Vijay Tendulkar transcended the cultural boundaries of Maharashtra. There is no other Marathi literary icon today who is not only well known all over India, but is also respected among the elite. There is an establishment elite and an equally prestigious anti-establishment elite. Tendulkar moved from one to the other, with no one questioning his right to do so. But his heart was on the anti-establishment side. That showed in his themes as well as the way he crafted and presented his plays.
He was fastidious about the directorial details. He wanted to achieve a certain effect and he knew that it could not be achieved without the correct composition of lights and music, sets and costumes. He also wrote detailed notes on the script itself, on the movements and moods of the actors. Often the directors had to merely follow the script and those notes.
His modern themes and perfectionist approach impressed the metropolitan elite. In his famous and highly controversial play, Gidhare (The Vultures) Tendulkar explores the human relationships within a family, which turn explosive and violent to the extent that the father, brother, sister and the rest get into a murderous mood over a question of property. He wrote the play in 1972, when land prices were not skyrocketing like today and family incomes were not very high.
Yet the conflicts within families were turning vicious. Joint families were splitting up but nuclear families were not fully evolved. Property distribution, in a stagnant economy with low incomes, was turning hideous. Conventional playwrights would not dare to take up such themes. Romanticised and moralistic images of the family determined the predominant content of theatre. Tendulkar dared to expose the brutal reality with equally brutal language. That shocked audiences. There were protests and demands to ban the play. A young woman, forcibly aborting with blood oozing out on her saree, was too outrageous an image to be shown on the stage.
But the play was acclaimed by the liberal, cosmopolitan art and theatre world. It was existentialist and bore the European sensibilities of hyper-realism. Leading actors like Alyque Padamsee and Gerson da Cunha performed the play in English later.
It is difficult to understand how and from where Tendulkar acquired modernist and, later, post-modernist ideas. He had a very modest middle-class background, with little exposure to the European or American world of art and literature. He started writing at a very young age. His rebellious mood perhaps was a reflection of the times he lived in. Till Tendulkar arrived on the scene, theatre essentially meant entertainment and sometimes idealistic or moralistic evocation. It was not supposed to shock and certainly not devastate well-ensconced beliefs. He initially acquired notoriety before he began to get attention as a serious writer who was ready to confront and fight the status quo.
His plays, which came in succession, Ghashiram Kotwal and Sakharam Binder, were penetrating studies in violence. Actually, before these plays, he had been drawing the attention of theatre-goers and critics with plays like Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe. But he began to get national attention only in the early '70s and became an icon of the young.
All of us, the equivalent of the so-called Beatles Generation, enveloped by the ideas of protest and rebellion, by the anti-war movement, were his followers. For this generation, defending Tendulkar meant being anti-establishment. Marx and Che, Ho and Mao defined the ideological contours of the period. As for us, we had Tendulkar. Not that he was Marxist or Maoist. But he had his sympathies with them. He has never defended communism or the Soviet Union or Mao's Cultural Revolution. He never studied seriously the Marxist theories or the New Left versions. But he was familiar with the ideas and that was enough for him. He was not an intellectual nor an ideological polemicist. He was a creative writer and saw the world around him as a living theatre. He saw that violence ruled from Vietnam to Naxalbari, the JP movement to Emergency. He wanted to show the nexus between violence and power.
Later, he became more anti-establishmentarian, not only in theatre, but also on public issues. He became part of the movement for democratic rights and civil liberties, participated in the Narmada agitation, supported dalit movements. But by nature and creative instincts he was an artist, a playwright, and could not remain straitjacketed. He would write something that would go against the conventional Left or he would publicly say something that would hurt liberal sensibilities.
However, he never lost contact with the young and those experimenting with different forms. In hospital, in his last days, he asked a young admirer of his to read out to him Terry Eagleton's piece in The Times Literary Supplement. He was obviously tired as he turned 80 and could not bear the pain of the chronic muscle disorder, but he never thought of retiring. He was a colossus, and no one can take his place with that maverick style in confronting the establishment.
courtsey:http://in.news.yahoo.com/indianexpress/
20080520/r_t_ie_op_clm/top-the-many-worlds-of-vijay-tendulkar-7f368a9.html
Tuesday 20 May, 2008
NON VEG cow....! COW eating FISH....?
Ever seen a non-vegetarian cow ? Milk, the staple food of the veg can’t be always considered vegetarian, going by the food-habit of the milch cow at the house of C.P. Hussain, a local businessman here. (in kuttiatur, kannur district)
And the tastebuds of the cow showed a marked preference for fish. Later, even the smell of fish began invigorating the cow. The costly habit of this seven-year- old cow also has become a problem for him as his family can’t afford this luxury. Fortunately for Hussain, those who come to witness and convince themselves of the strange habit of his cow often come with packets of fish.
Hussain has two other cows, but they so far has shown no liking for fish or meat. The calves of the non-veg cow also have shown no penchant for fish. Or meat.
And the tastebuds of the cow showed a marked preference for fish. Later, even the smell of fish began invigorating the cow. The costly habit of this seven-year- old cow also has become a problem for him as his family can’t afford this luxury. Fortunately for Hussain, those who come to witness and convince themselves of the strange habit of his cow often come with packets of fish.
Hussain has two other cows, but they so far has shown no liking for fish or meat. The calves of the non-veg cow also have shown no penchant for fish. Or meat.
Sunday 18 May, 2008
Use CFL , save energy......
A compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), also known as a compact fluorescent light bulb (or less commonly as a compact fluorescent tube [CFT]) is a type of fluorescent lamp. Many CFLs are designed to replace an incandescent lamp and can fit in the existing light fixtures formerly used for incandescents.
Compared to general service incandescent lamps giving the same amount of visible light, CFLs use less power and have a longer rated life. In the United States, a CFL can save over 30 USD in electricity costs over the lamp's lifetime compared to an incandescent lamp and save 2000 times its own weight in greenhouse gases. The purchase price of a CFL is higher than that of an incandescent lamp of the same luminous output, but this cost is recovered in energy savings and replacement costs over the bulb's lifetime. Like all fluorescent lamps, CFLs contain mercury; this complicates the disposal of fluorescent lamps.
CFLs radiate a different light spectrum from that of incandescent lamps. Improved phosphor formulations have improved the subjective color of the light emitted by CFLs such that the best 'soft white' CFLs available in 2007 are subjectively similar in color to standard incandescent lamps.
Comparison with incandescent lamps
Lifespan:
Modern CFLs typically have a lifespan of between 6,000 and 15,000 hours, whereas incandescent lamps are usually manufactured to have a lifespan of 750 hours or 1,000 hours. Some incandescent bulbs claim long rated lifespans of 20,000 hours with reduced light output (approximately 500 versus 800 lumens). The lifetime of any lamp depends on many factors including operating voltage, manufacturing defects, exposure to voltage spikes, mechanical shock, frequency of cycling on and off and ambient operating temperature, among other factors. The life of a CFL is significantly shorter if it is only turned on for a few minutes at a time: In the case of a 5-minute on/off cycle the lifespan of a CFL can be up to 85% shorter, reducing its lifespan to the level of an incandescent lamp. The US Energy Star program says to leave them on at least 15 minutes at a time to mitigate this problem.
CFLs give less light later in their life than they do at the start. The light output depreciation is exponential, with the fastest losses being soon after the lamp was new. By the middle to end of their lives, CFLs can be expected to produce 70-80% of their original light output.The response of the human eye to light is logarithmic: Each f-number (or photographic 'f-stop') reduction represents a halving in actual light, but is subjectively quite a small change.A 20-30% reduction over many thousands of hours represents a change of about half an f-stop, which is barely noticeable in everyday life.
Energy efficiency:
For a given light output, CFLs use between one fifth and one quarter of the power of an equivalent incandescent lamp.Since lighting accounted for approximately 9% of household electricity usage in the United States in 2001,widespread use of CFLs could save as much as 7% from household usage.
If incandescent lamps are replaced by CFLs the heat produced by the building's lighting system will be reduced. At times when the building requires both heating and lighting, the building's central heating system will then supply the heat.
In contrast, if the building requires both illumination and cooling, then CFLs will use less electricity themselves and will also reduce the load on the cooling system compared to incandescent lamps. This results in two concurrent savings, and since most air conditioners are also electrically powered, they are directly comparable.
There is a third case where electric lighting is used with natural ventilation and without either heating or cooling. In this case the energy savings due to CFLs are simpler to estimate, as described above.
Radio Frequency:
As with all fluorescent lights, CFLs also generate some higher electrical frequencies which both radiate from the light unit itself, and transfer along the interconnecting electrical wiring. This is not generally considered to be a significant problem, but it can result in electronic interference with some other devices.
How they work:
There are two main parts in a CFL: the gas-filled tube (also called bulb or burner) and the magnetic or electronic ballast. Electrical energy in the form of an electrical current from the ballast flows through the gas, causing it to emit ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light then excites a white phosphor coating on the inside of the tube. This coating emits visible light. CFLs that flicker when they start have magnetic ballasts; CFLs with electronic ballasts are now much more common.
Electronic ballasts contain a small circuit board with rectifers, a filter capacitor and usually two switching transistors connected as a high-frequency resonant series DC to AC inverter. The resulting high frequency, around 40 kHz or higher, is applied to the lamp tube. Since the resonant converter tends to stabilize lamp current (and light produced) over a range of input voltages, standard CFLs do not respond well in dimming applications and special lamps are required for dimming service.
Energy savings:
Since CFLs use less power to supply the same amount of light as an incandescent lamp of the same lumen rating, they can be used to decrease energy consumption at the location in which they are used. In countries where electricity is largely produced from burning fossil fuels, the savings reduces emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants; in other countries the reduction may help reduce negative impacts from radioactive waste, hydroelectric plants, or other sources; see environmental concerns with electricity generation for details.
While CFLs require more energy in manufacturing than incandescent lamps, this is said to be offset by the fact that they last longer and use less energy during their lifespan. However there is no standard way to calculate the amount of energy 'embodied' in a device (e.g. Should one include the energy consumption/transport of workers in the factory?), and currently there is little in the way of trustworthy evidence to demonstrate the differences between the manufacturing, delivery, and retailing consumption of energy in the different forms of lighting.
A comparison of energy consumption and carbon dioxide production, also needs to specify whether this is in hot, medium or cold climates. The 'inefficiencies' of incandescent lightbulbs in cold countries are virtually zero, since the generated heat offsets some of the need for central heating.
Compared to general service incandescent lamps giving the same amount of visible light, CFLs use less power and have a longer rated life. In the United States, a CFL can save over 30 USD in electricity costs over the lamp's lifetime compared to an incandescent lamp and save 2000 times its own weight in greenhouse gases. The purchase price of a CFL is higher than that of an incandescent lamp of the same luminous output, but this cost is recovered in energy savings and replacement costs over the bulb's lifetime. Like all fluorescent lamps, CFLs contain mercury; this complicates the disposal of fluorescent lamps.
CFLs radiate a different light spectrum from that of incandescent lamps. Improved phosphor formulations have improved the subjective color of the light emitted by CFLs such that the best 'soft white' CFLs available in 2007 are subjectively similar in color to standard incandescent lamps.
Comparison with incandescent lamps
Lifespan:
Modern CFLs typically have a lifespan of between 6,000 and 15,000 hours, whereas incandescent lamps are usually manufactured to have a lifespan of 750 hours or 1,000 hours. Some incandescent bulbs claim long rated lifespans of 20,000 hours with reduced light output (approximately 500 versus 800 lumens). The lifetime of any lamp depends on many factors including operating voltage, manufacturing defects, exposure to voltage spikes, mechanical shock, frequency of cycling on and off and ambient operating temperature, among other factors. The life of a CFL is significantly shorter if it is only turned on for a few minutes at a time: In the case of a 5-minute on/off cycle the lifespan of a CFL can be up to 85% shorter, reducing its lifespan to the level of an incandescent lamp. The US Energy Star program says to leave them on at least 15 minutes at a time to mitigate this problem.
