Saturday, October 08, 2005
THE INTERNET IN AMERICA
Everyone's on the Internet in America. Right? Wrong! A recent report in The Hindu says that one in five Americans say they've never used the web and a third say they don't even use the Web occasionally, according to a new survey conducted by the non-profit Pew Internet & American Life Project. There is also a significant digital divide between those who use and don't use the Internet, especialy when it comes to race and income. About 70% of white Americans use the Internet, compared to about 57% of African-Americans, according to the survey.
Friday, October 07, 2005
THE WORLD AS I SEE IT - AN ESSAY BY EINSTEIN
Recently I came across this abridged version of an essay by Albert Einstein. It has moved me greatly. Some of it is pure Vedanta. Perhaps that's why it rang a bell somewhere within me. The essay is very simple, beautiful and touches your heart. I would like to share it with all those who read my blog.
"How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people -- first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving...”
"I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves -- this critical basis I call the ideal of a pigsty. The ideals that have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth. Without the sense of kinship with men of like mind, without the occupation with the objective world, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific endeavors, life would have seemed empty to me. The trite objects of human efforts -- possessions, outward success, luxury -- have always seemed to me contemptible.”
"My passionate sense of social justice and social responsibility has always contrasted oddly with my pronounced lack of need for direct contact with other human beings and human communities. I am truly a 'lone traveler' and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends, or even my immediate family, with my whole heart; in the face of all these ties, I have never lost a sense of distance and a need for solitude..."
"My political ideal is democracy. Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized. It is an irony of fate that I myself have been the recipient of excessive admiration and reverence from my fellow-beings, through no fault, and no merit, of my own. The cause of this may well be the desire, unattainable for many, to understand the few ideas to which I have with my feeble powers attained through ceaseless struggle. I am quite aware that for any organization to reach its goals, one man must do the thinking and directing and generally bear the responsibility. But the led must not be coerced, they must be able to choose their leader. In my opinion, an autocratic system of coercion soon degenerates; force attracts men of low morality... The really valuable thing in the pageant of human life seems to me not the political state, but the creative, sentient individual, the personality; it alone creates the noble and the
sublime, while the herd as such remains dull in thought and dull in feeling.”
"This topic brings me to that worst outcrop of herd life, the military system, which I abhor...This plague-spot of civilization ought to be abolished with all possible speed. Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -- how passionately I hate them!”
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed. It was the experience of mystery -- even if mixed with fear -- that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our minds: it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity. In this sense, and only this sense, I am a deeply religious man... I am satisfied with the mystery of life's eternity and with a knowledge, a sense, of the marvelous structure of existence -- as well as the humble attempt to understand even a tiny portion of the Reason that manifests itself in nature."
SOURCE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
· Source : http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/essay.htm
· The text of Albert Einstein's copyrighted essay, "The World As I See It," was shortened for the above web exhibit.
"I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves -- this critical basis I call the ideal of a pigsty. The ideals that have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth. Without the sense of kinship with men of like mind, without the occupation with the objective world, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific endeavors, life would have seemed empty to me. The trite objects of human efforts -- possessions, outward success, luxury -- have always seemed to me contemptible.”
"My passionate sense of social justice and social responsibility has always contrasted oddly with my pronounced lack of need for direct contact with other human beings and human communities. I am truly a 'lone traveler' and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends, or even my immediate family, with my whole heart; in the face of all these ties, I have never lost a sense of distance and a need for solitude..."
"My political ideal is democracy. Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized. It is an irony of fate that I myself have been the recipient of excessive admiration and reverence from my fellow-beings, through no fault, and no merit, of my own. The cause of this may well be the desire, unattainable for many, to understand the few ideas to which I have with my feeble powers attained through ceaseless struggle. I am quite aware that for any organization to reach its goals, one man must do the thinking and directing and generally bear the responsibility. But the led must not be coerced, they must be able to choose their leader. In my opinion, an autocratic system of coercion soon degenerates; force attracts men of low morality... The really valuable thing in the pageant of human life seems to me not the political state, but the creative, sentient individual, the personality; it alone creates the noble and the
sublime, while the herd as such remains dull in thought and dull in feeling.”
