Books

Through books you can encompass in your imagination the full sweep of world history. You can watch the rise and fall of civilizations, the ebb and flow of mighty battles and the changing pattern of life through the ages.

Through books you can know the majesty of great poetry, the wisdom of the philosophers, the findings of the scientists.

Through books you can start today where the great thinkers of yesterday left off, because books have immortalized man’s knowledge. Thinkers, dead a thousand years, are as alive in their books today as when they walked the earth.

It is chiefly through books that we enjoy the knowledge of superior minds, and these invaluable means of communication are in the reach of all. In the best books, great men talk to us their most precious thoughts, and pour their soul s into ours.

In the pole

If not outside so optimistic I would begin to think that this interminable tunnel does not take nowhere, or at least not to the surface. No longer I know how long we took giving returned and more returning, but than yes I am safe is that we have not stopped descending. The temperature, consequently, has been increasing and the heat has become unbearable. It would say who it, heat in the Antarctic! In order to fight we must it clear the clothes to us, but soon we will not have left nothing than to undress to us. With these naked beards and we will need the stick to seem troglodytic. But about what I will be thinking? Right now it would have to be jumping and dancing of joy, and is that, against all prognosis, today we have conquered the South Pole! I do not joke nor I am being delirious for want of oxygen. It has been a conquest under earth, clearly, which does not reduce any merit to him, although I must recognize that we have had much luck of which the grotto passed through the latitude 90º S.A. right less now I can die knowing that I have fulfilled my intention, but, I prefer to follow alive; still I have seventy and five years and one life ahead. In addition I must inform to him to the world into our feat, what would be the glory without recognition?
This is the experience of one of my close friends who encountered the harshest of environment and some of the most trying times of his life.

Environmental protection

Environmental protection and management should attract a lot of attention these days. There must be desirable development in the face of alarming rate of natural resource degradation which greatly hampers their optimal utilisation. There must be special attention given to such environmental issues in rural areas where people have low awareness. When waste water emanating from municipal sewage, industrial effluent, agricultural and land runoffs find their way either to ground water reservoirs or other surface water sources, the quality of water gets affected and makes it unfit for use. The natural balance is disturbed when concentrated discharges of waste water is not controlled. This is because the cleansing forces of nature cannot do their job in proportion to the production of filthy matter. There must be special boards formed in every town in all nations to ensure that such effects to our surroundings are not caused.

Is youth extinct?

Youth is stifled because the rat-race continues.. many parents seeking only such schools which would put their children in the list of rank holders and top scorers in examinations; pushing them into a variety of supplimentry courses which give them little time to blink from their books, leave alone “to stand and stare” in their leisure; focussing their own obsessions on them and deciding a future by the measuring yardstick of the Toms Dicks and Harrys of society or the economic returns of courses with an impact on social prestige.

Fourteen years of this fruelling life from the age of three onwards! Fourteen years of tunnelling with blinders to avoid “distractions” from the harsh goals of studentship! Fourteen years of the printed matter absorbed and soaked into the brain to be poured out again onto answer papers, cover-to-cover, letter-to-letter. And when the fourteen years are over, he stands before you, a seventeen year old, ready to step into the next tunnel of academics called “Higher Studies”, a tunnel that is in no way different from the earlier one in quality or kind. So another three, five, seven or sometimes even more years before he actually begins to live.. an adult! Not having known what it was to be a youth!

Youth is not just the inevitable count of years. It is more an attitude than a period of time. Youth is said to be exuberant, full of spirit of adventure. Youth is alive to emotions and makes no distinction between people and positions. Youth is sensitive to suffering, responsive to reasoning and fine – tuned to trust and tolerance. Youth is always sharing, ever caring, seldom unforgiving and never vindictive. Youth gives fair credit to merit and is ignorant of partiality. Above all, youth believes in giving a helping hand to the downtrodden even when he himself tries to climb the ladder of success.

Retrenchment and employee morale

Recently a town hall was conducted in our organization to brief the employees about the current economic situation and the need for effective performance in these times. The company, unlike most other organizations, cares for the welfare of its employees and avoids job cuts, so their colleagues and dear friends do not undergo extreme difficulties in this poor market. Their decision comes as a welcome move as it is not only the employee who gets sacked who faces the brunt, but also his friends and managers who cannot bear to see someone who had grown with the company, depart.
It is not an easy job for the manager too, to choose a few among the selected ones to issue the pink slip. Restructuring also leads to strange work conditions that could prove harmful to the productivity of the employees. To a large extent companies must focus on retaining their workforce, if they want to retain their ‘reputed employer’ status. It is not a sign of a good employer to lay off employees just to face worst times of their life, outside.

