Men:
1. All men are extremely busy.
2. Although they are so busy, they still have time for women.
3. Although they have time for women, they don't really care for them.
4. Although they don't really care for them, they always have one around.
5. Although they always have one around them, they always try their luck with others.
6. Although they try their luck with others, they get really pissed off if the woman leaves them.
7. Although the woman leaves them they still don't learn from their mistakes and still try their luck with others.
Women:
1. The most important thing for a woman is financial security.
2. Although this is so important, they still go out and buy expensive clothes and stuff.
3. Although they always buy expensive clothes, they never have something to wear.
4. Although they never have something to wear, they always dress beautifully.
5. Although they always dress beautifully, their clothes are always just "an old rag".
6. Although their clothes are always "just an old rag", they still expect you to compliment them.
7. Although they expect you to compliment them, when you do, they don't believe you.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Hellow...Room Service!!!
Crossing the Language Barrier
Read This Out Loud!!!
I dare you to try!
To get the full effect, this should be read aloud. You will understand what 'tenjewberrymuds' means by the end of the conversation. This has been nominated for the best email of 2005.
The following is a telephone exchange between a hotel guest and room-service, at a hotel in Asia, which was recorded and published.
Room Service (RS) : "Morrin. ; Roon sirbees."
Guest (G) : "Sorry, I thought I dialed room-service."
RS : "Rye..Roon sirbees..morrin! Jewish to oddor
sunteen??"
G : "Uh..yes..I'd like some bacon and eggs."
RS : "Ow July den?"
G : "What??"
RS : "Ow July den?...pryed, boyud, poochd?"
G : "Oh, the eggs! How do I like them? Sorry, scrambled please."
RS : "Ow July dee baykem? Crease?"
G : "Crisp will be fine."
RS : "Hokay. An Sahn toes?"
G : "What?"
RS : "An toes. July Sahn toes?"
G : "I don't think so."
RS : "No? Judo wan sahn toes??"
G : "I feel really bad about this, but I don't know what 'judo wan sahn toes' means."
RS : "Toes! toes!...Why jew don juan toes? Ow bow Anglish moppin we bodder?"
G : "English muffin!! I've got it! You were saying 'Toast.' Fine. Yes, an English muffin will be fine."
RS : "We bodder?"
G : "No...just put the bodder on the side."
RS : "Wad! ?"
G : "I mean butter...just put it on the side."
RS : "Copy?"
G : "Excuse me?"
RS : "Copy...tea...meel?"
G : "Yes. Coffee, please, and that's all."
RS : "One Minnie. Scramah egg, crease baykem, Anglish moppin we bodder on sigh and copy.... rye??"
G : "Whatever you say."
RS : "Tenjewberrymuds."
G : "You're very welcome."
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Windows Vienna - newbie in the Microsft stable
Windows "Vienna" (formerly known as Blackcomb) is Microsoft's codename for a future version of Microsoft Windows, originally announced in February 2000, but has since been subject to major delays and rescheduling.The code name "Blackcomb" was originally assigned to a version of Windows that was planned to follow Windows XP (codenamed "Whistler"; both named after the Whistler-Blackcomb resort) in both client and server versions. However, in August 2001, the release of Blackcomb was pushed back several years and Vista (originally codenamed "Longhorn" after a bar in the Whistler Blackcomb Resort) was announced as a release between XP and Blackcomb.
Since then, the status of Blackcomb has undergone many alterations and PR manipulations, ranging from Blackcomb being scrapped entirely, to becoming a server-only release. As of 2006, it is still planned as both a client and server release with a current release estimate of anytime between 2009 and 2012, although no firm release date or target has yet been publicized.
In January 2006, "Blackcomb" was renamed to "Vienna".
Originally, internal sources pitched Blackcomb as being not just a major revision of Windows, but a complete departure from the way users today typically think about interacting with a computer. While Windows Vista is intended to be a technologies-based release, with some added UI sparkle (in the form of the Windows Aero set of technologies and guidelines), Vienna is targeted directly at revolutionizing the way users of the product interact with their PCs.
For instance, the "Start" philosophy, introduced in Windows 95, may be completely replaced by the "new interface" which was said in 1999 to be scheduled for "Vienna" (before being moved to Vista ("Longhorn") and then back again to "Vienna").
