saidevo

Recently I started reading the 'samskRuta shubhAShitAni', the Hindu words of wisdom, from a book I bought and from the Net. I am repeatedly stunned by what they offer and how it is relevant to everyone across time, space and culture! in this thread, I shall share a few of them here in this Science Forum, more if there is interest. We start with a humorous one with a grain of truth: vaidhyarAja namaH tubhyaM yamarAjasahodara | yamaH tu harati prANAm vaidhyarAjaH dhanAni cha || O Doctor, I salute you! You are the brother of Yama Raja! While Yama only takes the life, the doctor takes the money too! ********* Here is a caution for every employee: atyAsannA vinAshAya dUrasthA na phalapradA | sevyantAM madhyabhAgena rAjA vahNirguru strayaH || Moving closely with the king (or boss) might get us into trouble. But then staying farther from him also would not get the desired fruits. It is the same with burning fire and the teacher. Therefore, with the king (or boss), the fire and the teacher, the wise will keep at a mid-distance and get the desired fruits. ********* Here is one that women might take exception to! anargham api mANikyam hemAshrayam apekShate | vinA AshrayaM na shobhante paMDitAH vanitAH latAH || A gem such as ruby looks priceless only with the support and refuge of gold. Without support and refuge, pandits, creepers and women cannot shine. ********* Here is one to those great organizers! amantram aksharaM nAsti, nAsti mUlam anaushadham | ayogya purushaH nAsti, yojakaH tatra durlabhaH !! "There is no syllable from which a mantra cannot be made. There is no herb from which a medicine cannot be made. There is no person who is incapable. Who is rare is the one who can organize." ********* And this one is truly 'sanAtana', universal. ayaM nijaH paraH vA iti gaNanA laghuchetasAm | udAracharitAnAM tu vasudhA eva kuTuMbakam || This one is of my group, the other is an outsider: such is the thought of people with petty mind. For people who are magnanimous and broadminded, the whole world is a family. *********

The following discussion from the book titled Astral Body by Arthur E. Powell, (chapter 25) which is itself based on the book The Science of Emotions by Bhagavan Das, might be helpful. This work is available at: http://www.theosophical.ca/AstralBodyByPowell-B.htm

The Earth spins at a rate of nearly 30 km/s. Its diameter is nearly 8,000 miles. Its inner core is located roughly 3,100 miles below the surface and has temperature in the range 5,000 to 6,000 deg.C. The outer core is located roughly 1,800 miles below, and the mantle with its temperature in the range 1,000 and 4,000 deg.C occupies an area from 37 miles below. The crust and the lithosphere extend to a depth of hardly 40 miles out of the radius of the Earth which is around 4,000 miles (just one percent). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth). The surface temperature on the Earth is within a range of, say 50 deg.C below and above zero. Some questions arise with this composition: 1. Since heat dissipates faster, why hasn't all the heat at the core and mantle escaped through the atomic pores of the upper layers through the ways it propagates (conduction, convection and radiation), allowing Earth to cool down faster than it is doing? Taking into account the enormous volume of water on and under the surface, and the massive polar ice regions, heat dissipation should take place at a much faster rate. If the inner heat is sustained by pressure, how exactly does this pressure prevent heat dissipation, since we know that ether or space occupies everywhere (even inside the atoms) as a continuum. 2. If the center of gravity of the earth is at its center in the inner core, inasmuch as the solid rocky surface is hardly 1% of its radius (40 miles out of 4,000), and with the earth spinning very fast, why hasn't the crust and lithosphere collapsed to form a more compact shape? Since this is not happening, can it be right to say that there is no center of gravity but only a ring of gravity located half way down the solid outer surface (crust and lithosphere)? 3. In the dryer of a washing machine or in a cement-concrete mixture, because of the spin, the contents are thrown towards the rim, leaving a hollow portion inside with openings at the polar regions. Why shouldn't this happen for the Earth also, considering its eternal, tremendous spinning rate? I would expect an answer that a layman could follow, free of mathematical equations.

Seems that the missing NASA moon landing tapes are back in the news since the beginning of this month. And since the publication of Dan Brown's novels, you do have an idea about the "capability" of NASA and other US research centers in actual and make-believe scientific research. Did man really land on the moon or not? Why doesn't NASA come out clean even after all these years? It is widely opined that it is not possible to cross the Van Allen radiation belt, using a spacecraft as it would take several inches of lead shell to protect an astronaut from a dealy dose of radiation from the van allen radiation belt, that the space capsules were made of very thin metal, so radiiation would just pass right through it. What exactly is this radiation belt and where is it? Wikipedia has run an elaborate discussion on this subject. It seems that the issue is not settled yet. What is the opinion of the forum members on the arguments for and against the issue?