Cyrus the Great

I recently read a book on Cyrus, King of Kings, the king of Persia of the ancient times. He was born to a humble king and became the first king to conquer vast extents of land in the Middle Eastern region. He was a man that I admire not just because he was a great conqueror and ruler, he was a man who, apart from hard work and perseverance, used cool ideas to defeat his enemies. His strategies were some of the wisest I have ever heard of.

He used his wit wisely to conquer the nation of Sardis. The king of the small nation retreated from battlefield thinking Cyrus would not advance beyond a certain point. Cyrus, with his men, stealthily followed the enemy troops to reach their land and attacked the place when the all their army had dispersed. An easy victory followed.

After taking over most of the surrounding nations, Cyrus turned towards the mighty Babylon - one of the greatest wonders the world has ever seen. The city was ruled by king Nabonidus, son of King Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler who brought havoc to the city of Jerusalem. This time Cyrus had almost the entire army of Babylon overpowered, but the city itself was impermeable. It was a square city with a length and breadth of 20Km. The entire place was surrounded by high walls and strong inner walls. The whole city was content with its food and water supplies that were available internally. I guess if one would have thought it possible to penetrate a city of such high protection. But smart Cyrus took advantage of the river Euphrates that flowed into the city, to penetrate the city. He used his skilled engineers to divert the river and made the water way shallow for his horsemen to move. The rest is history.

Cyrus in my opinion is an Alexander the world knows less about. In fact, Cyrus is spoken of in comparison to Alexander often, as both followed similar routes in their quest to conquer the world. We have lots of lessons that can be learnt from great men like Cyrus, Cyrus the Great.

Anything Positive

Even when you are in the worst situation feel good that things can only get better.

On his high horse

We all know the power, speed and beauty of the horse made him a creature of legend. We are told that once there were seven men who competed for the throne of Persia. They agreed that the man whose horse neighed first should become king. The horse of Darius was the first to do so. The crown was given to him. He became one of the most famous of Persia’s ancient kings.

For a long time only upper classes had horses. Some of high rank rode on big, heavy horses in the king’s parade. This gave birth to the expression “to ride the high horse”, meaning trying to show that one is above others, too good for them. And to tell one “to get off his high horse” means that he is no better than others and should stop acting as if he were. The expression “to look a gift horse in the mouth” is used to describe a man who has the poor taste to examine a gift to see if anything is wrong with it.

Hi all.. I'm back

Thanks all for your response. This is just to say that I get tired of blogging doesn't mean I won't continue with the work. I am going to post more and more. So keep coming and I'd love to visit you. Well, here is one of my favorite heroes, not just in movies, in real life too. Just wanted to share this legends thoughts with you. Cheers.

Blogging Boring

It's been some time since I started blogging and the whole stuff is beginning to have a dull effect on me. I like the business, but its all too tiresome. Sometimes, to take care of your job and at the same time managing your blog could be taxing. I imagine how my blogging friends are managing several ones at the same time. Each day passes by and I get into different moods that directly affect my blogging activity. Now you find that I haven't updated my blog in days eh? So what I will be doing next is only left to the chance of time. Right now I am going to spend a wonderful Friday and look forward to having a beautiful weekend. Happy blogging friends!

Tips to handle Interviews

Before the interview
• Get to the interview location at least 30 minutes prior to the given time.

• Carry extra copies of your updated resumé.

• Be polite to the receptionist. His/Her feedback about you may be considered during your evaluation.

• Acquaint yourself with the names of the interviewers and be prepared to use them while interacting with them or greeting them.

• Review your notes while waiting.

• Breathe deeply and relax.

• Enter the room courteously with a smile, but without being obsequious.

• Greet the interviewer with a firm handshake.

• Accept that you will be nervous but work out ways of not letting it interfere with your performance.


During the interview

• Be calm, confident, professional and determined.

• Slow down your speech, lower your voice and maintain eye contact with the interviewer during the interview.

• Direct your answers to the entire panel of interviewers.

• Avoid speaking your own views.

• Pitch answers at a level that would be technically appropriate to your interviewing panel.

• Demonstrate integrity by not giving away confidential information about your previous employer.

• Be a good listener and show patience during any pauses between questions.

• Always be honest.

• If you get the time or opportunity, ask questions about the employer in the order of their priority.

• Thank the panel as you leave.

Do UFO’s exist?

The credibility of UFO’s and extra terrestrial life forms has always been under question and there is no proper evidence for their existence. However, there are a group a people who indeed believe in the possibility of their existence. The reason for their belief can be understood from their arguments.
• Many planets have been found revolving around stars outside the Solar System.
• Alien technology could be far in advance of our own, allowing more effective space travel.
• Einstein’s theory is accepted for now. But it may be wrong. More advanced theories could be discovered in the future that allow faster than light travel.
• There are thousands of UFO photos in the world that claim to show alien spacecrafts. And many more eyewitness accounts of UFO sightings.
• Many UFO could be military craft or man-made objects. But witnesses include air force pilots who are trained in aerial detection.
• Extra evidence has been found by witnesses in the area around UFO sightings, including debris from crashes and burn marks on the ground from landings.