CFLs give less light later in their life than they do at the start. The light output depreciation is exponential, with the fastest losses being soon after the lamp was new. By the middle to end of their lives, CFLs can be expected to produce 70-80% of their original light output.The response of the human eye to light is logarithmic: Each f-number (or photographic 'f-stop') reduction represents a halving in actual light, but is subjectively quite a small change.A 20-30% reduction over many thousands of hours represents a change of about half an f-stop, which is barely noticeable in everyday life.
Energy efficiency:
For a given light output, CFLs use between one fifth and one quarter of the power of an equivalent incandescent lamp.Since lighting accounted for approximately 9% of household electricity usage in the United States in 2001,widespread use of CFLs could save as much as 7% from household usage.
If incandescent lamps are replaced by CFLs the heat produced by the building's lighting system will be reduced. At times when the building requires both heating and lighting, the building's central heating system will then supply the heat.
In contrast, if the building requires both illumination and cooling, then CFLs will use less electricity themselves and will also reduce the load on the cooling system compared to incandescent lamps. This results in two concurrent savings, and since most air conditioners are also electrically powered, they are directly comparable.
There is a third case where electric lighting is used with natural ventilation and without either heating or cooling. In this case the energy savings due to CFLs are simpler to estimate, as described above.
Radio Frequency:
As with all fluorescent lights, CFLs also generate some higher electrical frequencies which both radiate from the light unit itself, and transfer along the interconnecting electrical wiring. This is not generally considered to be a significant problem, but it can result in electronic interference with some other devices.
How they work:
There are two main parts in a CFL: the gas-filled tube (also called bulb or burner) and the magnetic or electronic ballast. Electrical energy in the form of an electrical current from the ballast flows through the gas, causing it to emit ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light then excites a white phosphor coating on the inside of the tube. This coating emits visible light. CFLs that flicker when they start have magnetic ballasts; CFLs with electronic ballasts are now much more common.
Electronic ballasts contain a small circuit board with rectifers, a filter capacitor and usually two switching transistors connected as a high-frequency resonant series DC to AC inverter. The resulting high frequency, around 40 kHz or higher, is applied to the lamp tube. Since the resonant converter tends to stabilize lamp current (and light produced) over a range of input voltages, standard CFLs do not respond well in dimming applications and special lamps are required for dimming service.
Energy savings:
Since CFLs use less power to supply the same amount of light as an incandescent lamp of the same lumen rating, they can be used to decrease energy consumption at the location in which they are used. In countries where electricity is largely produced from burning fossil fuels, the savings reduces emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants; in other countries the reduction may help reduce negative impacts from radioactive waste, hydroelectric plants, or other sources; see environmental concerns with electricity generation for details.
While CFLs require more energy in manufacturing than incandescent lamps, this is said to be offset by the fact that they last longer and use less energy during their lifespan. However there is no standard way to calculate the amount of energy 'embodied' in a device (e.g. Should one include the energy consumption/transport of workers in the factory?), and currently there is little in the way of trustworthy evidence to demonstrate the differences between the manufacturing, delivery, and retailing consumption of energy in the different forms of lighting.
A comparison of energy consumption and carbon dioxide production, also needs to specify whether this is in hot, medium or cold climates. The 'inefficiencies' of incandescent lightbulbs in cold countries are virtually zero, since the generated heat offsets some of the need for central heating.
What are renewable energy sources...?
In the past century, it has been seen that the consumption of non-renewable sources of energy has caused more environmental damage than any other human activity. Electricity generated from fossil fuels such as coal and crude oil has led to high concentrations of harmful gases in the atmosphere. This has in turn led to many problems being faced today such as ozone depletion and global warming. Vehicular pollution has also been a major problem.
Therefore, alternative sources of energy have become very important and relevant to today’s world. These sources, such as the sun and wind, can never be exhausted and therefore are called renewable. They cause less emissions and are available locally. Their use can, to a large extent, reduce chemical, radioactive, and thermal pollution. They stand out as a viable source of clean and limitless energy. These are also known as non-conventional sources of energy. Most of the renewable sources of energy are fairly non-polluting and considered clean though biomass, a renewable source, is a major polluter indoors.
What are these alternative sources of energy?
Hydel energy:
The energy in the flowing water can be used to produce electricity. Waves result from the interaction of the wind with the surface of the sea and represent a transfer of energy from the wind to the sea. Energy can be extracted from tides by creating a reservoir or basin behind a barrage and then passing tidal waters through turbines in the barrage to generate electricity.
Hydro power is one of the best, cheapest, and cleanest source of energy, although, with big dams, there are many environmental and social problems as has been seen in the case of the Tehri and the Narmada Projects. Small dams are, however, free from these problems. This is in fact one of the earliest known renewable energy sources, in the country (since the beginning of the 20th century).
Energy is also obtained from waves and tides. The first wave energy, project with a capacity of 150MW, has been set up at Vizhinjam near Trivandrum. A major tidal wave power project costing of Rs.5000 crores, is proposed to be set up in the Hanthal Creek in the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat.
In some countries such as Japan small scale power generators run by energy from waves or the ocean, have been used as power sources for channel marking buoys.
Solar:
Solar energy is the most readily available source of energy. It does not belong to anybody and is, therefore, free. It is also the most important of the non-conventional sources of energy because it is non-polluting and, therefore, helps in lessening the greenhouse effect.
Solar energy has been used since prehistoric times, but in a most primitive manner. Before 1970, some research and development was carried out in a few countries to exploit solar energy more efficiently, but most of this work remained mainly academic. After the dramatic rise in oil prices in the 1970s, several countries began to formulate extensive research and development programmes to exploit solar energy.
When we hang out our clothes to dry in the sun, we use the energy of the sun. In the same way, solar panels absorb the energy of the sun to provide heat for cooking and for heating water. Such systems are available in the market and are being used in homes and factories.
In the next few years it is expected that millions of households in the world will be using solar energy as the trends in USA and Japan show. In India too, the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency and the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources are formulating a programme to have solar energy in more than a million households in the next few years. However, the people’s initiative is essential if the programme is to be successful.
India is one of the few countries with long days and plenty of sunshine, especially in the Thar desert region. This zone, having abundant solar energy available, is suitable for harnessing solar energy for a number of applications. In areas with similar intensity of solar radiation, solar energy could be easily harnessed. Solar thermal energy is being used in India for heating water for both industrial and domestic purposes. A 140 MW integrated solar power plant is to be set up in Jodhpur but the initial expense incurred is still very high.
Solar energy can also be used to meet our electricity requirements. Through Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) cells, solar radiation gets converted into DC electricity directly. This electricity can either be used as it is or can be stored in the battery. This stored electrical energy then can be used at night. SPV can be used for a number of applications such as:
a. domestic lighting
b. street lighting
c. village electrification
d. water pumping
e. desalination of salty water
f. powering of remote telecommunication repeater stations and
g. railway signals.
If the means to make efficient use of solar energy could be found, it would reduce our dependence on non-renewable sources of energy and make our environment cleaner.
Wind:
Wind energy is the kinetic energy associated with the movement of atmospheric air. It has been used for hundreds of years for sailing, grinding grain, and for irrigation. Wind energy systems convert this kinetic energy to more useful forms of power. Wind energy systems for irrigation and milling have been in use since ancient times and since the beginning of the 20th century it is being used to generate electric power. Windmills for water pumping have been installed in many countries particularly in the rural areas.
Wind turbines transform the energy in the wind into mechanical power, which can then be used directly for grinding etc. or further converting to electric power to generate electricity. Wind turbines can be used singly or in clusters called ‘wind farms’. Small wind turbines called aero-generators can be used to charge large batteries.
Biomass:
Biomass is a renewable energy resource derived from the carbonaceous waste of various human and natural activities. It is derived from numerous sources, including the by-products from the timber industry, agricultural crops, raw material from the forest, major parts of household waste and wood.
Biomass does not add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere as it absorbs the same amount of carbon in growing as it releases when consumed as a fuel. Its advantage is that it can be used to generate electricity with the same equipment or power plants that are now burning fossil fuels. Biomass is an important source of energy and the most important fuel worldwide after coal, oil and natural gas.
At present, biogas technology provides an alternative source of energy in rural India for cooking. It is particularly useful for village households that have their own cattle. Through a simple process cattle dung is used to produce a gas, which serves as fuel for cooking. The residual dung is used as manure.
Biogas plants have been set up in many areas and are becoming very popular. Using local resources, namely cattle waste and other organic wastes, energy and manure are derived. A mini biogas digester has recently been designed and developed, and is being in-field tested for domestic lighting.
Geothermal energy:
We live between two great sources of energy, the hot rocks beneath the surface of the earth and the sun in the sky. Our ancestors knew the value of geothermal energy; they bathed and cooked in hot springs. Today we have recognized that this resource has potential for much broader application.
The core of the earth is very hot and it is possible to make use of this geothermal energy (in Greek it means heat from the earth). These are areas where there are volcanoes, hot springs, and geysers, and methane under the water in the oceans and seas. In some countries, such as in the USA water is pumped from underground hot water deposits and used to heat people’s houses.
Fuel cells:
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert the chemical energy of a fuel directly and very efficiently into electricity (DC) and heat, thus doing away with combustion. The most suitable fuel for such cells is hydrogen or a mixture of compounds containing hydrogen. A fuel cell consists of an electrolyte sandwiched between two electrodes. Oxygen passes over one electrode and hydrogen over the other, and they react electrochemically to generate electricity, water, and heat.
Though fuel cells have been used in space flights and combined supplies of heat and power, electric vehicles are the best option available to dramatically reduce urban air pollution. Compared to vehicles powered by the internal combustion engine, fuel-cell powered vehicles have very high energy conversion efficiency, (almost double that of currently used engines) and near-zero pollution, CO2 and water vapour being the only emissions. Fuel-cell-powered EV's (electric vehicles) score over battery operated EV's in terms of increased efficiency and easier and faster refuelling.
Co-generation:
Co-generation is the concept of producing two forms of energy from one fuel. One of the forms of energy must always be heat and the other may be electricity or mechanical energy. In a conventional power plant, fuel is burnt in a boiler to generate high-pressure steam. This steam is used to drive a turbine, which in turn drives an alternator through a steam turbine to produce electric power. The exhaust steam is generally condensed to water which goes back to the boiler.
As the low-pressure steam has a large quantum of heat which is lost in the process of condensing, the efficiency of conventional power plants is only around 35%. In a cogeneration plant, very high efficiency levels, in the range of 75%–90%, can be reached. This is so, because the low-pressure exhaust steam coming out of the turbine is not condensed, but used for heating purposes in factories or houses.
Since co-generation can meet both power and heat needs, it has other advantages as well in the form of significant cost savings for the plant and reduction in emissions of pollutants due to reduced fuel consumption.
Even at conservative estimates, the potential of power generation from co-generation in India is more than 20,000 MW. Since India is the largest producer of sugar in the world, bagasse-based cogeneration is being promoted. The potential for cogeneration thus lies in facilities with joint requirement of heat and electricity, primarily sugar and rice mills, distilleries, petrochemical sector and industries such as fertilizers, steel, chemical, cement, pulp and paper, and aluminum.
Therefore, alternative sources of energy have become very important and relevant to today’s world. These sources, such as the sun and wind, can never be exhausted and therefore are called renewable. They cause less emissions and are available locally. Their use can, to a large extent, reduce chemical, radioactive, and thermal pollution. They stand out as a viable source of clean and limitless energy. These are also known as non-conventional sources of energy. Most of the renewable sources of energy are fairly non-polluting and considered clean though biomass, a renewable source, is a major polluter indoors.
What are these alternative sources of energy?
Hydel energy:
The energy in the flowing water can be used to produce electricity. Waves result from the interaction of the wind with the surface of the sea and represent a transfer of energy from the wind to the sea. Energy can be extracted from tides by creating a reservoir or basin behind a barrage and then passing tidal waters through turbines in the barrage to generate electricity.
Hydro power is one of the best, cheapest, and cleanest source of energy, although, with big dams, there are many environmental and social problems as has been seen in the case of the Tehri and the Narmada Projects. Small dams are, however, free from these problems. This is in fact one of the earliest known renewable energy sources, in the country (since the beginning of the 20th century).
