Good morning, Bengaluru!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 32 ℃ | Low: 20 ℃ | Mainly clear sky.
🧐 Did you know? The earliest evidence of the existence of a place called Bengaluru is in an Old Kannada inscription at the Nageshvara Temple in Begur, dated c. 890, that describes a “Bengaluru war”.
🏢 Samsung’s new R&D facility
Samsung Semiconductor India Research (SSIR) has opened a new research and development facility in Bengaluru to bolster semiconductor R&D in India.
What’s it about? The new facility, SSIR’s second office in Bengaluru, is located at Bagmane Capital Tech Park and can accommodate close to 1,600 professionals. Spanning around 1,60,000 square feet, the campus is designed to foster collaboration and agility among employees, featuring hot-desking areas, meeting rooms, and recreational facilities.
- The expansion aims to address Samsung’s growing need for advanced infrastructure and semiconductor R&D.
- SSIR plans to add over 700 employees to its workforce, including fresh graduates and lateral hires across teams in India.
India’s growth: The semiconductor market in India is projected to grow significantly, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence, 5G deployment, and increasing demand in various sectors. SSIR’s new facility reinforces its role in Samsung Semiconductor’s global innovation ecosystem and opens doors to new opportunities in the burgeoning market.
👀 Studies on attention and eye movements
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science’s Centre for Neuroscience have conducted two studies to understand the relationship between attention and eye movements.
What’s it about? The studies investigate how attention and rapid eye movements, known as saccades, are coordinated. One study published in PLOS Biology found that the perceptual advantage of pre-saccadic attention is lost when an object changes just before the gaze falls upon it. Another study in Science Advances, conducted with Stanford University, used an “anti-saccade” task in monkeys to decouple attention from eye movements.
- Pre-saccadic attention allows us to perceive objects more clearly before our eyes move towards them.
- The PLOS Biology study showed that participants had difficulty detecting changes in the pre-saccadic window.
Understanding ADHD: These findings have implications for understanding attention disorders like ADHD. By uncovering the mechanisms behind attention and eye movements, researchers hope to develop effective therapies for such disorders.
🏙️ BBMP budget focuses on Brand Bengaluru
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has presented a budget of ₹12,369.46 crore, with ₹1,580 crore allocated to the eight-fold Brand Bengaluru concept.
What’s it about? The Brand Bengaluru concept includes categories such as Easy Mobility, Clean, Green, Healthy, Education, Tech, Vibrant, and Water Security Bengaluru. The BBMP aims to enhance property tax collection by scanning all 20 lakh properties in the city and issuing e-Khata to property owners. The ‘Namma Swathu’ system will enable online access to property records, and transactions in Sub-Registrar offices will be based on e-Khata, integrated with the KAVERI-2 portal to prevent fraud.
- Aadhaar seeding in BBMP property records will be done on a voluntary basis, providing added security against fraudulent transactions.
- BlockChain technology will be implemented ward-wise for property records to prevent unauthorised manipulation.
More roll outs: The BBMP plans to roll out a Guidance Value-based property tax system from April 1, 2024, and introduce a new advertisement policy and an infotech-based system for the creation and issuance of Transferable Development Rights (TDR).
🎭 Ancient Greek tragedy
Theatre Nisha from Chennai has presented a contemporary adaptation of the ancient Greek tragedy, Medea, titled Why She Did, What She Did, directed and performed by Shakthi.
What’s it about? Shakthi’s solo performance, accompanied by percussionist Vishwa Bharath, brings a modern perspective to Euripides’ Medea, exploring themes of agency and relevance for women today. The play, designed by V Balakrishnan of Theatre Nisha, premiered in Chennai in December 2023.
- Shakthi incorporates elements of rhythm and movement into the play, drawing on her background in theatre and dance, including her diploma in Movement Arts from Attakalari in Bengaluru.
- Theatre Nisha also engages in theatre training in schools, colleges, and acting institutions in Chennai.
Bengaluru audience: Shakthi hopes to bring the play to Bengaluru, a city she believes has an extraordinary appreciation for theatre and the performing arts. She emphasises that Bengaluru’s audience is not just spectators but engages deeply with the concept of the art, even when it tackles dark subjects. Having studied in Bengaluru, Shakthi feels a special connection to the city and its vibrant performing arts scene.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Catch Bengaluru FC take on Kerala Blasters FC at the Kanteerava Stadium this Saturday.
- LOL with Shraddha Jain, popularly known as ‘Aiyyo Shraddha’, at her SO mini THINGS standup show.
- Find your partner through blindfold dating at the Thrifty Mixer Party this Sunday.
- Learn the basics of the Ukulele at the Uke Tunes with Arijit workshop this Sunday.
- Watch the Bahrain GP at the Church Street Social this Saturday.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I like group discussions during interviews: 50.0% 🏆
- I don’t like group discussions during interviews: 50.0% 🏆
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!