What My Son Asked Me Today - 1

My son is rather curious and has been asking many a questions since his childhood.

I shall start listing a question as it occurs and try answering for him and all others !

For starters - "How are pearls made ?"

HOW PEARLS FORM IN OYSTERS

The birth of a pearl is truly a miraculous event. Unlike gemstones or precious metals that must be mined from the earth, pearls are grown by live oysters far below the surface of the sea. Gemstones must be cut and polished to bring out their beauty. But pearls need no such treatment to reveal their loveliness. They are born from oysters complete -- with a shimmering iridescence, lustre and soft inner glow unlike any other gem on earth.

A natural pearl begins its life as a foreign object, such as a parasite or piece of shell that accidentally lodges itself in an oyster's soft inner body where it cannot be expelled. To ease this irritant, the oyster's body takes defensive action. The oyster begins to secrete a smooth, hard crystalline substance around the irritant in order to protect itself. This substance is called "nacre." As long as the irritant remains within its body, the oyster will continue to secrete nacre around it, layer upon layer. Over time, the irritant will be completely encased by the silky crystalline coatings. And the result, ultimately, is the lovely and lustrous gem called a pearl.

How something so wondrous emerges from an oyster's way of protecting itself is one of nature's loveliest surprises. For the nacre is not just a soothing substance. It is composed of microscopic crystals of calcium carbonate, aligned perfectly with one another, so that light passing along the axis of one crystal is reflected and refracted by another to produce a rainbow of light and color.

Cultured pearls share the same properties as natural pearls. Oysters form cultured pearls in an almost identical fashion. The only difference is a person carefully implants the irritant in the oyster, rather than leaving it to chance. We then step aside and let nature create its miracle.

6 Popular Exercises That Are a Waste of Time

February 24, 2014

Upper-Body Football Strength With Ben Watson

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Patrick Willis Strength Training Superset

The chiseled abdominals and boulder shoulders you see on "that guy" in your gym may look impressive, but they won’t give him an advantage when he steps onto the field. The exercises that develop those “beach muscles” can even detract from one’s athletic ability, for a pretty obvious reason: The body is more than a collection of impressive-looking parts. An athlete must know how to move those parts fluidly. That’s far more important than how any one body part looks.

You don't want to perform like Mr. Bodybuilder Guy, so you shouldn't train like him. Unfortunately, many popular exercises were derived from bodybuilder-style workouts, and they work your “show muscles" more than the “go muscles" that tie those parts together.

STACK got in touch with some of the brightest minds in training—Lee Boyce, Alan Stein, Sean Hyson and Steve Grosso—to identify some showy moves that are wasting your time, or worse, hampening your development—so you can strike them from your workouts today. Here are six exercises they identified as the worst offenders, along with a more effective replacement for each.

6. Calf Raises

Why They’re Useless: "Direct calf training is very misunderstood," says Sean Hyson, fitness director of Men’s Fitness magazine and author of The 101 Best Workouts Of All Time. "Calf Raises build the calf muscles but make them more apt to 'pump up' when running and jumping. This is a problem, as pumped calves can be painful to play on and can slow an athlete down."

What You Should Do Instead: “Athletes who let their calves develop naturally as a byproduct of squatting, jumping rope, and their sports training usually [perform] better,” says Hyson.

5. Decline Bench Press

Why It's Useless: Sure, this one works. But it’s not especially useful for athletes. “[Decline Bench Presses] can help make muscles stronger or larger, but the move really doesn't relate to sports," says Lee Boyce, a Toronto-based trainer. "There are much more effective ways for an athlete to train the chest." Think about it—in any game, when was the last time you had your knees bent, feet secured and back supported while you pushed an object upward? It just doesn't happen.

What You Should Do Instead: Boyce recommends Standing Cable Presses (like the Standing Single-Arm Cable Chest Press), which offer a better approximation of moves you perform on the field or court, like pushing a defender away.

4. Leg Press

Why It's Useless: Leg Presses "serve no functional purpose," according to Steve Grosso, CSCS. "It strengthens some muscle groups, but [only] in a guided range of motion."

What You Should Do Instead: Grosso suggests Single-Leg Rear-Foot-Elevated Split Squats. Athletic movements often require you to launch off one leg, and this exercise strengthens your ability to do that.

