learnings

Message for the Day…. ” Don’t Forget the Truth that there is a Higher Power which is Driving You…”

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Sathya Sai Baba

In the twilight of dusk, one mistakes a thick rope for a snake. When the place is lit, only rope remains – the snake was never there. A momentary delusion caused the appearance of the snake and the absence of the rope. This phenomenon is called Maya. Maya makes you imagine the presence of what is not there and believe in the existence of that which is nonexistent. The combined power ofPrakriti, Avidya and Maya (Phenomenal world, Ignorance and Delusion) makes people forget their true nature. People often imagine that they accomplished many things, and believe that all their achievements are entirely due to their own efforts and capabilities. They forget the truth that there is a higher power which is the driving force for action as well as the results thereof! This is the effect of delusion (bhrama). To help get rid of this delusion and enable one to comprehend the inherent divine nature, the ancients suggested prayers.

 

” ஆய கலைகள் 64 …எண் 9 ன் தத்துவமும் மகத்துவமும் …”

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ஆய கலைகள் அறுபத்து நான்கு எவை தெரியுமா!

1. அக்கரவிலக்கணம்
2. இலிகிதம்
3. கணிதம்
4. வேதம்
5. புராணம்
6. வியாகரணம்
7. நீதி சாத்திரம்
8. சோதிட சாத்திரம்
9. தர்ம சாத்திரம்
10. யோக சாத்திரம்
11. மந்திர சாத்திரம்
12. சகுன சாத்திரம்
13. சிற்ப சாத்திரம்
14. வைத்திய சாத்திரம்
15. உருவ சாத்திரம்

16. இதிகாசம்
17. காவியம்
18. அலங்காரம்
19. மதுரபாடனம்
20. நாடகம்
21. நிருத்தம்
22. சத்தப்பிரமம்
23. வீணை
24. வேணு
25. மிருதங்கம்
26. தாளம்
27. அத்திரப்பரீட்சை
28. கனகபரீட்சை
29. ரத பரீட்சை
30. கசபரீட்சை
31. அசுவபரீட்சை
32. ரத்திரனப்பரீட்சை
33. பூமிபரீட்சை
34. சங்ககிராம இலக்கணம்
35. மல்யுத்தம்
36. ஆகரூடணம்
37. உச்சாடணம்

38. விந்து வேடணம்
39. மதன சாத்திரம்
40. மோகனம்
41. வசீகரணம்
42. ரசவாதம்
43. காந்தருவவாதம்
44. பைபீலவாதம்
45. கவுத்துக வாதம்
46. தாது வாதம்
47. காருடம்
48. நட்டம்
49. முட்டி
50. ஆகாயப் பிரவேசம்
51. ஆகாய கமணம்
52. பரகாயப் பிரவேசம்
53. அதிரிசயம்
54. இந்திரசாபம்
55. மகேந்திரசாபம்
56. அக்கினித்தம்பம்
57. சலத்தம்பம்
58. வாயுத்தம்பம்
59. நிட்டித்தம்பம்
60. வாக்குத்தம்பம்

61. சுக்கிலத்தம்பம்
62. கன்னத்தம்பம்
63. கட்கத் தம்பம்
64. அவத்தைப் பிரயோகம்

……………..

ஒன்பதின் தத்துவம்,என்ன என்பதைத் தெரிந்து கொள்ளுங்கள்
**************************************************
9ன் சிறப்பு தெரியுமா?
எண்களில் விசேஷமான
எண்ணாக கருதப்படுவது
ஒன்பது.
அந்த எண்ணில்
நீண்ட வாழ்வு எனும்
அர்த்தம் பொதிந்திருப்பதாகச்
சொல்கின்றனர்,

சீனர்களின் சொர்க்க கோபுரம்,
ஒன்பது வளையங்களால்
சூழப்பட்டுள்ளது.
எகிப்து, ஐரோப்பா, கிரீக்
முதலான நாடுகளும்
9-ஆம் எண்ணை
விசேஷமாகப் பயன்படுத்திப்
போற்றுகின்றன.
புத்த மதத்தில்,
மிக முக்கியமான
சடங்குகள் யாவும்
ஒன்பது துறவிகளைக் கொண்டே
நடைபெறும்.
தங்கம், வெள்ளி மற்றும்
பிளாட்டினத்தின்
சுத்தத்தை 999 என்று
மதிப்பிடுவார்கள்.

