Introduction                                                                                                         (top) 

The BbyB Beacon is an electronic publication to keep the members of Bit by Bit informed about the current affairs of the company. It contains announcements of important events like training programmes, Management Review Meetings, etc.

Contact Information
Any contribution to the newsletter in the form of technical articles, or items of general interest, are welcome. Please send them to Pratima@bbyb.com.

Editorial

TSUNAMI DISASTER

What exactly is Tsunami?

A Tsunami is a very large ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption. In Japanese, tsu=port + nami=wave. It is a series of waves, generated in a body of water by an impulsive disturbance that vertically displaces the water column. Earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, explosions, and even the impact of cosmic bodies, such as meteorites, can generate tsunamis. Tsunamis can savagely attack coastlines, causing devastating property damage and loss of life.

Tsunamis are unlike wind-generated waves, they are characterized as shallow-water waves, with long periods and wave lengths. As a result of their long wavelengths, Tsunamis behave as shallow-water waves. A wave becomes a shallow-water wave when the ratio between the water depth and its wavelength gets very small. Shallow-water waves move at a speed that is equal to the square root of the product of the acceleration of gravity (9.8 m/s/s) and the water depth because the rate at which a wave loses its energy is inversely related to its wave length, Tsunamis not only propagate at high speeds, they can also travel great, transoceanic distances with limited energy losses.

Tectonic earthquakes are a particular kind of earthquake that are associated with the earth's crustal deformation; when these earthquakes occur beneath the sea, the water above the deformed area is displaced from its equilibrium position. Waves are formed as the displaced water mass, which acts under the influence of gravity, attempts to regain its equilibrium. When large areas of the sea floor elevate or subside, a tsunami can be created.

How to protect yourself from Tsunami:

If you are at home and hear there is a Tsunami warning, you should make sure your entire family is aware of the warning. Your family should evacuate your house if you live in a Tsunami evacuation zone. Move in an orderly, calm and safe manner to the evacuation site or to any safe place outside your evacuation zone. Follow the advice of local emergency and law enforcement authorities.
If you are at the beach or near the ocean and you feel the earth shake, move immediately to higher ground, DO NOT wait for a Tsunami warning to be announced. Stay away from rivers and streams that lead to the ocean, as you would stay away from the beach and ocean if there is a tsunami. A regional Tsunami from a local earthquake could strike some areas before a Tsunami warning could be announced.
Tsunamis generated in distant locations will generally give people enough time to move to higher ground. For locally generated tsunamis, where you might feel the ground shake, you may only have a few minutes to move to higher ground.
High, multi-story, reinforced concrete hotels are located in many low-lying coastal areas. The upper floors of these hotels can provide a safe place to find refuge should there be a Tsunami warning and you cannot move quickly inland to higher ground. Local Civil Defense procedures may, however, not allow this type of evacuation in your area. Homes and small buildings located in low-lying coastal areas are not designed to withstand Tsunami impacts. Do not stay in these structures should there be a tsunami warning.
Offshore reefs and shallow areas may help break the force of Tsunami waves, but large and dangerous wave can still be a threat to coastal residents in these areas. Staying away from all low-lying areas is the safest advice when there is a Tsunami warning.

MYSTERIOUS 26

It’s just amazing to note that many of the earthquakes that appeared all over the world in the recent past were all on the date 26.

Year Month and Date Place of Earthquake

2001 January 26 Gujarat

2001 September 26 Chennai

2002 December 26 China

2003 January 26 New Zealand

2003 May 26 Japan / Taiwan
2003 September 26 Japan(Hokaido)

2003 October 26 China (Sunsu)

2003 December 26 Iran

2004 December 26 South east Asia

Other News                                                                                                           (top) 

A trip to Yercaud

The BbyB family had a blast at Yercaud from 24th dec –26th dec. We resided in Sterling Inn Resorts and celebrated Christmas together with all the family members, which really turned out to be a memorable one.

The BbyB family will be celebrating the New Year bash on the evening of 31st dec. with all the members together.

Farewell to,

Prathima, a Technical Writer who resigned on 13th dec.
Bindhi.Unnitan, Software engineer who resigned on 30th dec.

Let us wish them all the best in their future endeavor.

Meetings and Events                                                                                             (top)

Staff Review Meeting:

The Staff Review Meeting is in progress.

News From Abroad                                                                                                (top)

Mr.Raghu Shenoy our M.D visited U.K this month to discuss the NHSP North contract, which was awarded to Baum Hart and Partners.


New Recruits                                                                                                         (top) 

A new member has joined the BbYb family on 1st of December. Vatsala. N an engineer in Telecommunication, has been recruited as Tech writer.

Holidays

There are 3 holidays in the month of January 2005.

Birthdays                                                                                                              (top)

Two members of Bit by Bit are celebrating their birthdays in the month of January.