environment – Page 74 – Take off with Natarajan

This Mumbai-Born Girl Living in the UK May Just Be Smarter than Einstein…!!!

January 11, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Kashmea Wahi, an 11-year-old Indian-origin girl living in the UK, has achieved the highest possible score of 162 on a Mensa IQ test.

Kashmea, who was born in Mumbai, now lives in London. Her parents Vikas and Pooja Wahi are IT management consultants at Deutsche Bank. She took the test to prove a point to them — she wanted to convince them that she didn’t need to spend all her time studying (something that they were insisting she do).

This score puts her among the top 1 percent of people in the world for IQ.

The IQ of geniuses such as Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, who have changed our perception of the world, is estimated to be 160.

Source: Wikimedia

“It’s overwhelming to be compared with the likes of Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein, the comparison is implausible and I believe it would take loads of achievements for anyone like myself to be able to get into the league of such legends. Anyways, I am buzzing with excitement,” Kashmea said.

Her parents are also thrilled at this news. They say that while they always knew she was smart, this further confirmation has made them hopeful that she will do “something wonderful” in the future.

Kashmea is a member of school’s maths team. She also takes part in chess tournaments — she has won a number of awards — and plays net ball and lawn tennis.

Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. Membership is open to anyone whose IQ is in the top 2 percent of the population. A Mensa spokesperson has confirmed that Wahi is among the youngest people ever to have received a score of 162.

Featured image source: Twitter (left); Wikimedia (right)

Source…….vandita kapoor in http://www.the betterindia .com

Natarajan

Mango Phone: Here’s an iPhone killer….?

January 11, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Apple’s iPhone will soon have an interesting competitor in smartphone markets around the globe with the launch of MPhone — the Mango Phone.

Not very surprisingly, the company has also decided on a mango as their logo. The new handset is expected to hit Indian markets by the end of this month.

The company, reportedly helmed by group of Malayalis, was founded on an initial investment of Rs 3500 crore. In what could be more interesting to prospective buyers, a fresh handset also packs a bluetooth headset, wireless charger, power bank and a selfie stick!

The handset will be brought to the markets by MPhone Electronics and Technologies Limited with 4G and 3D technology assistance from Korea. MPhone Electronics and Technologies Limited is learnt to be partnered by Anto Augustine, Roy Augustine and Josekutty Augustine from the Wayanad district of Kerala.

It is also learnt that the handset employs a 6050 mah battery that assures three days charge life for a fully charged handset. Shock resistant Gorilla screen glass, 23 MP primary and 8 MP secondary camera are other major attractions of the upcoming competitor of the iPhone. Reportedly, the handset will be providing an internal memory of 32 GB, which can be extended up to 128 GB. A 3 GB RAM module will speed up the handset.

As per unofficial reports, the MPhone will be priced around Rs 35,000. While it may not be wise to compare apples to oranges mangoes, it will certainly make for some interesting competition in this space!

Deepu

Source:

http://www.rediff.com

Natarajan

வாரம் ஒரு கவிதை ….” இனி ஒரு விதி செய்வோம் ” !

January 11, 2016Natarajan1 Comment

“இனி ஒரு விதி செய்வோம் “

……………………..

எம்மதமும் எமக்கு சம்மதமே என எல்லா மதமும் சொன்னாலும்

மதம் பிடித்த களிறு போல் வெறியாட்டம் ஆடுது ஒரு

உன்மத்தக் கூட்டம் …அவர் வைக்கும் வாதம் விதண்டாவாதம்

அது தீவிர வாதம் … நம் ஒற்றுமைக்கு உலை வைக்கும்

பயங்கர வாதம் …அதன் சிறகொடித்து வேரறுக்க வேண்டாமா நாம் ?

வாள் எடுக்க வேண்டாம் நாம் அவர் சிறகொடிக்க …

தாள் பணியவும் தேவையில்லை நாம் அவர் முன்னால் ! இந்த

நாள் ஒரு புது விதி செய்வோம் நாம் !…சாதி மத இன

பேதம் யாவும் நாம் மறந்து, துறந்து, வாழ்ந்து காட்டுவோம் ஒரு

இந்தியனாக ! இப்படி சாதிப்போம்

சமத்துவம் , சகோதரத்துவம் , மனித நேயம் ! மறக்காமல்

போதிப்போம் நம் இளைய தலை முறைக்கும் …

“உன் தாய் பாரதம் , உன் மதம் பாரதம் , உன் மொழி பாரதம்

உன் இனம் பாரதம் …நீயே பாரதம் ” !