The Explorer shell will be replaced in its entirety, with features such as the taskbar being replaced by a new concept based on the last 10 years of R&D at the Microsoft "VIBE" research lab. Projects such as GroupBar and LayoutBar are expected to make an appearance, allowing users to more effectively manage and keep track of their applications and documents while in use, and a new way of launching applications is expected—among other ideas, Microsoft is investigating a pie menu-type circular interface, similar in function to the dock in Mac OS X.
Several other features originally planned for Windows Vista may be part of "Vienna", though they may be released independently when they are finished.
"Vienna" will also feature the "sandboxed" approach discussed during the Alpha/White Box development phase for Longhorn. All non-managed code will run in a sandboxed environment where access to the "outside world" is restricted by the operating system. Access to raw sockets will be disabled from within the sandbox, as will direct access to the file system, hardware abstraction layer (HAL), and complete memory addressing. All access to outside applications, files, and protocols will be regulated by the operating system, and any malicious activity will be halted immediately. If this approach is successful, it bodes very well for security and safety, as it is virtually impossible for a malicious application to cause any damage to the system if it is locked in what is effectively a glass box.
Another interesting feature mentioned by Bill Gates is "a pervasive typing line that will recognize the sentence that [the user is] typing in." The implications of this could be as simple as a "complete as you type" function as found in most modern search engines, (e.g. Google Suggest) or as complex as being able to give verbal commands to the PC without any concern for syntax. This former feature has been incorporated to an extent in Windows Vista.
Microsoft has stated that "Vienna" will be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit for the client version, in order to ease the industry's transition from 32-bit to 64-bit computing. Vienna Server is expected to support only 64-bit server systems. There will be continued backward compatibility with 32-bit applications, but 16-bit Windows and MS-DOS applications will not be supported as in Windows Vista 64-bit versions. They are already unsupported in 64-bit versions of XP and Server 2003.
Today's Titbit Trivia
The Sears Tower is Chicago's tallest structure, towering at 1,454 feet.
About 10,000 people go to work there Monday through Friday. The building has its own U.S. Post Official and ZIP code: 60606.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A space vehicle must move at a rate of at least 7 miles per second to escape Earth's gravitational pull. This is equivalent to going from New York to Philadelphia in about 20 seconds.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lake Baikal in Siberia is the only lake in the world that is deep enough to have deep-sea fish.
About 10,000 people go to work there Monday through Friday. The building has its own U.S. Post Official and ZIP code: 60606.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A space vehicle must move at a rate of at least 7 miles per second to escape Earth's gravitational pull. This is equivalent to going from New York to Philadelphia in about 20 seconds.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lake Baikal in Siberia is the only lake in the world that is deep enough to have deep-sea fish.
Interesting facts about Nokia...
Hey Nokians...Some interesting facts about Nokia...
1) The ringtone "Nokia tune" is actually based on a 19th century guitar work named "Gran Vals" by Spanish musician Francisco de Asís Tárrega Eixea shortly Francisco Tárrega. The Nokia Tune was originally named "Grande Valse" on Nokia phones but was changed to "Nokia Tune" around 1998 when it became so well known that people referred to it as the "Nokia Tune."
2) The world's first commercial GSM call was made in 1991 in Helsinki over a Nokia-supplied network, by Prime Minister of Finland Harri Holkeri, using a Nokia phone.
3) Nokia is currently the world's largest digital camera manufacturer, as the sales of its camera-equipped mobile phones have exceeded those of any conventional camera manufacturer.
4) The "Special" tone available to users of Nokia phones when receiving SMS (text messages) is actually Morse code for "SMS". Similarly, the "Ascending" SMS tone is Morse code for "Connecting People," Nokia's slogan. The "Standard" SMS tone is Morse code for "M" (Message).
5) The Nokia corporate font (typeface) is the AgfaMonotype Nokia Sans font, originally designed by Eric Spiekermann. Its mobile phone User's Guides Nokia mostly used the Agfa Rotis Sans
6) In Asia, the digit 4 never appears in any Nokia handset model number, because 4 is considered unlucky in many parts of Southeast/East Asia.
7) Nokia was listed as the 20th most admirable company worldwide in Fortune's list of 2006 (1st in network communications, 4th non-US company).
