tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71515212024-03-14T09:21:20.392+05:00neosplashneosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-85857780983484593932010-01-15T03:25:00.001+05:002010-01-15T03:56:36.619+05:00A ring of fire over the equatorMy first post was about the <a href="http://neosplash.blogspot.com/2004/06/june-flowers-are-blooming-in-2004-and.html">Venus transit</a> of June 2004. In my second blog post I wrote about the <a href="http://neosplash.blogspot.com/2004/06/farewell-thou-beauteous-queen.html">unavailability of adequate filters</a> for observing such astronomical events in the Maldives. Five years later, it is encouraging to see an active organisation promoting safe protective filters and creating awareness on safety issues as Maldives becomes the hotspot for watching the annular solar eclipse. I admire the work <a href="http://www.sciencemaldives.org/">Maldives Science Society</a> is doing to promote the love of astronomy among Maldivians. However, we still have a shortage of safe protective filters and several Maldivians will miss out on this unique opportunity. Judging from the level of interest and the buzz this event has generated, from warnings to refrain from having barbecues and discos during the event to a gathering behind Dharubaaruge for viewing the eclipse, and of course the flocking <a href="http://www.sciencemaldives.org/2010/01/greatest-gathering-of-pendulum-specialists/">pendulum scientists</a> to the Maldives, I foresee much more interest in the next major event of such significance. Jaa has provided instructions on <a href="http://www.jawish.org/blog/archives/370-How-to-safely-view-the-solar-eclipse-on-15th-January.html">how to make a pinhole projector</a> for projecting the image of the sun to another surface to view the eclipse safely. This could be the most adventurous way of watching the eclipse if you are not planning to watch it on television.neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-33387187534151264062009-07-28T15:31:00.004+05:002009-07-28T15:44:48.183+05:00Yusuf/Cat Stevens releases new album RoadsingerYusuf (formerly known as Cat Stevens), the great singer and songwriter, has released a new album, <a href="http://www.yusufislam.com/news/2009/roadsinger-out-now/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Roadsinger</span>.</a> The artist who is renowned for classic songs such as Wild World and Morning has Broken, returned to pop music in 2006 after a break of 28 years. That year he released the album <span style="font-style: italic;">An Other Cup</span>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHS4OhhtNGSRtqzl-qtJ-RoDR_mVCsm1CPiSb0Ulmtlr-2RCXa4y_uqnW4qIVfPvOqDLcQa60DR4YeFu9NemHKyzO4eFsls8webTKVHJx3S4G47rjv_9vxdkNbplF_uazKgKCsZQ/s1600-h/yusuf+islam.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHS4OhhtNGSRtqzl-qtJ-RoDR_mVCsm1CPiSb0Ulmtlr-2RCXa4y_uqnW4qIVfPvOqDLcQa60DR4YeFu9NemHKyzO4eFsls8webTKVHJx3S4G47rjv_9vxdkNbplF_uazKgKCsZQ/s320/yusuf+islam.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363459112900196578" border="0" /></a>image: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/swamibu/2662726441/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/swamibu/2662726441/</a><br /></div><br /><br />Read <a href="http://www.ilikemusic.com/music_news/Yusuf_Cat_Stevens_Roadsinger-6619/1">an interview of Yusuf</a> on ilikemusic.com about the new album Roadsinger.<br /><br /><blockquote>I'm back to doing what I do best - painting pictures with music and storytelling on a very human, personal, intuitive level through lyrics and song, so I can help people feel good again. I guess in some ways the new album picks up where the Cat Stevens the public knows left off.<br /><br />There are plenty people who sing, but not enough who have walked the walk. But, unfortunately, I'm still often misunderstood. I embraced an unexpected spiritual path that was confusing for many (converting to Islam in 1977) and since then people have concocted their own ideas about it. Maybe because of subsequent world-shaking events, people wanted to put me into their own one-sided view, but I don't fit those limitations. My world is still borderless and wide. The removal of conflict and establishment of peace has always been my global objective. It's sad that lot of people, including some Muslims, forget that the name Islam actually comes from the word 'Peace' in Arabic.<br /><br /></blockquote>neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-89686577915726957322009-07-10T02:20:00.003+05:002009-07-10T02:24:46.897+05:00Airtel - Soon to be fully legal<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihU69zkw4K4JeEPdMrm_xiQFCkJyho4a2TF78arTaVtEIMFbpcQlzK2RIC4Ig0dc6Q5mRdLSh8qSNnXQBJDZTbSYRwDWHSfg-h_2N8VUXerPAtCtXi6quZNebyhkyGETKgYR650Q/s1600-h/airtel_halal.