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Monday, September 29, 2008
World Heart Day
Heart disease and stroke is the world's largest killer, claiming 17.5 million lives each year. That's why World Heart Day (which is celebrated on the last Sunday of September every year) was created, to create public awareness of risk factors for heart disease (mostly heart attack) and stroke and to promote preventive measures.
All families should know the warning signs of heart attack and what to do when they occur. They should also know that triple zero (000) is the number to call for this life-threatening emergency.
The Heart Foundation urges all families to team up and talk about how to react when someone starts to experience warning signs of a heart attack. Below are the warning signs listed and the what to do steps that you and your family should know.
Warning Signs
The warning signs of heart attack vary. The symptoms usually last for at least 10 minutes and you may experience more than one of the symptoms:
- Pain in the chest: A heart attack usually causes discomfort or pain in the centre of the chest. The pain may come on suddenly, or sometimes starts slowly, developing over minutes. It may feel like tightness, pressure, heaviness, fullness, or squeezing. The feeling has been described as: 'like a steel band tightening around my chest', 'like an elephant sitting on my chest' or 'like a red hot poker in the centre of my chest'. The pain may be severe, moderate or even mild.
- Pain spreading: The chest discomfort may spread to the neck and throat, jaw, shoulders, the back, either or both arms and even into the wrists and hands.
- Discomfort in the upper body: Some people do not get any chest pain -only discomfort in parts of the upper body. There may be a choking feeling in the throat. The arms may feel 'heavy' or 'useless'.
- Other symptoms: Often there may also be difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting, a cold sweat or a feeling of being dizzy or light-headed.
What to do
If you experience any of the warning signs of heart attack:
- Immediately stop what you are doing and rest.
- If you are with someone, tell them what you are experiencing.
- If your symptoms are severe, get worse quickly or last for 10 minutes (even if they are mild), this is an emergency. Get help fast.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
I Phone
Friends …..those of you in India planning for iPhone… THINK TWICE BEFORE MAKING A DECISION… The short comings of iPhone are endless…
No video calling,
no AD2P on the Bluetooth,
CAN’T share ANY (mp3, images,videos….) files via bluetooth,
can’t use as a wireless modem, (you pay ridiculous data charges to activate internet on yourphone, but cannot connect it to your PC and browse when you are at home)
no copy and paste,(cannot copy a part of a…. say…. email & send it….have to type it out yourself)
no 3.2 or 5 mega pixel camera,(the 2MP camera it carries is worst camera i’ve ever seen….. photos look like they have come out of a VGA camera)
no video recording with camera,
no front camera,
no flash.
no JAVA support
No physical keyboard (BELIEVE me! this alone is a dealbreaker…touch keyboard as good as it looks…once you use it then only you come to know about the importance of having a hard keypad)
No 3G network yet in India ..so why pay for expensive 3G phone if you cant use its 3G services … so, for India , iPhone 2.0 is no better than its first version
No removable battery. (You cannot change battery. Have to send it to apple outlet.. Come on now!!!!…This is not an iPod. Its a bloody phone. You cannot live without phone for 2-3 days)
No haptic feedback and
cannot Forward MMS,
can’t use as external storage device (16 GB of utter waste..next time you go to your friend’s house & find some interesting songs, movies, etc…sorry you cannot connect your ‘16 GB’ phone and share it!!!! Apple apparently has a solution.. ” BUY MUSIC & MOVIES FROM iTUNESSTORE “….. Give me a break will you APPLE!!!)
no FM radio,
can’t use your mp3 files as ringtones,(This is heights man!!!)
cannot insert any other SIM card….
completely tied to iTunes… Connect to your friend’s iTunes & you risk erasing everything on your phone.
list goes on & on & on….
We Indians are used to these features. Most of our phones already have these features. & we cannot do with out them…. i mean can you imagine paying so much for a phone with which you cannot transfer files via bluetooth. what age is this …STONE AGE???
Some features may be activated by jailbreak.. But why the hell should you risk losing your warranty after paying so much.
And want to add third party softwares??.. YOU HAVE TO BUY THEM FROM iTUNES STORE ONLY!!! . (Shell out more money). Apple is a bloody control freak. Dont surrender your freedom to it.
Its good for american market (who have no idea what mobile freedom/choice is) which is in stone age compared to asian/european markets. When they want to buy a phone, they have to go to network operators and buy only those phones that are available on that network. & stick to that company till their contract expires. You want to change carriers? Not before paying damages, & buying another phone on the other network again.
On the contrary, we in India have so much freedom. We go to handset shops & buy which ever phone we like. Then go to carriers.. checkout the plans & buy SIM.. Dont like the plan or rival carrier came up with a better plan???? EASY .. just remove & replace the SIM.
Apple are trying to IMPOSE THEIR MODEL ON US riding on the hype iPhone has created in the US (yes it was a flop in Europe .thats why Apple never talks about its sales in Europe ).
Dont fall for the subsidized price of iPhone… CHECKOUT THE DATA PLAN ATTACHED TO ITS SIM ..they will recover the cost through ridiculous data plans. Bill might come to around Rs 2500/month.(ATLEAST AMERICANS PAY THAT MUCH)
Let me clear one thing though.. iphone is the best looking phone (its touch interface is nothing like you have ever seen ), & best browsing experience out there no doubt …. (& others are fast catching up..check out the android demo at Google IO 2008)…. BUT AFTER A FEW DAYS IT ALL COMES DOWN TO FUNCTIONALITY…
Those of who buy it… You will be most happy for atmost a week… & then, MARK MY WORDS…YOU WILL START REGRETTING IT!!!