Several scientists admit having transcendent experiences, which are documented for further research, visit this link for details: http://www.issc-taste.org/index.shtml TASTE is an online journal edited by a leading scientist who has archived TE of scientists. Any TE by any of our SciFor members?

Thanks for the answers. I now undertand that 1. The shape of the wave is decided by its amplitude and depends on its type. With transverse waves, such as the electromagnetic waves, the shape is sinusoidal, whereas in the case of longitudinal waves (which are usually mechanical waves such as sound waves and the ripples on water surface) the shape tends to be circular. Ripples are actually a combination of both types of waves. 2. It is possible to modulate and change the shape of waves.

Vibration involves matter, force and energy. It is the matter that vibrates, under a force, and the vibration transmits energy. The energy is transmitted or propagated in the form of a wave. A wave of energy has three attributes: frequency, amplitude and shape. Frequency translates into color with light waves and pitch with sound waves. Waves of higher frequencies have shorter wavelengths. Amplitude translates into voltage with electromagnetic waves in general, volume in audio waves, height in mechanical waves, and color, sound and motion when these forms of waves are combined, as in TV transmission. The typical shape of a wave is the sine curve, which is the regular, wavy line we draw to represent a wave. Complex shapes are built by adding the basic, sinusoidal shapes with different frequencies and amplitudes. I have some questions here: 1. Since there are many forms of energy (light, electricity, sound, etc.), is the wave-shape the sinusoidal in all cases? Why is it sinusoidal in the first place? 2. What about the waves generated on still water when a pebble is dropped? Why are these waves circular in shape? 3. Is it possible to change the shape of a wave, say by transforming the type of energy or otherwise?

Yes, a development environment is what I had in mind. You've put it nicely. And it should be open source and cross-platform. Somebody can start with a handful of most popular languages and more can be added in collaborative development across the Net. We only need generation of the source code in the preferred language from the development environment, and this can be compiled later. In the same way, we should also have a common development environment that uses ANSI standard SQL and translates a query to the required way with multiple database management systems, which have their own quirks and add-ons. saidevo

Dan Brown, in his novel "Angels and Demons" talks about laboratory formation and extraction of anti-matter, which is later used as a weapon. Is it real, or only fiction? What is the current status of anti-matter of researches? saidevo

Modern human civilization is characterized by mining, quarrying and construction activities that go on at a hectic pace. Large masses of natural wealth are excavated and redistributed in the form of comforts and facilities for man. The naturally formed surfaces of the earth, due to these activities, gets deformed with ups and downs, worsening as years go by. To what extent does this redistribution of mass affect the gravitational force and environment of the earth? One example is, we have pollution, mainly due to the burning up of fuel wealth. What other causes and effects happen because of man's mining and building activities? saidevo

To display a simple message box, I need to use the terms MsgBox in VB, MessageBox in VC++, alert in JavaScript, showMessgeDialog in Java... No wonder, I have started losing hair as a developer! Why not use a single name, say MessageBox, which is much akin to plain English, whatever the language you're using for development? The capabilities might differ across languages, but at least let the names remain the same. Common names could help the cause of the much-talked-about RAD. Let the competition be among the capabilities, not names. The aim should be to build a united world, not create another Tower of Babel. Today, several programming, script and database languages are in active use for different tasks in application development. Developers are required to be proficient in a good number of them, and fine-tune their ability to combine and integrate them within the framework of an application. It's time a Consortium on the lines of the W3C, is formed to impose standards for names, specially methods, functions and procedures, across programming and scripting languages. Until such time as it happens, can somebody develop wrapper methods with a single name across languages that call the relevant methods internally? saidevo

Dan Brown in his novel "Deception Point" describes microbots that haunt the enemy locations like housefly and spy on them. He says that a microbot can even be designed to kill! Why can't there be microbots or tinybots that can do mundane household work such as dusting the shelves, cleaning the cobwebs off the wall corners, etc? With equipments like vacuum cleaners, you need to go round holding them, so it is mostly manual. And then I would like my PCs to be like a book (more compact than the laptaps) that I can carry easily, and browse and read even lying down. It should be pretty much like reading from or writing to a piece of paper. The software must be so versatile and invisible that would let me write and draw as I do on paper, save and transmit them. As for writing, even if I scribble, the software should idenfity the individual letters and transcribe it to the correct and legible forms! As for a computerized environment, I would like a house like that of Bill Gates, but at the cost I can afford. (I read somewhere about the hitech home of Bill Gates; is there any online article on it?) Regards, saidevo