Hi-tech and Hybrid cars

This 1983 Bentley was modified for the rich class. It was actually the Bentley Mulsanne Turbo which was transformed, including parts from nine different cars. The roof was lowered a bit, with the front and rear lights were from a Range Rover. The 328 hp turbocharged engine is alone left unchanged.


The new Knight XV, the new assault vehicle is a eye catcher. It comes with 6 way seating, sunroof glass with privacy shade and laptop station, Alpine DVD navigation and Bluetooth connectivity. This stunning machine is priced at $295,000.


This Chrysler is a hybrid that is capable of traveling a distance of 40 mile on pure battery power. A gasoline engine and electric generator is used to extend the driving range to around four hundred miles.


The Dodge Circuit EV is an improvement over its predecessor, a Dodge electric car. This reworked car is looks attractive than the previous one. It is capable of a quick 0-60 time of less than six minutes. It can span a driving distance of 150 to 200 miles with its charged battery.

Bushido

The Samurais of Japan were the fiercest warriors of their time and they were loyal beyond any question to their leaders. They followed a rigid code of ethics that made them one among the most respected in the society. But after the period when the nation developed peace, they became more spiritually oriented and indulged themselves in teaching and art. The code called Bushido that was followed by them did not teach brute force or impolite manners.

I. Rectitude or Justice The code teaches that a Samurai knows how one must decide upon an important thing and act appropriately. It is the quality of reasoning.

II. Courage that is put in action for the sake of good is worthy of respect.

III. Benevolence was expected as an integral part of a man of honour.

IV. Politeness was an essential attribute. It is to be a part of every true Samurai of Japan.

V. Honesty and Sincerity Greed for money was considered an immoral and lowly quality. The Samurais lived a Spartan life and abstained from seeking money.

VI. Honor was above everything. A Samurai lived a life of honor and anything that affected his honor affected him personally.

VII. Loyalty The Samurais were extremely loyal to their leaders.

VIII. Character and Self-Control The Bushido teaches men to live a life of moral standards. Character is essential for the warrior and equally for the common man.

The rules of the code were those of politeness and respect. It taught to the world, discipline and unfailing morals that will last forever.

Know about F1

The Formula One race is usually preceded by a warm-up lap, and then the cars are made ready to go, in the order they qualified. If a driver stops before the parade lap and all the other cars pass him, then he must start once again. However, if he controls himself and drives off, with at least one car behind his car, then he is allowed to take his position. The driver also has the option to start from the pit-area, if there is any problem with his machine in the last minute. However, the trouble here is that he has to allow all the other cars to pass by him before he can start.
The distance of race is usually the minimum number of laps that serve to cross three hundred and five kilometers. The driver can any number of pit stops during the race for refueling or to do other corrections. The tyres are supplied by Bridgestone, the official tyre manufacturer for Formula One. On completing a successful lap, the driver is required to ward off three blue flags waved on the way. Failing this will invite a penalty from the organizers.

The History of Super Bowl

The Super Bowl was simply a AFL-NFL world championship game in the sixties. It was played where only half the stadium was full. There were two different brands of the game that were contradictory and were designed by the NFL and AFL respectively. There was a clear agreement between the owners of the two leagues, to form a new and united organization, the modern NFL. The two had to separately oblige TV contracts and that kept the full integration pending till 1970. There was a single separate game played at end of season, that was used to name the final winning team as the champion. “Super Sunday” became a trademark name due to the craze that Super Bowl induced in the people. This game has created a special place for itself in the US list of national holidays, the fourth of July. The game is regularly scheduled every year and is watched by almost everyone in the US.

For a good presentation

Presentation is also a form of communication of your ideas and thoughts to others.
The first important thing that you will have to consider to make a good presentation is to understand the audience your audience to whom you are going to make the presentation.
Keep your presentation very simple, to the point and concise, if your audience is general public and common masses.
If your audience is full of technical people, word your presentation accordingly by using technically sound but simple language.
Be clear in your opening statement. Always make eye contact with the audience. Reflect confidence in speech and posture. Plan well and implement with the use of visual aids.
Prepare and rehearse well before you appear for an interview. Your knowledge, communicating ability and presentation skills matter a lot for success in interviews.
Your resume, cover letter, dress and perseverance qualities play a significant role in interviews.
A little thought about the way you carry out an interview and development of some skills can transform your interviews from problems into opportunities.
Interviewers should also prepare well for interviewing, asking questions, listening to answers and closing the interview.