Energy is also obtained from waves and tides. The first wave energy, project with a capacity of 150MW, has been set up at Vizhinjam near Trivandrum. A major tidal wave power project costing of Rs.5000 crores, is proposed to be set up in the Hanthal Creek in the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat.
In some countries such as Japan small scale power generators run by energy from waves or the ocean, have been used as power sources for channel marking buoys.
Solar:
Solar energy is the most readily available source of energy. It does not belong to anybody and is, therefore, free. It is also the most important of the non-conventional sources of energy because it is non-polluting and, therefore, helps in lessening the greenhouse effect.
Solar energy has been used since prehistoric times, but in a most primitive manner. Before 1970, some research and development was carried out in a few countries to exploit solar energy more efficiently, but most of this work remained mainly academic. After the dramatic rise in oil prices in the 1970s, several countries began to formulate extensive research and development programmes to exploit solar energy.
When we hang out our clothes to dry in the sun, we use the energy of the sun. In the same way, solar panels absorb the energy of the sun to provide heat for cooking and for heating water. Such systems are available in the market and are being used in homes and factories.
In the next few years it is expected that millions of households in the world will be using solar energy as the trends in USA and Japan show. In India too, the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency and the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources are formulating a programme to have solar energy in more than a million households in the next few years. However, the people’s initiative is essential if the programme is to be successful.
India is one of the few countries with long days and plenty of sunshine, especially in the Thar desert region. This zone, having abundant solar energy available, is suitable for harnessing solar energy for a number of applications. In areas with similar intensity of solar radiation, solar energy could be easily harnessed. Solar thermal energy is being used in India for heating water for both industrial and domestic purposes. A 140 MW integrated solar power plant is to be set up in Jodhpur but the initial expense incurred is still very high.
Solar energy can also be used to meet our electricity requirements. Through Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) cells, solar radiation gets converted into DC electricity directly. This electricity can either be used as it is or can be stored in the battery. This stored electrical energy then can be used at night. SPV can be used for a number of applications such as:
a. domestic lighting
b. street lighting
c. village electrification
d. water pumping
e. desalination of salty water
f. powering of remote telecommunication repeater stations and
g. railway signals.
If the means to make efficient use of solar energy could be found, it would reduce our dependence on non-renewable sources of energy and make our environment cleaner.
Wind:
Wind energy is the kinetic energy associated with the movement of atmospheric air. It has been used for hundreds of years for sailing, grinding grain, and for irrigation. Wind energy systems convert this kinetic energy to more useful forms of power. Wind energy systems for irrigation and milling have been in use since ancient times and since the beginning of the 20th century it is being used to generate electric power. Windmills for water pumping have been installed in many countries particularly in the rural areas.
Wind turbines transform the energy in the wind into mechanical power, which can then be used directly for grinding etc. or further converting to electric power to generate electricity. Wind turbines can be used singly or in clusters called ‘wind farms’. Small wind turbines called aero-generators can be used to charge large batteries.
Biomass:
Biomass is a renewable energy resource derived from the carbonaceous waste of various human and natural activities. It is derived from numerous sources, including the by-products from the timber industry, agricultural crops, raw material from the forest, major parts of household waste and wood.
Biomass does not add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere as it absorbs the same amount of carbon in growing as it releases when consumed as a fuel. Its advantage is that it can be used to generate electricity with the same equipment or power plants that are now burning fossil fuels. Biomass is an important source of energy and the most important fuel worldwide after coal, oil and natural gas.
At present, biogas technology provides an alternative source of energy in rural India for cooking. It is particularly useful for village households that have their own cattle. Through a simple process cattle dung is used to produce a gas, which serves as fuel for cooking. The residual dung is used as manure.
Biogas plants have been set up in many areas and are becoming very popular. Using local resources, namely cattle waste and other organic wastes, energy and manure are derived. A mini biogas digester has recently been designed and developed, and is being in-field tested for domestic lighting.
Geothermal energy:
We live between two great sources of energy, the hot rocks beneath the surface of the earth and the sun in the sky. Our ancestors knew the value of geothermal energy; they bathed and cooked in hot springs. Today we have recognized that this resource has potential for much broader application.
The core of the earth is very hot and it is possible to make use of this geothermal energy (in Greek it means heat from the earth). These are areas where there are volcanoes, hot springs, and geysers, and methane under the water in the oceans and seas. In some countries, such as in the USA water is pumped from underground hot water deposits and used to heat people’s houses.
Fuel cells:
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert the chemical energy of a fuel directly and very efficiently into electricity (DC) and heat, thus doing away with combustion. The most suitable fuel for such cells is hydrogen or a mixture of compounds containing hydrogen. A fuel cell consists of an electrolyte sandwiched between two electrodes. Oxygen passes over one electrode and hydrogen over the other, and they react electrochemically to generate electricity, water, and heat.
Though fuel cells have been used in space flights and combined supplies of heat and power, electric vehicles are the best option available to dramatically reduce urban air pollution. Compared to vehicles powered by the internal combustion engine, fuel-cell powered vehicles have very high energy conversion efficiency, (almost double that of currently used engines) and near-zero pollution, CO2 and water vapour being the only emissions. Fuel-cell-powered EV's (electric vehicles) score over battery operated EV's in terms of increased efficiency and easier and faster refuelling.
Co-generation:
Co-generation is the concept of producing two forms of energy from one fuel. One of the forms of energy must always be heat and the other may be electricity or mechanical energy. In a conventional power plant, fuel is burnt in a boiler to generate high-pressure steam. This steam is used to drive a turbine, which in turn drives an alternator through a steam turbine to produce electric power. The exhaust steam is generally condensed to water which goes back to the boiler.
As the low-pressure steam has a large quantum of heat which is lost in the process of condensing, the efficiency of conventional power plants is only around 35%. In a cogeneration plant, very high efficiency levels, in the range of 75%–90%, can be reached. This is so, because the low-pressure exhaust steam coming out of the turbine is not condensed, but used for heating purposes in factories or houses.
Since co-generation can meet both power and heat needs, it has other advantages as well in the form of significant cost savings for the plant and reduction in emissions of pollutants due to reduced fuel consumption.
Even at conservative estimates, the potential of power generation from co-generation in India is more than 20,000 MW. Since India is the largest producer of sugar in the world, bagasse-based cogeneration is being promoted. The potential for cogeneration thus lies in facilities with joint requirement of heat and electricity, primarily sugar and rice mills, distilleries, petrochemical sector and industries such as fertilizers, steel, chemical, cement, pulp and paper, and aluminum.
What is PAGERANK...?
If you have been a webmaster for any length of time, you most likely know all about pagerank, and have been working to get yours up. PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page’s value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves “important” weigh more heavily and help to make other pages “important”.
Put even simpler, we will start from the beginning. Google is the largest web search engine online today, and will always be. From junior high schools to retirement homes, the latest trend when you want a question answered is to “Google It”. This phrase has swept the nation and almost everyone currently uses it. If you’re a webmaster, you want to be on the top of the results and to do this, you need a decent Google PageRank.
Google PageRank is based on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest. Sites with PR0 have either just started, or were bought and never had any content or traffic. You should be able to attain a PR1 quite easily. Your PageRank is based on the number of links directing to your sites from other sites. The more you have, the more you will go up in rank obviously. But don’t be fooled, some sites are better to be linked from than others. Being linked to on a PR7 site will do a large amount of good compared to a PR1. PR0 links are virtually useless as they are new and have no content, so their links mean practically nothing.
PageRank does work and is efficient for getting your site into some keywords on Google’s monopoly of a search engine, but overall it is not worth the hassle and is a dead market. Google does not show results on a page solely based of PageRank as some seem to think. If you swap links with some large sites and manage to get a higher PR than that of a site that has been running for 5 years solid, they will most definately get the higher result. Why? Established sites mean everything. Google strives to link it’s users to the most relevant information and most likely the site that has been active for 5 years will have better content and more information on the subject than your 3 month old site. Inevitably, PageRank is just another tool to rank yourself against other websites of the same niché to see where you stand.
Google has opened an entirely new market by simply allowing this new feature to be used. While it is somewhat beneficial to the engine as a whole, it could simply be hidden because it is not solely relying on backlinks like everyone believes. Users are now paying up to $100+/month to have their link posted in a PR7 link directory. A link directory is a site that contains just links, and that is all, it is created solely for the use of boosting PageRank and is against Google TOS. People have literally wasted thousands of dollars getting backlinks. Sometimes it works out in the end but most often, it does not.
As stated above Google is now a monopoly online and quite literally anything they brand with their logo, they will start making millions from. There is no denying that PageRank is an excellent tool to use in their search engine, but it has started a spending spree that is leading most people nowhere.
Put even simpler, we will start from the beginning. Google is the largest web search engine online today, and will always be. From junior high schools to retirement homes, the latest trend when you want a question answered is to “Google It”. This phrase has swept the nation and almost everyone currently uses it. If you’re a webmaster, you want to be on the top of the results and to do this, you need a decent Google PageRank.
Google PageRank is based on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest. Sites with PR0 have either just started, or were bought and never had any content or traffic. You should be able to attain a PR1 quite easily. Your PageRank is based on the number of links directing to your sites from other sites. The more you have, the more you will go up in rank obviously. But don’t be fooled, some sites are better to be linked from than others. Being linked to on a PR7 site will do a large amount of good compared to a PR1. PR0 links are virtually useless as they are new and have no content, so their links mean practically nothing.
PageRank does work and is efficient for getting your site into some keywords on Google’s monopoly of a search engine, but overall it is not worth the hassle and is a dead market. Google does not show results on a page solely based of PageRank as some seem to think. If you swap links with some large sites and manage to get a higher PR than that of a site that has been running for 5 years solid, they will most definately get the higher result. Why? Established sites mean everything. Google strives to link it’s users to the most relevant information and most likely the site that has been active for 5 years will have better content and more information on the subject than your 3 month old site. Inevitably, PageRank is just another tool to rank yourself against other websites of the same niché to see where you stand.
Google has opened an entirely new market by simply allowing this new feature to be used. While it is somewhat beneficial to the engine as a whole, it could simply be hidden because it is not solely relying on backlinks like everyone believes. Users are now paying up to $100+/month to have their link posted in a PR7 link directory. A link directory is a site that contains just links, and that is all, it is created solely for the use of boosting PageRank and is against Google TOS. People have literally wasted thousands of dollars getting backlinks. Sometimes it works out in the end but most often, it does not.
As stated above Google is now a monopoly online and quite literally anything they brand with their logo, they will start making millions from. There is no denying that PageRank is an excellent tool to use in their search engine, but it has started a spending spree that is leading most people nowhere.
How to stop WORRYing......?
Worry refers to negative self-talk that often distracts the mind from focusing on the problem at hand. For example, when students become anxious during a test, they may repeatedly tell themselves they are going to fail, or they can't remember the material or that their teacher will become angry with them. This thinking interferes with focusing on the test as the speech areas of the brain that are needed to complete test questions are being used for worrying.
Worry can also refer to a feeling of concern about someone else's condition. For instance, a mother may say "I'm worried" if her child doesn't show up at home when he was supposed to be there. It can also refer to certain actions or the lack of those kind of actions. "I'm worried because she is not eating any vegetables".
Once acquired, the habit of worrying seems hard to stop. We're raised to worry and aren't considered "grown up" until we perfect the art. Teenagers are told: "you'd better start worrying about your future". If your worries aren't at least as frequent as your bowel movements, you're seen as irresponsible, childish, aimless. That's a "responsible adult" game rule.
To the extent that worrying is learned/conditioned behavior, it can be undone. There are psychological gimmicks for undoing the worry habit. There are also obstacles.
for more details: http://www.anxietyculture.com/worry.htm
Please keep some points in your mind. these will help you to avoid unnecessary worry, anxiety, etc. And this will help you to become a success in your life.
Worry can also refer to a feeling of concern about someone else's condition. For instance, a mother may say "I'm worried" if her child doesn't show up at home when he was supposed to be there. It can also refer to certain actions or the lack of those kind of actions. "I'm worried because she is not eating any vegetables".
