Fuzz over a dying Dam

The controversies and talking  have been going on for a while. But the stakes are too simple to digest.
A dam was build by colonists to water their colonial capital and suburbs . On independence , the dam became the part of a state and the benefited ,the neighbour .
Now to the reality. It's been 108 years since the dam was constructed . The age estimated for the dam at the time of construction was 75 years. The dam was constructed using century old technology using limestone as base.
The dam has been leaking and splitting up with cracks all over during the last decade. And the dam is situated at one of the most rain dense states. Which means the dam has to operate at full capacity at almost through  the year.
And the state owning the dam suggested on decommissioning the dam and constructing a new one with common funding. And with this all problem started. Benefited neighbour don't want any block in their water supply,even when human lives are at stake. For centuries , the people who maintained and supported the neighbour with the most precious resource water was showered with gratitude by attacking the people who demanded the construction of a new dam. This is the snapshot and the readers are invited to share their insight.

Scribbles

With myself moving to the android crazy hunks, I have been busy exploring the opportunities it puts on front of me in terms of simplicity , convenience and technology at hand.
While scribbling this post sitting in a commute to office , I no longer complaint about time to think or type out. I am so excited thinking about the way technology keeps on adding convenience to human life.
Said so, you can read more and more realistic posts from today with the new insight .

Is Mumbai really safe for IT Professionals?

With bombs blasting the streets of Mumbai like crackers, the justification of the prime metro being most insecure city in the country is rising. People started looking the Bombing charts for anniversaries, Day 13 or annual celebration of any terrorist groups before visiting Mumbai. Because, each of these events just another reason for a detonation.

I read a report on hoe insecure Mumbai has become for common people. Also, the fact that the Terrorist like 'Kasab' still alive on Indian soil eating the bites from hard earned tax payers cash for his security and trial, which is going on for years. Why cant the govt shoot the balls out of his brains for the atrocity and murders he has caused in Mumbai and to the common Indian people. Fact is I don't have the guts to take an offer from any of the firms from Mumbai just because of sheer fear. I wont even choose to visit Mumbai as a tourist unless government has some effective plans to bring Mumbai under control.

My opinion about Mumbai is that in this city, terror and crime has deep roots with the society. Here, crime arises out of poverty and living conditions and the fittest takes the limelight of Ibrahims and Shakeel's. But, even more than them, the religious terrorism from the backhouse of Pakistan training rooms are the most threatening to India. I am just a citizen who can opinion about. But as long as the power house of Indian administration close eyes to the barbarism that occurs right in front of them, Mumbai is not a safe land of anyone, atleast I believe so.

End of vacation

It’s been again a long break from the world of words. It’s a fact that when you are stinking in some area, you smell shit entirely. I was much bored by the kind of routine I was having in my job, started infecting my mind and body. I lost my passion to blog and kept away from my guitar. 4 months seems a long time, when I lost finding redemption.

But things will not remain all the same. I am changing the reins of my career and so is the attitude towards all the passion that kept rusting. Maybe this post is just a reconciliation of a old writer who forgot his pen somewhere. And the moment, he finds the pen from a mass of junk; his first reaction would be to ink down something. I am in the same trance now.

For the last few months, I kept most of the entertainment to old music, sometimes new songs finding space in the playlist. And the lack of interesting movies and the slow speed of the internet connection fully prevented me to have enough download of movies to keep me occupied.

It is just recently that many things occurred to me in a way that could be said as life changer. One is that I am moving to my ever career dream of a functional role than a technical role. That means gone are the days of programming. I always wanted to move from the developer stint to a business role. And here I am, on the verge of joining the dream position.

It was a hard time clubbing these many words together to form meaning. I had a hard time, since I think I have lost the flow of words. Should be working hard on the same. Ceeya..

NATIONAL FIRE SERVICE DAY - 14th APRIL

Every Year 14^th April is observed as Fire Service Day in India as a part to pay homage to those brave Fire Fighters, who sacrificed their live in line to their duty on 14^th April, 1944. Industries observe this day / week as Fire Service day / Week and conducts Training, Drills and Rehearsals to demonstrate the Preparedness to combat emergencies.

The Ship in which accident took place named S S Fort Stikline having capacity of 7000 Tons belonged to Ministry of War and Transport. The ship left Birkinhead – UK on 24^th February, 1944. Convey of 20 other ships with cargo for Karachi and Bombay was loaded. The Karachi Cargo Contained RAF Planes, General Stores, Explosives and Ammunitions. Bombay Cargo was 1395 Tons of Explosives and Ammunitions and Service Stores. The ship reached Karachi on 30^th March, 1944 where a part of Cargo was discharged, leaving void 2, 86,000 cu. Feet in her hold. The new Cargo loaded was cotton, timber, lubricating oil, resin, sulphur and other combustible material. The ship then left Karachi on 9^th April, 1944 and reached Bombay on 9^th April, 1944. No explosives or ammunition were off loaded until the ship has been alongside for 24 hours.

ACCORDING TO THE  BYE LAWS OF B.P.T [ Bombay Port Trust]

• A Ship carrying explosives is not allowed into docks, but under Rule 88 of the Defense of India Rules, this Bye-Law is suspended in case where Military Officer has given a Certificate of “GRAVE EMERGENCY”. Such a certificate was issued for S S Stiklite

The ship was anchored at Victoria Dock Bombay and the Memorable Day, throughout the morning, she was active as cargo hooks swayed a load of commodities from the S S Fort Stikline. Firemen were at Fire Stations as usual shining their brass to keep their fire engines shining.

On 14^th April, 1944, at 1400 hrs

A Whiff of smoke noticed from No.: II hold of the ship. Frantic series of short blast of whistles were heard warning of fire board. The ship crew started pouring musky water in the ship hold. Fire Engines from Alexandra Dock and Air Force Squad arrived immediately and started hose streams in smoking hold to control fire spread. The firemen though aware of the dangerous situation, there was no panic. The prompt arrival of the Fire Engines seemed no reason to think that the fire could not be controlled. Soon it became apparent that the firemen were loosing ground. A call was put through to Mumbai Fire Brigade control for Additional appliances. At 14.30 hrs, a large part of Fire Service was on pliers. Total 32 Water Jets came into action pouring gallons of water into ship hold to quench the fire. The Fire was still gained. There was something preventing the water from reaching the seat of fire. The deck head under the firemen’s feet grew hotter and hotter. The water stream played over the deck head turned into steam. It was now clear that the fire was out of control. Slides and Deck became CHERRY RED, blenching thick black and brown smoke. Flames shot mast high but sound never reached firemen’s ear.

1605 Hrs. ~ Ground Rumbled and EXPLOSION,

S S Fort Stikline Blew Up with its gallant firemen and fire engines disappeared from the face of earth. No. of ships destroyed nearby. At one stroke, the key port of Bombay was taken out of war.

