Exotic flowers indeed!!
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Daily Dose Of Interesting Information
- Thread starter Visalakshi Ramani
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OP
OP
Do you mean the desert blossoms?
ThanQ very much. Good and Informative collection of Cactus; much useful to botany students.
OP
OP
Cactus brings to our mind a thorny plant- not good to look at and better to
be kept at a safe distance. Actually cactus is being used more and more in
beauty products now. The plant itself has pretty flowers. It teaches us not
to judge anyone by the external appearance. :nono:
be kept at a safe distance. Actually cactus is being used more and more in
beauty products now. The plant itself has pretty flowers. It teaches us not
to judge anyone by the external appearance. :nono:
OP
OP
#198. The King of Games!
Chess is a war game and the chess board is the battle field. The pieces are the soldiers of war. They move, advance, recede, capture and get captured! Obviously Chess is a game that grew out of the clash and tumult of a real battle.
Many myths surround the origin of this game of Chess. A tale from Medieval Persia goes thus: Two Royal brothers fought for the crown. When one of them was killed, the other one commanded the wise men of his court to invent a game, which would explain the tragic events to his grief-stricken mother and console her.
Another story goes thus: Sassa, a mythical Arab philosopher invented the game. As a reward, he demanded to be paid with a single grain of wheat for the first square. The payment was to be doubled for each following squares on the board! He managed to empty all the granaries in the country and became a wealthy man!
Another story says that the game of chess was invented during the siege of Troy, in the 12th century B.C! But India must have been the origin of the game of Chess. “Chaturanga” (the original name for the game) means the four parts of an army viz, the cavalry, the horsemen, the chariots and the elephants. From India it spread to Persia (modern Iran) and became very popular there.
Many names and terms used in the game are derived from the Persian words. “Piyadah” the foot soldier became “The Pawns”. The Chariot “Rukh” became “Rook”.”Shah-mat” or the helpless king became “checkmate”
Persia was the stepping stone for Chess. From there it spread to Spain, Western Europe, and to the far north. By the end of the Middle Ages, chess was made a more dynamic game with many changes. One of the popular variants was the “Courier Game”which had 12×8 squares instead of the usual 8×8!
During the 15th century, the Queen, originally known as “the minister” became the most powerful piece on the board. Interest is Chess is stronger today than in any time in its colorful history. The game is being played by the young and the old alike today.
Chess is rightly called “The game of Kings and the King of games”!
Visalakshi Ramani
Chess is a war game and the chess board is the battle field. The pieces are the soldiers of war. They move, advance, recede, capture and get captured! Obviously Chess is a game that grew out of the clash and tumult of a real battle.
Many myths surround the origin of this game of Chess. A tale from Medieval Persia goes thus: Two Royal brothers fought for the crown. When one of them was killed, the other one commanded the wise men of his court to invent a game, which would explain the tragic events to his grief-stricken mother and console her.
Another story goes thus: Sassa, a mythical Arab philosopher invented the game. As a reward, he demanded to be paid with a single grain of wheat for the first square. The payment was to be doubled for each following squares on the board! He managed to empty all the granaries in the country and became a wealthy man!
Another story says that the game of chess was invented during the siege of Troy, in the 12th century B.C! But India must have been the origin of the game of Chess. “Chaturanga” (the original name for the game) means the four parts of an army viz, the cavalry, the horsemen, the chariots and the elephants. From India it spread to Persia (modern Iran) and became very popular there.
Many names and terms used in the game are derived from the Persian words. “Piyadah” the foot soldier became “The Pawns”. The Chariot “Rukh” became “Rook”.”Shah-mat” or the helpless king became “checkmate”
Persia was the stepping stone for Chess. From there it spread to Spain, Western Europe, and to the far north. By the end of the Middle Ages, chess was made a more dynamic game with many changes. One of the popular variants was the “Courier Game”which had 12×8 squares instead of the usual 8×8!
During the 15th century, the Queen, originally known as “the minister” became the most powerful piece on the board. Interest is Chess is stronger today than in any time in its colorful history. The game is being played by the young and the old alike today.
Chess is rightly called “The game of Kings and the King of games”!
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
OP
#199. Sky Writing!
The British pilots Major. J. C. Savage and Captain. Cyril Turner devised the Sky Writing technique in 1922, using a plane and smoke. They realized its immense potential as an advertising medium, which could reach the whole nation. All people had to do was to look up at the sky!
Although not welcomed enthusiastically at first, sky writing got accepted rapidly and universally. Major Savage trained the other pilots by making them ride bicycles, out lining the letters on the ground.
Sky writing with smoke has been outlawed at Britain but it is still being used for advertising, by the big businesses, in U.S.A and many other countries.
The major disadvantage in Sky writing is that the letters get dispersed quickly by the wind. At times the first letter might have disappeared by the time the last letter is being written.
So a faster method known as Sky Typing was devised in 1949. Several air planes fly in formation and their smoke emission is synchronized electronically to form the letters.
In 1986, pilot George Sanborn created a more economical method. A single plane tows a 300 feet long cable. Several cylinders containing fogging agents are attached to it. A computer control releases the fogging agent and the words are created quickly.
“Sky Shouting” was evolved in 1930s. Advertising slogans were broadcast through powerful speakers mounted on the plane. Luckily, it did not catch on, as people got alarmed by the sudden blaring in the sky.
“Sky Projection” first demonstrated in 1893, when slogans were projected on the over head clouds. It had a brief revival in 1930s.
Towing banners behind the planes became the new mode of advertising in 1928. French aviator Louis Bleriot patented a banner that could be unfurled and rolled up while flying. But this rendered the aircraft very unstable.
Mark Sylvan du Pont-a Pennsylvanian engineer- perfected the use of detachable letters on a towed banner. Six feet tall letters were attached to tapes and a piece of netting served as a stabilizing fin, to make the banner trail behind in a straight line.