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 374px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihU69zkw4K4JeEPdMrm_xiQFCkJyho4a2TF78arTaVtEIMFbpcQlzK2RIC4Ig0dc6Q5mRdLSh8qSNnXQBJDZTbSYRwDWHSfg-h_2N8VUXerPAtCtXi6quZNebyhkyGETKgYR650Q/s400/airtel_halal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356574069472304242" border="0" /></a><br />Airtel - Soon to be fully legal in Maldivesneosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-47017410770842731732009-06-30T17:46:00.004+05:002009-06-30T18:05:55.156+05:00Photo abuse by mediaThe first thing that I wondered after I visited the homepage of <a href="http://www.minivannews.com">Minivan News</a> today -- and after I read the attention-grabbing headline of "Mother arrested for sexually abusing her son" -- was if the woman and the child in the accompanying picture were really the people the article is referring. The woman in the picture is not facing the camera and cannot be identified but the child is facing the camera and can be clearly identified. It took me a few seconds to realize that they were not in anyway linked to the article.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVO6kvk18fpIDKgiRDKtXauPvgknwOxe143rnnHR5SQvIGYBRB1eum8As7cjTCxzqY8yCb7LMXEp2R2ARkRbs2YqTdPgoz0sozBTok3e5g0H00s9mW_v3T-zFi0XVmMy03jMVCA/s1600-h/minivan-abuse-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVO6kvk18fpIDKgiRDKtXauPvgknwOxe143rnnHR5SQvIGYBRB1eum8As7cjTCxzqY8yCb7LMXEp2R2ARkRbs2YqTdPgoz0sozBTok3e5g0H00s9mW_v3T-zFi0XVmMy03jMVCA/s400/minivan-abuse-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353104849084921650" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Back in the 1990s the local daily Aafathis published a photo of two of my close friends while they were in a <span style="font-style: italic;">dhoni, </span>on a fishing trip or while they were going for a picnic. They were in school back then and the people on the dhoni were mostly their classmates. A teacher was accompanying them. The article was referring to so-called bad boys (<span style="font-style: italic;">viyaa nudhaa kudhin</span> or rogue children) and the photo had a caption to imply that the boys in the photo were indeed spoiled brats.<br /><br />We now have freedom of expression but we have a long way to go before our newspapers and magazines reach the moral high ground.neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-57031074770399564052009-06-19T14:35:00.003+05:002009-06-19T15:03:54.613+05:00Superstition in Burma and MaldivesAn ancient pagoda has collapsed in Burma, just three weeks after it was 'rededicated' by the wife of the leading general of the ruling junta. Many people in Burma see this as a bad omen for the regime, as the junta is conducting a trial of Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. (On a separate note, today is the 64th birthday of Suu Kyi, and well-wishers can send 64 words of birthday greetings through the website <a href="http://www.64forsuu.org">http://www.64forsuu.org</a>)<br /><br />New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/world/asia/18myanmar.html">takes a look at the extent of superstition in Burma</a> and how such incidents are interpreted as bad omens:<br /><br /><p></p><blockquote><p>The superstitious generals may be consulting astrologers as well as political tacticians for guidance. That would not be unusual for many people in Myanmar, formerly Burma.</p>Previously, currency denominations and traffic rules have been changed, the nation’s capital has been moved and the timing of events has been selected — even the dates of popular uprisings — with astrological dictates in mind.<br /></blockquote><br />Consulting astrologers for major political events and decisions has been quite common in the Maldives too. Maldives Culture website <a href="http://www.maldivesculture.com/fandit01.html">has published several articles</a> on how <span style="font-style: italic;">fanditha</span>, the traditional form of black magic, is used in the Maldives. Black magic had been used in late 19th century during the political fueds of Athireege and Kakaage clans, which led to <a href="http://www.maldivesculture.com/fandit03.html">a major arson</a> in Male'.<br /><br />How the Maldivian public perceieves certain omens can be seen from <a href="http://www.maldivesculture.com/maldives_magic_omen.html">this article</a> in Maldives Culture. However, one of my favourites from the Maldives Culture archives are the stories that chronicle the adventures of Dhon Keyothi. In <a href="http://www.maldivesculture.com/maldives_story_05.html">one episode</a>, a woman offers a mango to Keyothi, to win his heart. The mango leads to some serious illness, even though it was just kept in the fridge, and Keyothi consults a black magician.<br /><br /><blockquote>He says that if I had eaten that mango I would have gone mad, perhaps because the guy who made it may have missed out a word or misspelled it, and friendly romantic magic, intended to attract me to the woman, had turned into an evil sihuru.<br /><br />'Customers should be careful they get the right fanditha,' he says. 'People think they are paying for a wedding, and they end up with a funeral.'</blockquote>neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-3751366359733740672008-11-07T03:50:00.001+05:002008-11-07T03:50:00.430+05:00Congratulations! The people of Maldives and USAIt has been almost year since i published anything in this blog. Today i thought i will write something. The first thing i want to do is congratulate the people of the Maldives and the United States for electing Mohamed Nasheed (Anni) and Barack Obama. The presidential elections in the Maldives and in the US went the way i dreamed. Two of my dreams for the year 2008 have been fulfilled, and its worth writing a blog post to celebrate after a break of almost a year.