My advice…WAIT FOR HTC DREAM!! (powered by android). Still not convinced by then…by all means go for iPhone…
So friends lets spread this info to all our friends and help them in making a wise decision….. & those of you who have bought unlocked versions already please share your experiences with others
Giant Twisters in the Lagoon Nebula
This Hubble Telescope snapshot unveils a pair of one-half, light-year-long interstellar "twisters" -- eerie funnels and twisted-rope structures (upper left) -- in the heart of the Lagoon Nebula (M8) which lies 5,000 light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius.
The hot, central star, O Herschel 36 (upper left), is the primary source of the illuminating light for the brightest region in the nebula, called the Hourglass. The glare from this hot star is eroding the clouds by heating the hydrogen gas in them, seen as a blue mist at the right of the image). This activity drives away violent stellar winds that are tearing into the cool clouds.
Image Credit: NASA/A. Caulet (ST-ECF, ESA)
Thursday, September 25, 2008
START YOUR DAY WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
HOW TO START YOUR DAY WITH A POSITIVE
ATTITUDE :Try the following steps......
1. Open a new file in your PC .
2. Name it " Boss "
3. Send it to the RECYCLE BIN
4. Empty the RECYCLE BIN
5. Your PC will ask you, "Are you sure you want to delete Boss permanently?"
6. Answer calmly, "Yes," and press the mouse button firmly....
7. Feel better?
Before and after marriage
Before marriage.....
He: Yes. At last. It was so hard to wait.
She: Do you want me to leave?
He: No! Don't even think about it.
She: Do you love me?
He: Of course! Over and over!
She: Have you ever cheated on me?
He: No! Why are you even asking?
She: Will you kiss me?
He: Every chance I get.
She: Will you hit me?
He: Are you crazy! I'm not that kind of person!
She: Can I trust you?
He: Yes.
She: Darling!
After marriage....
Simply read from bottom to top.
Some Quotes and Thoughts !!!!
Quote ….
"Each night when I go to sleep I die, and next morning when I wake up I am reborn again"
- M K Gandhi
And then some thoughts !!!!
"Each night when I go to sleep I am reborn and next morning when I wake up I am dead again"
- Software Engineer
GEOGRAPHY OF WOMEN (only a Joke)
Between
She is half discovered, half wild.
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Between the ages of 20 - 30 a woman is like America.
Fully discovered and scientifically perfect.
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Between the ages of 30 - 35, she is like India & Japan.
Very hot, wise and beautiful !!!!!!!!!
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Between the ages of 35 - 40 a woman is like France.
She is half destroyed after the war but still desirable.
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Between the ages of 40 - 50 she is like Germany.
She lost the war but not the hope.
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Between the ages of 50 - 60 she is like Russia.
Very wide, very quiet but nobody goes there.
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Between the ages of 60 - 70 a woman is like England.
With a glorious past but no future.
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After 70, they become Siberia.
Everyone knows where it is, but no one wants to go there.
Prevent Aids
Learning how to prevent AIDS and HIV transmission is an important educational task that needs to focus on children, teens, adults and senior citizens. AIDS has no prejudice in who it effects or kills. The only cure for HIV and AIDS is education.
Here are the facts on how to prevent AIDS and HIV with safe sex. Risky sexual activities with multiple sex partners and not using protection are a sure way of getting HIV positive. Using condoms, dental dams, gloves and not sharing sex toys will cut down the risks.
The number of sex partners is another factor in how to prevent AIDS. Using drugs and alcohol can severely impair good judgment and lead to risky sexual encounters as well. Also, sharing IV needles for illegal drugs and hormone injections for the transgender community increases the rate of HIV infection.
There are misconceptions on how to prevent AIDS. Some people believe that they are invincible and impervious to HIV and AIDS. It takes just one protected sexual encounter or sharing of needles to get HIV and AIDS.
Blood, semen, vaginal and other bodily fluids can be infected with HIV and AIDS. Not coming into contact with bodily fluids is another way how to prevent AIDS and HIV. Exposure does not always mean infection but seeing a physician and getting an HIV test will help in learning HIV status.
Symptoms of AIDS
In the early stages, a mild flu and swollen glands are typical. But the symptoms are often unmistakeable when full-blown AIDS develops. Loss of appetite, weight loss, constant fever, prolonged fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, changing bowel patterns, swollen glands, chills coupled with excessive sweating, especially at nights, lesions in the mouth, sore throat, persistent cough, shortness of breath, tumours, skin rashes, headaches, memory lapses, swelling in the joints, pain in various parts of the body, vision problems and a regular feeling of lethargy and ill health make up the litany of symptoms.
With immune systems out of kilter, HIV-positive persons are susceptible to several types of cancer, particularly Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), an uncommon form that occurs under the skin and in the mucus membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth. Affected persons have lesions that appear as dark-coloured raised blotches. Though the lesions are painless, once KS spreads to the lungs, lymph nodes and digestive tract, the victim experiences difficulty in breathing, gastrointestinal bleeding and painful swelling around the lymph nodes, especially in the legs.
What is AIDS & HIV ?
HIV has two major categories: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1, which currently has about 10 subtypes, is most common worldwide and the only form found in the US. HIV-2 is less virulent and though currently confined to West Africa. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) basically provokes an infection, which destroys the body's immune system. And AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is the advanced stage of this disease, when the immune system becomes irreparably damaged, engendering multiple infections and cancers. A person is considered HIV positive when s/he tests positive for any of the 26 diseases (Kaposi's sarcoma, lymphoma, pulmonary tuberculosis, recurrent pneumonia within a 12-month period, wasting syndrome and other indicators) that can easily invade the body during our immune system's nonfunctionality. On invading the body, the virus specifically attacks T-cells. A core part of the human defence system, they mobilize other cells to seek and destroy contagious foreign elements besid es leading the immune system's fight against infections. T-cells are targeted because the AIDS virus parasitizes the CD4 molecules on their surface.