Be it Sky writing or Sky shouting or Sky projection, aerial advertising has a long and interesting history!
Visalakshi Ramani
The British pilots Major. J. C. Savage and Captain. Cyril Turner devised the Sky Writing technique in 1922, using a plane and smoke. They realized its immense potential as an advertising medium, which could reach the whole nation. All people had to do was to look up at the sky!
Although not welcomed enthusiastically at first, sky writing got accepted rapidly and universally. Major Savage trained the other pilots by making them ride bicycles, out lining the letters on the ground.
Sky writing with smoke has been outlawed at Britain but it is still being used for advertising, by the big businesses, in U.S.A and many other countries.
The major disadvantage in Sky writing is that the letters get dispersed quickly by the wind. At times the first letter might have disappeared by the time the last letter is being written.
So a faster method known as Sky Typing was devised in 1949. Several air planes fly in formation and their smoke emission is synchronized electronically to form the letters.
In 1986, pilot George Sanborn created a more economical method. A single plane tows a 300 feet long cable. Several cylinders containing fogging agents are attached to it. A computer control releases the fogging agent and the words are created quickly.
“Sky Shouting” was evolved in 1930s. Advertising slogans were broadcast through powerful speakers mounted on the plane. Luckily, it did not catch on, as people got alarmed by the sudden blaring in the sky.
“Sky Projection” first demonstrated in 1893, when slogans were projected on the over head clouds. It had a brief revival in 1930s.
Towing banners behind the planes became the new mode of advertising in 1928. French aviator Louis Bleriot patented a banner that could be unfurled and rolled up while flying. But this rendered the aircraft very unstable.
Mark Sylvan du Pont-a Pennsylvanian engineer- perfected the use of detachable letters on a towed banner. Six feet tall letters were attached to tapes and a piece of netting served as a stabilizing fin, to make the banner trail behind in a straight line.
Be it Sky writing or Sky shouting or Sky projection, aerial advertising has a long and interesting history!
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
OP
#200. Death defying jumps.
From a 90 feet tall rickety tower made of bamboos and vines, young men of Pentecost Islands, in the South Pacific, dive in air! They are connected to the tower by the liana creepers tied to their ankles. It is a semi religious ceremony called “Gol”. The purpose of this ceremony is to test the courage of the young men and accept their passage into manhood.
The man who dives closest to the ground is accepted as the most courageous and valiant man. The liana creepers are cut in such a way that the diver will be separated from the ground only by a few inches, at the end of the dive. All that stands between the native and his certain death is the liana vine. Sometimes the vines stretch out or snap down, crashing the diver to the ground.
Accidents do happen often but this does not hamper the dedication and determination of the natives. Early 1974, The Queen, The Duke Edinburgh and the other members of the royal family witnessed a Gol ceremony. One of the diver’s vines snapped unfortunately. The poor fellow crashed to the ground, broke his neck and died later.
In 1950, David Attenborough and the B.B.C film crew brought back footage of the “Land divers” of Pentecost Islands. This gave rise to a new adventure sport called the Bungee Jumps, indulged in by the young dare devils.
In this, the person jumps from a tall structure or bridge while connected to it by a long elastic cord. The cord stretches to absorb the energy of the fall and snaps back carrying him up again. This process is repeated several times till all the energy is spent .The thrill in this sport is the crazy free fall, head long, several times
The first modern bungee jumps were made on the 1st of April 1979, in Bristol, by five members of the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club. They were promptly arrested!
Commercial jumping began in 1986. In spite of the dangers involved, several million jumps have been successfully made, by hundreds of persons, since 1980.
Visalakshi Ramani
From a 90 feet tall rickety tower made of bamboos and vines, young men of Pentecost Islands, in the South Pacific, dive in air! They are connected to the tower by the liana creepers tied to their ankles. It is a semi religious ceremony called “Gol”. The purpose of this ceremony is to test the courage of the young men and accept their passage into manhood.
The man who dives closest to the ground is accepted as the most courageous and valiant man. The liana creepers are cut in such a way that the diver will be separated from the ground only by a few inches, at the end of the dive. All that stands between the native and his certain death is the liana vine. Sometimes the vines stretch out or snap down, crashing the diver to the ground.
Accidents do happen often but this does not hamper the dedication and determination of the natives. Early 1974, The Queen, The Duke Edinburgh and the other members of the royal family witnessed a Gol ceremony. One of the diver’s vines snapped unfortunately. The poor fellow crashed to the ground, broke his neck and died later.
In 1950, David Attenborough and the B.B.C film crew brought back footage of the “Land divers” of Pentecost Islands. This gave rise to a new adventure sport called the Bungee Jumps, indulged in by the young dare devils.
In this, the person jumps from a tall structure or bridge while connected to it by a long elastic cord. The cord stretches to absorb the energy of the fall and snaps back carrying him up again. This process is repeated several times till all the energy is spent .The thrill in this sport is the crazy free fall, head long, several times
The first modern bungee jumps were made on the 1st of April 1979, in Bristol, by five members of the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club. They were promptly arrested!
Commercial jumping began in 1986. In spite of the dangers involved, several million jumps have been successfully made, by hundreds of persons, since 1980.
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
OP
#201. Fresh Water at Sea!
Water, water,every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.
So cried the Ancient Mariner, in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem.
Had he known where to look for it, he could have dipped his cup in to the sea and raised to his lip a drink of delicious fresh water. Drinking water in the sea is a miracle, but it is a possible miracle!
This miracle happens this way. The rain water falls on land and seeps to the sea bed through porous rocks called “aquifers”, to supply the springs at the sea bed or ocean floor.
Aquifers are porous chalk or lime stone sandwiched between two layers of water-proof rocks that extend beneath the sea.