Jokes, Episodes, Bites - 04 Jokes: Mary: "I looked into his eyes and saw he was a teacher." Joe: "How did you manage that?" Mary: "I could see his pupils." --- The maid picked up the phone and muttered something before slamming it down. "Who was that, Marie? I'm expecting a trunk-call." "Only some mad idiot, Mr. Wilson. He said it was a long distance from California. I told him we knew that." --- Doctor: "That pain in your leg is caused by old age." Patient: "Don't fool me! My other leg's of the same age." --- At a fashionable London dinner party, Disraeli was once asked to distinguish between a misfortune and a calamity. "Well", he is reported to have answered, "if Gladstone fell into Thames, that would be a misfortune. If anybody pulled him out, that would be a calamity." --- George Bernard Shaw, famous dramatist, was in his study, wrestling with his thoughts on the latest drama he was writing, when he overheard the conversation of the two servants outside his door. "Is he busy?", asked one. "No", was the reply, "only writing." Episodes: Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes and Dr.Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal and a bottle of wine they lay down for the night, and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend. "Watson, look up and tell me what you see". Watson replied, "I see millions and millions of stars." "What does that tell you?" said Holmes. Watson pondered for a minute. "Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?" Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke. "Watson, you fool. Somebody has stolen our tent." --- Bell boy A priest was walking down the street one day when he noticed a very small boy trying to press a doorbell on a house across the street. The boy was very small and the doorbell was too high for him to reach. After watching the boy's efforts for some time, the priest decided to help him. He stepped smartly across the street, walked up behind the little fellow and, placing his hand kindly on the child's shoulder, leaned over and gave the doorbell a solid ring. Crouching down to the child's level, the priest smiled benevolently and asked, "And now what, my little man?" To which the boy replied, "Now we run like Hell!" --- Bites: International: You know the difference between an Irishman, a Scot and an Englishman? Well, on leaving a train, an Irishman walks off without looking back to see if he has left anything behind. An Englishman looks back to see if he has left anything. A Scot looks back to see if anybody has left anything! --- An American, an Indian and a Russian were talking. The Russian boasted that their marine technology was so advanced that they could go down to the bottommost of a sea. "The bottommost!", wondered the Indian. "Well almost, may be a couple of inches higher", replied the Russian. The American then boasted that their space technology was so advanced that they had literally touched the sky. "The sky!", wondered the Indian. "Well almost, may be a couple of inches lower", replied the American. The Indian said softly, "We in India eat with our noses." The other two guys were astonished. "Really?", they wondered. "May be a couple of inches lower", replied the Indian. --- Morons and Fools: Define a moron. A person who looks through the keyhole of a glass door. How do you keep a moron busy? Write 'please turn over' on both sides of a blank paper. How do you make a moron laugh on Friday? Tell him a joke on Wednesday. How do you confuse a moron? Place him in a round room and ask him to sit in a corner. A fool went to a movie. He bought a ticket and went in. He then came out and bought another ticket. He did this two more times. The ticket seller asked him why he was buying tickets repeatedly. He replied that the guy at the gate kept tearing the tickets. Sixteen fools went to a movie. They bought tickets but came out without seeing the movie because on the top of the entrance was written "Under 18 not allowed". See you later, saidevo