<br /><br />Today i also came across a funny revelation while going through The New York Times; there have been some tensions between the camps of Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin. There are several reasons for this friction, and one thing that i thought to mention here involves Palin's excessive spending on wardrobe.<br /><br />Apparently Palin had a shopping spree and spent US$150,000 for wardrobe. She was advised by a McCain aide to buy three suits for the Republican National Convention and three more suits for the fall campaign. The clothes were budgeted between $20,000 to $25,000.<br /><br />It got me thinking. $20,000 for just six suits? I guess it shows the difference between the rich America and our own country where we spent on average $12 for a shirt. On the other hand certain individuals and families in our country have spent large amounts for Rolex watches, original European paintings by the great masters of art, expensive suits and a few other luxuries.<br /><br />Sarah Palin spent more than the budgeted amount. She spent $150,000 to the dismay of the McCain camp. Read the rest of the story <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/us/politics/06mccain.html">here</a>.<br /><br /><blockquote>On Wednesday, two top McCain campaign advisers said that the clothing purchases for Ms. Palin and her family were a particular source of outrage for them. As they portrayed it, Ms. Palin had been advised by Nicolle Wallace, a senior McCain aide, that she should buy three new suits for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul in September and three additional suits for the fall campaign. The budget for the clothes was anticipated to be from $20,000 to $25,000, the officials said.<br /><br />Instead, in a public relations debacle undermining Ms. Palin’s image as an everywoman “hockey mom,” bills came in to the Republican National Committee for about $150,000, including charges of $75,062 at Neiman Marcus and $49,425 at Saks Fifth Avenue. The bills included clothing for Ms. Palin’s family and purchases of shoes, luggage and jewelry, the advisers said.<br /><br />The advisers described the McCain campaign as incredulous about the shopping spree and said Republican National Committee lawyers were likely to go to Alaska to conduct an inventory and try to account for all that was spent.<br /><br />Ms. Palin has defended her wardrobe as the idea of the Republican National Committee and said that she would give it back.<br /><br />“Those clothes, they are not my property,” she said. “Just like the lighting and the staging and everything else that the R.N.C. purchased.”<br /></blockquote>neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-57434357427201777202007-12-11T09:54:00.000+05:002007-12-11T10:54:41.361+05:00Trojan spreading through Windows Live MessengerA trojan is spreading through Microsoft's IM client Windows Live Messenger. I first noticed it when a friend prompted me to accept a .zip file. My Messenger points to a non-existing software for scanning files during file transfer (something I have to correct) so virus scan failed during transfer. When I extracted the zip file, (without scanning it with my antivirus software, i should have scanned it) I saw only an .exe file inside. I then scanned the .zip file using my antivirus software but discovered no viruses. I then deleted the extracted folder and the .zip file without wanting to find out what the .exe file was about.<br /><br />I then phoned my friend who said it was a trojan and it had infected his computer. He said he was able to clean it using Kaspersky Antivirus.<br /><br />I found two articles which mentions similar trojans. One on <a href="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2218894,00.asp">eWEEK</a> and the other on <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9047878&intsrc=hm_list">computerworld</a>. However, I believe that the one I received was another variant of it. I am hoping to get the log files of my friend's antivirus software to identify what name Kaspersky has given to this trojan.<br /><br />Later, another contact on Messenger prompted me to accept the file and I was able to get a screenshot.<br /><br />Before the prompt for the file there is a message, supposedly from my contact, which says "do i look dumb in this picture? I want to put it on myspace." The .zip file's name is img_135-JPEG.zip. You would think it is a photo and usually accept it. This time I declined to accept the file.<br /><br />My contact was signing in to Messenger and prompting me to accept the file and then signing out. This process was repeating so I guess his password had already been compromised.<br /><br />Trojans and worms targeting IM clients have been around for a long time. Although this particular one has been around since November, there is little information available on Internet about it, and it is not one of the most active threats at the moment. However, considering the number of Windows Live Messenger users we have in the Maldives, it is important to pay attention to this. Some antivirus software do not detect the trojan as well (as I discovered when I scanned the .zip file). The best option is never accept suspicious files. I am providing you a screenshot here and you will know now not to accept a similar file. But there could be many variants out there. It is also important to scan for viruses during file transfer. You can set it in Tools > Options > File Transfer in Windows Live Messenger.