Fresh rain water, filtering down the aquifer to the sea bed is under sufficient pressure, to force its way through any cracks ( in the sea bed or ocean floor).
It gushes out into the sea as a spring of fresh water.
It has a higher temperature and lower density than the surrounding saline water. So it floats up to the surface, without mixing with the sea water. This forms packets of fresh water on the surface of the sea.
The existence of such fresh water springs has been known for hundreds of years. The earliest reference to such a spring was made by a 15th century Arabian navigator. Similar springs exist off the South east coast of The U.S.A and off the coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Visalakshi Ramani.
Water, water,every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.
So cried the Ancient Mariner, in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem.
Had he known where to look for it, he could have dipped his cup in to the sea and raised to his lip a drink of delicious fresh water. Drinking water in the sea is a miracle, but it is a possible miracle!
This miracle happens this way. The rain water falls on land and seeps to the sea bed through porous rocks called “aquifers”, to supply the springs at the sea bed or ocean floor.
Aquifers are porous chalk or lime stone sandwiched between two layers of water-proof rocks that extend beneath the sea.
Fresh rain water, filtering down the aquifer to the sea bed is under sufficient pressure, to force its way through any cracks ( in the sea bed or ocean floor).
It gushes out into the sea as a spring of fresh water.
It has a higher temperature and lower density than the surrounding saline water. So it floats up to the surface, without mixing with the sea water. This forms packets of fresh water on the surface of the sea.
The existence of such fresh water springs has been known for hundreds of years. The earliest reference to such a spring was made by a 15th century Arabian navigator. Similar springs exist off the South east coast of The U.S.A and off the coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Visalakshi Ramani.
OP
OP
#202. Milky Myths!
In India and many other countries, Milk is the white elixir which ensures strong bones and shiny teeth! But in several other parts of the world, taboos and myths about milk, prohibit the consumption of milk got from any animal.
In many cultures, the milk obtained from the cattle, goats, sheep, horse, camel, buffalo and reindeer are either forbidden food or sacred food–unfit for human consumption. There is also a wide spread belief that the characteristics of the animal will be passed on to the man, through its milk!
In some areas of China, milk is considered as the excrement unfit for human consumption. Lengua Indians fear that milk might impair the physical and mental health of their youngsters, who drank it.
Among the Bangala people of the Upper Congo, any one who drink milk is considered unclean and is not allowed to eat with the others. For the same reason milk is not included in the diet of Japanese, Polynesians and Melanesians.
Bahima and Masai people of Africa believe that if milk is boiled, the cow that gave the milk would die! Toda tribes of India believe that the milk of the buffalo is too sacred to be drunk by human beings.
Aversion to milk may have some scientific reasons besides these superstitions. Many people have difficulty in digesting the milk sugar called Lactose. Enzyme Lactase converts milk sugar into simpler forms which can be easily assimilated. Any deficiency in Lactase will render the milk indigestible.
This might be the real reason behind the many myths and taboos prevalent about milk.
Visalakshi Ramani
In India and many other countries, Milk is the white elixir which ensures strong bones and shiny teeth! But in several other parts of the world, taboos and myths about milk, prohibit the consumption of milk got from any animal.
In many cultures, the milk obtained from the cattle, goats, sheep, horse, camel, buffalo and reindeer are either forbidden food or sacred food–unfit for human consumption. There is also a wide spread belief that the characteristics of the animal will be passed on to the man, through its milk!
In some areas of China, milk is considered as the excrement unfit for human consumption. Lengua Indians fear that milk might impair the physical and mental health of their youngsters, who drank it.
Among the Bangala people of the Upper Congo, any one who drink milk is considered unclean and is not allowed to eat with the others. For the same reason milk is not included in the diet of Japanese, Polynesians and Melanesians.
Bahima and Masai people of Africa believe that if milk is boiled, the cow that gave the milk would die! Toda tribes of India believe that the milk of the buffalo is too sacred to be drunk by human beings.
Aversion to milk may have some scientific reasons besides these superstitions. Many people have difficulty in digesting the milk sugar called Lactose. Enzyme Lactase converts milk sugar into simpler forms which can be easily assimilated. Any deficiency in Lactase will render the milk indigestible.
This might be the real reason behind the many myths and taboos prevalent about milk.
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
OP
#203. Pride and Punishment.
In France, powerful noblemen who had misused their power and position were punished in a strange but sensible way. Their effigies were executed in public.
The origin of hanging or beheading an effigy is not known. The first recorded case was in the 13th century, when Thomas de Marle, a nobleman was condemned to death by Louis VI.
According to French Law, a person accused of a crime can be tried, even if he was not present in person. If he was found guilty and sentenced to death, his effigy was executed instead of him.
The condemned person would run away—never to be seen again! If he got arrested within 30 years, he would be executed again, but this time in person! This form of punishment was an important weapon in France for over 400 years.
This was not just a formality either. People thus punished would prefer death to disgrace. They would lose all their property, position, authority and power in just one stroke! The main advantage in this system was that, there was an execution and yet no blood was shed!
Contemporary French law allows trial in absentia. If the person is found guilty, the text of the judgment is displayed in the main square of the town, where the crime was committed.
However the execution of the effigies has been discontinued now.
Visalakshi Ramani
In France, powerful noblemen who had misused their power and position were punished in a strange but sensible way. Their effigies were executed in public.
The origin of hanging or beheading an effigy is not known. The first recorded case was in the 13th century, when Thomas de Marle, a nobleman was condemned to death by Louis VI.
According to French Law, a person accused of a crime can be tried, even if he was not present in person. If he was found guilty and sentenced to death, his effigy was executed instead of him.
The condemned person would run away—never to be seen again! If he got arrested within 30 years, he would be executed again, but this time in person! This form of punishment was an important weapon in France for over 400 years.