3. Bicep Curls

Why They’re Useless: You rarely ever pull anything with just your biceps. Most of the time, the larger and stronger muscles of your back are doing the majority of the work. The biceps just provide a little extra oomph. “Trainers tend to program Curls into an athlete's regimen mainly as a way to keep him happy,” says Hyson. “In other words, guys like to do Curls, and bigger, more defined arms can contribute to a more intimidating look, which can give an athlete a psychological edge. But in terms of performance, they don't help much at all.”

What You Should Do Instead: "The Biceps Curl is not the most effective way to build strength in [that muscle group]," says Alan Stein, owner of Stronger Team and former strength and conditioning coach for the McDonald’s All-American Game. "You want big, strong biceps? Do some Pull-Ups!" Also, incorporate moves like the Dumbbell or Barbell Row.

2. Machine Leg Extensions

Why It's Useless: It’s meant to build strength in your quadriceps, but like the other exercises on this list, it trains your muscles in a very limited range of movement. "[Leg Extensions] don’t serve much purpose as it relates to athletic function," says Stein.

What You Should Do Instead: Stein recommends Front Squats or Lunges, both of which require you to balance your body in space, which is of the utmost importance in sports.

1. Smith Machine (Any Exercise)

Why They’re Useless: "Even the most novice athletes should employ exercises that force them to control their body in space," Grosso says. The Smith Machine doesn’t require you to do that. It takes moves that would ordinarily challenge your entire body—like the Squat and Deadlift—and strips them of much of their potency.

What You Should Do Instead: Use free weights for those big, challenging movements. Yes, they’ll be harder than they were when you were on the Smith Machine, but that's kind of the point. If it feels too difficult, use a lighter weight
.

A rocket scientist at Oxford University is designing better cookware

A rocket scientist at Oxford University is designing better cookware

BY SEAN BUCKLEY  @SEANICCUS  JUL 11TH 2014 9:52PM

What do rocket scientists do in their spare time? Design cookware, apparently. AOxford University professor has created a new kind of saucepan that heats up 30-percent faster than traditional cookware. He calls it "Flare," and it borrows from the same principals used to efficiently transfer and distribute heat in jet engines. The pan gets its name from a series of ridges that run around the circumference of its base -- these fins draw flames up the side of the pan and distribute heat evenly over its aluminum body. This design not only cooks food faster, but it usessignificantly less energy to do it. It just goes to show: you don't have to be a rocket scientist to make cookware, but it helps. The £49.99 saucepan will go on sale in the UK next month.

UNMOGIP irrelevant...

UNMOGIP irrelevant, Government right to shed historical baggage

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Aliya Abbas12 Jul 2014 @ niticentral.com

The Government of India last week asked United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to vacate the office in New Delhi. The Government said that the Mission has “outlived its relevance”. The UN observer mission monitors the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan. However, the Government maintains that the move will not affect the situation on Kashmir issue.

The Ministry of External Affairs on July 9, 2014 had told the UNMOGIP to vacate its Government bungalow to “rationalise” the presence of the group. The reports also suggest that Government of India is not keen to engage a UN Mission in New Delhi. The UNMOGIP had been allotted a Government bungalow on the Purana Qila Road in New Delhi 40 years ago, free of charge. According to a report published in Daily Bhaskar, the Central Government has conveyed that the UNMOGIP’s role has been overtaken by the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control. New Delhi is of the view that the UNMOGIP has “no relevance or role to play whatsoever”.

The Mission was established under a UN Security Council Resolution meant to supervise the ceasefire line established under the Karachi Agreement of July 1949.

The UN Resolution 47 (1948) also gave a greater scope to the membership of the UNCIP and its role to observe ceasefire. India and Pakistan signed Karachi Agreement in March 1951 and established a ceasefire line (LoC) to be supervised by observers. After the termination of UNCIP, the Security Council passed another resolution 91(1951) and established United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to observe and report violations of ceasefire.

The Centre’s decision is being seen as a move to convey India’s desire to not engage with the UN Mission in Delhi. According to sources who are familiar with the arrangement between South Block and UNMOGIP, the bungalow was allotted to the Mission as part of a gentleman’s agreement between Indian officials and the UN mission over 40 years ago. It was meant to be a short-term arrangement, and the UNMOGIP officials were supposed to move to a private hired accommodation. But that never happened.