பெண்களின் கர்ப்பம்,
பூரணமாவது ஒன்பதாம் மாத
நிறைவில்தான்!

ஒன்பது எனும் எண்
இன்னும் மகத்துவங்கள்
கொண்டது.
ஒன்பது என்ற எண்ணுக்கு
வடமொழியில் நவம்
என்று பெயர்.
நவ என்ற சொல்
புதிய, புதுமை எனும்
பொருள் உடையது.

நவ சக்திகள்:

1,வாமை,
2,ஜேஷ்டை,
3,ரவுத்ரி,
4,காளி,
5,கலவிகரணி,
6,பலவிகரணி,
7,பலப்பிரமதனி,
8,சர்வபூததமனி,
9,மனோன்மணி,

நவ தீர்த்தங்கள்:
1,கங்கை,
2,யமுனை,
3,சரஸ்வதி,
4,கோதாவரி,
5,சரயு,
6.நர்மதை,
7,காவிரி,
8,பாலாறு,
9,குமரி

நவ வீரர்கள்:
1,வீரவாகுதேவர்,
2,வீரகேசரி,
3,வீரமகேந்திரன்,
4,வீரமகேசன்,
5,வீரபுரந்திரன்,
6,வீரராக்ஷசன்,
7,வீரமார்த்தாண்டன்,
8,வீரராந்தகன்,
9,வீரதீரன்

நவ அபிஷேகங்கள்:
1,மஞ்சள்,
2,பஞ்சாமிர்தம்,
3,பால்,
4,நெய்,
5,தேன்,
6,தயிர்,
7,சர்க்கரை,
8,சந்தனம்,
9,விபூதி.

நவ ரசம்:
1,இன்பம்,
2,நகை,
3,கருணை,
4,கோபம்,
5,வீரம்,
6,பயம்,
7,அருவருப்பு,
8,அற்புதம்,
9,சாந்தம் ,

நவக்கிரகங்கள்:
1,சூரியன்,
2,சந்திரன்,
3,செவ்வாய்,
4,புதன்,
5,குரு,
6,சுக்கிரன்,
7,சனி,
8,ராகு,
9.கேது

நவமணிகள்:-

நவரத்தினங்கள்:
1,கோமேதகம்,
2,நீலம்,
3,வைரம்,
4,பவளம்,
5,புஸ்பராகம்,
6,மரகதம்,
7,மாணிக்கம்,
8,முத்து,
9,வைடூரியம்

நவ திரவியங்கள்:
1,பிருதிவி,
2,அப்பு,
3,தேயு,
4,வாயு,
5,ஆகாயம்,
6,காலம்,
7, திக்கு,
8,ஆன்மா,
9,மனம்

நவலோகம் (தாது):
1,பொன்,
2,வெள்ளி,
3,செம்பு,
4,பித்தளை,
5,ஈயம்,
6,வெண்கலம்,
7,இரும்பு,
8,தரா,
9,துத்தநாகம்

நவ தானியங்கள்:
1,நெல்,
2,கோதுமை,
3,பாசிப்பயறு,
4,துவரை,
5,மொச்சை,
6,எள்,
7,கொள்ளு,
8,உளுந்து,
9,வேர்க்கடலை

சிவ விரதங்கள் ஒன்பது:

1,சோமவார விரதம்,
2,திருவாதிரை விரதம்,
3,உமாகேச்வர விரதம்,
4,சிவராத்ரி விரதம்,
5,பிரதோஷ விரதம்,
6,கேதார விரதம்,
7,ரிஷப விரதம்,
8,கல்யாணசுந்தர விரதம்,
9,சூல விரதம்

நவசந்தி தாளங்கள்:

1,அரிதாளம்,
2,அருமதாளம்,
3,சமதாளம்,
4,சயதாளம்,
5,சித்திரதாளம்,
6,துருவதாளம்,
7,நிவர்த்திதாளம்,
8,படிமதாளம்,
9,விடதாளம்

அடியார்களின் பண்புகள்:
1,எதிர்கொள்ளல்,
2,பணிதல்,
3,ஆசனம் (இருக்கை) தருதல்,
4,கால் கழுவுதல்,
5,அருச்சித்தல்,
6,தூபம் இடல்,
7,தீபம் சாட்டல்,
8,புகழ்தல்,
9,அமுது அளித்தல்,

(விக்ரமார்க்கனின்
சபையிலிருந்த 9 புலவர்கள்; நவரத்னங்கள் எனச் சிறப்பிக்கப்படுவர்)

