Edward Anil Joseph

35 Fast Tips To Make This Your Best Year Yet

2012-01-16T11:50:00.001+05:30

Remember that the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts.
Keep the promises you make to others - and to yourself.
The project that most scares you is the project you need to do first.
Small daily improvements are the key to staggering long-term results.
Stop being busy being busy. This New Year, clean out the distractions from your work+life and devote to a monomaniacal focus on the few things that matter.
Read "The War of Art".
Watch "The Fighter".
In a world where technology is causing some of us to forget how to act human, become the politest person you know.
Remember that all great ideas were first ridiculed.
Remember that critics are dreamers gone scared.
Be "Apple-Like" in your obsession with getting the details right.
Take 60 minutes every weekend to craft a blueprint for the coming seven days. As Saul Bellow once said: "A plan relieves you of the torment of choice."
Release your need to be liked this New Year. You can't be a visionary if you long to be liked.
Disrupt or be disrupted.
Hire a personal trainer to get you into the best shape of your life. Superstars focus on the value they receive versus the cost of the service.
Give your teammates, customers and family one of the greatest gifts of all: the gift of your attention (and presence).
Every morning ask yourself: "How may I best serve the most people?"
Every night ask yourself: "What 5 good things happened to me this day?"
Don't waste your most valuable hours (the morning) doing low value work.
Leave every project you touch at work better than you found it.
Your job is not just to work. Your job is to leave a trail of leaders behind you.
A job is not "just a job". Every job is a gorgeous vehicle to express your gifts and talents - and to model exceptionalism for all around you.
Fears unfaced become your limits.
Get up at 5 am and take 60 minutes to prepare your mind, body, emotions and spirit to be remarkable during the hours that follow. Being a superstar is not the domain of the gifted but the prepared.
Write love letters to your family.
Smile at strangers.
Drink more water.
Keep a journal. Your life's story is worth recording.
Do more than you're paid to do and do work that leaves your teammates breathless.
Leave your ego at the door every morning.
Set 5 daily goals every morning. These small wins will lead to nearly 2000 little victories by the end of the year.
Say "please" and "thank you".
Remember the secret to happiness is doing work that matters and being an instrument of service.
Don't be the richest person in the graveyard. Health is wealth.
Life's short. The greatest risk is risk-less living. And settling for average.

Quotes from The Alchemist by Paul Coelho

2011-12-16T01:26:00.001+05:30

The Alchemist is an allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho first published in 1988. The Alchemist was originally written in Portuguese. It has sold more than 65 million copies in more than 150 countries, becoming one of the best-selling books in history.

The Alchemist details the journey of an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago. Santiago, believing a recurring dream to be prophetic, decides to travel to the pyramids of Egypt to find treasure. On the way, he encounters love, danger, opportunity, disaster and learns a lot about himself and the ways of the world. One of the significant characters that he meets is an old king who tells him about discovering his personal legend: what he always wanted to accomplish in his life. And that "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." This is the core philosophy and motto of the book.

Excerpts from the foreword by Paulo Coelho:

What is a personal calling? It is God's blessing, it is the path that God chose for you here on Earth. Whenever we do something that fills us with enthusiasm, we are following our legend. However, we don't all have the courage to confront our own dream.

There are four obstacles. First: we are told from childhood onwards that everything we want to do is impossible. We grow up with this idea, and as the years accumulate, so too do the layers of prejudice, fear and guilt. There comes a time when our personal calling is so deeply buried in our soul as to be invisible. But it's still there.

If we have the courage to disinter dream, we are then faced by the second obstacle: love. We know what we want to do, but are afraid of hurting those around us by abandoning everything in order to pursue their dream. We do not realize that love is just a further impetus, not something that will prevent them going forwards. We do not realize that those who genuinely wish us well want us to be happy and are prepared to accompany us on that journey.

Once we have accepted that love is a stimulus, we come up against the third obstacle: fear of the defeats we will meet on the path. We who fight for our dream, suffer far more when it doesn't work out, because we cannot fall back on the old excuse: "Oh, well, I didn't really want it anyway."
We do want it and know that we have staked everything on it and that the path of the personal calling is no easier than any other path, except that our whole heart is in this journey.

Having disinterred our dream, having used the power of love to nurture it and spent many years living with the scars, we suddenly notice that what we always wanted is there, waiting for us, perhaps the very next day. Then comes the fourth obstacle: the fear of realizing the dream for which we fought all our lives.
This is the most dangerous of the obstacles because it has a kind of saintly aura about it: renouncing joy and conquest. But if you believe yourself worthy of the thing you fought so hard to get, then you become an instrument of God, you help the Soul of the World and you understand why you are here.

Some of the memorable quotes in the book:

It's the possibility of having a dream come true that make life interesting.
If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry.
Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.
If you start out by promising what you don't even have yet, you'll lose your desire to work toward getting it.
Every search begins with beginners luck and ends with the victor's being severely tested.
When each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.
In order to find the treasure, you will have to follow the omens.
God has prepared a path for everyone to follow.
You just have to read the omens that he left you.
Don't forget that everything you deal with is only one thing and nothing else.
And don't forget the language of omens.
And, above all, don't forget to follow your destiny through to its conclusion.
There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.
And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.
When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.
I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present.
If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man.
Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living now.
When you are loved, you can do anything in creation.
When you are loved, there's no need at all to understand what's happening, because everything happens within you.
Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.
And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams,
because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity.
People learn early in their lives what is their reason for being. Maybe that's why they give up on it so early, too.
The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it.
And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better.

The ego is the worst confidence trickster we could ever figure.

2011-12-08T00:18:00.001+05:30

The ego is the worst confidence trickster we could ever figure or imagine because you don't see it.

The problem is that the ego hides in the last place that you'd ever look within itself.
It disguises its thoughts as your thoughts, its feelings as your feelings.

People's need to protect their own egos knows no bounds.
They will lie, cheat, steal, kill, do whatever it takes to maintain what we call ego boundaries.
People have no clue that they're imprisoned.
They don't know that there is an ego, they don't know the distinction.
At first, it's difficult for the mind to accept that there's something beyond itself, that there's something of greater value and greater capacity for discerning truth than itself.

In religion, the ego manifests as the devil. And of course no one realizes how smart the ego is, because it created the devil so you could blame someone else.
In creating this imaginary external enemy, it usually made a real enemy for ourselves, and that becomes a real danger to the ego, but that's also the ego's creation.

There is no such thing as an external enemy no matter what the voice in your head is telling you.
All perception of an enemy is a projection of the ego as the enemy.
In that sense, you could say that 100 percent of our external enemies are of our creation.

"Your greatest enemy is your own inner perception, is your own ignorance, is your own ego".

Quote source: Revolver - by Guy Ritchie
Not the best of Guy Ritchie, but still definitely worth a watch.

Interactive Health Education Resources

2011-11-10T17:57:00.001+05:30

MedlinePlus brings together authoritative information from NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations. Preformulated MEDLINE searches are included in MedlinePlus and give easy access to medical journal articles. MedlinePlus also has extensive information about drugs, an illustrated medical encyclopedia, interactive patient tutorials, and latest health news.

Interactive Sites on Medical Information
The tutorials listed below are interactive health education resources from the Patient Education Institute.
Using animated graphics each tutorial explains a procedure or condition in easy-to-read and understand language.

You can also listen to the tutorial.

Diseases and Conditions

Tests and Diagnostic Procedures

Surgery and Treatment Procedures

Source: http://www.medpedia.com/news_analysis/188-CMU-Medical-and-Technology-Review/entries/8984-Interactive-Health-Education-Resources---MedlinePlus

A Violinist in the Metro

2011-09-06T12:47:00.001+05:30

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

-- from "Leisure," by W.H. Davies

Original Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html

This Is How Winners Are Made

2011-09-02T20:15:00.001+05:30

Life is tough, that’s a given.
When you stand up, you’re gonna be shoved back down.
When you’re down, you’re gonna be stepped on.
My advice to you doesn’t come with a lot of bells and whistles.

It’s no secret: you’ll fall down, you stumble, you get pushed, you land square on your face.And every time that happens, you get back on your feet.
You get up just as fast as you can, no matter how many times you need to do it.

Remember this: success has been and continues to be defined as getting up one more time than you’ve been knocked down.

If experience has taught me anything, it’s that nothing is free and living ain’t easy.
Life is hard, real hard, incredibly hard.
You fail more often than you win, nobody is handing you anything.

It’s up to you to puff up your chest, stretch your neck and overcome all that is difficult – the nasty, the mean, the unfair.
If you want more than what you have now, prove it!
If you want to beat the very best out there that is, get out there and earn it!

Once you decide that, you’ll know where it is you want to be.
Then you won’t stop pushing forward until you get there!
That’s how winners are made.

At the end of the day, success is what we all want.
We all want to win, and the race will be won.
There is no question about that.
So come on, get out on top, run faster, dream bigger, live better than you ever have before.

This is in you.
You can do this.
Do it for yourself.
Prove it to yourself.

Gary Raser, Founder, President, and CEO of The Limu Company

Are Indian Doctors cheating their patients?

2011-07-27T13:20:00.001+05:30

Most of these observations are either completely or partially true. Corruption has many names, and one of civil society isn't innocent either. Professionals and businessmen of various sorts indulge in unscrupulous practices. I recently had a chat with some doctors, surgeons and owners of nursing homes about the tricks of their trade. Here is what they said

1) 40-60% kickbacks for lab tests.
When a doctor (whether family doctor / general physician, consultant or surgeon) prescribes tests - pathology, radiology, X-rays, MRIs etc. - the laboratory conducting those tests gives commissions.

In South and Central Mumbai -- 40%.

In the suburbs north of Bandra -- a whopping 60 per cent!

He probably earns a lot more in this way than the consulting fees that you pay.

2) 30-40% for referring to consultants, specialists & surgeons.
When your friendly GP refers you to a specialist or surgeon, he gets 30-40%.

3) 30-40% of total hospital charges.
If the GP or consultant recommends hospitalization, he will receive kickback from the private nursing home as a percentage of all charges including ICU, bed, nursing care, surgery.

4) Sink tests.
Some tests prescribed by doctors are not needed.

They are there to inflate bills and commissions.

The pathology lab understands what is unnecessary.

These are called "sink tests"; blood, urine, stool samples collected will be thrown.

5) Admitting the patient to "keep him under observation".
People go to cardiologists feeling unwell and anxious. Most of them aren't really having a heart attack, and cardiologists and family doctors are well aware of this. They admit such safe patients, put them on a saline drip with mild sedation, and send them home after 3-4 days after charging them a fat amount for ICU, bed charges, visiting doctors fees.

6) ICU minus intensive care.
Nursing homes all over the suburbs are run by doctor couples or as one-man-shows. In such places, nurses and ward boys are 10th class drop-outs in ill-fitting uniforms and bare feet. These "nurses" sit at the reception counter, give injections and saline drips, perform ECGs, apply dressings and change bandages, and assist in the operation theatre. At night, they even sit outside the Intensive Care Units; there is no resident doctor. In case of a crisis, the doctor -- who usually lives in the same building -- will turn up after 20 minutes, after this nurse calls him. Such ICUs admit safe patients to fill up beds. Genuine patients who require emergency care are sent elsewhere to hospitals having a Resident Medical Officer (RMO) round-the-clock.

7) Unnecessary caesarean surgeries and hysterectomies.
Many surgical procedures are done to keep the cash register ringing. Caesarean deliveries and hysterectomy (removal of uterus) are high on the list. While the woman with labour -pains is screaming and panicking, the obstetrician who gently suggests that caesarean is best seems like an angel sent by God! Menopausal women experience bodily changes that make them nervous and gullible. They can be frightened by words like " and "fibroids" that are in almost every normal woman's radiology reports. When a gynaecologist gently suggests womb removal "as a precaution", most women and their husbands agree without a second's

thought.

8) Cosmetic surgery advertized through newspapers.
Liposuction and plastic surgery are not minor procedures.

Some are life-threateningly major. But advertisements make them appear as easy as facials and waxing.

The Indian medical council has strict rules against such misrepresentation.

But nobody is interested in taking action.

9) Indirect kickbacks from doctors to prestigious hospitals.

To be on the panel of a prestigious hospital, there is give-and-take involved.

The hospital expects the doctor to refer many patients for hospital admission.

If he fails to send a certain number of patients, he is quietly dumped.

And so he likes to admit patients even when there is no need.

10) "Emergency surgery" on dead body.
If a surgeon hurriedly wheels your patient from the Intensive Care Unit to the operation theatre, refuses to let you go inside and see him, and wants your signature on the consent form for "an emergency operation to save his life", it is likely that your patient is already dead. The "emergency operation" is for inflating the bill; if you agree for it, the surgeon will come out 15 minutes later and report that your patient died on the operation table. And then, when you take delivery of the dead body, you will pay OT charges, anaesthesiologist's charges, blah-blah-

Young surgeons and old ones.
The young ones who are setting up nursing home etc. have heavy loans to settle. To pay back the loan, they have to perform as many operations as possible. Also, to build a reputation, they have to perform a large number of operations and develop their skills.

So, at first, every case seems fit for cutting. But with age, experience and prosperity, many surgeons lose their taste for cutting, and stop recommending operations.

Physicians and surgeons.
To a man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Surgeons like to solve medical problems by cutting, just as physicians first seek solutions with drugs. So, if you take your medical problem to a surgeon first, the chances are that you will unnecessarily end up on the operation table. Instead, please go to an ordinary GP first

Source:

Prof. B. M. Hegde, MD, FRCP, FRCPE, FRCPG, FRCPI, FACC, FAMS.

Padma Bhushan Awardee 2010.

Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of the Science of Healing Outcomes,

Chairman, State Health Society's Expert Committee, Govt. of Bihar, Patna.

Former Prof. Cardiology, The Middlesex Hospital Medical School, University of London,

Affiliate Prof. of Human Health, Northern Colorado University,

Retd. Vice Chancellor, Manipal University

Contributed by Deepa Joseph, Bangalore

The Holstee Manifesto - Live your Life

2011-06-28T17:39:00.002+05:30

THIS IS YOUR LIFE.

Do what you LOVE and do it OFTEN.

If you don’t like something, CHANGE IT.

If you don’t like your job, QUIT.

If you don’t have enough time, QUIT WATCHING TV.

If you are looking for the love of your life, STOP.

They will be waiting for you when you START DOING THINGS YOU LOVE.

STOP OVER ANALYZING, LIFE IS SIMPLE.

All emotions are beautiful.

When you eat, appreciate EVERY LAST BITE.

Open your MIND, ARMS, and HEART to New Things and People,

We are united in our DIFFERENCES.

Ask the NEXT PERSON you see what their PASSION is,

and SHARE your INSPIRING DREAM with them.

TRAVEL OFTEN; getting lost will help you FIND YOURSELF.

Some OPPORTUNITIES only come once, SEIZE THEM.

Life is about the PEOPLE you meet and the things you CREATE WITH THEM.

So go out and START CREATING.

LIFE IS SHORT.

Live your DREAM and wear your PASSION.

Source:
http://shop.holstee.com/pages/about
http://reflectionof.me/life-35362

10 classic Indianisms in English language

2011-06-15T18:41:00.001+05:30

We are a unique species,

aren’t

we? Not humans. Indians, I mean. No other race speaks or spells like we do.

Take greetings for example.

A friendly clerk asking me for my name is apt to start a conversation with, “What is your good name?” As if I hold that sort of information close to my heart and only divulge my evil pseudonym. Bizarre.

Which got me thinking about a compilation, a greatest hits of the 10 most hilarious Indianisms out there. And here they are.

1. 'Passing out'

When you complete your studies at an educational institution, you graduate from that institution.

You do not "pass out" from that institution.

To "pass out" refers to losing consciousness, like after you get too drunk, though I’m not sure how we managed to connect graduating and intoxication.

Oh wait … of course, poor grades throughout the year could lead to a sudden elation on hearing you’ve passed all of your exams, which could lead to you actually "passing out," but this is rare at best.

2. 'Kindly revert'

One common mistake we make is using the word revert to mean reply or respond.

Revert means "to return to a former state."

I can’t help thinking of a sarcastic answer every time this comes up.

“Please revert at the earliest.”

“Sure, I’ll set my biological clock to regress evolutionarily to my original primitive hydrocarbon state at 12 p.m. today."

3. 'Years back'

If it happened in the past, it happened years ago, not "years back."

Given how common this phrase is, I’m guessing the first person who switched "ago" for "back" probably did it years back. See what I mean?

And speaking of "back," asking someone to use the backside entrance sounds so wrong.

“So when did you buy this car?”

“Oh, years back.”

“Cool, can you open the backside? I’d like to get a load in.”

4. 'Doing the needful'

Try to avoid using the phrase "do the needful." It went out of style decades ago, about the time the British left.

Using it today indicates you are a dinosaur, a dinosaur with bad grammar.

You may use the phrase humorously, to poke fun at such archaic speech, or other dinosaurs.

“Will you do the needful?”

“Of course, and I’ll send you a telegram to let you know it's done too.”

5. 'Discuss about'

“What shall we discuss about today?”

“Let’s discuss about politics. We need a fault-ridden topic to mirror our bad grammar.”

You don't "discuss about" something; you just discuss things.