With a protective outer shell of proteins and glyco-proteins, the AIDS virus contains genetic information on the inside. Although substantially smaller than the host T-cells—the virus reproduces by sponging off the host's cellular resources! Our body fights back by producing up to two billion new T-cells to replace the infected ones, stabilizing the T-cell count temporarily. Yet from day one, the T-cells fight a losing battle.
The genetic information of the AIDS virus, which is encoded as RNA (ribonucleic acid), needs to be reverse transcripted—which the intruder accomplishes with the help of the host cell itself! The now legible DNA is thereafter randomly transferred into the nucleus. All this is accomplished barely a dozen hours following the infection. By this time, the aggressor begins to substantially weaken the host cell, which eventually dies, eroding the immune system and making the body vulnerable to diseases.
Although HIV targets T-cells and other cells in the body, it thrives mainly in the lymph nodes—another important part of the immune system. Each lymph node has a netlike structure inside it that acts as a protective filter by trapping virus and infected T-cells. But as healthy T-cells move through contaminated lymph nodes, they are infected by HIV. Particularly during the early stage of the disease, lymph nodes contain more infected cells than the blood.
Windows Live Writer Beta
Image and video publishing enhancements
- Insert videos from Soapbox and YouTube
- Upload videos to Soapbox and YouTube
- Image cropping and tilting
- Additional border styles for images (such as reflection and rounded corners)
- Support for LightBox and other image previewing effects (like Slimbox, Smoothbox, and others)
- Support for centering images
Blog authoring enhancements
- Spell Checking in more languages: Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese (Portugal), Serbian-Cyrillic, Serbian-Latin, Spanish, and Swedish
- Auto Linking
- Smart quotes/typographic characters
- Word count
Experience improvements
Download Windows Liver Writer Here
For more details visit Windows Live Blog
speed up Windows XP.
1. Disable the Indexing Service. The indexing service can use up a lot of RAM. To disable this follow these steps:
Go to Start
Click Settings
Click Control Panel
Double-click Add/Remove Programs
Uncheck the Indexing Service
Click Next
2. Speed up folder browsing. Sometimes when you open a folder it takes a few extra seconds to open. You can speed this up by doing the following:
Open My Computer
Click on Tools menu
Click on Folder Options
Uncheck Automatically search for network folders and printers
Click Apply
Reboot your computer
3. Remove fonts for speed. TrueType Fonts can use up a bit of resources. To remove do the following:
Open Control Panel
Open Fonts folder
Move fonts you do not need to a temporary directory (e.gC:\Fontbackup) just incase you need the back.
Remember, the more fonts you uninstall the more system resources you will get back.
4. Optimize Display Settings. Everyone (well almost everyone) thinks Windows XP look cool with the visual styles XP uses, but that can slow down the computer. To optimize do this:
Go to Start
Click Settings
Click Control Panel
Click System
Click System
Click Advanced tab
In the Performance tab click Settings
Leave only the following ticked.
Show shadows under menus
Show shadows under mouse pointer
Show translucent section rectangle
Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop
Use visual styles on windows and buttons.
5. Remove programs or files you no longer need or use. Having old programs installed that you don’t use any more can take up a lot of space and slow down your computer a bit. To do this:
Go to Start
Click Settings
Click Control Panel
Click Add/Remove Programs
Click on the programs you don’t need or use
Click Remove
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
What is 3G
Know the technology
Everyone may be knowing that the Apple's iPhone 3G has been launched in India . But many of us are not aware what is 3G. so let's have a brief look into it.
What is 3G?
3G is the next generation of wireless network technology that provides high speed bandwidth (high data transfer rates) to handheld devices. The high data transfer rates will allow 3G networks to offer multimedia services combining voice and data.
Additional features also include HSPA(High-Speed packet Access) data transmission capabilities able to deliver speeds up to 14.4Mbit/s on the downlink and 5.8Mbit/s on the uplink.
3G wireless networks have the bandwidth to provide converged voice and data services. 3G services will seamlessly combine superior voice quality telephony, high-speed mobile IP services, information technology, rich media, and offer diverse content.
What are the Advantages of 3G?
3G networks offer users advantages such as:
· New radio spectrum to relieve overcrowding in existing systems.
· More bandwidth, security, and reliability.
· Interoperability between service providers.
· Fixed and variable data rates.
· Always-online devices. 3G will use IP connectivity, IP is packet based (not circuit based).
· Rich multimedia services.
Apple's iPhone 3G
What are Some Disadvantages of 3G?
There are some issues in deploying 3G:
· The cost of upgrading base stations and cellular infrastructure to 3G is very high.
· Requires different handsets and there is the issue of handset availability.
· Base stations need to be closer to each other (more cost).
· Tremendous spectrum-license costs, network deployment costs, handset subsidies to subscribers, etc.
· High power requirements.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Squba - The Swimming Car
Three decades ago James Bond (then enacted by British star Roger Moore) wowed the world with a car that could 'fly' under water in the movie The Spy Who Loved Me. Only, it was animation and not an actual scene.
But Frank M Rinderknecht, the 52-year-old automobile visionary and boss of Swiss automaker Rinspeed, has turned a dream into reality with his 'sQuba.'
Rinspeed sQuba is the most exciting thing at this year's Geneva Motor Show and is creating many a ripple.
SQuba is the world's first real submersible car that can 'move like a fish underwater'.
It can dive up to 32.8 feet (10 MT) below the surface of the water and can move at a sedate 1.8 miles per hour.
The sQuba has an open cockpit for 'safety reasons' (so that people can get out easily anytime in case of an emergency). The occupants of the car have to breathe compressed air through built-in scuba masks.
SQuba is an electric car that uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and 3 electric motors for propulsion.. It is a zero-emission car as documented by the rotating license plate in the rear. It produces no exhaust emissions.
The 'sQuba's' filling station is the water reservoir.? It is no surprise that the vehicle features powerful yet energy-saving LED lighting technology.