8. Unlike other modern day handsets, Nokia phones do not automatically start the call timer when the call is connected, but start it when the call is initiated. (Except for Series 60 based handsets like the Nokia 6600)
9) Nokia is sometimes called aikon (Nokia backwards) by non-Nokia mobile phone users and by mobile software developers, because "aikon" is used in various SDK software packages, including Nokia's own Symbian S60 SDK.
10) The name of the town of Nokia originated from the river which flowed through the town. The river itself, Nokianvirta, was named after the old Finnish word originally meaning sable, later pine marten. A species of this small, black-furred predatory animal was once found in the region, but it is now extinct.
1) The ringtone "Nokia tune" is actually based on a 19th century guitar work named "Gran Vals" by Spanish musician Francisco de Asís Tárrega Eixea shortly Francisco Tárrega. The Nokia Tune was originally named "Grande Valse" on Nokia phones but was changed to "Nokia Tune" around 1998 when it became so well known that people referred to it as the "Nokia Tune."
2) The world's first commercial GSM call was made in 1991 in Helsinki over a Nokia-supplied network, by Prime Minister of Finland Harri Holkeri, using a Nokia phone.
3) Nokia is currently the world's largest digital camera manufacturer, as the sales of its camera-equipped mobile phones have exceeded those of any conventional camera manufacturer.
4) The "Special" tone available to users of Nokia phones when receiving SMS (text messages) is actually Morse code for "SMS". Similarly, the "Ascending" SMS tone is Morse code for "Connecting People," Nokia's slogan. The "Standard" SMS tone is Morse code for "M" (Message).
5) The Nokia corporate font (typeface) is the AgfaMonotype Nokia Sans font, originally designed by Eric Spiekermann. Its mobile phone User's Guides Nokia mostly used the Agfa Rotis Sans
6) In Asia, the digit 4 never appears in any Nokia handset model number, because 4 is considered unlucky in many parts of Southeast/East Asia.
7) Nokia was listed as the 20th most admirable company worldwide in Fortune's list of 2006 (1st in network communications, 4th non-US company).
8. Unlike other modern day handsets, Nokia phones do not automatically start the call timer when the call is connected, but start it when the call is initiated. (Except for Series 60 based handsets like the Nokia 6600)
9) Nokia is sometimes called aikon (Nokia backwards) by non-Nokia mobile phone users and by mobile software developers, because "aikon" is used in various SDK software packages, including Nokia's own Symbian S60 SDK.
10) The name of the town of Nokia originated from the river which flowed through the town. The river itself, Nokianvirta, was named after the old Finnish word originally meaning sable, later pine marten. A species of this small, black-furred predatory animal was once found in the region, but it is now extinct.
Joke(s) of the Day...
One guy suddenly got up in a plain and said
"hijack"
***
*
*
*
*
*
*
*Everybody in the plane put there hands up.Then suddenly***
***
**
**
Another guy from another side got up and said
"hi...john"
********
Pride of KF, The King of Good times:-
After an international beer conference in London, all the world's top brewery bosses decide to go out for a beer together.
The Chairman of Budweiser says, "I'd like the most refreshing beer in the world, 'The King Of Beers': give me a Budweiser."
The bartender takes a bottle from the shelf and opens it for him .
The Chairman of Guiness says, "I'd like the only beer in the world worth really, truly waiting for: give me a Guinness."
The bartender serves him.
The Chairman of Carlsberg says, " I would like the world's best beer, drunk in more countries than any other: give me a Carlsberg."
He gets it.
Vijay Mallaya sits down, looks around and says, "Just give me a Coke."
The bartender looks at him, shrugs, and serves him.
The other brewery bosses laugh loudly and say, "Hey Vijay, how come you aren't drinking a Kingfisher?"
"Listen," says Vijay Mallya, "If you guys aren't drinking beer, neither will I"
~~~~~~~~~~
"Oye sardar ji your friend is kissing your wife in your house"
Sardar ji ran towards home and came back saying:"oye you have been fooled....,He is not my friend."
~~~~~~~~~
Bush and Musharraf were flying in a plane.
Bush says: if I drop a billion dollars here
I'll make a million people happy.