The word "discuss" means to "talk about". There is no reason to insert the word "about" after "discuss."

That would be like saying "talk about about." Which "brings about" me to my next peeve.

6. 'Order for'

"Hey, let’s order for a pizza."

"Sure, and why not raid a library while we’re about it.”

When you order something, you "order" it, you do not "order for" it.

Who knows when or why we began placing random prepositions after verbs?

Perhaps somewhere in our history someone lost a little faith in the "doing" word and added "for" to make sure their order would reach them. They must have been pretty hungry.

7. 'Do one thing'

When someone approaches you with a query, and your reply begins with the phrase "do one thing," you're doing it wrong.

"Do one thing" is a phrase that does not make sense.

It is an Indianism. It is only understood in India. It is not proper English. It is irritating.

There are better ways to begin a reply. And worst of all, any person who starts a sentence with "do one thing" invariably ends up giving you at least five things to do.

“My computer keeps getting hung.”

“Do one thing. Clear your history. Delete your cookies. Defrag your hardrive. Run a virus check. Restart your computer... .”

8. 'Out of station'

“Sorry I can’t talk right now, I’m out of station.”

“What a coincidence, Vijay, I’m in a station right now.”

Another blast from the past, this one, and also, extremely outdated.

What's wrong with "out of town" or "not in Mumbai" or my favorite "I'm not here"?

9. The big sleep

"I’m going to bed now, sleep is coming."

"OK, say hi to it for me."

While a fan of anthropomorphism, I do have my limits. "Sleep is coming" is taking things a bit too far.

Your life isn’t a poem. You don’t have to give body cycles their own personalities.

10. 'Prepone'

“Let’s prepone the meeting from 11 a.m. to 10 a.m.”

Because the opposite of postpone just has to be prepone, right?

"Prepone" is probably the most famous Indianism of all time; one that I’m proud of, and that I actually support as a new entry to all English dictionaries.

Because it makes sense. Because it fills a gap. Because we need it. We’re Indians, damn it. Students of chaos theory.

We don’t have the time to say silly things like "could you please bring the meeting forward."

Prepone it is.

Original Source: http://www.cnngo.com/mumbai/life/10-indianisms-652344
Contributed by Deepa Joseph, Bangalore

The BMW film series, The Hire

2011-05-19T12:34:00.002+05:30

The BMW film series, The Hire was a series of eight short films (averaging about ten minutes each) produced for the Internet in 2001 and 2002.
A form of branded content, all eight films featured popular filmmakers from across the globe, starred Clive Owen as the "Driver", and highlighted the performance aspects of various BMW automobiles.
The plots of each of the films differ, but one constant remains: Clive Owen plays "The Driver", a man who goes from place to place (in presumably rented BMW automobiles), getting hired by various people to be a sort of transport for their vital needs.
Ambush
Directed by John Frankenheimer
Featured the BMW 740i
While escorting an elderly man to an undisclosed location, The Driver is confronted by a van full of armed men

Chosen
Directed by Ang Lee
Featured the BMW 540i
The Driver protects a holy Asian child that was brought to America by boat.

The Follow
Directed by Wong Kar-wai
Featured the BMW 330i Coupé and the Z3 roadster
The Driver is hired by a nervous movie manager to spy on a paranoid actor's wife.

Star
Directed by Guy Ritchie
Featured the BMW M5
The Driver is chosen by a spoiled and shallow celebrity to drive her to a venue.

Powder Keg
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
Featured the BMW X5 3.0i
The Driver is chosen by the UN to rescue a wounded war photographer named Harvey Jacobs from a hostile territory.

Hostage
Directed by John Woo
Featured the BMW Z4 3.0i
The Driver is hired by the FBI to help defuse a hostage situation.

Ticker
Directed by Joe Carnahan
Featured the BMW Z4 3.0i
In an unnamed foreign country, the Driver drives a wounded man who carries a mysterious briefcase, while under helicopter attack.

Beat The Devil
Directed by Tony Scott
Featured the BMW Z4 3.0i
The Driver is employed by James Brown, who goes to meet the Devil to re-negotiate the deal he made as a young man in 1954 to trade his soul for fame and fortune.

How to recruit the right person using bricks?

2011-04-01T12:52:00.001+05:30

Put about 100 bricks in some particular order in a closed Room with an Open window.

Then send your candidates in the room and close the door.

Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours and then analyze the situation.

If they are counting the bricks, put them in the Accounts Department.

If they are recounting them, put them in Auditing.

If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks, put them in Engineering.

If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order, put them in Planning.

If they are throwing the bricks at each other, put them in Operations.

If they are sleeping, put them in Security.

If they have broken the bricks into pieces, put them in Information Technology.

If they are sitting idle, put them in Human Resources.

If they say they have tried different combinations, yet not a brick has been moved, put them in Sales.

If they have already left for the day, put them in Marketing.

If they are staring out of the window, put them on Strategic Planning.

And then last but not least.

If they are talking to each other and not a single brick has been moved,

congratulate them and put them in Top management.

Finally, if they have surrounded themselves with bricks in such a way that they can neither be seen nor heard from,

recommend them to join Politics.

Contributed by Deepa Joseph, Bangalore

Secret of success: Get the mind-set of an ant

2011-03-04T18:51:00.001+05:30

Sometimes the biggest lessons in life come from the smallest folks around us.

All of us tend to look up to big people for lessons on how to get better.
We are keen to learn the secrets of their success.
But we forget that sometimes the biggest lessons in life come from the smallest folks around us.
Now that’s a good lesson to remember!

Take ants for instance. Would you believe those small creatures can teach us how to live a better life?
Jim Rohn - the great motivational guru – developed what he called the ‘Ants Philosophy’.

He identified four key lessons from the behaviour of ants that can help us lead better lives.
Jim Rohn is no more – but his messages continue to inspire.
Here then, are the four lessons from Rohn’s ‘Ants Philosophy’.

1. Ants never quit.
Have you noticed how ants always look for a way around an obstacle?
Put your finger in an ant’s path and it will try and go around it, or over it.
It will keep looking for a way out. It won’t just stand there and stare. It won’t give up and go back.

We should all learn to be like that. There will always be obstacles in our lives.
The challenge is to keep trying, keep looking for alternative routes to get to our goals.
Winston Churchill probably paraphrased the ant’s mindset when he offered this priceless advice: “Never give up. Never, never give up!”

2. Ants think winter all summer.
Remember the old story of the ant and the grasshopper?
In the middle of summer, the ant was busy gathering food for the winter ahead – while the grasshopper was out having a good time. Ants know that summer - the good times – won’t last forever. Winters will come.
That’s a good lesson to remember. When the going is good, don’t be so arrogant as to believe that a crisis or a setback cannot happen to you.
Be good to other people. Save for a rainy day.
Look ahead. And remember, good times may not last, but good people do.

3. Ants think summer all winter.
As they suffer through the unbearable cold of the winter, ants keep reminding themselves that it won’t last forever, and that summer will soon be here.
And with the first rays of the summer sun, the ants come out – ready to work, ready to play.
When we are down and seemingly out, when we go through what looks like a never-ending crisis, it’s good to remind ourselves that this too shall pass.
Good times will come. It’s important to retain a positive attitude, an attitude that says things will get better.
As the old saying goes, tough times don’t last. Tough people do.

4. Ants do all they possibly can.
How much food does an ant gather in summer? All that it possibly can!
Now that’s a great work ethic to have. Do all you can!
One ant doesn’t worry about how much food another ant is collecting.
It does not sit back and wonder why it should have to work so hard.
Nor does it complain about the poor pay! Ants just do their bit. They gather all the food they can.
Success and happiness are usually the result of giving 100% - doing all you possibly can.
If you look around you, you’ll find that successful people are those who just do all they possibly can.

Follow the four simple steps of Jim Rohn’s ‘Ant Philosophy’ – and you’ll see the difference.
Don’t quit.
Look ahead.
Stay positive.
And do all you can.

And there’s just one more lesson to learn from ants.
Did you know that an ant can carry objects up to 20 times their own weight?
Maybe we are like that too. We can carry burdens on our shoulders and manage workloads that are far, far heavier than we’d imagine. Next time something’s bothering you and weighing you down, and you feel you just can’t carry on, don’t fret.
Think of the little ant. And remember, you too can carry a lot more on your shoulders!

Original Source: http://www.careers360.com/news/4873-Get-the-mind-set-of-an-ant
Contributed by Deepa Joseph, Bangalore

Bark or byte?

2011-03-03T19:06:00.001+05:30

An old-timer gets into a tizzy when he realises that a computer has stolen his pet's name.

BC: Can you imagine people naming their pets after computer jargon? I read about this guy who named his guinea pigs Qwerty and Wysiwyg (What you see is what you get).

AD: Not surprising, I have a friend who named his dog Floppy because he had long ears.

BC: Can you imagine a cat being named Laptop and a Chihuahua being called a Widget?

AD: Going by your logic, a mule can be named ASCII and…

BC: But my neighbour's dog can surely be named GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out). That's exactly what he does all day.

AD: But why can't animals be named after computer terminology when computer parts are named after animals?

BC: What do you mean?

AD: One of the reasons why the mouse was named so was because the cord that connected it to the computer resembled a tail.

BC: But now you've also got Mouse NT.

AD: NT as in New Technology, like Windows NT?

BC: No, NT as in No Tail — the cordless infrared mouse.

AD: And then, you have software glitches that are called bugs. Can you believe that they once found a real bug — a moth — that caused the malfunction of the computer?

BC: That must have been terribly bugging, right?

AD: But the bug didn't stop there. Technology dug its way underground as well and unleashed the worm, a destructive, self-replicating programme that ‘worms' its way into computer networks. There are different kinds of worms — Sadmind, Sasser, Santy, Klez, Blaster, Sober, Witty…

BC: Sounds like the seven dwarves with Snow White…

AD: Snow White incidentally, is a virus that appeared a decade ago.

BC: A virus and seven worms causing millions of computers to lie still and lifeless — that doesn't make for a pretty fairy tale.

AD: Then there's GNU, an operating system that's…

BC: Gnu's an African antelope, right?

AD: Yes, but it stands for Gnu's Not Unix — hence GNU!

BC: Who would go for a name like that?

AD: ‘Go for' reminds me of gopher, an Internet application. You'll be surprised at the number of animals that are called gopher — a species of rodent, a large burrowing snake, a prairie squirrel, a large land tortoise…

BC: I can understand technology being named after an antelope — but a tortoise?

AD: In that case, what would you say to a programming language named python? Did you know that it was developed for an open source operating system called Amoeba?

BC: Can you imagine calling helpline and complaining that there's a virus in your amoeba?

AD: How about Tomcat, a java-based web server from Apache? They also created Ant — an acronym for Another Neat Tool — a software tool for Java projects.

BC: Worms, viruses and ants. Think I'll just go back to conventional names like Coco for my dog.

AD: Sorry, the Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer was called Coco, short for Color Computer.

BC: Ok, Lassie then? That's common enough, right?

AD: Not really. LASsie (Light Application Security) is a library of Microsoft Access objects…

BC: Is there anything at all that I can call my pet?

AD: How about ‘dog'? It's not yet computer jargon.

BC: Oh c'mon…

AD: It could have been worse. Imagine if your pet was a mouse…

Original Source: http://www.hindu.com/mp/2011/02/26/stories/2011022651160300.htm

Nine Innovative Green Inventions

2010-09-15T21:51:00.001+05:30

Today some of our main issues are Energy, Health and Economy. Lot of people has different great ideas to improve in each area.

Like using solar and wind for energy. Exercise more to drive down the health care cost and it helps building stronger and better economy.

Some innovative green ideas or inventions are given below

1. Hotel offers free meal to guests who are willing to generate electricity

The Crown Plaza Hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark, is offering a free meal to any guest who is able to produce electricity for the hotel on an exercise bike attached to a generator. Guests will have to produce at least 10 watt hours of electricity - roughly 15 minutes of cycling for someone of average fitness. They will then be given meal vouchers worth $36 (26 euros).

2. Disco pub gets electricity produced by people dancing at specially modified dance floor

All the flashing strobes and pounding speakers at the dance club are massive consumers of electrical power.
So Bar Surya, in London, re-outfitted its floor with springs that, when compressed by dancers, could produce electrical current that would be stored in batteries and used to offset some of the club's electrical burden. The club's owner, Andrew Charalambous, said the dance floor can now power 60 percent of the club's energy needs.

3. Company creates a desktop printer that doesn't use ink nor paper

Who says printers only use paper to print documents? It's time for you to meet the PrePeat Printer then.

Different from conventional printers, PrePeat adopts a thermal head to print on specially-made plastic sheets.

These plastic sheets are not merely water-proof, but could be easily erased, just feed the sheets through the printer again, and a different temperature will erase everything or just write over it. Also claimed by the manufacturer, such one sheet could be used up to 1,000 times so that you'll reduce your expenses on paper for sure.

4. University constructs a green roof as a gathering place

Green design is an enormously popular trend in modern architecture, just take a look at this amazing green roof at the School of Art, Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. This 5-story facility sweeps a wooded corner of the campus with an organic, vegetated form that blends landscape and structure, nature and high-tech and symbolizes the creativity it houses. The roofs serve as informal gathering spaces challenging linear ideas and stirring perception. The roofs create open space, insulate the building, cool the surrounding air and harvest rainwater for landscaping irrigation. Planted grasses mix with native greenery to colonize the building and bond it to the setting.

5. Designer creates a sink that uses wasted water to grow a plant

Made of polished stained concrete, the Zen Garden Sink has a channel that allows the water used while washing your hands to water a plant.

Created by young Montreal designer Jean-Michel Gauvreau the sink comes in single or double basin model.

The sink is designed in a way you won't get your plants all soapy.

There is a main drain at the bottom of the basin for soapy grime. Your little plant friend just gets whatever you choose to dole out.

6. Designer creates a shower that forces you to leave when you've wasted too much water

20% of our total domestic energy usage is from hot water for showering and bathing.

That's over 6 times the energy usage of domestic lighting.

So designer Tommaso Colia came up with his eco-friendly shower design that will force you to get out when you take too long and waste much water.

The eco_drop shower features beautiful concentric circles that will rise to force you to stop showering when you take too long, and accordingly save water.

7. Designer creates light-switch that changes colors to teach children how to save energy

Teaching the importance of energy conservation is the goal of this design from Tim Holley.

He calls it Tio, and it's a ghost-shaped light switch that gives kids a visual reminder of how much energy they've used by leaving lights on.

Tio starts out green and smiling. If the light is left on for more than four hours, he turns yellow and looks shocked.

And if you dare to leave that light on for more than eight hours, sweet little Tio turns into a raging red hulk, complete with frowny mouth and angry eyes.

But he won't just visually remind your kids about their energy habits; information from the light switch is sent to Tio's computer program so the entire family can see how they're doing.

In a brilliant piece of visual positive reinforcement, Holley's program lets kids grow a “virtual tree” which gets bigger and healthier the more energy they save.

8. Environmental company creates a staple-free stapler to avoid staple pollution

Staples are supposed to be so bad to the environment that a company decided to create a staple-free stapler.

This product promises to make collation eco-friendly. Instead of using those thin metal planet-killers, the staple-free stapler "cuts out tiny strips of paper and uses the strips to stitch up to five pieces of paper together." You can even order them customized with your corporate logo so you can, you know, brag about what your company is doing to stop the staple epidemic.

9. Designer creates an iPhone charger powered by a hand grip

A green idea that gives you a great hand workout as well. Charge your iPhone by a hand grip! This concept is called You can work it out, designed by Mac Funamizu.

Original Source: http://www.oddee.com/item_97099.aspx

Deepa Joseph, Bangalore

We are our choices

2010-08-30T19:14:00.004+05:30

Editor's note: These remarks are from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos commencement speech to Princeton's Class of 2010, delivered on May 30, 2010.

As a kid, I spent my summers with my grandparents on their ranch in Texas. I helped fix windmills, vaccinate cattle, and do other chores. We also watched soap operas every afternoon, especially "Days of our Lives." My grandparents belonged to a Caravan Club, a group of Airstream trailer owners who travel together around the U.S. and Canada. And every few summers, we'd join the caravan. We'd hitch up the Airstream trailer to my grandfather's car, and off we'd go, in a line with 300 other Airstream adventurers. I loved and worshipped my grandparents and I really looked forward to these trips. On one particular trip, I was about 10 years old. I was rolling around in the big bench seat in the back of the car. My grandfather was driving. And my grandmother had the passenger seat. She smoked throughout these trips, and I hated the smell.

At that age, I'd take any excuse to make estimates and do minor arithmetic. I'd calculate our gas mileage -- figure out useless statistics on things like grocery spending. I'd been hearing an ad campaign about smoking. I can't remember the details, but basically the ad said, every puff of a cigarette takes some number of minutes off of your life: I think it might have been two minutes per puff. At any rate, I decided to do the math for my grandmother. I estimated the number of cigarettes per days, estimated the number of puffs per cigarette and so on. When I was satisfied that I'd come up with a reasonable number, I poked my head into the front of the car, tapped my grandmother on the shoulder, and proudly proclaimed, "At two minutes per puff, you've taken nine years off your life!"