This was not just a formality either. People thus punished would prefer death to disgrace. They would lose all their property, position, authority and power in just one stroke! The main advantage in this system was that, there was an execution and yet no blood was shed!
Contemporary French law allows trial in absentia. If the person is found guilty, the text of the judgment is displayed in the main square of the town, where the crime was committed.
However the execution of the effigies has been discontinued now.
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
OP
#204. Nicotiana.
In 1559, Jean Nicot, a young French scholar and diplomat was sent on an important mission to Portugal. He was supposed to negotiate and arrange the marriage of Marguerite de Valois – the six old year princess, with the five year old king Sebastian of Portugal!
His mission failed utterly. When he went back to France, he took with him the tobacco plants which had arrived from Florida.
Jean Nicot’s name got associated with the tobacco plant inseparably. The plant was named as Nicotiana. By the 19th Century, the poisonous substance present in tobacco had been identified.
Now Nicotine means exclusively the poisonous substance present in the tobacco leaves.
Visalakshi Ramani
In 1559, Jean Nicot, a young French scholar and diplomat was sent on an important mission to Portugal. He was supposed to negotiate and arrange the marriage of Marguerite de Valois – the six old year princess, with the five year old king Sebastian of Portugal!
His mission failed utterly. When he went back to France, he took with him the tobacco plants which had arrived from Florida.
Jean Nicot’s name got associated with the tobacco plant inseparably. The plant was named as Nicotiana. By the 19th Century, the poisonous substance present in tobacco had been identified.
Now Nicotine means exclusively the poisonous substance present in the tobacco leaves.
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
OP
#205. Soothing Sleep.
Sleep is a natural and periodically recurring physiological state. It is characterized by the relative physical and nervous inactivity. It is also known by the lessened responsiveness to the external stimuli.
Sleep is essential for the physical and mental good health and also for their alertness. The hours of sleep needed may vary from person to person. A new born baby sleeps through out the day. An adult needs six to eight hours of sleep usually. Some people seem to go on well without sleep. But it is quite rare. Napoleon is said to steel sleep in tiny installments including when he was riding his trusted steed!
“Sleep” occurs along with many commonly used words adding rich shades of meanings to those words. Well! Here are a few.
“To go to sleep” is to fall asleep or become numb due to the pressure on a blood vessel. “To put to sleep” is to kill an animal in a humane way, to save it from excruciating pain -which is worse than death!
When two persons are “sleeping together” they are living as a “man and his wife”. A girl who is “sleeping around” is immoral in character.
“To sleep in” is to spend the night at the place of employment. But “To sleep on” something is to give it long and through considerations and with hold ones decisions till the next day!
“To sleep out” is to sleep in ones own home rather than at the place of work. “Sleeper” is a person or animal found sleeping. “Sleeper cars” and “sleeper compartments” have beds and bunks in the railway carriages.
A “Sleeping bag” comes in very handy when a person is forced to spend the night in an open area and while camping. It is a large bag with warm and soft lining and has a very long Zipper to enable the person to enter it ad zip himself to its comfort.
“Sleeping draught” is a bed time drink laced with a sedative or a hypnotic drug to induce sleep. This made into a tablet form is the famous” sleeping pill”.
“Sleeping partner” makes a large financial investment in a business but does not get involved in its management. He is also known as “the silent partner”.
A “sleeping police man “ is as effective as a police man awake– even though it is just a small hump built across the road to check the speed of the motorists.
The novel idea of “learning while” sleeping is welcome news to the students of all ages! “Sleep learning” or “Sleep teaching” is a new method evolved in which a person learns by listening to a tape while he sleeps on! The information in the tape is supposed to be absorbed by the sub-conscious mind of the unconscious sleeper.
“Sleeping Sickness” is often a fatal, endemic infectious disease affecting men and animals in The Tropical Africa. It is carried and transmitted by the Tsetse fly. High fever, utter lethargy, lack of interest in everything and total muscular weakness are the symptoms of this strange disease.
Indeed the word “sleep”–usually associated with lack of activities and consciousness– actually works wonders when combined with other common lack-luster words!
Visalakshi Ramani
Sleep is a natural and periodically recurring physiological state. It is characterized by the relative physical and nervous inactivity. It is also known by the lessened responsiveness to the external stimuli.
Sleep is essential for the physical and mental good health and also for their alertness. The hours of sleep needed may vary from person to person. A new born baby sleeps through out the day. An adult needs six to eight hours of sleep usually. Some people seem to go on well without sleep. But it is quite rare. Napoleon is said to steel sleep in tiny installments including when he was riding his trusted steed!
“Sleep” occurs along with many commonly used words adding rich shades of meanings to those words. Well! Here are a few.
“To go to sleep” is to fall asleep or become numb due to the pressure on a blood vessel. “To put to sleep” is to kill an animal in a humane way, to save it from excruciating pain -which is worse than death!
When two persons are “sleeping together” they are living as a “man and his wife”. A girl who is “sleeping around” is immoral in character.
“To sleep in” is to spend the night at the place of employment. But “To sleep on” something is to give it long and through considerations and with hold ones decisions till the next day!
“To sleep out” is to sleep in ones own home rather than at the place of work. “Sleeper” is a person or animal found sleeping. “Sleeper cars” and “sleeper compartments” have beds and bunks in the railway carriages.
A “Sleeping bag” comes in very handy when a person is forced to spend the night in an open area and while camping. It is a large bag with warm and soft lining and has a very long Zipper to enable the person to enter it ad zip himself to its comfort.
“Sleeping draught” is a bed time drink laced with a sedative or a hypnotic drug to induce sleep. This made into a tablet form is the famous” sleeping pill”.
“Sleeping partner” makes a large financial investment in a business but does not get involved in its management. He is also known as “the silent partner”.
A “sleeping police man “ is as effective as a police man awake– even though it is just a small hump built across the road to check the speed of the motorists.