Once acquired, the habit of worrying seems hard to stop. We're raised to worry and aren't considered "grown up" until we perfect the art. Teenagers are told: "you'd better start worrying about your future". If your worries aren't at least as frequent as your bowel movements, you're seen as irresponsible, childish, aimless. That's a "responsible adult" game rule.
To the extent that worrying is learned/conditioned behavior, it can be undone. There are psychological gimmicks for undoing the worry habit. There are also obstacles.
for more details: http://www.anxietyculture.com/worry.htm
Please keep some points in your mind. these will help you to avoid unnecessary worry, anxiety, etc. And this will help you to become a success in your life.
- No one ever kicks a dead dog : So when you are kicked or criticized, remember that it is often done and it gives the kicker a feeling of importance. It often means that you are accomplishing something and are worthy of attention.
- Forget about yourself by becoming interested in others.
- Everyday do a good deed that will put a smile of joy on someone's face.
- When date hands us a lemon, try to make a lemonade.
- Let's not imitate others.Let's find ourselves and be ourselves.
- Count your blessings, not your troubles.
- Don't try to saw sawdust.
here i am specifying a book that can help you to regain mind courage and to escape from unnecessary worries...:"HOW TO STOP WORRYING AND START LIVING" by 'DALE CARNEGIE'--- ARNOLD ASSOCIATES.
Tuesday 29 April, 2008
BEKAL FORT,largest & beatiful fort
Bekal fort, the largest and the best-preserved fort in Kerala, lies 16 Kms south of Kasaragod on the national highway at the northern tip of the state. The fort, a circular imposing structure of laterite rising 130 ft. above sea level, stands on a 35 acre headland that runs into the Arabian sea.
This fort is more than 300 years old and is believed to have been built in the 1650's by Sivappa Naik of the Ikkeri dynasty. There is also another belief that it was originally built by Kolathiri Rajas and later captured by Sivappa Naik. The fort was occupied Hyder Ali of Mysore in 1763 A.D and then the Huzur of Canara during Tipu Sultan's reign and later the British. During the British rule, the erstwhile Bekal taluk was part of South Canara district and encompassed the present Kasaragod and Hosdurg taluks.
The fort with its zigzag entrance, strategically designed openings on the outer walls for defense and trenches around, has no palaces inside and was probably build just for Defence purposes. The sea bastion, underground tunnels and the observation tower in the fort are impressive. The Bekal Fort has been a source of attraction for historians, tourists and nature - lovers for centuries since it embodies memories of a glorious past.
Just outside the fort there is a mosque built by Tippu Sultan of Mysore. At the entrance is
the Anjaneya temple, dedicated to Sree Hanuman. Said to be as old as the fort itself, the shrine was recently renovated and attracts hundreds of devotees from far and near. In the middle of the fort is the observation tower approached by a broad and wide flight of stairs. The structure, around 80 feet in circumference at the base and more than 30 feet high, affords a magnificent view of the sea on three sides and the green landscape to the east. There are many underground passages leading outside from various parts of the Fort. Two of them still remains intact, one leading to the south of the fort and the other to the moat on the east. The magazine inside the fort closed to the public, is used to store weapons and ammunition and managed by the Archaeological Survey of India. The sea bastion located on the rocky projection, west of the fort also offers a magnificent view of the sea and the beach.
There is a sea side pathway with a magnificent view of the fort to the east and the sea to the west linking the beaches north and south of the battlement. The Pallikere beach with its shallow waters is just a km. away from the fort.
Due to its historic relevance, the fort is controlled by the Archaeological Survey of India. Coins and other historical artifacts were unearthed by archeologists making it an interesting excavation site. Bekal is also one among the five centres selected by the Government of India to be developed into a 'Special Tourism Area'.
How to get there :
Air: Nearest airports are at Mangalore (50 km); Karipur International Airport, Calicut
Rail: On the Kozhikode-Mangalore-Mumbai route. Enquiry Ph: 430200
Road: There are regular buses every 30 minutes from Kanjagad to Bekal. An excellent network of roads connects Kasaragod to major towns in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. (Kozhikode) International Terminal (180 km)
Rail: On the Kozhikode-Mangalore-Mumbai route. Enquiry Ph: 430200
Road: There are regular buses every 30 minutes from Kanjagad to Bekal. An excellent network of roads connects Kasaragod to major towns in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. (Kozhikode) International Terminal (180 km)
kasargod, a better place to see...
Kasargod lies on the northern most part of Kerala. This district is of great historical importance. The forts and Palace in this district symbolises the conquest it withstood against the invaders. Chandragiri Fort and Bekal fort are the famous forts and are best preserved in Kasargod tourism. Kasargod tourism is gifted with many forts, rivers, hills, beautiful sea shores, forests and mineral resources. Kasargod tourism is also blessed for its architectural style of constructing mosques & temples. This district is even called as 'land of gods' as it is gifted with all these marvelous things.
District Area 1991 sq.km.
Nileshwaram (cultural Centre):
The cultural centre of this district was once, the seat of Nileshwar Rajas, who are the patrons of art and culture for centuries. Nileshwaram Palace today functions as the folklore centre of the Archeological Department of the state. In and around, this cultural centre are several ' Kavus ' (shrines) where nature, god and man commence in serene silence. Major among them is the Mannampurathu Kavu where the grand annual festival of the region takes place. There is also a famous yoga centre in this place which offers rejuvenation therapy and naturopathy treatments like herbal baths, mud baths etc. for which this centre has been flourishing for decades.
District Area 1991 sq.km.
| Altitude | Sea Level |
| Tourist Season | August to March |
Nileshwaram (cultural Centre):
The cultural centre of this district was once, the seat of Nileshwar Rajas, who are the patrons of art and culture for centuries. Nileshwaram Palace today functions as the folklore centre of the Archeological Department of the state. In and around, this cultural centre are several ' Kavus ' (shrines) where nature, god and man commence in serene silence. Major among them is the Mannampurathu Kavu where the grand annual festival of the region takes place. There is also a famous yoga centre in this place which offers rejuvenation therapy and naturopathy treatments like herbal baths, mud baths etc. for which this centre has been flourishing for decades.
Valiyaparamba (Backwaters)
30 kms from Bekal, this is perhaps the most scenic backwater stretch in Kerala. Fed by four rivers and dotted with a cute little island, four rivers and dotted with a cute little island, Valiyaparamba is fest turning into a much favoured backwater resort that offers enchanting boat cruises.
Pallikere Beach
Situated 1 km from Bekal Fort, this enchanting beach offers a spectacular view of the fort.
The Kappil Beach
This beach is remote and secluded. The Kodi Cliff nearby offers a panoramic view of the Arabian Sea. Situated 6 kms from Bekal fort.
Kanwatheertha Beach
The swimming pool like formation of the sea water is the main attraction of this beach. It is situated 3 kms from Manjeswaram.
Pandiyam Kalluat Trikkanda (Sight seeing Place)
Pandiyam Kallu - where a rock is protruding in the sea, about 2kms. Trikkanda Temple is an ideal spot for adventurous swimmers. The legend has it that a ship of one of the Pandiya king, which attacked the Trikkannadu Temple, was converted into a rock.
Kottancherry (Trekking Spot)
30 kms north of Konnakkad and 30 kms north east of Kanhangad, is Kottancherry, which is a forest area and is ideal for trekking.
Ranipuram (Trekking Spot)
Situated 780m above sea level, Ranipuram, which is also, known as Madathumala, is famous for its trekking trails and varied vegetarian, which includes evergreen Shola woods, monsoon forests and grasslands. Its beauty and bounty of nature is comparable to Ootty.
Bakel Fort
The 300 years old Bakel Fort is the largest and best-preserved fort in Kerala, which is 
16kms south of Kasargod on the national highway. This imposing circular structure of laterite, rising 130 feet above sea level, stands on a 35-acre headland that runs into the Arabian Sea. The beautiful Bakel beach with the historically and archeologically significant Bakel fort in the background is now being developed into an International Tourist destination.
Chandragiri (Fort)
Built in the 17th century by Sivappa Naik of Bedanore, the Chandragiri Fort is situated on the River Chandragiri, south east of Kasargod. This fort is one among the chain of forts built by the same ruler, which offers a breathtaking view of the river and the Arabian Sea. It is a lovely point to watch the sunset.
Verramala (Picnic Spot)
Verramala hills have the ruin of a Dutch fort, built in the 18th century, which has beautiful scenery around it. This makes the place into a lovely picnic spot.
Tourist information offices
District Tourism Promotion Council, Near Civil Station,
Kannur - Tel: 091 - 497 - 2506336, 2700190
Tourist Reception Centre (DTPC) Tel: 091 - 477 - 2251796
Saturday 26 April, 2008
Want to know more about kannur.........?
Kannur History:
Kannur is located in the northern part of Kerala and is supposed to draw its name from two Malayalam words, Kannan meaning Krishna and Ur meaning place. Thus the place associates itself with Lord Krishna. The name Cannonore is the angilicised version of Kannur.
The history of the district is traced back to the Neolithic age (there are rock cut caves and megalithic burial sites of that time). During the second stint of the Chera rulers in Kerala, the Kannur district formed part of their empire. The capital was at Mahodayapuram. During this time, another kingdom, Mooshaka, was flourishing in the Chirakkal and Kasaragod areas and by 14th century they established themselves well. The kingdom of Mooshaka now came to be known as Kolathunad and the rulers were called Kolathiris. The power of the Kolathiris in the north Kerala had risen to the extent that they became a rival of the Zamorins of Kozhikode.
After the arrival of the Portuguese in the scene, a contact was made with the Kolathiris (though Vasco da Gama never visited the place himself). The rivalries of the two powers, Zamorins and Kolathiris, helped Vasco da Gama take an advantage in securing a monopoly over the pepper trade. Later, Portugal sent Francisco De Almedia to construct a fort in a specific area. This gave rise to the Kannur Fort in the year 1505.
At this point of time the Zamorins successfully convinced the Kolathiris of the evil intentions of the Portuguese and the two power joined hands to rise against the foreign power. They captured the fort yet could not completely eliminate the Portuguese power in the region. The British East India Company came into picture in the end of the 17th century when they established a fort and a factory at Thalessery. Despite resistance, the Company managed to gain a control over the trade. The Kolathiris and Portuguese had lost their power and could not influence their rise. The Mysore rule tried to assert their control but ultimately end up ceding territories to them.
However, a serious revolt was making its way to the British. Unhappy by the revenue policy of the British, revolutionaries rose up led by Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja of the Padinjare Kovilakom of the Kottayam family. The British tried to settle the matter with the Raja and even tried to threatened the people assisting him. This did not quiet affect the revolt and for a while the British supremacy was in grave danger of being eroded. Finally, the raja was shot dead and with this the revolt also died in 1805.
Kannur made its presence felt during the Indian freedom movement was on. The Malabar District committee (1908) and Communist Party of India (1939) were formed and the region actively participated in the Khilafat movement and Satygrah movement. Post independence, Kannur became a part of the Kerala state in 1956.
Shopping:
Kannur is renowned for its high quality handloom products like house linen, bedcovers, table linen and fine cotton saris. The prices of these products are within a reasonable limit so you do not really need to bargain hard (as you would in many other parts of country). One of the best place to buy Kannur handloom products is the Handveer, which is operated by the government.
Apart from handloom, other product worth a buy in Kannur include brass and bell metal lamps. These are available in all shapes and sizes.
Kannur City Centre Mall is the largest and the busiest shopping place in the city.
Getting There:
By Air:The closest Airport to Kannur is Karipur International Airport at Kozhikode which is at a distance of around 114 km. Flights from here connect daily to Coimbatore, Delhi, Kochi, Mumbai and Chennai. There are also flights to Goa (thrice a week), Trichy (twice a week) and Trivandrum (once a week). Taxis for Kannur are available, though a bit costly.
By Rail:Kannur Station operates trains that run to Ernakulam and Trivandrum (Cannanore, Netravati and Parsurama Express), Mumbai (Netravati and Mangla Lakshadweep Express), Delhi (Mangla Lakshadweep, Trivandrum Rajdhani) and Chennai (Mangalore Mail).