1636 Hrs. ~ SECOND EXPLOSION,

Explosion was heard miles away. Entire Dock upto few kms was in flames. 14 other ships standing aside destroyed. 336 people burned. All nearby/around people and animals died. Many Fire Fighters died or disabled. The Number of persons who died in the Explosion will never be known and figures are conflicting. NFPA Handbook listed 731 dead whereas other sources said 1500 Died/Missing and more than 3000 Injured.

Couple of months after the Disaster, 3083 people had requested claims for damage by Fire or Explosion to their property. 11735 had put up Claim for uninsured properties. 466 Uninsured people claimed as compensation for personal injuries.

The Compensation paid out 850 Lakhs as damage by fire/explosion. Marine Insurance was 150 Lakhs. Paid for uninsured properties was 300 lakhs and personal injuries was 13 lakhs with miscellaneous policies of 4.5 lakhs.

Government of India declared this day of 14^th April every year to be observed as Fire Service Day in recognition of the valor and sacrifice of the courageous FIRE FIGHTERS who laid down their lives in Line of their Duty.

Industries conduct Fire Fighting Training Mock Drills, Fire Drills or Emergency Drills every year on this day to pay homage and create awareness and knowledge about handling emergencies in their fellow workers.

Aranmula Mirror

The exquisite Aranmula Mirror or "Aranmula Kannadi" is a very special type of metal mirror produced only in Aranmula, a village in the state of Kerala in India. Aranmula metal mirror is a precious inherited gift. The mystery of its production is a family gift handed over through generations. Indeed, the ancient art of making metal mirrors is still practiced, without modification, by a few family-based artisans in Aranmula (One being Thikkinampallil family). The manufacture of Aranmula Kannadi has been a zealously guarded secret of a handful of these surviving artisans.

Aranmula metal mirror is a rare piece of craft that had existed even during the Vedic period of Indian history. The myth about the origin and secret of its composition makes it a truly fascinating craft. As traditional as the mirror-making technology is, the artisans’ belief that the composition of the metal mirror is divine and some undisclosed metals alloyed with silver, bronze, copper and tin are responsible for the distortion-free images.

• Extra ordinary traditional hand made metal mirror, is Famous for bringing prosperity, luck and wealth in to life


• Aranmula Mirror / Aranmula Kannadi is famous for its secretive construction method and uniqueness in the make which get Patent protected with a Geographical Indication tag


• It is the only metal mirror available, Unlike Ordinary Glass mirror , Image from Aranmula Mirror / Aranmula Kannadi is reflected from upper surface of reflecting material , where in Glass mirror image reflected from bottom layer where mercury is pasted . So real image is only captured in the Aranmula Mirror / Aranmula Kannadi.


• Aranmula Mirror / Aranmula Kannadi is one among 8 auspicious items included famous astamagalaya set ,which usually used for very auspicious function like marriage


• Aranmula Mirror / Aranmula Kannadi is impossible to make a duplicated Item, because of its lesser Price, and its make details only known to few people in one family belong to Aranmula and it is kept as a family secret


• Mysteries in its creation, unequalled in its beauty, the Aranmula Mirror / Aranmula Kannadi is a unique object.


• Exclusive to Aranmula this mirror is made of metal, not glass! There in lies its uniqueness and its creation a closely guarded secret. Known to only four families, has been handed down from father to son for generations. Therein lies its mystery


• Aranmula is a little village in the district of Pathanamthitta, which is well known for its ancient temple dedicated to Lord Sree Krishna as Parthasarathy,the colorful snake boat Regatta and the Aranmula Mirror / Aranmula Kannadi.


• The British Museum in London has a 45 centimeter tall Aranmula metal mirror in its collection

My Letter to Asianet Global Communciations - A Tribute to Professionalism

Sub : Please explain how Asianet still have customers

Whoever atleast concerned about your business,

As per the recommendation given by one of my friend about your Domain Hosting Services, I went to buy a hosting plan from www.asianetweb.com. Rest of the story will be explained by the shopping cart screenshot, I have attached.

This issue is occurring from last two days. When the stain is perfect at your sales website itself, how the hell you will servicing the customer. Not a professional touch for a web hosting company.

Thanks & Regards

Three Way Rivaltries - Florida, Florida State, & Miami

For fans of American college football there is no lack whatsoever of intense rivalry. But when it comes to three-ways, one trio stands out from the crowd. The top three Florida schools have competed valiantly for bragging rights within their state and on a national scale. They are the University of Florida, a.k.a. “U.F.” or “The Gators” (as in alligators); Florida State University, a.k.a. “F.S.U.” or “The ‘Noles” (as in the Seminole tribe); and The University of Miami, a.k.a. “The U” or “The Canes” (as in Hurricanes).

Since 1983 they have combined for 10 AP National Championships and 6 Heisman Trophy winners. In that same period, Miami has set NCAA records for most consecutive home wins (58) and most consecutive years with a first-round NFL draft pick (14). Florida has won the two most recent AP National Championships (‘06 and ‘08) and the most recent Heisman Trophy (‘07). In 1999, Florida State became the first ever wire-to-wire #1 ranked team in the AP poll and they played in each of the first three BCS Championship games.

The Miami-FSU matchup many people feel is the best out of the three as they currently compete in the same conference and have played some of the closest games, many ending notoriously in missed [would-be] game-winning field goals. The Florida-Miami matchup is the most infrequent of the three, as Florida prefers not to schedule talented teams, although this fact seems to have the effect of making their rare meeting even more intense. (Even though they avoid Miami, UF is required by state legislature to schedule FSU annually). Perhaps the greatest single year in this rivalry came in 1996 when the #2 ranked Seminoles defeated the #1 ranked Gators 24-21 at home in Tallahassee. Florida had it’s revenge soon enough when the two were paired in a Sugar Bowl rematch on January 2, 1997. The Gators won 52-20 and ended the season #1 once more.

Three Way Rivaltries - Miss Universe Contestants

The creed of the Miss Universe Pageant, despite its many detractors, is to spread a message of “peace, tolerance and mutual understanding” to the world. At the top of the crop are three nations (USA, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico) that come every year not just to play, but to win. The United States, where the competition originated, has 7 all-time wins, the leader; 15 all-time top-two finishes, the leader; and 54 all-time top-ten finishes, again the leader. It has been a staggering 13 years, however, since Brook Mahealani Lee from Hawai’i last delivered an American victory.

In Venezuela, where Miss Universe is the national pastime, they boast the following: Six all-time winners (including two of the last three and the only ever back-to-back winners); six more first-runner-ups; five more second-runner-ups; four third-runner-ups; and an unmatched 13 consecutive top-six finishes (1991-2003). Venezuela is also the only country that can claim multiple awards for Best-in-Swimsuit, of which it claims a total of 4, and in 1993 Venezuelan contestant Milka Chulina matched beauty with brains when she recorded the highest-ever score (9.843) in the interview portion.