The novel idea of “learning while” sleeping is welcome news to the students of all ages! “Sleep learning” or “Sleep teaching” is a new method evolved in which a person learns by listening to a tape while he sleeps on! The information in the tape is supposed to be absorbed by the sub-conscious mind of the unconscious sleeper.
“Sleeping Sickness” is often a fatal, endemic infectious disease affecting men and animals in The Tropical Africa. It is carried and transmitted by the Tsetse fly. High fever, utter lethargy, lack of interest in everything and total muscular weakness are the symptoms of this strange disease.
Indeed the word “sleep”–usually associated with lack of activities and consciousness– actually works wonders when combined with other common lack-luster words!
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
OP
#206. Silent Movies.
Strange as it might appear now, talking films were neither welcomed nor accepted universally, when they first appeared in 1920s, despite their novelty!
In those days silent movies were highly respected. They were considered as the improved forms of the art of miming. Actors exaggerated their gestures and people belonging to any country could understand the story very well. There were no spoken dialogues and so no language barriers!
Sound in movies was thought to be a potential threat to the actors’ acting skills as well to the marketability of the movies. A language will limit the area where the movie could be shown and reduce the money that could be earned!
A number of experiments were tried to combine the sound and vision in a movie. A sound-on-the-film- process, in with the sound was actually recorded on the film, was demonstrated in London, in 1912, by Eugene Lauste.
By 1920s, sound-on-film was being used concurrently along with the films accompanied by records. In the years after the World War I, many short films were made both with music and dialogues.
On September 17th, 1922, Der Brandstifter, (The Arsonist) became the first talking movie shown to the audience, in Berlin. It was based on a play of the same name by Von Heyermann.
The film featured only 3 stars in the cast but one of them, Erwin Baron, played seven different parts!
Visalakshi Ramani
Strange as it might appear now, talking films were neither welcomed nor accepted universally, when they first appeared in 1920s, despite their novelty!
In those days silent movies were highly respected. They were considered as the improved forms of the art of miming. Actors exaggerated their gestures and people belonging to any country could understand the story very well. There were no spoken dialogues and so no language barriers!
Sound in movies was thought to be a potential threat to the actors’ acting skills as well to the marketability of the movies. A language will limit the area where the movie could be shown and reduce the money that could be earned!
A number of experiments were tried to combine the sound and vision in a movie. A sound-on-the-film- process, in with the sound was actually recorded on the film, was demonstrated in London, in 1912, by Eugene Lauste.
By 1920s, sound-on-film was being used concurrently along with the films accompanied by records. In the years after the World War I, many short films were made both with music and dialogues.
On September 17th, 1922, Der Brandstifter, (The Arsonist) became the first talking movie shown to the audience, in Berlin. It was based on a play of the same name by Von Heyermann.
The film featured only 3 stars in the cast but one of them, Erwin Baron, played seven different parts!
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
OP
#207. The Virus Day!
We all know that love is a bug and the persons who get bitten by it become love-sick! But how many of us know that in the name of love and lovely greeting cards, millions of mighty viruses are allowed entry into as many systems, causing world-wide havoc and misery?
Look at these amazing figures!
Internet Crime Complaint Center logs a million cyber grievances! It accounts for one million infected Personal Computers. The financial loss due to these viruses exceed 20 million U.S $s! Last but not the least, over a million “Bot net” victims has been identified by the FBI Bot Roast.
The FBI had forewarned about the Valentine Day’s viruses and the imminent attack by The Storm Worm! Storm Worm is not a worm at all. It appeared for the first time in January 2007. It is in fact a “BOT” used to connect all such infected computers in a world wide network called “Bot net”.
The Internet Bots are also known as web robots. A Bot is a soft ware application that can run automated tasks over the internet. A Bot excels while performing tasks which are both simple and repetitive-at an unimaginable speed.
Using a Bot, a person can deliver personal media across the web, from multiple sources. This way a network called Bot net is created which can be controlled by a single person. One common command can be sent to thousands of computer with the speed of a lightning.
The spam E mail directs the recipient to click on a link to retrieve a greeting card. As the person clicks on the link, a malware gets downloaded into the device connected to the internet. The infected device becomes a part of the Bot net, under the control of an unscrupulous cyber criminal.
A Bot net is setup most often with criminal intentions like identity thefts and for spreading out more malwares. Each of the malwares becomes “A Trojan horse” when it manages to enter a system.
The Storm worm thrives on E greeting cards, circulated for the various holidays and celebrations. It is a mighty weapon in the hands of its creator–even though it is named deceptively as a Worm!
The number of attack mails from January 2007 (when the storm worm first appeared) to the end of May 2007 was 70,000. But the number of attack mails had crossed 20 million during the next two months. In a more recent worm flood, there were 120 million attack mails in a short span of mere five days.
The fight against the Storm worm seems to be getting out of hand, since it is specifically designed to infect as many end-user-systems as possible and bring then under the Bot net control.
The earlier campaigns against the Storm Worm lasted only for a few weeks. But the latest Storm Worm related generations are changing faster than ever before. New spasm are launched almost everyday!
Better beware of the Love-Bug and the seemingly harmless Storm Worm. You may receive a lovely E greeting card only to end up becoming a victim (of a Bot net) with a broken heart.
Visalakshi Ramani
We all know that love is a bug and the persons who get bitten by it become love-sick! But how many of us know that in the name of love and lovely greeting cards, millions of mighty viruses are allowed entry into as many systems, causing world-wide havoc and misery?
Look at these amazing figures!
Internet Crime Complaint Center logs a million cyber grievances! It accounts for one million infected Personal Computers. The financial loss due to these viruses exceed 20 million U.S $s! Last but not the least, over a million “Bot net” victims has been identified by the FBI Bot Roast.
