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Leonardo da Vinci….A Great Anatomist Too!!!….Look At His Sketches of Human Body !!!

NatarajanLeave a comment

He may be renowned for masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, but Leonardo da Vinci is also one of the greatest anatomists the world has seen.

  • Da Vinci began researching the human body to ensure his artworks were as accurate as possible
  • Between 1507 and 1513 he dissected more than 30 human corpses
  • His sketches of the human body are now being displayed against 21st Century imagery – with da Vinci’s work proving remarkably accurate

His intricate knowledge of the human body, which was years ahead of his time, is demonstrated in a collection of notebooks which he filled with detailed studies of organs, bones, vessels and muscles using new illustrative techniques.

The collection of notebooks, which date between 1452 and 1519, and chart much of the Italian renaissance artist’s groundbreaking studies of the human body.

Exhibition: Leonardo da Vinci's anatomical notebooks are going on display at a new exhibition in Ediburgh

Sizing things up: Sophie Lawrenson demonstrates the size of da Vinci's sketches by holding her hands up to the notebook

Almost 500 years after his death, the drawings in his anatomical notebooks are being displayed at an exhibition in Ediburgh alongside 21st-century pictures of the same body parts – with da Vinci’s sketches proving startlingly accurate.

Curators say his work foreshadows modern techniques like MRI scans and 3D computer modelling ‘to an astonishing degree’.

Da Vinci began researching the human body to ensure his paintings were as true to nature as possible. Between 1507 and 1513 he dissected more than 30 human corpses, including that of a 100-year-old man.
Detailed: Da Vinci's sketches of muscles and skeletons foreshadow modern techniques, such as MRI scans and 3D computer modelling, to 'an astonishing degree'    Detailed: Da Vinci's sketches of muscles and skeletons foreshadow modern techniques, such as MRI scans and 3D computer modelling, to 'an astonishing degree'
Detailed: Da Vinci’s sketches of muscles and skeletons foreshadow modern techniques, such as MRI scans and 3D computer modelling, to ‘an astonishing degree’

Talented: Leonardo da Vinci is still considered to be one of the greatest anatomists the world has ever seen

Leonardo da Vinci's depiction of the bones, muscles and tendons of the hand, c.1510-11 a 3D image of a dissected hand

Comparison: Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomical drawing of a hand is remarkably similar to modern medical scans and models which show just how true to life the artist’s work was

The polymath was able to use his skills in art, architecture and engineering to produce images of the body never seen before.

Exhibition curator Martin Clayton, of Royal Collection Trust, said: ‘This is the first time that Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomical drawings have been displayed alongside their modern-day counterparts.

‘It’s incredibly exciting to discover how Leonardo’s investigations 500 years ago foreshadowed the work of today’s leading anatomists to an astonishing degree.’

Dedicated: Da Vinci dissected more than 30 human corpses to learn about the human anatomy so his paintings and sculptures would be as realistic and accurate as possible  Dedicated: Da Vinci dissected more than 30 human corpses to learn about the human anatomy so his paintings and sculptures would be as realistic and accurate as possible

Dedicated: Da Vinci dissected more than 30 human corpses to learn about the human anatomy so his paintings and sculptures would be as realistic and accurate as possible

The muscles and tendons of the lower leg and foot, c.1510-11 3D animation of the lower leg and foot

He also recorded the muscles of the shoulder and arm in eight different views, rotating the body through 180 degrees.

Peter Abrahams, professor of clinical anatomy at Warwick Medical School, who helped the show’s curators, said: ‘In many ways Leonardo predicted the 20th-century revolution in various medical imaging techniques.

‘His use of cross sections and slices to show deep internal structures within the body foreshadowed the modern techniques of CT and MRI scanning.

‘The anatomical accuracy of Leonardo’s drawings has rarely ever been surpassed, and I still use them to teach surgeons and medical students today.’
The muscles of the shoulder, arm and the bones of the foot, c.1510-11: A 3D film of a dissected shoulder will show the incredible accuracy of the many drawings of the bones, muscles, nerves and tendons of the joint

The muscles of the shoulder, arm and the bones of the foot, c.1510-11: A 3D film of a dissected shoulder will show the incredible accuracy of the many drawings of the bones, muscles, nerves and tendons of the joint.

Master of the arts: Many professors of anatomy say they still use da Vinci's drawings to teach medical students as the accuracy of his work has rarely been surpassed

Master of the arts: Many professors of anatomy say they still use da Vinci’s drawings to teach medical students as the accuracy of his work has rarely been surpassed.

 

source:::::mailonline.com UK

natarajan

படித்ததில் பிடித்தது …செந்தூர் இலை விபூதி மகிமை !!!!