1,நவரத்னங்கள் (முனிவர்கள்)தன்வந்த்ரி,
2,க்ஷணபகர்,
3,அமரஸிம்ஹர்,
4,சங்கு,
5,வேதாலபட்டர்,
6,கடகர்ப்பரர்,
7,காளிதாசர்,
8,வராகமிஹிரர்,
9,வரருசி

அடியார்களின் நவகுணங்கள்:
1,அன்பு,
2,இனிமை,
3,உண்மை,
4,நன்மை,
5,மென்மை,
6,சிந்தனை,
7,காலம்,
8,சபை,
9,மவுனம்.

நவ நிதிகள்:
1,சங்கம்,
2,பதுமம்,
3,மகாபதுமம்,
4,மகரம்,
5,கச்சபம்,
6,முகுந்தம்,
7,குந்தம்,
8.நீலம்,
9.வரம்

நவ குண்டங்கள்:
யாகசாலையில் அமைக்கப்படும்
ஒன்பது வகையிலான
யாக குண்ட அமைப்புக்கள்:
1,சதுரம்,
2,யோனி,
3,அர்த்த சந்திரன்,
4,திரிகோணம்,
5,விருத்தம் (வட்டம்),
6.அறுகோணம்,
பத்மம்,
எண்கோணம்,

பிரதான விருத்தம்.

1,நவவித பக்தி :
2,சிரவணம்,
3,கீர்த்தனம்,
4,ஸ்மரணம்,
5,பாத சேவனம்அர்ச்சனம்,
6,வந்தனம்,
7,தாஸ்யம்,
8,சக்கியம்,
9,ஆத்ம நிவேதனம்

நவ பிரம்மாக்கள் :
1,குமார பிரம்மன்,
2,அர்க்க பிரம்மன்,
3,வீர பிரம்மன்,
4,பால பிரம்மன்,
5,சுவர்க்க பிரம்மன்,
6,கருட பிரம்மன்,
7,விஸ்வ பிரம்மன்,
8,பத்ம பிரம்மன்,
9,தராக பிரம்மன்

நவக்கிரக தலங்கள் –
1,சூரியனார் கோயிவில்,
2,திங்களூர்,
3,வைத்தீஸ்வரன் கோவில்,
4,திருவெண்காடு,
5,ஆலங்குடி,
6,கஞ்சனூர்,
7,திருநள்ளாறு,
8,திருநாகேஸ்வரம், 9,கீழ்ப்பெரும்பள்ளம்

நவபாஷாணம் –
1,வீரம்,
2, பூரம்,
3, ரசம்,
4,ஜாதிலிங்கம்,
5,கண்டகம்,
6,கவுரி பாஷாணம்,
7,வெள்ளை பாஷாணம்,
8,ம்ருதர்சிங்,
9,சிலாஷத்

நவதுர்க்கா –
1,ஸித்திதத்ரி,
2,கஷ்முந்தா,
3,பிரம்மாச்சாரினி,
5,ஷைலபுத்ரி,
7,மகா கவுரி,
8,சந்திரகாந்தா,
9,ஸ்கந்தமாதா,
6.மகிஷாசுரமர்த்தினி, -,காளராத்ரி

நவ சக்கரங்கள் –

நவ சக்கரங்கள் –
1,த்ரைலோக்ய மோகன சக்கரம்,
2,சர்வசாபுரக சக்கரம்,
3,சர்வ சம்மோகன சக்கரம்,
4,சர்வ சவுபாக்ய சக்கரம்,
5,சர்வார்த்த சாதக சக்கரம்,
6,சர்வ ரக்ஷõகர சக்கரம்,
7,சர்வ ரோஹ ஹர சக்கரம்,
8,சர்வ ஸித்தி ப்ரத சக்கரம்,
9,சர்வனந்தமைய சக்கரம்.