The first car that could drive underwater was Quandt's Amphibicar, built in 1968. Only 3,878 were produced but many are still being driven on roads.
Then Gibbs Technologies came up with Gibbs Aquada in 2004 which Virgin boss Richard Branson used to break the speed record for crossing the English Channel .
However, the sQuba seems to be the most exciting of them all.
To drive on the roads, the sQuba 'relies on a stainless coil-over suspension from KW automotive and large Pirelli tires mounted on custom-made forged light-weight wheels from AEZ with 17- and 18-inch diameters.'
Technical data
Measurements
Length ----- 3'785 mm
Width ----- 1''940 mm
Height ----- 1'117 mm
Wheelbase ----- 2?300 mm
Track front ----- 1?470 mm
Track rear ----- 1?520 mm
Ground clearance ----- 130 mm
Empty weight ----- approx. 920kg
Performances
Top speed ----- > 120 km/h
Acceleration 0-80 km/h ----- 7.1 sec
Water speed ----- > 6 km/h
Under water speed ----- > 3 km/h
Dive depth ----- 10 m
Engines
Street ----- Electric
Power output ----- max. 54 kW at 4'500 /min
Torque ----- 160 NM at 1'500 /min
Water - Stern propellers ----- Electric
Power output ----- 2 x 800 W
Diving - bow jet drives ----- Electric
Power output ----- 2 x 3.6 kW Rotinor
Batteries ----- Lithium-Ionen
Voltage ----- 6 x 48 Volt
Propulsion
Power train ----- Rear wheel drive
Gearbox ----- R - N - F
Suspension
Chassis ----- Steel
Body panels ----- Carbon Nano Tubes
Seating capacity ----- 2
Front suspension ----- Double wishbone
Rear suspension ----- Double wishbone
Dampers/springs ----- KW automotive
Steering ----- Rack & pinion
Tyres
Front tyres ----- Pirelli P Zero 205/40 R17
Front wheels ----- AEZ 7.5 x 17'
Rear tyres ----- Pirelli P Zero 225/40 R18
Rear wheels ----- AEZ 8 x 18'
Miscellaneous
Air supply ----- 1 x 15 liter + 1 x 18 liter ScubaPro
Laser scanner ----- Ibeo
Lubricants ----- Motorex
Different types of Marketing
1. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to
her and say: "I am very rich.
"Marry me!" - That's Direct Marketing..."
2. You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a
gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and
pointing at you says: "He's very rich.
"Marry him." -That's Advertising..."
3. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to
her and get her telephone number. The next day, you
call and say: "Hi, I'm very rich.
"Marry me - That's Telemarketing..."
4. You're at a party and see gorgeous girl. You get up
and straighten your tie, you walk up to her and pour
her a drink, you open the door (of the car)"Marry Me?" - That's Public Relations..."
5. You're at a party and see gorgeous girl. She walks
up to you and says:"You are very rich!
"Can you marry ! me?" - That's Brand Recognition..."
6. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to
her and say: "I am very rich. Marry me!" She gives you
a nice hard slap on your face. - "That's Customer Feedback..."
7. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to
her and say: "I am very rich. Marry me!" And she
introduces you to her husband. - "That's demand and supply gap..."
8. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to
her and before you say anything, another person come
and tell her: "I'm rich. Will you marry me?" and she
goes with him - "That's competition eating into your market share..."
9. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to
her and before you say: "I'm rich, Marry me!" your
wife arrives. - "That's restriction for entering new markets..."
Google Chrome
The browser is no longer single-threaded process. Each tab is actually a separate process with own memspace. I am not sure if we are talking about threads or actual program instances but what is more important is that when you close a tab, you are virtually terminating the process. At least, this is what Google says.
This seams to have some interesting implications on the security of the browser. If you corrupt the tab’s memspace then you will crash only that particular process. The browser and all other tabs should continue working just fine like nothing ever has happened. This approach has its own advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are obvious: the user experience is intact. The disadvantages are that pwning might get easier. It is very early to me to say more on this topic because I haven’t seen Google Chrome in action, but I have the slight suspicion that there will be some security consequences as a result of this security model.
Google Chrome also implements a new privacy feature. I think they call it incognito or something. Basically if you browser while being in incognito
mode, nothing ever gets logged. I think that this is a cool feature and I believe that the IE8 team is working on something similar.
Another interesting feature which I need to mention is that popups are not blocked but they open in a minimized window. If you want to see them you just drag the popup icon and there you go. Again, this is very interesting but I can already see how this may be abused. For example, it will make a huge difference if the rendering engine has already processed the content of the popup even if it is minimized. If this is the case, then this feature could turn into a very handy mechanism of hiding malicious activities. For example, if during the attack, the page flickers or the attacker is rendering too many corrupted ANIs :) then certainly, hiding it behind a minimized popup will be a great way of avoiding detection by casual observation. Of course these are pure speculations.
Google Chrome also provides sandboxing functionalities. Apparently each process is sandboxed but I have no details how was that implemented. I would say that perhaps sandboxing JavaScript is fairly easy but doing that on a process level may not be as much. Maybe each process runs with unprivileged account which does not have many rights. But still, it must have some rights in order to do something. So taking over a process may not result into an immediate pwnage but it will certainly give the attackers some advantage. I am very interested to learn how this sandboxing mechanism is implemented for the various operating systems if the browser is cross-platformed of course, which I believe is the case.
Click here to download Google Chrome
click here to Learn about Google Chrome
Monday, September 22, 2008
Shut collider down for two months
The same day operators announced that a 30-ton transformer that cools part of the particle smasher had broken within hours of the LHC's launch last week, a mishap yesterday resulted in "a large helium leak" into the collider's tunnel.