IBNLive quotes Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut saying that India did not need any external force to settle its Kashmir issue. “We welcome the Government action. It is a new Government with a new thinking. We do not need anyone to interfere in the Kashmir dispute,” he said.

After the India-Pakistan War of 1971, the two countries signed the Simla Agreement in 1972 to define the Line of Control in Kashmir. India and Pakistan disagree on UNMOGIP’s mandate in Kashmir because India argued that the mandate of UNMOGIP has lapsed after Simla Agreement because it was specifically established to observe ceasefire according to the Karachi Agreement.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said, “Asking the UN observers to move out of a building or payment of rent is inconsequential in the context of the status of Jammu & Kashmir. There is a reason why UNMOGIP is present in the first place. Asking them to move out of the building does not abolish the mandate which was given by the UN Security Council in 1951 under Resolution 91, the Daily Bhaskar said.

However, Dawn reports that no reasons were given for vacating the office. Major Nicolas Diaz, who is in charge of the Delhi office is quoted as saying. He said the observer group would continue to operate in line with the UN mandate and that it was looking at alternative accommodation.

The Times of India quotes former permanent representative of India to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri as saying, “We have at best tolerated them because this is one of those byproducts of history.

“This was an issue of rationalising. I don’t know who had given them this largesse of free accommodation. They were not even paying normal rent for it, let alone market rent,” he said.

“We have said that as far as we are concerned, the UNMOGIP has outlived its relevance. This is a consistent stance that we have articulated on several occasions,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.

As of May, UNMOGIP has 40 military observers, 23 international civilian personnel and 45 local civilian staff. The observer group is financed by the UN regular budget and appropriations for biennium 2014-2015 are $19.64 million.

The UN Security Council resolutions recognise Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory until the will of the people of Jammu & Kashmir is determined through a plebiscite under the United Nations auspices. Meanwhile, India has always maintained that Kashmir is an integral part of India.

Relations between India and Pakistan were frozen after Mumbai terror in 2008 in which Pakistani terrorists had killed 166 people. Since then ties have thawed which helped trade and people-to-people links, but the Kashmir dispute is far from resolution.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his election campaign had taken a tough stand on Pakistan’s role in sponsoring terror attacks in India. However, he has softened his stand and invited Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to India for his swearing-in ceremony.

​Aerosmith made more money from video games than from any one of its own albums

​Aerosmith made more money from video games than from any one of its own albums

BY SEAN BUCKLEY  @SEANICCUS  JUL 12TH 2014 9:43AM

Planning to make it big in the music industry by releasing a hit album? Dream On. A long forgotten PC Mag article resurfaced this week to remind us that the music industry had changed drastically over the last decade. According to Activision chief Bobby Kotick circa 2008, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith "generated far more in revenues than any Aerosmith album ever has." The game in question has sold over four million copies to date, droves more than most album sales in the modern market. An amazing fact, but don't act too surprised: headlining bands have always depended on the power of their brand to move merchandise and T-shirts as much as their albums. Still, it's a heck of a way to highlight the dilemma of the modern celebrity: who you are may be more important than what you do.

India plans to build the world's largest floating solar farm

BY DANIEL COOPER  @DANIELWCOOPER  2 DAYS AGO

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Solar farms need three things: sunlight, photovoltaic panels and a huge expanse of land. It's the third in that list that's hampering green efforts in countries like India, where space is scarce and therefore very expensive. That's why India is copying Japan's (pictured) idea of building floating solar farms out on the water, saving a fortune in land costs and helping to prevent evaporation in the hottest months. A partnership between India's national hydroelectric company and Kolkata's college of renewable energy plans to build a 50 megawatt floating solar farm -- one of the world's largest -- at some point in the future. Before that, however, a small pilot project will be constructed in a lake in Kerala in south-west India later this year which is expected to generate around 12 kilowatts of power. While we can't cover all of the world's oceans with solar panels, it does seem like a clever fix while scientists continue to work on the supercritical steam issue.

10 Life Lessons We Can Learn From Zohra Sehgal

lifehacker.co.in

Nandini SharmaJul 11, 2014, 12.52 PM IST

The curtain has fallen for Mrs. Zohra Sehgal, or Sahibzadi Zohra Begum Mumtaz-ullah Khan as she was born. The Doyenne of Indian cinema, she was 102.