"This topic brings me to that worst outcrop of herd life, the military system, which I abhor...This plague-spot of civilization ought to be abolished with all possible speed. Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -- how passionately I hate them!”
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed. It was the experience of mystery -- even if mixed with fear -- that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our minds: it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity. In this sense, and only this sense, I am a deeply religious man... I am satisfied with the mystery of life's eternity and with a knowledge, a sense, of the marvelous structure of existence -- as well as the humble attempt to understand even a tiny portion of the Reason that manifests itself in nature."
SOURCE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
· Source : http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/essay.htm
· The text of Albert Einstein's copyrighted essay, "The World As I See It," was shortened for the above web exhibit.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
MORE TRIVIA
AMAZING FACTS....
*Coca-Cola was originally green.*The most common name in the world is Mohammed.*The names of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with.*The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.*TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.*Women blink nearly twice as much as men!!*You can't kill yourself by holding your breath.*It is impossible to lick your elbow.*People say "Bless you" when you sneeze because when you sneeze,your heart stops for a millisecond.*It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.*The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.*If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die.*What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers all have in common?> Ans. - All invented by women.*A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.*A snail can sleep for three years.*All polar bears are left handed.*American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.*Butterflies taste with their feet.*Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.*In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.*On average, people fear spiders more than they do death. *Shakespeare invented the word 'assassination' and 'bump'.*Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only the left hand.*The ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.*The electric chair was invented by a dentist.*The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.*Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants.*Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.*The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.*Most lipstick contains fish scales.*Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different******And finally, 99% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!~!!!
*Coca-Cola was originally green.*The most common name in the world is Mohammed.*The names of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with.*The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.*TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.*Women blink nearly twice as much as men!!*You can't kill yourself by holding your breath.*It is impossible to lick your elbow.*People say "Bless you" when you sneeze because when you sneeze,your heart stops for a millisecond.*It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.*The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.*If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die.*What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers all have in common?> Ans. - All invented by women.*A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.*A snail can sleep for three years.*All polar bears are left handed.*American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.*Butterflies taste with their feet.*Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.*In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.*On average, people fear spiders more than they do death. *Shakespeare invented the word 'assassination' and 'bump'.*Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only the left hand.*The ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.*The electric chair was invented by a dentist.*The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.*Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants.*Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.*The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.*Most lipstick contains fish scales.*Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different******And finally, 99% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!~!!!
HOMI BHABHA’S PROPHECY
We are in the middle of an energy crisis. These are days of soaring oil prices (last quote was US$ 64 per barrel of crude). The days of fossil fuels are numbered. It is interesting to note that Homi J. Bhabha, Chairman of our Atomic Energy Commission, had predicted this 50 years ago. However, he had also prophesied that, by 1995, the secrets of power from thermonuclear fusion would be harnessed, leading to a permanent end to the energy crisis, which he could foresee even then.
In his own words, ‘ Within the next forty years, the enormous power of the hydrogen bomb would be harnessed, solving for ever man’s demand for power and energy.' He pointed out the absolute necessity of finding some new source of energy ' if the light of our civilisation is not to be extinguished, because we have burnt out our fuel reserves.’ This is an extract from his address on 8th August, 1955, to nuclear experts from 72 countries in the opening session of the International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, of which he was Chairman.
The first part of his prophecy has not come true so far in spite of many claims of ‘cold fusion’, etc. However, we are now realising how true the second part was – I think we had better pull up our socks and get down to discovering alternate sources of energy!
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
TRIVIA
I found a reference to a delightful site called simply - 'My Favorite Word'. The address is http://www.myfavoriteword.com. At this site, you can enter your favourite words in their database. If you scan through this database, you will find several very interesting words. One example is 'Abstemiously '. Did you know that this word has all the vowels in alphabetical order ? Interesting, isn't it ?
