಿಗೆ, ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲದೆ ವಿಕಿ ಸಮುದಾಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಈಗಾಗಲೇ ಸಕ್ರಿಯರಾಗಿರುವವರಿಗೆ ಕೂಡ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯ ವತಿಯಿಂದ ಆಗಿಂದಾಗ್ಗೆ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳನ್ನು ಆಯೋಜಿಸುತ್ತಿರುತ್ತದೆ. ಇಂಥ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳ ವಿವರಗಳೂ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯದಲ್ಲೇ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾಗುತ್ತವೆ (ಉದಾ: ಕನ್ನಡ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯದಲ್ಲಿ “ಅರಳಿ ಕಟ್ಟೆ’ ಕೊಂಡಿ). ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯದ ಮಾತೃಸಂಸ್ಥೆ ವಿಕಿಮೀಡಿಯ ಫೌಂಡೇಶನ್‌ ಆಶ್ರಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಿಸುವ ವಿಕ್ಷನರಿ (ನಿಘಂಟು), ವಿಕಿಕೋಟ್‌ (ಹೇಳಿಕೆ ಅಥವಾ ಉದ್ಧರಣಗಳು), ವಿಕಿಸೋರ್ಸ್‌ (ಗ್ರಂಥಾಲಯ) ಮುಂತಾದ ತಾಣಗಳಿಗೂ ನಾವು ನೆರವು ನೀಡಬಹುದು.

ಸೆಂಟರ್‌ ಫಾರ್‌ ಇಂಟರ್ನೆಟ್‌ ಆಂಡ್‌ ಸೊಸೈಟಿ (ಸಿಐಎಸ್‌) ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ, ವಿಕಿಮೀಡಿಯ ಫೌಂಡೇಶನ್‌ ಸಹಯೋಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾರತದ ಹಲವು ವಿಕಿ ಸಮುದಾಯಗಳನ್ನು ಬೆಂಬಲಿಸುವ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದೆ. ವಿದ್ಯಾಸಂಸ್ಥೆಗಳೊಡನೆ ಸಹಭಾಗಿತ್ವ, ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಾಗೆ ಲೇಖನ ಸೇರಿಸುವ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳು (ಎಡಿಟಥಾನ್‌) ಹಾಗೂ ತರಬೇತಿಯ ಆಯೋಜನೆಯಂಥ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ ಸಕ್ರಿಯವಾಗಿದೆ.

ಅದರ ಬಳಿ ಎಷ್ಟು ಹಣವಿದೆ?
ನಮ್ಮ ನಿಮ್ಮಂಥ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಬಳಕೆದಾರರಿಂದ ಹಿಡಿದು ಬೃಹತ್‌ ವಾಣಿಜ್ಯ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಗಳು, ಶ್ರೀಮಂತರು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಕಿಮೀಡಿಯ ಫೌಂಡೇಶನ್‌ಗೆ ದೇಣಿಗೆ ನೀಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. 2018- 19ನೇ ಸಾಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ ಸುಮಾರು 792 ಕೋಟಿ ರೂ.ಗಳಷ್ಟು ದೇಣಿಗೆ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಿಸಿತ್ತು. ಅದೇ ವರ್ಷ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ಕಾರ್ಯಾಚರಣೆಗೆ ತಗುಲಿದ ವೆಚ್ಚ ಸುಮಾರು 658 ಕೋಟಿರೂ. ಈ ಪೈಕಿ ವೇತನ, ಪ್ರಯಾಣ, ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳ ಆಯೋಜನೆಯಂಥ ಉದ್ದೇಶಗಳಿಗೆ ವೆಚ್ಚವಾದ ಹಣದ್ದೇ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಪಾಲು. ದೇಣಿಗೆ ಸಂಗ್ರಹ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮದ ಆಯೋಜನೆ ಹಾಗೂ ದೇಣಿಗೆ ನಿರ್ವಹಣೆಗೆಂದು (ಫ‌ಂಡ್‌-ರೈಸಿಂಗ್‌) ಖರ್ಚಾದ ಮೊತ್ತ ಸುಮಾರು 71 ಕೋಟಿ ರೂ.ಗಳಿಗೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು.