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mNKfx7EqyijNwcSskwLYSdgjAYi67DO-uwUHZVz3pHhESES8hV0oOccPzP3fu0_sJkpz5PzKLQ2BIchF5Etgw8OWwX4ACyyUfTY2yxQB63gz6yX3oYNRTaqXjD_tPOUCWtw6aQ/s1600-h/MSN+trojan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mNKfx7EqyijNwcSskwLYSdgjAYi67DO-uwUHZVz3pHhESES8hV0oOccPzP3fu0_sJkpz5PzKLQ2BIchF5Etgw8OWwX4ACyyUfTY2yxQB63gz6yX3oYNRTaqXjD_tPOUCWtw6aQ/s320/MSN+trojan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142589023501788578" border="0" /></a>neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-66730365991319028262007-10-13T19:53:00.000+05:002007-10-13T20:13:03.975+05:00Resurrecting a blog after three yearsThe last post in this blog was in November 2004. So it is almost three years since that post. Today I had this urge to resurrect my blog. I have successfully "claimed the blog" as Blogger asked. So now I can log in with a Google Account instead of my old Blogger password. There are several new templates, with widget support, but I decided to stick to the old template (slightly modified by me back in 2004) for the moment.<br /><br />But I do not know what to post in the blog yet. So I am sending Eid greetings to all bloggers out there.neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-1100019551120876952004-11-09T21:45:00.000+05:002004-11-09T21:59:11.120+05:00Canadians ready to save Americans through marriageThe long wait is over but the US Presidential election result has disappointed many Americans. The number of Americans thinking of <a href="http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2004/11/04/canada/index.html" target="_blank">moving</a> to Canada is on the rise.
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<br />The good news is that there are many Canadians <a href="http://www.marryanamerican.ca/pledge/signed.php" target="_blank">willing</a> to <a href="http://www.marryanamerican.ca" target="_blank">marry</a> Americans and save their neighbours from the misery of another four years of Bush Administration.
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<br />neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-1095846099316857172004-09-22T14:32:00.000+05:002004-09-22T14:41:39.316+05:00Peculiar airliner crashesSalon.com's Ask The Pilot column has some very interesting findings by Patrick Smith. For example, <a href="http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2004/09/10/askthepilot102/index1.html" target="_blank">read</a> about the two airliners that crashed within a two-day period.
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<br /><blockquote>"<strong>Indeed it seems probable that the near-simultaneous crashes of those two Russian airliners in late August was the work of suicide bombers. But I have to ask: excluding acts of terror, have there ever been two major accidents on the same day?</strong>
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<br />Not that I know of. Give me a two-day window, however, and I have a story. It's not my usual practice to sensationalize crashes, particularly those whose only claim to notoriety is a burst of coincidence, but what happened in Tokyo in 1966 is so enthrallingly peculiar that I can't resist...
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<br />On March 5 of that year, a Canadian Pacific (CP Air) DC-8 crashed on landing at Tokyo's Haneda airport. Arriving in heavy fog, the plane went low, struck a sea wall and burst into flames. Sixty-four of the 72 people on the jet were killed.
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<br />The next afternoon, a BOAC (precursor to British Airways) 707 carrying 124 people took off from the very same airport, bound for Hong Kong as part of a round-the-world service originating in London. Apparently to give passengers a nice view, the 707's captain, Bernard Dobsen, chose to make an unusual visual climb-out away from the published departure path and toward the summit of Mt. Fuji -- directly into an area of extreme turbulence and 70-knot winds. Approaching the peak, the plane hit a severe gust -- a so-called mountain wave -- and broke apart in midair, throwing wreckage over a 10-mile swath.
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<br />One of the most gruesomely ironic things I've ever seen is a newspaper photograph of the crashed CP Air DC-8. Behind the wreckage, the BOAC 707 is clearly visible, taxiing for takeoff on its own doomed flight." </blockquote>
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<br />neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-1095780680628659112004-09-21T20:18:00.000+05:002004-09-21T20:31:20.626+05:00Minority voter-intimidation tactics may determine the next president of the US?As the November election gets near, many people are concerned about voter-intimidation campaigns against African-Americans to keep them at home and prevent them from voting. Philadelphia's 2003 mayoral election was also clouded by such incidents, and this November people are expecting similar things to occur.