Monday, July 25, 2005
SOMETHING TO CHEW ON
“My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people : those who work and those who take the credit. He told me to try and be in the first group ; there was much less competition.”
Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
AN OFFERING TO MY FATHER
The month of June always brings back memories of my father. It was in this month that he passed away. The date was 28th June, 1970. I was then 29 years old (he was 73) and working in a paper mill a thousand odd kilometres away from Delhi, where my parents stayed. As luck would have it, my wife and I had just left Delhi after spending my vacation with our parents. We took a train out of Delhi on 24th or 25th June. My father had insisted on coming to the station to see us off. I still remember him standing next to the train in a sweat-soaked white ‘bush’ shirt and trousers. The temperature must have been well above 40 C. It was about three in the afternoon and blazing hot under the asbestos roof of the station platform. I remember him standing there and squinting at the distant signal to see if it had turned green. He had, of course, insisted that my wife and I board the train well before departure time. My in-laws and my father stood on the platform till the train departed. He waived in our general direction as the train moved out. That was the last time I saw him.
Back at my paper mill in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, I was in the morning shift when one of my bosses came and told me that I had to go home immediately. In fact, he insisted on accompanying me to my house. There I found my weeping wife and a whole lot of neighbours. The news of my father’s death was broken to me in what was supposed to be a gentle manner by one of them. Someone handed me the telegram received from my uncle. It simply said, ‘Kshirodbabu expired’. It took a while to sink in. I remember there was no immediate reaction, especially before all those people. My head was in a whirl. Then my practical nature asserted itself and I got busy making arrangements for going to Delhi. My wife and I tried to catch a flight at Vijaywada airport for Hyderabad and a connecting flight to Delhi. It was not to be. We missed the flight at Vijaywada and saw the plane taxiing off as we entered the airport area. We then drove through the night to Hyderabad (it was raining madly) and caught the morning flight to Delhi – but that is another story.
Somehow, as I grow older, I remember my father more and more, especially in the month of June. I go back to that railway platform of New Delhi Railway Station on that burning afternoon in 1970 and see him in my mind’s eye, standing there with one arm raised in a last farewell.
Back at my paper mill in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, I was in the morning shift when one of my bosses came and told me that I had to go home immediately. In fact, he insisted on accompanying me to my house. There I found my weeping wife and a whole lot of neighbours. The news of my father’s death was broken to me in what was supposed to be a gentle manner by one of them. Someone handed me the telegram received from my uncle. It simply said, ‘Kshirodbabu expired’. It took a while to sink in. I remember there was no immediate reaction, especially before all those people. My head was in a whirl. Then my practical nature asserted itself and I got busy making arrangements for going to Delhi. My wife and I tried to catch a flight at Vijaywada airport for Hyderabad and a connecting flight to Delhi. It was not to be. We missed the flight at Vijaywada and saw the plane taxiing off as we entered the airport area. We then drove through the night to Hyderabad (it was raining madly) and caught the morning flight to Delhi – but that is another story.
Somehow, as I grow older, I remember my father more and more, especially in the month of June. I go back to that railway platform of New Delhi Railway Station on that burning afternoon in 1970 and see him in my mind’s eye, standing there with one arm raised in a last farewell.
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
THE FIRST INDIAN NEWSPAPER
I was not aware that January 29 was an important day in the history of newspapers of India. According to a recent newspaper article by M. J. Akbar, January 29 is Indian Newspaper Day. On this day in 1780, the first Indian newspaper was published. It was a weekly called Hickey’s Bengal Gazette (aka Calcutta General Advertiser).
The paper’s motto sums up the nature of the media business: “ A Weekly Political & Commercial Paper, Open to all Parties, but Influenced by None.”