Types of Knowledge

Epistemology is the study of knowledge. It is concerned with the nature, structure and origin of knowledge. The following are some forms of knowledge.
Causal Knowledge is the understanding of the underlying cause and effect of various aspects of life.
Procedural knowledge is the knowledge of how to do something like making a cup of coffee.
Declarative knowledge refers to knowledge being expressed as a declarative statement.
Tacit knowledge is also known as the unconscious knowledge since it cannot be expressed very specifically in words. For example, how to ride a bicycle or a horse is something one may know but find difficult to explain.
Deep knowledge is acquired by exhaustive study and understanding of a subject. Usually, it is restricted to one or two domains of knowledge as it is not possible for a single person to study all the different areas learning.
Shallow knowledge is based on superficial or an empirical understanding of a subject.
Heuristic knowledge is a type of shallow knowledge. It is conscious of various rules of thumb based on first-hand experience. They aid in solving problems but there is no guarantee that they will succeed. It is in areas such as medicine and practical engineering that heuristics play a useful role in problem solving

Listening

Good listening is a quality of great men who have reached the pinnacle of glory and is very essential for succeeding in life. But there is a big misconception that is common among many of us that we are good listeners even when we are not. When lecturers lecture, your mind wanders away at least sometimes, if not most of the time. So, you do not generally listen attentively and actively. This creates an inability to understand the lesson. And if you are an employee, it creates problem in your work.
Most of the time we assume that we listen well, though really, we may not. One main reason for this is that more often we complete on our own the sentences of the speaker before he completes them. This is known as predicting. That is, we assume that the speaker is going to say what we expect him to say. This may not happen all time. It’s possible that the speaker will say something different from what we expect. As a result, difficulties in understanding the messages can occur, and misunderstanding will arise as a result. Proper training and control of your thoughts will help gain better concentration to listen well.

Food Preservation

Food preservation is very important as it has become a widely applied method in our day to day life. Cooked food, uncooked meat and fish or fruit lose their freshness, become old and spoil in warm, wet air as these undergo changes because of bacteria. Food science and technology have helped us preserve food with their modern techniques. Factories prepare and produce readymade food-meats, fish, peas, fruits. They use certain processes like canning, dehydration, smoke, refrigeration.
Food can be preserved by controlling or destroying the agents like warm and wet air, bacteria, insect and rodents.
Canning is a thermal processing where foods are subjected to high temperatures that are high enough to kill micro-organisms. Foods are sterilized in air tight, heat-resistant pouches.
Dehydration removes water from food and thus prevents bacteria from growing. It then compresses and freeze-dries food which can resume their normal state on rehydration.
Refrigeration helps store foods with nutrients and flavours. But smoke treatment to foods can preserve them only for a short time.
Certain substances in small amounts are added to foods to make them last longer, to give them color and to add flavour to them, to add minerals. They are known as additives. Benzoates, propionic acids, sodium and calcium salts are a few preservatives. Monosodium glutamate, synthetic and aromatic substances add flavour to foods.

Eat Healthy

Eat more of grain foods such as atta, brown rice, paraboiled rice, jowar, barley, fruits, vegetables and dals
More non-fat or low protein foods like non-fat or low-fat milk, curds, paneer, egg white, chicken and fish at least 3-4 times a week.
Keep refined carbohydrates like cakes, pastries, chips, traditional fried savouries and biscuits to a minimum.
Less unhealthy fats in fried foods, full cream milk and curd, ghee, skin on chicken, marbled meats, sausages and cream biscuits.
Less outdoor foods with description like “super, jumbo, supreme, deluxe”
Moderate amounts of alcohol, if you drink. For women, one drink a day and two drinks a day for men is acceptable.
Eat at regular intervals; do not skip meals.
Cook food through healthier methods like baking, steaming, sauteling, pressure cooking and grilling instead of frying.
Cardio exercises like walking, jogging, swimming increase calorie expenditure and make the heart stronger.
If you can’t exercise, just do some physical work. Use stairs, do gardening, and walk to nearby places instead of driving.

Document your program well

As a graduate in Information Technology I get to understand some basic skills that will make lengthy programming easier. One of the mistaken ideas held by many programmers is that the documentation for a program should be written only after the program is ’finished’. This is a very dangerous point of view. It will certainly lead to inadequate documentation and might very well result in an incomplete or incorrect program. Documentation is a continuous process. It starts when we first begin to formulate a clear problem statement and continues as we devise a solution, express the solution algorithmically and code the algorithm as a computer program. Documentation is an inherent part of a program. It is therefore meaningless to assert that documentation should be written after the program is finished.