வித்தாக நாம் விதைக்கும் இப்புது விதியால் தப்பாமல்

பிறக்கும் ஒரு முத்தான ஒளிமிகு புதிய பாரதம் !

Source…..MY Kavithai Published in http://www.dinamani.com….kavithaimani on 11 jan 2016

Natarajan

Anamorphic Art by István Orosz………

January 11, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

István Orosz was born in 1951 and after training as a graphic designer, he first gained recognition as a stage designer and for his work in animated film as animator and director. His posters and graphic art have featured in countless international design exhibitions, and he is well-known as a printmaker and illustrator too. He is perhaps best known for his renewal of the technique of anamorphosis.

Anamorphosis is an art of distorted projection or perspective requiring the viewer to use special devices or occupy a specific vantage point to reconstitute the image. The art of Anamorphosis was invented in China and brought to Italy in the 16th century, about the time Renaissance artists like Leonardo da Vinci were mastering 3-D and discovering slant anamorphosis.

István Orosz specializes in mirror anamorphosis, where a conical or cylindrical mirror is placed on the drawing to transform a flat distorted image into a three dimensional picture that can be viewed from many angles. He also does slant anamorphosis.

István Orosz’s best creation is probably the one called Mysterious Island. It’s a sketch of a seashore with a sail pushed along by the wind, and two men trekking.

But if a cylindrical mirror is placed over the circular sun, a portrait of Jules Verne emerges.

His other works

Source…..www.amusingplanet.com

Natarajan

Positive Affirmations to Help You Through Tough Times….

January 11, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

When the going gets tough, I have found that positive affirmations have helped me push through and overcome the odds. After all, just like every muscle in the body, the mind needs to be exercised too. Positive affirmations remind us to believe in ourselves and move forward. They tell us exactly what we need to hear at the time we need it most. And if we train our mind with positive affirmations every day, soon enough, the right thoughts will spring to mind without needing to make the extra effort. Here are 10 of my favorite affirmations I repeat each morning. I hope that they will benefit you as much as they have me.

positive affirmations

Source…….www.ba-bamail.com

Natarajan

These 5 Indians over 88 Will Prove that Age is Just a Number…!

January 10, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

A 93 year old woman whose graceful dance moves will leave you mesmerised, a 104 year old marathon runner — these five such elderly people will leave you deeply inspired and motivate you to pursue your dreams.

“A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams,” said John Barrymore. There are some inspiring people in their twilight years who make sure that they live their dream each day. For them, their dreams really do become reality.

Here are five such people, who are still rocking it in their 80s and 90s:

1. Sunderlal Bahuguna, 88

Photo: alchetron.com

This environmentalist from Uttarakhand is the man behind the Chipko movement. Since several decades, he has been fighting to preserve Himalayan forests and is still very active when it comes to environmental conservation. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the government of India in 1981, but he turned it down. He later got the Padma Vibhushan in 2009. He has been actively working to defend India’s rivers and has backed many anti-dam protests.

2. Fauja Singh, 104

Photo: weinterrupt.com

Born in Punjab, this 104-year-old superman is the oldest marathon runner in the world. He ran the London Marathon when he was 101-years-old and completed it in 7 hours and 49 minutes. Now he runs for fun! In 2011 (the year which also marked his 100th birthday), he attempted and accomplished eight world age-group records in one day at the special Ontario Masters Association Fauja Singh Invitational Meet, held at Birchmount Stadium in Toronto, Ontario Canada.

3. V. Nanammal, 95

She is 95 but does extremely difficult yoga poses with ease. With her talent, she has proved that age is just a number. She started practicing yoga when she was just 14 and has continued to pursue the ancient art till date. This Coimbatore-based super grandmother says she teaches yoga to over 100 kids and hasn’t faced any health problems till date — all thanks to yoga.