NatarajanLeave a comment

படித்ததில் பிடித்தது

பார்த்தாலே நோயைப் பறக்கடிக்கும் விபூதி

ஆன்மீக மாத இதழ் ஞான ஆலயம் மார்ச் 2013 இல் வெளி வந்த சித்ரா மூர்த்தி அவர்கள் எழுதிய செந்தூர் விபூதியின் மகிமையைப் பற்றிய அருமையான கட்டுரையை உங்களுடன் பகிர்ந்து கொள்கிறேன். –

எழுதியவர் சித்ரா மூர்த்தி, திருப்புகழ் ஆய்வாளர், சிறந்த இசைப்பேருரையாளர்.
“அபஸ்மார குஷ்டக்ஷ்யார்ச ப்ரமேஹ
ஜ்வரோந்மாத குல்மாதிரோகா மஹாந் தஹ
பிசாசஸ்ச சர்வே பவத் பத்ரபூதிம்
விலோக்ய க்ஷணாத் தாரகாரே த்ரவந்தே”

Senthil Andavar பொருள்:
“தாரகாசுரனை வதம் செய்தவனே! வலிப்பு, காசம், குஷ்டம், சுரம், மேகவெட்டை, குடல்புண், புற்றுநோய், பிசாசு மற்றும் மனப்பயம் எனும் நோய்களனைத்தும் பன்னீர் இலையில் வைத்துத் தரப்படும் உன் திருநீற்றைப் பார்த்த மாத்திரத்தில் பறந்தோடி மறைந்துவிடும்.”

ஆதி சங்கரர், திருச்செந்தூரில் பாடிய சுப்ரமண்ய புஜங்கத்தில் இவ்வாறு குறிப்பிடுகிறார். பார்த்த மாத்திரத்திலேயே நோய்களைப் பறக்கடிக்கும் என்று அவர் குறிப்பிடும் ‘பத்ர பூதி’ என்பது என்ன?

விபூதியின் வரலாறு
‘பத்ர’ என்பது இலை. பூதி என்பது நீறு. செந்திலாண்டவன் திருக்கோயிலில் இறைவனது பிரசாதமாகிய திருநீறு, பன்னீர் இலையில் வைத்துத் தரப்படுகிறது. இதன் மணமே தனித்தன்மை உடையதாக இருக்கும்.

இலையினால் விபூதியின் மணம் இன்னும் அதிகரிக்கிறதோ என்று கூடத் தோன்றுகிறது. என்னவானாலும் சரி, இலை விபூதியில் செந்திலாண்டவனின் அருள் மணம் வீசுகிறது என்பதுதான் நிஜம்.

இலை விபூதியின் வரலாறு, என்னவென்று பார்ப்போம். செந்தூரில் சூரபத்மாதியர்களை ஒடுக்கிவிட்டு கடற்கரையில் கலங்கரை விளக்கம் போன்று ஒளி வீசி நின்றான் முருகப் பெருமான். அவனது பெருமையைத் துதித்த வேதங்களனைத்தும் ஒன்று சேர்ந்து செந்திலோனின் மகிமையை விளக்கும் பன்னீர் மரங்களாக இவ்விடத்தில் தோன்றின.

எனவே இவற்றின் இலைகளும் வேத மந்திர சக்தியை உடையவை என்கிறது புராணம். பன்னீர் இலையில் பத்திரப்படுத்தப்படும் விபூதியிலும் வேத மந்திர சக்திகள் நிறைந்து விடுகின்றன.தவிர, பன்னீர் இலையில் காணப்படும் 12 நரம்புகள் முருகனது பன்னிரு கரங்களை நினைவூட்டுவனவாக அமைந்துள்ளன.

தாடகை எனும் பெண்ணை ராமபிரான் மூலமாக வதம் செய்த காரணத்தினால் தனக்கு ஏற்பட்ட குன்மம் முதலான நோய்கள் தீர, ராமபிரான் தன் கனவில் கூறியபடி, செந்திலாண்டவன் இலை விபூதியைத் தரித்துக் கொண்டு நோய்கள் நீங்கப் பெற்றார் விசுவாமித்திர மகரிஷி.

Adi Sankaraஆதி சங்கரரும் செந்திலாண்டவனின் நீறும்
ஆதி சங்கரரது வாழ்விலும் இலை விபூதி மகிமையை விளக்குவதான ஒரு சம்பவம் ஏற்பட்டது. அவருடன் ஏற்பட்ட வாதங்களில் தோற்ற அபிநவகுப்தர் என்பவர், ஆபிசார வேள்வி செய்து சங்கரருக்கு உடலை வருத்தும் நோய் உண்டாகச் செய்து விட்டார்.

அக்காலத்தில் அவர் வட கர்நாடகாவிலுள்ள கோகர்ணத் திருத்தலத்தில் தங்கி வழிபாடு செய்து வந்தார். ஒரு நாள் இரவு, இறைவன் அவர் கனவில் தோன்றி, “என் குமாரன் ஷண்முகன் குடியிருக்கும் புண்ணியத் தலமான செயந்திபுரம் எனும் திருச்செந்தூர் சென்று அவனைத் தரிசித்தால் உன் நோய் முற்றிலுமாக நீங்கப் பெறுவாய்” என்று கூறினார். உறங்கி எழுந்து பார்த்த சங்கரரின் அருகில் விபூதி இருந்தது.

