Tears !!!

I look up
as a tear rolls slowly
down my cheek
I think about those better days
and wonder if I'll feel that way again
you look at me
with those eyes I know so well
always serious, so deep and insightful
as though you're always in control
But not today
not now
Now you look so scared
like for once you don't have the answer
I gaze at you
looking deep into those hazel eyes
Hoping to understand
why you've said those things you just did
I wonder for a moment
if this is all a dream
if I shall wake in the morning
and be relieved
you look at me
with a confusion I have never seen
slowly pull me towards you
and wipe the tears from my cheek 

For a Better Tomorrow

She can feel the pain
and also the sorrow.
She doesn't want to go on.
So she prays for a better tomorrow.

 

It's hard for her to cope.
She'd like to runaway.
In her heart she knows
that she can't stay.

 

You can see the sadness
deep within her eyes.
She would like to stop the madness,
but instead, she just cries.

 

She prays for strength to move ahead.
To survive another day.
She pleads for the courage to be brave
so she can simply walk away. 

Marriage - Does it worth taking the risk ???

At times I wonder marriage - does it worth taking the risk ?? marred by the failures of several people whom I've seen myself. what do we accomplish with our life ? just merely raising the population would only add another venkat to this vast world.

They argue we should've done something in life to live for. But I ask them what is there in it?? You can't live just to exercise your sensory pleasures. we should not live by those old laws....

In other words, I'd say marriage is a legalized way of prostitution ( especially arranged marriages) this phrase would fit-in for the Indian culture. What do you call a girl/boy who gives his/her virginity for a cause. the cause of course is a price. The price that you've to keep her with you until you die and u should take care of your children. Well, I know I'd sound insane. But again how do you prove your sanity.

If marriage is attributed with filled love, passion and about understanding each other all along their life, how do you fix it. Its all about chemistry that should happen with each other without any stimulating factor. You can never inculcate unless you want to sacrifice your life just by being a full-time prostitute probably for a single customer.... :)

I may sound eccentric but seriously these are the thoughts that rock me recently...On the other hand if love Marriages are perfect, why does the divorces happen ?? more prominently in the recent past... ( nowadays). I read a report from a daily quoting the phenomenal rise in the percentage of divorces that had risen 180% more in the last ten years. Does this mean women are beginning to be more liberal and seeking their freedom more than the past or its that the system is just not working for the present change of culture or that we have evolved too much to think about our Indian culture...

The so called Indian culture is no more. nowadays we are rapidly being influenced by the foreign cultures and are alienated from where we were....

But Guyz/Gals, I fully accept that there exists a perfect marriage and perfect people who succeeded by leading their life together till the end. and one of such is MS herself.

But when you look at the percentage of successful marriages happened so for im sure we all would agree that it would be breathtaking to see a very few actually made it. Again it depends on the criteria you see... as they say the beauty lies in the beholder of it...

No offence taken guys im expressing my own thoughts here and I know that it would arise the apparent question that don't you believe in your parents marriage ??? and I'd prefer to answer it with the line of the famous saying in Tamil...

Rettai mattu vandiyil rendum senthaaathaan oru vazhila poga mudium. Somehow they worked out though they both had differences of plenty. In other words they lives for us. If you call this life then is it worth living....????

As paulo cohleo describes in alchemist..the king who give urim & thumim to the boy says every one has a destiny. In the end of your life you should've either succeeded in ur destiny or failed in the process of attaining it... Between are those who don't even dare to think about it and some who uses it to propel and never want to attain it and it goes on....

I prefer my life that way.. I want to live my life and I don't want to share it with any strangers who would have their own dreams and destiny.. and who would have a lot of trouble with me. Im not that kinda guy who loves to be loved and I hate insecurity. The simple fact is that the moment you get married someone depends on you and your decisions will have a direct implications on him/her.... and in due course lot more...

and finally you endup in living just to make a living, As they say "you'll die to make a living" oh boy, life would then be hell and much complex. I hate others depending on me.... and then you'll point-out the great achievers who all have got married... again im not that great buddy... im an average ( at time below average)insane guy...

