message for the day

Joke of the Day…” Why Symphony being played backward …” !!!!

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A tourist in Vienna goes through a graveyard and all of a sudden he hears some music. No one is around, so he starts searching for the source.
He finally locates the origin and finds it is coming from a grave with a headstone that reads: “Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827.”
Then he realizes that the music is the Ninth Symphony, and it is being played backward! Puzzled, he leaves the graveyard and persuades a friend to return with him. By the time they arrive back at the grave, the music has changed. This time it is the Seventh Symphony, but like the previous piece, it is being played backward. Curious, the men agree to consult a music scholar.
When they return with the expert, the Fifth Symphony is playing, again backward. The expert notices that the symphonies are being played in the reverse order in which they were composed, the 9th, then the 7th, then the 5th.
By the next day the word has spread and a throng has gathered around the grave. They are all listening to the Second Symphony being played backward.
Just then the graveyard’s caretaker ambles up to the group. Someone in the group asks him if he has an explanation for the music.
“Don’t you get it?” the caretaker says incredulously. “He’s decomposing.!!!

Source…www.joke a day .com

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Image of the Day…Milky Way …

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Milky Way against a bright moon

Even in bright moonlight, astrophotographer Justin Ng captures amazing shots of the Milky Way. Here’s one from May 6, during the peak of a meteor shower.

View larger. | Milky Way against a bright Moon at Mount Bromo during the peak of Eta Aquarid meteor shower, by Justin Ng of Singapore.

Justin Ng wrote to EarthSky, with this photo attached. He captured it on May 6, 2015 at 5:30 a.m. local time in East Java, Indonesia. He wrote:

Just led my first full moon astrophotography expedition to Mount Bromo, one of the active volcanoes in Indonesia. It would have been easier to unveil the Milky Way against the bright moon on our first night there, but the sky was cloudy and we could only do this on our last night, which was more challenging as the bright moon was located nearer to the Milky Way’s galactic center.

The moon and Saturn made a close approach on May 6, passing just within 2° of each other, at around 35° above horizon at 5.30am (GMT +7). It was a cold night, and alsowhen the Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaked. The large and bright waning gibbous moon, with its illumination at 97%, managed to obscure both the Eta Aquarid meteor shower and the spectacular Milky Way. Although I was able to see a few faint Eta Aquarid meteors on that night, I was unable to see the Milky Way with my unaided eye because the bright moon was so close!

Nonetheless, using the method that I have shared in this tutorial, I managed to unveil the Milky Way that’s obscured by the moon.

So it’s still possible to unveil the Milky Way against a large and bright moon! Give it a try.

Justin pointed out that the circular feature in the photo – on the lower left side – was not a real object in the sky over Mount Bromo. It’s an internal reflection from his camera, known as a lens flare, often seen (although usually not so beautifully!) in photos of bright objects like the sun and moon.

Thank you, Justin!

Bottom line: Milky Way in bright moonlight, by Justin Ng of Singapore.

Source…..www.earthsky.org

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” Meet the World’s First Octographer…” !!!

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If you give an octopus a camera

… she’s going to want to take pictures. An octopus at a New Zealand aquarium trains a camera on visiting tourists.

Meet the world’s first octographer. An animal behavior expert at Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life Aquarium in Auckland City, New Zealand trained an octopus named Rambo to take photos using a Sony Cyber-shot TX30 camera. Octopuses are super intelligent and Rambo learned quickly. Mark Vette is Rambo’s trainer. He said:

When we first tried to get her to take a photo, it only took three attempts for her to understand the process. That’s faster than a dog. Actually it’s faster than a human in some instances.

Rambo charges $2 to take your picture. The small donation goes directly to the aquarium to help offset expenses.

Source….www.earthsky.org

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Message For the Day…” It is HE who Holds the String of Your Life…”

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When you face hardships and struggle in life, cling and hold on to the Lord. To instill courage in an infant, its mother persuades it to walk a few steps and turn, but she won’t allow it to fall. If it totters and is about to lose balance, she hurries behind and catches it! The Lord too has His eyes fixed on each individual (jivi). He has in His hand the string of the kite, which is humanity! Sometimes He may pull it, and at other times He may loosen the grip! Whatever He does, be confident and carefree, for it is He who holds the string of your life. That solid faith will fill you with the essence of love (prema-rasa). The string is the bond of love and grace and every individual (kite) is thus bound to the Lord. All you must do is to walk the path so that the bond of love and grace is strong.   