நவநாதர்கள் –
1,ஆதிநாதர்,
2,உதய நாதர்,
3,சத்ய நாதர்,
4,சந்தோஷ நாதர்,
5,ஆச்சாள் அசாம்பயநாதர்,
6,கஜ்வேலி கஜ்கண்டர் நாதர்,
7,சித்த சொவ்றங்கி
8,நாதர், மச்சேந்திர நாதர்,
9,குரு கோரக்க நாதர்

உடலின் நவ துவாரங்கள் :
இரண்டு கண்கள்,
இரண்டு காதுகள்,
இரண்டு மூக்குத் துவாரங்கள்,
ஒரு வாய்,
இரண்டு மலஜல துவாரங்கள்

உடலின் ஒன்பது சக்கரங்கள் :
1,தோல்,
2,ரத்தம்,
3,மாமிசம்,
4,மேதஸ்,
5,எலும்பு,
6,மஜ்ஜை,
7,சுக்கிலம்,
8,தேஜஸ்,
9,ரோமம்

18 புராணங்கள்,
18 படிகள் என அனைத்தும்
9-ன் மூலமாக தான் உள்ளன.

காயத்ரி மந்திரத்தை
108 முறை ஜபிக்க வேண்டும்.
எல்லா தெய்வத்தின்
நாமாவளியும் ஜப மாலையின்
எண்ணிக்கையும்
இதை அடிப்படையாகக் கொண்டதுதான்!

புத்த மதத்தினர்
108 முறை மணியடித்து,
புது வருடத்தை வரவேற்றுக்
கொண்டாடுகின்றனர்.
சீனாவில்,
36 மணிகளை
மூன்று பிரிவாகக் கொண்டு,
சு ஸூ எனப்படும்
மாலையைக் கொண்டு
ஜபம் செய்வார்கள்.

ஸ்ரீகிருஷ்ணருக்குப்
பிரியமான மாதம்… மார்கழி.
இது வருடத்தின் 9-வது மாதம்!
மனிதராகப் பிறந்தவன்
எப்படி வாழ வேண்டும் என
வாழ்ந்து காட்டிய
ஸ்ரீராமபிரான் பிறந்தது,
9-ஆம் திதியான
நவமி நாளில்தான்.

Source….input from a friend of mine….

Natarajan

BUBBLE WRAP WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED TO BE USED AS WALLPAPER….

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Today I found out bubble wrap was originally designed to be used as wallpaper.

Bubble Wrap was invented by two engineers Al Fielding and Swiss inventor Marc Chavannes in Hawthorne, N.J. in 1957.  The two were not, however, trying to make a product to be used as packaging material. Rather, they were trying to create a textured wallpaper.  They started out by sealing two shower curtains together in such a way that it would capture air bubbles which would make the textured appearance for their wallpaper.  Needless to say, this wallpaper idea didn’t sell too well.

Not to be deterred, they then set about finding another use for their product.  The alternate use they came up with was to use it as greenhouse insulation.  While bubble wrap by itself does create somewhat of an insulating effect, this idea didn’t pan out popularly either.

It was three years after the initial creation of Bubble Wrap that Frederick W. Bowers, a marketer at Sealed Air, which makes Bubble Wrap, finally came up with the perfect use for their product.  On October the 5, 1959, IBM announced their new 1401 variable word length computer.  Bowers got the idea that Bubble Wrap could be used as a good packaging material to protect the computer while it was being shipped.  He then pitched the idea to IBM and demonstrated Bubble Wrap’s protective abilities.  His demonstration went over well and IBM began purchasing Bubble Wrap to protect their 1401 and other fragile product they sold and shipped.

From those humble beginnings, the company has grown to annual sales of around $4 billion with a net profit of around $255 million.  For reference, about 10% of Sealed Air’s revenue comes from Bubble Wrap, so around $400 million worth of Bubble Wrap is sold annually.

Bonus Facts:

  • One common misconception about Bubble Wrap is that it is created using machinery that inflates and then seals each and every bubble.  In fact, it’s made by trapping air bubbles in between two sheets of plastic as they are heated and passed between rollers.
  • In its lifetime, the IBM managed to sell or lease about double the number of 1401’s it projected, a whopping 10,000 units, 5,000 of which were sold or leased in its first five weeks on the market.  This might not sound like much, but by the mid-1960s about half of all the computers in the world were the IBM 1401. This computer leased for $2,500 a month (about $18,000 a month today).
  • One of the more interesting aspects of the 1401 was that it was a decimal based computer, rather than binary like most all computers today.
  • One of the downsides to Bubble Wrap has always been how much space it takes up during shipping and storage, for customers who are just buying the Bubble Wrap.  In order to get around this problem, one of the dreams of the original inventors was that they’d some day be able to create a Bubble Wrap that customers could self inflate, as needed.  So that when they purchased it from the manufacturer, it could be shipped as thin flat sheets of plastic, without the bubbles.  Once they assigned some engineers to the problem in the early 1990s, it took about a decade to finally work out the kinks, but Sealed Air now offers such a Bubble Wrap product.  The method they came up with was to extrude tiny pellets of polyethylene into sheets, which are then heated.  The tiny beads of polyethylene then flatten to form extremely strong polymer sheets with rows of un-inflated bubbles which are connected in lines.  Customers can then lease a special machine ($500 per year) from Sealed Air which connect to one end of the sheets and inflate all the lines and then seal off the opening.
  • This new customer inflatable Bubble Wrap is about 40 times cheaper than the traditional bubble wrap in terms of shipping costs to the customers buying the Bubble Wrap.
  • You can tell if some of the Bubble Wrap you have uses these inflatable Bubble Wrap sheets if you can’t pop individual bubbles on the sheets.  Popping one bubble will just pop all the bubbles on a line.
  • While originally being used primarily for packaging for electronics equipment, today the vast majority of Bubble Wrap made is used for food packaging.
  • Sealed Air continually does extreme demonstrations showing how much better Bubble Wrap performs at protecting fragile items. In one such demonstration, they dropped an 815 pound pumpkin from a height of 35 feet onto layers of Bubble Wrap.  The pumpkin survived the fall without a scratch.
  • Among its many uses, Bubble Wrap can be used as a cheap burglar alarm  by placing large bubbled bubble wrap on the floor in front of your door.  Another zany use, used by teenage girls the word over, is as a good stuffing for one’s bra. ;-)
  • The amount of Bubble Wrap produced by Sealed Air annually is enough to wrap the entire Earth (at the equator) with Bubble Wrap about ten times.
  • One major competitor to Bubble Wrap in the packaging industry popped up around five years after Bubble Wrap, “packing peanuts”.  These are typically made from pure polystyrene resin.
  • The color of packaging peanuts usually indicates what it is exactly made of.  Green, for instance, indicates that it’s made from recycled polystyrene.  Pink means that it is an anti-static version of packaging peanuts.  White means that it’s at least 70% virgin polystyrene resin.
  • A new kind of packaging peanut has come on the market in the last couple decades which is actually edible.  These are made from organic based materials, such as corn starch, rather than petroleum based.  They are also completely biodegradable and can’t retain an electrostatic charge, which can be useful in shipping electronics equipment.

Source…..www.todayifoundout.com

Natarajan

How Sikh Organization Khalsa Aid Is Selflessly Helping Syrian Refugees in Serbia…

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An international Sikh relief organisation, Khalsa Aid, is setting an example for the world to follow by helping Syrian refugees in Serbia.

When it comes to helping people in need, this international relief organization is leading the way and inspiring many to come forward and do everything they can in the name of humanity, selflessness and goodwill.

Members of Khalsa Aid have come to the rescue of the Syrian refugees in Serbia, and have been helping them by providing for their basic daily needs.

khalsa aid

“Our teams landed in Serbia last Thursday and ever since have been working closely with several local organisations to provide food, water, clothing, toys, etc., to the many Syrian refugee families arriving after an exhausting journey,” they announced in a Facebook post.

According to their website, Khalsa Aid is primarily a non-profit humanitarian relief agency. Their work is based on the teachings of the Sikh Gurus who preached well-being of all humanity, selfless service and universal love.

khalsa aid2

The organization was set up to provide cross border humanitarian relief and raise awareness about global relief and development work.

Since its launch, the organization has not paid anyone for this work; it operates on a completely voluntary model.

Khalsa Aid is known for providing aid in many different disasters across the world. This, they say, would not have been possible without the generosity of the Sikh community worldwide.

All Pictures: Facebook

Source….Tanaya Singh ….www.the betterindia .com

Natarajan

 

Message for the Day…” Ideal time for Developing the Quality of Forbearance { kshama}…”

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For spiritual progress kshama (forbearance) is the real basis or foundation. Great people and countries have lost their glory, prestige, and reputation because of the disappearance of Kshama. Without patience and the capacity for forbearance, one becomes spiritually weak. Such weakness leads to bad feelings, undesirable thoughts, and unbecoming actions. This virtue is best cultivated under adverse circumstances, and one must therefore gladly welcome troubles instead of regarding them as unwelcome. Thus times of distress, and an environment of sorrow and misery offer the ideal opportunity for the development ofKshama. However, because of mental weakness and ignorance, we shun painful experiences and distress. You should not be weak; be brave and welcome troubles. Let them come, more the merrier. Only with such a courageous attitude, you would be able to bring out the kshama hidden within you.