The FBI had forewarned about the Valentine Day’s viruses and the imminent attack by The Storm Worm! Storm Worm is not a worm at all. It appeared for the first time in January 2007. It is in fact a “BOT” used to connect all such infected computers in a world wide network called “Bot net”.
The Internet Bots are also known as web robots. A Bot is a soft ware application that can run automated tasks over the internet. A Bot excels while performing tasks which are both simple and repetitive-at an unimaginable speed.
Using a Bot, a person can deliver personal media across the web, from multiple sources. This way a network called Bot net is created which can be controlled by a single person. One common command can be sent to thousands of computer with the speed of a lightning.
The spam E mail directs the recipient to click on a link to retrieve a greeting card. As the person clicks on the link, a malware gets downloaded into the device connected to the internet. The infected device becomes a part of the Bot net, under the control of an unscrupulous cyber criminal.
A Bot net is setup most often with criminal intentions like identity thefts and for spreading out more malwares. Each of the malwares becomes “A Trojan horse” when it manages to enter a system.
The Storm worm thrives on E greeting cards, circulated for the various holidays and celebrations. It is a mighty weapon in the hands of its creator–even though it is named deceptively as a Worm!
The number of attack mails from January 2007 (when the storm worm first appeared) to the end of May 2007 was 70,000. But the number of attack mails had crossed 20 million during the next two months. In a more recent worm flood, there were 120 million attack mails in a short span of mere five days.
The fight against the Storm worm seems to be getting out of hand, since it is specifically designed to infect as many end-user-systems as possible and bring then under the Bot net control.
The earlier campaigns against the Storm Worm lasted only for a few weeks. But the latest Storm Worm related generations are changing faster than ever before. New spasm are launched almost everyday!
Better beware of the Love-Bug and the seemingly harmless Storm Worm. You may receive a lovely E greeting card only to end up becoming a victim (of a Bot net) with a broken heart.
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
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#208. Popeye’s Strength?
Popeye the sailor, has done more for promoting spinach than any other sales person ever dreamed possible. When Popeye made his first appearance in 1930s, spinach consumption rose dramatically by 33% !
Why? Spinach, so full of iron, was thought to be the cause of Popeye’s fabulous strength and bulging muscles. Actually this belief that spinach promotes strength was caused by a simple mathematical error.
The Nutrition researchers had placed the decimal point in the wrong place –one digit farther to the right of where it should have been! This credited spinach with 10 times more iron than it actually contained.
Modern Nutritionists believe that as a source of iron, spinach is no better nor worse than any other green vegetable. Its iron content is only average. Even this iron is practically useless as our body can not absorb it directly.
Later, in 1940s, nutritionists discovered the spinach had Folic acid and that does make a person strong. So the real secret of the super human strength and the bulging muscles of Popeye was the Folic acid found in Spinach and not its iron content!
Visalakshi Ramani
Popeye the sailor, has done more for promoting spinach than any other sales person ever dreamed possible. When Popeye made his first appearance in 1930s, spinach consumption rose dramatically by 33% !
Why? Spinach, so full of iron, was thought to be the cause of Popeye’s fabulous strength and bulging muscles. Actually this belief that spinach promotes strength was caused by a simple mathematical error.
The Nutrition researchers had placed the decimal point in the wrong place –one digit farther to the right of where it should have been! This credited spinach with 10 times more iron than it actually contained.
Modern Nutritionists believe that as a source of iron, spinach is no better nor worse than any other green vegetable. Its iron content is only average. Even this iron is practically useless as our body can not absorb it directly.
Later, in 1940s, nutritionists discovered the spinach had Folic acid and that does make a person strong. So the real secret of the super human strength and the bulging muscles of Popeye was the Folic acid found in Spinach and not its iron content!
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
OP
#19. The Ten-in-One man!
Described as the “Ten men in one”, Leonardo Da Vinci, was a unique combination of an artist, scientist, architect, anatomist, military engineer and an inventor with vision.
He was born in the Tuscan village of Vinci in 1452, as an illegitimate son of a lawyer and a peasant girl. When he was 14, his father took him to Florence to study art.
By the age of 20, he had become a well known painter. Ten years later, he moved to Milan and remained at the court of Duke of Milan for 17 long years.
Many of the 7000 pages of his “Note books”, were compiled during this period. These pages contain detailed plans and designs for flying machines, a parachute, a helicopter, a diving suit and a military tank.
These were invented in reality, much later, after several hundreds of years. But the fact that he could visualize them in such great details astound us even today!
As an inventor, he was the king of visionary possibilities. As an artist, he has left behind him several treasures of art. His most famous paintings are Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
After spending most of his life working in Italy, he spent his last days in France, at the invitation of Francois–The French King. He died in 1519.
To this day no one has proved to be equal to his multifaceted personality and numerous visionary inventions!
Visalakshi Ramani
Described as the “Ten men in one”, Leonardo Da Vinci, was a unique combination of an artist, scientist, architect, anatomist, military engineer and an inventor with vision.
He was born in the Tuscan village of Vinci in 1452, as an illegitimate son of a lawyer and a peasant girl. When he was 14, his father took him to Florence to study art.
By the age of 20, he had become a well known painter. Ten years later, he moved to Milan and remained at the court of Duke of Milan for 17 long years.
Many of the 7000 pages of his “Note books”, were compiled during this period. These pages contain detailed plans and designs for flying machines, a parachute, a helicopter, a diving suit and a military tank.
These were invented in reality, much later, after several hundreds of years. But the fact that he could visualize them in such great details astound us even today!
As an inventor, he was the king of visionary possibilities. As an artist, he has left behind him several treasures of art. His most famous paintings are Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
After spending most of his life working in Italy, he spent his last days in France, at the invitation of Francois–The French King. He died in 1519.
To this day no one has proved to be equal to his multifaceted personality and numerous visionary inventions!