I have a vivid memory of what happened, and it was not what I expected. I expected to be applauded for my cleverness and arithmetic skills. "Jeff, you're so smart. You had to have made some tricky estimates, figure out the number of minutes in a year and do some division." That's not what happened. Instead, my grandmother burst into tears. I sat in the backseat and did not know what to do. While my grandmother sat crying, my grandfather, who had been driving in silence, pulled over onto the shoulder of the highway. He got out of the car and came around and opened my door and waited for me to follow. Was I in trouble? My grandfather was a highly intelligent, quiet man. He had never said a harsh word to me, and maybe this was to be the first time? Or maybe he would ask that I get back in the car and apologize to my grandmother. I had no experience in this realm with my grandparents and no way to gauge what the consequences might be. We stopped beside the trailer.

My grandfather looked at me, and after a bit of silence, he gently and calmly said, "Jeff, one day you'll understand that it's harder to be kind than clever."

What I want to talk to you about today is the difference between gifts and choices. Cleverness is a gift, kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy -- they're given after all. Choices can be hard. You can seduce yourself with your gifts if you're not careful, and if you do, it'll probably be to the detriment of your choices.

This is a group with many gifts. I'm sure one of your gifts is the gift of a smart and capable brain. I'm confident that's the case because admission is competitive and if there weren't some signs that you're clever, the dean of admission wouldn't have let you in.

Your smarts will come in handy because you will travel in a land of marvels. We humans -- plodding as we are -- will astonish ourselves. We'll invent ways to generate clean energy and a lot of it. Atom by atom, we'll assemble tiny machines that will enter cell walls and make repairs. This month comes the extraordinary but also inevitable news that we've synthesized life. In the coming years, we'll not only synthesize it, but we'll engineer it to specifications. I believe you'll even see us understand the human brain. Jules Verne, Mark Twain, Galileo, Newton -- all the curious from the ages would have wanted to be alive most of all right now. As a civilization, we will have so many gifts, just as you as individuals have so many individual gifts as you sit before me.

How will you use these gifts? And will you take pride in your gifts or pride in your choices?

I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago. I came across the fact that Web usage was growing at 2,300 percent per year. I'd never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast, and the idea of building an online bookstore with millions of titles -- something that simply couldn't exist in the physical world -- was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old, and I'd been married for a year. I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go do this crazy thing that probably wouldn't work since most startups don't, and I wasn't sure what would happen after that. MacKenzie (also a Princeton grad and sitting here in the second row) told me I should go for it. As a young boy, I'd been a garage inventor. I'd invented an automatic gate closer out of cement-filled tires, a solar cooker that didn't work very well out of an umbrella and tinfoil, baking-pan alarms to entrap my siblings. I'd always wanted to be an inventor, and she wanted me to follow my passion.

I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people, and I had a brilliant boss that I much admired. I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet. He took me on a long walk in Central Park, listened carefully to me, and finally said, "That sounds like a really good idea, but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn't already have a good job." That logic made some sense to me, and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision. Seen in that light, it really was a difficult choice, but ultimately, I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn't think I'd regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all. After much consideration, I took the less safe path to follow my passion, and I'm proud of that choice.

Tomorrow, in a very real sense, your life -- the life you author from scratch on your own -- begins.

How will you use your gifts? What choices will you make?

Will inertia be your guide, or will you follow your passions?

Will you follow dogma, or will you be original?

Will you choose a life of ease, or a life of service and adventure?

Will you wilt under criticism, or will you follow your convictions?

Will you bluff it out when you're wrong, or will you apologize?

Will you guard your heart against rejection, or will you act when you fall in love?

Will you play it safe, or will you be a little bit swashbuckling?

When it's tough, will you give up, or will you be relentless?

Will you be a cynic, or will you be a builder?

Will you be clever at the expense of others, or will you be kind?

I will hazard a prediction. When you are 80 years old, and in a quiet moment of reflection narrating for only yourself the most personal version of your life story, the telling that will be most compact and meaningful will be the series of choices you have made. In the end, we are our choices. Build yourself a great story. Thank you and good luck!

Contributed by Deepa Joseph, Bangalore

Feedback is a gift - when done properly

2010-07-01T18:58:00.001+05:30

Feedback is a gift - when done properly.

The very word strikes fear into the hearts of millions of workers every day, because the only time they get feedback is when it is rolled by a manager who wants to criticise - yet put a bit of positive spin on it.

Ever been there? I know I have and it sets off that internal groan, because you know just what's coming.

Feedback is a gift - remember that at the start of this piece?

It can be a gift where used constructively, consistently and with goodwill.

It is available to all of us, all the time, whether we are a manager or an employee with a manager.

It is available two-way and when used that way is a valuable tool for developing everyone in your organisation, department or team, however big you are, however small.

In fact personal self-feedback can be the 'holy grail' of development, where we get to be thoroughly honest with ourselves about how we are doing (and accepting self-praise when it goes well).

Back to others - how do we get feedback to work so that people really embrace it rather than run away from it?

Here are ten little tips to help you get the best from Feedback:

Be Consistent!

Be consistent and give regularly - be a model for others to observe and then do themselves.

Receive Feedback Yourself

By personally asking for and receiving feedback you will receive much more you can use positively than to your detriment.

Value the Potential

We get too little truth in our lives as managers. People are nice to us face-to-face and then talk about us behind our backs. Feedback opens up the loop.

It's About What, Not Who

Feedback is about the behaviour, and not the individual. It's saying that you do a great job and this time what happened in detail. What did you 'do', not who are you.

Lose the Criticism

Always offer feedback and then, first ask them 'What went well?', and once you have given them time for that, 'What might you try differently next time?' And after they've said their bit, do it for them yourself.

They will appreciate recognising their own performance first.

Look to the Future

Growth opportunities present when they see the possibilities and usually, they see them for themselves first.

Thus ownership of a new solution in the future gives hope and excitement and evolution of performance.

Be Unconditionally Constructive

By avoiding negatives and 'but' you will engage rather than put off.

Your people will be with you rather than against.

Deliver Promptly

The best time is in the moment, at the time or as close to is as possible.

If you give your feedback at the first opportunity, you will find it is much better received.

Open Your Questions

Ask discovery questions with ease - there is no falseness, nor discomfort.

Indeed the use of this questioning skill binds the relationships they are so good at making.

The 6 Wise Men do this best Who, What, When, Where, How and Why.

Provide Support

Whatever the learning from this regular and consistent feedback you are using (two-way), there may be the need for ongoing support and coaching - be sure to offer it.

Feedback a much underestimated and much maligned business opportunity, ready and waiting for you right now.

Article By Martin Haworth

Original Source : http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com/feedback_is_a_gift.html

Contributed by Deepa Joseph, Bangalore

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

Innovation - The Japanese Soap Factory Story

2010-04-28T12:44:00.001+05:30

A Japanese soap factory had a problem: they sometimes shipped empty boxes, without the soap inside. This was due to the way the production line was set up, and people with experience in designing production lines will tell you how difficult it is to have everything happen with timings so precise that every single unit coming out of it is perfect 100% of the time. Customers who come all the way to the supermarket would end up buying someone else’s product.

Understanding how important that was, the CEO of the soap factory got the top people in the company together and they decided to start a new project, in which they would hire an external engineering company to solve their empty boxes problem, as their engineering department was already too stretched to take on any extra effort.

The project followed the usual process: budget and project sponsor allocated, RFP, third-parties selected, and six months (and $8 million) later they had a fantastic solution — on time, on budget, high quality and everyone in the project had a great time. They solved the problem by using some high-tech precision scales that would sound a bell and flash lights whenever a soap box weighing less than it should. The line would stop, and someone had to walk over and yank the defective box out of it, pressing another button when done.

A while later, the CEO decides to have a look at the ROI of the project: amazing results! No empty boxes ever shipped out of the factory after the scales were put in place. Very few customer complaints, and they were gaining market share. “That’s some money well spent!” - he says, before looking closely at the other statistics in the report. It turns out, the number of defects picked up by the new high precision scales was "zero" after three weeks of production use. It should’ve been picking up at least a dozen a day, so maybe there was something wrong with the report. He filed a bug against it, and after some investigation, the engineers come back saying the report was actually correct. The scales really weren’t picking up any defects, because all boxes that got to that point in the conveyor belt were good.

Puzzled, the CEO travels down to the factory, and walks up to the part of the line where the high precision scales were installed. A few feet before it, there was a $ 20 desk fan, blowing the empty boxes out of the belt and into a bin.

“Oh, that — one of the guys put it there ’cause he was tired of walking over every time the bell rang”, says one of the workers.
Moral of the Story: Everyone has a "solution" sometimes requiring an expenditure of "8 million bucks". It requires an engineer with a high spirit of innovation and ingenuity to come up with a "$ 20 - simple cost-effective solution"!

Source: Deepa Joseph, Bangalore

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

Story behind famous company names

2010-03-18T17:57:00.001+05:30

There are many companies / brands / products whose names were derived from strange circumstances.

	Mercedes This was actually the financier, Emil Jellinek's daughter’s name. The Spanish name Mercedes means "mercy".
	Adobe This came from name of the river Adobe Creek that ran behind the house of founder John Warnock.
	Apple Computers The first slogan of this company was "Bite into an Apple", while its more famous slogan is "Think Different". Probably thinking differently, the founder, Steve Jobs, named this company "Apple Computers" while he was driving along with Steve Wozniak between Palo Alto and Los Altos. Jobs and his friends used to work on a community farm cultivating apples while he was working in the Bay Area of San Francisco. Jobs was three months late in filing a name for the business, and he threatened to call his company Apple Computers if his colleagues didn't suggest a better name.
	CISCO It is not an acronym as popularly believed. It is short for San Francisco.
	Compaq This name was formed by using COMp, for computer, and PAQ to denote a small integral object.
	Corel The name was derived from the founder’s name Dr.Michael Cowpland. It stands for COwpland REsearch Laboratory.
	Google The name started as a joke boasting about the amount of information the search-engine would be able to search. It was originally named ‘Googol’, a word for the number represented by 1 followed by 100 zeros. After founders- Stanford graduate students Sergey Brin and Larry Page presented their project to an angel investor, they received a cheque made out to ‘Google’
	Hotmail Founder Jack Smith got the idea of accessing e-mail via the web from a computer anywhere in the world. When Sabeer Bhatia came up with the business plan for the mail service, he tried all kinds of names ending in ‘mail’ and finally settled for hotmail as it included the letters “html” – the programming language used to write web pages. It was initially referred to as HoTMaiL with selective uppercasing.
	Hewlett Packard Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard tossed a coin to decide whether the company they founded would be called Hewlett-Packard or Packard-Hewlett.
	Intel Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore wanted to name their new company ‘Moore Noyce’but that was already trademarked by a hotel chain so they had to settle for an acronym of INTegrated ELectronics.
	Lotus (Notes) Mitch Kapor got the name for his company from ‘The Lotus Position’ or ‘Padmasana’. Kapoor used to be a teacher of Transcendental editation of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
	Microsoft Coined by Bill Gates to represent the company that was devoted to MICROcomputer SOFTware. Originally christened Micro-Soft, the ‘-’ was removed later on.
	Motorola Founder Paul Galvin came up with this name when his company started manufacturing radios for cars. The popular radio company at the time was called Victrola.
	ORACLE Larry Ellison and Bob Oats were working on a consulting project for the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency). The code name for the project was called Oracle (the CIA saw this as the system to give answers to all questions or something such). The project was designed to help use the newly written SQL code by IBM. The project eventually was terminated but Larry and Bob decided to finish what they started and bring it to the world. They kept the name Oracle and created the RDBMS engine. Later they kept the same name for the company.
	Sony It originated from the Latin word ’sonus’ meaning sound, and ’sonny’ a slang used by Americans to refer to a bright youngster.
	SUN Founded by 4 Stanford University buddies, SUN is the acronym for Stanford University Network. Andreas Bechtolsheim built a microcomputer; Vinod Khosla recruited him and Scott McNealy to manufacture computers based on it, and Bill Joy to develop a UNIX-based OS for the computer.
	Yahoo! The word was invented by Jonathan Swift and used in his book ‘Gulliver’s Travels’. It represents a person who is repulsive in appearance and action and is barely human. Yahoo! Founders Jerry Yang and David Filo selected the name because they considered themselves yahoos

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

Ways to make 2010 your best year yet

2010-01-06T09:56:00.001+05:30

Robin's new book "The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable On Real Success in Business and Life" will be published by Simon and Schuster in March. Many of the ideas below come from it.

Remember that leadership isn't about your position. It's about your influence.
Get fit like a pro athlete.
Lift people up versus tearing people down.
Protect your good name. An impeccable reputation takes a lifetime to build. And 60 seconds to lose.
Surround yourself with positive, ethical people who are committed to excellence.
Remember that even a 1% daily innovation rate amounts to at least a 100% rate of innovation in 100 days.
Believe in your dreams (even when others laugh at them).
Measure your success, not by your net worth but by your self worth (and how happy you feel).
Take an intelligent risk every 24 hours. No try-No Win.
Watch "Man on Wire".
Regardless of your title at work, be a team builder.
Remember that business is all about relationships and human connections.
Say "please" more.
Say "thank you" more.
Know your Big 5: the five things that need to happen by the end of this year for you to feel its been your best year yet.
Read your Big 5 every morning while the rest of your part of the world is asleep.
Be willing to fail. It's the price of greatness.
Focus less on making money and more on creating value.
Spend less, save more.
Leave everything you touch better than you found it.
Be the most positive person in every room you're in.
Run your own race.
Stay true to your deepest values and best ideals.
Write a handwritten thank you note to a customer/friend/loved one every day.
When you travel, send love letters to your kids on hotel stationary. In time, they'll have a rich collection to remember your travels by.
Be a problem solver versus a trouble maker.
Rather than doing many things at mediocrity do just a few things-but at mastery.
Honor your parents.
Commit to doing great work-whether anyone notices it or not. It's one of life's best sources of happiness.
Give more than you receive (another of the truths of happiness).
Have your 1/3/5/10/25 years goals recorded on paper and review them weekly.
Be patient. Slow and steady wins the race. The only reason businesses that went from zero to a billion in a year or two get featured in magazines is because 99% of businesses require a lot more time to win.
Underpromise and then overdeliver.
See part of your job as "a developer of people" (whether you work in the boardroom or the mailroom).
Wear your heart on your sleeve. When people see you're real, they'll fall in love with you.
Be authentic versus plastic.
Remember that life wants you to win. So get out of your own way.
Consider that behind every fear lives your next level of growth (and power).
Eat less food.
Drink more water.
Rest when you need to.
Write your eulogy and then live your life backwards.
Demand the best from yourself.
Remember that the more you go to your limits, the more your limits will expand.
See everything that happens to you as an opportunity to grow (and therefore, as a precious gift).
Be obsessed with learning and self-development.
Become comfortable alone (you are the only person you get to be with your whole life).
Smile. It's a stunningly effective way to win in business and life.
Reflect on the shortness of life.
Be bold when it comes to your dreams but gentle with those you love.
Remember that success is dangerous because it can kill drive/innovation/passion and going the extra mile. Be successful yet stay hungry.
Be of deep value to this world.
Own beautiful things but don't let them own you.
Use excellent words.
Laugh more.
Don't complain, gossip or be negative.
Plan as if you'll live forever but live as if you'll die tomorrow.
Feel free to pass these lessons on to those you want to help.

Written by Robin Sharma, January 3, 2010. For more information visit robinsharma.com.

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

What does your birthday say about you..

2010-01-03T00:46:00.001+05:30

Find out what does your birthday say about you.. Just add the digits in your birthday (only the day) and find out what the numbers say about you.

Number 1
You are smart, a straight talker, funny, stubborn, hardworking, honest, jealous on a competitive basis, kind hearted, temperamental, friendly, and popular. You always want to be on the top and most likely to be independent. You are most likely to fall in love at a young age, but will marry once you mature. You are likely to have problems with people who have opposite views and you are most likely to take revenge over your enemies on a long time basis. You are a spender, but you will have a good profession in the future.
If you are guy you will be very popular. You can go anywhere from the local shop to the heart of the parliament because you are positive and talented in numerous areas. But in your life you will always have some people who will work hard to bring you & your name down. Because of your intelligence, some might hate you. You are a pioneer, independent & original.
Your best match is 4, 6, 8 while a good match would be with 3, 5, 7

Number 2
No matter what, every one will love you because you are ruled by the Moon. You day dream a lot, you have a very low-self esteem, you need to have a back up for every move in your life, you are very unpredictable. You tend to change according to time and circumstances, selfish, have a very strong sense of musical and artistic talent and powerful verbal communication. You can be sweet as an angel and can be ruthless when double-crossed. Some might say you have a sixth sense. You will become a poet, writer, an artist or a business person. You are not strong in love, so your relationship will be in disarray until you settle down.
If you are a girl, you will be responsible for your family.
If you are a man, you tend to get involve in-fights & arguments in the family. You will sacrifice your life for your family. You are gentle, intuitive with a broad vision. You make a well-balanced person.
Your best match is 2, 5, and 9. No other people can put up with you. :)

Number 3
You are hard hearted and selfish most of the time. You always tend to have lots of problems within your family in the early stages but you will be able to cope with everything. You seem to have your way in everything. And from birth you would always have to work hard to achieve anything you want. You always make a point to set examples on others, especially the younger ones. Generally you are not a cool person. It's not easy dealing with you. A tough player you are! But once you are comfortable with someone, it will be a lasting friendship. You always earn respect from others. You seem to have lots of worries and problems but they won't be for long. You will have brilliant kids! You love money a bit too much so temptation will push you to try endlessly. You will look after your family and help friends, so you will spend a life time just being generous and kind (except for men born on the 21st). You love your freedom, creative and ambitious, a person who brings beauty, hope & ample joy to this world.
Your best match 6 and 9. Good match 1, 3 and 5.