By Road:By road, Kannur is connected to various destinations within and outside Kerala. The KSRTC Bus Stand opposite the Collector's office in Kannur is the starting point of many buses like Kasodgarh (89 km), Kozhikode (86 km) and Mangalore (138 km). Buses also run to Kalpetta, Ponnani, Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam and Bangalore.
Kannur is located in the northern part of Kerala and is supposed to draw its name from two Malayalam words, Kannan meaning Krishna and Ur meaning place. Thus the place associates itself with Lord Krishna. The name Cannonore is the angilicised version of Kannur.
The history of the district is traced back to the Neolithic age (there are rock cut caves and megalithic burial sites of that time). During the second stint of the Chera rulers in Kerala, the Kannur district formed part of their empire. The capital was at Mahodayapuram. During this time, another kingdom, Mooshaka, was flourishing in the Chirakkal and Kasaragod areas and by 14th century they established themselves well. The kingdom of Mooshaka now came to be known as Kolathunad and the rulers were called Kolathiris. The power of the Kolathiris in the north Kerala had risen to the extent that they became a rival of the Zamorins of Kozhikode.
After the arrival of the Portuguese in the scene, a contact was made with the Kolathiris (though Vasco da Gama never visited the place himself). The rivalries of the two powers, Zamorins and Kolathiris, helped Vasco da Gama take an advantage in securing a monopoly over the pepper trade. Later, Portugal sent Francisco De Almedia to construct a fort in a specific area. This gave rise to the Kannur Fort in the year 1505.
At this point of time the Zamorins successfully convinced the Kolathiris of the evil intentions of the Portuguese and the two power joined hands to rise against the foreign power. They captured the fort yet could not completely eliminate the Portuguese power in the region. The British East India Company came into picture in the end of the 17th century when they established a fort and a factory at Thalessery. Despite resistance, the Company managed to gain a control over the trade. The Kolathiris and Portuguese had lost their power and could not influence their rise. The Mysore rule tried to assert their control but ultimately end up ceding territories to them.
However, a serious revolt was making its way to the British. Unhappy by the revenue policy of the British, revolutionaries rose up led by Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja of the Padinjare Kovilakom of the Kottayam family. The British tried to settle the matter with the Raja and even tried to threatened the people assisting him. This did not quiet affect the revolt and for a while the British supremacy was in grave danger of being eroded. Finally, the raja was shot dead and with this the revolt also died in 1805.
Kannur made its presence felt during the Indian freedom movement was on. The Malabar District committee (1908) and Communist Party of India (1939) were formed and the region actively participated in the Khilafat movement and Satygrah movement. Post independence, Kannur became a part of the Kerala state in 1956.
Shopping:
Kannur is renowned for its high quality handloom products like house linen, bedcovers, table linen and fine cotton saris. The prices of these products are within a reasonable limit so you do not really need to bargain hard (as you would in many other parts of country). One of the best place to buy Kannur handloom products is the Handveer, which is operated by the government.
Apart from handloom, other product worth a buy in Kannur include brass and bell metal lamps. These are available in all shapes and sizes.
Kannur City Centre Mall is the largest and the busiest shopping place in the city.
Getting There:
By Air:The closest Airport to Kannur is Karipur International Airport at Kozhikode which is at a distance of around 114 km. Flights from here connect daily to Coimbatore, Delhi, Kochi, Mumbai and Chennai. There are also flights to Goa (thrice a week), Trichy (twice a week) and Trivandrum (once a week). Taxis for Kannur are available, though a bit costly.
By Rail:Kannur Station operates trains that run to Ernakulam and Trivandrum (Cannanore, Netravati and Parsurama Express), Mumbai (Netravati and Mangla Lakshadweep Express), Delhi (Mangla Lakshadweep, Trivandrum Rajdhani) and Chennai (Mangalore Mail).
By Road:By road, Kannur is connected to various destinations within and outside Kerala. The KSRTC Bus Stand opposite the Collector's office in Kannur is the starting point of many buses like Kasodgarh (89 km), Kozhikode (86 km) and Mangalore (138 km). Buses also run to Kalpetta, Ponnani, Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam and Bangalore.
What makes kannur a tourist place
For a tourist, Kannur holds forth a number of attractions. Just walk along its shoreline, play with its sea water as well as backwater, enter the sacred temples, purchase the handloom products or forget yourself while watching Theyyam(an ancient ritualistic folk art) in any of the Kannur Kavus -the choice is yours.
Interacting with the people and knowing their custom over a traditional Keralese dinner is also an excellent option if you desire. Kannur will instill in you a freshness not just with its beauty but also with its overall ambiance.
KANNUR FORT(Fort St Angelo) :This Fort is the prime attraction of the Kannur town and is located around 3 km west of it. It was originally built by Don Francisco De Almeida (a Portuguese Admiral). However, the Dutch took away the fort from the Portuguese in the 17th century and sold it to Ali Raja of Kannur. Later, the Fort also passed into the hands of the Britishers. Currently, St Angelo Fort, also known by the name of Kannur Fort is under the care of ASI. From the fort, you can have some striking views of the Moppila Bay and Dharmadom Island. The bay is a natural fishing bay and today serves as a fishing harbour. As for the Dhramadom Island, it is just 5 acres in area and is located at a distance of 100 m from the mainland into the Arabian Sea.
Arakkal Kettu:This was the residence of the only Muslim Royal family of Kerala, the Arakkal. Some recent construction works have been done on this palace. The descendants of the Raja still reside in an area closeby
Meenkunnu Beach: This beach is located around 11 km from the Kannur city. As you pass through the rough patches of coconut groves, you hardly expect anything stunning, but this is actually what you get. Blue water splash the rocks producing loud noises, the golden sands invite you to sit on it and the breezes play around with your hair as much as they want.
Payyambalam Beach: This one is the biggest beach of Kannur and attracts people accordingly. At the entrance is a garden along with a statue of a mother and child, a work of famous sculpture Kanayi Kunhiraman. More people come to this park in the evening, however a little further, you can be with yourself and watch the sunset in a calm atmosphere.
Shri Muthappan Parassinikadavu: This Temple is located around 18 km north of Kannur on the banks of Valapattanam river and is dedicated to a hunter form of Lord Vishnu, Shri Muthappan. The legend associated with temple states that a childless couple found and adopted an abandoned baby boy. As the boy grew, much to the disappointment of his conventional father, he became a flesh eater. When the desperation of the father grew, he decided to give up his life. At this point of time, Lord Vishnu revealed his identity and took the name of Muthuppan. Still later, the boy, being refused a toddy by a tapper, converted him into a stone in anger. Finally, he found his toddy in a lower caste family's house near the Valapattanam river. Even today, the legend has its impact strong on the people and the member of the same family acts as the Theyyam to carry out the rituals. Women need to dress up in a saree and men in mundu to visit this temple.
A Snake park is also of interest nearby. A wide variety of reptiles can be seen here. Here one can see the largest snake with poison(KING COBRA-RAJAVEMBAALA).The Park is open from 8.30 am to 5 pm.
Valapattanam Backwater: The Valapattanam river originates in the Western Ghats of Kodagu and is one of the lengthiest one in the Malabar region. DTPC gives you an opportunity to enjoy a motor boat ride on the river. The ride starts from Parassinikadavu Temple and you also have a chance to stay overnight on a houseboat.
Muzhapilangad Beach: This beach lies at a distance of 15 km from Kannur and 8 km from the Thalasseri and boasts of being one of the longest beaches in Kerala. The beach is a delight for both who wish to laze around in solitude as well as those who want to swim in the sea water. Since the beach is not very crowded, it is relatively cleaner than the other beaches around. Also, this beach happens to be the only drive in beach of India
Subramania Peralassery: Located 14 km from Kannur, the Subramania Peralassery Temple marks the place where Sri Rama along with Lakshman halted on their way to free Sita from the clutches of Ravana in Lanka. The temple has a number of bronze and copper idols of snake everywhere. There is also a temple tank worth seeing in this place.
Tellicherry Fort: This fort is located around 22 km from Kannur and is perched on a rocky hill on the Thalasseri beach itself. The fort was built in the year 1708 by Lord Wellesley and mainly served as military purposes. Standing on the fort rampart, you can enjoy a good view of the ruins of St Rosary Church and an old Angelican Church holding the cemetery of Edward Brennan
Gundert's Bungalow: The erstwhile residence of a German scholar, Dr. Herman Gundert, the bungalow is a typical example of colonial mansion. There are wide verandah, massive doors and deep eaves for you to see and roam around. Though you need to get a permission from the principal of NTTF (a technical training institute).
Trichambaram Temple: This is a temple considered holy by the Vaishnava cult. Lord Krishna is the presiding deity of this temple that is located at a distance of 20 from Kannur. Worth seeing in this temple are the carvings and the murals, though the latter has deteriorated a lot for want of proper care. The temple becomes a centre of attraction in March during the 14 day annual festival of Trichambaram utsavam.
Aralam Wild life sanctuary: This wildlife sanctuary is at a distance of 35 km from Thalessery (22 km from Kunnur) and is home to tropical and semi evergreen forests. Within these forests animals like Deer, Elephants, Boars, Bisons, Leopards, Jungle Cats, various type Squirrels and rare species of birds are found.
Pazhazzi Dam: This Dam is an ideal place if you want to relax and have fun boating. The dam is located at a distance of 37 km from Kunnur and has a garden and an Amusement Park as an additional attraction. Other worth visiting sites here include Buddha's mountain at Pazhassi, sculpture of Pazhassi King.
Kottiyoor: Standing on the banks of Bavali river, Kotiyoor has a famous Shiva Temple that attracts a number of devotees from all over. The 27 day annual festival sees a lot more people pouring in to offer their prayer to Lord Shiva.
Pythal Mala: Admire the scenic beauty of this hill station that is located at a height of 4500 feet above the sea level. The abundant flora and fauna of this hill station is sure to uplift your heart and spirit. Its distance from Kannur town is 65 km.
Ezhimala: A beautiful beach and a 286 m high hillock awaits to allure you on your visit to Ezhimala. The water here appears much clean and blue. The hill produces a lot of medicinal herbs. Chances of dolphin spotting is available from Ettikulam bay. Also, a Naval Academy is being developed here. However, permission is required to gain access to it.
Interacting with the people and knowing their custom over a traditional Keralese dinner is also an excellent option if you desire. Kannur will instill in you a freshness not just with its beauty but also with its overall ambiance.
KANNUR FORT(Fort St Angelo) :This Fort is the prime attraction of the Kannur town and is located around 3 km west of it. It was originally built by Don Francisco De Almeida (a Portuguese Admiral). However, the Dutch took away the fort from the Portuguese in the 17th century and sold it to Ali Raja of Kannur. Later, the Fort also passed into the hands of the Britishers. Currently, St Angelo Fort, also known by the name of Kannur Fort is under the care of ASI. From the fort, you can have some striking views of the Moppila Bay and Dharmadom Island. The bay is a natural fishing bay and today serves as a fishing harbour. As for the Dhramadom Island, it is just 5 acres in area and is located at a distance of 100 m from the mainland into the Arabian Sea.
Arakkal Kettu:This was the residence of the only Muslim Royal family of Kerala, the Arakkal. Some recent construction works have been done on this palace. The descendants of the Raja still reside in an area closeby
Meenkunnu Beach: This beach is located around 11 km from the Kannur city. As you pass through the rough patches of coconut groves, you hardly expect anything stunning, but this is actually what you get. Blue water splash the rocks producing loud noises, the golden sands invite you to sit on it and the breezes play around with your hair as much as they want.
Payyambalam Beach: This one is the biggest beach of Kannur and attracts people accordingly. At the entrance is a garden along with a statue of a mother and child, a work of famous sculpture Kanayi Kunhiraman. More people come to this park in the evening, however a little further, you can be with yourself and watch the sunset in a calm atmosphere.