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
OP
#210. Fertility and Eggs!
No wonder eggs have always symbolized fertility and procreation. An egg is the most complex and complete life support system found in nature!
Every feature of the egg is an example of nature’s perfection. Its shape gives its strength like the curving arches and domes supporting the buildings. The egg shells looks very thin and fragile, but try to break it by squeezing the two ends, with a single hand!
The five principal parts of the egg provide the entire life supporting system to the chic in it. The shell, made of calcium carbonate, has two jobs:- to give a firm support to the egg and to supply the chick with the required calcium.
The egg shell is porous with hundreds of tiny pores which allow the moisture to evaporate and oxygen to replace it. As the chic develops, it needs more oxygen and the water content reduces.
In the 21 days the egg needs to incubate, it absorbs more than 8 Pints of oxygen; releases 7 ½ pints of carbon-di-oxide and an amazing 17 ½ pints of water vapor.
The two membranes that line the inner surface of the shell lie close together. But at the larger end of the egg, they separate to form an air pocket. Longer the egg stands; more water vapor and gas escape from it, larger becomes the air pocket.
The Albumen in the egg white contains several crucial proteins, stores water and offers insulation against any sudden change in the outside temperature.
The yolk is a mixture of proteins, fats and carbohydrates suspended in a watery yellow medium in a thin sac. This vitelline membrane allows water, salts, sugar and protein to pass through from the egg white to the egg yolk.
The germ-the tiny blob the size of a pin head- sitting on the yolk, eventually becomes the chick. Not one part of the egg is superfluous. Small wonder that egg has been the time honored symbol of renewal.
Visalakshi Ramani
No wonder eggs have always symbolized fertility and procreation. An egg is the most complex and complete life support system found in nature!
Every feature of the egg is an example of nature’s perfection. Its shape gives its strength like the curving arches and domes supporting the buildings. The egg shells looks very thin and fragile, but try to break it by squeezing the two ends, with a single hand!
The five principal parts of the egg provide the entire life supporting system to the chic in it. The shell, made of calcium carbonate, has two jobs:- to give a firm support to the egg and to supply the chick with the required calcium.
The egg shell is porous with hundreds of tiny pores which allow the moisture to evaporate and oxygen to replace it. As the chic develops, it needs more oxygen and the water content reduces.
In the 21 days the egg needs to incubate, it absorbs more than 8 Pints of oxygen; releases 7 ½ pints of carbon-di-oxide and an amazing 17 ½ pints of water vapor.
The two membranes that line the inner surface of the shell lie close together. But at the larger end of the egg, they separate to form an air pocket. Longer the egg stands; more water vapor and gas escape from it, larger becomes the air pocket.
The Albumen in the egg white contains several crucial proteins, stores water and offers insulation against any sudden change in the outside temperature.
The yolk is a mixture of proteins, fats and carbohydrates suspended in a watery yellow medium in a thin sac. This vitelline membrane allows water, salts, sugar and protein to pass through from the egg white to the egg yolk.
The germ-the tiny blob the size of a pin head- sitting on the yolk, eventually becomes the chick. Not one part of the egg is superfluous. Small wonder that egg has been the time honored symbol of renewal.
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
OP
CONCLUSION to the blog at wordpress.
Dear Readers!
The long project of getting the articles ready and the longer list of the articles numbering over two hundred is coming to a close!
Please use the drop lists of the sub headings and the topics which will appear under “Why these Articles?” in the Home Page, for selecting the articles with ease! You need not really scroll all the way down the long list at the right side!
Fifteen different Sub headings have been chosen so that there is something to interest everyone. This blog is not meant to be read in one day or in one sitting!
If it took me two years to prepare these 323 items of information (200 articles in English and 123 poems in Tamil)- it should take you at least two months to read them!
Keep reading regularly and send me your valuable feedback without fail.
With warm regards,
Yours sincerely,
Visalakshi Ramani
Dear Readers!
The long project of getting the articles ready and the longer list of the articles numbering over two hundred is coming to a close!
Please use the drop lists of the sub headings and the topics which will appear under “Why these Articles?” in the Home Page, for selecting the articles with ease! You need not really scroll all the way down the long list at the right side!
Fifteen different Sub headings have been chosen so that there is something to interest everyone. This blog is not meant to be read in one day or in one sitting!
If it took me two years to prepare these 323 items of information (200 articles in English and 123 poems in Tamil)- it should take you at least two months to read them!
Keep reading regularly and send me your valuable feedback without fail.
With warm regards,
Yours sincerely,
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
OP
Review received on 01-01-2011.
Reviews
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is on fire!.
Crunchy numbers
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 2,600 times in 2010. That’s about 6 full 747s.
In 2010, there was 1 new post, not terrible for the first year! There were 276 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 40mb. That’s about 5 pictures per week.
The busiest day of the year was June 30th with 162 views. The most popular post that day was A Prayer.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were visalramani.wordpress.com, facebook.com, mail.yahoo.com, en.search.wordpress.com, and mail.live.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for visalakshiramani.wordpress.com, visalakshi ramani, “visalakshi ramani”, father of binary system, and greek spider.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
1
A Prayer June 2010
6 comments
2
Why these Articles? June 2010
4 comments
3
#1. President of U.S.A. July 2010
4
New articles for today! August 2010
5
#3. The Passport. June 2010
Reviews
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is on fire!.
Crunchy numbers
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 2,600 times in 2010. That’s about 6 full 747s.
In 2010, there was 1 new post, not terrible for the first year! There were 276 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 40mb. That’s about 5 pictures per week.