The Father of Packaged Foods

Francois Appert had no convenient tin can in which to seal his goods. He picked all sorts of food in glass of china containers, poured sufficient water to cover them, and then placed them in a bath of water which was gradually heated to the boiling point, keeping them in this bath for varying lengths of time. While still hot, they were corked and sealed. Perhaps, it may not seem like something that should be rewarded. It is done in many kitchens every autumn when the fresh fruits come in and are preserved for the winter. No, it’s not new or surprising now; it is the common and accepted one.
But, this is the twenty first century, and our French scientist was working in his laboratory in 1800. It is because Appert worked out this process so patiently and thoroughly in his workroom that we can do it so easily and naturally in our kitchens. The test took a long time, for different temperatures and methods had to be worked out. Then the jars must be left closed for months or years to prove the success or failure of each separate method. But by the time a dozen years passed and Appert had learned the best ways and was able to show many kinds of food which had been put away long before and yet came out as sweet and good as when they were placed in the jar.

Management Control System

Management control systems function in three ways. They measure performance, judges it against criteria and suggests improvements or changes. Control is possible only when these functions are taken proper care of. It begins with the measurement of performance of workers. The system devises a method to estimate how much work has been done and how well it has been done. Obviously, it will need criteria to match performance with. Otherwise, it cannot simply function. Of course, these criteria are made ready by an arm of the management other than the control system.
Now, the system measures and records performance over a given period. Once this process is complete, the process of evaluation begins. Recorded performance is matched with the expected standards; conclusions are drawn about the level and the quality of jobs done.
Next, several suggestions or recommendations are made to ensure corrective action. For instance, workers may undergo retraining. Supervision may need to be stepped up. New equipment may be necessary. Or the operational processes may need revision. Further, it may be necessary or desirable to take another look at the standards set for output or quality. Even management goals may require modification or transformation.

Fun Facts

There are more than 40,000 characters in Chinese script.

In the US, more babies are born in July than in any other month.

Australia’s box jellyfish have toxins more potent than the venom in cobras.

Butterflies taste with their feet.

In a deck of cards, the king of hearts is the only king without a moustache.

The inventor of the light bulb – Thomas Edison was afraid of the dark!

A bee could travel 4 million miles at 7 miles per hour on the energy it would obtain from 1 gallon of nectar.

If a single pair of flies was to breed and all the offspring survived, there would be 190,000,000,000,000,000,000 flies in four months.

Baby elephants can drink over 80 litres of milk a day.

Solar Energy

Man has realized that solar energy is a reliable source of energy to meet his energy needs of the century. After all, he has already experienced it for the sun’s rays have been used as heat source for evaporating and distilling water, for salt production and for drying fruits, vegetables, fish and meet. And then, there is solar cooking and other such utilities.

The life of the sun is said to be about 5 billion years; naturally it’s a large and renewable resource. Besides, solar energy has few negative environmental impacts. However, its energy is diffused. Most applications of solar energy rely on systems consisting of collectors, storage and control. Control makes sure that the collection and storage systems operate safely and efficiently.

Solar energy is captured through ponds, collectors and cells. An artificial solar pond has dissolved salt at three levels – at 1.5ft, at 5ft and at much deeper level. It is at the third level with the densest, heaviest water where tapped heat is stored. However, the pond can retail only 10 to 20 percent of the energy. Solar collectors absorb solar energy and produce heat. They are used for space heating and cooling and for heating water. The solar collector is usually a simple blackened copper, aluminium or steel heat – absorber plate which readily absorbs sunlight, covered by a sheet of glass which does not transmit the longer wavelengths emitted by metal. A heat-transfer liquid circulates through a set of tubes and removes the heat from the plate. A typical space-heating system consists of a roof-mounted collector array whose tilt angle is equal to the latitude plus 15°, a heat-storage tank, pumps or a fan and a network of pipe or ducts for distribution of heat. It uses a liquid or air as the transfer medium. Solar cells directly convert sunlight into electricity. It consists of two layers of material, one of which is impregnated with an impurity such as boron or arsenic to make it negative and the other of which is similarly doped to make it positive. The elements silicon and germanium are used as semiconductors. One layer must be extremely thin for sunlight to penetrate. Pocket calculators work on solar cells. Small arrays of solar cells charge batteries and they power irrigation pumps and refrigerators where there is no commercial electricity.

Human Memory

There are three basic activities associated with human memory viz. receiving new data from the environment followed by its processing and conversion into usable information within the brain; storing this information in the memory; and retrieving it as and when required.

Humans have three forms of memory. One is the immediate memory. Here one retains all details of an object or a scene or a picture for about 1/10th of a second like a batsman facing a ball. After that much is forgotten. Next is the short term memory where information is retained for a few minutes only. This memory is also known as working memory and has a limited capacity. It is also used for rehearsal, i.e. for mentally repeating the information over and over again so that it enters the long term memory.

The information which is stored in the long term memory can be broadly classified into four categories. First is the information related to specific tasks, which include riding a horse or a bicycle, driving a car, typing, painting, etc. These skills often require several years of experience to perfect. Secondly, the information related to fear-inspired actions like being bitten by a dog, getting hurt due to falling, getting a fire burn, etc. By proper training one can prepare oneself to take specific actions under difficult circumstances or emergency conditions. Third is ‘Episodic memory’, in which information regarding dated episodes or personal experiences is stored date-wise. Finally, the ‘Semantic memory’, relates to the use of words, grammar, metaphors, and all other details of language. However, these different groupings are conceptual in nature and no specific region of the brain as such is reserved for these categories.