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<br /><blockquote>"The voter-intimidation campaign that Republicans mounted in Philadelphia was not an anomaly. Instead, it marked a routine occurrence in American elections, a national scandal that rarely makes the front page. The sad fact is that voter-intimidation efforts aimed at minorities have been carried out in just about every major election over the past 20 years. The campaigns are almost always mounted by Republicans who aim to reduce the turnout of overwhelmingly Democratic minority voters at the polls. Now, in what's shaping up to be a razor-thin presidential election, Democrats across the country are pointing to what occurred in Philadelphia as an example of what they have to fear from Republicans this election year.
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<br />To Americans today, the idea that a major political party actively plans to disenfranchise minority voters may seem anachronistic; we'd like to believe that such tactics would no longer be tolerated in our nation. But over the last two decades, various arms of the Republican Party, or groups working for Republican candidates -- at the national, state and local levels -- have carried out well-documented projects designed to intimidate blacks and other minorities," <a href="http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/09/21/intimidation/index.html" target="_blank">writes</a> Farhad Manjoo in Salon.com.</blockquote>
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<br />Despite efforts by many voter-rights groups some form of intimidation is likely to occur in this year's election.
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<br /><blockquote>"Many black voters themselves are intensely aware of the prospect of suppression tactics -- and they're ready for them, says Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP. "This is part of the folklore of black America, especially since 2000," he says. "Many people have tales to tell about this happening to people they know."
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<br />Still, despite the counter-intimidation efforts and increased awareness, elections experts still predict that suppression programs will likely succeed in turning away many voters at the polls this year. How many? Hundreds, thousands, millions? Nobody knows. But Bond notes that it took less than 600 votes in Florida to swing the election to Bush last time, and he believes that more than 600 African-American Gore voters were disenfranchised there. If this year's "election is as close as everyone believes it will be," Bond says, "and if they frighten just 600 voters away from the polls," minority voter-intimidation tactics may very well determine the next president of the United States," Manjoo writes.</blockquote>
<br />Manjoo's article details intimdation of minorities through out 1980s and 1990s.
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<br />It will be interesting to read <a href="http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oId=16368" target="_blank">a report</a> released by the People for the American Way Foundation and the NAACP in August about voter-intimidation efforts during the past two decades.
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<br />Another interesting read will be U.S. Commission on Civil Rights's <a href="http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/vote2000/report/main.htm" target="_blank">report</a> after they investigated efforts to disenfranchise blacks in Florida in 2000.
<br /><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote>neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-1093532284444463142004-08-26T19:52:00.000+05:002004-08-26T19:58:04.443+05:00What is a Swift Boat Anyway?We are all wondering what a Swift Boat is. We know some veterans are seeking truth but what exactly is a Swift Boat. Luckily here is an <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2105631/" target="_blank">answer</a> in slate.
<br />neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-1090425258753334082004-07-21T20:48:00.000+05:002004-07-21T20:59:58.170+05:00John Kerry is related to George W. Bush<a href="http://www.ancestry.com/" target="_blank">Ancestry.com</a> reveals that John Kerry is related to Geroge W. Bush. They are distant cousins. Will this new revelation tone down any of the election campaign dirt? Have a look at their family tree <a href="http://www.ancestry.com/landing/strange/bush4/tree.htm" target="_blank">here</a>.
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<br />neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-1088965001172203552004-07-04T23:13:00.000+05:002004-07-04T23:31:06.463+05:00Is Hotmail blocking Gmail invitations?A friend sent me an invitation to <a href="http://gmail.google.com" target="_blank">Gmail</a> last week to my <a href="http://www.hotmail.com" target="_blank">Hotmail</a> email account but I never received it. He later sent the link to me via <a href="http://messenger.msn.com" target="_blank">MSN Messenger</a>. He jokingly said that Hotmail may be blocking Gmail invitations.
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<br />It seems that this is something even others have experienced. <a href="http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/applications/0,39020384,39157755,00.htm" target="_blank">ZDNet</a> has an article about similar experiences.