I don't complain others doing so for that matter. This is just a introspective report analyzing the pros & cons of marriage. How come we research a lot while shopping or designing a product but not your companion..

and even in the end its all about position and money which you could see clearly in every matrimonial page.... I can still recall it "Girl working in Infosys 25000pm seeks a IT boy 30-50000pm" how come good looking or good characters or even caste are no more sought after ????? I just point-out the change of priorities nowadays. They don't even care who ever you are as long as you earn 5 to 6 digits PM. I really donno where would this lead us to...

Marriage those days were well analyzed by parents though the consent of the couples were never asked, it somehow (at times) worked to some extent. But now ??? they choose their lovers just by position and the vice versa is only apt for films....

The Lost Race against Time...

Growing old. It's like nothing else. My memory is failing me, and so are my eyes. When I was younger, back in the days, I used to vow to myself I would never forget how it is to be a child, and that I never would ever ever grow out of being excited about life. Well, things changed. Bad, adult happenings like boyfriends and bitches took place. The eager, little boy became a big, fat slob with a temper. I forget those games we played in the mud like Land Land and Coconut, Please. I even forget people, something I scorned and mocked others for doing. Old growing up places are like ever so many postcards, which awaken memories only when viewed. Those excursions, picnics to the beach, the BBQs, the countless, countless lunches under the trees with old best friends, all barely remembered, and the emotions associated with them long gone. Time is ceaseless, unforgiving, pityless, a cruel monster. He takes away our fond rememberances and leaves the scars in our hearts as fresh as a dip in a freezing pond. But you cannot fight him. He will not let you go. He will wash over your grave and sweep the sands over it till the earth remembers you no more. We are defeated before we were born, stricken in the womb, and our walk here is counted out by the second. Let go, we have already lost.

 

 

Power of communication

Yes, I believe in the Right to Shut Up, but I also believe that with rights come duties. No matter how we choose to express ourselves - through speech or silence - communication with people whose lives we touch remains a duty. Relationships between people, between groups and even between countries are based on it - such is the power of communication, and the lack of it! So when someone chooses to withdraw from honest communication, they are virtually attacking the foundation of all
their relationships.

History has been a witness to this. What was the Cold War of if not almost 50 years of communication problem between the US of A and the Soviet Union? And aren't the telecom, internet, postal and so many other industries hinged on the need of effective communication?

However, we all have our range of communication problems. Some of us just don't know how to interact with strangers. Others, are better off communicating with just them. Perhaps that's why so many people create blogs to talk about themselves(?) Still others indulge in incomplete communication - speak half truths, share their feelinsg without telling the facts or vice versa.

 

A certain kind of people simply expect everyone to understand their intentions without ever talking about them.

 

Obviously, the art of communication is tough to master, but to forsake all concerted efforts to that end for this reason is to stop living because you're going to die one day.

 

 

The Secret of Life

Listened to MS' Bhaja Govindam . Divine !!! Feel so relieved and refreshed. If you are ever depressed, feel lost or lonely, angry or even on top of the world listen to it and grasp the profound insights of Shankara.

 

Reminds me of Buddha's 4 Noble Truths, which go something like :
1. There's misery in this world.
2. There's a cause for this misery.
3. The cause is Desire
4. The misery can be put to an end by cutting the Desire.

 

So cut the desire or labor the misery, whichever gives you more satisfaction 

 

Oh Lord! May I be the same person to every one, at all times, in times of sorrow and joy. May success or grief never get to my head. Give me the strength to take adulation and brickbats in my stride. For, without encouragement, there is no motivation to progress. And without rebuke, there's no motivation not to regress.

 

The World always worships the Rising Sun. I could aspire to be the Sun itself, but aren't there a billion brilliant Suns out there??? Oh Lord, Let me just be me, always.

'Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu'

 

 

ALL CREATURES LIVE THEIR LIVES IN ECSTASY

All creatures live their lives in ecstasy,
Nor is one moment less than any other.
Gigantic redwoods tremble in their pleasure,
Each root agog in search of buried treasure,
Light the music singing through their sea,
A wound of joy from which none can recover.