The busiest day of the year was June 30th with 162 views. The most popular post that day was A Prayer.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were visalramani.wordpress.com, facebook.com, mail.yahoo.com, en.search.wordpress.com, and mail.live.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for visalakshiramani.wordpress.com, visalakshi ramani, “visalakshi ramani”, father of binary system, and greek spider.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
1
A Prayer June 2010
6 comments
2
Why these Articles? June 2010
4 comments
3
#1. President of U.S.A. July 2010
4
New articles for today! August 2010
5
#3. The Passport. June 2010
OP
OP
- 3,415 views all-time
- 7 views today
- 162 views on your busiest day, June 30, 2010
OP
OP
[FONT=comic sans ms,sans-serif]Conclusion to the Forum readers!
That brings us to the end of the series articles from my blog The Wonderful World We Live In.
These were originally prepared for The Young World, the children' magazine section of The Hindu.
The same standard required by The Hindu was maintained but I never posted any these articles to The Hindu.
The average number of articles that get published is 6 per year. So I will have to wait for ~ 33 long years to see all of them in print!
That is why I posted them in my blog instead and finished off the business. My aim is that the articles should be read by as many people as possible.
Now I also now how many visits to and how many views of the blog, on a daily basis. Thanks to the cluster maps in the home page!
I have been thinking of a blog on the life stories of the saints and sages of India. If God also wishes it to take shape, surely it will.
I also wish to present my articles which got published in the Hindu between 1992 and 2008.
Hope it will happen soon! Till then take care and keep visiting my blog at wordpress.com. Selecting the article to be read will be so much easier there, with the help of the drop lists.
with warm regards,
ray2:
yours sincerely,
Visalakshi Ramani.
[/FONT]
That brings us to the end of the series articles from my blog The Wonderful World We Live In.
These were originally prepared for The Young World, the children' magazine section of The Hindu.
The same standard required by The Hindu was maintained but I never posted any these articles to The Hindu.
The average number of articles that get published is 6 per year. So I will have to wait for ~ 33 long years to see all of them in print!
That is why I posted them in my blog instead and finished off the business. My aim is that the articles should be read by as many people as possible.
Now I also now how many visits to and how many views of the blog, on a daily basis. Thanks to the cluster maps in the home page!
I have been thinking of a blog on the life stories of the saints and sages of India. If God also wishes it to take shape, surely it will.
I also wish to present my articles which got published in the Hindu between 1992 and 2008.
Hope it will happen soon! Till then take care and keep visiting my blog at wordpress.com. Selecting the article to be read will be so much easier there, with the help of the drop lists.
with warm regards,
ray2:yours sincerely,
Visalakshi Ramani.
[/FONT]
OP
OP
[FONT=comic sans ms,sans-serif]Tips for decorating your home!
Things that need to be dressed up are the walls, the ceiling, the floor, the windows, the furniture and the accessories viz, cushions, paintings on the wall, tables, decorative pieces etc.
Points to be remembered while selecting the colors!
1. Remember a color looks different in different lights!
2. Colors affect each other either by enhancing or mismatching!
3. The right proportion of the right shades get the best results.
4. Plan your room around the major investment in the room -a costly sofa set or a carpet-which will be one permanent piece in the room!
5. Mix and match the other colors to go with the main item which may never be changed!
6. The same color looks and feels different on different materials and surfaces. You may to use this idea to enhance the 'diversity in the unity!' in the room!
7. The colors you MAY like may not be the ones you can actually live in!
8. So go for something pleasant and mild without creating strong emotional stimulator!
(to be continued...)[/FONT]
Things that need to be dressed up are the walls, the ceiling, the floor, the windows, the furniture and the accessories viz, cushions, paintings on the wall, tables, decorative pieces etc.
Points to be remembered while selecting the colors!
1. Remember a color looks different in different lights!
2. Colors affect each other either by enhancing or mismatching!
3. The right proportion of the right shades get the best results.
4. Plan your room around the major investment in the room -a costly sofa set or a carpet-which will be one permanent piece in the room!
5. Mix and match the other colors to go with the main item which may never be changed!
6. The same color looks and feels different on different materials and surfaces. You may to use this idea to enhance the 'diversity in the unity!' in the room!
7. The colors you MAY like may not be the ones you can actually live in!
8. So go for something pleasant and mild without creating strong emotional stimulator!
(to be continued...)[/FONT]
OP
OP
THE COLOR WHEEL.
[FONT=comic sans ms,sans-serif]Primary colors:
Red, Blue and yellow are the three primary colors.
Secondary colors are obtained by mixing the primary colors.
Orange, Green and Violet are the secondary colors.
Orange = red + yellow,
green = blue + yellow and
violet = red + blue.
Tertiary colors are obtained by the mixing on the secondary colors.[/FONT]
Last edited:
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[FONT=comic sans ms,sans-serif]Contrast colors:
The pairs of colors occurring opposite to each other in the color wheel.
Harmonious colors:
Any two colors lying next to each other are harmonious since they share a common base color.
Pastel Colors:
Colors mixed with a white base.
Shaded or muted colors:
Colors mixed with gray or black.
[/FONT]
The pairs of colors occurring opposite to each other in the color wheel.
Harmonious colors:
Any two colors lying next to each other are harmonious since they share a common base color.
Pastel Colors:
Colors mixed with a white base.
Shaded or muted colors:
Colors mixed with gray or black.
[/FONT]
OP
OP
[FONT=comic sans ms,sans-serif]Warm colors:
Yellow, mustard, orange, scarlet, red and pink are warm
colors. They are very vibrant and difficult to live with!
Their softer shades are cozy, easy to live with and do not
dominate!
Cool colors:
The other half of the color wheel has the cool colors.
Green, Copper sulfate, blue, violet and purple are cool
colors. [/FONT]
Yellow, mustard, orange, scarlet, red and pink are warm
colors. They are very vibrant and difficult to live with!
Their softer shades are cozy, easy to live with and do not
dominate!
Cool colors:
The other half of the color wheel has the cool colors.
Green, Copper sulfate, blue, violet and purple are cool
colors. [/FONT]
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