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<br />The article quotes <a href="http://www.msn.com" target="_blank">MSN</a> product manager Brooke Richardson writing in an email that
<br />"MSN Hotmail treats mail from Gmail accounts in the same manner as all other incoming mail." neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-1088964751905538002004-07-04T23:04:00.000+05:002004-07-04T23:12:31.906+05:00Will you swap a beautiful tropical island for an invitation to Gmail?For the time being <a href="http://gmail.google.com" target="_blank">Gmail</a> rules, with people offering to buy an invitation to Gmail for even US$200 on <a href="http://www.ebay.com" target="_blank">ebay</a>. Not anybody can subscribe to Gmail; you get it only after being invited by a <a href="http://www.google.com" target="_blank">Google</a> employee or Gmail user. <a href="http://www.gmailswap.com" target="_blank">GmailSwap</a> is a website that allows people looking for a Gmail account to get in touch with those willing to send an invitation. People are willing to swap some personal belongings for an invitation.
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<br />Author and speaker Dave Taylor's blog <a href="http://www.intuitive.com/blog/archives/000446.html" target="_blank">The Intuitive Life</a> has a list of interesting stuff people are offering to swap for a Gmail invitation.
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<br />Among noteworthy things and promises I came across on GmailSwap.com are
<br />1. a song of your choice, sung over the phone,
<br />2. your picture hung out a window at the Empire State Building
<br />3. your message in a bottle in the Pacific
<br />4. a video message in Sango, the tribal language of the Central African Republic
<br />5. a shrine in your honour
<br />6. a spell for luck
<br />7. save an animal from being squashed
<br />8. free ironing
<br />9. wisdom
<br />10. an Australian boomerang
<br />11. a private boat tour through the Venice canals
<br />12. your name on the side of a Formula race-car
<br />13. a rosary blessed by the Pope
<br />14. a samurai sword
<br />15. another piece of the Berlin Wall
<br />16. aviator shades from the Dalai Lama
<br />17. 24/7 computer technical support
<br />18. a guided tour of Ecuador and the Galapagos
<br />19. a digital photo from Madrid, every week
<br />20. domain registration and 5 years of webhosting
<br />21. a place to sleep at the Woodstock 35th Anniversary
<br />22. a dolphin adopted in your name
<br />23. a personalized horror or fairy story, by a published writer
<br />24. a friend in Istanbul
<br />25. three days of hospitality during the Athens 2004 Olympics
<br />26. a professional dowser will find water/metals in your land
<br />27. letters of acceptance to Princeton, Harvard and Stanford
<br />28. a goat named after you
<br />29. a Playboy Magazine subscription
<br />30. an original rendering of you as a comic superhero
<br />31. a tree planted in India, follow up pictures for 25 years
<br />32. a registered Republican will vote for whoever you like
<br />33. the story of how someone lost their virginity
<br />34. an authentic bible signed by Jesus
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<br />
<br />Mind you, some of the things and offers are real and people are desperate to swap their record, comic and stamp collections.
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<br />"For weeks, I had been hearing people complain about their desperate need for Gmail, and I thought it was silly -- and a little sad -- there was no recourse other than eBay," said Sean Michaels, creator of gmail swap told <a href="http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,63524,00.html?tw=wn_story_related" target="_blank">Wired</a>. It "came out of my firm belief that nice people were out there somewhere, ready to answer the pleas of the masses, but that there simply wasn't a conduit for the two groups to get in touch."
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<br />The latest news is that Google is offering more invitations and the prices of invitations on eBay has dropped.
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<br />"I'm glad that the market value has decreased," Sean Michaels told <a href="http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,63786,00.html?tw=wn_story_related" target="_blank">Wired</a>. "It encourages original, entertaining and creative swaps, not mundane, high-ticket items. It's a lot easier to decide to swap for a 'personalized fairy tale' when the market value of an invitation is $5, not $50." neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-1088964142095824032004-07-04T22:39:00.000+05:002004-07-04T23:02:22.096+05:00Gmail and the clash of the titans"You're one of the very first people to use Gmail. Your input will help determine how it evolves, so we encourage you to send your feedback, suggestions and questions to us. But mostly, we hope you'll enjoy experimenting with Google's approach to email," <a href="http://www.google.com" target="_blank">Google</a> tells me in a mail i received after I signed up to the <a href="http://gmail.google.com" target="_blank">Gmail</a>.
<br />
<br />I am excited to be one of the first people to use it.
<br />
<br />Is it a new wild wild west, an unknown frontier of the Internet that will bring more possibilities? Ever since Google announced Gmail in March 2004 and introduced it on 1 April , the excitement has increased.
<br />
<br />Google first invited about 1,000 employees, friends and family members for the testing of Gmail. Some bloggers got the invitation soon (Google owns <a href="http://www.blogger.com" target="_blank">blogger.com</a>) and Gmail has been the one of the hot topics among bloggers.