According to a press statement, "the most likely cause of the problem was a faulty electrical connection between two magnets, which probably melted at high current leading to mechanical failure."
No workers were at risk, according to CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, which runs the LHC.
The leak means that the LHC will be down for at least two months, because workers must now warm up the faulty sector of the tunnel in order to repair it. The liquid helium is used to cool the LHC's magnets -- which guide protons and accelerate them so they can be smashed together -- down to within 1.9 kelvins (3.4 degrees Fahrenheit) of absolute zero.
Benefits of Yoga
Increasing Flexibility – yoga has positions that act upon the various joints of the body including those joints that are never really on the ‘radar screen’ let alone exercised.
Increasing lubrication of the joints, ligaments and tendons – likewise, the well-researched yoga positions exercise the different tendons and ligaments of the body.
Surprisingly it has been found that the body which may have been quite rigid starts experiencing a remarkable flexibility in even those parts which have not been consciously work upon. Why? It is here that the remarkable research behind yoga positions proves its mettle. Seemingly unrelated “non strenuous” yoga positions act upon certain parts of the body in an interrelated manner. When done together, they work in harmony to create a situation where flexibility is attained relatively easily.
Massaging of ALL Organs of the Body – Yoga is perhaps the only form of activity which massages all the internal glands and organs of the body in a thorough manner, including those – such as the prostate - that hardly get externally stimulated during our entire lifetime. Yoga acts in a wholesome manner on the various body parts. This stimulation and massage of the organs in turn benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a forewarning at the first possible instance of a likely onset of disease or disorder.
Complete Detoxification – By gently stretching muscles and joints as well as massaging the various organs, yoga ensures the optimum blood supply to various parts of the body. This helps in the flushing out of toxins from every nook and cranny as well as providing nourishment up to the last point. This leads to benefits such as delayed ageing, energy and a remarkable zest for life.
Excellent toning of the muscles – Muscles that have become flaccid, weak or slothy are stimulated repeatedly to shed excess flab and flaccidity.
But these enormous physical benefits are just a “side effect” of this powerful practice. What yoga does is harmonize the mind with the body and this results in real quantum benefits. It is now an open secret that the will of the mind has enabled people to achieve extraordinary physical feats, which proves beyond doubtthe mind and body connection.
Yoga through meditation works remarkably to achieve this harmony and helps the mind work in sync with the body. How often do we find that we are unable to perform our activities properly and in a satisfying manner because of the confusions and conflicts in our mind weigh down heavily upon us? Moreover, stress which in reality is the #1 killer affecting all parts of our physical, endocrinal and emotional systems can be corrected through the wonderful yoga practice of meditation.
In fact yoga = meditation, because both work together in achieving the common goal of unity of mind, body and spirit – a state of eternal bliss.
The meditative practices through yoga help in achieving an emotional balance through detachment. What it means is that meditation creates conditions, where you are not affected by the happenings around you. This in turn creates a remarkable calmness and a positive outlook, which also has tremendous benefits on the physical health of the body.
These are just some of the tangible benefits that can be achieved through yoga.
Having seen this, it is educative to note why the ancient yogis performed yoga and the interdependence of yoga and meditation. The ultimate goal of the yogis was “self realization” or “enlightenment”, a concept, which perhaps is quite esoteric to you and me.
But what is interesting is that for this they had to meditate for extensive spells of time – days,weeks and much more. This required tremendous physical fitness, energy and the capacity to subsist on next to nothing. Yoga positions or asanas provided them the fullest fitness with the least metabolism or stress and meditation in turn provided them the strength and will to perform these asanas effectively – a virtuous cycle of cause and effect. This mutually symbiotic relationship helped them in their path.
Surya Namaskar
From Aarama, come to Surya Namaskar-Sthiti (starting posture) in 3 counts: Ek-Do-Teen. These are the actions to be performed in three counts.
Ek: Join the heels, hands on the side, fingers facing down and palm open.
Do: Join the toes.
Teen: Join your hands to form Namaste position. Palms should be pressing against each other and the thumb joint should be at sternum (Solar Plexes).
In this posture, breathing is normal and slow. Face should be normal and relaxed.
Step One: As you breathe in… Slowly raise your hands with biceps touching the ears and hands in namaste posture. Slowly bend backwards from your waist. Do not bend the knees. Look towards your palm.
Step Two: While breathing out… Slowly bend forward from the waist. Try to touch your palm to the floor on either side of your legs. Do not bend the knees. Nose should touch the knees. People with back problems should not bend too much. Bend only as much it is comfortable.
Step Three: As you breathe in… [Note: 
The description is for odd numbered namaskars (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.) For even numbered ones (2nd, 4th,..) interchange left and right leg]. Take your left foot back. Left knee should touch the floor. Two palms should be completely on the ground and the right foot should be in between the two hands. Fingers should be pointing to the front. Lean forward on the right knee, so that calf and thigh muscles press against each other chest rests on the thigh. Look up and make a concave on your back.
Step Four :
While breathing out… Take right foot back and join with left foot. Arms should be straight. Most of the weight will be on the arms. The body should be in one plane like a slide. Look 5 feet in front of you on the floor.
Step Five : Bend your arms and touch your feet, knees, chest and forehead to the ground. 
Do not touch abdomen or nose (you don’t want to breathe in the dust!)
Step Six: As you breathe in… Come forward and bend back as much as you can. Abdomen should come between your hands. Look back from the top. Two legs should be joined.
Step Seven : While breathing out… Form a mountain like posture. Push your chin towards the chest. Heels should touch the floor.
Step Eight : As you breathe in..[Note: The desc
ription is for odd numbered namaskars (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.). For even numbered ones (2nd, 4th,..) replace left leg with right leg] bring your left foot forward all the way between the hands. Exactly like step three.
Step Nine : While breathing out…Bring the right foot forward and stand up as in Do.