4. K.T. Antony, 91

Photo: mattersindia.com

While many people of his age prefer reading as they grow older, Antony chose to follow a different path. He is currently busy writing his next romantic novel, which is based on biblical characters. He has completed two sets of short plays and three novels. Not just this, he is also a graphic designer, actor, and director. Now that’s what we call living the life to its fullest!

5. Bhanu Rao, 92

This extremely talented lady might be over 90 but still has amazing talent. Her graceful Bharatnatyam moves are enough to give a complex to any young dancer. Watch her perform on her 92nd birthday and fall in love with her.

source….Shreya Pareek in http://www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

The Incredible Story of a Village in Kerala That Gave up Alcohol… For Chess!

January 10, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

In the midst of the recent debate surrounding prohibition in the southern Indian state of Kerala, maybe it’s time once again to talk about the tiny village of Marottichal in Puthur Gram, Thrissur.

In the 60s and 70s, the village had a serious problem with locally-brewed liquor. Too many villagers both brewed toddy and were addicted to it. Over time, this became a source of local suffering. Slowly but surely, though, the villagers realised that the deep rifts caused in their community because of alcohol needed to be healed. In a move that goes to show the extent of their determination (and desperation) to be rid of alcohol, they convinced excise officials to raid their village and put a stop to the brewing.

Often, when the focus of an addiction is removed, the addict simply replaces the object his devotion with another.

How delightful then, that what the residents of Marottichal chose to put their heart in was, of all things — chess.

mage for representation only. Source: Wikipedia

Over 40 years ago, when the villagers were struggling to cope with the aftermath of their alcoholism, it just so happened that a young man called C. Unnikrishnan was intensely fascinated by Bobby Fischer — the American who became the youngest chess Grandmaster at the at of 16.

After he came across an article about Fischer in a magazine, Unnikrishnan was hooked. He started attending coaching classes to learn chess, then decided that the game was too special to remain a private pleasure; it needed to be popularised. He started giving free lessons at his home to villagers both young and old. Since then, he has trained over 600 people. Today, he runs a restaurant where people can come at any time and play chess.

In a 2012 article, Unnikrishnan had said to The Hindu, “Chess is my passion. Once I start playing, I forget everything. It’s kind of an addiction.”

Funny that he would choose that word.

Today, 90 percent of the residents of Marottichal are chess players. This passion cuts across gender and age — here men and women, children and grandparents all play intense games of chess against each other with equal fervour.

Viswanathan Anand, Grandmaster and five time World Chess Champion, has congratulated the villagers’ effort “to create a rare distinction in the field of chess”. Their prodigious love of the game has also found a place in a 2013 Malayalam movie, August Club.

Source…..Vandita Kapoor in www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

Image of the Day….” Light Pillars…” !

January 10, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Light pillars and aurora over Montana

In one night, nature photographer John Ashley caught contrasting images of two very different light displays in the sky.

Light pillars above a gas station in Columbia Falls, Montana by John Ashley, January 3, 2016. He used a Nikon D750 to capture this image. Visit johnashleyfineart.com

John Ashley in northwestern Montana caught a beautiful display of light pillars (above) – after capturing an aurora earlier that night (below) – on January 3, 2016. He wrote:

Two very different pillars of light showed up to bookend my comet chasing trip during the wee hours this morning. Before Comet Catalina appeared, the northern lights rose over Glacier National Park and reflected nicely in the icy North Fork River, at a balmy minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit [-15 Celsius]. The aurora was visible for less than an hour, faint enough that I could not detect any color with my old eyes. Camera picked up yellow and magenta but none of our most common color, green.

On my 04:30 a.m. drive home, I just had to pull over and photograph the light pillars over a local gas station.

From the Atmospheric Optics website:

Columns of light apparently beaming directly upwards from unshielded (and wastefully polluting) lights are sometimes visible during very cold weather. Plate shaped ice crystals, normally only present in high clouds, float in the air close to the ground and their horizontal facets reflect light back downwards. The pillars are not physically over the lights or anywhere else in space for that matter ~ like all halos they are purely the collected light beams from all the millions of crystals which just happen to be reflecting light towards your eyes or camera.