கோகர்ணேஸ்வரர் ஆணைப்படி, செந்தூர் வந்தடைந்தார், ஆதிசங்கரர். கடலில் நீராடி, பின் இறைவன் சன்னதியில் மனமுருகி நின்றபோது, ஆதிசேஷனாகிய பாம்பு ஊர்ந்து ஊர்ந்து இறைவன் சன்னதியை அடைந்ததைக் கண்டார். அதே நேரம் அவருக்கும் இறை தரிசனம் கிட்டியது.

அவன் அருளாலே, மடை திறந்த வெள்ளம் போல அவர் திருவாயிலிருந்து சுலோகங்கள் வெளிவந்தன. வடமொழியில் பாம்பைப் புஜங்கம் என்பர். வடமொழி இலக்கணப்படி, புஜங்க விருத்தமாக அமைந்தன பாடல்கள். பாடி முடித்து இலை விபூதியைப் பெற்று அணிந்து கொண்ட சங்கரருக்கு வெகு விரைவில் நோய் குணமாயிற்று.

தெய்வ அவதாரமாகக் கருதப்படும் ஆதிசங்கரர் நினைத்திருந்தால், தானே நோயை விரட்டி இருக்க முடியும்.ஆனால் மானுட அவதாரத்தில், அத்துயரை, தானே அனுபவித்து உலகோருக்குப் பத்ர பூதியின் பெருமையை வெளிப்படுத்த அவர் நிகழ்த்திய திருவிளையாடலே இது என்று கூறலாம்.

விபூதியே கூலி
சுமார் 350 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் திருவாவடுதுறை ஆதீனததைச் சேர்ந்த ஸ்ரீலஸ்ரீ தேசிகமூர்த்தி தம்பிரானவர்கள் செந்தூர் மேலக் கோபுரத்தை நிர்மாணித்தார். பொருள் பற்றாக் குறை ஏற்படவே, கூலியாட்களுக்குக் கூலிக்குப் பதிலாக இலை விபூதியைக் கொடுத்து, தூண்டுகை விநாயகர் கோயிலைத் தாண்டிச் சென்றபின் திறந்து பார்க்கும்படிக் கூறினாராம். அதன்படி திறந்து பார்த்தபோது, தத்தம் வேலைக்குரிய கூலி வைக்கப்பட்டிருப்பதைப் பார்த்து மெய் சிலிர்த்தனர் என்கிறது கோயில் வரலாறு.

திருச்செந்தூர் பிள்ளைத்தமிழ் பாடிய பகழிக் கூத்தர் வாழ்விலும் இலை விபூதி பெரும் அற்புதத்தை நிகழ்த்தியது. தீராத வயிற்று வலியால் துடித்த அவரது கனவில் கோயிலில் பூஜை செய்யும் உரிமையுடைய திரிசுதந்திரர் போல ஒருவர் தோன்றினார்.

“என் புகழைப் பிள்ளைத் தமிழால் பாடு, உன் நோய் குணமாகும்” என்று கூறி இலை விபூதியைக் கையில் கொடுத்திட்டு மறைந்தாராம். உரையாசிரியர் குகஸ்ரீ ரசபதி அவர்கள், திருச்செந்தூர் பிள்ளைத்தமிழ் உரையில் இதுபற்றி விரிவாகக் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளார்.

கந்தர் கலி வெண்பா பாடிய குமரகுருபரரின் சரித்திரத்தை எழுதியருளிய வித்வான் மீனாட்சி சுந்தரம் பிள்ளை அவர்கள், செந்தூர் ஆலயத்தில் அர்ச்சகர்கள் இலை விபூதிப் பிரசாதத்தை எடுத்து வழங்குவதைக் குமரகுருபரர், தான் கண்டபடி அழகாகப் பாடியுள்ளார்.

“இலையமில் குமரவேள் முன் வணங்குவார்க்கு என்றும் துன்பம்
இலை.அடுபகை சற்றேனும் இலை.படுபிணி நிரப்பும்
இலை,அளற்றுழன்று வீழ்தல் இலை,பல பவத்துச் சார்பும்
இலை என இலை விபூதி எடுத்தெடுத்துதவல் கண்டார்”
என்று பாடுகிறார்.

விபூதியின் மகிமையைப் பாடவந்த அருணகிரிநாதரும்,
ஆறுமுகம் ஆறுமுகம் ஆறுமுகம்
ஆறுமுகம் ஆறுமுகம் ஆறுமுகம் என்றுபூதி
ஆகமணி மாதவர்கள் பாதமலர் சூடும் அடியார்கள்
பதமே துணையதென்று…”

என்று பாடுகிறார். நாமும் “ஆறுமுகம்” என்று ஆறு முறை ஓதி இலை விபூதியைத் தரித்து செந்திலாண்டவன் திருவருளுக்குப் பாத்திரமாவோமாக.