Last but not least, the humble island territory of Puerto Rico, of approximately 4 million people, has won Miss Universe an impressive 5 times, which is more than double what the world’s two most populated nations, China and India, have combined. Puerto Rico has won the Miss Photogenic award an equally impressive 5 times, second only to the Philippines, and is one of only two countries (with Venezuela) that can claim at least one victory in each of the last four decades. In 2001, Puerto Rican contestant Denise Quiñones completed perhaps the most dominant performance ever, winning Miss Photogenic, Best-in-Swimsuit, and Best Hair, to go along with the—gloriously astronomical—title of Miss Universe.

Three Way Rivaltries - Blondes, Brunettes, and Redheads

 

Among shallow white women an antagonism exists between these three hair-colors, and it is 100% based on stereotype. Blondes, to begin with, are typically thought of as less intelligent than brunettes, but also more attractive and—presumably because of this— they “have more fun”. While it is true that poll results show most men would rather date a blonde woman, a majority report preferring to marry a brunette one, following the belief that brunettes are smarter and more competent. Redheads, the least common group, are the X-factor in this dynamic. They are said to be more passionate, less patient, and far more sexually energetic. One juicy piece of trivia: Redhead are scientifically proven to be more tolerant to electrically-induced pain than are non-Redheads. They are, however, more vulnerable to pain that is thermally-induced. You’re welcome for that.

Three Way Rivaltries - Big Three Faiths

The rivalry between the three great, monotheistic religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) earns the top spot because it is without a doubt, and by a huge margin, the bloodiest conflict on this list.
Historically, it’s may be difficult to pinpoint an exact time when it all got started. The Islamic religion, marking its beginning with the writing of the Quran in 610 AD, is surely the latecomer of the three. Long before this, however, the Christians and the Jews had been going at it pretty bad, beginning with Jesus Christ’s crucifixion in 33 AD by Roman executioners following a Jewish conviction (this was complicated). This enmity intensified incalculably with the Roman Emperor Constantine I’s conversion to Christianity in 312 AD, an event argued by some authors, such as James P. Cook, to have paved the way for Christian persecution against Jews for the remainder of European history.
But we could go even further back than that. In the year 701 BC, an enormous Assyrian army under the command of Sennacherib attempted to conquer the Israelite city of Jerusalem. Had this attempt succeeded, perhaps the very notion of monotheism, which at the time was unique to the Israelites, would have been lost forever. On the contrary, the Israelite victory further cemented their faith in a single God, so much so that it persevered even when they were conquered and enslaved by the Babylonians shortly after. Further back still, all three religions ultimately trace their legacy to the prophet Abraham, who lived in Ur around 2,000 BC, which is pushing the limits of what we would consider civilization itself.
So anyway, once the Arab Muslims sprung up and conquered Jerusalem in 638, the real commotion began. Going down the timeline, there is no shortage of barbarism between all three groups, including but not limited to the following: No less than ten Crusades to Jerusalem by European Christians; the persecution and purge of Jews, Muslims and even Christians, by Christian inquisitors in Spain; and of course, most tragically and notoriously, the mass extermination of Jews in German occupied lands by, and I use this application hesitantly, Christian Nazis in World War II. The Jewish holocaust of the 20th century, a fact openly denied by some prominent Muslims, no doubt was highly influenced by a previous and less-talked-about conflict, namely, the genocide against Armenian Christians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks (a German ally, notice) during the first world war. All this is in addition to singular acts of violence, such as the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre.
This past year, as one last example of how the fire continues to rage, a self-ordained Christian pastor in Florida zealously proclaimed 9/11 to be “International Burn-A-Koran Day” as a way of commemorating the WTC attacks, which were quoted by Osama Bin Laden as being necessary because of the American support of Israel. Those attacks killed over 3,000 Christian, Jewish and Muslim people.

Three Way Rivaltries - Id, Ego, and Super-ego

In the psychological model given by Sigmund Freud, the Id, the Ego and the Super-ego, or, in German, das Es (the “It”), das Ich (the “I”) and das Über-Ich (the upper “I”) are the three substructures that compose the whole of mental activity. The Id is the “dark, inaccessible part of our personality” that we inherit at birth and which acts according to physical pleasure and satisfaction. It is also described as “chaos” and “a cauldron full of seething excitation.” The Ego, on the other hand, is the part that acts according to reason, common sense, and other principles influenced by the external world. In this sense, the Ego is fundamentally opposed to the Id.
The Ego, however, also serves as the mediator between the demands of both the Id and the remaining third, the Super-ego, which is the part acting according to ideals, goals and the aim for perfection. The Super-ego therefore is also fundamentally opposed to the Id, and it is the part responsible for the feelings of guilt that follow pleasure. We can think of this rivalry as an ever-present struggle going on in each of our minds all day every day. It should be stated, though, that this is only one of three different schools of thought, which together form a three-way rivalry on their own.

Three Way Rivaltries - Monster, Dracula, & Wolf Man

 



 

This three-way relationship achieves status as an all-time great for two reasons. First, for the rivalry between each of the monster franchises, and secondly for the rivalry that exists between the three monsters themselves. In 1931, Universal Pictures released two horror films. One was “Frankenstein,” based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 gothic horror novel, with Boris Karloff playing the Monster. The other was “Dracula” starring Béla Lugosi, based on the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker. Both films proved immensely popular and spawned two sequels each within five years. But it wasn’t until “The Wolf Man”, starring Lon Chaney Jr., was released in 1941 that the trio was complete and the three characters could begin crossing over.
In “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man” (‘43), the Monster and the Wolf Man fight each other in the first ever intra-trio battle (spoiler: they both die by drowning). Then in “House of Frankenstein” (‘44) and “House of Dracula” (‘45), the Wolf Man fights against each titular character correspondingly. Next came “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” (‘48) in which all three come together, with Dracula controlling the Monster in a fight against the Wolf Man. For most of these films, and a few others, Chaney, Karloff and Lugosi reprised their signature roles.
Later in the early seventies, two films, called “Dracula vs. Frankenstein” and “Dracula: Prisoner of Frankenstein”, featured all three characters, yet again. And later still, the three appeared in “The Monster Squad” (‘87), “Monster Mash” (‘95), another “Monster Mash,” (‘00), this one a cartoon starring Alvin and the Chipmunks, and “Van Helsing” (‘04). Needless to say, the three can’t get enough of each other, and this description is not even close to being exhaustive. One fun take was the sitcom The Munsters, in which the dad is Frankenstein’s Monster, the mom is Dracula’s daughter and the son is a young werewolf.

