Did you know? - 27/11/2005

Whales, shellfish, starfish and dolphins are not fish.

If Microsoft were to pay $1 as damages to every user because of hanging of their computers using Windows, Bill Gates would be bankrupt in three years.

Did you know? - 25/11/2005

Gatsby, a novel by Ernest Vincent Wright, does not contain a word with the letter 'e'. (His name ironically starts with 'E'.)

Did you know? - 24/11/2005

Should the amount of water in your body be reduced by just one percent, you'll feel thirsty.

The concept of zero and trigonometry originated in India.

Did you know? - 23/11/2005

Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other, simultaneously.

Piano is known as "The King of Instruments" for its widest tonal range covering the full spectrum of any instrument in the orchestra.

Haydn's witty sense

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), called the "Father of the Symphony", was once employed as Vice-Kappelmeister with the Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy in Vienna. He had composed eleven operas, sixty symphonies, five masses, thirty sonatas, one concerto, and hundreds of shorter pieces under him.

Haydn's sense of humor often came into play during his thirty-year tenure with Prince Esterhazy. The prince had become complacent when listening to Haydn's symphonies, even falling asleep at the performances. This was something that seared the feelings of the diligent composer, especially when the prince emitted a loud snore during a part of the symphony over which Haydn had especially laboured. Haydn decided to create a new symphony for the prince, a symphony that he hoped would "get Prince Esterhazy's attention." This particular symphony was written with a long slow movement, designed to be so soothing that the prince would surely fall asleep. On the evening of the performance, the prince did indeed drift off. Then, suddenly, a loud chord shattered the serenity of the murmuring movement. The prince awoke with a start and almost fell off his chair!

That was his Symphony No.94, and Haydn adeptly named it "Surprise".

Did you know? - 22/11/2005

The opposite sides of the dice cubes always add up to seven.

The very first bomb that the Allies dropped on Berlin in World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.

Did you know? - 21/11/2005

Lightning heats up the atmosphere by over 50,000 deg F.

Queen Elizabeth sent her first email in 1976.

Did you know? - 20/11/2005

Carrots have zero fat content.

Between 1500 and 1600 urine was supposedly used as a tooth cleaning agent in Holland and Spain.

Did you know? - 19/11/2005

An average adult human brain weighs 3 lbs.

Over 99% of the present energy in the universe was released 13.7 billion years ago when it was born.

Did you know? - 18/11/2005

An octupus' pupil (of its eye) is rectangular.

Hydrogen is the least dense substance in the world, when in gaseous state, and the most dense substance in the world, when in solid state.

Did you know? - 17/11/2005

It takes five years for a coffee seed to yield its consumable fruit.

The word, "queueing", is the only English word with five consecutive vowels.

Did you know? - 16/11/2005

The world's first travel agency, Thomas Cook, was founded in 1850.

A person can live without food for about a month, but can go without water only for a week.

Did you know? - 15/11/2005

Eskimos use refrigerators to keep food from freezing.

Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000 m.

Did you know? - 14/11/2005

The names of the three wise monkeys? They are: Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil).

No letters are assigned to the numbers 1 and 0 on a phone keypad. They are called "flag numbers", kept for emergency or operator services.

Too Much is Too Bad

This is an old Arabian tale.

Abubacker, a potter, makes a living by selling toys made of porcelain and glass. He earns very little and wanted to become rich.

One day, after a hard day’s work, he keeps the basket of unsold toys under a tree and sleaps nearby. And dreamt.

His sales improved and he made more money. He starts his own factory for making porcelain and glass wares.

The business flourishes and Abubacker amasses more wealth. The king married off his beautiful daughter, Majnu, to Abubacker.

Abubacker makes Majnu to serve him at his feet. And kicks her out of lack of love and sheer arrogance.

And in reality Abubacker had kicked at the basket. The unsold toys had all broken.

Abubacker woke up in a startle and looked at the broken toys. And wept.

He now realised that he desired to earn more than was necessary, and repented.

Did you know? - 12/11/2005

There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes.

Your mouth produces 1 litre (1.8 pints) of saliva a day.

Did you know? - 11/11/2005

The word, "set", in the English language, has the most number of definitions.

In Holland, you can be fined for not using a shopping basket at a grocery store.

Did you know? - 10/11/2005

Israel's Dead Sea is 1,312 ft. below sea level.

Yahoo! is actually an acronym for Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle. It was originally called Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web.

Did you know? - 09/11/2005

Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap is the longest running play in history.

The shortest war on record, between Britain and Zanzibar in 1896 lasted just 38 minutes. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.