Jokes, Episodes, Bites - 03 Jokes: ----- What part of the car causes the most accidents? The nut that holds the wheel. --- "If you reject me, darling", said the boy, "I'll put a rope around my neck and hang myself there on the tree opposite your bedroom." "Please don't do that", said the girl, "Father objects to your hanging around here." --- "How did the explosion occur?", exclaimed an expert witness in court. "The reason's clear. The engineer was full and the boiler was empty." --- One friend: "How did you become so successful all of a sudden?" Other friend: "Through a strong will." "What do you mean by a strong will?" "A will which left me eighty thousand pounds." --- Mistress: "And, above all, I want obedience and truthfulness." New maid: "Yes, madam. But, if anybody calls when you are in and you want me to say you are out, which comes first: obedience or truthfulness?" --- Episodes: -------- Human Life God created the donkey and told him: "You will be a donkey. You will work untiringly from sunrise to sunset carrying burdens on your back. You will eat grass, you will have no intelligence and you will live 50 years. You will be a donkey." The donkey answered: "I will be a donkey, but to live 50 years is too much. Give me only 20 years." God granted his wish. God created the dog and told him: "You will guard the house of man. You will be his best friend. You will eat the scraps that he gives you and you will live 25 years. You will be a dog." The dog answered: "Sir, to live 25 years is too much, give me only 10 years." God granted his wish. God created the monkey and told him: "You will be a monkey. You will swing from branch to branch doing tricks. You will be amusing and you will live 20 years." The monkey answered: "To live 20 years is too much, give me only 10 years." God granted his wish. Finally God created man and told him: "You will be man, the only rational creature on the face of the earth. You will use your intelligence to become master over all the animals. You will dominate the world and you will live 20 years." Man responded: "Sir, I will be man but to live only 20 years is very little. Give me the 30 years that the donkey refused, the 15 years that the dog did not want, and the 10 years the monkey refused." God granted man's wish. And since then, man lives 20 years as a man, he marries and spends 30 years like a donkey, working and carrying all the burdens on his back. Then when his children are gone, he lives 15 years like a dog, taking care of the house and eating whatever is given to him, so that when he is old, he can retire and live 10 years like a monkey, going from house to house, from one son or daughter to another, doing tricks to amuse his grand children. Bites: ----- Broken English Chat: India Professor to students hanging around the corridors during an examination: "Don't rotate the verandah in front of the examination hall." Instructor: Take a copper wire of any metal... and pour a liquid solution of sulphuric acid in a round bottom flask of any shape... Lecturer (angry with a boy): Get out of the class! The boy sulks, continues standing. Lecturer: If you don't get out, I'll ask the principal to get out! Heard in the kitchen: "No, no I don't need a chair. I can stand eating." A gardener scolding three kids : Both of u three, don't under-stand the tree! "Apply apply, No reply" (comment of a frustrated job seeker). Definitions A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody has. A clean tie attracts the soup of the day. A baby sitter is a teenager acting like an adult while the adults are out acting like teenagers. A computer is almost human - except that it does not blame its mistakes on another computer. A conclusion is simply the place where you got tired of thinking. A conservative is a politician who wants to keep what the liberals fought for a generation ago. A cynic is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Ulcers: Something you get not from what you eat, but from what is eating you. See you later, saidevo

----------------------------- Jokes, Episodes and Bites - 02 ----------------------------- Jokes: ----- Sign at a cobbler's shop: We doctor your shoes, heel them, attend their dyeing and save their soles. "I'm sorry to hear that your factory was burnt down. What do you manufacture?" "Fire-extinguishers." Once upon a time, there lived a farmer who owned a big hayfield. The farmer's son decided he would go to the city to earn his living, so one day he packed all his bags and left home. But when he got to the city, the best he could do was a job as a bootblack at the railroad station... ...Now the father makes hay while the son shines. Visitor to art exhibit: "Why did they hang this picture?" "Must be because they couldn't find the artist!" Convict no.600: "It took me nearly two years to complete this book." Convict no.610: "Oh, that's nothing. It took me five years to complete a sentence." Episodes: -------- Washington Brain A very rich old man was on his deathbed in a hospital. His doctor told him that there was only one thing that could save him: a brain transplant, which was still highly experimental and very expensive. The old man said that cost was no object and asked the doctor if there were any brains available. The doctor replied that three brains were currently available. The first brain was from a college professor and it cost $10,000. The patient said that was no problem, but asked about the others. The doctor told him the second one was from a rocket scientist and the cost for it would be $100,000. The old man said that still it wasn't a problem and figured that he'd just be that much smarter. He then asked the doctor about the last available brain. The doctor told him it was from a Washington bureaucrat and that the cost for that brain was a half a million dollars. The patient was shocked. He asked the doctor why that brain was so much more expensive. The medical professional explained, "It's never been used." Bites: ----- Broken English Chat: India -------------------------- Open the windows and let the atmosphere come in! Why are you not filupping the blanks?" Don't talk like that in front of my back. Don't stand in front of my back. Repeat that again please! Lecturer: Boys, please keep quiet. The principal is revolving outside. Lecturer (seeing the principal pass by the door): Less noise! The principal just passed away. Definitions ----------- A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday, but never her age. A cigarette is a pinch of tobacco, wrapped in paper, fire at one end, fool at the other. A committee is a group of people who can do nothing individually, but as a group decide that nothing can be done. A camel is a horse defined by a committee. A jury is a group of people chosen to decide which party has the best lawyer. A city is a large community where people are lonesome together. See you later, saidevo ----------------------------------------------------------------------