Perhaps even more commonly than light pillars from artificial lights, people also see sun pillars. Read more and see photos of light pillars and sun pillars here.

Aurora over Glacier National Park, Montana, by John Ashley. January 3, 2016.

Bottom line: Light pillars over Columbia Falls, Montana, and an aurora over Glacier National Park, Montana, on January 3, 2016.

Source…www.earthsky.org

Natarajan

9 of the Most Remote Inhabited Islands in the World…!!!

January 10, 2016Natarajan1 Comment

I can’t get my head around how far away the inhabitants of these islands live from civilization! They are hundreds, if not thousands, of miles from the nearest continental land mass – it’s truly astonishing to think they’re even inhabited at all. Would you dare to visit somewhere so remote? These are 9 of the world’s most remote inhabited islands:

Saint Helena

The Most Remoted Inhabited Islands in the World

Image Source

Distance from Civilization: 1,200 miles from Angolan coast

Saint Helena is widely believed to have been discovered by the Portuguese at the turn of the 15th Century. Various European powers staked different claims to the island during the 17th Century. It’s probably most well-known as the place that Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to, following his defeat by the British. It is home to 4,255 people.

Ascension Island

The Most Remoted Inhabited Islands in the World

Distance from Civilization: 1,000 miles from African coast

Located in the South Atlantic Ocean, Ascension Island is home to approximately 880 people. It is not thought to have had an indigenous population, and it was first settled in 1815. Prior to that, it was sporadically used as an open prison. Its principle settlement and capital city is Georgetown.

Easter Island

The Most Remoted Inhabited Islands in the World

Distance from Civilization: 2,000 miles from Chilean coast

Easter Island is instantly recognizable due to the Moai, or giant statues, which dot the island. They were carved by the native Rapa Nui people between the 13th and 16th Centuries. In the present day, the island is populated by a little over 6,000 people. It’s said to overwhelm first-time visitors with the sheer sense of isolation they feel upon arrival.

Tristan da Cunha

The Most Remoted Inhabited Islands in the World

Image Source

Distance from Civilization: 1,750 miles from South African coast

Lying all alone in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, Tristan da Cunha was first inhabited in 1816. Its main settlement, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, is widely considered to be the most remote permanent settlement on earth.

Pitcairn Island

The Most Remoted Inhabited Islands in the World

Image Source

Distance from Civilization: 1,800 miles from New Zealand

Most of the 56 people that currently live on Pitcairn Island descended from the Bounty mutineers and the Tahitians that accompanied them. The island is the least populous natural jurisdiction in the world.

South Keeling/Cocos Islands

The Most Remoted Inhabited Islands in the World

Distance from Civilization: 620 miles from Java, Indonesia

This island chain consists of two atolls and 27 coral islands. Just two of the latter are inhabited. West Island is home to approximately 120 people, while Home Island is home to about 500 people. The islands are a territory of Australia.

Floreana

The Most Remoted Inhabited Islands in the World

Distance from Civilization: 620 miles from Ecuador

Taking its name from the first president of Ecuador, Floreana is part of the Galapagos Islands. While it’s true that there are some 26,000 people living throughout this archipelago in the present day, Floreana is the most remote island within it. It’s home to just 100 people.

Niue

Image Source

Distance from Civilization: 1,500 miles from New Zealand

Although Niue is an independent island country, it is in free association with New Zealand, which conducts diplomatic affairs on its behalf. It was the first nation in the world to provide free WiFi to all of its 1,600 citizens.

St. George’s Island

The Most Remoted Inhabited Islands in the World

Distance from Civilization: Approx. 500 miles from Alaska

Located in the frigid Bering Sea between Russia to the west and Alaska to the east, St. George’s Island features one settlement that encompasses the entire 35 square miles of the island. Just 100 people live on the island.

Written by: Jake Schembri

Source……www.ba-bamail.com

Natarajan

Beautiful Words About Love ……….

January 10, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

When it comes to love, it’s hard to express true feelings with words. One can only try and mimic the wonderful, aching emotions of love and devotion. Nevertheless, words sometimes lead us to understanding love a little better. I hope these words fill your day up with some sweetness.