Just the fact that Indian film industry is a year younger to this matriarch explains a lot about this woman, who became what she was owing to a rebellious childhood.

Here are a few life lessons we can learn from this larger than life grand old lady of Bollywood.

1. Education: Even though she was born in a conservative Muslim family in British-ruled India, she knew the value of education and went to Queen Mary College, Lahore in the 1920s.

2. Travel: She was not one to whom sitting at home was an option. She chose to travel the world, and see its beauty through her own eyes.

3. Novelty: Not everybody knows that Mrs. Sehgal was the first Indian woman to have learned Ballet at the prestigious dance school of dancer Mary Wigman.

4. Quick Decision Making: She was all of 23, when she saw a play of famous Indian choreographer Uday Shankar. Without wasting a minute, she went backstage and asked for a job.

5. Love: She met her future husband Kameshwar Sehgal and fell in love with him. An age gap of 8 years, she being the senior, could not stop her love for him and they got married.

6. Creativity: When she moved to Lahore with her husband and kids, she chose the name Zohresh for her dance institute. It was a creative portmanteau of her and her husband's name.

7. Strong Will: Even after seeing the ups and downs of life, and the death of her beloved husband, she didn't lose her will to live and spread dance as an art form and moved to Delhi to head Natya Academy.

8. Fighting Spirit: Twenty years before she was called to heaven, she had a close call with death, when she was diagnosed with cancer, but the fighter in her beat the deadly disease and lived, continuing to spread smiles.

9. Smile: Not one image of her can be found that doesn't have her characteristic ear-to-ear smile. After celebrating her 100th birthday, she once said that she even tries to sleep while smiling so that if something happens to her, she goes smiling.

10. Sense of humor: The image given below is of her 100th birthday, and she can be seen attacking the cake for the photographs, spreading smiles and laughter even at that age.

Matador Torero Alvaro Munera - we're proud of you !

This incredible photo marks the end of Matador Torero Alvaro Munera's career. He collapsed in remorse mid-fight when he realized he was having to prompt this otherwise gentle beast to fight. He went on to become an avid opponent of bullfights. (The look on this bull's face says it all for me. Even grievously wounded by picadors, he did not attack this man.) Torrero Munera is quoted as saying of this moment: "And suddenly, I looked at the bull. He had this innocence that all animals have in their eyes, and he looked at me with this pleading. It was like a cry for justice, deep down inside of me. I describe it as being like a prayer - because if one confesses, it is hoped, that one is forgiven. I felt like the worst shit on earth." "Cows are amongst the gentlest of breathing creatures; none show more passionate tenderness to their young when deprived of them; and, in short, I am not ashamed to profess a deep love for these quiet creatures." 
THROUGH MUD AND BLOOD, TO THE GREEN FIELDS BEYOND

The shocking power of Britney Spears without Auto-Tune

 Auto-Tune has been embraced by the music industry for its ability to create polished, listenable recordings when an artist lacks the natural talent to hit every note. That's the nice way of saying it. Engineers also turn to Auto-Tune when dealing with truly wretched "singers." And they're using it everywhere. All the time. Pop star Britney Spears became the latest showcase of all that Auto-Tune makes possible this month after an unaltered studio session voice track leaked online. It's for a song called "Alien" from Spears' 2013 album Britney Jean. The finished song (with copious amounts of pitch correction) can be heard here. This version sounds nothing like that. Spears, who by now should be a recording studio veteran in every sense, is off the mark from start to finish. It's bad enough to be almost unlistenable at first, and doesn't get much better as the song progresses.

"SHE IS MAGNIFICENT! AND THAT’S THAT."

Soon after the track leaked, producer William Orbit rushed to Spears' defense and suggested that what we're hearing is a first-take warm up. He urged listeners not to judge Britney's vocal prowess too harshly on this one recording alone. "I'd like to affirm that any singer when first at the mic at the start of a long session can make a multitude of vocalisations in order to get warmed up," he wrote on Facebook. "Warming up is essential if you’re a pro, as it is with a runner doing stretches, and it takes a while to do properly. I’ve heard all manner of sounds emitted during warmups," Orbit wrote. "The point is that it is not supposed to be shared with millions of listeners." This one was, though, and Orbit claims it was leaked with "unkind" intentions. "Britney is and always will be beyond stellar! She is magnificent! And that’s that."