Shri Muthappan Parassinikadavu: This Temple is located around 18 km north of Kannur on the banks of Valapattanam river and is dedicated to a hunter form of Lord Vishnu, Shri Muthappan. The legend associated with temple states that a childless couple found and adopted an abandoned baby boy. As the boy grew, much to the disappointment of his conventional father, he became a flesh eater. When the desperation of the father grew, he decided to give up his life. At this point of time, Lord Vishnu revealed his identity and took the name of Muthuppan. Still later, the boy, being refused a toddy by a tapper, converted him into a stone in anger. Finally, he found his toddy in a lower caste family's house near the Valapattanam river. Even today, the legend has its impact strong on the people and the member of the same family acts as the Theyyam to carry out the rituals. Women need to dress up in a saree and men in mundu to visit this temple.
A Snake park is also of interest nearby. A wide variety of reptiles can be seen here. Here one can see the largest snake with poison(KING COBRA-RAJAVEMBAALA).The Park is open from 8.30 am to 5 pm.
Valapattanam Backwater: The Valapattanam river originates in the Western Ghats of Kodagu and is one of the lengthiest one in the Malabar region. DTPC gives you an opportunity to enjoy a motor boat ride on the river. The ride starts from Parassinikadavu Temple and you also have a chance to stay overnight on a houseboat.
Muzhapilangad Beach: This beach lies at a distance of 15 km from Kannur and 8 km from the Thalasseri and boasts of being one of the longest beaches in Kerala. The beach is a delight for both who wish to laze around in solitude as well as those who want to swim in the sea water. Since the beach is not very crowded, it is relatively cleaner than the other beaches around. Also, this beach happens to be the only drive in beach of India
Subramania Peralassery: Located 14 km from Kannur, the Subramania Peralassery Temple marks the place where Sri Rama along with Lakshman halted on their way to free Sita from the clutches of Ravana in Lanka. The temple has a number of bronze and copper idols of snake everywhere. There is also a temple tank worth seeing in this place.
Tellicherry Fort: This fort is located around 22 km from Kannur and is perched on a rocky hill on the Thalasseri beach itself. The fort was built in the year 1708 by Lord Wellesley and mainly served as military purposes. Standing on the fort rampart, you can enjoy a good view of the ruins of St Rosary Church and an old Angelican Church holding the cemetery of Edward Brennan
Gundert's Bungalow: The erstwhile residence of a German scholar, Dr. Herman Gundert, the bungalow is a typical example of colonial mansion. There are wide verandah, massive doors and deep eaves for you to see and roam around. Though you need to get a permission from the principal of NTTF (a technical training institute).
Trichambaram Temple: This is a temple considered holy by the Vaishnava cult. Lord Krishna is the presiding deity of this temple that is located at a distance of 20 from Kannur. Worth seeing in this temple are the carvings and the murals, though the latter has deteriorated a lot for want of proper care. The temple becomes a centre of attraction in March during the 14 day annual festival of Trichambaram utsavam.
Aralam Wild life sanctuary: This wildlife sanctuary is at a distance of 35 km from Thalessery (22 km from Kunnur) and is home to tropical and semi evergreen forests. Within these forests animals like Deer, Elephants, Boars, Bisons, Leopards, Jungle Cats, various type Squirrels and rare species of birds are found.
Pazhazzi Dam: This Dam is an ideal place if you want to relax and have fun boating. The dam is located at a distance of 37 km from Kunnur and has a garden and an Amusement Park as an additional attraction. Other worth visiting sites here include Buddha's mountain at Pazhassi, sculpture of Pazhassi King.
Kottiyoor: Standing on the banks of Bavali river, Kotiyoor has a famous Shiva Temple that attracts a number of devotees from all over. The 27 day annual festival sees a lot more people pouring in to offer their prayer to Lord Shiva.
Pythal Mala: Admire the scenic beauty of this hill station that is located at a height of 4500 feet above the sea level. The abundant flora and fauna of this hill station is sure to uplift your heart and spirit. Its distance from Kannur town is 65 km.
Ezhimala: A beautiful beach and a 286 m high hillock awaits to allure you on your visit to Ezhimala. The water here appears much clean and blue. The hill produces a lot of medicinal herbs. Chances of dolphin spotting is available from Ettikulam bay. Also, a Naval Academy is being developed here. However, permission is required to gain access to it.
Know more about kannur
Kannur ( earlier Canannore), has carved a niche in the socio-political history of the state. The capital of erstwhile Kolathiri Rajas, the ancient town had fallen to European forces in several occasions. In 15th century, the Portuguese were the first to establish a settlement here.
St. Angelo’s Fort in the city was built by the first Portuguese Viceroy in 1505. The Portuguese factory built by Cabral in 1501 was captured by the Dutch in 1663. In 1708 the British built a fort at Thalassery ( earlier Tellichery), another coastal town in Kannur.
The nearby Mahe became a French colony in the 18th century. In 1940's, Kannur became an effervescent political cauldron. Communism was the provocation. The district hamlets witnesses bouts of violence which left indelible impressions on the political landscape of the district.
Many folk art and dance forms have roots in the socio-religious culture of the district. Theyyam and Kavadiyattam were nurtured and nourished by artistes from Kannur. Another stronghold of the district is weaving. As many as hundred weaving units are ticking over here. Kannur is boarded by Karnataka's Kodagu district.
District Area - 2996 sq.km.
District Population - 22,51,727
Altitude - Sea level
Tourist Season - August to March
St. Angelo’s Fort in the city was built by the first Portuguese Viceroy in 1505. The Portuguese factory built by Cabral in 1501 was captured by the Dutch in 1663. In 1708 the British built a fort at Thalassery ( earlier Tellichery), another coastal town in Kannur.
The nearby Mahe became a French colony in the 18th century. In 1940's, Kannur became an effervescent political cauldron. Communism was the provocation. The district hamlets witnesses bouts of violence which left indelible impressions on the political landscape of the district.
Many folk art and dance forms have roots in the socio-religious culture of the district. Theyyam and Kavadiyattam were nurtured and nourished by artistes from Kannur. Another stronghold of the district is weaving. As many as hundred weaving units are ticking over here. Kannur is boarded by Karnataka's Kodagu district.
District Area - 2996 sq.km.
District Population - 22,51,727
Altitude - Sea level
Tourist Season - August to March
Thursday 10 April, 2008
how to make money from internet
Making money from the internet is no longer reserved for IT whizzkids. Now anyone with a good idea or a hobby can create an online money-spinner that works round the clock. Read on to find out how.
Developments in the way online businesses make money mean that you don't have to spend all your time selling junk on eBay. Even amateurs such as bloggers or those running special-interest websites can make money.
The secret is what is known as 'affiliate marketing'. It sounds complicated, but the premise is simple. You have a website, you put on it links to other websites that offer goods or services for sale. If someone clicks from you website to one of these, and then goes on to make a purchase, you receive money from the other website.
It may have once been the case that this type of commercial relationship would need face-to-face negotiations and complex contracts. But not any more.
Websites can now register with affiliate marketing networks that match up affiliates – that's you and your website – with advertisers – that's the online sellers of goods and services that will pay to get people onto their sites.
Your website can sign up to be an affiliate for free. You will receive a list of advertising sites willing to pay for customers put their way. If you link to one of these sites, you stand to make money for every sale that is subsequently made by people who have clicked through from your site. The network handles the collection of fees from advertiser, and the payment of commission to the affiliate.
The process means anyone with an interest they are passionate about - or even an entertaining blog - has the chance to create an income from a website. Experts say incomes of £1,000 a month should be possible, even for sites run on small scale.
Developments in the way online businesses make money mean that you don't have to spend all your time selling junk on eBay. Even amateurs such as bloggers or those running special-interest websites can make money.
The secret is what is known as 'affiliate marketing'. It sounds complicated, but the premise is simple. You have a website, you put on it links to other websites that offer goods or services for sale. If someone clicks from you website to one of these, and then goes on to make a purchase, you receive money from the other website.
It may have once been the case that this type of commercial relationship would need face-to-face negotiations and complex contracts. But not any more.
Websites can now register with affiliate marketing networks that match up affiliates – that's you and your website – with advertisers – that's the online sellers of goods and services that will pay to get people onto their sites.
Your website can sign up to be an affiliate for free. You will receive a list of advertising sites willing to pay for customers put their way. If you link to one of these sites, you stand to make money for every sale that is subsequently made by people who have clicked through from your site. The network handles the collection of fees from advertiser, and the payment of commission to the affiliate.
The process means anyone with an interest they are passionate about - or even an entertaining blog - has the chance to create an income from a website. Experts say incomes of £1,000 a month should be possible, even for sites run on small scale.
Monday 3 March, 2008
New sedan to replace Esteem....
The Esteem has finally run out of steam. Maruti Udyog is all set to launch a new sedan based on the Swift platform in January next year, to replace one of its most successful models.
A source close to the company confirmed that production of the Esteem has already been stopped. But when contacted this is what a company spokesperson had to say: “The production of the Esteem is going to continue for the next 3-4 months. But Esteem owners can rest easy, as we would continue to provide service and spare parts to support the model, as always done in the past with other models that have been phased out.”
A top Maruti official said, “We will be launching the Swift Sedan shortly.” The new sedan will be priced lower than the SX4 and is touted to come in two variants, a new-generation 1.3-litre multi–jet diesel engine and in a 1.3-litre petrol variant.
Maruti Suzuki’s Esteem has been on Indian roads since 1994 and in 2006 it won the JD Power best entry-sedan award.. Maruti Suzuki’s first-ever sedan on Indian roads was the Maruti 1000 which was given a higher engine and rechristened as Maruti Esteem in 1994. Maruti Suzuki was in the process of gradually cutting down Esteem production from the beginning of this fiscal but has built up an inventory to meet the demand for the model going forward. Esteem production was cut from an estimated 1,533 units in April, to just 497 units in November. The production for the model was, however, increased to 1,903 units in August to build up an inventory.The company is offering a discount of up to Rs 57,500 on Esteem.
Swift sedan will be positioned as a practical family car(no sporty ) a new wider rear section will facilitate that. The upcoming swift sedan may replace (or) complement the esteem(if it is launched only on diesel version). Swift in its three box avtaar(sedan) will take on the upcoming next generation Indigo and is expected to be priced around Rs5.5 lakh. Maruti’s earlier bid to capture the diesel market with the esteem diesel ended in a failure node. But the esteem’s petrol model still holds some grip - even after 13years of its debut 6,000 units of esteem is sold in April-July period.
A source close to the company confirmed that production of the Esteem has already been stopped. But when contacted this is what a company spokesperson had to say: “The production of the Esteem is going to continue for the next 3-4 months. But Esteem owners can rest easy, as we would continue to provide service and spare parts to support the model, as always done in the past with other models that have been phased out.”
A top Maruti official said, “We will be launching the Swift Sedan shortly.” The new sedan will be priced lower than the SX4 and is touted to come in two variants, a new-generation 1.3-litre multi–jet diesel engine and in a 1.3-litre petrol variant.
Maruti Suzuki’s Esteem has been on Indian roads since 1994 and in 2006 it won the JD Power best entry-sedan award.. Maruti Suzuki’s first-ever sedan on Indian roads was the Maruti 1000 which was given a higher engine and rechristened as Maruti Esteem in 1994. Maruti Suzuki was in the process of gradually cutting down Esteem production from the beginning of this fiscal but has built up an inventory to meet the demand for the model going forward. Esteem production was cut from an estimated 1,533 units in April, to just 497 units in November. The production for the model was, however, increased to 1,903 units in August to build up an inventory.The company is offering a discount of up to Rs 57,500 on Esteem.
Swift sedan will be positioned as a practical family car(no sporty ) a new wider rear section will facilitate that. The upcoming swift sedan may replace (or) complement the esteem(if it is launched only on diesel version). Swift in its three box avtaar(sedan) will take on the upcoming next generation Indigo and is expected to be priced around Rs5.5 lakh. Maruti’s earlier bid to capture the diesel market with the esteem diesel ended in a failure node. But the esteem’s petrol model still holds some grip - even after 13years of its debut 6,000 units of esteem is sold in April-July period.
Quantum Dot LEDs..?