EACH MOMENT IS A WORD OF GLASS

Each moment is a word of glass;
Each life, within a bubble sealed.
No pleasure save what one has said,
No love save self in glass concealed.
How shall we gaze like fiery stars
Upon this gallery of breath?
One says only what one is;
There is no rostrum beyond death.
Speak, then, of dancing particles
Within the curvature of eyes,
And with equations sow the seeds
Upon which data crystallize;
While in the forests lovers gleam
Like whispers on a moonlit stream.

Important Utility (TollFree) Numbers in India

With the former Telecommunication Minister of India, Dayanidhi Maran's, revolutionary changes in the India Telecommunications fields, including the single STD code for the entire district, single STD tariff for the entire country from sometime January in 2006.

Perhaps, we have also discussed sometime back about Number Portability in India which is also currently in research by TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India).

Somewhere in the hardcopy pamplet in Chennai, I got hold of a list of Utility Telephone Numbers to reach in case of emergencies and to avail services of service providers with a single telephone number all over India.

I just thought instead of just keeping it as a small pamplet, I can share it with other readers for full use of the same.

Please note that most of these numbers beginning with 1-600 would be restricted to BSNL or MTNL Network powered telephones only. Of late, I don't think other service providers are so much mature or open enough to support these numbers for the country sake.

Please feel free to update this section with the contact numbers you know as comments and/or also contact me so that I can update the main category also.


Emergency:
Police Control Room: 100
Fire and Rescue Services: 101
Ambulance: 102
Traffic Emergency 103
Apollo Emergency 1066 (select cities only)


Banking Institutions:
Citibank 1600 44 22 65
Development Credit Bank 1600 22 57 69
HDFC Bank 1600 227 227
ICICI Bank 1600 333 499
ICICI Bank NRI 1600 22 48 48
IDBI Bank 1600 11 69 99
Indian Bank 1600 44 14 00
ING Vysya 1600 44 99 00
Kotak Mahindra Bank 1600 22 60 22
Punjab National Bank 1600 12 22 22
State Bank of India 1600 44 19 55
Syndicate Bank 1600 44 66 55


Non-Banking Finance Institutions:
Shriram Chits 1600 44 18 33
AMP Sanmar 1600 44 22 00
Aviva 1600 33 22 44
Bajaj Allianz 1600 22 58 58
Chola MS General Insurance 1600 44 55 44
HDFC Standard Life 1600 227 227
LIC 1600 33 44 33
Max New York Life 1600 33 55 77
Royal Sundaram 1600 33 88 99
SBI Life Insurance 1600 22 90 90
CAMS 1600 44 22 67
Chola Mutual Fund 1600 22 23 00
Fidelity Investments 1600 180 8000
Franklin Templeton Fund 1600 44 44 77
J M Morgan Stanley 1600 22 00 04
Tata Mutual Fund 1600 22 01 01
LIC Housing Finance 1600 44 00 05


Mobile Service Centers:
BenQ 1600 22 08 08
Motorola MotoAssist 1600 11 12 11


Educational Institutions:
Edu Plus 1600 444 000
Hindustan College 1600 33 44 38
NCERT 1600 11 12 65
Vellore Institute of Technology 1600 44 15 55


Travel Service Providers:
Club Mahindra Holidays 1600 33 45 39
Cox & Kings 1600 22 12 35
God TV Tours 1600 44 27 77
Kerala Tourism 1600 444 747
Kumarakom Lake Resort 1600 44 50 30
Raj Travels & Tours 1600 22 99 00
Sita Tours 1600 111 911 SOTC
Tours 1600 22 33 44
UPS APC 1600 44 42 72
Numeric 1600 44 32 66


Telecommunications:
Telecom Monitoring Cell 1600 110 420


Shopping Spree:
Asian Sky Shop 1600 22 1600
Jaipan Teleshoppe 1600 11 52 25
Tele Brands 1600 11 80 00
VMI Teleshopping 1600 44 77 77
WWS Teleshopping 1600 22 07 77


Social Responsibilty Services
World Vision India 1600 444 550


Power Supply:
Jaiprakash Hydro-Power Ltd 1600 180 11 09
Tamil Nadu Electricity Board 1912 (in Chennai)
Quick BiteDomino Pizza 1600 111 123
Hotel Saravana BhavanChennai 1901445577
New Delhi 1901115577
PhotographyKodak India 1600 22 88 77
Pet CarePedigree 1600 11 21 21