But Orbit's explanation is a weak one. Even when singing on a scratch track that no one will ever hear, most vocalists at least try to keep in tune. And again, if they are warming up in front of the mic, it's usually not this bad. Spears, who has sold over 100 million records, is currently in the midst of a Las Vegas residency with her Piece of Me stage show. Thankfully she doesn't need to worry about being separated from Auto-Tune on the strip; Spears lip syncs during her performances.

Satya Nadella’s Vision For A New Microsoft

This morning Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella released an internal memo detailing his vision for the company’s future. The new chief executive used the missive as a way to signal an intentional break with the past.

That break? Sharpening its “devices and services” strategy to focus on “productivity and platforms.”

I spoke with Nadella this morning and asked what the change in language meant. Devices and services, he said, is equivalent to his oft-repeated “cloud-first and mobile-first” moniker. Productivity and platforms is more “specific” regarding what Microsoft can bring to the market that is unique. Other companies can be mobile-first and cloud-first, he added, meaning that while operating according to those principles is likely intelligent, it won’t set Microsoft apart from its competition.

Component to the idea of building something unique is the simple fact that large technology companies are competing across a rising set of services, making them more similar even as they look to set themselves apart.

Productivity and Platforms

Microsoft, Nadella noted, lives in a world of platform heterogeneity, reaffirming his intent to build everywhere.

Nadella wants to do his “best work, even on the iPad.*” This means that non-Windows-based experiences won’t be set at a feature or design deficit when compared to what the company builds for its own platforms. So if Microsoft intends to compete across platforms as other firms do, how can the company differentiate itself, as Nadella indicated was his goal?

“All strategy gets eaten by culture.”

In his view, the company has to build “bar-none [the] best productivity apps.” His point appears to be that Microsoft’s productivity assets are market-leading (correct) and thus one of its competitive advantages is leveraging the Office suite across the platforms that it doesn’t control over others. The success of Office for iPad is a good indication that Nadella, at least in the short-term, is correct.

Nadella is hitting the gas in this regard, with the launch of Office for Android approaching. But productivity is only part of Microsoft’s product line up, so could it provide a company-wide lift? In a sense yes. If Office 365 excels across platforms, it could bring more users into the larger Microsoft services orbit, aligning them more closely with its platforms. And platform momentum brings developers in from the cold.

The opposite is true as well, naturally: Wherever a modern technology company operates at a disadvantage, or fails to complete, it implicitly limits its platform buy-in from consumers and businesses.

The Cloud

Moving to the cloud, it’s worth keeping in mind that the price of cloud storage is quickly trending to zero, spurred in no small part by the price war underway among Microsoft, Google and Amazon.

Will the price of cloud computing itself follow suit? Nadella said that there is a “broad commoditization” of services of that sort and that players in the market will be “aggressive” in their pricing, perhaps even subsidizing some offerings to grind up market share. Nadella did indicate that there will be an “equilibrium” following the pricing conflicts.

It remains to be seen how much prices can decline before they resemble zero. To understand the market, view storage from the perspective of Amazon‘s recently launched cloud storage product that will provide businesses users 200 gigabytes for $5 per user per month. Apply that to all services vended across the Internet in which the operating costs rest with the provider, and not an external party.

Spotify, for example, can’t decrease its price over time to fend off Xbox Music, because its costs are largely externally fixed by record companies. But with cloud storage and computing, the companies that are selling the product have tens of billions in cash and don’t care about short-term margins for these services.

If lowering your price will get more developers through the door building with your tools and on and for your platform, you do it. To paraphrase the old trend cliché: Prices are down and to the left.

Differentiation will come, in Nadella’s vision, from the players who add the most value on top of the more basic services. This mirrors the argument that the basic service layers — compute and storage and so forth — cannot be viewed as differentiation points in the future, current market dynamics aside.

You don’t issue a call to action for change when none is needed.

Finally, Nadella noted that “all strategy gets eaten by culture,” underscoring his letter’s mention that previous methods of business would not be held as sacred at Microsoft. As a company, Microsoft is known for a history of internal conflict. (Dilbert here is canonical.) After decades of stability, Nadella’s point appears to be that Microsoft’s former culture would consume his new vision for the company. As such, the culture itself has to change.