Sathya Sai Baba

Indian Railways Will Replace Regular Toilets With Vacuum Toilets & This Is How It’ll Work….

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If you travel by air, you must be knowing about the vacuum toilets that they have. Well, now the Indian Railways is keen to incorporate the same. Earlier, we had told you about Japan modernizing Indian Railways. And now, this!

Indian Railways will soon adopt the concept of vacuum toilets. The trial run was launched in Dibrugarh Rajdhani from September 14 at an estimated cost of Rs 3 Lakh.

The filthy and stinky toilets will soon be a thing of the past as the Indian Railways have launched the vacuum toilets.

The idea of having a vacuum toilet came up in Union Budget 2015 and was announced by Union Rail Minister, Suresh Prabhu.

What is a vacuum toilet?

What’s different in vacuum toilets is their suction system. With that, the faeces and urine are removed with a minimal amount of water (0.5 – 1.5 litres). Other than that, the toilet looks and feels exactly like the toilets used everywhere.

Working principle:

Flush toilets that use a negative pressure (vacuum) to suck faeces away.

Working: 

1. When the toilet is flushed, a strong vacuum is created inside the pipe which helps in taking the waste out successfully.

2. The waste is carried along quickly and efficiently using air instead of water.

3. The waste passes through the pump and then  discharged to the collection or treatment point of your choosing.

4. And while someone flushes the toilet, a small amount of water is used to hygienically rinse the inside of the toilet bowl.

 

Time taken: Around 5 seconds.

Another advantage: Since it uses air, so when the toilet is flushed, air is drawn into the toilet from the surrounding environment. Odours, aerosols, and nasty bacteria are removed and literally sucked out of the toilet.

With all of these steps, the stench of the toilets will be a thing of the past.

Indian Railways will soon get a whole new avatar. With Japan’s help pouring in, Indian Railways is ready for the new look. And with that, I cannot help waiting for these changes to be incorporated.

News Source: Daily Bhaskar

Source….Aparajita Mishra….www.storypick.com

Natarajan

These students launched a GoPro into space in 2013 and only just found it, along with some stunning footage….

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Normally when you send something up in a weather balloon, you expect it to come back down again. But, what if you lose the ability to track your package, and the terrain it lands in is a virtually endless desert up to 80 kilometres away from your original launch location? Gulp.

That’s what happened to this group of Arizona-based university students who wanted to find out what their GoPro camera would see if they attached it to a weather balloon and sent it to the edge of space over the Grand Canyon.

The team’s video shows they weren’t exactly unprepared for the voyage, either, spending months testing parachutes, calculating wind trajectories, and custom 3D-printing their GoPro camera chassis for its maiden flight.

gopro space video weather balloon

The GoPro captured some stunning footage during its time in space.

Everything goes swimmingly at first. On launch day the students drive out to their chosen spot, 32 kilometres west of the Grand Canyon. They release the balloon, which swiftly ascends to an altitude of more than 30 kilometres in less than an hour and a half, at which point the Grand Canyon has become more of a grand indentation on the distant orb below.

However, sometimes no amount of preparation can fend off bad luck. As one of the teamrecounts in a Reddit post, due to GPS and data coverage difficulties, their package’s return to Earth didn’t go quite as smoothly as planned:

“We planned our June 2013 launch at a specific time and place such that the phone was projected to land in an area with cell coverage. The problem was that the coverage map we were relying on (looking at you, AT&T) was not accurate, so the phone never got signal as it came back to Earth, and we never heard from it….

The phone landed ~50 miles [80 km] away from the launch point, from what I recall. It’s a really far distance considering there’s hardly any roads over there!”

AT&T may well have been responsible for the group losing their device, but as luck would bizarrely have it, it would later come to the team’s rescue also. Two years after losing track of their GoPro, an employee of the company happened upon the device while hiking in the desert. She was able to identify the SIM card and return the camera – and its valuable recorded footage – to the owners.

An amazing story and an awesome video.

Read the original article on Science Alert. Copyright 2015.

Source….Peter Dockrill..Science Alert…and http://www.businessinsider.com…and http://www.youtube.com

Natarajan

 

 

Here’s the difference between a nonstop and direct flight…

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Direct flights still make stops.

