Yoga Time with a Chihuahua!
This guy has the most spiritual Chihuahua we’ve ever seen, that insists on doing yoga with its owner!
source::: You Tube and ba-ba mailsite
natarajan
Photography
Partial Solar Eclipse in Australia ….on 29 April…
Beautiful partial solar eclipse in Australia today (April 29, 2014).
Damian McCudden Landscape Photographer captured this photo of today’s partial solar eclipse as seen from Australia. He wrote:
Partial Solar Eclipse at sunset today. I made my way to the farm, went to the old barn but too many trees around so raced back to the windmill and shot it from there. Sucks that there are power lines in the way, but I reckon they add to the shot, and that nice tree next to the windmill adds to the shot, too.
Thanks for looking and hope you like it.
source::::Earth Sky News site
natarajan
Real Photography Using A Film Camera !!!
Surreal Photography Using Only a Film Camera. |
| Oleg Oprisco has loved fairy-tales and other-worldly stories all her life. As a photographer, living in Lviv, Ukraine, she creates surreal images. But unlike many other surreal artists, she doesn’t use any digital manipulation, indeed, she uses nothing but an old film camera. That means all you see in these photos is real, and had to be set up. These days, digital photography has diminished the use of ‘setting up a shot’ like this, and it’s a shame, because in my opinion it comes out beautifully. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
source::::: ba-ba mail site
natarajan
Imaginative Photos Of Toy Plane Soaring in the Sky !!!
Macau-based web designer and developer Varun Thota (@vnthota) has an Instagram feed full of photos depicting dynamic metropolitan life, but his series My Toy Plane (#mytoyplane) takes his creative vision to new heights. The imaginative photos show a hand guiding a toy airplane overhead in various locations. If it weren’t for the hand, the images would be quite convincing as shots of a real plane soaring in the sky, flying over tall buildings, or preparing to land on a runway.
What makes Thota’s photos even more fun to look at are the glimpses of urban life in Macau, Hong Kong, and other bustling cities in Asia. His toy plane weaves in between tall skyscrapers, over lively streets, and above vibrant downtown bays, taking the viewer on a mini-voyage of their own. Looking at the creative shots, you can almost imagine yourself sitting in the plane itself, gazing down at the beautiful sights below.
Drawing inspiration from the hashtag #putaplaneonit, Thota decided to start this series after his father found a toy plane inside a chocolate Kinder egg. Through the photos, he not only gets to explore his interest in aviation, but also to build relationships with the people around him. He says, “The thing I enjoy most about the series is how fun it is to include other people in it. It’s always fun to show people the plane, tell them the story and then ask them for a helping hand in taking the shot.”
source:::::::::::::::http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/varun-thota-my-toy-plane natarajan
Finally, Taxi On The Fast Lane ….@ Chennai…
Welcome to Meru. Your billing has started,” announces a mechanised voice as one enters a Meru taxi. Photo: Ram Keshav
Taxis are now available in your city at the touch of an icon on your smartphone
Driver Nickson is on his way from Nungambakkam in a Ford Endeavour. He is 21 minutes away. No, 19. The car-shaped icon moves like an ant on the smartphone’s screen as time ticks by. It tells us exactly where the taxi is at which point in time. He glides to a stop as one watches him on the screen. The taxi is here — the entire process happened at the touch of an app on the smartphone. Call taxis, these days, don’t require a ‘call’ for you to avail their service. All you have to do is download an app. Companies such as Uber, Ola, and Meru put you in touch with their drivers through a well-coordinated system that involves the GPS.
The Uber app for instance, can be downloaded onto Android phones and iPhones (it is not available for Windows phones). The taxi can be booked by just tapping on the icon; the nearest Uber driver is informed of your location and so are you. Before you know it, your taxi is booked — the app lets you monitor the driver’s location on Google maps, displays his name, and the car’s registration number.
“Uber’s specialty is on-the-spot booking,” says Nickson. “You can book your cab while you’re on the move.” And there is no cash involved — once you register with Uber, the bill amount is debited from your credit card. The best thing regarding Uber is their cars — Honda Civic, Accord, Toyota Camry, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar. Launched in the city in January this year, Uber is the next big thing in taxis.
“Welcome to Meru. Your billing has started,” announces a mechanised voice as one enters a Meru taxi. “It’s the Tab,” points out driver Samuel David. “All of our cabs come fitted with Tabs. We use them to monitor the meter.” The Tab displays the start time, customer’s name, and drop location. “We have 60 cars running in the city; we launched a month ago,” explains Samuel. The Meru app works in a similar way; it is available on Google Play, App Store, and Windows Store.