Sathya Sai Baba

 

Message For the Day…” Infuse Every Moment of Life with Love…”

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Twenty hammer strokes might not succeed in breaking a stone, but the twenty-first stroke might break it. Does this mean that the twenty blows were of no avail? No. The final success was a result of the cumulative effect of all the strokes. Your mind is constantly engaged in a struggle with the world, both internal and external. Needless to say, you may not succeed always. But by immersing yourself in good work and saturating your mind with the love of God, you will attain everlasting bliss. When your mind dwells on the Lord, you will be drawn only toward good deeds automatically. The object of all spiritual practices is to destroy the mind, and some day, just as the twenty-first blow broke the stone, one good deed will succeed in destroying your mind. So no good deed is a waste, every little act counts. Infuse every moment of life with love. Then evil tendencies dare not hamper your path.

Sathya Sai Baba

Image of the Day…” Sunset on Mars…” !!!

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You are there! Sunset on Mars

A beautiful new timelapse showing sunset on Mars in mid-April, 2015, from the Mars Curiosity rover.

View larger. | Mars sunset in Gale Crater, Sol 956, Wednesday, April 15, 2015. Image via 34mm MastCam on Mars Curiosity rover. Image via NASA / JPL / Malin Space Science Systems.

This new timelapse lets you experience a sunset on our neighboring planet, Mars. NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover captured the images to make this animated gif from the Gale Crater on Mars during Sol 956 – the 956th day of the rover’s activity on the Martian surface. By earthly calendars, it was Wednesday, April 15, 2015.

At the time, the planet Mercury was transiting the sun as seen from Mars. These observations were an attempt to observe Mercury passing in front of the sun, as well as to obtain a Martian sunset with Curiosity’s Mast Cameras.

NASA wrote:

The four images shown in sequence here were taken over a span of 6 minutes, 51 seconds.

This was the first sunset observed in color by Curiosity. The images come from the left-eye camera of the rover’s Mast Camera (Mastcam). The color has been calibrated and white-balanced to remove camera artifacts. Mastcam sees color very similarly to what human eyes see, although it is actually a little less sensitive to blue than people are.

Bottom line: Animated gif of a Martian sunset, April 15, 2015, acquired by the Mars Curiosity rover’s Mast Camera.

Via NASA.

Source….www.earthskynews.org

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Message For the Day…” What is the Genuine Moment of Awakening…” ?

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Life is eternally stalked by death. Yet people don’t tolerate the very mention of the word ‘death’. It is deemed inauspicious to hear that word. Anything maybe uncertain, death is certain. It is impossible to change that law. However insufferable it is, every living thing received a ticket to death at birth and every moment is proceeding nearer and nearer to it. The samsara (life) train you are journeying on is taking you to that destination, whether you sit quiet or lie down or read or meditate or sing in the journey. Recognise this truth and turn your mind over to good mental tendencies (samskaras). Everyone must examine themselves rigorously, spot defects, and endeavour to correct them. When people uncover and realise their own defects, it is like being reborn. People then start anew, from a new childhood. This is the genuine moment of awakening.

Sathya Sai Baba

Message For the Day…”Use Your Hands and Feet to Perform Good Deeds…”

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When the rains pour on the mountain peaks and water hurries down the side, no river emerges. However, when the water flows in a single direction, first a brook, then a stream, a torrent, and finally a flooded river is formed, and the rains reach the sea. Water that runs in one direction reaches the sea; water that flows in four directions soaks in and is lost. Mental tendencies (samskaras) are like this. Of what use are they if they are all over the place? The holy stream of noble inborn desires must flow full and steady along the fields of holy thoughts and finally at the moment of death abide in the great ocean of bliss. Worthy indeed is the one who reaches such a goal! Hence from now on, use your hands and feet to perform good deeds selflessly and fix your mind on Him. Chant His name from within and practice your duty (swadharma) with utmost sincerity.   

Sathya Sai Baba