You know you don’t want a layover, but did you know there’s a difference between nonstop and direct flights? No? Well you should if you want your nonstop flight to actually be nonstop.

If you want to get where you’re going as fast as possible, book a nonstop flight.

These flights take off at your departure city and land at your destination without any stops. However, these are usually also the most expensive flights.

Direct flights, despite the name, will also take you from your departure city to your destination, but will make a stop elsewhere in between.

Some people might get off the flight during this stop, others may get on, but a direct flight does not count as a connecting one as it will have you staying put on the plane. Direct flights, unless otherwise specified, will not have you leaving the plane, unless a plane change is required, though this will usually be noted somewhere, so check the fine print. These flights will be cheaper than nonstop flights, though usually still more expensive than connecting ones.

Despite having a stop, direct flights are called “direct” because their flight numbers do not change (even if the plane does). Connecting flights will always have two (or more) different flight numbers. Think of direct flights as buses: they still take you from A to B without huge detours, but will have an extra stop on the way. Occasionally direct flights will even have more than one stop, so always be sure to check before booking a direct flight. These kinds of flights can also be referred to as “through” flights, especially if they involve a plane change.

Another thing to know about direct flights is that frequent flier mileage is often based on the direct flight’s numbers, not the specific legs of the flight. In other words, you may not earn the extra miles flown.

Travel search engines rank nonstop flights highest, followed by direct flights over connecting flights, as those are viewed as more convenient for passengers since you don’t have to move. Airlines have direct, or through flights, to appear higher up in searches, as the single flight number makes those flights appear to be a direct, or even nonstop, thus competing with better flights.

So next time you’re looking to book a flight, make sure to pay attention to the flight details.

Source…www.businessinsider.com

Natarajan

No More Dirty Tracks. Vacuum Toilets in an Indian Train for the First Time …

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Think about your last train journey. Did the whiff of stench from the toilets make you cringe every time the door to your AC coach opened? Did you hate having to use the stinking washrooms?

With Indian Railways working around the clock to improve sanitation facilities for commuters, that stench might soon be a thing of the past. Spanking new vacuum toilets have been installed in the First AC coach of the Dibrugarh Rajdhani train at an estimated cost of Rs. 3 lakhs. The trial run began today.

traintoilet

Photo Credit: Fabio Campo/Flickr

Vacuum toilets are currently used in aircrafts. In the train toilets, the excreta is sucked out with the use of minimum water (0.5 to 1.5 litres), and the waste hence collected is discharged in closed drains at railway stations. These eco-friendly toilets consume much less water as compared to the normal toilets used in our trains currently. The toilets will also prevent erosion of rail tracks, as no discharge takes place.

Indian Railways has also been working with bio toilets. So far, 17,388 conventional toilets have been replaced with bio toilets and the plan is to replace 17,000 more by the end of this year. The bio toilet system utilizes anaerobic bacteria which consume the waste material and convert it into water and gas. The water is passed through a chlorine tank and is discharged as clean water on the tracks, while the gas evaporates.

Some Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains also have Controlled Discharge Toilet Systems (CDTS). With the help of this system, disposal of waste at railways stations can be prevented as the waste is discharged automatically when the train gains a minimum speed of 30km/hour.

Railways has floated global tenders for installing vacuum toilets at a cost of Rs. 25 crores. According to a senior Railway Ministry official, multinational companies from Germany, USA, Denmark and Spain have shown interest in manufacturing and installing these toilets. The plan is that 80 such toilets will be installed initially on a Shatabdi Express train. One toilet will also be installed at New Delhi railway station.

Source…Tanaya Singh ….www.thebetterindia.com

Natarajan

Message for the Day… ” We Need Extreme Patience and Enormous Capacity to Forget and Forgive …”

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Sathya Sai Baba

For acquiring selfless love, the quality of kshama or forbearance is a vital necessity. (kshama is a word rich in meaning. Besides forbearance, it also implies extreme patience and an enormous capacity to forget as also forgive). Every individual must cultivate this noble quality. Kshama is not achieved by reading books or learnt from an instructor. Nor can it be received as a gift from someone else. This prime virtue of kshama can be acquired solely by self-effort, by facing squarely diverse problems and difficulties of various sorts, by going through anxieties and suffering as well as sorrow. In the absence ofkshama, man becomes susceptible to all kinds of evil tendencies. Hatred and jealousy easily take root in a person lacking this virtue. Divinity is merely the combined manifestation of prema (love) andkshama.