Step Ten : Back to Surya Namaskar Sthiti.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Visual Studio 2008
Overall, it’s a solid improvement over 2005. The guys at Microsoft have made some good changes that actually improved the development experience rather than just adding a bunch of fluff. Unlike 2005, you’re not required to upgrade to the newest framework to use it, so you don’t have to upgrade to .NET 3.5 just yet. The IDE is generally a bit faster than 2005 and several of the features that were a headache for my team in 2005 have been made useful. The 2 most notable improvements were support for nested master pages in design view and a huge performance improvement in the table adapter editing interface.
One of the first things I noticed about the interface is the influence from Expression Web. There is a new split view for the designer and several new CSS helper tools. The split view has been in other products, like Dreamweaver, for ages and I have generally not found it very useful and initially, I felt the same way about the split view in Visual Studio. It really doesn’t help much when laying out your pages, but when writing code-behinds, it provides a much quick method for reviewing the layout and server control properties. The CSS tools, much like Expression, seem like they may be useful to those inexperienced with CSS, but for me they were more of a hindrance than help.
The biggest improvement is the javascript support. The support for the ASP.NET AJAX extensions is much improved, but that’s pretty much expected. What surprised me is the extensive intellisense support for javascript. It not only picks up the built-in javascript functions, it provides intellisense for any of your custom functions and variables. While my javascript skills are about average, our dedicated AJAX guy just wouldn’t shut up about how good the new javascript support is, which tells me it’s pretty solid. The new javascript debugging support is nice too, but it requires that you turn on the script debugger in IE, which makes any browsing outside of debugging your apps a pain.
Visual Studio 2008 is a nice step forward for Visual Studio. While some people were hoping for more features, the features that made it in are solid and the overall performance in improved. The javascript intellisense and debugging alone will make it worth getting for anybody working heavily with AJAX and the performance tweaks will satisfy impatient coders like me. There are a few shortcomings (it’s still a memory hog) but the improvements are well worth the upgrade.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Telepathy
The psychic phenomena by which communication occurs between minds, or mind-to-mind communication. Such communication includes thoughts, ideas, feelings, sensations and mental images. Telepathic descriptions are universally found in writings and oral lore. In tribal societies such as the Aborigines of Australia telepathy is accepted as a human faculty, while in more advanced societies it is thought a special ability belonging to mystics and psychics. Although not scientifically proven, telepathy is being increasingly studied in psychical research.
Although over the centuries various theories have been advanced to describe the functioning of telepathy, none seem to be adequate. Telepathy, like othe psychic phenomena, transcends time and space. The ancient Greek philosopher Democritus put forth the wave and corpuscle theories to explain telepathy. In the 19th century, the British chemist and physicist William Crookes, thought telepathy rode on radio- like brain waves. Later in the 20th century the Soviet scientist L. L. Vasilies proposed the electromagnetic theory. The American psychologist Lawrence LeShan proposed that each person has his or her personal reality, and the psychics and mystics share separate ones from other people which allow them to access information not available to others.
Most often telepathy occurs spontaneously in incidents of crisis where a relative or friend has been injured or killed in an accident. An individual is aware of the danger to the other person from a distance. Such information seems to come in different forms as in thought fragments, like something is wrong; in dreams, visions, hallucinations, mental images, in clairaudience, or in words that pop into the mind. Often such information causes the person, the receiver, to change is course of action, such as changing his travel plans or daily schedule, or to just call or contact the other person. Some incidents involve apparent telepathy between humans and animals.
Telepathy can be induced in the dream state. It appears to be related to some biological factors: blood volume changes during telepathic sending, and electroencephalogram monitoring show that the brain waves of the recipient change to match those of the sender.
Hijack
The protagonist of the film is Vikram Madan (Shiney Ahuja) who is an ex pilot in a commercial airlines and now works as a maintenance engineer in a ground job at the Chandigarh airport. The film marks the hero's journey of his life bringing him face to face with his demons from the past, where the hero is faced with a hijack situation with his daughter being stuck in the middle of it. Having lost his wife earlier in a similar situation, it is up to Vikram now to get over his past and save the day. The terrorists of the aircraft demand that their mastermind Rasheed (KK Raina) be released in exchange of the innocent lives of the passengers. It is now in the hands of Vikram and Saira (Esha Deol) an airhostess on the hijacked flight to join forces and somehow save the lives of the innocent passengers.
Vikram (Shiney Ahuja) is a ground maintenance officer at Chandigarh Airport. A lonely person by nature, he has no concerned friendship other than his one friend, Rajeev, the security chief of same airport. It's a life threatening situation for Vikram when the Delhi-Amritsar flight in which his daughter travelling is hijacked. Terrorists who have hijacked the airplane demand for the release of their leader Maqsood [K.K.Raina]. The flight is urged to land on Chandigarh Airport for refueling and it's turn of Vikram to prove his heroism.
Vikram creeps into the airplane with tactics of thwarting down the plans of terrorists and bringing situation under control. Here, you have Saira (Esha Deol) availing him out to bump off hijackers one by one. It's more deplorable for some of the innocents who become victims to gunshots in the process. Last and final, Vikram triumphs for the day, saving the lives innocent passengers and his lovable daughter.
Well, getting on with Shivadsani's narration, he could have better avoided pulling in songs. They are simply inapt for the film. But the latter part, especially the last 25mins, you are there on the edge of seats. Shiney Ahuja emotes well to the situations while Esha Deol has nothing to do more. Fine! A moderate performance from her looks good. K.K.Raina and Mushtaq Kak on their roles have done justice.
Getting on with technical aspects, Justin-Udhay's background score top-notches with a great impact while Jehangir Chowdary's cinematography draws us in. His splendorous style of canning certain shots is commendable. What makes this flick perfect as an action-thriller are the stunts choreographed by Allan Amin. Often you find the screens filled with blood-sheds, but isn't done butcherly. Set decorator Bijon Dasgupta does a splendid presentation of interiors of the aircraft.