நன்றி: 2013 மார்ச் மாத ஞான ஆலயம்.

source::::input from a friend of mine…

natarajan

At 66 Mother India Gets Ready For Her 29th Baby !!!!

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At 66, Mother India gets ready for her 29th baby

July 31, 2013 

Telangana: At 66, Mother India gets ready for her 29th baby

 

A TOI headline that made me laugh and cry at the same time. It’s been ages that I found something so very amusing

For the past few years, I have been seeing a lot noises, anger, riots and drama over this twenty-ninth state of India. But what troubles me more is….any guesses???

.

.

.

.

.

garfield

Our kids will have a new chapter to learn on this new state in Social Sciences. :-(  When I was in school, I had to memorize sixteen states, 4 union territories and their capitals. Now our kids will have to learn about twenty-nine states and seven union territories. Which effectively means that we’ll have to learn that many more. :-/

Jokes apart, now that Congress has helped Mother India give birth to her 29th baby, I see some groups celebrating and some fighting.God knows in the coming days, how many more states are going to be created.

All I have to ask is, “Is all this helping us move in the right direction?”

Don’t  be amused by my query. I ask so, because I believe in United we stand, Divided we fall. Back before independence, the Mughals and British came and divided us and succeeded in ruling. Now we ourselves are letting political parties and religious leaders divide us further. The more we are getting divided, the farther we are moving away from one another and thus increasing risks for each.

How many more divisions?

How many more blood sheds?

Till when?    

 

source :::::Reblogged from  Dew Drops  of Rekha

natarajan

 

Ambassador Car Ranked No 1 Taxi in The World !!!!

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It may have lost out to the more modern competitors from Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Toyota and Honda but the good old Ambassador car, which once ruled the roost in India, has just been voted as the world’s best taxi by global automotive programme Top Gear.

In a show, which is being aired on the BBC, Top Gear’s executive director Richard Hammond organised a world taxi shootout in which Ambassador emerged a winner, beating competitors from all over the globe.

“The winner was India’s virtually indestructible Hindustan Ambassador,” UK-based motor museum Beaulieu, where the ‘World of Top Gear’ featuring vehicles from some of the most ambitious challenges are also showcased, said in a statement.

This particular example proved just how enduring the Ambassador really is when it saw off rivals from Britain, America, Germany, South Africa, Mexico and Russia to be named the world’s best taxi, it added.

The Hindustan Ambassador started life in Britain as the Morris Oxford but, with a quick name change, it went on to become one of India’s most enduring vehicles.

“It’s (Ambassador) so tough that, although it now lives in World of Top Gear, with a quick wash and brush up, it could be back in service tomorrow – probably,” the statement said.

In 1948, CK Birla Group firm Hindustan Motors Ltd began the production of the Ambassador at Uttarpara in Hooghly district, West Bengal.

Till the arrival of the Maruti in the early 80s, the Ambassador was the status symbol in India. Gradually it lost out to various global competitors when it came to personal usage but continued to be the favourite vehicle for government officials and also in the taxi segment.

In the recent past, its sales in both the segments have shown a decline and in 2012-13, the Ambassador sold a total of just 3,390 units. This fiscal, it has sold only 709 units in the April-June period.

 

Ambassador ranked the world's best taxi

source::::PTI in NDTV .COM  ….based on TOP GEAR OF BBC

natarajan

Detroit …..Then and Now !!!

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In its heyday, Detroit was a bustling city. The population spiked from just over 285,000 in 1900 to over 1.5 million by 1930.

In its heyday, Detroit was a bustling city. The population spiked from just over 285,000 in 1900 to over 1.5 million by 1930.

  • The legendary Hotel Pontchartrain had a reputation for luxury. It hosted several presidents, and auto industry executives were known to conduct business in the hotel bar.
Detroit

In the early 1900s, Detroit became the automotive capital of the world. Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Company in 1903, and the Dodge brothers and Chrysler also did business in Detroit.

In the early 1900s, Detroit became the automotive capital of the world. Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Company in 1903, and the Dodge brothers and Chrysler also did business in Detroit.

New residents flooded the city as demand for labor rose. And unions hugely improved working conditions for these workers, giving them 8-hour workdays and a minimum wage.

New residents flooded the city as demand for labor rose. And unions hugely improved working conditions for these workers, giving them 8-hour workdays and a minimum wage.

With the population boom came a thriving arts and culture scene. One of the top destinations in old-time Detroit was the Detroit Opera House.

With the population boom came a thriving arts and culture scene. One of the top destinations in old-time Detroit was the Detroit Opera House.