Musharraf: if I drop my uniform.
I'll make my whole country happy.
Plane's Pilot: if I drop the plane.
I'll make the whole world happy
~~~~~~~~~
A man with a gun goes into a bank and demands their money. Once he is given the money, he turns to a customer and asks, "Did you see me rob this bank?"
The man replied, "Yes sir, I did." The robber then shot him in the temple, killing him instantly.
He then turned to a couple standing next to him and asked the man, "Did you see me rob this bank?"
The man replied, "No sir, I didn't, but my wife did."
The Chairman of Budweiser says, "I'd like the most refreshing beer in the world, 'The King Of Beers': give me a Budweiser."
The bartender takes a bottle from the shelf and opens it for him .
The Chairman of Guiness says, "I'd like the only beer in the world worth really, truly waiting for: give me a Guinness."
The bartender serves him.
The Chairman of Carlsberg says, " I would like the world's best beer, drunk in more countries than any other: give me a Carlsberg."
He gets it.
Vijay Mallaya sits down, looks around and says, "Just give me a Coke."
The bartender looks at him, shrugs, and serves him.
The other brewery bosses laugh loudly and say, "Hey Vijay, how come you aren't drinking a Kingfisher?"
"Listen," says Vijay Mallya, "If you guys aren't drinking beer, neither will I"
~~~~~~~~~~
"Oye sardar ji your friend is kissing your wife in your house"
Sardar ji ran towards home and came back saying:"oye you have been fooled....,He is not my friend."
~~~~~~~~~
Bush and Musharraf were flying in a plane.
Bush says: if I drop a billion dollars here
I'll make a million people happy.
Musharraf: if I drop my uniform.
I'll make my whole country happy.
Plane's Pilot: if I drop the plane.
I'll make the whole world happy
~~~~~~~~~
A man with a gun goes into a bank and demands their money. Once he is given the money, he turns to a customer and asks, "Did you see me rob this bank?"
The man replied, "Yes sir, I did." The robber then shot him in the temple, killing him instantly.
He then turned to a couple standing next to him and asked the man, "Did you see me rob this bank?"
The man replied, "No sir, I didn't, but my wife did."
Friday, May 23, 2008
Call Centre...
Call centre jobs: Ever wondered why they are paid so much for just being on the phone all the time. Read on to know...:-
*
Tech Support: "I need you to right-click on the Open Desktop."
Customer "Ok."
Tech Support: "Did you get a pop-up menu?"
Customer: "No."
Tech Support: "Ok. Right click again. Do you see a pop-up menu?"
Customer "No."
Tech Support:: "Ok, sir. Can you tell me what you have done up until this point?"
Customer: "Sure, you told me to write 'click' and I wrote 'click'."
*
Customer: "I received the software update you sent, but I am still getting the same error message."
Tech Support:: "Did you install the update?"
Customer: "No. Oh, am I supposed to install it to get it to work?"
*
Customer:: "I'm having trouble installing Microsoft Word."
Tech Support:: "Tell me what you've done."
Customer: "I typed 'A:SETUP'."
Tech Support:: "Ma'am, remove the disk and tell me what it says."
Customer:: "It says '[PC manufacturer] Restore and Recovery disk'."
Tech Support:: "Insert the MS Word setup disk."
Customer:: "What?"
Tech Support: "Did you buy MS word?"
Customer: "No..."
*
Customer:: "Do I need a computer to use your software?"
Tech Support:: ?!%#$
*
Tech Support:: "Ok, in the bottom left hand side of the screen, can you see the 'OK' button displayed?"
Customer: "Wow. How can you see my screen from there?"
*
Tech Support:: "What type of computer do you have?"
Customer:: "A white one."
*
Tech Support:: "Type 'A:' at the prompt."
Customer:: "How do you spell that?"
*
Tech Support: "Is your computer on a separate telephone line?"
Customer: "No." (clicks the button to log on to our service)
Tech Support:: "Well then we can't-"
Customer:: "It says 'no dial tone'."
Tech Support: "That's because you're on the line with me right now. You need to-"
Customer:: "No, that's not it. It does this all the time. I just have to try a few times, and it will let me through."
Tech Support:: "No, ma'am. It's not even trying to dial right now because you're on the phone with me."