Implicit to Nadella’s note is the point that the Microsoft that existed before, which generated mammoth profits, is not well-fitted to where the market is today and will be in the future. You don’t issue a call to action for change when none is needed.

The document is a decent encapsulation of Nadella’s view of what Microsoft should become: Quicker to market, stronger of product, and competitive everywhere. This is no small challenge. It’s now up to Nadella not only to live up to his own vision, but to convince more than 100,000 employees to do the same.

@ http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/10/satya-nadellas-vision-for-a-new-microsoft/

Topographic Calendar for Land Rover ! WOW !

The Land Rover 2014 is a calendar designed by art director Zeynep Orbay. The 3D topographic map has a different shade for every month of the year and is sure to win over geology and design lovers alike. It’s an ideal desktop calendar for a teacher, a professor, or a designer with naturalist aesthetics.

GIZMODO - Favorite Android, IOS, And Windows Phone Apps Of The Week

Our Favorite Android, IOS, And Windows Phone Apps Of The Week

Robert Sorokanich, Gawker MediaJul 12, 2014, 04.00 AM IST

Well hey there, weekend. You sure are lookin' good. I brought you a gift. I brought you the best apps of the week. I hope you like them.

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Multi-Platform Updates

Tunnel X

Want to really make sure your private text messages stay private? Tunnel X links its users in a direct, 100-percent private, encrypted conversation. Instead of a regular alphanumeric password, Tunnel X uses an image file as your password, and unlike the email service you probably use, Tunnel X promises they never read the messages sent through the app. It's free, too-proving you can be secure and spendthrift. [Android] [iOS]

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Android

Flimo HD

Looking for a way to watch Vimeo vids in HD on your Android? So far, you've been out of luck-Vimeo's official Android app doesn't support HD. Flimo changes that with a slick, handy app that lets you search, like, and comment on Vimeo posts, all in glorious High Definition. [ Free]

Floatify

Android L is going to be great-when it finally arrives. But thanks to Floatify, you can get Android L's new floating lock screen notifications on your KitKat device, with all the customizable swipe and display settings that the upcoming Android build will offer. The free download lets you use floating notifications for five apps, while a $2 in-app upgrade gives you unlimited notifications. [Free]

TimeAway

Worried that your kids are Instagramming/Snapchatting/Yo-ing instead of studying? Download TimeAway on your device and your kid's, and you can monitor which apps they're using or downloading, set schedules to allow or disallow app access, create time limits, or even block apps entirely-right from your Android device. Best of all, you can hit a button to pause all app access, so nobody's clandestinely Bird Flapping at the dinner table. [ Free]

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iOS

Peopls

Keeping track of the stuff your friends post across what seems like ten thousand different social media apps is a pain. Peopls puts your friends' tweets, Facebooks, Google+ posts, and pictures from 500px, Instagram, and Flickr, all in one easy-to-read scrolling feed. It even includes integrations for Vimeo, YouTube, SoundCloud, and GitHub, if your friends are creatively inclined. Never miss an update again! [ $2]

Ultratext

Okay, this is kind of dumb, but in a fun-slash-aggravating way. Ultratext turns your text messages into "GIFs". Well, they're not actual GIFs, they're just brightly colored, flickering, color-changing, annoyingly-large cartoon conversation bubbles. If that's the kind of thing your friends will like (or loathe), it's free-though an in-app purchase will take away the "Made with Ultratext" banner if it bothers you. [Free]

Tempo Smart Calendar

The stock iOS calendar leaves, uh, a little bit to be desired. Tempo's slick interface, integration with email and calendar clients, and natural-language input makes keeping your schedule organized a breeze. Plus, it's got handy integrations that give you directions to your appointments or let you join a conference call with one touch. [ Free]

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Windows Phone

BBC iPlayer Radio

This new app makes it easy to stay up-to-date on your favorite BBC programs programmes, whether you're on the British Isles or a couple thousand miles away. You can listen live or go back to programs from the past seven days-just make sure you're on WiFi, or you might blow through your data caps. [Free]

Adobe Photoshop Express

Yes, that's real capital-P Photoshop, from real Adobe, not some knockoff baloney. Tinker around with the cropping, coloring, exposure, contrast, shadows, and more, or throw one of 20 filters on top of your mobile shots. When someone says "that looks 'shopped" about your smartphone pics, you can say proudly, "it sure is!" [Free]