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    ET recommendations: Book, app and game

    Synopsis

    While Barack Obama is largely treated with a velvet glove, vice-president Joseph Biden and senate majority leader Harry Reid are not afforded any such courtesy.

    ET Bureau
    Robert Michael Gates spent five years as the US secretary of defence, straddling two administrations, and in his memoir, Duty: Memoir of a Secretary at War, he secures his reputation as one of the most trenchant observers of Washington,DC — a city defined by partisanship.

    The book is one of the best tomes chronicling the workings of the Capitol, the US Senate and Pentagon, and Gates pulls no punches as he rages against the continuous political machinations. While Barack Obama is largely treated with a velvet glove, vice-president Joseph Biden and senate majority leader Harry Reid are not afforded any such courtesy.

    “I think he has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades," writes Gates disdainfully of Biden. The memoir of Gates, who was nicknamed Yoda by the Obama administration, should strike a deep chord with Indian readers as well, who, in recent times have been presented with a number of political memoirs, written by our country’s ultimate insiders. The poignancy, too, flows, as Gates talks about the never-ending despair while writing letters of condolences to the families of US troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a war-time secretary of defence, the burden lay heavier on his shoulders.

    This is an engaging, candid and magnificent piece of writing by a man who served six presidents, and has earned the right to tell it like it is.

    — Biswarup Gooptu

     
    Smartur Mangalyaan: App for Android
    Get it For: Free


    Mangalyaan is the informal name given to India’s first interplanetary probe — the Mars Orbiter Mission. The probe is set to reach Mars' orbit on September 24 and with this app, you can view the probe and its various parts in 3D right on your device.

    You can tap to zoom and rotate the 3D model of the probe for a closer look. The app also includes animated demos of the launch rocket, probe and how it will orbit Mars. Probably the coolest feature is the augmented reality mode. You are required to take a colour print out of a marker page (in-app download). Once you do that, the app lets you project the 3D model on to the printed sheet. You can then use the apps’s camera to take a photo with the 3D model of the probe and share it with friends. It is a great way to learn more about the Mars Orbiter Mission.

    — Hitesh Raj Bhagat

     
    Manuganu 2 Game for Android & iOS
    Get it For: Free (Android), Rs 60 (iOS)


    If you like action running games, Manuganu's sequel with enhanced 3D visuals is just the game for you. It has 40 levels, including four boss levels, that you need to beat and its entertaining sound track adds to the fun.

    You need to control the character’s jumps and halts to navigate obstacles and dodge enemies. In addition to running, jumping and rolling, Manuganu 2 lets your character fly, swim and climb. You have to collect coins as you go through a level which can be used to unlock additional music and backgrounds. As you move through the levels, the game gets more challenging. The game is ad supported and an ad appears each time you advance to the next level but you can remove ads with an inapp purchase of Rs 58.

    — Karan Bajaj

    ( Originally published on Sep 21, 2014 )

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    Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.

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