James Augustus Hickey, one of the most colourful stars of a resplendent era, launched the Gazette in January, 1780. He became famous for reporting the scandals of his day. His paper’s circulation soared when he reported on the first adultery case to reach the Calcutta High Court. If the laws of libel made it difficult to publish a story, Hickey had no qualms about using transparent pseudonyms like “Hooka Turban” or “Chinsurah Belle.”
The Gazette, however, did not live to celebrate its first birthday. On 14th November, 1780, a diktat was issued by Warren Hastings from Fort William: “Public notice is hereby given that, as a weekly newspaper called the ‘Bengal Gazette” or “Calcutta General Advertiser”, printed by J.A.Hickey, has lately been found to contain several improper paragraphs tending to vilify private characters and to disturb the peace of the Settlement, it is no longer permitted to be circulated through the channel of the General Post Office.”
Hickey responded with fiery rhetoric: “Before he will bow, cringe, or fawn to any of his oppressors … he would compose ballads and sell them through the streets of Calcutta … Shall I tamely submit to the yoke of slavery and wanton oppression? No!”
As M.J.Akbar commented: “And how many journalists have responded in the manner Hickey did? Enough to guarantee the honour of the profession.”
The paper’s motto sums up the nature of the media business: “ A Weekly Political & Commercial Paper, Open to all Parties, but Influenced by None.”
James Augustus Hickey, one of the most colourful stars of a resplendent era, launched the Gazette in January, 1780. He became famous for reporting the scandals of his day. His paper’s circulation soared when he reported on the first adultery case to reach the Calcutta High Court. If the laws of libel made it difficult to publish a story, Hickey had no qualms about using transparent pseudonyms like “Hooka Turban” or “Chinsurah Belle.”
The Gazette, however, did not live to celebrate its first birthday. On 14th November, 1780, a diktat was issued by Warren Hastings from Fort William: “Public notice is hereby given that, as a weekly newspaper called the ‘Bengal Gazette” or “Calcutta General Advertiser”, printed by J.A.Hickey, has lately been found to contain several improper paragraphs tending to vilify private characters and to disturb the peace of the Settlement, it is no longer permitted to be circulated through the channel of the General Post Office.”
Hickey responded with fiery rhetoric: “Before he will bow, cringe, or fawn to any of his oppressors … he would compose ballads and sell them through the streets of Calcutta … Shall I tamely submit to the yoke of slavery and wanton oppression? No!”
As M.J.Akbar commented: “And how many journalists have responded in the manner Hickey did? Enough to guarantee the honour of the profession.”
THE REPUBLIC DAY PARADE – 50 YEARS AGO
According to newspaper reports of the time, Republic Day was celebrated in much the same way as it is today. On 26th January, 1955, the President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, took the salute at a march past of troops, workers and school children on Delhi’s Rajpath (‘Kingsway’ in colonial times).
In those days, there was no particular ‘Chief Guest’ as is the custom today. However, there were prominent invitees who sat next to the President during the ceremonial parade. In 1955, the most prominent guest of the Government of India was the Governor-General of Pakistan, Mr. Ghulam Mohammed! I don’t think there have been any invited VIP’s from Pakistan since then (I am open to correction).
Later, at a state banquet held in his honour, the Governor-General said: ‘ Let us put an end to our disputes. We owe this as a duty to posterity not to leave them a legacy of misunderstanding and bitterness. There is no alternative to the two countries acting in a spirit of truth and sincerity without which it seems difficult for them to achieve real prosperity.’
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It might have been an extract from a speech of one of the politicians of today. Things really haven’t changed much in the half century that has passed since Mr. Ghulam Mohammed spoke those words. Where did we go wrong? Perhaps the time has come to invite Gen. Musharraf to be the Chief Guest at the next Republic Day parade!
In those days, there was no particular ‘Chief Guest’ as is the custom today. However, there were prominent invitees who sat next to the President during the ceremonial parade. In 1955, the most prominent guest of the Government of India was the Governor-General of Pakistan, Mr. Ghulam Mohammed! I don’t think there have been any invited VIP’s from Pakistan since then (I am open to correction).