Ola Cabs, yet another new line of taxis, are also available at a single touch — the app is available on App Store and Google Play. “There is no confusion regarding the client’s location. Once they book a cab, I get to know their location through GPS,” says driver K.N. Gopinath.
Despite it all, these taxis are priced nominally. Which is why, “these days, even people who own cars take taxis to be dropped off and picked up from the airport,” according to Gopinath. They are also widely used by women who go pubbing late night. “On Fridays and weekends, our customers are mostly couples and party-goers who prefer us for our luxury cabs,” says Nickson.
“We also have the option of card payment,” adds Samuel. Meru has strict rules for its drivers. Displayed on the dashboard is an oath that has lines such as ‘I will not drink and drive’, ‘I will charge the customer as per the meter’, and ‘I will be alert at all times’. “There is just one word I don’t understand,” says Samuel as the car zooms through Anna Salai. “What does ‘groom’ mean? We are repeatedly told to be well-groomed.” Just then, the taxi pulls up at our destination and the mechanised voice calls out: “Thank you for using Meru.”
Keywords: call taxis, Meru, Ola, Uber, Chennai cabs
source:::: Akila Kannadasan in The Hindu… metroplus
natarajan
How to Spot the International Space Station ….
 |
|
Is it a meteor? Is it a plane? It might be the International Space Station (ISS).
Every so often, the ISS becomes visible in the night sky. To us on Earth, it looks like a bright star moving quickly above the horizon. The ISS is so bright, it can even been seen from the center of a city. Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, it disappears. How do you know when you can see the ISS in your night sky?
NASA has started a Spot the Station program where people from around the world can sign up to receive alerts when the ISS will be visible from your location. You can receive alerts via email or a text message to your phone. Typically, alerts are sent out a few times each month when the station’s orbit is near your location. Visit the Spot the Station website here to sign up, and view a list of upcoming sighting opportunities.
Notices will only be sent to you when the ISS will be clearly visible from your location for at least a couple of minutes. If you live north of 51.6 degrees latitude (for example, in Alaska), you will likely have to visit the website to find sighting opportunities because notifications in this region would be rare.
The notices contain information on where to look for the ISS in the night sky. Just note where the sun sets and you can easily find the direction where the station will appear (for example, in the southwest or in the northwest). The height at which the station will appear is given in degrees. Just remember that 90 degrees is directly over your head. Any number less than 90 degrees will mean that the station will appear somewhere between the horizon and the 90 degree mark. The station is so bright that it is really hard to miss if you’re looking in the correct direction. Alternatively, you can stretch out your fist at arm’s length toward the horizon, which is equivalent to about 10 degrees. Then, just use the appropriate number of fist-lengths to find the location marker, e.g., four fist-lengths from the horizon would be equivalent to about 40 degrees.
So far, more than half a million people have signed up to receive alerts from NASA’s Spot the Station program. I’ve seen the station fly over twice now and it’s a pretty amazing experience—gets you thinking about how far our technology has advanced.
The first module of the ISS was launched into space in 1998 and the initial construction of the station took about two years to complete. Human occupation of the station began on November 2, 2000. Since that time, the ISS has been continuously occupied and over 214 people have visited to date. The ISS serves as both an orbiting laboratory and a port for international spacecraft. The primary partnering countries involved in operating the ISS include the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and Russia.
The ISS orbits at approximately 220 miles above the Earth and it travels at an average speed of 27,724 kilometers (17,227 miles) per hour. The ISS makes multiple orbits around the Earth every day. So far, the ISS has traveled more than 1.5 billion miles through space.
Bottom line: Check out the ISS in the night sky the next time it flies over your location. You can sign up to receive alerts with NASA’s Spot the Station program or visit that website to view a list of viewing opportunities.
source:::::Earth skynews site
natarajan
A Tribute to India’s Natural Heritage ….
India is home to an amazingly wide variety of wild animals native to the country. This video subtly inspires us to be mindful guardians and reminds us of our responsibilities towards them.
A nicely shot film with a complementary track. Jai Hind.
source:::: You Tube & Story Pick
natarajan
When Madras First Voted !!!
Chennai has just voted, along with the rest of Tamil Nadu. Waiting for the results may be a good time to think of the first mass-based election – in 1937, when over 35 million or about 25 per cent of the adult population voted in all British-ruled provinces of India, for the local legislatures. In Madras Presidency, that meant elections to the newly created Madras Legislative Assembly.
Our city was the capital of this vast Presidency, which extended from Andhra to Kanyakumari and so the atmosphere was electric. Adding to the excitement was the Congress party, contesting elections for the first time. Leading the campaign effort was S Satyamurti, veteran freedom-fighter, lawyer, theatre personality, patron of music and a magnificent orator. Under Satyamurti, the campaign was to be a colourful one.