Three Way Rivaltries - Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades

 

In classical Greek mythology, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades were three brothers who, after defeating the Titans, became the ruling gods of the universe. As it is told in the Iliad, Zeus became the god of the sky, Poseidon the god of the sea and Hades the god of the underworld, with the remaining lot—solid earth—presumed to be the domain available to any of the three, and thus the crux of the rivalry. Their often clever, but generally moody, escapades against each other and with mankind constitute some of the most well-known stories in the hundreds of generations between Homer and Homer Simpson.
Because Zeus is often called the “father of the gods” he is often erroneously thought of as the father of all gods, but this title simply refers to the large amount of godly offspring he sired in his many random sexual conquests; offspring such as Apollo, Athena, Dionysus, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Heracles, Hermes, Minos, Persephone, Perseus, among several others. Yet with that established, Poseidon was a playboy in his own right. It was his erotic tryst with Medusa in an Athenian temple that caused her to turn into the hideous beast whom Zeus’s son Perseus beheaded in the movie, Clash of the Titans. He also fathered various other figures such as Polyphemus the Cyclops, who fought Odysseus in the Odyssey, and Triton the Merman, who assisted Jason and his Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece, after Zeus refused to. Hades had less luck than his brothers and is usually featured in tales involving kidnap and/or attempted rape (opposed to successfully executed rape which is sometimes the case with Zeus and Poseidon), most notably with Zeus’s daughter Persephone. The Roman equivalents to Zeus, Poseidon and Hades are Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto.

Three Way Rivaltries - Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors

On June 29, 1956, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower signed into law the Federal Aid Highway Act, which authorized the construction of over 41,000 miles of interstate highways, the largest public works project in history. Now all America needed was cars to drive on it. Enter The Big Three: Ford, Chrysler and GM, all headquartered near Detroit, Michigan.

This rivalry is intense not so much in the competition for overall production or sales, which GM dominates, but more specifically in the evaluation of the automobiles themselves. It isn’t always easy to compare cars across company lines because of the industry tendency to blend categories and find untapped markets between existing ones. Nonetheless, there are abundant occasions in which the sizes and styles match up nicely. For example, the Ford Pinto, Dodge Colt and Chevrolet Vega; the Ford GT, Dodge Viper, and Chevrolet Corvette; and the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger, and Pontiac Firebird. There are numerous more instances of overlap, especially when you consider other vehicles such as trucks, minivans, and SUVs.

While the heyday of these rivals is long in the past and the three of them combined is barely able to compete against German and Japanese manufacturers, to many people the cars these companies sold for years represent the very spirit of what it means to be free and American.

Three Way Rivaltries - AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Juventus

Across the globe it seems like almost every local professional soccer league has two great, legendary clubs that play against each other in a colossal rivalry. Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, Boca Juniors and River in Argentina, and so on. Italy is somewhat different in that there are three teams that have historically done battle at the top. For AC Milan a.k.a. “i Rossoneri” (the Red-and-Blacks), FC Internazionale Milano a.k.a. “i Nerazzurri” (the Black-and-Blues), and Juventus FC a.k.a. “i Bianconeri” (the White-and-blacks), this special rivalry nothing of short of epic.

To start, the three clubs are in very close proximity in Northern Italy, and more importantly, they dominate their league, Serie A, having won a combined total 62 national championships (more than 50% all-time). As of 2010, Juventus has won the most with 27, although Inter has recently won 5 in a row. The three have also been the tournament runner-up a combined total of 49 times and are the only clubs in Italy that display gold stars on their jerseys—signifying at least ten championships each.

They are further renowned for their strong international play. Together they have won 37 officially recognized international championships including 12 UEFA Champions League titles (ACM has the most with 7), as well as 7 UEFA Super Cup titles and 7 Intercontinental Cup titles. And if all this greatness isn’t enough to convince you that it would be intense when they take to the pitch against each other, then consider this: There is a Listverse.com list of the top ten soccer club rivalries and two of the selections are ACM/Inter and Inter/Juventus, so please reference that list for more detailed information.

Attention to any American readers who may not know and/or care what all this is about: Just wait, there is something for you coming up later.

Three Way Rivaltries - PlayStation, XBOX, and Wii

This rivalry is merely the most recent in a long, complicated history of video game console rivalries that, itself, could probably merit a top ten list on its own, so it’s worth examining. In 1983, there was a big video game crash, as the popularity of arcades and home systems plummeted sharply. This was mainly caused by the overproduction of expensive, yet extremely low-quality, games, and a seemingly countless array of consoles to play them on, including the Wonder Wizard, the Magnavox Odyssey, the Mattel Intellivision and, most famous, the Atari 2600. Coming out of the crash in 1985 was the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), which achieved an unprecedented level of popularity with games such as The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros, with which it was packaged.

Nintendo’s only serious rival came when the Sega Genesis was released later that decade (1988 in Japan and 1990 in North America) with its Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. The Sega Genesis was a 16-bit machine, giving it superior graphics and sound to the 8-bit NES and Atari. Nintendo countered in 1990 with the release of 16-bit Super-NES. Following this, the bit wars escalated from 16 to 32 with the development of the Sega Saturn and a new console from Sony, the PlayStation. Then, it went from 32 to 64 with the Nintendo 64, the Atari Jaguar and the Sega Dreamcast, the latter two marking the sad demise of each company respectively. In the early 2000s, Nintendo released the GameCube, which from a business standpoint paled in comparison to its predecessor (the N64) and was hammered by the PlayStation 2 and newcomer XBOX by Microsoft. In 2006, Sony and Microsoft released their much-anticipated follow-ups, the PlayStation 3 and the XBOX 360.

At this time many had counted Nintendo out of the game, as it were, but it proved to be Nintendo’s ability to innovate rather than imitate that saved them. The Wii, with a design intended for a wider user base and a two-part controller device (the “Remote and Nunchuk”), proved to be an instant hit. As of today it has sold more than 75 million units worldwide, eclipsing PlayStation 3’s 41 million and XBOX 360’s 44 million. To be fair, the PlayStation 2 is the all-time leader in units sold with over 140 million.

End of Long Biking Days

Today was last day for me on bike to office as a routine, at least for sometime from now. For last four years, ever since I started my career, bike has been an integral part of my journey to office. Except for very rare occasions like tire puncture, it has always kept up with me.

I bought this bike on October 2006. In last four years, it has covered around 42000 Km. Out of this, a major share is my daily cruise of 46 km to office. In the third month of its life, it gave me the first and worst accident that ever happened to me yet. I lost skin on both hands and leg knees. I was bed ridden for almost 2 weeks and took another 1 more week for me to walk like a gentleman. But I wont blame the poor chap for lose of concentration of mine. Though I recovered and bruises and scares said good bye to me on the time that past, he stood with me with all those un erasable tints and scratches, reminding me to be careful, each time I get on him. Other than this, I had few slips on sand and lose of balances, nothing causing any damage. Still, I would say, Its one of the proudest Jewel in my possession as it is this bike that I bought with my initial salary.