Number 4
You are very stubborn, very hard working but unlucky in important matters in life, very cool and helpful. You might repel people away from you, you may cause nuisance to others if you are a man, as you gifted are with understanding other people's problems. If you are a girl, you excel in your studies and arts. If you are a guy you spend most of your time with girlfriends and you tend to have too much fun with your mates & girls. Your friends will spend your time & money and get on with their life and you will be left empty handed. So be careful! You love to spend. Your positive side is that you are always around to help family and friends. You always fall in love with those younger than you. You often live with disappointments but you will take good care of your family. You need to be careful of people who will take advantage of your kind heart. And beware of your relationships too. You are radical, patient, persistent, and a hit old-fashioned; you live with foundation & order.
Your best match 1, 8. Good match 5, 6 and 7

Number 5
You are very popular and you can get things done only by talking. Even to your enemies! You are business-minded and like to do things spontaneously. You will be famous if you get involved in any business. Your friends and families will always ask for your help, and you are the one actually with the money to help your friends. You will have more than one relationship, but when you settle down you tend to be selfish. You tend to go for other relationships - even if you are married at times because of your popularity. You tend to get along easily with anyone because the numbers is a middle number. You love freedom and changes. You learn your life through your personal experiences.
Your best match 1and 2. Good match 6, 8.

Number 6
You were born to enjoy! You don't care about others. I mean you always wanted to have a lifetime of enjoyment. You will excel in either education or business management! You are talented, kind (but with only people who you think are nice), and popular. All good things come easily to you. Your mind and body is just made perfect for love. You are love-able by any number. But if you are a number 6 men, you will be involved in more than a few relationships until you get married. If you are a girl, most of you will get married/engaged early. You are a caring person towards your family and friends. You are a person of compassion, comfort & fairness, domestic responsibility, good judgment, and after all you can heal this world wounds to make peace for everyone because you have the great power and caring talent to take the world of love one step further.
Your best match 1, 6 and 9. Good match 4, 5

Number 7
You are realistic, confident, happy, and talented in education, music, art, singing, and most importantly in acting. You also have a bad temper! You value your family status a lot; you will be in the top rank when you reach a certain age. If you are a guy, you are popular with girls. Most of the number 7s face lots of problems with their married life. Only a few are happy. You have everything in your life but with worries throughout your life time. You need to get ready looking for a partner rather than waiting. If you don't, then you might end-up being single. You are born to contribute to every one's joy.
Your best match is 2. Good matches are 1, 4

Number 8
You have a very strong personality and people will find it hard to understand you. You are more likely to suffer in your younger years. You might be also the one responsible to look out for your family. You often suffer all the way through life. You will learn life in a very practical way. You are the one who will fight for justice and may even die in the war too. You are normally very reserved with a handful of friends and most of the time, live life alone and always prepared to help others. However, once you settle down, (which is often late), then your hard lucks will disappear. You will face unexpected problems such as encountering poisonous animals, and accidents. You are highly- disciplined, persistence, and courageous, and it is your strength that will take you to success. You area great part of a family team. You are a fighter!
Your Best match 1, 4 and 8. Good match 5

Number 9
You guys are the most incompatible people in the world. You are so strong, physically and mentally. You often have big-aims. You will work hard and will think it's still hard to get there, even if you already have gotten there! Normally you suffer in the early age from family problems and generally you will have to fight in life. You are respected by others. You were however very naughty in your childhood, and often got beaten up by your parents and had been involved in fights and you seemed to have suffered lots of injuries. But when you grow older you become calm and will fall into the quiet and dignified macho type. Love is not an easy matter for you. You are however good in engineering or banking jobs because people always trust you. Your family life is very good, but you will always worry over your children. Your finer qualities are that you are humanitarian, patient, very wise & compassionate. You are born to achieve targets and serve every one equally without any prejudice. You are a role model for everyone.
Your best match 3, 5, 6 and 9.

If you were born on the 1st, 10th, 19th, 28th of any month you are number 1.
If you were born on the 2nd, 11th, 20th, 29th of any month then you are number 2.
If you were born on the 3rd, 12th, 21st, 30th of any month then you are number 3.
If you were born on the 4th, 13th, 22nd, 31st of any month then you are Number 4.
If you were born on the 5th, 14th, 23rd of any month then you are number 5.
If you were born on the 6th, 15th, 24th of any month then you are number 6.
If you were born on the 7th, 16th, 25th of any month then you are number 7.
If you were born on the 8th, 17th, 26th of any month then you are number 8.
If you were born on the 9th, 18th, 27th of any month then you are number 9.

Contributed by Deepa Joseph, Bangalore

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

What type of employee are you ?

2009-12-01T12:41:00.002+05:30

Aries Employee Profile (March 21 - April 19)
Aries employees make excellent troubleshooters. They'll usually want to be out in the field at a variety of different work sites fixing things. They certainly won't be happy for very long behind a desk in a 9 to 5 schedule. The bored Aries employee who has been forced into a square hole will typically be restless, angry, and careless with details. No amount of money would compensate for being stuck in a routine job. Money in fact isn't why they are working at all. They do want to be paid fairly and need a status position to satisfy their competitive tendencies--but even more importantly, they'll want challenging new projects They typically like to have a sense of responsibility and need to feel needed. In return, they'll give their all and provide detailed, consistent work. They will literally work themselves to exhaustion to prove themselves. If you want to keep your Aries co- worker productive and happy, you'll want to give them the opportunity to work independently or let them help and lead less experienced workers.

Taurus Employee Profile (April 20 - May 20)
Taureans make some of the best employees. They are loyal, hardworking, and no-nonsense. They work methodically and follow projects through until they are complete. Some may appear to work a little too slowly-usually because they are so careful-but they will always finish what they start. They thrive on structure, schedules, and routine. You'll find them doing the same exact thing at the same time every day. Taureans, however, are not exactly the malleable workers that they often appear to be. If they have to work in a chaotic environment, they won't be happy and will be prone to child-like temper tantrums and stubbornness. They might react similarly if they have to work around ignorant people or at a job where there is no obvious potential for advancement. Taureans will be very unhappy if there isn't a ladder for them to climb. Even in the worst situations, they will find a way to advance slowly, winning over the most difficult people who may stand in their way of progress. Taurus employees will only take so much patiently and happily before they feel they are being taken advantage of. They will gladly accept orders and do whatever dirty work needs to get done, but they expect rewards. They want material gain, salary increases, and the potential for more power. To make your Taurus employees happy, be sure to give them projects through which they will see tangible results-hopefully something that will allow them to express their unique creativity in addition to their practical side. They don't want to feel mired in details for long periods of time. Make sure to schedule regular performance and salary reviews. This show of respect should keep them loyal to the company.

Gemini Employee Profile (May 21 - June 21)
Gemini employees can have difficulty concentrating on one thing for long periods of time. They have quick-moving minds and love to talk and communicate their ideas with others. They thrive on social interaction -- even if their jobs don't particularly support it. You'll be able to find them wandering from desk to desk gossiping about all the sordid news in the office. They can be powerful persuaders in their speech and make ideal salespeople and mediators. They love to negotiate and can work out the best Deal for everyone involved. When properly stimulated, they can manage to keep their wandering mind focused and actually be quite productive. When they are bored, bogged down with mundane detail-work, or forced to work with people who they consider droll, they can become mean-spirited and gossipy. Their moods can fluctuate vastly day to day, as well as their productivity. It is really against t heir nature to be forced into an average workday schedule and environment. They are happier travelling. lf they are in an office they will need constant new stimulation. Most will be wanting advancement if they see this as a way to escape the limitations of their jobs. This can motivate them to put extra effort into their job. If you work with a Gemini, try to avoid getting into any debates with them they will surely win and it could end in some hard feelings on your part. They will need an accepting environment-one that supports their need for multi-tasking.

Cancer Employee Profile (June 22 - July 21)
The Cancer employee isn't at work to feed their ego -- their job is just a job and a means to get paid. They work steadily and are usually very reliable. You'll be able to depend on them to show up on time and do what is necessary. They won't get involved in power struggles or get upset when someone advances before them. They are able to accept the situation because they see it simply as a rung on the ladder up. Their motivation is security. They'll want more money the longer they've stayed at a job. They don't want to have to worry about how they'll make ends meet tomorrow so they'll need a stable position without much risk. Cancerian workers can slip into some dark moods on occasion. During these periods productivity tends to drop-as well as everyone else's in the office. Their moods can be so strong everyone becomes affected. To avoid the frequency of these occurrences, managers and co-workers should try to make the work environment as homey as possible-keep it well heated, cozy, and friendly. Don't press them to reveal their true inner thoughts-their tendency is to be secretive and protective, and they could see prying as an attempt to disturb their security.

Leo Employee Profile (July 22 - August 21)
Leo workers want to be first and at the center of the office. Even if they can't lead, they'll look for every opportunity to increase their own status and if someone else seems ahead of them, look out. They will make it clear that they aren't happy by pouting and complaining. They want advancement so much that they'll take on more responsibility and carry a heavier load than anyone else does in the office. And they are self-promoters. It is likely that they are telling everyone in the office what a great job they are doing as well as giving everyone unwanted advice. They know they are superior and want everyone to know it as well. This arrogance can sometimes cause problems when working with management. But typically, they are just hard workers out to demonstrate just how good they really are. They thrive in sales positions - they can promote a product or company just as well as they promote themselves. Their strength and arrogance isn't just show either. In a crisis situation, Leos really demonstrate their true courage. Leos want to lead and will be pushing for more responsibility and rewards. They are happy to train and mentor new co- workers as they enjoy giving advice and being in positions of authority. If you are trying to manage a Leo employee, you'll need to give them plenty of praise, responsibility, and independence. They will certainly want to help lighten your load of management responsibilities. Just be careful- the next thing you know they could be taking over your job.

Virgo Employee Profile (August 22 - September 22)
In the right situations Virgos love to work. They make ideal employees, happily working late into the night to make sure everything is perfect and in order. If you are looking for an employee who doesn't mind starting from rock bottom in the most entry-level position at the company, hire a Virgo. They'll have no complaints about the position being beneath them. They are content with basic, honest hard work. Their contentment isn't always apparent, however.. They love to complain and worry. They are quick to criticize the way things are done around the office and are the first ones to grumble disapprovingly at what they consider to be extravagance or laziness. They are blunt and honest and don't mince words over what they feel just isn't right. Usually, this will be brought on by someone doing a half-baked job or not being considerate of other co-work ers. You'll want to constantly reassure them, but this will do little to quell their anxieties. They actually enjoy worrying, and there is little you can do about it. Just give them a detail - oriented project and let them work alone on it. You won't have to supervise a Virgo worker. They'll check all the facts before getting started and catch their own errors when they are done. To keep a Virgo employee happy, you should also make sure their environment is orderly and calm. You should also provide small gestures of appreciation. They don't need extravagance, just let them know you appreciate them in small ways that won't embarrass them. They will probably just shrug their shoulders and say, "It's no big deal." But deep down inside they need these little reassurances.

Libra Employee Profile (September 23 - October 22)
Libra employees are detailed, dedicated workers with sensitive natures. Managers and co-workers sometimes find them difficult to get a handle on. They pick up the energy of the office and are unable to prevent it from affecting them. Loud noise, flashy colors, and discordant vibrations will put them off so much that they will have difficulty fulfilling their obligations at work. One day they may seem like the most bright, hardworking, ambitious employee around. The next day they might be down, irritated, and unable to produce. Co-workers shouldn't fret when Libra employees are in a dark mood. It really won't last, as a happy state of mind can come over them just as quickly. When Libra employees are in a balanced frame of mind, they can be a powerful presence at work-they have a way of gracing everything they touch. Underneath that mess of moods, they really are basically happy and stable people. They are capable of profound logical thought and evaluate all sides of a situation before acting. They are one of the most intelligent Signs around. They are expert researchers and mediators. And their sensitivity to their environment makes them naturals at keeping things looking great. They will easily help others resolve conflicts and can act as a go-between with workers and management so that everyone ends up happy. If you want to keep your Libran worker smiling, give them the respect they are due and put them in a position where they can project their great charm and diplomacy. They won't be CONTENT to take orders for very long, either- make sure they are given increased responsibility.

Scorpio Employee Profile (October 23 - November 21)
Scorpio employees usually exude a quiet self-confidence. They are self-sufficient and do not depend on others for a sense of self-worth. They keep their private life separate from work and take complete responsibility for their actions and their situation. They don't make excuses; they just take care of business and expect everyone else to do the same. Those who don't, co- workers and managers- will have to endure the Scorpio wrath. They don't mind being completely vocal about what they feel is wrong with any given situation. And if you tread on their fire be sure to expect retaliation. They won't take insults or opposition lying down. If you manage a Scorpio employee, be sure to follow through with your word and don't break any promises-Scorpio is keeping track and building up some heavy resentments against you if you do. You may not even be aware of it until too late-but when Scorpio gets too m uch, you'll be sure to know. Scorpio employees will react towards those around them exactly as they are treated. When they get what they want, they will be very accepting. If you are trying to work with or motivate a Scorpio co-worker, be sure to treat them respectfully and act professionally. Give them challenging work that allows them to utilize their awesome self-confidence and courage.

Sagittarius Employee Profile (November 22 - December 21)
The Sagittarian employee is head strong, cheerful, and willing to help. They exude self-confidence and take on tasks like there's no tomorrow. They are willing to tackle even the toughest of projects as long as it is challenging and gets them out of the routine. Lucky for them, their shining personalities and honest enthusiasm seem like a bright spot in the office- otherwise co-workers might begin to build animosity towards someone so arrogant and extravagant. Their tendency to exaggerate and take on more then they can handle usually results in missed deadlines and dropping the ball-not because they are lazy of procrastinate, but because their enthusiasm just gets the better of them sometimes. Don't let their nonchalance fool you-they really do care about what they are doing. They just have an easy-going attitude that allows them to keep on smiling even when they just messed up big time. Just because they are flexible and easy-going doesn't mean they won't tell you exactly how they feel-what is working for them and what isn't. And they won't just blindly take orders - they need to understand the method and reason behind the process. If you are trying to motivate your Sagittarian employee, be sure to feed them plenty of challenging new projects and hint that some business trips might be on the horizon once deadlines are met. And whatever you do, try not to question their intentions - it is the quickest way to make them upset. They aren't capable of deceit.

Capricorn Employee Profile (December 22 - January 20)
A Capricorn employee with too much to do is a happy worker. They need plenty of projects and responsibility. There is no sadder sight than a Capricorn worker without a sense of responsibility. They need to be needed. They are covertly ambitious - usually not flashy or obvious about it-but you will usually know that they are serious and determined about advancing themselves. They are completely scrupulous, so much so that they can be self-disparaging. But they are no pushovers. They can wear down even the toughest customers. Their persistence is incredible. Once they set their sights on a goal, they work away at it until the bitter end-whether the goal be that hard sell or the new hardware release. Capricorns don't work for free, however. They expect to be paid handsomely and be given more and more responsibility. They need to come out ahead of the pack in the end, and they see the work environment as their primary vehicle. They won't go in for the typical office gossip and politics, though. They want to get down to business at work and see it as no place for fooling around. With a strong sense of duty and respect towards their superiors, it is rare they will join in on boss-bashing or knocking the system. They can get frustrated, however, with blue sky management schemes that lack common sense, and they will interject their dry sense of humor in the most critical ways. If they want change, they will be unyielding. If all their effort leads to naught the result will be deep moods of darkness and depression with a sense of hopelessness. Keep your Capricorn employee happy by paying them fairly and giving them plenty of hard work. Arrange for a path of advancement within your organization for them. If you don't, you might find them looking for other opportunities.

Aquarius Employee Profile (January 21 - February 19)
The Aquarius employee can't tolerate unfairness in the office. Hair brained schemes will get the positive attention they deserve if an Aquarian has anything to do with it. They'll try to help everyone see the good side of a bad situation if it's the last thing that they do. They are so smart-they can't help but hold management in disdain if they feel that they are being unfair and unintelligent. It isn't that they are overly ambitious and think they could be doing a better job- just that they think people in power should know better. Most Aquarius workers are still looking for themselves and will want to try their hand at a variety of jobs in the workplace. Whatever they are doing, they will do conscientiously. They usually have strict personal codes that include a strong work ethic. Their bright, off-beat intelligence, and trustwothiness will typically gain them many friends-in and out of work. Beneath that sometimes odd-ball behavior is solid, concrete thinking and sensitivity to co-workers. Keep your smart Aquarius co-worker happy by giving them plenty of opportunity to learn news kills. Raises are less important to them. No amount of money will make it worth their while to stay in a stagnant position. Don't let them get too bored or they will simply find another job as easily as they found this one-their genius is easy to spot.