Home Services and HouseKeeping Paints and Emulsion:
Asian Paints Home Solutions 1600 22 56 78
Berger Paints Home Decor 1600 33 88 00


Packers and Movers:
Agarwal Packers & Movers 1600 11 43 21
Associated Packers P Ltd 1600 21 45 60
Goel Packers & Movers 1600 11 34 56
ConsumableAavin Milk and Diary 1600 44 33 00
DecorKurl-on 1600 44 04 04
Sleepwell 1600 11 22 66
LPGIndane 1600 44 51 15


Drawing Room Helpdesks:
Aiwa/Sony 1600 11 11 88
Blue Star 1600 22 22 00
Bose Audio 1600 11 26 73
Bru Coffee Vending Machines 1600 44 71 71
DishTV 1600 12 34 74
Faber Chimneys 1600 21 45 95
Godrej 1600 22 55 11
Grundfos Pumps 1600 33 45 55
Philips 1600 22 44 22
Samsung 1600 11 34 44
Sanyo 1600 11 01 01
Voltas 1600 33 45 46
WorldSpace Satellite Radio 1600 44 54 32
Anytime AnyInfo 1947 (Chennai only)
HealthcareBest on Health 1600 11 88 99
Dr Batras 1600 11 67 67
GlaxoSmithKline 1600 22 87 97
Johnson & Johnson 1600 22 81 11
Kaya Skin Clinic 1600 22 52 92
LifeCell 1600 44 53 23
Manmar Technologies 1600 33 44 20
Pfizer 1600 442 442
Roche Accu-Chek 1600 11 45 46
Rudraksha 1600 21 47 08
Varilux Lenses 1600 44 83 83
VLCC 1600 33 12 62


Cosmetics and Beauty Treatments:
L'Oréal, GARNIeR 1600 22 30 00
Kaya Skin Clinic 1600 22 52 92


Couriers and Logistic Services:
DHL 1600 111 345
FedEx 1600 22 61 61
UPS 1600 22 71 71


Holidays and Hotel Bookings:
GRT Grand 1600 44 55 00
InterContinental Hotels Group 1600 111 000
Marriott 1600 22 00 44
Sarovar Park Plaza 1600 111 222
Taj Holidays 1600 111 825
Software SolutionsAdrenalin 1600 44 44 45
Canon 1600 33 33 66
Cisco Systems 1600 22 17 77
Compaq - HP 1600 444 999
Data One Broadband 1600 424 1600
Dell 1600 444 026
Epson 1600 44 00 11
Genesis Tally Academy 1600 444 888
IBM 1600 44 33 33
Lexmark 1600 22 44 77
Marshal's Point 1600 33 44 88
Microsoft 1600 11 11 00
Microsoft Virus Update 1901 33 33 34
Symantec 1600 44 55 33
TVS Electronics 1600 444 566
WeP Peripherals 1600 44 64 46
Wipro 1600 33 33 12
Zenith 1600 22 20 04

Hollow Earth - A Myth or Reality ???

Is the earth hollow? Is there a sun 600 miles in diameter at the center of the hollow earth? Is the inside of the shell of the hollow earth covered with mountains larger than the ones we see on the outside? Is there a hole in the shell of the hollow earth through which flying saucers from Venus and space ships from other galaxies fly to get to their bases inside the hollow earth? Are there secret passages from the bases of the Great Pyramid and other locations around the earth that connect the outside to the inside of the earth? Is the mushroom cloud of an atomic bomb really caused when the bomb pokes a hole through the shell and the gasses inside the earth rush through to escape?

Some people claim to believe all of this, and they even give us detailed maps of what is inside the earth. See, for example, the extravagant map above, drawn by Max Fyfield and available on scores of pages on the World Wide Web. [Fy] Imagine my surprise when I found apparently reputable sources that said that Euler also endorsed a hollow earth theory, and that Fyfield’s map was based on Euler’s theories. This, of course, piqued my curiosity, so I decided to look into the question of Euler and the Hollow Earth.