Valuating Hijack on the whole, it's a moderate start by Kunal Shivadsani and if he had fended off with certain absurdities, the film would have been far convincing.
1920 Movie
Don't miss out the horrific thrills; you are sure to frozen with bewitching elements that is sure to get your spines frozen. Peculiarly, the first of transfiguration of Lisa not just takes Arjun into topsy-turvy, but scares us a lot. Merely, the best part is where Lisa is pulled into a Dark black hole of a room just before interval. But makes the film so clichéd, is the bright white-bluish eyes of ghost-haunted entity. These aspects crawls down pace of screenplay and indeed getting us loose our interest. On the pars, 1920 holds several clichéd aspects of horror flicks. It's always a woman who is possessed and of course, the ghost too is a female. Thanks to Vikram Bhatt, he has a male spirit haunting the missy and perhaps, it doesn't show any mercy to the vi
ctim as in other flicks (Bhooth). Again, Arjun spots himself under the category of husbands who devotedly work on rescuing their wives. Finally, the big conversation that goes on between a religious person and a Doctor on Science Vs Supernatural issues. But, these features are locked up within short time and you have something more to watch.
A young couple recently entered into nuptials despites life-threatening opposition from the boy's father. Arjun Singh Rathod (Rajneesh Duggal), a religious entity turns into an atheist when his family is urged to kill his wife Lisa (Adah Sharma). Arjun, an architect wizard and Lisa have to now move to exotic location of Palanpur where he is assigned to shatter down an old palace for constructing a new hotel. An excellent picturesque of new place that makes the couple feel like paradise, but there is something abnormal sensed by Lisa in this Old Haveli. These mysterious signs start haunting Lisa and much before Arjun could believe her, Lisa is already obsessed by a spirit. Here starts, the rolling waves of horrific scenario where Arjun starts assaying of settling-scores with evil spirit that his wife possesses. Indeed, Arjun has to bear the jeopardizing stunts of his possessed wife performing gymnastics. Remember, it's not just about casting away an evil spell, but there is whole lot of mysteries to be unraveled between past life of Lisa and her colligation with Old Haveli.
Big Bang Theory
According to the standard theory, our universe sprang into existence as "singularity" around 13.7 billion years ago. What is a "singularity" and where does it come from? Well, to be honest, we don't know for sure. Singularities are zones which defy our current understanding of physics. They are thought to exist at the core of "black holes." Black holes are areas of intense gravitational pressure. The pressure is thought to be so intense that finite matter is actually squished into infinite density (a mathematical concept which truly boggles the mind). These zones of infinite density are called "singularities." Our universe is thought to have begun as an infinitesimally small, infinitely hot, infinitely dense, something - a singularity. Where did it come from? We don't know. Why did it appear? We don't know.
The Big Bang theory is an effort to explain what happened at the very beginning of our universe. Discoveries in astronomy and physics have shown beyond a reasonable doubt that our universe did in fact have a beginning. Prior to that moment there was nothing; during and after that moment there was something: our universe. The big bang theory is an effort to explain what happened during and after that moment.
After its initial appearance, it apparently inflated (the "Big Bang"), expanded and cooled, going from very, very small and very, very hot, to the size and temperature of our current universe. It continues to expand and cool to this day and we are inside of it: incredible creatures living on a unique planet, circling a beautiful star clustered together with several hundred billion other stars in a galaxy soaring through the cosmos, all of which is inside of an expanding universe that began as an infinitesimal singularity which appeared out of nowhere for reasons unknown. This is the Big Bang theory.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest particle accelerator complex, intended to collide opposing beams of 7 TeV protons. Its main purpose is to explore the validity and limitations of the Standard Model, the current theoretical picture for particle physics. The LHC was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), and lies underneath the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, Switzerland.
The LHC is the world's largest and the highest-energy particle accelerator. It is funded by and built in collaboration with over eight thousand physicists from over eighty-five countries as well as hundreds of universities and laboratories.
The LHC is now operational, and in the process of being prepared for first collisions. The first beam was circulated through the collider on the morning of September 10, 2008. The first high-energy collisions are planned to take place after the LHC is officially unveiled on 21 October 2008.
When activated, it is theorized that the collider will produce the elusive Higgs boson, the observation of which could confirm the predictions and missing links in the Standard Model of physics and could explain how other elementary particles acquire properties such as mass.
Although a few individuals have questioned the safety of the planned experiments in the media and through the courts, the consensus in the scientific community is that there is no basis for any conceivable threat from the LHC particle collisions.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Onam activities
The most important things about Onam are the onakkodi, the new clothes worn on this day and onam sadya, a feast which is quite elaborate. This is usually a feast served on banana leaves and serves rice along with at least an array of 4 dishes. Traditional pickles and papadam are also served. Dessert is usually 'payasam', a sweet dish made of milk, sugar and other traditional Indian savories.
During Onam, people create a multi-coloured floral decoration on the ground in the front of their home calledpookkalam. Young children especially girls are often entrusted with the task of gathering and laying out the flowers in elaborate patterns. Competitions are held on onam day to create this floral design. It is usually 1.5 m in Diameter usually in circular shape. A lamp is usually placed as part of the design. In the recent years, the floral designs have evoloved from the traditional circular shape to unique designs depicting different cultural and social aspects of Kerala life.
The Vallamkali (the snake boat race) is another event that is synonymous with Onam. Well-known races include theAranmula Boat Race and the Nehru Trophy Boat Race. About 100 oarsmen row huge and graceful snake boats and men and women come from far and near to watch the snake boats skim through the water.