From tomorrow, I will be using the company transport to commute to office. A new change, that I look forward to bring a bit more time and comfort to my life. The extra hours in bus for reading, music and sleep. oops, just by muttering ‘sleep’, my eyes are shuttering down. I wish to write more, but tomorrow. there are many changes in my daily routine. So, I require a good night’s sleep.

Good night all.

Three Way Rivaltries

The premise is simple: to count down ten great rivalries that include not just two, but exactly three diametrically opposed sides from categories ranging from history and sports to beauty and business. So with that, we might as well say it right now: Let’s get our three-way on.

Missed a day

Yesterday was a day where I missed everything I touched and it recorded as the first not so good day in 2011. Let this post be a reminder of the day.

Top Ten Failed Apocalyptic Predictions – Solar Storms

In August, 2010, NASA reported that there would be a solar storm sometime in 2012. Every 11 years or so, changes in our star’s magnetic field bring on an increase in sunspots, solar flares and coronal mass ejections. The result is a barrage of charged particles hurling toward Earth. A solar storm is a sudden burst of very fast, charged particles from the Sun. It could be the result of a solar flare or a coronal mass ejection (CME) or both. A coronal mass ejection (CME) is a massive burst of solar wind (stream of charged particles ejected from the sun). A solar flare is a sudden eruption of magnetic energy released on the surface of the sun, usually accompanied by bursts of electromagnetic radiation. Ultraviolet and x-ray radiation from solar flares often induce electromagnetic disturbances in the earth’s atmosphere.

Solar storms would affect power grids, thus losing electricity. The Solar Storm itself would not cause an apocalypse, but it would bring about a sort of domino effect. People would then lose access to their heat/air conditioning, refrigeration, phone service and GPS. Also, drinking water distribution systems could break down in a couple of hours. Normally, a “Faraday Cage” protects the satellite’s internal equipment from external electrical charges, but constant bombardment of charges would cause satellites to break down. There are over 936 operating satellites in space, worth an estimated $200 billion to replace. Magnetic storm currents acting on gas pipelines are known to enhance the rate of corrosion over time, with potentially catastrophic cumulative effects.

Top Ten Failed Apocalyptic Predictions - Super Volcano

There are about 500 active volcanoes in the world. There are three known supervolcanoes in the US, (including Yellowstone), Lake Toba in Indonesia, Taupo in New Zealand and Aira Caldera in Japan. A supervolcano is a volcano capable of producing a volcanic eruption with an eruption radius greater than 240 cubic miles (1,000 cubic kilometers). Supervolcanoes are the most dangerous, with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 8. This is thousands of times larger than most historic volcanic eruptions. Geologists believe that Yellowstone is the most likely supervolcano to erupt next, as it has been exhibiting signs of unrest, with earthquake swarms, ground deformation and considerable heat and gas emissions.

Earthquakes are the primary indicator that a volcano is about to erupt. The Yellowstone caldera experiences about 1500 measurable earthquakes a year. The last eruption of Yellowstone was 640,000 years ago. If it did erupt, expect half of the USA to be wiped out, and major variations in global climate for many years. Residual volcanic ash in the atmosphere would result in the devastation of world agriculture, severe disruption of food supplies and mass starvation. Yellowstone could emit 2,000 millions of tons of sulphuric acid, and could produce the equivalent of a “nuclear winter”, when the dust and debris from the fallout of a nuclear war block out sunlight for several years, causing worldwide famines.

Top Ten Failed Apocalyptic Predictions - Pandemic

An epidemic is when a disease outbreak strikes a large number of people, in a given area, at the same time. The epidemic becomes a pandemic when it spreads over a wide geographical area, or throughout many countries. Although most epidemics are caused by infectious organisms, the term can be applied to an outbreak of any chronic disease, such as cancer or heart disease.

Bubonic plague (1300-1400), typhus (1501- 1587), SARS (2002), recurring epidemics of scarlet fever, typhoid and yellow fever (1865-1873), and HIV (1980-present) are some infectious diseases that have resulted in epidemic or pandemic outbreaks. It might not be swine or avian flu, but flu researchers say a deadly pandemic is not a case of if, but when.

The ancients couldn’t predict when this would happen, but with recent outbreaks of swine and avian flu, it seems likely that another flu like this is on the horizon. The last great plague (Spanish flu) hit 1918-1920. Researchers estimate that between 20 million to 100 million were killed. The call for sanitary reform and the development of new vaccines at the end of the nineteenth century ended the rapidly spreading plague. However, since then the incidence of infectious diseases has steadily risen in the past 100 years. Infection spreads more easily now due to people traveling more often. The outbreak of anthrax in 2001, and the threat of biological warfare suggest that the US is neither equipped to handle a mass outbreak, nor the panic resulting from such outbreak.

Messy Post

Change of work place is always welcoming. Whether it’s a new job or new office place, it’s gives new colors or more precisely a change. And I being allocated to new project had the opportunity to move to a new office location itself. So, a new work place and desk automatically follows.

With these additions I lost some of the privileges too. Most valuable is the nearness to my home. My old office location was 11 km from home. The new one is 23km. So, it’s almost double. So, I have decided to use the company transportation from next month. I am not so comfortable to ride 46 km again in Chennai. I have been cruising the distance for over 4 years in my career. So, I think its time to give break to such long routine bike rides.

Company transportation has its own good sides and also lousy side. Good thing is I can enjoy the travel comfortably with my IPod or going through my reading list. Also, travelling time will be as relaxing as sitting at home. The lousy side is I have to stick to the schedule of the bus. It won’t wait for me. So, I have to stick close manage time in my morning routines.

The project changes and unknown reasons had me on bed in early mornings for last couple of weeks. So, I think its time to jump back to some physical activity in the morning. Else, I would be in a pathetic situation later with my belly. To maintain a good figure and posterior do demands sweating out regularly. And I have decided to restart it from tomorrow.

Another good thing about this new building is there is a lot of cafeterias hosted by different Cook houses ranging from Sodexho, café coffee day to other local vendors, News is that KFC is opening shortly within the block. So, there is a variety to chew but the problem it really takes a bit from the wallet too. Mostly, in 2-3 days, I will return to my old habit of bringing lunch from home.

Looking forward tomorrow is a National Holiday in India. 26th of January is the day when we became a Republic year ago. So, the ‘Republic Day’ accounts me a mid week break. As you all will agree, a mid week holiday is one of the most refreshing day off for me. If it was just another mid week holiday, I would have just snoozed off at home, But since during the last weekend, I was doing the same thing, I might be planning for some outing with my wife. Mostly to some places that is still unvisited in Chennai.

Anyone who has read this blog post and successfully reached this line would be wondering about the messed up nature of this post. It doesn’t have any particular topic and I am just blabbering about each of the things that come into my mind on and on. Well, let me reveal a small experiment of mine, which I had in mind when I started typing out this post.