Detroit wasn't all about the auto industry. The Detroit River was a major hub for cargo shipping and passenger transport throughout the Great Lakes region.

Detroit wasn’t all about the auto industry. The Detroit River was a major hub for cargo shipping and passenger transport throughout the Great Lakes region Other big industries included stoves, ships, cigars, pharmaceuticals, beer, and rail car

Even if Detroit's winters were harsh, the scenery was beautiful.

Even if Detroit’s winters were harsh, the scenery was beautiful.

STATUS OF DETROIT TODAY ….

Detroit’s median home sale price is around $25,200, which is a huge jump from earlier in the year, when rock bottom was at $17,000 (though way down from its 2006 peak of $83,00).

But you can buy a house for cheaper than that. A ton cheaper, in fact.

Wayne County treasury officials are going door-to-door striking controversial deals with whomever is living inside about 1,500 of the more than 6,000 tax-foreclosed properties, according to Christine MacDonald of The Detroit News.

Even though last year’s unpaid property taxes total $17.6 million, the city says it prefers occupied homes to unsold lots and is willing to sell the properties for as little as $500.

The county treasury hasn’t made the list of properties available to the public yet since it’s attempting to first visit a majority of the homes that it believes to be occupied, MacDonald says.

In the meantime, we found at least 13 homes (and one retail space) that you can buy for less than $100. With some deals in the single digits, we posit that these are some of the cheapest houses you can find in America.

A 3-bedroom brick bungalow on Indiana St.

Price: $1

Square feet: 1,434

Zillow estimates this home’s worth at $24,600. The price was reduced $49 last December. The single family home also has a full basement.

A single family 3-bedroom on Garland St.

Price: $1

Square feet: 1,244

Zillow estimates this home’s worth at $28,800. It features a large living room and a one-car garage.

A single family 3-bedroom home on Hartford St.

Price: $1

Square feet: 859

Zillow estimates this home’s worth at $22,200.

A severely fire-damaged 3-bedroom ranch on Parkside St.

Price: $1

Square feet: 704

Zillow estimates this home’s worth at $23,700. This house last sold in July 2003 for $20,000.

A single family two-bedroom on Forestlawn St.

Price: $25

Square feet: 1,200

Zillow estimates this home’s worth at $25,000. It was recently listed.

A fire-damaged brick apartment on Nottingham Rd.

Price: $25

Square feet: 1,755

This house last sold in October 2008 for $12,000. The price has increased $1 since Dec. 16, 2011.

A fire-damaged 2-bedroom home on Virgil St.

Price: $50

Square feet: 900

A fire-damaged ranch-style home on Rockdale St.

Price: $50

Square feet: 695

A fire-damaged brick bungalow on Glenwood St.

Price: $75

Square feet: 862

A 3-bedroom home on West Chicago St.

Price: $50

Square feet: 972

A 3-bedroom home on Evanston St.

Price: $75

Square feet: 1,081

A single family fire-damaged home on Springwells St.

Price: $94

Square feet: 1,104

Zillow estimates this home’s worth at $37,700. This house last sold in July 2006 for $110,00.

BONUS: Retail space on Michigan Ave next to an oil change station

Price: $14

Square feet: 3,000

Zillow estimates this property’s worth at $175,600. It was recently listed.


SOURCE::::: BUSINESSINSIDER.COM

natarajan


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/detroit-houses-for-1-dollar-2012-2?op=1#ixzz2ZgDA0lJ9

Birth of Ctrl +Alt + Del !!!

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By Virginia Hughes

In the spring of 1981, David Bradley was part of a select team working from a nondescript office building in Boca Raton, Fla. His task: to help build IBM’s new personal computer. Because Apple and RadioShack were already selling small stand-alone computers, the project (code name: Acorn) was a rush job. Instead of the typical three- to five-year turnaround, Acorn had to be completed in a single year.

One of the programmers’ pet peeves was that whenever the computer encountered a coding glitch, they had to manually restart the entire system. Turning the machine back on automatically initiated a series of memory tests, which stole valuable time. “Some days, you’d be rebooting every five minutes as you searched for the problem,” Bradley says. The tedious tests made the coders want to pull their hair out.

So Bradley created a keyboard shortcut that triggered a system reset without the memory tests. He never dreamed that the simple fix would make him a programming hero, someone who’d someday be hounded to autograph keyboards at conferences. And he didn’t foresee the command becoming such an integral part of the user experience.

Bradley joined IBM as a programmer in 1975. By 1978, he was working on the Datamaster, the company’s early, flawed attempt at a PC. It was an exciting time—computers were starting to become more accessible, and Bradley had a chance to help popularize them.

In September 1980, he became the 12th of 12 engineers picked to work on Acorn. The close-knit team was whisked away from IBM’s New York headquarters. “We had very little interference,” Bradley says. “We got to do the design essentially starting with a blank sheet of paper.”