Later, at a state banquet held in his honour, the Governor-General said: ‘ Let us put an end to our disputes. We owe this as a duty to posterity not to leave them a legacy of misunderstanding and bitterness. There is no alternative to the two countries acting in a spirit of truth and sincerity without which it seems difficult for them to achieve real prosperity.’
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It might have been an extract from a speech of one of the politicians of today. Things really haven’t changed much in the half century that has passed since Mr. Ghulam Mohammed spoke those words. Where did we go wrong? Perhaps the time has come to invite Gen. Musharraf to be the Chief Guest at the next Republic Day parade!
Sunday, January 16, 2005
OUR FRIEND THE EARTHWORM
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DAHLIA GROWN USING VERMICOMPOST
Last year I became interested in vermicomposting, which simply means the technique of using earthworms to convert various wastes to useful compost (called vermicompost when worms are used) which can be used as a fertilizer. Since I was quite new to this field, I thought I should first talk to some 'experts' in the field. I found, however, that there were as many opinions as there were experts. So my colleagues and I decided to strike out on our own. We started out by using various solid wastes of the paper industry (that is where I work). The worms seemed to like whatever we gave them and they produced what turned out to be very good fertilizer. The picture of the Dahlia above speaks for itself. Other flowers grown with good results were Marigold, Aster and Flox. We have found that this vermicompost seems to accelerate budding and flowering in these plants whereas conventional fertilizers like urea produce more vegetative growth but the flowering is comparatively late.
We are now making plans to expand our working to produce more vermicompost from waste. The lowly earthworm has turned out to be nature's fertilizer factory. The compost produced can be sold should we wish to go commercial. We are happy to have produced a value added product from waste materials.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
MISCELLANY
BOSTON, USA
Not many are aware that there are 16 towns called ‘Boston’ in the United States. For the uninitiated, these are located in the states of New York, Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, Montana, Missouri, Louisiana, Kentucky, Connecticut, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. Oh! I almost forgot. There’s one in Massachusetts as well.
Also, there is a Boston in England, perhaps the granddaddy of all the Bostons in the USA.
RAIL TRAVEL IN INDIA - 50 YEARS AGO
The younger generation in India today may not be aware that, at the time of independence, there were four classes of travel in the Indian railway system. These were First, Second, Inter and Third. There was a strict caste system in place, the lower class passengers being made to use different entrances and exits from the upper class ones.
The Indian Railways decided to provide sleeping berths to third class passengers for the first time in September, 1954. Before taking this decision, the Government sent a three-man delegation on a two-month study tour of European railway systems. Based on their recommendations, sleepers were first introduced on long distance trains.
Another decision taken by the railways at about the same time was the abolition of separate entrances and exits at railway stations for third and upper class passengers.
Not many are aware that there are 16 towns called ‘Boston’ in the United States. For the uninitiated, these are located in the states of New York, Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, Montana, Missouri, Louisiana, Kentucky, Connecticut, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. Oh! I almost forgot. There’s one in Massachusetts as well.
Also, there is a Boston in England, perhaps the granddaddy of all the Bostons in the USA.
RAIL TRAVEL IN INDIA - 50 YEARS AGO
The younger generation in India today may not be aware that, at the time of independence, there were four classes of travel in the Indian railway system. These were First, Second, Inter and Third. There was a strict caste system in place, the lower class passengers being made to use different entrances and exits from the upper class ones.
The Indian Railways decided to provide sleeping berths to third class passengers for the first time in September, 1954. Before taking this decision, the Government sent a three-man delegation on a two-month study tour of European railway systems. Based on their recommendations, sleepers were first introduced on long distance trains.
Another decision taken by the railways at about the same time was the abolition of separate entrances and exits at railway stations for third and upper class passengers.
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