Here are a few excerpts from some websites I found that credit Euler with a hollow earth theory.

Leonhard Euler

Later theorists came up with variations to Halley’s [sic] model. In the seventeenth century, Leonhard Euler proposed a single-shell hollow Earth with a small sun (1.000 km across) at the centre, providing light and warmth for an inner-Earth civilisation. Others proposed two inner suns, and even named them: Pluto and Proserpine.
http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2007/03/01/85-inside-the-hollow-earth/


Leonhard Euler

In the eighteen century A Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler took the multiple spheres theory and replaced it with a single hollow sphere that contained a sun 600 miles wide. He said the sun maintained heat and light for an advanced civilization that he said lived there. A Scottish mathematician Sir John Leslie suggested that there was not one sun but in fact two he named
these Pluto and Proserpine.
http://tinwiki.org/wiki/Hollow_Earth


Leonard Euler

Leonard Euler (1707-1783), noted mathematician and one of the founders of higher mathematics. He stated that "mathematically the Earth has to be hollow". He also believed there was a center sun inside the Earth's interior, which provided daylight to a splendid subterranean civilization.
http://www.xenophilia.com/zb0008d.htm








The Expanding Earth idea has been around for a long time, but science has not considered it worthy of genuine investigation because a driving force was missing. This is where the Hollow Earth theory comes in. A new understanding of Gravity gives rise to an expanding, hollow Earth and once and for all neatly solves the drifting continent phenomenon.

This website sets out to prove that the Hollow Earth Theory and the Expanding Earth theory have credible scientific merit and should not be ignored. There is a wealth of evidence surfacing today that throws our current beliefs regarding the structure of our planet into serious doubt. Our goal is to accumulate as much of this information as possible and provide it in one easy-to-access place for all.

Throughout the pages of this website new ideas and discoveries are presented from wide-ranging areas of science. Our investigation has delved into many subjects and disciplines including geology and plate tectonics, paleontology and evolution, genetics and biology, gravity, astronomy and others. Each of these topics has their own exciting story to tell and together they will build a new picture of the Earth that is sure to surprise.

Various theories of Hollow Earth
http://www.hollowearththeory.com/articles/hollowEarthHistory.asp

It is time look at the information before us with fresh eyes and open minds and to seek out the truth for ourselves.

Whaattt ???

Moonstruck !!!

Night after night
In the sky afar I sight
A pretty fair dame
Glowing without a flame

 

Rays through the shroud
Peeping through the cloud
A crescent each day
Is it joy or dismay?

 

Even the sea reaches for you
In whole, when you bloom
You take away all sanity
From love smitten humanity

 

Battling for you, their prise,
It’s too late when they realize
That behind everything dainty
Is the moon, merciless and flinty

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR to all.

When You return from your journey,
some lingering thought shall bring you here.
This is different from the macro of the microcosm
of the knittings in your dream,
which you might have savoured of late.
I make you sit through a panorama.
Its a frame or a window;
you can know only when you touch it.
It is the best of its kind
because it is "With You".

Fighting Problems

Have you ever thought what helps you
At a Gurudwara, Mandir, church or Masjid?
Is it really God as you call It,
Who comes to rescue, to your help?

 

'God' strengthens you to fight yourself.
You learn patience standing for 'God's' blessings,
You learn faith confiding yourself in 'God',
And you learn hoping and believing too.
Patience avoids expanding trouble,
Faith does things which skill cannot,
Hope drives away fear and lessens tension,
Belief helps power creep into you;
And thus you get strength to fight your problems.
Have patience, faith, hope and belief
To eliminate problems and have a smooth life.

Einstien Quotes...

Laws alone can not secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population.

Astronomers find first habitable planet outside solar system

Astronomers find first habitable planet outside solar systemThe first habitable planet similar in size and conditions to Earth has been located in a distant solar system, once again raising the possibility of life on other planets, scientists said on Wednesday.

The as-yet unnamed planet is only about one-and-a-half times the size of Earth and five times more massive, a team of European astronomers announced at the European Southern Observatory in Garching, Germany."We have estimated that the mean temperature of this super-Earth lies between zero and 40 degrees Celsius, and water would thus be liquid," said Stephane Udry of the Geneva Observatory. "Models predict that the planet should be either rocky like our Earth or covered with oceans."The planet is located around a star known as the Gliese 581, about 20.5 light years from Earth's solar system and one of the 100 closest stars to the Sun.