I was wondering to know what it takes to type out content that fills a whole page. I never has written anything so long or had enough words anyone topic to fill up one single page. So, I decided on a list of topics rather than one for this first try out. And I tell my experience. Writing a long page is not a simple thing. My fingers are already aching. Then, it’s very difficult to continue the flow of words. But I believe it’s the practice that makes things better. And posts like this without readers (except my friend, Walters, who checks out my blog, for whatever rubbish I conjure up, thanks mate), I can really work on horning my writing skills. Who could compete deny a best seller out of me at long years ahead?

Top Ten Failed Apocalyptic Predictions - Geomagnetic Reversal

Geologist Gregg Braden has made the claim that the Earth’s magnetic field has dropped 38% (measured in magnetometers) in the past two thousand years (about 1.9% per century), and the rate of decline has risen to 6% in the past century. Basically, the global magnetic field is dropping at an accelerating rate toward zero point, at which time the polarity of earth will reverse. It is unknown whether the decline of the magnetic field will continue to increase. The magnetic field last flipped 780,000 years ago, but the time between reversals has varied from a few thousand years to 35 million years. During this time additional magnetic poles could appear in the weakening field. A compass then would point in different directions depending on the location. Then the magnetic field would almost completely disappear for several thousand years before re-emerging in the opposite direction.

The effects of this reversal are hard to predict. Some theorists claim that it will not have any effect on humans. With the modern reliance on electricity and electromagnetic effects (radio, satellite communications, GPS), the world will have technological disruptions in the event of a full field reversal. One effect that may occur during a magnetic reversal is that the Earth may not be protected from charged particles streaming from the sun. These particles are called the solar wind, and could be dangerous to life if they reached the Earth’s surface. The amount of radiation reaching the surface of the Earth would definitely increase, but not by much. More people would suffer skin cancer, but we would not all die horribly from radiation poisoning.

Top Ten Failed Apocalyptic Predictions - WWIII

A World War is a war involving more than 2 continents, in which at least 20 major countries participate in an attack against a common enemy, and which has the attention of the average civilian, due to the significant loss of life. A lot of theorists claim that the terrorist attack on the World Trade centers and subsequent war with Iraq is the beginning of WWIII. Initially 40+ countries were a part of the coalition that invaded Iraq. As of August 2010, 4,733 Coalition (including US) soldiers had been killed in Iraq. The US deaths made up 4,415 of those deaths. Since the beginning of the U.S. reconstruction effort, 224 U.S. civilians have died in Iraq (2007 report.)

The Cuban Missile Crisis (in 1962) is generally thought to be the point at which the risk of World War III was closest. With the globalization of the marketplace and trade and the spread of nukes, it has become increasingly costly and suicidal to start WW3. So in theory, nations are, more than ever, unlikely to start wars, yet here we are on the brink of another war with Iran. Ever increasing oil prices, economic depression, North American union and the declaration of martial law within the US are all, supposedly, factors that will contribute to the next world war.

Top Ten Failed Apocalyptic Predictions – Timewave Zero

The I Ching, or Book of Changes, consists of an arrangement of sixty-four hexagrams (six-line figures) consisting of two types of lines, yin and yang, and has been used as an oracle. Coins or sticks are thrown, the combination of which signifies one or two hexagrams, and the second hexagram represents the predicted change from the first hexagram. Terrence and Dennis McKenna make a case that the I Ching was originally used as a lunar calendar in which the sixty-four six-line hexagrams (384 lines total) represented the 384 days in a thirteen-month lunar year. The earliest arrangement of the hexagrams of the I Ching is the King Wen Sequence. The theory that emerged from the I Ching study is known as Novelty theory.

If the wave model is a valid theory of time, it should be possible to pinpoint on the wave that corresponds to the date that something important happened in history. To carry out this operation, Peter Meyer developed the Timewave Zero software. To see how the Timewave Zero software works click here. McKenna believes that during this time there will be a surge in information and evolutionary breakthroughs will start coming in nanoseconds. The theory is not deterministic; it does not say what will happen in the future, only the levels of novelty that whatever happens will have to fulfill.

Top Ten Failed Apocalyptic Predictions – Kali Yuga

The Hindu system of cycles, inherited from the Vedic civilization, is broken down into 4 time cycles. Krita/Satya Yuga (Golden Age), Treta Yaga (Silver Age), Dvapara Yuga (Copper/Bronze Age), and the Kali Yuga (Iron Age). In one of the oldest Vedic writings, attributed to the god-man Manu, the four yugas are said to add up to 24,000 years, but when they are enumerated they only come to 12,000 years. The Krita/Satya Yuga lasts 4,800 years; the Treta Yuga lasts 3,600; the Dvapara lasts 2,400 years and the Kali Yuga lasts 1,200 years. The “descent into darkness”- Kali Yuga – started when the summer solstice (June) Sun was aligned with the apparent Galactic Center, around 10,800 BC. The “Ascent back into light” takes place now, when the winter solstice (December) Sun aligns with the apparent Galactic Center around 2002-2012.

Kali yuga is known as the age of the male demon, Kali. The scriptures, like Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.2, teach that during the 432,000 year age of Kali humanity deteriorates and falls into barbarism. “Religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, physical strength and memory diminish with each passing day.” Severe droughts and plagues are everywhere. Slovenliness, illness, hunger and fear spread. Nations are continually at war with one another. People in this age will be lazy, greedy and deceitful. The end of Kali Yuga is marked by the return of the Kalki, the last reincarnation of Vishnu, who will battle the demon Kali.

Unforgettable Train Journey

Travelling in train now is as common as riding a bicycle., specially in India where train is the most convenient mode of transport offering comfortable and cheap Journey. Matter of fact: India has the fourth largest railway network in the world

I would say that the train journey in India  is part of the culture as well. Right from the bye byes and tears, with the farewell said to the friends and families to the ‘Samosa’ vendors strolling through the Train. How can an Indian train journey could be complete without hearing the ‘Chai,Chai’ humming at least once?

As a kid, I was also very much fascinated by these massive big machines that run on rails. While waiting at level cross for train to pass, I wondered about the time, when I will be travelling in this gigantic vehicle. And when I was 10 years old, I had the first taste what it feels like travelling in train. I still can remember the shine in my eyes and the fascination with which I glared at the platform, when the train started moving slowly.

I was travelling with my Father and Mother, and my little brother who was then 4 year old. We were in first class compartment, which was indeed a luxury for us in those times, but attainable because of the fact that my father was a army man then. It was a locked room compartment us, just for us. We enjoyed the little family privacy for the 3 days and 2 nights of journey.

But the real dream got fulfilled even after one year. The time when my father’s regiment moved to another state. The entire unit was packed into a single private train was we moved out as a chartered train. It was a fun filled journey lasted for 7 days. Since it was a kind of chartered train, the other trains had the priority and we moved on when the track was free. Though the actual distance was just for a 3 days journey, I would never complain those days spend in the train. I still could remember the early morning when the slowly crossed the bridge over the Krishna river and entered the 'Vijayawada station. The station is situated between 3 mountains and the river flows through the mountains. The misty morning in that station is an unforgettable experience ever in my life.