Mass and Weight

In simple terms, the mass of a body is the amount of matter it contains. Any body with mass has a quality known as inertia. Inertia of a body is the physical force that keeps the body at rest or in motion.

Weight is a different concept. Weight of a body can be described as the result of a force of attraction of one body on another. Every body, howsoever small or big, exerts a force of attraction on another body nearest to it. The amount of attraction varies with the sizes of the bodies and the distance they are apart. Thus, a larger body exerts a greater pull on a smaller body. And, the pull of body is greater on a nearer object than on a farther one. In order to easily and effectively measure the pull (force of attraction) of one body by another, the sizes of the bodies need to be very small and very large, such as you and the Earth.

Therefore, while mass is the quantity of matter and is constant for a given body, the weight of the same body varies depending on the pull it suffers. Thus, your weight on Jupiter is much more than you weigh here on the Earth.

The following table helps you to calculate your weight (in any unit) on different planets:

Earth = W
Mercury = W x 0.38
Venus = W x 0.91
Moon = W x 0.16
Mars = W x 0.38
Jupiter = W x 2.54
Saturn = W x 0.93
Uranus = W x 0.8
Neptune = W x 1.2
Pluto = W x 0.067
The Sun = W x 28

Did you know? - 08/11/2005

People who suffer from gum diseases are twice as likely to have a stroke or heart attack.

A blue whale's heart is of the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.

Did you know? - 07/11/2005

Napoleon died of arsenic poisoning.

Linen is actually stronger when wet.

Did you know? - 06/11/2005

Astronauts get taller when they are in space.

Snails breathe through their feet.

How Hindus are the Hindus?

The world over, the majority Muslims and Christians stand united and abide by what is laid down in their scriptures. Every Muslim performs the namas midday wherever he is. Islam is so dear to him. The Christians do not fail to attend the Sunday masses. Some even go all out to convert the others into their folds.

How many Hindus are proud of being a Hindu and strictly follow the dharma? On the contrary it is a common sight that a Hindu masquerades his true identity to blindly follow the west. However, mention must be made that because of the innate strength of the oldest religion, Sanatana Dharma, that is Hinduism, that many Hindu practices are still alive even today.

Hinduism has answer to every problem in the universe, if only one has the real desire to enquire. Self-discovery, meditation, yoga which are the happening things in the busy world today have their origins in the Hinduism.

I hereby call upon all the Hindus to unite and stay Hindus.

Sarve jana: sukhino bhavantu

Karthigai Deepam

Karthigai Deepam is one of the oldest and important festivals of South India. It falls in the Tamil month of Karthigai.

The legend has it that once Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu challenged Lord Shiva who is said to be adi-less and mudi-less and vowed to see His head and feet. Lord Shiva had taken the form of a flaming light whose ends could not be fathomed. While Lord Brahma took the form of a swan and flew higher and higher in the sky to reach the top of Lord Shiva's head, Lord Vishnu transformed into a boar, dug the earth deeper and deeper to get to Lord Shiva's feet. Neither of them was successful. Thus it was established that Lord Shiva has no beginning or end, even in form.

It is said the very hills of Annamalai in Tamil Nadu was once the flaming light which Lord Shiva took form of. Thus even today, the hill is converted into a gigantic lamp: a large quantity of oil is poured, a long and thick wick made of many measures of cloth is prepared. The lamp is lit on the last day of the ten-day festival. The light could be seen from very far. This is called Annamalai Deepam.

It was in this month of Karthigai that Lord Muruga was born and has taken the name Karthikeya.

On this day, people clean their houses and draw Rangoli in front of their houses and in the evening place lamps (called agal) on it. The entire house is also decorated with the agals. It is a great feast to the eyes to watch the entire street with houses lined with lamps.

Sweets like pori urundai (a ball made of puffed rice and jaggery) and appam (an oil-fried dish made of flour and jaggery) are made and distributed among the neighbours.

Since this festival is an extension of Diwali, crackers are also fired during the night.

Did you know? - 05/11/2005

A scientific satellite needs only about 250W of power to operate.

One out three US women owns a gun.

Did you know? - 04/11/2005

Hot water freezes quicker than cold water.

The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt is only one of the seven wonders of the world that still survives.

Did you know? - 03/11/2005

The Leaning Tower of Pisa has never really been straight.

Nostradamus predicted the end of the world to be the year 3786 or 3797.

Did you know? - 2/11/2005

One-quarter of the human brain is used to control the eyes.

Venus, Uranus and Pluto rotate clockwise when seen from their north poles. On these planets the sun rises in the west and sets in the east.

Did you know? - 1/11/2005

A rat can go without water longer than a camel can.

A blue whale's heart is the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.