Bradley worked on everything from writing input/output programs to troubleshooting wire-wrap boards. Five months into the project, he created ctrl+alt+del. The task was just another item to tick off his to-do list. “It was five minutes, 10 minutes of activity, and then I moved on to the next of the 100 things that needed to get done,” he says. Bradley chose the keys by location—with the del key across the keyboard from the other two, it seemed unlikely that all three would be accidentally pressed at the same time. Bradley never intended to make the shortcut available to customers, nor did he expect it to enter the pop lexicon. It was meant for him and his fellow coders, for whom every second counted.

The team managed to finish Acorn on schedule. In the fall of 1981, the IBM PC hit shelves—a homely gray box beneath a monitor that spit out green lines of type. Marketing experts predicted that the company would sell a modest 241,683 units in the first five years; company execs thought that estimate was too optimistic. They were all wrong. IBM PC sales would reach into the millions, with people of all ages using the machines to play games, edit documents, and crunch numbers. Computing would never be the same.

 

And yet, few of these consumers were aware of Bradley’s shortcut quietly lingering in their machines. It wasn’t until the early 1990s, when Microsoft’s Windows took off, that the shortcut came to prominence. As PCs all over the country crashed and the infamous “blue screen of death” plagued Windows users, a quick fix spread from friend to friend: ctrl+alt+del. Suddenly, Bradley’s little code was a big deal. Journalists hailed “the three-finger salute” as a saving grace for PC owners—a population that kept growing.

In 2001, hundreds of people packed into the San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the IBM PC. In two decades, the company had moved more than 500 million PCs worldwide. After dinner, industry luminaries, including Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, sat down for a panel discussion. But the first question didn’t go to Gates; it went to David Bradley. The programmer, who has always been surprised by how popular those five minutes spent creating ctrl+alt+del made him, was quick to deflect the glory.

“I have to share the credit,” Bradley joked. “I may have invented it, but I think Bill made it famou

source:::::mentalfloss.com

natarajan

Read the full text here: http://mentalfloss.com/article/51674/history-ctrl-alt-delete#ixzz2ZGXMJXdw
–brought to you by mental_floss!

R I P….Dear Telegram ….

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The 163-year old telegram service in the country — the harbinger of good and bad news for generations of Indians — is dead.

Once the fastest means of communication for millions of people, the humble telegram was on Sunday buried without any requiem but for the promise of preserving the last telegram as a museum piece.

Nudged out by technology — SMS, emails, mobile phones — the iconic service gradually faded into oblivion with less and less people taking recourse to it.

Started in 1850 on an experimental basis between Kolkata and DiamondHarbour, it was opened for use by the British East India Company the following year.

In 1854, the service was made available to the public.

It was such an important mode of communication in those days that revolutionaries fighting for the country’s independence used to cut the telegram lines to stop the British from communicating.

Old timers recall that receiving a telegram would be an event itself and the messages were normally opened with a sense of trepidation as people feared for the welfare of their near and dear ones.

For jawans and armed forces seeking leave or waiting for transfer or joining reports, it was a quick and handy mode of communication.

Lawyers vouched for the telegrams as they were registered under the Indian Evidence Act and known for their credibility when presented in court.


Bollywood was not to be left behind and immortalised the service with many sudden turns in films being announced by the advent of the taar.

Pockets of rural India still use the service but with the advent of technology and newer means of communication , the Telegram found itself edged out.

“The service will start at 8 am and close by 9 pm on Sunday  JULY 14 night,” BSNL CMD R K Upadhyay told PTI.

“The service will not be available from Monday.”   JULY 15

State-run telecom firm BSNL had decided to discontinue telegrams following a huge shortfall in revenue.

The service generated about Rs 75 lakh annually, compared with the cost of over Rs 100 crore to run and manage it.

Telecom and IT Minister Kapil Sibal had said last month that

“We will bid it a very warm farewell and may be the last telegram sent should be a museum piece. That’s the way in which we can bid it a warm farewell.”

There are about 75 telegram centres in the country, with less than 1,000 employees to manage them.

BSNL will absorb these employees and deploy them to manage mobile services, landline telephony and broadband services.

source:::::rediff.com

natarajan

 


 

 

 

 

Fascinating Fifty Facts about Statue of Liberty !!!!

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 Statue of Liberty: 50 fascinating facts

1. The statue’s full name is Liberty Enlightening the World.

2. It was a gift from France, given to America in 1886.

3. The head of the statue was displayed at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1878.

4. The robed female figure represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom.

5. She holds a torch and tablet upon which is inscribed the date of American Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776).

6. From the ground to the top of the torch the statue measures 93 metres, and weighs 204 metric tonnes.

7. Lady Liberty wears a size 879 shoe.

8. She has a 35-foot waistline

9. Visitors have to climb 354 stairs to reach the statue’s crown.

10. There are 25 windows in the crown.

11. Approximately 4m people visit the statue each year. In comparison, over 6m people visit The Eiffel Tower, and 3.5m visit The London Eye.