Though the planet is much closer to its star than earth is to the Sun, conditions are similar because the Gliese 581, known as a red dwarf, is smaller and colder. One year lasts only 13 days on the planet."Red dwarfs are ideal targets for the search for such planets because they emit less light, and the habitable zone is thus much closer to them than it is around the Sun," said Xavier Bonfils of Lisbon University.More than 200 so-called exoplanets - planets outside of the Sun's solar system - have been discovered in the past 12 years since the first one was found. Most are massive bowls of gas similar to Jupiter.The same team of astronauts discovered another planet around the same red dwarf two years ago - a Neptune-sized planet about 15 times as massive as Earth. An extensive analysis of the latest find is to be revealed in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Xavier Delfosse of Grenoble University in France said the newfound planet could inhabit life and will definitely be a target of future space missions to find extra-terrestrial beings."Liquid water is critical to life as we know it," he said. "On the treasure map of the Universe, one would be tempted to mark this planet with an X."

100 Websites You Should Know and Use...

The Web is constantly turning out new and extraordinary services many of us are unfamiliar with. During TED University at this spring's TED2007 in Monterey, Julius Wiedemann, editor in charge at Taschen GmbH, offered an ultra-fast-moving ride through sites in many different areas, from art, design and illustration, to daily news, blogs and curiosity. Now, by popular demand, here's his list of 100 websites you should know and use   >>>>

 

CURIOSITY & KNOWLEDGE
www.reuters.com
www.research.philips.com
www.readme.cc.png
www.podtropolis.com
www.papertoys.com
www.new7wonders.com
lwww.ipsum.com
www.thomasedison.org
www.beelinetv.com
www.useit.com
www.submarinechannel.com/titlesequences
www.visual-literacy.org
www.cartype.com
www.captology.stanford.edu
www.bannerblog.com_au
www.ge.com
www.curiosityshoppeonline.com
www.creativecommons.org
www.lawsofsimplicity.com
www.gnu.org
www.digg.com

 

GRAPHICS, MUSIC & ARTS
www.yugop.com
www.vincent-vella.com
www.uva.co.uk
www.tutorialblog.org/free-vector-downloads
www.tate.org.uk
www.squidfingers.com/patterns
www.sohodolls.co.uk
www.radioblogclub.com
www.photogravure.com
www.netdiver.net/illustration
www.mine-control.com
www.matthewmahon.com
www.marcelod2.com.br
www.magwerk.com
www.kraftwerk.blocmedia.net
www.headbangers.tv *
www.grupow.com/circulo
www.creaturesinmyhead.com
www.bernhardwolff.com
www.arturofuentes.com
www.alennox.net

 

E-COMMERCE EXPERIENCE
www.colette.fr
www.imaginemusicstore.com
www.canyon.com
www.coft1.com
www.heftyrecords.com
www.ourtype.be
www.freddyandma.com
www.nikeid.nike.com
www.feelthepower.biz
www.shopcomposition.com
www.oneill.com
www.agentprovocateur.com

 

SEARCHING & FINDING
www.trendwatching.com
www.thefwa.com
www.springwise.com
www.scirus.com
www.scholar.google.com
www.podcasts.yahoo.com
www.msdewey.com
www.maps.live.com
www.chacha.com
www.books.google.com

 

ONLINE RESOURCES
www.infopresse.com/prixboomerang
www.rjnet.com.br/2velocimetro_php
www.vixy.net
www.kuler.adobe.com
www.wikitravel.org
www.thinkingwithtype.com
www.dominiopublico.gov.br
www.madehow.com
www.icp.org
www.howstuffworks.com
www.dafont.com
www.dictionary.reference.com
www.gutenberg.org
www.nationmaster.com
www.en.proverbia.net
www.del.icio.us
www.touchgraph.com

 

TOP INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE CREATORS
www.2advanced.com
www.akqa.com
www.almapbbdo.com.br
www.artless.gr.jp
www.bigspaceship.com
www.d-o-e-s.com
www.domanistudios.com
www.eurorscg4d.com
www.farfar.se
www.firstbornmultimedia.com
www.group94.com
www.heiwa-alpha.co.jp
www.hi-res.net
www.lowetesch.com
www.mecano.ca
www.northkingdom.com
www.rga.com
www.soleilnoir.com
www.wefail.com

 

 

Earth in its final century ???