Pisces Employee Profile (February 20 - March 20)
The Pisces employee can be a loyal and hard-working, if unconventional, worker. In the right position, they are able to keep their daydreams in check and buckle down on the detail work-giving their all to the boss and corporation whom they feel are worthy of devotion. On the flip side, there is no image of extreme misery like that of an ill-placed Pisces worker. They will act as though their cubicle were a prison cell as they daydream of their own business or next vacation. Unhappy Pisces workers usually won't stick around too long. Often Pisceans will drift from one job to another looking for that ideal environment to which they will be able to commit and feel a sense of purpose. And if things are going in a bad direction at the office, Pisces will be the first to sense it. They'd rather pick up and leave then wait until the problem reaches a head. Pisces are often misunderstood by their co-workers. Typically timid and introspective, they usually keep their true nature hidden, for fear it wouldn't fit with the corporate culture. What motivates a Pisces employee to not only stick around but also excel? Try compliments. And show them how their work impacts the entire organization. They need to know that what they are doing is worth something on a grander scale. Acceptance of their unconventional organization and planning will be necessary. Just because their sales report isn't in the typical format doesn't mean it is any less effective. Keep their environment bright and upbeat; and an after-work cocktail wouldn't hurt.

Contributed by Deepa Joseph, Bangalore

Beauty of Mathematics

2009-10-29T11:43:00.001+05:30

Here are some funny math interesting facts. All the below tricks are based around the sequential manipulation of the numbers being used for input and output.

Sequential Inputs of numbers with 8

1 x 8 + 1 = 9

12 x 8 + 2 = 98

123 x 8 + 3 = 987

1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876

12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765

123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654

1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543

12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432

123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

Sequential 1's with 9

1 x 9 + 2 = 11

12 x 9 + 3 = 111

123 x 9 + 4 = 1111

1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111

12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111

123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111

1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111

12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111

123456789 x 9 + 10 = 1111111111

Sequential 8's with 9

9 x 9 + 7 = 88

98 x 9 + 6 = 888

987 x 9 + 5 = 8888

9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888

98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888

987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888

9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888

98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Numeric Palindrome with 1's

1 x 1 = 1

11 x 11 = 121

111 x 111 = 12321

1111 x 1111 = 1234321

11111 x 11111 = 123454321

111111 x 111111 = 12345654321

1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321

11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321

111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Without 8

12345679 x 9 = 111111111

12345679 x 18 = 222222222

12345679 x 27 = 333333333

12345679 x 36 = 444444444

12345679 x 45 = 555555555

12345679 x 54 = 666666666

12345679 x 63 = 777777777

12345679 x 72 = 888888888

12345679 x 81 = 999999999

Sequential Inputs of 9

9 x 9 = 81

99 x 99 = 9801

999 x 999 = 998001

9999 x 9999 = 99980001

99999 x 99999 = 9999800001

999999 x 999999 = 999998000001

9999999 x 9999999 = 99999980000001

99999999 x 99999999 = 9999999800000001

999999999 x 999999999 = 999999998000000001

......................................

Sequential Inputs of 6

6 x 7 = 42

66 x 67 = 4422

666 x 667 = 444222

6666 x 6667 = 44442222

66666 x 66667 = 4444422222

666666 x 666667 = 444444222222

6666666 x 6666667 = 44444442222222

66666666 x 66666667 = 4444444422222222

666666666 x 666666667 = 444444444222222222

......................................

Original Source: http://easycalculation.com/funny/interesting-facts/math-beauty.php

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

SixthSense - wearable gestural interface

2009-07-03T16:20:00.001+05:30

We've evolved over millions of years to sense the world around us. When we encounter something, someone or some place, we use our five natural senses to perceive information about it; that information helps us make decisions and chose the right actions to take. But arguably the most useful information that can help us make the right decision is not naturally perceivable with our five senses, namely the data, information and knowledge that mankind has accumulated about everything and which is increasingly all available online. Although the miniaturization of computing devices allows us to carry computers in our pockets, keeping us continually connected to the digital world, there is no link between our digital devices and our interactions with the physical world. Information is confined traditionally on paper or digitally on a screen.

SixthSense bridges this gap, bringing intangible, digital information out into the tangible world, and allowing us to interact with this information via natural hand gestures. ‘SixthSense’ frees information from its confines by seamlessly integrating it with reality, and thus making the entire world your computer.

The SixthSense prototype is comprised of a pocket projector, a mirror and a camera.

The hardware components are coupled in a pendant like mobile wearable device.

Both the projector and the camera are connected to the mobile computing device in the user’s pocket.

The projector projects visual information enabling surfaces, walls and physical objects around us to be used as interfaces; while the camera recognizes and tracks user's hand gestures and physical objects using computer-vision based techniques.

The software program processes the video stream data captured by the camera and tracks the locations of the colored markers (visual tracking fiducials) at the tip of the user’s fingers using simple computer-vision techniques.

The movements and arrangements of these fiducials are interpreted into gestures that act as interaction instructions for the projected application interfaces.

The maximum number of tracked fingers is only constrained by the number of unique fiducials, thus SixthSense also supports multi-touch and multi-user interaction.

The SixthSense prototype implements several applications that demonstrate the usefulness, viability and flexibility of the system.

The map application lets the user navigate a map displayed on a nearby surface using hand gestures, similar to gestures supported by Multi-Touch based systems, letting the user zoom in, zoom out or pan using intuitive hand movements.
The drawing application lets the user draw on any surface by tracking the fingertip movements of the user’s index finger.
SixthSense also recognizes user’s freehand gestures (postures). For example, the SixthSense system implements a gestural camera that takes photos of the scene the user is looking at by detecting the ‘framing’ gesture. The user can stop by any surface or wall and flick through the photos he/she has taken.
SixthSense also lets the user draw icons or symbols in the air using the movement of the index finger and recognizes those symbols as interaction instructions. For example, drawing a magnifying glass symbol takes the user to the map application or drawing an ‘@’ symbol lets the user check his mail.
The SixthSense system also augments physical objects the user is interacting with by projecting more information about these objects projected on them. For example, a newspaper can show live video news or dynamic information can be provided on a regular piece of paper.
The gesture of drawing a circle on the user’s wrist projects an analog watch.

Pranav Mistry is the genius behind Sixth Sense, a wearable device that enables new interactions between the real world and the world of data.

Pranav Mistry is a PhD student in the Fluid Interfaces Group at MIT's Media Lab. Before his studies at MIT, he worked with Microsoft as a UX researcher. Mistry is passionate about integrating the digital informational experience with our real-world interactions.

Some previous projects from Mistry's work at MIT includes intelligent sticky notes, Quickies, that can be searched and can send reminders; a pen that draws in 3D; and TaPuMa, a tangible public map that can act as Google of physical world. His research interests also include Gestural and Tangible Interaction, Ubiquitous Computing, AI, Machine Vision, Collective Intelligence and Robotics.

Original Source: http://www.pranavmistry.com/projects/sixthsense/

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

40 Point LIFE HAND BOOK - For You

2009-05-18T11:44:00.001+05:30

A. Health:

Drink plenty of water.
Eat Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince and Dinner like a Beggar.
Eat more Foods that grow on Trees and plants and eat less Food that is Manufactured in Plants.
Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
Make time to practice Meditation, Yoga, and Prayer.
Play more Games.
Read more Books than you did in 2008.
Sit in Silence for at least 10 Minutes each day.
Sleep for 7 hours.
Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day.
And while you walk, Smile.

B. Personality:

Don't compare your life to others'.
You have no idea what their journey is all about.
Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control.
Instead invest your energy in the positive Present Moment.
Don't over do. Keep your Limits.
Don't take yourself So Seriously.
No one else does.
Don't waste your precious Energy on Gossip.
Dream More while you are Awake.
Envy is a waste of time.
You already have all you need.
Forget issues of the past.
Don't remind your Partner with his/her Mistakes of the past.
That will ruin your present happiness.
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
Don't hate others..
Make peace with your Past, So it won't spoil the Present..
No one is in charge of Your Happiness except You.
Realize that life is a School and You are here to Learn.
Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
Smile and Laugh more.
You don't have to win every argument.
Agree to disagree.

C. Society:

Call your Family often.
Each day give something Good to Others.
Forgive Everyone for Everything.
Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
Try to make at least three People Smile each day..
What other People think of you is
None of your Business.
Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.
Your Friends will. Stay in touch.

D. Life:

Do the Right Thing!
Get rid of anything that isn't Useful, Beautiful or Joyful.
GOD heals Everything.
However Good or Bad a Situation is, it will Change.
No matter how you feel, Get up, Dress up and Show up..
The Best is yet to Come.
When You Awake Alive in the Morning, Thank GOD for It.
Your Inner most is always Happy. So, be Happy.

E. Last but not the least:

Please Forward this to Everyone you Care about.

Contributed by Edward Sunil Joseph, Chennai

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

God's Travel Plan

2009-05-02T13:01:00.001+05:30

ACCOMMODATION:
Arrangements for first-class accommodation have been made in advance.
"In My Father's house are many rooms....... .. I am going there to prepare a place for you." (John 14:2).

PASSPORTS:
Persons seeking entry will not be permitted past the gates without having proper papers/credentials and having their names registered with the ruling Authority.
"Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:27)

DEPARTURE TIMES:
The exact date of departure has not been announced. Travelers are advised to be prepared to leave at short notice.

"It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority." (Acts 1:7)

TICKETS:

Your ticket is a written pledge that guarantees your journey. It should be claimed and its promises kept firmly in hand.

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24).

CUSTOMS:

Only one declaration is required while going through customs.

"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

IMMIGRATION:

All passengers are classified as immigrants, since they are taking up permanent residence in a new country. The quota is unlimited.

"......... they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one ........ He has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:16)

LUGGAGE:

No luggage whatsoever is necessary.

"For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." (1 Timothy 6:7)

AIR PASSAGE:

Travelers' going directly by air are advised to watch daily for indications of imminent departure.

"After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

VACCINATION AND INOCULATION:

Injections are not needed, as diseases are unknown at the destination.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain....." (Revelation 21:4)

CURRENCY:

Supplies of currency may be forwarded ahead to await the passenger's arrival. Deposit your heart, mind, soul and life.

"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." (Matthew 6:20)

CLOTHING:

A complete and appropriate new wardrobe is provided for each traveler.

"...For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness. ..." (Isaiah 61:10)

TIME CHANGES:

Resetting of watches will not be necessary to adjust to the day / night schedule.

"The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp........ for there will be no night there." (Revelations 21:23, 25)

RESERVATIONS:

Booking is now open. Apply at once.

".....now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2)

CORONATION CEREMONY:

The highlight of the journey is the welcoming reception and coronation which await the arrival.

"Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:8).

Contributed by Edward Sunil Joseph, Chennai

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

Who will take the son

2009-04-08T14:38:00.001+05:30

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.

He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.'

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.'

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?'

There was silence.

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.'

But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?'

Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!'

But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting..' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

'We have $10, who will bid $20?'

'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.'

The crowd was becoming angry.. They didn't want the picture of the son.

They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'

A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'

'What about the paintings?'

'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.

The man who took the son gets everything!'

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The son, the son, who'll take the son?'

Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE

Contributed by Edward Sunil Joseph, Chennai

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

5 Tips to Lower Your Credit Card Bills

2009-03-31T11:29:00.001+05:30

In today's economic times, it is not uncommon for people to have a lot of debt; specifically, high-interest credit card debt. The average American has over $8,000.00 in credit card debt and is spending more than they are saving. The point here is that you are not alone, but you do need to break from this trend in order to move forward financially.

Here are a few tips to reduce your credit card payments

Combine your debts to the lowest APR rate possible.
Find out what interest rate you pay on each card and transfer your balances to the lower rate cards. This act alone can reduce your payments by hundreds of dollars.
Negotiate better terms with your current creditors.
Companies including your credit card, mortgage and insurance companies want to keep your business. Many of them will agree to lower your interest rate if tell them you are thinking about leaving them. So call them up and ask them to lower your rate.
Pay off the credit with the smallest balance first
If you have several credit cards, this tip is especially useful. Once you pay off the small balance, cancel the credit card. When the next month rolls around, apply the money you would have paid the cancelled credit card to your next credit card with a low balance. This will help you keep better track of your credit card debt and also reduce your monthly payments pretty quickly.
Pay more than the minimum payment, in order to quickly lower the total amount that you pay.
Using the tips we just mentioned will help you "free up some money" which you can use to more quickly pay off your debt. Remember that the longer you owe money, the more you will pay in interest.
Budget your earnings in order to reduce additional impulse spending and additional debt.
Too many people think that having a budget stops you from buying fun things. This is absolutely not true! Just start budgeting for the things you really enjoy and you will find that you are not budgeting for things that you really do not need. This will help get out of the vicious cycle of racking up new credit card debt as you try to pay it off.

Contributed by Edward Sunil Joseph, Chennai

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

Have you watched them sleep?

2009-03-10T19:59:00.001+05:30

Original Article written by Shakuntala Devi

I received a message on my Friendster account the other day. It was one of those forwarded messages, the type I would usually scan briefly before hitting "delete".

But this message, written in Bahasa Malaysia, started with a simple question that caught my attention A rough translation of it goes like this:

"Have you ever watched your parents as they are asleep? Your father's body once big and strong but now, the big is withered and the strong weakened. Wisps of grey peek out of his hair, wrinkles now "scar" on his forehead and face."

"This man works hard every day and would sacrifice anything to make sure his family is provided for and his children get the best education possible."

"Or what about your mother, whose soft hands once cuddled and held you close when you were a baby? Now, those hands are dry and rough, bearing evidence of the challenges she faced just for us."

"This woman takes care of our daily needs, constantly nagging and scolding us because of her love for us. But sadly, we often miscontrue her love as control and unfairness."

I have never thought of watching my parents while they slept. I've watched my cousins sleep when they were babies, all round and cuddly and sweet smelling. But watch my parents? No way!

But after reading this message, I realised that there is indeed much truth in it. In fact, my parents don't have to be asleep for me to realise that they have aged.

Just looking at my mother walk tells me that her legs are not as strong as they were before. Or hearing for her to ask me to help with that flowerpot in the garden, the one she used to be able to push and drag around the garden without my help.

Or watching my dad lift a 10kg bag of rice. I can easily carry that now. I am young. But to him, it is a struggle.

What do all these observations tell me?
Yes, my parents have aged. They are ageing, as I am ageing. But as I age towards my best years and become stronger, they in turn are becoming weaker. They were once the caregiver and I the receiver. In time, I know our roles will reverse. Like it or not, want it or not, this is life.

I suppose I have always subconciously thought that my parents would always be with me, never growing old. It took that message to make me realise that my parents are not immortal. That they, too, will one day leave the world and me. Until then, I will make good use of our time together.

By the way, I am forwarding that message to all my family and friends to remind them to appreciate what they have now. It will not last.

Contributed by Deepa Joseph, Bangalore

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

Drink Water on Empty Stomach

2009-03-04T11:39:00.001+05:30

It is popular in Japan today to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. Furthermore, scientific tests have proven a its value. We publish below a description of use of water for our readers. For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses the water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a 100% cure for the following diseases:

Headache, body ache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis asthma, TB, meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all eye diseases, womb, cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases.

METHOD OF TREATMENT

As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water
Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minute
After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.
After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours
Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day.
The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.
The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure/control/reduce main diseases:

High Blood Pressure - 30 days
Gastric - 10 days
Diabetes - 30 days
Constipation - 10 days
Cancer - 180 days
TB - 90 days

Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment only for 3 days in the 1st week, and from 2nd week onwards - daily.

This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times.

It is better if we continue this and make this procedure as a routine work in our life.

Drink Water and Stay healthy and Active.

This makes sense .. The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals ..not cold water. Maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating!!! Nothing to lose, everything to gain...

For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you.

It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion.

Once this "sludge" reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

Contributed by Deepa Joseph, Bangalore

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

About Leadership

2009-02-15T22:46:00.001+05:30

Some tips from Robin Sharma, regarding leadership qualities.

The Eyes of Leadership

The sad fact is that most people see the worst in others - they see them through the eyes of their own anger, fear and limitation. If someone shows up late for a meeting, they impute a negative intent on that person, saying "they are so rude". If someone makes a mistake on an expense report, they grumble "that person is so dishonest". If someone miscommunicates a point, they silently say "she's a liar". Leaders are different. They look for the best in people.

I want to be clear. I'm not suggesting that leaders do not confront reality. Not at all. What I'm saying is that the best leaders see through the eyes of understanding. If someone is late, they try to get to the truth. Maybe there's a time management problem to coach around or a sick child to help. An error on an expense account could be the result of a poor process in place or the employee's disorganization. The miscommunication might be all about the person communicating having weak skills in this area. An opportunity for improvement.

Today, rather than looking for the worst in people, I invite you to look for what's best within them. Sure some people really are inconsiderate or dishonest or uncaring. But in my experience - and I've worked with a lot of people over the years - most people are good. Few human beings wake up in the morning and ask themselves: "What can I do today to mess up someone else's day or undermine my credibility?" Most of the mistakes people make are the result of a lack of awareness. And here's the payoff for you: as you seek out the good in people, not only will they want to show up more fully for you, but you will see more good in your world.