Still I didn’t mention about the dream that got fulfilled in this long journey. During this epic train travel in my life, I got to be in engines of both electric and diesel trains. It was a rare opportunity to have while the train is running. May be a once in a life time opportunity that just got consumed in that early age of mine. But the memories as I always cherish stay on and on with me.

Coming to present, I don’t have the same excitement to travel in train as I used to have in that age. Now, I travel in train occasionally to travel to my home town and back. If the budget allows me, I would prefer to travel in bus than train as I feel a night bus to my home city is less time consuming and comfortable than those extra hours in the train.

Still memories linger around me with each train journey reminding me of those days when I watched the train with excitement and then screaming out loud when I was speeding away in that engine compartment. Quite a memorable memory.

Painful Journey

From this week, I shifted to new project and to new office premises. This in turn has increased the distance from home to office by an additional 13 km. The overall 23 km would have been manageable if the road condition was good.

But the 11 km of broken roads, with surprise pot holes had its effect on me from the first day itself. On reaching home, I was having back pain with a much higher severity than the normal ones.

So, I opted for the company bus service from next month. I haven't used the bus service for office travel in my entire career. So, this is going to be fun. I have already started plans for spending the travel time in a best enjoyable way. The best plan should be to revive my long lost hobby of mine permanently – Reading.

I don't know how things will work out. But lets wait and see.

Top Ten Failed Apocalyptic Predictions - Book of Apocalypse

 

The Book of Apocalypse from the Bible (also known as the book of Revelation) is probably the most well known end of the world prophecy (at least in Western Culture). There has been endless debate on what parts of the Bible are meant literally, and what parts are meant symbolically, and this is doubly true for this specific book. With vivid imagery and strange statements that leave room for interpretation, people all around the world have spent their lifetimes trying to decode the Book of Apocalypse. Despite these debates, there are some parts that interpreters agree on. The major one is that during the end times there will be a false prophet masquerading as a messiah, as well as the presence of the antichrist.

The earth will face destruction in many forms. People will have to suffer from earthquakes, fire, plague, hailstorms, famine and many other calamities, in all shapes and forms. After these cataclysmic events, the Antichrist will gain domination over the world. They will rule the world for a certain unknown amount of time, which will then be followed by Armageddon. During Armageddon, a colossal battle will occur between the forces of evil (the Antichrist) and the forces of good (Jesus Christ), in which Jesus prevails. The Bible itself never gives specific dates, of course; instead all of its prophecies are based on a timeline of milestones and events.

Wild Amazon : A Barbeque Fiesta in Chennai

My habit of not taking surprises when it comes to food is a very old one. Especially, when I am taking my friends or family to dinner. My experiments about a new joint is usually alone. I take chances and then review it. If it touches my heart, then I take the privilege to take my family and friends over there. Else, I wont recommend the same place to them.

But yesterday was different. The decision was quick. My wife and myself decided to have the dinner outdoors. I decided to go to the tried and tested Barbeque Nation in T Nagar. But to my bad luck(I don’t think so now), they had all their tables booked for the evening.

So, as an adhoc option, I booked a table at Al-Arab restaurant(Barbeque division of Wild Amazon), who specializes in barbeque buffet. The table was booked for 7:30 Pm and I reached there by 7:25 Pm.



The reception has good. My name was already there in the guest list. So, I straight away moved to the third floor. A quick left from the life corridor, and man, I was impressed. Beautifully lit table spaces and, spaciously arranged tables and waiters in traditional Arab wardrobes. ‘Al-Arab’, now I realized that it isn't just a name. They mean it in all sense.



First, lassie(sugared butter milk) was served. I am not much of a fan of it. So, no comments. Next was a quarter of shawarma, slice of grilled chicken and a single piece of date filled with bits of cashew and resin. Each of the dish above as equally commendable. Special applause to that single piece of dates. I has never ever in my life tasted dates so fresh and sweet. For a moment, I was in a lushly green oasis, tasting dates right away.

Then a tray of blistering coal was placed in the space in the middle of table and grills of prawn, sear fish, chicken, vegetable delights including potato, mushroom, Paneer and mixed fruits were placed one after another. The recipes were authentic middle east delicacies and blended smoothly over my taste buds.

After I had enough of these grilled starters, I did not have much space to spread evenly on the main courses of the buffet. But I tasted all of the dishes on the menu and relished it very much. The idea of rotating few Indian cuisines every week added from spice to the Arabian serves.

Empty Cup

Sometimes I feel so irritated. In my mind, I wish to write on and on, but here I stand with an empty cup – that needs to be filled with an Idea.

I feel to write about a lot of things, my day yesterday, the dream I saw past night, the wonderful dinner I had yesterday evening at a barbeque restaurant.

But, the matter of fact is each of this events is so devoid of colors that is not enough to make a painting. But still these words hang around me to be played with.

Why did I start Blogging?

A question, I never asked myself. Maybe the answer to this question lies in a very old memory, hidden deep in my mind. Something, that has to be searched for, something not easily catchable. Something important.

My rendezvous with words began with my love with books. I loved reading. Those imaginations bind in words, unleashed with each words, those sentences that took me to far away lands, into the lives of many great men and women. I saw their lives from very near in my imagination. I liked the very perspective of journeying through the imagination and living with many lives of character that took birth in author’s mind and continue to live in every readers heart. This love, that bind me to the words made me a writer. As with any passion, first you notice it, then starts to enjoy it, then love it and then you wish to create it. The ultimate of every passion is the wish to create it. And I began my humble journey with the magic of words.

Writing is not an easier task. At least to me. I often wonder how those great writers played with the words. How it was possible to bind each and every minute details of their imagination to words and then imprint it  on to the pages that unleash to the readers imagination, once those words pass through their mind. A truly, genuine work of God’s unmatched gift.

I do have a imagination. I must say dreams. A vivid character filled dreams. Each dream taking me to different scenes of life, where I am a part. With each dream, a story unreels in my mind. And I am desperate to put them into words. And I do understand that it is not an easy task. The connection of words with the dreams or imagination should be authentic and genuine enough to be recreated by the reader. May be some day, I will be able to create such a bond. After it is The God who writes the script. I am just a character in his Stage.

My Childhood Home

The best thing about me are my memories. I have many times expressed through my web logs that I have a very good memory of my life. And it is most likely that my life will uncover one day through a series of blog posts , unraveling an auto biography. I remember everything, I must be specific, almost every important and unimportant events that happened ever since I can recognize what is a memory.

Sometimes, memory gets interlinked with imagination. When my grandpa says, I used to run ahead of him, when he walked me back from pre school. I see that in my eyes, but I cant be sure whether its a memory from the 3 year old boy, an age where I can rarely use much of brain to keep events in memory. My brain was so occupied those times, learning the new things, I always loved.