Video: Sir Martin Rees: Earth in its final century?

In a taut soliloquy that takes us from the origins of the universe to the last days of a dying sun 6 billion years later, renowned cosmologist Sir Martin Rees explains why the 21st century is a pivotal moment in the history of humanity: the first time in history when we can materially change ourselves and our planet. Stunning imagery of cosmological wonders show us the universe as we know it now. Speaking as “a concerned member of the human race,” Rees harkens to the wisdom of Einstein, calling for scientists to act as moral compasses, confronting the coming developments and ensuring our role in “the immense future.”

Who is Sir. Martin Rees?
Martin Rees, one of the world’s most eminent astronomers, is a professor of cosmology and astrophysics at the University of Cambridge and the UK’s Astronomer Royal. He is one of our key thinkers on the future of humanity in the cosmos.
Martin Rees’ homepage at Cambridge

Famous Adages - Eponymous Laws

These are famous Adages. Short, but memorable sayings, that holds some important fact of experience which is considered true by many people, or has gained some credibility through its long use. category: Eponymous laws, Social law, from Social : Possibly, maybe...

 

• Terman's Law of Innovation : If you want a team to win the high jump, you find one person who can jump seven feet, not seven people who can jump one foot each.
• O'brien's Variation : If you change queues, the one you have left will start to move faster than the one you are in now.
• Conway's Law : In any organization there will always be one person who knows what is going on. This person must be fired.
• The Peter Principle : In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.Work is accomplished by those employees who have not reached their level of incompetence.
• H.L.Mencken's Law : Those who can, do. Those who cannot, teach.
• Martin's Extension : Those who can't teach,administer.
• Belani's Extrapolation : Those who cannot even administer, become consultants.
• Lieberman's Law : Everbody lies; but it doesn't matter since nobody listens.
• Kovac's Conundrum : When you dial a wrong number,you never get an engaged one.
• Van Herpen's Law : The solving of the problem lies in finding the solvers.
• Murphy's Law of Government : If anything can go wrong, it will do so in triplicate.
• Bell's Theorem : When the body is immersed in water, the telephone rings.
• Ruby's Principle of Close Encounters : The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with. - Black's Extension : The probability of meeting a gorgeous female increases geometrically when you are with a friend, a friend who is richer than you, your girlfriend and finally your wife.
• Young's Law : Great discoveries are made by mistake.
• Kin Hubbard : A good listener is usually thinking about something else.
• One Anonymous Great Seer's Law : Money can't buy love, but it sure gets you a great bargaining position.
• Law of constant product : The product of beauty,availability and intelligence is a constant.

Robots that are "self-aware": Hod Lipson on TED

Engineer Hod Lipson demonstrates and talks about a few of his cool little robots, which have the ability to learn, understand themselves and even self-replicate. At the root of this uncanny demo is a deep inquiry into the nature of how living beings learn and evolve, and how we might harness these processes to make things that learn and evolve. (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 06:29.)

Why you should listen to him: To say that Hod Lipson and his team at Cornell build robots is not completely accurate: They may simply set out a pile of virtual robot parts, devise some rules for assembly, and see what the parts build themselves into. They've created robots that decide for themselves how they want to walk; robots that develop a sense of what they look like; even robots that can, through trial and error, construct other robots just like themselves.

Working across disciplines -- physics, computer science, math, biology and several flavors of engineer -- the team studies techniques for self-assembly and evolution that have great implications for fields such as micro-manufacturing -- allowing tiny pieces to assemble themselves at scales heretofore impossible -- and extreme custom manufacturing (in other words, 3-D printers for the home).

His lab's Outreach page is a funhouse of tools and instructions, including the amazing Golem@Home -- a self-assembling virtual robot who lives in your screensaver.