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<br />Gmail offers very good features. It provides 1 GB of storage (1000 MB) which is a lot compared to other web-based feee emails. When Gmail was introduced <a href="http://www.yahoo.com" target="_blank">Yahoo</a> was offering 4 MB and <a href="http://www.hotmail.com" target="_blank">Hotmail</a> provides 2 MB.
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<br />Recently when I went to the <a href="http://mail.yahoo.com" target="_blank">Yahoo Mail</a> page after a long break, I was surprised to see that they had changed their interface. With a new look and design, Yahoo is offering 100 MB of storage now. This change, which was brought in early June, also included the offer of 2 GB of storage for paid users of Yahoo.
<br />
<br />Indeed, Gmail is only part of the competition between Google, <a href="http://www.microsoft.com" target="_blank">Microsoft</a> and Yahoo. Google is now going into new areas dominated by portals compared to its previous status as a search engine. Email is an important part of the big portals and what Google is offering as Gmail is an attempt to drive more consumers to what Google will offer.
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<br />Wayne Rosing, Google's vice president of engineering, told <a href="http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,62897,00.html?tw=wn_story_related" target="_blank">Wired</a> in March that 1 GB is offered because that is the estaimated amount of storage that an average user will need to store one decade's email.
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<br />I have mail dating back to a few years stored in my Hotmail inbox. Sometimes I had exceeded my storage limit, mainly due to friends sending large attachments, and the Hotmail janitor cleaned some of mails. Otherwise I would have had mail dating back to 1997 when I opened my Hotmail account.
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<br />Storage is definitely an attraction in Gmail but what I like more is the search capabilities. Now I am able to maintain the storage in Hotmail but I forward important mails to a POP account of mine. What is more difficult in web-based mails is going through all mails one by one. Through Gmail's huge storage and search capabilities, one could store mails for years and search for the mail that is needed.
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<br />Meanwhile, Gmail is facing criticism for serving ads, customised to the content of incoming emails. Even though the mails will be scanned by computers, many people believe this is an invasion to privacy.
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<br />As Google is entering the traditional domain of Microsoft and Yahoo, the two email and portal giants are also entering new ground in search engine business. This may be excatly what sparked the fierce competition. Yahoo, which had used Google search previously in its search area, abandoned Google recently.
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<br />Microsoft is responding to Gmail. It has announced that it will increase Hotmail's free email storage from 2 MB to 250 MB and paid email service (costing US$19.95 a year) to 2 GB. The change will start in early July.
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<br />"With these new offers, storage will not be an issue for MSN Hotmail customers," <a href="http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0,39024667,39121656,00.htm" target="_blank">Silicon.com</a> quotes Blake Irving, corporate vice president of communication services for MSN, saying in a statement.
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<br /><a href="http://www.ask.com" target="_blank">AskJeeves</a> is also planning to offer 125 MB of free email storage to email subscribers.
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<br />Microsoft will unveil new improvements to its search capabilities in July. In <a href="http://software.silicon.com/applications/0,39024653,39121738,00.htm" target="_blank">Silicon.com</a> Iain Ferguson quotes Bill Gates having said in a media briefing in Sydney that Microsoft had "several milestones with its search site" on the way.
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<br />The IT giant will roll out the most powerful features later this year. Gates described the way searches are currently done as "very low tech." He has a vision of a search that will include personalisation, understanding local information, being able to parse in to the semantics of a document, being able to browse databases and being able to attach domain knowledge.
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<br />Microsoft will use its experience in linguistic research to parse documents so that a person looking for computer chips will not get potato chips in search results, according to Gates.
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<br />What Microsoft is looking for is a system that will allow users to search for files in the computer, emails and websites. The system will be integrated with the next version of the operating system Microsoft is expected to release in 2006. The integration with the OS is likely to spark new debates about Microsoft having an unfair advantage in the search business.
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<br />As both Microsoft and Yahoo bring improvements to their search to get a share of the US$105.6 million Google generated as profits in 2003, we the consumers will no doubt benefit.
<br />neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-1086821430763029612004-06-10T02:58:00.000+05:002004-06-10T03:51:36.296+05:00farewell, thou beauteous queen!<em>Oh! then farewell, thou beauteous queen!
<br />Thy sway may soften natures yet untamed,
<br />Whose breasts, bereft of the native fury,
<br />Then shall learn the milder virtues.
<br />We, with anxious mind, follow thy latest footsteps here,
<br />And far as thought can carry us;
<br />My labours now bedeck the monument for future times
<br />Which thou at parting left us. Thy return
<br />Posterity shall witness; years must roll away,
<br />But then at length the splendid sight
<br />Again shall greet our distant children's eyes.