Symbols and Signs

There are many ways of communicating without speech. Signals, signs, symbols and gestures may be found in every known culture. The basic function of a signal is to impinge upon the environment in such a way that it attracts attention, as for example, the dots and dashes of a telegraph circuit. While less acceptable to the codification of words, signs contain greater meaning in and of themselves. A stop sign or a barber pole conveys meaning quickly and conveniently. Symbols are more difficult to describe than either signals or signs because of their intricate relationship with the receiver’s cultural perceptions. In some cultures applauding in a theatre provides performers with an auditory symbol of approval. Gestures such as waving and hand shaking also communicate certain cultural messages.

Stretching

Before we begin to do some vigorous exercise we stretch our arms and legs to get some initial comfort. Stretching is recommended as part of warm-ups by most trainers. However, there have been some researches in recent years that claim that it’s a bad idea. It is found that stretching before training decreases the power and output. It does not relieve the muscles or help in hard training, they warn.

The effects of stretching lasting from 10 to 60 seconds on performance have been studied as early as the Greek researches itself. It is found out that stretching for 30 seconds decreases isometric strength by nine percent and stretching for 60 seconds reduces power by 16 percent. It is also observed stretching for 30 seconds or more has similar effects on decreasing muscle power.
It is therefore advised that static stretching be avoided before exercises that require maximum strength and power. Even scientists say that stretching a cold muscle may invite injury.

Efficient Kangaroos.

I want to share some nice information about kangaroos. These marsupials are more primitive than advanced mammals. Many people have been assuming that their way of getting around was not very efficient because of their heavy use of two legs. There are only a few rodents that use hopping as a form of traveling. And the mammals that use this type of traveling are very less. But a recent study has found kangaroos use less energy when hopping than other mammals use when running. But there is of course a limit to the size of any animal that moves in this way, which is the reason kangaroos never evolved.

“I love you” is better than “I love you so much”!

When we feel like expressing something true with sincerity, we use phrases like “I love you so much”, “I am very sorry”, “I really saw it”. But just “I love you” sounds awesome. Words like ‘very’, ‘really’, ‘quite’ and other such intensifiers do not add anything useful to a sentence. Also, in general conversation intense expressions might just make you look hyperactive. Try without these intensifiers and see the difference!

Words of Wisdom

Dale Carnegie was a master in personality development and public speaking. His book How to Win Friends and Influence People was an international best-seller. Through his books and lectures he showed many people, the path to success. There is a lot of wisdom that lies to be learnt from men like him. Here I share with you some of his words that I like the best.

You never achieve real success unless you like what you are doing.

Flattery is from the teeth out. Sincere appreciation is from the heart out.

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.

If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive.

If only the people who worry about their liabilities would think about the riches they do possess, they would stop worrying.

The best things in life are yours if you can appreciate yourself.

The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from the shore.

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.

When You're afraid, keep your mind on what you have to do...if you have been thoroughly prepared, you will not be afraid.

We all have possibilities we don't know about. We can do things we don't even dream we can do.

The next generation city - Masdar

Hope by now you would have got wind of the new hi-tech eco-city that is coming up at Abu Dhabi. The project was initiated in 2006 and is scheduled to be completed in 2009. This will be a city without automobiles; only public mass transit and personal rapid transit systems will be allowed. The city will be walled to keep away hot desert winds. This US$22 billion project will cover 6 square kilometers. Masdar Institute of Science and Technology will be started in the city.
Solar energy to the extent of 130 megawatts can be tapped by means of photovoltaic modules that will be placed on roof tops. About 20 megawatt of wind energy can be tapped by means of wind mills that will be placed outside the city. The plan is to implement a huge hydrogen power plant and to tap geothermal energy as well. The city’s water needs will be 60 percent lesser than a conventional city, as it will use a solar powered desalination plant.

I’ve sensed this event before..!

Ever felt what you see or experience was felt already? Hope you remember the scene in The Matrix in which Keanu Reeves sees a cat moving twice, repeatedly, and then they sense that there has been something wrong. We sometimes experience a state of mind in which we feel familiar with what we see or experience. It gives us a weird feeling. This is called déjà vu.

It is a feeling quite common among adults and a study shows that 70 percent people have experienced it at least once. This may result due to an overlap between the neurological systems responsible for short-term memory and those responsible for long-term memory. The events might be stored in memory even before the conscious mind receives and processes it. Some say that It is related wih extra-sensory perceptions; they argue that it is evidence for psychic abillities in normal people.