During the Onam, Keralite Hindus install an image of Thrikkakara Appan (Vishnu in the form of Vamana) in their home just as Hindus install images or murtis of Lord Ganesh on the Ganesh Chaturi festival.
This festival is also important because of its popularity with all communities within Kerala. Although the festival of Onam originated with, and is connected to the Hindu religion, it is celebrated today with equal fervour by the Hindus, Muslims and Christians of Kerala.
Many lamps are lit in Hindu temples of Kerala during this celebration. A palmyra tree is erected in front of temples and surrounded with a wooden balustrade and covered with dry palmyra leaves. It is lit with a torch and burned to ashes to signify that Mahabali went to hell as a sacrifice
Story Behind Onam
A long long time ago, an Asura (demon) king called Mahabali ruled Kerala. He was a wise, benevolent and judicious ruler and beloved of his subjects. Soon his fame as an able king began to spread far and wide, but when he extended his rule to the heavens and the netherworld, the gods felt challenged and began to fear his growing powers. Presuming that he might become over-powerful, Aditi, the mother of Devas pleaded with Lord Vishnu to curtail Mahabali's powers.
Vishnu transformed himself into a dwarf called Vamana and approached Mahabali while he was performing a yajna and asked for alms. Pleased with the dwarf brahmin's wisdom, Mahabali granted him a wish. The Emperor's preceptor, Sukracharya warned him against making the gift, for he realized that the seeker was no ordinary person. But the Emperor's kingly ego was boosted to think that God had asked him for a favor. So he firmly declared that there is no greater sin than going back on one's promise. He kept his word.
The Vamana asked for a simple gift — three paces of land — and the king agreed to it. Vishnu in the guise of Vamana then increased his stature and with the first step covered the sky, blotting out the stars, and with the second, straddled the netherworld. Realising that Vamana's third step will destroy the earth, Mahabali offered his head as the last step.
Vishnu's fatal third step pushed him to the netherworld, but before banishing him to the underworld Vishnu granted him a boon. Since he was attached to his kingdom and his people, he was allowed to return once a year from exile. Onam is the celebration that marks the homecoming of King Mahabali. It is the day when a grateful Kerala pays a glorious tribute to the memory of this benign king who gave his all for his subjects.
Onam
Onam is the national festival of Kerala. It marks the homecoming of legendary King Mahabali and is an annual harvestfestival. It is a popular festival among the cultural repertoire of Malayalees, and falls in the month of Chingam(August/September as per the Gregorian calendar), the first month of the Malayalam calendar, and lasts for ten days. Traditionally celebrated as a harvest festival, mythologically it is linked to Malayalee–Hindu folktales; but Onam is celebrated by people of all religions .
Onam is the biggest festival in the Indian state of Kerala. Onam Festival falls during the Malayali month of Chingam (Aug - Sep) and marks the homecoming of legendary King Mahabali. Carnival of Onam lasts for ten days and brings out the best of Kerala culture and tradition. Intricately decorated Pookalam, ambrosial Onasadya, breathtaking Snake Boat Race and exotic Kaikottikali dance are some of the most remarkable features of Onam - the harvest festival in Kerala.
Akasha Gopuram
‘Aakasha Gopuram’, set in an imaginary town tells the story of Albert Samson (Mohanlal), a middle-aged architect who is ready to sacrifice anything for art. Though, he has pulled up his way to fame, his determination only on his career success for fended Samson and his family from leading a meaningful life.
Samson in his early years has struggled much to reach up to his ambitions. Then, he worked with his employer Abraham Thomas, who supported him in his endeavors. Samson started building churches and after a while, easily climbed lanes of glory, when he attempted building villas. He even exploited Abraham, his former employer, to reach the top, which in turn has made the later, his assistant. Samson managed to marry Alice, the daughter of a British Duke but with the death of her parents and her children, she ceased sympathizing with Samson and started leading a frustrated life. Samson also very soon realized that just like his own life, not every thing was good in the houses that he had built, along the years. Thomas, now dying, wanted his son Alex to have more independence in the firm but Samson fearing the caliber of the younger generation of architects refuses to allow Alex either to design original houses or to leave the firm.
Samson's life takes a new turn as Hilda Varghese, a spirited young woman who has idolized Samson for years, comes up to claim the ‘kingdom' that Samson has offered her when she was just a girl of twelve. This promise was made wh
en Samson built a large church in her hometown, ten years before and climbed to the top of its tower during its dedication ceremony. And now Hilda sincerely has come to collect her kingdom. To fulfill her wish and for making a perfect architecture for self satisfaction, Samson begins to built a tower -a big one, poised to reach the sky - 'Aakashagopuram'.
'Aakashagopuram' also has a rare distinction that it is one of the few international co-productions made in Malayalam. National and international award winning director K P Kumaran, returns to big screen after a gap of 6 year with the film.
“I had been trying to do this film for the last ten years. I did even plan the film against an Indian milieu, to be shot at Simla, Ooty and Moonar , but it never materialized. It was then the British company under Taizoon F. Khorakkiwala came forward to support the production. It was really a dream come true for me'', says Kumaran whose famous filmography includes Thotram, Athithi, Neram Pularumbol, Rugmini and Kattile Pattu among others. ‘Master Builder’ is a powerful psychological play written by Ibsen in his later years. The play even has some surrealistic elements. “I have tried to retain the basic character of the play, and the film is an adaptation of the play”, adds the renowned director.
Newcomer Nithya makes her debut performance as Hilda. Shweta Menon plays Alice while late Bharath Gopi plays Abraham Thomas in the film. Also in the cast are Sreenivasan, Manoj K Jayan and Geethu Mohandas in supporting roles.
The best of talent from India and UK have come together to create this engaging classic. The movie is shot entirely in various locations in UK by cinematographer Santosh C Thundiyil (Krish, Pinjar, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai fame). Sabu Cyril is the production designer of th
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