Do Your Part

Big question for you: "what are you doing to help build a new and better world?" Don't blame the politicians. Don't blame those around you. Don't blame your parents or your background. Doing so is playing the victim and this world has far too many people playing the victim when they could be shining and making a profound difference. Mother Teresa said it so much better than I ever could: "if each of us would only sweep their own doorstep, the whole world would be clean." Nice.

Blaming others is excusing yourself. Telling yourself that you – as an army of one – cannot have an impact is giving away your power. A couple of college kids got their hands on empty school buses and drove them into New Orleans when everybody else said the city was unapproachable. A little man in a loincloth named Mohandas Gandhi freed an entire nation. A college student named Richard Branson took some initiative to start a record label on a shoestring that has since morphed into the Virgin empire. You are no different from them. We are all flesh and bones – cut from the same cloth.

In a recent issue of Vanity Fair, Jennifer Aniston said that she gives herself one day to play victim after a challenging event. After that day of feeling sorry for herself and powerless, she wakes up and takes ownership over the way her life looks. And if she doesn't like a piece of it she sets about to change it. That's personal leadership.

What don't you like about your life or the organization you work for or the country you live in? Make a list. Write it down. Shout it out. And then do something to improve things. Anything. Start small or go big. Just do something. Today. Now. The world will be better for it.

Leadership is About Clarity

Just read a line by famed designer Karim Rashid: "I think we should always be looking 15 minutes ahead." I suggest we should always be thinking 15 years ahead. Clarity precedes mastery and it's impossible to create an outcome/goal/result that you can't even see.

The best businesses I've worked with are so beautifully clear on where they're going and what their brand stands for and the type of people they want to populate their place. The most successful people know exactly what success means to them and what their mountains look like. And each day, step by step, they steadily near that once-far destination. You can too.

To Act is to Lead

"The smallest of actions is always better than the noblest of intentions." Leadership is a lot more than just dreaming up big idea. It's about acting on them.

What separates the ordinary ones from The Great Ones is a simple fact: the best of the best execute brilliantly around their most vital priorities. In a leadership presentation I just gave to BP, I called the concept BRBO: Best Resources on Biggest Opportunities.

Leadership is, in so many ways, about getting good stuff done. Not started. Not in process. Done.

So today, make a decision that will revolutionize your career/life/self: never leave the site of an opportunity without doing something to seize it. And be less about talk - and more about DO.

Take Charge Fast

Leading Without Title is about assuming personal responsibility. It's about creating rich results. It's about taking charge to get things done - no matter if you are on the front line or in the C-Suite.

Was buying groceries yesterday. Standing in line. Nothing moved. I looked ahead and saw a flustered woman - seemed her debit card didn't work. The cashier looked strikingly similar to a deer caught in the headlights. Just froze. Didn't explain what was going on (I later learned the system went down). Didn't apologize to his customers for the delay. Didn't do anything to try and move things along. Just gave us a little fear grin and started to whistle a nervous whistle.

Sounds so obvious but leadership occurs in moments of challenge - not during moments of ease. Leadership shows up when things at work - and in life - test us. We, as Leaders Without Title - must rise to the challenge. We need to shine when things don't go as planned. And we have to take charge.

Eventually, the system got back up, the debit card was put through and I moved through the line. But next time I'm at that grocery store and I have a choice, I'll find a cashier who gets it. Who thinks fast. Who gets things done when others just freeze.

Leaders Wear Shiny Shoes

Okay, your shoes don't need to shine to be a superb leader (and remember - leadership isn't about your position, it's about the way you show up each day...so lead without title). My point is simply this: the way you do the little things displays a lot about how you will do the big things.

If your yard or home is well-organized, I'll bet your life is well-organized.

If you are attentive to details like the birthdays of your friends and sending thank you notes after every meeting, my guess is that you are attentive to the details around your big projects and best opportunities.

And if your place of business is spotless, there's a great chance the work you do for your customers has the same level of excellence attached to it (I can tell a lot about a business by the cleanliness of their bathrooms; an immaculate bathroom screams "we care" - and that caring translates into great service).

So pay attention to the details. Sweat the small stuff (like crazy). Commit to OAD: Obsessive Attention to Detail (the best people and organizations do; think Apple, Ritz Carlton, Amazon and The Mercer Hotel in NYC). Because the little things are the big things.

Original Source: http://www.robinsharmaarticles.com

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

Good Karma - Instructions for Life

2009-02-09T19:22:00.001+05:30

This is what The Dalai Lama has to say for 2008. All it takes is a few seconds to read and think over.

Take into account that Great Love and Great Achievements involve Great RISK.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
Follow the three R's:
- Respect for self
- Respect for others
- Responsibility for all your actions.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
Don't let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Spend some time alone every day.
Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
Be gentle with the earth.
Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Contributed by Deepa, Bangalore

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

Srilankan Struggle - Brief History

2009-02-09T14:29:00.002+05:30

If its not visible, please check the presentation in this link:
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dg76bv5x_0d5th5wc6

Srilankan Tamil Crisis - Time is running out

2009-01-30T22:26:00.001+05:30

Estimated Tamil people between 230,000 to 300,000 have been trapped in the Vanni conflict zone, denied food and basic living essentials and facing continuous shelling and aerial bombing. No one is there to help the innocent civilians. The cry of infants, children and elderly are not heard by anyone in the world.

Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that no one knows how severe the crisis is because the Sri Lankan government has barred local and foreign media from reporting on the subject and severely limited the presence of humanitarian organizations.
What is even more disconcerting is that the global mainstream media has largely ignored the Tamil civilian causalities, and has actually praised the Sri Lankan government for "running an effective military campaign."
Acts of terrorism from any one are deplorable and cannot be tolerated by any human person; the killing of innocent civilians, under the guise of fighting terror is absolutely indefensible.

Will World respond to the cry of these innocent people?

Wounded Sri Lanka civilians rescued - 29th Jan 2009
Aid agencies in Sri Lanka say they have evacuated hundreds of civilians wounded in fighting between troops and Tamil Tiger rebels.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/7857491.stm
In Pictures: Vanni humanitarian crisis – 29th January 2009
http://transcurrents.com/tc/2009/01/post_299.html
Battle Progress Map - Defence.lk
http://www.defence.lk/orbat/Default.asp
Human Rights Watch - New York, January 28, 2009
Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara told the media that "There were no civilians killed," and added: "We are targeting the LTTE. We are not targeting any civilians, so there can't be any civilians killed." Human Rights Watch said that the Sri Lankan military's blanket rejection of any civilian deaths in the latest fighting raised serious concerns about its genuine willingness to minimize future civilian casualties.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/01/28/sri-lanka-urgent-action-needed-prevent-civilian-deaths
Amnesty International – Press Release 28th January 2009
The government had declared "safe zones" to allow civilians to seek shelter, but information made available to Amnesty International indicates that several civilians in the so-called safe zone have been killed or sustained injuries as a result of artillery bombardment.
http://transcurrents.com/tc/2009/01/amnesty_charges_govt_and_ltte.html
ICRC News Release Jan 27, 2009
Sri Lanka: Major humanitarian crisis unfolding
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/sri-lanka-news270109!OpenDocument
Government's response to ICRC
"What proof do they have that they are civilians? " – Government minister questions ICRC
http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=39074

Will this silence be broken only after the total annihilation of the Tamils in Vanni?" asks Jaffna Diocese
"We are deeply grieved of the silence of the International Community and the world humanitarian agencies disregarding the great human tragedy that continues in Vanni in Sri Lanka. Will this silence be broken only after the total annihilation of the Tamils in Vanni?", said the memorandum sent by the Commission for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Diocese of Jaffna (CJPCD) at the end of the first day of the protest fast launched Wednesday morning in front of St. Mary's Church, Jaffna led by Rt. Rev. Thomas Saundaranayagam, Jaffna Bishop.

The following is the gist of the memorandum released:
'More than 400 innocent Tamils in Vanni have been killed and more than 1400 injured in the war against the Tamils in Vanni in the past 10 days.
The above figures are the available registered details but the real figures are feared to be more.

There is an acute shortage of medicine in Vanni for the injured while it is impossible to transport or carry the injured to the makeshift medical clinics, due to the unrelenting artillery fire and aerial bombings.
Due to the attacks the dead are not given a decent burial nor is it possible to conduct the final rites to them.
The people in Vanni spend their lives in temporary bunkers in terror of the continuing attacks on them.
We, the participants of the protest fast, place the following urgent requests to your immediate consideration and action.
• Please exert pressure on the parties at war to stop the human tragedy unfolding in Vanni.
• We all are totally against this war.
• We appeal to all concerned parties to stop the war and engage in negotiations towards a justified political solution.'

More information and source:
http://vinnyjoseph.blogspot.com/2009/01/all-in-name-of-securiity-for-after.html

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

Early Stroke Identification - STR Method

2009-01-22T18:24:00.001+05:30

The faster you recognize the signs of a stroke the greater your ability to save a life and lessen the damage from a stroke.

Learning the information in this article will help you recognize a stroke so that you can take quick action to counter its effect. If properly treated within a short period of time, it's amazing how modern medicine has progressed in helping people recover from the effects of a stroke. The key is STR and getting treatment within 3 hours.

Two Stories – Two Different Outcomes!
Story #1: During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall. She assured everyone that she was fine. People offered to call the paramedics but she declined. She told everyone that she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. After getting cleaned up, she got a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later to tell everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital. At 6 pm Ingrid passed away. She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had the people at the party known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would still be with us today.

Story #2: This story comes from the Associated Press and tells how two Cincinnati women are grateful to their fast acting beauticians. One stylist noticed that a woman's speech had become slurred during the appointment so she called 911. Another woman called her hairdresser several weeks after having been to the salon. She described the symptoms she was having. According to Dr. Dawn Kleindorfer, a University of Cincinnati neurologist, "The beautician recognized it as signs of a stroke, called 911, walked to the woman's apartment and waited with her until an ambulance arrived." Both women survived their strokes.

How Do You Recognize The Signs of a Stroke?
Learning these symptoms and knowing what to do when they occur could save your life or the life of someone else. These are the most common signs of a stroke or stroke symptoms:

Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg especially if it occurs on one side of the body.
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

If you have or see anyone who has these symptoms, then call the hospital or doctor immediately. Time is critical in decreasing the effects of a stroke.

Remember S–T–R!
Taking the time to learn and remember these 3 simple steps could save a person's life:

S – SMILE! Ask the individual to smile.
T – TALK! Ask the person to talk or speak a simple sentence coherently. (i.e. It is sunny out today.)
R – RAISE! Ask the person to raise both arms together.

If they fail any one of these 3 simple steps, then call the hospital.

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can significantly reverse the effects of a stroke. That's because of a clot-busting medicine called tPA. It must be given within three hours of the start of symptoms for it to do any good. Unfortunately, fewer than 5% of stroke sufferers wind up getting this medicine.

What Are The First 3 Letters In STROKE?
S–T–R!

What Do They Represent?
SMILE, TALK, RAISE!

A cardiologist says that if everyone who reads this article would pass it on to 10 people you can bet that at least one life will be saved. I've passed this one to you and would ask that you pass this on to ten others.

Remember, SMILE, TALK, RAISE or S–T–R is a simple way to help determine if a person has suffered a stroke and needs immediate medical attention. Once the stroke symptoms occur the clock starts ticking. Your quick response could be the difference between life or death, permanent disability or significant recovery.

The simple three- item examination is known as the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale (CPSS) and has been successfully used by health care professionals in stroke screening. The focus of the research was to see if the CPSS could be used by the general public. The study recruited stroke survivors who still had some symptoms. They then asked 100 non-patient visitors to the University of North Carolina Hospital emergency room to use the CPSS in telephone script form. The researchers concluded that bystanders correctly administered the CPSS 96 percent of the time.

The conclusion? You improve the chances 19 times out of 20, by remembering and using this short -- smile, talk, raise arms -- test. And get help over any uncertain results.

Neither the Heart Association nor its affiliate, the American Stroke Association, has endorsed the three-pronged assessment, but that doesn't mean they discredit the findings, explained Laura Hague, marketing director for the Heart Association in Indianapolis.

"It may be good and it may make sense, but the AHA, because we're a research-based organization, we really do need to have substantial studies to be able to have our name with that." The very fact that you feel the need to test someone for signs of stroke may be enough reason to call the hospital, says Edward Sloan, an emergency room physician and president of the Foundation for the Education and Research in Neurological Emerencies.

"That situation sugests that something has occurred which is out of the ordinary, not normal, and or needs evalution by a medical professional. In that setting the best thing to do is to access emergency care as quickly as possible.

Extensive and reliable information about preventing, detecting and treating stroke can be found at the American Stroke Association's web site

Original Sources:
http://www.aging-no-more.com/signs-of-a-stroke.html
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2006/aug/09/smile-talk-raise/?printer=1/
http://www.draftresource.com/stroke.html
http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/stroke.shtml

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

Software Programmer Humour

2009-01-11T21:32:00.001+05:30

Top 20 Programmer responses when their programs don't work:

20. "That's weird..."

19. "It's never done that before."

18. "It worked yesterday."

17. "How is that possible?"

16. "It must be a hardware problem."

15. "What did you type in wrong to get it to crash?"

14. "There is something funky in your data."

13. "I haven't touched that module in weeks!"

12. "You must have the wrong version."

11. "It's just some unlucky coincidence."

10. "I can't test everything!"

9. "THIS can't be the source of THAT."

8. "It works, but it hasn't been tested."

7. "Somebody must have changed my code."

6. "Did you check for a virus on your system?"

5. "Even though it doesn't work, how does it feel?

4. "You can't use that version on your system."

3. "Why do you want to do it that way?"

2. "Where were you when the program blew up?"

And the Number 1 Programmer Response When Their Programs Don't Work

1. "I thought I fixed that."

Communication Channel

Programmer to Team Leader :

"We can't do this proposed project.**CAN NOT**. It will involve a major design change and no one in our team knows the design of this legacy system.

And above that, nobody in our company knows the language in which this application has been written. So even if somebody wants to work on it, they can't. If you ask my personal opinion, the company should never take these type of projects."

Team Leader to Project Manager :

"This project will involve a design change. Currently, we don't have any staff who has experience in this type of work. Also, the language is unfamiliar to us, so we will have to arrange for some training if we take this project. In my personal opinion, we are not ready to take on a project of this nature."

Project Manager to 1st Level Manager :

"This project involves a design change in the system and we don't have much experience in that area. Also, not many people in our company are appropriately trained for it. In my personal opinion, we might be able to do the project but we would need more time than usual to complete it."

1st Level Manager to Senior Level Manager :

"This project involves design re-engineering. We have some people who have worked in this area and others who know the implementation language. So they can train other people. In my personal opinion we should take this project,but with caution."

Senior Level Manager to CEO :

"This project will demonstrate to the industry our capabilities in remodelling the design of a complete legacy system. We have all the necessary skills and people to execute this project successfully. Some people have already given in house training in this area to other staff members. In my personal opinion, we should not let this project slip by

us under any circumstances."

CEO to Client :

"This is the type of project in which our company specializes. We have executed many projects of the same nature for many large clients. Trust me when I say that we are the most competent firm in the industry for doing this kind of work. It is my personal opinion that we can execute this project successfully and well within the given time frame.

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

Letter by Aziz Premji

2009-01-03T19:53:00.001+05:30

Dear Wiproite,

My own successes and setbacks along the way have taught me some lessons. I wish to share them with you and hope you will find them useful.

Lesson #1: Be careful to ask what you want. You may get it.
What this means is that do not ask too little either of yourself or the others around you. What you ask is what you get. When I look back at the time when I joined Wipro, I was 21. If you ask me whether I thought that Wipro would grow so by someday, the honest answer is that I did not. But neither did I think it would not. We constantly stretched ourselves to higher and higher targets. Sometimes, it seemed possible, sometimes fanciful and sometimes plain insane. But we never stopped raising limits. And we got a lot more than what we bargained for.

Lesson # 2: Respond, don't react
Always be aware of your emotions and learn to manage them. There is a huge difference between people who react impulsively and those who can disengage themselves and then respond at will. By choosing to respond differently, we can prevent another person from controlling our behaviour. I remember a small story that illustrates this well. There was once a newspaper vendor who had a rude Customer. Every morning, the Customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pick up the money, smile politely and say, "Thank you, Sir." One day, the vendor's assistant asked him, "Why are you always so polite with him when he is so rude to you? Why don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow?" The vendor smiled and replied, "He can't help being rude and I can't help being polite. Why should I let his rude behaviour dictate mine?

Lesson # 3: Intuitions are important for making decisions
It is important to realize that our intuition is a very important part of decision making. Many things are recorded by our subconscious. Use both sides of the brain. Even that is not enough. Some decisions need the use of the heart as well. When you use your mind and heart together, you may get a completely new and creative answer.

Lesson # 4: Learn to work in teams
The challenges ahead are so complex that no individual will be able to face them alone. While most of our education is focused in individual strength, teaming with others is equally important. You cannot fire a missile from a canoe. Unless you build a strong network of people with complimentary skills, you will be restricted by your own limitations.

Globalisation has brought people of different origins, different upbringing and different cultures together. Ability to become an integral part of a cross-cultural team will be a must for your success.