ಅಂದಹಾಗೆ, ಈ ವೆಚ್ಚಗಳು ವಿಕಿಮೀಡಿಯ ಫೌಂಡೇಶನ್‌ ಅಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಿಸುವ ಎಲ್ಲ ಯೋಜನೆಗಳನ್ನೂ ಒಳಗೊಂಡಿವೆ. ಅಮೆರಿಕಾ ಸರಕಾರದಿಂದ ಆದಾಯ ತೆರಿಗೆ ವಿನಾಯಿತಿ ಪಡೆದಿರುವ ವಿಕಿಮೀಡಿಯ ಫೌಂಡೇಶನ್‌, ಹಣಕಾಸು ವಹಿವಾಟಿನ ವಿವರಗಳನ್ನು ಮುಕ್ತವಾಗಿ ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಹಂಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಆ ಮೂಲಕ ಪಾರದರ್ಶಕತೆಯನ್ನು ಕಾಪಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ಅದರದ್ದು. ತನ್ನೆಲ್ಲಾ ಹಣಕಾಸು ಮಾಹಿತಿಯನ್ನು bit.ly/38HruTf ತಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಕಟಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ಆದಾಯ ಹಾಗೂ ವೆಚ್ಚದ ವಿವರಗಳ ಕುರಿತು ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಇರಬಹುದಾದ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಉತ್ತರಿಸುವ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನವನ್ನೂ ಆ ತಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಬಹುದು.

“ವಿಕಿ’ ಎಂದರೇನು?
ವಿಕಿ ಎಂಬ ಶಬ್ದ ಹವಾಯಿ ಭಾಷೆಯದ್ದು. ಆ ಭಾಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ “ವಿಕಿ ವಿಕಿ’ ಎಂದರೆ “ಬಹಳ ಚುರುಕಾದ’ ಎಂಬ ಅರ್ಥ ಇದೆ. ಸಮುದಾಯದ ನೆರವಿನಿಂದ ರೂಪಿಸಲಾದ, ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಸೇರಿಸುವ ಅಥವಾ ಬದಲಿಸುವ ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯವನ್ನು ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ನೀಡುವ ಜಾಲತಾಣಗಳನ್ನು “ವಿಕಿ’ಗಳೆಂದು ಕರೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಈ ಶಬ್ದಕ್ಕೆ ಎನ್‌ಸೈಕ್ಲೋಪೀಡಿಯ (ವಿಶ್ವಕೋಶ) ಎಂಬ ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್‌ ಪದವನ್ನು ಸೇರಿಸಿ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯದ ಹೆಸರನ್ನು ರೂಪಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ.

ಹಣ ಸಹಾಯ ಕೇಳುವುದು ಏತಕ್ಕೆ?
ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ ಜಾಲತಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಬರೆಯುವವರಿಗೆ, ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಒದಗಿಸುವವರಿಗೆ, ಎಡಿಟ್‌ ಮಾಡುವವರಿಗೆ ದುಡ್ಡು ಕೊಡುವ ಪರಿಪಾಠವಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳ ಆಯೋಜನೆ, ದತ್ತಾಂಶ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಿಸುವ ಸರ್ವರ್‌ಗಳ ನಿರ್ವಹಣೆ, ದೇಣಿಗೆ ಸಂಗ್ರಹ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮ ಮುಂತಾದ ಆಡಳಿತಾತ್ಮಕ ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಹಣ ವೆಚ್ಚವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಾವನ್ನು ನಿರ್ವಹಿಸುವುದು ಅದರ ಮಾಲೀಕ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ ವಿಕಿಮೀಡಿಯ ಫೌಂಡೇಶನ್‌ ಎಂಬುದು ಹಲವರಿಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿರಲಿಕ್ಕಿಲ್ಲ. ಜೂನ್‌ 30, 2019ಕ್ಕೆ ಅಂತ್ಯವಾದ ವರ್ಷದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಕಿಮೀಡಿಯ ಫೌಂಡೇಶನ್‌ ಬಳಿ ಇದ್ದ ನಿವ್ವಳ ಆಸ್ತಿಯ ಮೌಲ್ಯ ಸುಮಾರು 1,118 ಕೋಟಿ ರೂ. ಇಷ್ಟೆಲ್ಲ ಹಣ ಇದ್ದರೂ ಆಗಿಂದಾಗ್ಗೆ ದೇಣಿಗೆ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ತೊಡಗಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದೇಕೆ ಎಂಬ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ ಈ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೂಡುವುದು ಸಹಜ. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟೀಕರಣವನ್ನು ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯೇ ನೀಡಿದೆ. ಅನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿತ ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶಗಳನ್ನು, ತುರ್ತು ಸಂದರ್ಭಗಳನ್ನು ಎದುರಿಸಲು ಅನುವಾಗುವಂತೆ ಕನಿಷ್ಠ ಒಂದು ವರ್ಷದ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಣೆಗೆ ಬೇಕಾಗುವಷ್ಟು ಹಣವನ್ನು ವಿಕಿಮೀಡಿಯ ಫೌಂಡೇಶನ್‌ ತನ್ನ ಖಾತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡಿರುತ್ತದೆ. ಈ ಖಾತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹಣದ ಕೊರತೆ ಉಂಟಾದಾಗಲೇ ಅದು, ಬಳಕೆದಾರರ ಸಹಾಯವನ್ನು ಕೋರುವುದು.

– ಟಿ. ಜಿ. ಶ್ರೀನಿಧಿ