12. The seven spikes on the crown represent the seven oceans and the seven continents of the world, indicating the universal concept of liberty.

13. The statue has an iron infrastructure and copper exterior which has turned green due to oxidation. Although it’s a sign of damage, the patina (green coating) also acts as a form of protection from further deterioration.

14. Edouard de Laboulaye provided the idea for the statue, while Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi designed it.

15. Laboulaye proposed that a great monument should be given as a gift from France to the United States as a celebration of both the union’s victory in the American Revolution, and the abolition of slavery.

16. Laboulaye also hoped the gift of the statue would inspire French people to fight for their own democracy in the face of a repressive monarchy under Napolean III.

17. Gustave Eiffel, the man who designed the Eiffel Tower was also behind the design for Liberty’s ‘spine’; four iron columns supporting a metal framework that holds the copper skin which is a mere 3/32ths of an inch thick.

18. 300 different types of hammers were used to create the copper structure.

19. The statue’s face was said to be modelled on the sculptor’s mother, Charlotte.

20. The statue’s original torch was replaced in 1984 by a new copper torch covered in 24k gold leaf.

21. Although you cannot see Lady Liberty’s feet clearly she is in fact standing among a broken shackle and chains, with her right foot raised, depicting her moving forward away from oppression and slavery.

22. Despite the positive meaning of the statue – American independence and the abolition of slavery – it African Americans saw the statue as an ironic image of America; professing to be a country of freedom and justice for everyone regardless of race, despite racism and discrimination continuing to exist.

23. The Statue of Liberty became the symbol of immigration during the second half of the 19th century, as over 9m immigrants came to the United States, with the statue often being the first thing they saw when arriving by boat.

24. The statue’s most famous cinematic appearance was in the 1968 film “Planet of the Apes” where it is seen half buried in sand.

25. It is also destroyed in the films “Independence Day” and “The Day After Tomorrow”.

26. The cost of the statue was funded by contributions from both the French and the Americans. In 1885, a New York newspaper entitled “World” announced that $102,000 had been raised from donors, and that 80 per cent of this total had been received in sums of less than one dollar.

27. Groups in Boston and Philadelphia offered to pay the full cost of the construction of the statue, in return for its relocation.

28. When the statue was first erected in 1886 it was the tallest iron structure ever built.

29. In 1984, the statue was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

30. In high winds of 50mph Lady Liberty can sway by up to 3 inches, while her torch can move 5 inches.

31. Lady Liberty is thought to have been hit by around 600 bolts of lightning every year since she was built. A photographer captured this for the first time in 2010.

32. Two people have committed suicide by jumping off the statue, one in 1929 and the other in 1932, while many others have jumped and survived.

33. American poet Emma Lazarus wrote about the Statue of Liberty in a sonnet called “The New Colossus” (1883). In 1903 the poem was engraved on a bronze plaque and placed inside the lower level of the pedestal on the statue.

34. The island in which it stands was previously called Bedloe Island, but its name was changed in 1956 to Liberty Island.

35. There are various replicas of the statue, including a smaller version in Paris, and one on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada.

36. In 1944 the lights in the crown flashed “dot-dot-dot-dash” which in the Morse code means V, for Victory in Europe.

37. Andy Warhol painted “Statue of Liberty” as part of his Pop Art series in the 1960s. It is estimated to be worth in excess of $35m.

38. The statue functioned as a lighthouse for 16 years (1886-1902), lighting a distance of up to 24 miles away.

39. The statue will be celebrating its 127th birthday in October 2013.

40. Miss America, the comic book character, was granted her powers by the statue.

41. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, the statue was closed for security reasons, with the pedestal reopening in 2004, and the statue in 2009, but only a limited number of visitors are able to go up to the crown.

42. The statue was again closed in 2012 due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy, with the island off limits to the public. The statue is reopening to visitors on Independence Day, July 4, 2013.

43. The statue sustained minor damage in 1916 when German saboteurs set off an explosion during World War One. The torch-bearing arm suffered the most damage, with repair works costing $100,000. The stairs in the torch were then closed to the public for safety reasons, and have remained closed ever since.

44. No-one has been able to visit the torch since.

45. Private boats are not allowed to dock at Liberty and Ellis islands. Therefore the only way on is via the ferry system.

46. The statue’s 300 copper pieces were transported to America in 214 crates on the French ship Isere, which almost sank in stormy seas.

47. Liberty Island is federal property within the territory of the State of New York, even though it is closer to New Jersey.

48. In 1982, it was discovered that the head had been installed two feet off centre.

49. Two images of the statue appear on a $10 bill.

50. The cost of building the statue and pedestal amounted to over $500,000, over $10m in today’s money.

 

source::::The Telegraph UK

natarajan

Startling Similarities !!!….Is History Going To Repeat ?!!!