Lesson #5: Never lose your zest and curiosity
All the available knowledge in the world is accelerating at a phenomenal rate. The whole world's codified knowledge base (all documented information in library books and electronic files) doubled every 30 years in the early 20th century. By the 1970s, the world's knowledge base doubled every seven years. Information researchers predict that by the year 2010, the world's codified knowledge will double every 11 hours. Remaining on top of what you need to know will become one of the greatest challenges for you.

The natural zest and curiosity for learning is one of the greatest drivers for keeping updated on knowledge. A child's curiosity is insatiable because every new object is a thing of wonder and mystery. The same zest is needed to keep learning new things. I personally spend at least 10 hours every week on reading. If I do not do that, I will find myself quickly outdated.

Lesson # 6: Put yourself first
This does not mean being selfish. Nor does it mean that you must become so full of yourself that that you become vain or arrogant. It means developing your self confidence. It means, developing an inner faith in yourself that is not shaken by external events. It requires perseverance. It shows up in the ability to rebound from a setback with double enthusiasm and energy. I came across a recent Harvard Business review which describes this very effectively :

"No one can truly define success and failure for us- only we can define that for ourselves. No one can take away our dignity unless we surrender it. No one can take away our hope and pride unless we relinquish them. No one can steal our creativity, imagination and skills unless we stop thinking. No one can stop us from rebounding unless we give up."

And there is no way we can take care of others, unless we take care of ourselves.

Lesson # 7: Have a broader social vision
While there is every reason to be excited about the future, we must not forget that we will face many challenges as well. By 2015, we will have 829 million strong workforce. That will make India home to 18% of global working-age population. The key challenge is to transform that into a globally competitive work-force.

This will not be an easy task. Despite all the rapid economic expansion seen in recent years, job growth in India still trails the rise in working-age population. It is important that gains are spread across this spectrum, so that the divide between the employed and the under-employed, is minimised. Education is a crucial enabler that can make this growth as equitable as possible.

Lesson # 8: Play to win
Playing to win is not the same as playing dirty. It is not about winning all the time or winning at any cost. Playing to win is having the intensity to stretch to the maximum and bringing our best foot forward. Winning means focusing on the game. The score board tells you where you are going, but don't concentrate too much on it. If you can focus on the ball, the scores will move by themselves. I recently came across this story that I thought I would share with you

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen. He returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal- some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite and asked them to help themselves to coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, you were more concerned about comparing your cups but what you really wanted was coffee. Yet you spent all your time eyeing each other's cups.

Now if life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to contain Life, but cannot really change the quality of Life. Sometimes, by over concentrating on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee."

I wish you all every success in your career and your life .

Azim Premji
-------------------------------
"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

Contributed by Deepa Joseph, Bangalore

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

Living in Reaction to Life to Meet Your Wildest Expectations

2009-01-03T19:42:00.001+05:30

" You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don't do too many things wrong." Warren Buffett

Does any of the following describe you ?

Do you often find yourself automatically reacting to people and events?
Are you constantly at the mercy of circumstances?
Do you tend to live reactively?
Are you disconnected and separate from others? Do you see them in competition with you for things you need in order to survive and prosper?
Is your sense of being disconnected magnified by the false façade you put on to protect yourself? Does your façade keep people out and prevent them from seeing your flaws and weaknesses?
Do you dismiss thoughts, people or actions that do not fit in with the way you've decided things should be?
Do you live in the past with the residue from numerous daily incompletions you can't seem to forget about?
Do you step over problems and emotions to avoid confronting the reality that your life is not working optimally?
Are you resigned to living a life that does not fully support you because you have decided that it is impossible or at least too difficult to do anything about it?
Do you protect yourself by creating stories to explain, justify or conceal why you do what you do?
When you encounter people who oppose you in any way, do you take them out by undermining their credibility with others through gossiping and exaggerating their weaknesses?
Do you find that your behaviours, interpretations and actions do not support you to be the best you can be?

The above shortcomings characterize those who see the world as a dangerous place marked by scarcity and competition. Contrast them with what is possible.

You can decide to reinvent yourself as follows:
·     To live your life as an adventure with a commitment to be your best.
·     To champion the excellence of others by making unreasonable requests that stretch them to live fully
·     To do the same to yourself.
·     To choose to invent your future as a daily creation, reflecting your ability to be both the architect and builder of who you are and who you choose to become.
·     To experience each day with satisfaction that comes from knowing you have lived from your vision for what is possible, not just what is tolerated.
·     To proactively live out of a commitment to whole thinking – having life work optimally for you, for others and for the world in general. Not win / lose, either/or, but win/win/win, and /both.
·     To connect with others, seeking mutuality whenever possible because what supports one of us, supports us all. We are all connected at some level.
·     To live life constantly looking for new ideas with an emphasis on possibility thinking, believing that you can be the source of possibilities showing up in your life.
·     To see life as an endless series of opportunities awaiting exploration with nothing but abundance and possibilities to act upon.
·     To live with a conscious awareness of your ability to contribute to yourself and to others, the more you give to others, the more you get back in return.
·     To be complete with your past, able to fully experience the present and invent your future out of choice.
·     To get feedback from others and have life train you by providing continual input allowing you to benefit the most from what you learn.
·     To acknowledge your accomplishments and savor your growth and daily victories before refocusing your sights on what is next.

In short, life can either be an uphill struggle that looks like something you have to endure or it can be a great adventure played out fully in partnership with others. You get to choose which it will be.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Contributed by Deepa Joseph, Bangalore

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

Chennai and Rain - Perennial Problem

2008-12-07T23:22:00.001+05:30

Chennai , formerly known as Madras, is the fourth largest metropolitan area of India and the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, Chennai had a population of 4.2 million in the 2001 census within its municipal corporation. The urban agglomeration of Chennai has an estimated population over 8 million, making it one of the largest urban agglomerations in India.

Chennai's soil is mostly clay, shale and sandstone. Sandy areas are found along the river banks and coasts. Chennai lies on the thermal equator and is also coastal, which prevents extreme variation in seasonal temperature. For most of the year, the weather is hot and humid.

The average annual rainfall is about 1,300 mm (51 inches). The city gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the north-east monsoon winds, from mid-September to mid-December. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal sometimes hit the city.

Chennai has the Marina Beach (second longest beach in the world) runs for 12 km along the shoreline of the city.

Two rivers meander through Chennai, the Cooum River (or Koovam) through the centre and the Adyar River to the south.

A third river, the Kortalaiyar, flows through the northern fringes of the city before draining into the sea at Ennore.

The Buckingham Canal , 4 km (3 miles) inland, runs parallel to the coast, linking the two rivers.

The Otteri Nullah, an east-west stream, runs through north Chennai and meets the Buckingham Canal at Basin Bridge.

There are about 35 lakes and tanks of varying sizes, are located on the fringes of the city.

If the rivers, lakes, ponds and tanks are utilized properly, along with the Buckingham Canal, the water logging and flood situation could be easily prevented.

Chennaites face heavy rain and subsequent water logging for weeks after the rains. This despite the fact that Chennai has lots of natural facility to prevent this problem. Not in many metropolitan cities do you find 2 rivers, a canal connecting those rivers and numerous lakes. If most of the rain water are drained to these water bodies, or if there is a proper drainage system to facilitate the easy flow of water, then Chennai wouldn't face flood problems.

In many areas, the water had inundated into homes and shops to about 4 to 6 feet. Properties were lost and business were lost because of this flooding.

This happens almost every year, and yet, the civic bodies don't have the intelligence and resource to solve this problem.

Years of inaction by the Chennai Corporation have allowed encroachments to settle down over the stormwater drains and the waterways leading to further blockage.

Encroachments on waterways have been identified as one of the major causes of inundation during heavy rains, according to a flood mitigation strategies report commissioned by the Chennai Corporation.

A study by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board and the Public Works Department in 2002 and 2003 revealed that 31,540 families had been staying along the banks of the Adyar and the Cooum rivers as well as on the banks of the Buckingham Canal.

According to Aarvee Associates report, more than 15,345 families stay on the banks of the Buckingham Canal during the said period, while 9,562 families live along the Cooum River and 6,624 live along the Adyar River. Canals across the city are choked with encroachments, preventing the flow of storm water.

The government had also allowed construction of residential colonies in several catchment areas, like Adambakkam, Nanganallur, Alandur and Tirusulam.

The city has stormwater drains of about 950 km, about 100 km of which have been constructed in the recent years. The remaining 850 km are older drains that need to be regularly desilted. The civic body does not regularly desilt the drains as part of its pre-monsoon exercise. There are also demands to construct additional storm water drains in several areas to prevent water logging.

Chennai is one of the metros in India with chronic water problems which is dependent mostly on ground water supply.

In many parts of Chennai, the traditional wells had dried up years ago. People then resorted to drilling deep and installing bore wells. Some of these bore wells go as deep as 200 feet and more to find water. How long can we expect to get water from these bore wells without replenishing the water sources? Recharging the ground with rainwater helps to refresh the water resources.

Don't you think its ironic, that the city which faces water shortage, gets affected by water logging and flooding.

Prevention:

Management of drainage lines for efficient water flow.
Management of surface water-flow to avoid surface ponding.
Properly and regularly desilt existing storm water drains, lakes and tanks.
Remove the encroached extension of Slum Clearance Board tenements, temples and hutments on the banks.
In order to control the flood water, there has to be a diversion canals diverting storm water or waste water to discharge into the nearby river.
Effective Rain water storage solution in each and every building. If each building could store half of the rain water being drained into the road, flooding could be reduced by half.
Increase deep rooting vegetation for greater utilization of water from the soil

Additional Links:

Encroachments along rivers led to floods

Encroachments on waterways a factor behind floods

http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/16/stories/2006011614290300.htm

Posted via email from Edward Anil's Blog

Discover the 90/10 Principle

2008-11-12T20:50:00.003+05:30

What is this principle?
10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react.

What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us.

We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic.

We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%.
How? ……….By your reaction.

You cannot control a red light. but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react.

Let's use an example.

You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just happened.
What happens next will be determined by how you react.

You curse.

You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus.

Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit.
After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home.

When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter.
Why? …. Because of how you reacted in the morning.

Why did you have a bad day?
A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?
The answer is “D".

You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.

Here is what could have and should have happened.

Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "Its ok honey, you just need to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.

Notice the difference?

Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different.
Why?
Because of how you REACTED.

You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction.
Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle. If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you!

React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off) Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Do you try and bump them?

WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive?
Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it.

You are told you lost your job.
Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job.

The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take outpour frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on.
Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger. Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse.

Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it. The 90-10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle.

The result?
Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartache. We all must understand and apply the 90/10 principle.

Source: http://www.stephencovey.com/

Beauty of Math

2008-10-10T17:28:00.001+05:30

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

0 x 9 + 1 = 1
1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111=12345678987654321

Now, take a look at this...
101%
From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%?
What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?
Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

If:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:
L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

Humour For You

2008-08-12T17:30:00.001+05:30

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.
(Hardly seems worth it.)
If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.
(Now that's more like it!)
The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet .
(O.M.G.!)
A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes.
(In my next life, I want to be a pig.)
A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death. (Creepy.)
(I'm still not over the pig.)
Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories a hour
(Don't try this at home, maybe at work)
The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.
(Honey, I'm home. What the...?!)
The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.
(30 minutes..lucky pig! Can you imagine?)
The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds
(What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?)
Some lions mate over 50 times a day.
(I still want to be a pig in my next life...quality over quantity)
Butterflies taste with their feet.
(Something I always wanted to know)
The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
(Hmmmmmm.....)
Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people.
(If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference? )
Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.
(Okay, so that would be a good thing)
A cat's urine glows under a black light.
(I wonder who was paid to figure that out?)
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
( I know some people like that.)
Starfish have no brains
(I know some people like that too.)
Polar bears are left-handed.
(If they switch, they'll live a lot longer)
Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
(What about that pig? And God love that pig!)

On Being Coogee

2008-05-10T12:35:00.000+05:30

I am in a pretty darn good mood this morning. But then, we Rat Terrier dogs are addicted to good moods anyway. The fact is, though, I am about to be put down in 10 minutes and wanted to share some final doggie thoughts, if I may.

It was a brain tumor that has put me down. So right now I'm at the wonderful Banfield vets here in the PetSmart store in Saratoga. We are preparing to bring an end to a life I lived so completely that I am now ready to go.

I just heard my owner and our beloved vet, Dr Akawi, talking quietly as I slowly walk blindly in small circles around the room. I interrupted my tumor-driven ritual just long enough to ask if I could use the computer on the desk nearby to dash off a few lines to you while they went over the process and procedures for sending me off.

Heck, it's truly no big deal to me. My Sugar Daddy, Charlie, however, has been crying and crying and ... well, we discussed my dying at length last night as we lay in bed.I did most of the talking as I softly explained to a completely shattered man that I was ready to go. The time had come to help me escape the raging ravages of my ghastly brain tumor.

I have a small head, you know, so a small tumor is all fate requires to do a lot of damage quickly to even a well muscled body and well steeled mind. Just three weeks ago I began to feel a bit sluggish and noticed I was running more slowly and enjoying it less. Only a few days later my right eye went dead, soon to be followed by total and frightful blindness. Then my appetite and thirst went, along with total loss of any hind quarter coordination.Sugar Daddy carted me everywhere as I lost my orientation, balance, and all sense of self-confidence.Hugs and kisses and strong arms help, but functional independence helps even more. And I had become totally disabled. The tumor was killing me, and all too efficiently, I must say.

Dr Akawi and my Sugar Daddy Charlie reluctantly agreed with me that it was time to let me go from here to allow me to move on to there.

I let go alright. I dropped two peanut-size cute little poo-poos on the floor and followed that up with a big ole wee-wee that left a huge yellow, weird smelling puddle right there in the middle of the floor. (We dogs often do that when we know we are about to leave the present for the future. It makes for a lighter, faster journey -- we hope.)

Then Charlie got on the floor with me and propped himself up against the wall. For a 63yr old man grappling with a severe spinal cord injury, he did well. As his 7 yr old Rat Terrier service dog, I'll take a little 11th hour credit for his mobility if I may.

Once positioned, my Sugar Daddy gathered up my soft, thick sheepskin cushion I love so much, put it between his legs, plopped me on it and gathered me into his arms. I felt so relaxed, comfortable, and secure that I looked up at him and with my emotions, said to him, "It's ok. Let's get on with it. I understand. I'm ready to go."

No more running alongside his car. You'll need to go to Youtube.com and type in "dogee" in the search box to watch me exercise his too-slow Prius. But as I prepare myself to be put down, let me tell you that running 4 miles and more at a pop nearly every single day for more than 5 years was so much fun.

So great. So exhilirating. The best. I will so miss those famous runs around the Sears Mall (4 loops), or from BestBuy to Lowes and back, or up the long Schuylerville Hill, or along those quiet roads at the Saratoga Battlefield.

I'll miss all those heavenly motorcycle trike rides too. Sugar Daddy would strap me on the rear passenger seat of his gorgeous blue 6-cylinder 1993 Honda Goldwing trike (complete with black canopy to protect me from the sun). I'd ride with my right front leg on his left shoulder and my left front leg precisely balanced on the rear seat armrest.

Yes, a happy thank-you to all of you who took my photo or waved to me while I rode on the trike. While I often waved back with SugDad's help while at a stoplight, it was the smile on your faces that I so loved and will forever miss.

Finally, I can't leave without sending a huge bundle of love, kisses, and joy to my Sugar Mom, my Ellyn Kerr. When Charlie was laid low by his brutal spinal cord injury, she cared for me day and night. I will miss you so much, my dearest.

OK, I'm about ready to go now. So no more rotisserie chicken, or liver, or ham, or hot dogs or lamb chops, or roast beef. Damn, that menu was delicious, day in and day out, year after year. Yummy, running for miles and then being cooked for three times a day!
(Oops, better scratch "damn," given my present circumstances, wouldn't you agree?)

Charlie is hugging me now, gently kissing my nose, and stroking my neck. We're ready. All the last minute cuddling feels so good, but then those drippy, salty tears -- are they really necessary SugDad? Lordy, lordy, I'm blind, can't eat or drink, my rear legs are dead, and that tumor on my brain even started hurting this morning. I was not living these
last two weeks, only existing at best. So let's get on with it, mates. I am ready to go.

Charlie did promise to share with you all his poem he whispered to me as we snuggled with uncommon love and security together in bed last night.
I'll leave you with it....

Sunk deep in a history of pain and death
with love the ageless stain.
Lurks a smile whose only thought could be
that to cry would be in vain.

----

With that, an injection was given through Coogee's right lower leg vein. Two or three minutes later SugDad sensed a warm serenity wash over his fading Coogee as he began to let go and relax once again. Then came the second injection and Charlie felt his baby's heart stop almost immediately. Coogee was free. He was gone. Lucky doggie!

Wiping away tears of loss, Charlie unwrapped his arms, released Coogee to assistant Mark, slowly struggled to his feet, collected and folded Coogee's favorite sheepskin blanket and left.
"Now what" was all he could think as Coogee's Sugar Daddy wobbled home in tears to an empty home filled only with the now endless needs Coog had left behind. Amid unbearable spinal cord pain and unanswered pleas for Coogee to return, the question will arise, time and time again:
Now what --
and for how long.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Charles Hedbring is a Swedish-American who also enjoys permanent residency status in Australia. Dr Hedbring is the director of Program STEPPE, a remedial and special education computer consulting firm. Its primary purpose is to assist parents, clinicians, administrators, and practitioners apply appropriate computer technology to the learning needs of four specific groups of special learners: Mentally learning handicapped individuals; immigrants and others devoted to learning English as a second language; the elderly; and young 'normally developing' children, ages three through six. He has published several papers regarding his work, has created more than a dozen software programs, has completed a book-length manuscript, and continues to engage in a variety of activities relevant to the learning handicapped, the elderly, and English-language training.