It is also claimed to be the memory of dreams. Dreams enter the long-term memory directly and these vision might be due to a match between such dreams and the current experience. Last but not least, some believe it is pieces of past-life memories that re-surfaces due to familiar surroundings! So, when did you feel one last?

For the boys and for men as well.

In one of my books, I found a very interesting work by William Hazlitt. Let me share it with you.
You seemed to take no notice of school fellows, or rather set yourself against them because they were strangers. They knew as little of you as you did of them. It would have been the reason for their keeping aloof from you, which you would have as a hardship. Never develop a prejudice against other because you know nothing of him. It is bad reasoning and makes enemy of half the world. Do not think ill of them until they behave ill to you. And then, strive to avoid the faults you see in them. This will disarm their hostility sooner than resentment or hatred. To criticize the dress of some the boys as not as good as your own is impolite. Never despise anyone for anything he cannot help. Keep up appearances yourself as a defence against the sneers of the world, but don’t value yourself upon them. I had rather said, “Never despise anyone at all”; for contempt implies a triumph over and pleasure in the ill of another. It means that you are glad and congratulate yourself upon their failings and misfortunes.
You have been used to have your own way a good deal at home. Now that you get among others who have something else to attend to besides humouring your whims and fancies; and you feel this as a repulse or piece of injustice. But it’s a lesson that you learn here that there are other people in the world besides yourself. The more airs of childish self-importance you give yourself, you will only expose yourself to be more thwarted and laughed at. True equality is the only true wisdom. Remember always that you are but one among others and you can hardly mistake your place in society. In the world you will find competitors at every turn. You can only share their fate, or settle your differences amicably with them.

The Art of War

The patterns in the way nations fight reflect their cultural and historical traditions. These are deeply rooted attitudes that collectively make up their strategic culture.
The Asian way of war was described by some British historian as one of the indirect attacks, avoiding frontal attacks. This traces back to Asian history and geography; the great distances and harsh terrain have often made it difficult to execute the sort of open field clashes allowed by the terrains of Europe.
Bow and arrow were extensively used in Asia. The arrow is an indirect weapon, fired from a distance of hundreds of yards. Thus it can be fired from hidden positions and takes the enemy by surprise.
In the Sun-Tzu and other Chinese writings, the highest achievement of arms is to defeat an adversary without fighting. Actual combat is just one among many means towards the goal of subduing an adversary. War contains too many surprises to be a first resort. It can lead to ruinous losses, as has been seen time and again.
Sun-Tzu advocated war only after most thought preparations. The army is just an instrument to deal the final blow to an enemy already weakened by isolation, poor morale and disunity. The unwitting victim, focussed on the day-to-day events, never realises what’s happening to him until it’s too late. I believe this is a better way to approach war when compared to the horrible steps nations are taking nowadays.

Are you a goldbrick?

A goldbrick is a person who’ll make all sorts of excuses for not wanting to work. Some golbricks spend more energy trying to escape work than they might have used in working. Of course, hard work is probably not the pleasantest thing that can befall a man. That’s why there are so many happy idlers in the world. The idlers are however a different breed of men from those of goldbricks. Your idler wants no responsibilities. He takes his ease and does not care much what the world thinks of him. But the goldbrick does. He wants the good opinion of his fellow workmen, trying to show that he is really a good man on the job, while making excuses for not doing any work. In short, he is a fake

Infrastructure Development in Dubai

You would have heard about the breathtaking development that is happening in Dubai. Have you ever bothered to take a look into what is happening out there? Let me show you..
click on image to get a full view
Dubai in the 90's..


The same place in 2003..


Last year


Currently, Dubai is said to have 15-25% of all the world's cranes.


The Dubai Waterfront, when completed will become the largest waterfront development in the world.


Hope you already know about this island. All of this was built in the last 5 years.


The Palm islands in Dubai. New Dutch dredging technology was used to create thewe massive man made islands.
They are the largest artificial islands in the world and can be seen from space. Three of these Palms will be made with the last one being the largest of them all.


Upon completion, the resort will have 2,000 villas, 40 luxury hotels, shopping centers, movie theaters, and many other facilities. It is expected to support a population of approximately 500,000 people.
It is advertised as being visible from the moon.


The World Islands. 300 artificially created islands in the shape of the world.
Each island will have an estimated cost of $25-30 million.


The Burj al-Arab hotel in Dubai. The worlds tallest hotel.
Considered the only '7 star' hotel and the most luxurious hotel in the world.
It stands on an artificial island in the sea.


Hydropolis, the world's first underwater hotel.
Entirely built in Germany and then assembled in Dubai,
it is scheduled to be completed by 2009 after many delays.


The Burj Dubai. Construction began in 2005 and is expected to be complete by 2008.
At an estimated height of over 800 meters, it will easily be world's tallest building when finished.
It will be almost 40% taller than the the current tallest building, the Yaipei 101.