At this point, I am unsure whether I loved being a child or not. There were many good things that happened to me, also the bad things. One thing that I am pretty sure is that I was very happy even then to be let alone. I liked my privacy. I liked reading, playing, and experimenting alone. It included making roads in the sand dump in front of my house or driving the broken suitcase wheel(It was my super bike then), over the line of ants killing them. Though I regret that very much now, I do swear that I didn't know the meaning of life and death then. Once I understood those meanings and the pain it takes, I never harmed a living creature to death knowingly.

I stayed in my childhood home for almost first 6 years of my life. It was my mother's home. It was old and leaky. Once my room had the concrete roof and I was very proud of that. That room of mine was my world. Unless for cleaning, I never let anyone in my room willingly. I was so proud of my room.

A Dive Into Memories

I have often wondered why the time always moves on. Time is one of the anomaly that science cannot define with specificity. For me, Time is defined as something that cannot be reverse and stopped. A change that continues in a steady rate applicable to all the matter in the universe. But humans, with that unique brain of him, has the ability to defy time in one manner or other – The Memories.

Memories and thought process allow man to live in all the three states of time – past, present and the future. Learn from the past, live in the present and wait for the future. Amazing. isn't?

Five Golden Rules to Overcome Interview Fears

Sweaty palms, dry and raspy throat and butterflies in the stomach.

If that's how you usually feel before an interview, take heart in the fact that you're not alone. Although there are no statistics, HR professionals estimate that almost six out of 10 candidates, who appear for a job interview, are nervous and tense. But here's a little secret - a candidate, who appears nervous, dramatically reduces his or her chances to make it to the final list. So take a deep breath, pull yourself together and know the golden rules to overcome interview fears and bag your dream job.

Do your homework
Do ample research on your role, the company and the industry. HR heads say an unprepared candidate starts to fumble and stutter, and appears anxious when asked questions about the industry and how the company is performing. You can get the latest news from the company's annual report, its website, press releases, and of course the internet.

Rehearse your answers
Rehearse answers to the possible questions you may be asked. There are always some stock questions applicants face during interviews - Tell us something about yourself; Why do you want to change your job; how do you see yourself growing in this organization; what are your strengths and weaknesses and such. It pays to rehearse the answers either in front of the mirror, or with someone else.

The first 5-7 minutes are crucial
First impressions matter. Be extremely careful, in the first five to seven minutes of the interview, about what you say, how you conduct yourself and what impression you allow the interviewer to form of yourself. A candidate should be careful about his way of speaking, posture, attitude and the way he carries himself.

Don't appear desperate
When you want something too much, you get more nervous. HR heads say interviews should be seen as an opportunity to meet and interact with new people, and not as a do-or-die situation. This will dramatically reduce stress. Asking a question or two in return at the end of an interview, also gives the impression that s/he is not scared or desperate for the job.

Follow interview hygiene
Follow some basic interview hygiene rules. Dress neatly and don't look tired and sweaty. This will boost your confidence. Never look sleepy or stare at the interviewer.

Article Courtesy – Economic Times

Top Ten Failed Apocalyptic Predictions : Web Bot

A web bot is a tool used to speed-read the internet in order to find patterns or waves of behavior. It was created in 1997, originally to predict stock market trends. The Web Bot conceptualizes a future pattern of behavior, based on the new and recent psychological queries of the masses. Web Bot works by using a form of the “Wisdom of the Crowd” (the process of taking into account the collective opinion of a group of individuals rather than a single expert), with web crawlers that search the internet for about 300,000 keywords with emotional context. Web Bot acted much like an Internet prophet, creating prophecies of things to come based on the chatter of the entire world.

There have been six Web Bot reports in all. The first one was released in 1997, and the final report was released March 12, 2010. Web Bot claims to have predicted the terrorist attacks of September 11th, the 2001 anthrax scare and the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. The Web Bot has predicted that a cataclysm will devastate the planet in the year 2012, possibly a reversing of Earth’s magnetic poles or a small series of nuclear attacks leading up to a major attack during the year. The Web Bot predictions for 2012 are as follows: Sustainable living practices becoming the only option for living and Magnetosphere problems causing the burning of crops.

Top Ten Failed Apocalyptic Predictions : Galactic Alignment

On December 21, 2012, the solstice sun will align with the dark rift in the Milky Way. The dark rift (Great Rift) is the widest part of the Milky Way and corresponds to the direction of the center of the galaxy. As the alignment occurs, the solstice meridian will align with the crossing point of the ecliptic (the path of the Sun, moon and planets) and the plane of the galaxy, which is called the galactic equator, and pass on the other side. Alignments occur every 36 years, but this alignment is unique. At this time the sun appears to just touch one part of the dark rift that snakes its way along the Galactic Equator.

This is an area of the night sky considered important to Maya cosmology with respect to spiritual rebirth mythology. In some versions, the combined gravity of the galactic black hole and the sun will cause earthquakes, tsunamis, floods or severe weather. In other versions the alignment will cause more esoteric issues, such as a blockage of an undefined type of energy emanating from the black hole, or from the galactic core, or both. Aligning with the rift could cause major disturbances in the orbits of inner planets. Some people believe that this event could place the Earth in danger of being sucked into a black hole at the center of the dark rift in the Milky Way.

ListMania : Top Ten Failed Apocalyptic Predictions

Plenty of people have speculated when the world was going to end. The following list explores possible means of the destruction of the Earth’s and/or the human race. This list contains far out 2012 prophecies, probable disasters and just interesting rumors. I have intentionally left out Nostradamus since most of his “prophecies” have been debunked. To read more on this subject please see Top Ten Failed Apocalyptic Predictions unreeled in upcoming posts.

Begining of Media Globalization

Many see this photo from 1985 as the beginning of what we nowadays call "media globalization", because Omayra Sanchez's agony was followed by television cameras from all over the world. Despite all the footage that was recorded by those tv cameras, it was this photograph, of a shocking reality and humanity, that went down in history as the first broadcast of the pain and death of a human being

Omayra Sanchez, 13 years old, was the victim of volcano Nevado del Ruiz's eruption in 1985, that devasted the Armero village, in Colombia. Omayra was trapped for three days under the mud, clay and water that was left from her own house. When the paramedics, with scarce resources, tried to help her, they sadly realized there was nothing they could do, since to remove her from the deadly trap they would have to amputate her legs and the lack of a specialist on the scene would result in her death.
According to the paramedics and the journalists that surrounded her, Omayra was strong until the last minute of her life. For the three days her agony lasted she thought only about going back to school, her studies and her friends. Photographer Frank Fournier took this photo of Omayra that travelled the world and generated a worldwide controversy about the indifference of the Colombian government before the victims of natural disasters such as this.
The photograph was published months after the girl's death and Frank Fournier was awarded the 1986 World Press Photo Premier Award for this picture.