Alternate Link: http://axcs.vox.com/library/post/on-being-coogee.html

Life is a CAKE

2008-05-05T16:16:00.001+05:30

This is about the best thing I've ever read as an explanation. We all wonder many many many times over WHY?

Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why did God have to do this to me?" Here is a wonderful explanation!

A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.

Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."

"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.
"Yuck" says her daughter.

"How about a couple raw eggs?"
"Gross, Mom!"

"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"
"Mom, those are all yucky!"

To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! "

God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!

God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

Daily Rules

2008-04-22T12:40:00.001+05:30

1. Wake Up
Decide to have a good day.
'Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.' Psalms 118:24

2. Dress Up
The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
'The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart.' I Samuel 16:7

3. Shut Up
Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking.
'He who guards his lips guards his soul.' Proverbs 13:3

4. Stand Up
For what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything..
'Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good' Galatians 6:9-10

5. Look Up
To the Lord.
'I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.' Phillippians 4:13

6. Reach Up
For something higher.
'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, And He will direct your path.' Proverbs 3:5 -6

7. Lift Up
Your Prayers.
'Do not worry about anything; instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING.' Philippians 4:6

Water intake keeps disease away

2008-02-17T15:33:00.001+05:30

With the summer fast approaching, let us be prepared to fight the heat with a bottle of pure drinking water.

Most people drink water only after the throat becomes parched and tongue turns dry. But by then, dehydration has already set in and it does not help if one consumes sugary beverages, say doctors.

These beverages do not provide the nutrients the body needs at that time.

Our body is made of 70 per cent of water. It is needed to digest food, and for smooth functioning of muscles, nerves and joints. Water flushes out toxins through the kidney and keeps the skin supple and soft. You should make it a habit to drink two-and-a-half glasses of water after brushing your teeth in the morning and 200 ml of water before going to bed at night.

Drinking a glass of water every two hours activates the gut. Anybody over the age of 20 years needs 10 glasses of water. That is about 2.5 to 3 litres. Without water the skin loses its elasticity and blood becomes thicker.

Cells require water to carry on their work. We advise diabetics with renal problems to reduce water intake if their kidney function is impaired. The body loses water through sweat and expiration.

Drinking soda with salt in summer helps replace the electrolytes that we lose through sweat. In summer, the kidney conserves energy by producing less urine but water continues to be lost through sweat.

People with normal health should consume anywhere between 8 and 12 glasses of water every day. The intake should be more when they exercise.

Symptoms of dehydration

What do we have to look for? Symptoms of mild dehydration include sore throat, dry cough, burning sensation in the stomach, muscle cramps, fatigue, dry skin, headache, cold feet and hands, a hoarse voice, flushed skin, loss of appetite, dizziness, chronic pain in joints and lower back pain. A strong odour and change in urine colour is another sign of dehydration.

Severe symptoms are difficulty in swallowing, delirium, numb and shriveled skin, sunken eyes and blurred vision, clumsiness, stumbling, pain while passing urine and muscle spasm.

But doctors also warn that there are medical conditions when patients are not advised water intake. A patient with congestive heart failure is already drowning in his own fluid. His feet are swollen and the body is bloated. He cannot lie down because of the fluid overload. Such persons are advised to consume less water as body loses capacity to get rid of un-required water.

Such patients are put on diuretics to ensure that they get nutrient supplement.

Original Resource: Enough water intake keeps disease away health and lifestyle - The Hindu

Things my mother taught me

2008-01-10T16:21:00.000+05:30

My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.'
My mother taught me RELIGION.
'You better pray that will come out of the carpet.'
My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'
My mother taught me LOGIC.
' Because I said so, that's why.'
My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.'
My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.'
My mother taught me IRONY.
'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'
My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
'Shut your mouth and eat your supper.'
My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
'Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!'
My mother taught me about STAMINA.
'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone.'
My mother taught me about WEATHER.
'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.'
My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
'If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!'
My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.'
My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
'Stop acting like your father!'
My mother taught me about ENVY.
'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do.'
My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
'Just wait until we get home.'
My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
'You are going to get it when you get home!'
My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way.'
My mother taught me ESP.
'Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?'
My mother taught me HUMOR.
'When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.'
My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
'If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.'
My mother taught me GENETICS.
'You're just like your father.'
My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
'Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?'
My mother taught me WISDOM.
'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'
And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.'

Provided by Charles Hedbring

Condoning suicide attacks

2007-12-03T02:44:00.001+05:30

In this chilling security camera footage, a female suicide bomber (Tamil Tiger terrorist) on a mission to kill a SriLankan Cabinet minister Douglas Devananda (a moderate Tamil political leader) is seen patiently answering questions in a bustling government office before calmly standing up and detonating the bomb hidden in her bra.

People in the discussion that followed this video generalized everything.
Not all Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims are terrorists.

Out of 70 million tamil population, how many do you think should be wiped out?
Out of 1.200 billion muslim population, how many do you think should be wiped out?
Out of 20 million sinhalese population, how many do you think should be wiped out?

List of Killings and Massacres by LTTE as acknowledged in news media
Assassinations attributed to LTTE
Terrorist attacks attributed to the LTTE
Notable attacks attributed to the LTTE

List of Massacres by Sinhalese govt as given by LTTE
http://www.ltteps.org/list.ltte?folder=25

These killings and retaliations have been going on and on.
A Kills Z and Z's brother Y kills A
Then A's son B kills Y.
Just pure hatred. You teach the hatred to your children and you are growing a poison tree.

Granted that there had been a State sponsored human rights violation against Tamils 35 years back. And the Tamil groups believing in violence retaliated back. But the demand for a "Interim Self-Governing Authority", which essentially means having a separate government is truly unnecessary and maybe greedy at this juncture.

There are around 100,000 Tamil refugees in Tamilnadu, who had escaped from Srilanka, fearing their lives. All the people (Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims), need a life without fearing the next attack or raid. The people need a better deal.
The children need to play and study (They are being trained as killers)

The woman who blew herself up, must have lost a loved one and the sick people (whatever may be their cause), had capitulated on that and had tried to score a point, by messing up with her mind.

Tamils have right to be angry with the Sinhalese people, as they have been killed in Air raids and mines and tanks.
Sinhalese on the other hand have the right to be angry with the Tamils, as they too have been on the receiving end with these suicide bombs and other attacks.

But please don't hate and generalize everyone as terrorists
There are victims too, and people from both sides who hate these violent acts and work on trying to help the people in general. They see only a living human in need of help and not the race or religion or skin color.

Unconditional Love? Ever heard of it?

Remember, Casual fallacies..
Rashes are caused by cactus weed.
John has rashes.
Therefore John must have touched cactus weed.

The above condition may be true, but not the truth.

Spot The Fake Smile

2007-08-29T20:59:00.001+05:30

Most people are surprisingly bad at spotting fake smiles. One possible explanation for this is that it may be easier for people to get along if they don't always know what others are really feeling.

Although fake smiles often look very similar to genuine smiles, they are actually slightly different, because they are brought about by different muscles, which are controlled by different parts of the brain.

Fake smiles can be performed at will, because the brain signals that create them come from the conscious part of the brain and prompt the zygomaticus major muscles in the cheeks to contract. These are the muscles that pull the corners of the mouth outwards.

Genuine smiles, on the other hand, are generated by the unconscious brain, so are automatic. When people feel pleasure, signals pass through the part of the brain that processes emotion. As well as making the mouth muscles move, the muscles that raise the cheeks – the orbicularis oculi and the pars orbitalis – also contract, making the eyes crease up, and the eyebrows dip slightly.

Lines around the eyes do sometimes appear in intense fake smiles, and the cheeks may bunch up, making it look as if the eyes are contracting and the smile is genuine. But there are a few key signs that distinguish these smiles from real ones. For example, when a smile is genuine, the eye cover fold - the fleshy part of the eye between the eyebrow and the eyelid - moves downwards and the end of the eyebrows dip slightly.

Scientists distinguish between genuine and fake smiles by using a coding system called the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), which was devised by Professor Paul Ekman of the University of California and Dr Wallace V. Friesen of the University of Kentucky.

Take the Spot the Fake Smile Test and see if you could tell the difference between fake and genuine smiles

Clever Scrabble of Words

2007-08-23T02:44:00.001+05:30

Some one forwarded me this mail and take a look at this clever scrabbling of words. :)

FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE
When you rearrange the letters:
FLIT ON CHEERING ANGEL

DILIP VENGSARKAR (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilip_Vengsarkar)
When you rearrange the letters:
SPARKLING DRIVE

BARA THEDA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theda_Bara)
When you rearrange the letters:
ARAB DEATH

PRINCESS DIANA
When you rearrange the letters:
END IS A CAR SPIN

MONICA LEWINSKY (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monica_Lewinsky)
When you rearrange the letters:
NICE SILKY WOMAN

DORMITORY
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM

PRESBYTERIAN
When you rearrange the letters:
BEST IN PRAYER

ASTRONOMER
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER

DESPERATION
When you rearrange the letters:
A ROPE ENDS IT

THE EYES
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE

GEORGE BUSH
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE

THE MORSE CODE
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS

SLOT MACHINES
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME

ANIMOSITY
When you rearrange the letters:
IS NO AMITY

ELECTION RESULTS
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LET'S RECOUNT

SNOOZE ALARMS
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S

A DECIMAL POINT
When you rearrange the letters:
IM A DOT IN PLACE

THE EARTHQUAKES
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE

ELEVEN PLUS TWO
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE

MOTHER-IN-LAW
When you rearrange the letters:
WOMAN HITLER

Coogee - Race : Car vs Coogee

2007-07-31T19:27:00.000+05:30

Check this cool video of Coogee (a really cute dog), racing and boldly taking over a car.

Ultimate laugh riot... :o)

Quotable quotes on Marriage

2007-07-11T13:46:00.000+05:30

Two secrets to keep your marriage brimming with LOVE

1. Whenever you're wrong, admit it,
2. Whenever you're right, shut up.
(Quoted By: Anonymous)

When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her.
Sacha Guitry

After marriage, husband and wife become two sides of a coin; they just can't face each other, but still they stay together.
Hemant Joshi

By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. Socrates

Woman inspires us to great things, and prevents us from achieving them.
Dumas

The great question... which I have not been able to answer... is, "What does a woman want?
Sigmund Freud

I had some words with my wife, and she had some paragraphs with me.
Anonymous

"Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays."
Henny Youngman

"I don't worry about terrorism. I was married for two years."
Sam Kinison

"There's a way of transferring funds that is even faster than electronic banking. It's called marriage."
James Holt McGavran

"I've had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me, and the second one didn't."
Patrick Murray

The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once..

Anonymous

You know what I did before I married? Anything I wanted to.
Henny Youngman

My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.
Rodney Dangerfield

A good wife always forgives her husband when she's wrong.
Milton Berle

Marriage is the only war where one sleeps with the enemy.
Anonymous

A man inserted an 'ad' in the classifieds: "Wife wanted". Next day he received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."
Anonymous

First Guy (proudly): "My wife's an angel!"
Second Guy: "You're lucky, mine's still alive."

I recently read that love is entirely a matter of chemistry.
That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste.
David Bissonette

HELL EXPLAINED BY CHEMISTRY STUDENT

2007-04-17T00:51:00.000+05:30

The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid term.
Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?
Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.
One student, however, wrote the following:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today.
Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.
This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell,then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it?
If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."

THIS STUDENT RECEIVED AN A+.

Common Resume Blunders and Mistakes

2007-03-09T10:08:00.000+05:30

Make sure your resume is in top-notch shape by avoiding the top 10 resume blunders:

1. Too Focused on Job Duties
Your resume should not be a boring list of job duties and responsibilities. Go beyond showing what was required and demonstrate how you made a difference at each company, providing specific examples. When developing your achievements, ask yourself:

* How did you perform the job better than others?

* What were the problems or challenges faced? How did you overcome them? What were the results? How did the company benefit from your performance?

* Did you receive any awards, special recognition or promotions as a result?

2. Flowery or General Objective Statement
Many candidates lose their readers in the beginning. Statements such as "A challenging position enabling me to contribute to organizational goals while offering an opportunity for growth and advancement" are overused, too general and waste valuable space. If you're on a career track, replace the objective with a tagline stating what you do or your expertise.

3. Too Short or Too Long
Many people try to squeeze their experiences onto one page, because they've heard resumes shouldn't be longer. By doing this, job seekers may delete impressive achievements. Other candidates ramble on about irrelevant or redundant experiences. There is no rule about appropriate resume length. When writing your resume, ask yourself, "Will this statement help me land an interview?" Every word should sell you, so include only the information that elicits a "yes."

4. Using Personal Pronouns and Articles
A resume is a form of business communication, so it should be concise and written in a telegraphic style. There should be no mentions of "I" or "me," and only minimal use of articles. For example:

I developed a new product that added $2 million in sales and increased the market segment's gross margin by 12 percent.

Should be changed to:

Developed new product that added $2 million in sales and increased market segment's gross margin by 12 percent.

I recommend letting your personality shine through on your resume, but avoid including highly personal information like political or religious views (unless you are 100% sure the hiring manager shares your viewpoint). For example, if you put hunting down as a hobby and your resume has landed in the hands of an animal rights supporter, guess what? There’s a good chance that your resume will end up in the trash. Also, don’t link to a personal website that reveals a side of you that you wouldn’t want prospective employers to see. Keep your resume ultra-professional and you will avoid the dreaded trash bin.

5. Listing Irrelevant Information
Many people include their interests, but they should include only those relating to the job. For example, if a candidate is applying for a position as a ski instructor, he should list cross-country skiing as a hobby.

Personal information, such as date of birth, marital status, height and weight, normally should not be on the resume unless you're an entertainment professional or job seeker outside the US.

If your resume is jam-packed with information and reads more like your autobiography, and you’ve used tiny fonts and little white space, it’s unlikely that a hiring manager will be wading through all of your data. Make your resume a quick read - it’s possible to include a lot of juicy information without going overboard.

6. Using a Functional Resume When You Have a Good Career History
It irks hiring managers not to see the career progression and the impact you made at each position. Unless you have an emergency situation, such as virtually no work history or excessive job-hopping, avoid the functional format.

The modified chronological format is often the most effective. Here's the basic layout:

* Header (name, address, email address, phone number).

* Lead with a strong profile section detailing the scope of your experience and areas of proficiency.

* Reverse chronological employment history emphasizing achievements over the past 10 to 15 years.

* Education (new grads may put this at the top).

7. Not Including a Summary Section That Makes an Initial Hard Sell
This is one of the job seeker's greatest tools. Candidates who have done their homework will know the skills and competencies important to the position. The summary should demonstrate the skill level and experiences directly related to the position being sought.

To create a high-impact summary statement, peruse job openings to determine what's important to employers. Next, write a list of your matching skills, experience and education. Incorporate these points into your summary.

8. Not Including Keywords
With so many companies using technology to store resumes, the only hope a job seeker has of being found is to sprinkle relevant keywords throughout the resume. Determine keywords by reading job descriptions that interest you, and include the words you see repeatedly in your resume.

9. Referring to Your References
Employers know you have professional references. Use this statement only to signal the end of a long resume or to round out the design.

10. Typos
One typo can land your resume in the garbage. Proofread and show your resume to several friends to have them proofread it as well. This document is a reflection of you and should be perfect. Hiring managers hate them! It’s like showing up for a job interview at a Wall Street office wearing ripped shorts, a Jethro Tull t-shirt, messy hair, and old tennis shoes. Your resume is your introduction, and typos are saying, “I really don’t care.” So, carefully proofread your resume before sending it out.

11. No Clear Goals
The late, great resume writer Yana Parker said it best. She wrote, “Somebody knocks on your door. You open it and say, ‘Hello, what do you want?’ They say, ‘Duh…’” Honestly, if your resume doesn’t have a clear career focus, a busy hiring manager will not take the time to figure it out for you. You don’t need to use a formal Objective section — you can weave your goal into a tagline at the top of your resume or add it to a Qualifications Summary.

12. A Virus !!
Yes, a virus! If you send your MS Word document along with a nasty computer virus, you will not endear yourself to the hiring manager. Please, run your file through a virus checker before hitting “Send.”

This article was written by Kim Isaacs, director of ResumePower.com and author of The Career Change Resume book. Visit the ResumePower.com site to learn more about resume services to jump-start your career.
Article Source:
http://www.resumepower.com/blog/2007/03/08/five-ways-to-send-your-resume-to-the-trash/
http://www.resumepower.com/resume-blunders.html

Multi-touch Interface

2007-02-12T16:00:00.000+05:30

Check out this cool video on multi-touch interface screen demo, by Jeff Han.
Its going to be the ground-breaking technology for human-computer interface.
So much of it, reminds me (actually reminded to me by Gowri Shankar) of Minority Report.
Man, either Spielberg is a genius or he knew of this kind of research when he made that movie.