This is what downtown Dubai will look like around 2008-2009.
More than 140 stories of the Burj Dubai have already been completed.
It is already the worlds tallest man made structure and it is still not scheduled to be completed for at least another year.


The Al Burj. This will be the centerpiece of the Dubai Waterfront.
Once completed it will take over the title of the tallest structure in the world
from the Burj Dubai.


Recently it was announced that the final height of this tower will be 1200 meters.
That would make it more than 30% taller than the Burj Dubai and three times as tall as the Empire State Building . This is a city on crack.


The Burj al Alam, or The World Tower. Upon completion it will rank as the world's
highest hotel.
It is expected to be finished by 2009. At 480 meters it will only be 28 meters shorter than theTaipei 101.


The Trump International Hotel & Tower, which will be the centerpiece of one of the palm islands, The Palm Jumeirah.


Dubailand. Currently, the largest amusement park collection in the world is Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, which is also the largest single-site employer in the United states with 58,000 employees. Dubailand will be twice the size.





Dubailand will be built on 3 billion square feet (107 miles^2) at an estimated $20 billion price tag. The site will include a purported 45 mega projects and 200 hundred other smaller projects.




Dubai Sports City. A huge collection of sports arenas located in Dubailand.


Currently, the Walt Disney World Resort is the #1 tourist destination in the world. Once fully completed, Dubailand will easily take over that title since it is expected to attract 200,000 visitors daily.


The Dubai Marina is an entirely man made development that will contain over 200
highrise buildings when finished. It will be home to some of the tallest esidential
structures in the world. The completed first phase of the project is shown.
Most of the other high rise buildings will be finished by 2009-2010.
The Dubai Mall will be the largest shopping mall in the world with over 9 million square feet of shopping and around 1000 stores. ?? It will be completed in 2008.

Ski Dubai, which is already open, is the largest indoor skiing facility in the world.

This is a rendered image of another future indoor skiing facility that is being planned.
Some of the tallest buildings in the world, such as Ocean Heights and The Princess Tower, which will be the largest residential building in the world at over a 100 stories, will line the DubaiMarina.
The UAE Spaceport would be the first spaceport in the world if construction ever gets under way. I'm not joking...
Some other crazy .. The Dubai Metro system, once completed, will become the largest fully automated rail system in the world. The Dubai World Central International Airport will become the largest airport in size when it is completed. It will also eventually become the busiest airport in the world, based on passenger volume. There are more construction workers in Dubai than there are actual citizens.

IT - A Disaster to the Masses?

The emergence of Information Technology is a boon to the industrial world and the economy of several nations. The extent to which IT has leveraged the GDP of some developing nations of the world is phenomenal. The life standards of thousands of families in these nations have improved and so has the flow of money into the markets. Notwithstanding this, the net effect of the IT industry on the lower sections of the society remains murky.
Four years ago, we shifted to a local suburb, 10Kms from the city. What was a high price for a family to pay as rent is now no amount when compared to the alarming sums that are demanded by the landlords. The reason is the emergence of IT parks and buildings in the neighbourhood in which the employees get heavy pay packages. They flock to the nearby areas in search of accommodation space. The prices of essential commodities like food, medicine and that of transport has risen unreasonably. The pathetic part of it is that there is not a single soul who would raise his voice against the price rise. Those who pay out such high prices for essential commodities, do so unmindful of the lower sections of the society that struggle to make ends meet.
With a steady increase in demand for space, land prices have also risen making the dream of a house a dream forever, for many. With people flocking to the city in huge numbers from different places for jobs, the woes of the over-burdened class of the society will continue to fall in deaf ears. If this is what IT has in store for the people of my neighbourhood, I guess it will be a disaster to the masses when we speak of world at large.

“Benjamin Button” for the Oscars

The romantic movie, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is well known as the front runner for the Academic Awards. The movie bagged a whopping 13 nominations including best picture, best actor and best director.
The film which is about the life of a man who ages in reverse, is all set to make a big mark in the industry with 13 nominations for the Oscars. It has bagged just one short of the all time record of 14 nominations held by “Titanic”. Historically, it is observed that the movie which bags the most nominations makes it to the top ranked, best picture Oscar.
“Benjamin Button” star Brad Pitt will be up against Mickey Rourkey, who acted as a prize fighter in “The Wrestler”, Frank Langella, who play former President in “Frost/Nixon” and Penn for his role in “Milk”. Taraji P.Henson was nominated for best supporting actress.
With a host of other competitors such as The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire, Frank/Nixon and Milk, Benjamin button is posed with tuff competition. Nevertheless, my heart is always with the action stunner “The Dark Knight”, which failed to earn either the best picture or best director nominations. The posthumous Oscar nomination for the Australian actor Heath Ledger comes as a consolation.

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