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They say India’s 1983 World Cup win was the greatest cricketing upset. Man to man, Kapil Dev’s ragtag bunch paled in comparison to Clive Lloyd’s West Indies. But that ragtag bunch had it in them to beat the Caribbean giants.

Before anybody could say ‘fluke’, India produced another momentous performance when they went to Australia in 1985 and won the Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket. It was the biggest ODI tournament outside the World Cup, and the first – and last – of its kind. It featured all the seven full members of the ICC at the time: Australia, England, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, West Indiesand Sri Lanka.

Thirty years later, history seems to be repeating itself. India, the 2011 World Cup winners, are performing brilliantly in the Champions Trophy, which currently is the biggest ODI tournament outside the World Cup, and this is also the last time this tournament will be played.

India, having beaten South Africa, West Indies and Pakistan, need to win two more games to take the Trophy. In 1985 too, India had remained unbeaten throughout, winning five games out of five on their way to the World Championship win.

There are other parallels to be drawn between 1985 and 2013.

The year before the B&H World Championship, the best Australian batsman of the era – Greg Chappell – retired. It happened again in the year before the 2013 Champions Trophy when Ricky Ponting retired from international cricket.

In both eras, Australia were beset by transitional difficulties. In 1984, Greg Chappell, Dennis Lilleeand Rodney Marsh – three of their all-time greats – had retired en masse, and Australia were struggling to rebuild their team with young players. Currently, under Michael Clarke, they’re again troubled by the retirements of some of their finest players and trying to recreate the strong group of cricketers they once were. They had failed to qualify for the B&H World Championship semifinals. They failed again in the 2013 Champions Trophy.

Months before the B&H World Championship, England won a Test series in India by a 2-1 margin under the leadership of David Gower. It was a landmark win for the visitors. It took them another 28 years to win another Test series in India, and it happened months before the 2013 Champions Trophy when Alastair Cook’s boys won – again, by a 2-1 margin.

Both times, England took a 2-1 lead heading into the final Tests which ended in draws.

Bizarrely, both Gower and Cook are left-handed batsmen who were 27 years old at the time of their Indian triumphs.

Spooky? Read on.

Ravi Shastri started his international career batting in the lower order. But as his career progressed, he was promoted to the opener’s slot. He was moved up and down a great deal but he landed himself the opener’s job permanently for the B&H World Championship. India in 2013 have a somewhat similar story – of Rohit Sharma, who has been tried in the middle order but clicked only when he was promoted as the opener in a surprise move. But here’s the most intriguing coincidence here – both Shastri and Sharma are Mumbai cricketers.

But that isn’t even the best part of this string of bizarre parallels. Shastri won the man of the tournament award at the B&H World Championship. He was dubbed the ‘Champion of Champions’ for his consistent brilliance with bat and ball through the tournament.

In the 2013 Champions Trophy, there is one Indian cricketer who has made a big impact on India’s fortunes. He has scored vital runs in the game against South Africa, taken a tidy bag of wickets (with a fiver against the West Indies) and has also fielded brilliantly.

It was Ravi in 1985. In 2013, it’s Ravindra. Both these gents are left-arm spinners. They’ve been riled for not being as skilled as some of their superstar colleagues. But nobody would deny that they have made the best use of their limited abilities. And what they lack in skill, they make up in enthusiasm. What’s more both of them have a large social media fan-following – if you could call it that!

So what do these coincidences mean? Are they hinting at an India win? Who knows? Just sit back and enjoy the final moments of the last ever Champions Trophy.

Are there any other parallels you can draw between the B&H World Championship and the 2013Champions Trophy? Share your views in the comments.

source::::: yahoo cricket

Natarajan
 

“Parabrahmam in Vibuthi Snaanam ” ….A Beautiful Painting !!!!

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I am pleased to share with you the photo of my latest colour painting of Mahaperiava. I went through the report on the celebrations organised by our forum at Sri Padhmanabaswami temple in Adyar. I did not have the ‘Bagyam’ of participating in it; however, I celebrated it my own way by painting His image on that day.

Looking at the image, my thoughts ran like this:

We have very often heard the word Parabrahmam; He Himaself had talked about it many a times in His discourses. Another thought that occurred to me was the five types of ‘SNAANAA’ ( BATHING) He talks about ( DHEYVATHTHIN KURAL—-Vol. 3–pp 499 to 502). One of them happens to be ‘VIBHUTHI SNAANAM’

Looking at this image, I am overwhelmed by the sight of HIM , His body fully soaked in Vibhoothi and sitting as a Parabrahmam, meditating for the good of this world!

Hope you like the picture.

Painting By Kanchi Periva Forum member Sri Anusham 163….Shri.B.Narayanan

source ::::periva.proboards.com

Natarajan

Read more: http://periva.proboards.com/thread/4454/mahaperiava-jayanthi-2013-25th/#ixzz2VWR1Udb1