<br />
<br /> Jeremiah Horrocks (1618-1641)</em>
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<br />
<br />Unfortunately, I was not able to witness the exciting event of venus transit because I could not get any protective filters for my eyes. Unlike many western countries where you could easily buy such stuff, here we don't have them. When we were kids we used to watch solar eclipses with developed negative rolls but the scientific community now say most of them are unsafe.
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<br />I was not prepared for this transit because I remembered about it only very recently. Within a short period of time there is no way you can easily get good filters. Anyway I am glad that I did not watch it without taking safety precautions because <a href="http://www.vt-2004.org/safety/sun_eye.pdf" target="_blank">a medical description</a> in the <a href="http://www.vt-2004.org" target="_blank">www.vt-2004.org </a>outlines dangers to the eyes because of exposure to sun. It says solar <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinopathy" target="_blank">retinopathy</a> cases are regularly reported after solar eclipses, mainly caused by the use of inadequate filters.
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<br />I wonder to what extent awareness exists in our society concerning this. I have not heard about any student group observing the venus transit either.
<br />
<br />So I am unable to repeat what Jeremiah Horrocks, the first observer of a venus transit said: "I then beheld a most agreeable spectacle, the object of my sanguine wishes, a spot of unusual magnitude and of perfectly circular shape".
<br />
<br />Beggars can't be choosers.
<br />
<br />But you can still participate in the VT-2004 activities by sending a <a href="http://www.vt-2004.org/Gallery/" target="_blank">drawing</a> about what you think of the event and be one of the 25 lucky winners to receive a VT-2004 T-shirt. Or you can make a short <a href="http://www.vt-2004.org/Video/" target="_blank">video</a> on the theme. Among the entries 12 laureate videos will be selected and two members of each laureate team will be invited for the VT-2004 Final Event to be held in Paris during the second week of November. Winners of second and third prizes get a visit to "internationally renowned science film production company in Europe and the opportunity to meet professional film makers. The first prize is a free trip for two to the <a href="http://www.eso.org/paranal/" target="_blank">ESO Paranal Observatory </a>located in the Chilean Andes, one of the foremost astronomical centres in the world and the home of the <a href="http://www.eso.org/outreach/ut1fl/" target="_blank">Very Large Telescope</a> (VLT)."
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<br />The Chilean Andes? Now that is a place I want to go.
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<br />neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151521.post-1086651919634364472004-06-08T04:01:00.000+05:002004-06-08T14:06:02.860+05:00The June flowers are blooming in 2004 and venus in transit<em>"We are now on the eve of the second transit of a pair, after which there will be no other till the Twenty-First century of our era has dawned upon the earth, and the June flowers are blooming in 2004.... What will be the state of science when the next transit season arrives God only knows." (American astronomer William Harkness in 1882).</em>
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<br />Indeed, many changes have occured in the field of science, by the time the next transit of venus has arrived.
<br />
<br />Astronomers call a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_transit" target="_blank">'transit'</a> when a star, sun or planet, is seen passing in front of another such celestial body. The most common one is the eclipse of the sun, when the moon passes in front of the sun. But the rare ones, the tranist of Mercury and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_%28planet%29" target="_blank">Venus</a>, draws more attention.
<br />
<br />What the world is about to witness on June 8th, is what no living human has seen; a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_of_Venus" target="_blank">venus transit</a>.
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<br />Earlier, astronomers used venus and mercury transits to get information about the dimensions of the solar system such as the distance between Earth and the Sun. However, the use of modern radio signals emitted by spacecraft has led to the discovery of many such information and the event is not of much scientific importance. Nevertheless, it is still an event that raises educational interest.
<br />
<br /><a href="http://www.vt-2004.org" target="_blank">www.vt-2004.org</a> is a very informative site dedicated to this event. Here is an interesting account i read from the website.
<br />
<br />"Astronomers travelled to remote parts of the world to observe the transits of Venus in 1761 and 1769. To observe the transit of 1769, Captain Cook sailed from England to Tahiti. He discovered Hawaii and a few other places as bonuses along the way; it is not often that the side benefits of astronomical research are so apparent."
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<br />One other interesting thing I have read from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> is that the early Greeks thought the morning and evening appearance of Venus were two different objects. They called it Phosphorus when it appeared in the eastern morning sky and called it Hesperus when it was on the western evening sky. They eventually figured this out thanks to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoras" target="_blank">Pythagoras</a>.
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<br />Anybody who wants to observe the venus transit is advised to have eyes protected because the direct exposure to sun can lead to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retina" target="_blank">retina</a> burn and eye damage, even instant blindness.
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<br />neosplashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08348740699141414016noreply@blogger.com1