He had for long been using theatre and (from 1931) film artistes, to attract crowds for his public meetings. In the 1937 campaign he was to press them once again into service. Chief among these were KB Sundarambal and ‘Avvai’ TK Shanmugam. Those were polls when in place of symbols, each party was identified by a ballot box of a certain colour and the voter had to push his paper into the box of his/her choice. The Congress party was assigned the colour yellow. At each public meeting, Sundarambal and Shanmugam would sing song hits from their plays and when a sizeable crowd had collected, would speak about the Congress. Then Sundarambal would wax eloquent on the good and auspicious qualities of turmeric and therefore the colour yellow. They would then depart after asking everyone assembled to vote for the yellow box. The Devadasi campaigner Tanjavur Kamukannammal would give the colour a different twist. She would speak about snuff and then ask everyone to vote in the ‘snuff box’! A special gramophone record containing the songs of Sundarambal and Musiri Subramania Iyer along with Congress appeals carried the message into households.
Such was the Congress juggernaut that some opposing candidates opted to withdraw rather than fight the polls. The first unopposed return to the Assembly was announced a month before the election – a certain K Kamaraj Nadar (!!) was declared elected from the Sattur-Aruppukottai rural constituency.
Those were days when newspapers could get away by being blatantly partisan (or patriotic depending on how you looked at it). The Hindu, carried a headline instructing its readers to “Fill the Yellow Boxes”. “Voters should require little persuasion at this time of the day to vote for the Congress,” it said. On the eve of polling day (February 14) NS Varadachari, a Congress candidate, was roughed by hired thugs in the Triplicane area. The Hindu carried a column on this and also had a photograph of Varadachari leading a procession, with bandaged head!
The results, when announced on February 24, were well worth the effort. The Congress had cornered 74 per cent of the seats in the Assembly, the best performance by the party anywhere in India.
Keywords: hidden histories column, S Satyamurti, Madras voting
SRIRAM.V in The Hindu …MetroPlus
natarajan
Animal Photos Of the Week…
Two dogs have become best friends with a tiger. The dogs – mother Lia, pictured, and her male pup Hugo – are inseparable from new-born tiger cub Suria. Suria was born at the Oasis of the Siberian Tiger, in Senec, Slovakia – a protected area that aims to breed ussurian tigers. Suria soon became friendly with Lia and Hugo, who live on the site.Picture: LUCIA ZUSTAKOVA / CATERS NEWS
These fluffy ducklings had a lucky escape when quack-thinking staff at the Knowsley Safari Park, Merseyside, spotted them in the lion enclosure. A keeper distracted the big cats so the babies – nicknamed Ant and Dec – could be moved to safety.Picture: KNOWSLEY SAFARI PARK
This hedgehog in the western German city of Saarbruecken had a lucky escape after being tempted to try and eat the remains of a pudding at the bottom of a plastic carton and getting its head stuck.The trapped hedgehog was spotted walking in the middle of the street by a motorist. He was worried that it was likely to be run over, despite stopping and attempting to divert drivers around the animal.He called police to alert them to the fact that there was a hedgehog on the road which motorists were swerving to avoid. When officers arrived they managed to find the animal and free it from the pudding container.
A lion cub stretches as the rain begins to fall in the Masai Mara National Reserve in KenyaPicture: Mark Bridger/Solent News
Curious cheetahs peer into a sunroof in the Masai Mara National Reserve, KenyaPicture: Elmar Weiss/HotSpot Media
Beefy the four-day-old giant lamb stands next to another lamb the same age at Cannon Hall farm in BarnsleyPicture: ROSS PARRY
A polar bear cub and its mother Uslada play after leaving their winter shelter in St.Petersburg’s zooPicture: EPA/ANATOLY MALTSEV
Kuchi, an Afghan nomad, leads his camel across a road in Jalalabad-Kabul highway east of Kabul, AfghanistanPicture: Rahmat Gul/AP
A curious leopard cub toys with ranger Roan Ravenhill’s GoPro camera in MalaMala Game Reserve in Mpumalanga Province, South AfricaPicture: Roan Clive Ravenhill/Barcroft
SOURCE:::: The Telegraph UK
natarajan
Image of the Day …
Jacob Baker created this cool composite image of the moon and Venus rising in the east this morning, Friday, April 25, 2014. He said it took him about three hours to complete. “Phew!” he said. It was worth it, Jacob.
The waning crescent moon is now sweeping past the sky’s brightest starlike object – the planet Venus – n the eastern predawn sky. They were closest on Friday morning – April 25, 2014 – but you might catch the moon and Venus on Saturday, too. Click here for a chart and info about Saturday’s moon and Venus.
source::::Earth Sky News
natarajan
Take off with Natarajan 