In the last few years, LEDs (light emitting diodes) have begun replacing incandescent and fluorescent lights in a number of niche applications. Although these solid-state lights have been used for decades in consumer electronics, recent technological advances have allowed them to spread into areas like architectural lighting, traffic lights, flashlights and reading lights. Although they are considerably more expensive than ordinary lights, they are capable of producing about twice as much light per watt as incandescent bulbs; they last up to 50,000 hours or 50 times as long as a 60-watt bulb; and, they are very tough and hard to break. Because they are made in a fashion similar to computer chips, the cost of LEDs has been dropping steadily.
While the future of electronics and other fields may revolve around nanotechnology, researchers and manufacturers are faced with fabricating large-scale components out of building blocks invisible to the naked eye. Creating hybrid optoelectronic devices depends on the precise positioning of functionally distinct materials. The researchers used organic molecules currently used in OLEDs as an organic semiconductor to deliver an electrical charge to the quantum dots. They used two parallel processes, which are already widely applicable in industry, to create separate but layered structures out of nanoscale materials.
Until now quantum dots have been known primarily for their ability to produce a dozen different distinct colors of light simply by varying the size of the individual nanocrystals: a capability particularly suited to fluorescent labeling in biomedical applications. Artificial atoms or quantum dots (QDs) constructed from semiconductors are expected to provide the basis for future generations of device technologies such as threshhold-less lasers and ultra-dense memories. The quantum dots can be induced by interface fluctuations (top of the figure) in a quantum well, self-assembled with the driving force being lattice mismatch (bottom) or formed with lithographic techniques.Recently the world have made a number of unexpected discoveries arising from the breakthrough of single quantum dot spectroscopy based on ultra high resolution techniques.
The small size results in new quantum phenomena that yield some extraordinary bonuses. Material properties change dramatically because quantum effects arise from the confinement of electrons and "holes" in the material (a hole is the absence of an electron; the hole behaves as though it were a positively charged particle). Size changes other material properties such as the electrical and nonlinear optical properties of a material, making them very different from those of the material's bulk form. If a dot is excited, the smaller the dot, the higher the energy and intensity of its emitted light. Hence, these very small, semiconducting quantum dots are gateways to an enormous array of possible applications and new technologies.
According to michael bowers who made the quantum dots and discovered their unusual properties, the white-light quantum dots, produce a smoother distribution of wavelengths in the visible spectrum with a slightly warmer, slightly more yellow tint. As a result, the light produced by the quantum dots looks more nearly like the “full spectrum” reading lights now on the market which produce a light spectrum closer to that of sunlight than normal fluorescent tubes or light bulbs. Of course, quantum dots, like white LEDs, have the advantage of not giving off large amounts of invisible infrared radiation unlike the light bulb. This invisible radiation produces large amounts of heat and largely accounts for the light bulb’s low energy efficiency.
The approach is based on encapsulating semiconductor quantum dots — nanoparticles approximately one billionth of a meter in size — and engineering their surfaces so they efficiently emit visible light when excited by near-ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The quantum dots strongly absorb light in the near UV range and re-emit visible light that has its color determined by both their size and surface chemistry.
Unlike traditional LCDs, which must be lit from behind, quantum dots generate their own light. Depending on their size, the dots can be "tuned" to emit any color in the rainbow. And the colors of light they produce are much more saturated than that of other sources.A latest Quantum dots LED, 'MIT QD-OLED' contains only a single layer of quantum dots sandwiched between two organic thin films.The researchers have demonstrated organized assemblies over a 1-square centimeter area and the same principle could be used to make bigger components.The latest MIT QD-OLED have a 25-fold improvement in luminescent power efficiency over previous QD-OLEDs. They are more efficient and achieve even higher color saturation.
Quantum-dot LEDs, particularly those that provide the hard-to-reach blue end of the spectrum, appear to be key to opening any number of exciting technological advances in the fields of full-color, flat-panel displays; ultrahigh-density optical memories and data storage; backlighting; and chemical and biological sensing."Highly efficient, low-cost quantum dot-based lighting would represent a revolution in lighting technology through nanoscience."
Thus hybridising an inorganic nanocrystal and a quantum dot lead to a quantum dot-organic light-emitting device (QD-OLED) a new kind of optoelectronic device that could lead to new types of flat panel displays to supersede liquid crystal displays in everything from mobile devices to TV sets.
While the future of electronics and other fields may revolve around nanotechnology, researchers and manufacturers are faced with fabricating large-scale components out of building blocks invisible to the naked eye. Creating hybrid optoelectronic devices depends on the precise positioning of functionally distinct materials. The researchers used organic molecules currently used in OLEDs as an organic semiconductor to deliver an electrical charge to the quantum dots. They used two parallel processes, which are already widely applicable in industry, to create separate but layered structures out of nanoscale materials.
Until now quantum dots have been known primarily for their ability to produce a dozen different distinct colors of light simply by varying the size of the individual nanocrystals: a capability particularly suited to fluorescent labeling in biomedical applications. Artificial atoms or quantum dots (QDs) constructed from semiconductors are expected to provide the basis for future generations of device technologies such as threshhold-less lasers and ultra-dense memories. The quantum dots can be induced by interface fluctuations (top of the figure) in a quantum well, self-assembled with the driving force being lattice mismatch (bottom) or formed with lithographic techniques.Recently the world have made a number of unexpected discoveries arising from the breakthrough of single quantum dot spectroscopy based on ultra high resolution techniques.
The small size results in new quantum phenomena that yield some extraordinary bonuses. Material properties change dramatically because quantum effects arise from the confinement of electrons and "holes" in the material (a hole is the absence of an electron; the hole behaves as though it were a positively charged particle). Size changes other material properties such as the electrical and nonlinear optical properties of a material, making them very different from those of the material's bulk form. If a dot is excited, the smaller the dot, the higher the energy and intensity of its emitted light. Hence, these very small, semiconducting quantum dots are gateways to an enormous array of possible applications and new technologies.
According to michael bowers who made the quantum dots and discovered their unusual properties, the white-light quantum dots, produce a smoother distribution of wavelengths in the visible spectrum with a slightly warmer, slightly more yellow tint. As a result, the light produced by the quantum dots looks more nearly like the “full spectrum” reading lights now on the market which produce a light spectrum closer to that of sunlight than normal fluorescent tubes or light bulbs. Of course, quantum dots, like white LEDs, have the advantage of not giving off large amounts of invisible infrared radiation unlike the light bulb. This invisible radiation produces large amounts of heat and largely accounts for the light bulb’s low energy efficiency.
The approach is based on encapsulating semiconductor quantum dots — nanoparticles approximately one billionth of a meter in size — and engineering their surfaces so they efficiently emit visible light when excited by near-ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The quantum dots strongly absorb light in the near UV range and re-emit visible light that has its color determined by both their size and surface chemistry.
Unlike traditional LCDs, which must be lit from behind, quantum dots generate their own light. Depending on their size, the dots can be "tuned" to emit any color in the rainbow. And the colors of light they produce are much more saturated than that of other sources.A latest Quantum dots LED, 'MIT QD-OLED' contains only a single layer of quantum dots sandwiched between two organic thin films.The researchers have demonstrated organized assemblies over a 1-square centimeter area and the same principle could be used to make bigger components.The latest MIT QD-OLED have a 25-fold improvement in luminescent power efficiency over previous QD-OLEDs. They are more efficient and achieve even higher color saturation.
Quantum-dot LEDs, particularly those that provide the hard-to-reach blue end of the spectrum, appear to be key to opening any number of exciting technological advances in the fields of full-color, flat-panel displays; ultrahigh-density optical memories and data storage; backlighting; and chemical and biological sensing."Highly efficient, low-cost quantum dot-based lighting would represent a revolution in lighting technology through nanoscience."
Thus hybridising an inorganic nanocrystal and a quantum dot lead to a quantum dot-organic light-emitting device (QD-OLED) a new kind of optoelectronic device that could lead to new types of flat panel displays to supersede liquid crystal displays in everything from mobile devices to TV sets.
Monday 4 February, 2008
global positioning system
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a burgeoning technology, which provides unequalled accuracy and flexibility of positioning for navigation, surveying and GIS data capture. The GPS NAVSTAR (Navigation Satellite timing and Ranging Global Positioning System) is a satellite-based navigation, timing and positioning system. The GPS provides continuous three-dimensional positioning 24 hrs a day throughout the world. The technology seems to be beneficiary to the GPS user community in terms of obtaining accurate data upto about100 meters for navigation, metre-level for mapping, and down to millimetre level for geodetic positioning. The GPS technology has tremendous amount of applications in GIS data collection, surveying, and mapping.
The GPS uses satellites and computers to compute positions anywhere on earth. The GPS is based on satellite ranging. That means the position on the earth is determined by measuring the distance from a group of satellites in space. The basic principle behind GPS are really simple, even though the system employs some of the most high-tech equipment ever developed.
Individuals may purchase GPS handsets that are readily available through commercial retailers. Equipped with these GPS receivers, users can accurately locate where they are and easily navigate to where they want to go, whether walking, driving, flying, or boating. GPS has become a mainstay of transportation systems worldwide, providing navigation for aviation, ground, and maritime operations. Disaster relief and emergency services depend upon GPS for location and timing capabilities in their life-saving missions. Everyday activities such as banking, mobile phone operations, and even the control of power grids, are facilitated by the accurate timing provided by GPS. Farmers, surveyors, geologists and countless others perform their work more efficiently, safely, economically, and accurately using the free and open GPS signals.
The GPS is made up of three parts: satellites orbiting the Earth; control and monitoring stations on Earth; and the GPS receivers owned by users. GPS satellites broadcast signals from space that are picked up and identified by GPS receivers. Each GPS receiver then provides three-dimensional location (latitude, longitude, and altitude) plus the time.
The space segment (satellites orbiting the Earth) comprises the orbiting GPS satellites, or Space Vehicles (SV) in GPS parlance. The GPS design originally called for 24 SVs, 8 each in three circular orbital planes,but this was modified to 6 planes with 4 satellites each.The orbital planes are centered on the Earth, not rotating with respect to the distant stars.The six planes have approximately 55° inclination (tilt relative to Earth's equator) and are separated by 60° right ascension of the ascending node (angle along the equator from a reference point to the orbit's intersection).The orbits are arranged so that at least six satellites are always within line of sight from almost everywhere on Earth's surface.
The user's GPS receiver is the user segment (US) of the GPS system. In general, GPS receivers are composed of an antenna, tuned to the frequencies transmitted by the satellites, receiver-processors, and a highly-stable clock (often a crystal oscillator). They may also include a display for providing location and speed information to the user. A receiver is often described by its number of channels: this signifies how many satellites it can monitor simultaneously. Originally limited to four or five, this has progressively increased over the years so that, as of 2006, receivers typically have between twelve and twenty channels.
Digital Theatre System-- DTS ?
DTS (Digital Theater Systems), is a multi-channel digital surround sound format used for both commercial/theatrical and consumer grade applications. It is used for in-movie sound both on film and on DVD, and during the last few years of the format's existence, several Laserdisc releases had DTS soundtracks.
The basic and most common version of the format is a 5.1 channel system, similar to a Dolby Digital setup, which encodes the audio as five primary (full-range) channels plus a special LFE (low-frequency effect) channel, for the subwoofer.Note however that encoders and decoders support numerous channel combinations and stereo, four-channel and four-channel+LFE soundtracks have been released commercially on DVD, CD and Laserdisc.
Other newer DTS variants are also currently available, including versions that support up to seven primary audio channels plus one LFE channel (DTS-ES). DTS's main competitors in multichannel theatrical audio are Dolby Digital and SDDS, although only Dolby Digital and DTS are used on DVDs and implemented in home theater hardware.
In theatrical use, information in the form of a modified time code is optically imaged onto the film. An optical LED reader reads the timecode data off the film and sends it to the DTS processor which uses this timecode to synchronize the projected image with the soundtrack audio. The actual audio is recorded in compressed form on standard CD-ROM media at a bitrate of 1,103 kbit/s. The processor also acts as a transport mechanism, as it holds and reads the audio discs. Newer units can generally hold three discs, allowing a single processor/transport to handle two-disc film soundtracks along with a third disc containing sound for theatrical trailers. In addition, specific elements of the imprinted timecode allow identifying data to be embedded within the code, ensuring that a certain film's soundtrack will only run with that film. DTS provided the Digital Audio for IMAX until 2001, when Dolby took over.
DTS and Dolby Digital (AC-3), DTS's chief competitor in the cinema and home theater market, are often compared due to their similarity in product goals. In theatrical installations, AC-3 audio is placed between sprocket holes, leaving the audio content susceptible to physical damage due to film wear and mishandling. DTS audio is stored on a separate set of CD-ROM media, whose greater storage capacity affords the potential to deliver better audio fidelity. However, the separation of print film and audiotrack is both a blessing and a curse. AC-3 (and SDDS) reside entirely on the 35 mm film itself, simplifying distribution by eliminating an extra (optional) deliverable. But DTS's CD-ROM media is not subject to the usual wear and damage suffered by the film print during the normal course of the movie's theatrical screening. Disregarding the separate CD-ROM assembly as a potential point of failure, the DTS audiopath is comparatively impervious to film degradation, excepting that the film-printed timecode is completely destroyed.
Both music and movie DVDs allow delivery of DTS audio tracks. But DTS was not part of the original DVD specification (1997), so early DVD players did not recognize DTS audio tracks at all. The DVD specification was revised to allow optional inclusion of DTS audio tracks. The DVD title must carry one or more primary audio tracks in AC-3 or LPCM format (in Europe, MPEG-1 is also an allowed primary track format). The DTS audio track, if present, can be selected by the user. Modern DVD players generally rely on an external home theater receiver to decode DTS audio. DVD players with integrated DTS 5.1 decoders exist, but are not particularly common. Nearly all standalone receivers and many integrated ("home theater in a box") DVD player/receivers manufactured today can decode DTS.
DTS NEO:6, like Dolby's Pro Logic IIx system, can take stereo content and convert the sound into 5.1 or 6.1 channel format.
DTS 96/24 allows the delivery of 5.1 channels of 24-bit, 96 kHz audio and high quality video on the DVD-Video format.
DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, like DTS-HD Master Audio, is an extension to the original DTS audio format. It delivers up to 7.1 channels of sound at 96 kHz sampling frequency and 24 bit depth resolution. DTS-HD High Resolution Audio is selected as an optional surround sound format for Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD with constant bit rates up to respectively 6.0 Mbit/s and 3.0 Mbit/s. It is supposed to be an alternative for DTS-HD Master Audio where disc space may not allow it. For more info:http://www.dtsonline.com/
labVIEW
LabVIEW ( Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench) is a platform and development environment for a visual programming language from National Instruments. LabVIEW is commonly used for data acquisition, instrument control, and industrial automation.
The programming language used in LabVIEW, called G, is a dataflow programming language.Execution is determined by the structure of a graphical block diagram (the LV-source code) on which the programmer connects different function-nodes by drawing wires. These wires propagate variables and any node can execute as soon as all its input data become available.
LabVIEW programs/subroutines are called virtual instruments (VIs). Each VI has three components: a block diagram, a front panel and a connector pane. The latter may represent the VI as a subVI in block diagrams of calling VIs. Controls and indicators on the front panel allow an operator to input data into or extract data from a running virtual instrument. However, the front panel can also serve as a programmatic interface. Thus a virtual instrument can either be run as a program, with the front panel serving as a user interface, or, when dropped as a node onto the block diagram, the front panel defines the inputs and outputs for the given node through the connector pane. This implies each VI can be easily tested before being embedded as a subroutine into a larger program.
The graphical approach also allows non-programmers to build programs by simply dragging and dropping virtual representations of the lab equipment with which they are already familiar.LabVIEW includes a compiler that produces native code for the CPU platform.
One benefit of LabVIEW over other development environments is the extensive support for accessing instrumentation hardware.Many libraries with a large number of functions for data acquisition, signal generation, mathematics, statistics, signal conditioning, analysis, etc., along with numerous graphical interface elements are provided in several LabVIEW package options.
LabVIEW is a proprietary product of National Instruments. Unlike common programming languages such as C or FORTRAN, LabVIEW is not managed or specified by a third party standards committee such as ANSI.
For more informations on LabVIEW please visit this link: http://www.ni.com/labview85/industrial.htm
Sunday 3 February, 2008
mechanism of Sound Localisation by Human beings
Human ears are spaced approximately15cm apart.when a sound travels from the left side of the listener, it reaches the left ear before the right ear, i.e., the right ear signal is delayed with respect to left ear signal. For instance, when a 1KHz sound is generated exactly beside the listener, its sound wave reaches each ear with 180 degrees of phase shift.
both the ear signals are subjected to a complicated filtering process,caused by acoustic interaction with the head and the external ear. Humans unconsciously uses the time delay, amplitude difference, and tonal information at each ear to determine the location of the sound.
both the ear signals are subjected to a complicated filtering process,caused by acoustic interaction with the head and the external ear. Humans unconsciously uses the time delay, amplitude difference, and tonal information at each ear to determine the location of the sound.
Sony VAIO VGN-TX17GP
"Good Things Come in Small Packages"....
Sony VAIO VGN-TX17GP is an all new fully laptop,with small size. It is a power packed machin with Intel Pentium M processor running at 1.2 GHz with 2 MB L2 cache, 512MB DDR2 RAM and 60GB HDD. It has a fairly good sound quality and amazing software that allowed to attatch another computer at work or home as a media file server.It has a 28cm(11.i inch) TFT screen. The laptop comes with Bluetooth connectivity, inbuilt wireless LAN card, two USB ports, FireWire port, VGA port and SDcard/Memory Stick slot. The play,stop,pause and even AV mode button to switch from the TFT screen to an external display, and all these buttons are available even when the lid is closed.the volume controls are up in the front. The beauty of the laptop is its sophisticated design. you can use it for official meetings and also try out ur MP3s and vedio on it. The laptop weighs only 1.24Kg. If size is a matter for u, or u r searching for a small fully loaded laptop try Sony VAIO VGN-TX17GP
Saturday 2 February, 2008
Symptoms of Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that develops in the lining around the lungs. Mesothelioma is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos.
In its early stages, mesothelioma does not have many symptoms, and may lead to a delay in diagnosis. When symptoms do develop, they are often caused by the cancer growing and pressing on a nerve or other body organ. Sometimes resembling viral pneumonia, pleural mesothelioma patients may present with shortness of breath, chest pain and/or persistent cough; some patients show no symptoms at all.common symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include fever, night sweats and weight loss. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include pain or swelling in the abdomen due to a build-up of fluid, nausea, weight loss, bowel obstruction, anemia or swelling of the feet.
One of the most common symptoms of mesothelioma is a pleural effusion.
NOTE:These symptoms are all more likely to be caused by some other illness, rather than by mesothelioma. ONLY A DOCTOR CAN MAKE A DEFINITIVE DIAGNOSIS.
In its early stages, mesothelioma does not have many symptoms, and may lead to a delay in diagnosis. When symptoms do develop, they are often caused by the cancer growing and pressing on a nerve or other body organ. Sometimes resembling viral pneumonia, pleural mesothelioma patients may present with shortness of breath, chest pain and/or persistent cough; some patients show no symptoms at all.common symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include fever, night sweats and weight loss. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include pain or swelling in the abdomen due to a build-up of fluid, nausea, weight loss, bowel obstruction, anemia or swelling of the feet.
One of the most common symptoms of mesothelioma is a pleural effusion.
NOTE:These symptoms are all more likely to be caused by some other illness, rather than by mesothelioma. ONLY A DOCTOR CAN MAKE A DEFINITIVE DIAGNOSIS.
Want to know about idtheft
Identity theft is a catch-all term for crimes involving illegal usage of another individual's identity. The most common form of identity theft is credit card fraud. While the term is relatively new, the practice of stealing money or getting other benefits by pretending to be a different person is thousands of years old.
Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information, like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. Identity-Theft is the fastest growing crime in America; 9.9 MILLION victims were reported last year, according to a Federal Trade Commission survey!
Identity theft is serious. While some identity theft victims can resolve their problems quickly, others spend hundreds of dollars and many days repairing damage to their good name and credit record. Some consumers victimized by identity theft may lose out on job opportunities, or be denied loans for education, housing or cars because of negative information on their credit reports. In rare cases, they may even be arrested for crimes they did not commit.
Are u ready to fight against idtheft then visit:http://www.identitytheft.org/
visit this link also: home office identity theft home page
Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information, like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. Identity-Theft is the fastest growing crime in America; 9.9 MILLION victims were reported last year, according to a Federal Trade Commission survey!
Identity theft is serious. While some identity theft victims can resolve their problems quickly, others spend hundreds of dollars and many days repairing damage to their good name and credit record. Some consumers victimized by identity theft may lose out on job opportunities, or be denied loans for education, housing or cars because of negative information on their credit reports. In rare cases, they may even be arrested for crimes they did not commit.
Are u ready to fight against idtheft then visit:http://www.identitytheft.org/
visit this link also: home office identity theft home page
What is Search engine optimization (SEO)...?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results for targeted keywords. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results, or the higher it "ranks", the more searchers will visit that site. SEO can also target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.
SEO efforts may involve a site's coding, presentation, and structure, as well as fixing problems that could prevent search engine indexing programs from fully spidering a site.
SEO is the medium to promote your website in order to have high rankings. There are different tools and techniques to promote your website through our search engine optimization strategies, from setting your website positions in the search engine through website optimizing with SEO friendly content. Web Optimization is the means to pull traffic in order to promote your website and improving the ranking of your website. Implementing relevant keywords in the right places is very crucial. Topranker.in has teams which takes into account and understand the significance of these critical aspects while optimizing a given website. Being one of the topmost complete web solutions company in india we provide internet marketing services with the help of a professional team for setting bench mark in the field of otimizing websites for search engines.
http://www.topranker.in/# : this link will give u a more simple and understanding definition for SEO. check it out now...
SEO efforts may involve a site's coding, presentation, and structure, as well as fixing problems that could prevent search engine indexing programs from fully spidering a site.
SEO is the medium to promote your website in order to have high rankings. There are different tools and techniques to promote your website through our search engine optimization strategies, from setting your website positions in the search engine through website optimizing with SEO friendly content. Web Optimization is the means to pull traffic in order to promote your website and improving the ranking of your website. Implementing relevant keywords in the right places is very crucial. Topranker.in has teams which takes into account and understand the significance of these critical aspects while optimizing a given website. Being one of the topmost complete web solutions company in india we provide internet marketing services with the help of a professional team for setting bench mark in the field of otimizing websites for search engines.
http://www.topranker.in/# : this link will give u a more simple and understanding definition for SEO. check it out now...
Quantum Dots..?
Semiconductors are the milestones of the electronic industry. traditional semiconductors such as Germanium and Silicon have their own limitations.they are not versatile and the chips constructed using semiconductors cannot be shrunk beyond limits.
Quantum Dots will be the futuristic semiconductors.these are essentially Nanocrystals with limitless applications.they are special class of nanocrystal semiconductors composed of group2-4, 3-5 or 6-4 combinations of material and they forms a unique class of nanaocrystal semiconductors.
Quantum Dots have a tunable emission pattern and they can be tuned to emit sharp visible or infrared wavelengths. They serve as a viable replacements for special inks, dyes, or paints in anticounterfieting applications.They are also ideal for manufacture of LEDs.
Quantum Dots derive their trademark from the technology of the future,Nanotechnology. their miniatuer size and versatile properties grant them the flexibility to be used for a variety of applications.
Quantum Dots will be the futuristic semiconductors.these are essentially Nanocrystals with limitless applications.they are special class of nanocrystal semiconductors composed of group2-4, 3-5 or 6-4 combinations of material and they forms a unique class of nanaocrystal semiconductors.
Quantum Dots have a tunable emission pattern and they can be tuned to emit sharp visible or infrared wavelengths. They serve as a viable replacements for special inks, dyes, or paints in anticounterfieting applications.They are also ideal for manufacture of LEDs.
Quantum Dots derive their trademark from the technology of the future,Nanotechnology. their miniatuer size and versatile properties grant them the flexibility to be used for a variety of applications.
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