Customer: "It must be busy. I'll try again later."
*
Tech Support: "What's on your screen right now?"
Customer: "A stuffed animal that my boyfriend got me at the grocery store."
*
Tech Support:: "What operating system are you running?"
Customer: "Pentium."
*
Customer: "My computer's telling me I performed an illegal abortion."
*
Customer: "I have Microsoft Exploder."
*
Customer: "How do I print my voicemail?"
*
Customer: "You've got to fix my computer. I urgently need to print document, but the computer won't boot properly."
Tech Support: "What does it say?"
Customer: "Something about an error and non-system disk."
Tech Support: "Look at your machine. Is there a floppy inside?"
Customer: "No, but there's a sticker saying there's an Intel inside."
*
Tech Support: "Just call us back if there's a problem. We're open 24 hours."
Customer: "Is that Eastern time?"
*
Tech Support:: "What does the screen say now?"
Customer: "It says, 'Hit ENTER when ready'."
Tech Support:: "Well?"
Customer: "How do I know when it's ready?"
*
Tech Support: "I need you to right-click on the Open Desktop."
Customer "Ok."
Tech Support: "Did you get a pop-up menu?"
Customer: "No."
Tech Support: "Ok. Right click again. Do you see a pop-up menu?"
Customer "No."
Tech Support:: "Ok, sir. Can you tell me what you have done up until this point?"
Customer: "Sure, you told me to write 'click' and I wrote 'click'."
*
Customer: "I received the software update you sent, but I am still getting the same error message."
Tech Support:: "Did you install the update?"
Customer: "No. Oh, am I supposed to install it to get it to work?"
*
Customer:: "I'm having trouble installing Microsoft Word."
Tech Support:: "Tell me what you've done."
Customer: "I typed 'A:SETUP'."
Tech Support:: "Ma'am, remove the disk and tell me what it says."
Customer:: "It says '[PC manufacturer] Restore and Recovery disk'."
Tech Support:: "Insert the MS Word setup disk."
Customer:: "What?"
Tech Support: "Did you buy MS word?"
Customer: "No..."
*
Customer:: "Do I need a computer to use your software?"
Tech Support:: ?!%#$
*
Tech Support:: "Ok, in the bottom left hand side of the screen, can you see the 'OK' button displayed?"
Customer: "Wow. How can you see my screen from there?"
*
Tech Support:: "What type of computer do you have?"
Customer:: "A white one."
*
Tech Support:: "Type 'A:' at the prompt."
Customer:: "How do you spell that?"
*
Tech Support: "Is your computer on a separate telephone line?"
Customer: "No." (clicks the button to log on to our service)
Tech Support:: "Well then we can't-"
Customer:: "It says 'no dial tone'."
Tech Support: "That's because you're on the line with me right now. You need to-"
Customer:: "No, that's not it. It does this all the time. I just have to try a few times, and it will let me through."
Tech Support:: "No, ma'am. It's not even trying to dial right now because you're on the phone with me."
Customer: "It must be busy. I'll try again later."
*
Tech Support: "What's on your screen right now?"
Customer: "A stuffed animal that my boyfriend got me at the grocery store."
*
Tech Support:: "What operating system are you running?"
Customer: "Pentium."
*
Customer: "My computer's telling me I performed an illegal abortion."
*
Customer: "I have Microsoft Exploder."
*
Customer: "How do I print my voicemail?"
*
Customer: "You've got to fix my computer. I urgently need to print document, but the computer won't boot properly."
Tech Support: "What does it say?"
Customer: "Something about an error and non-system disk."
Tech Support: "Look at your machine. Is there a floppy inside?"
Customer: "No, but there's a sticker saying there's an Intel inside."
*
Tech Support: "Just call us back if there's a problem. We're open 24 hours."
Customer: "Is that Eastern time?"
*
Tech Support:: "What does the screen say now?"
Customer: "It says, 'Hit ENTER when ready'."
Tech Support:: "Well?"
Customer: "How do I know when it's ready?"
*
Tech: What's the problem?
User: There is smoke coming out of the power supply.
Tech: You'll need a new power supply.
User: No, I don't! I just need to change the startup files.
Tech: Sir, the power supply is faulty. You'll need to replace it.
User: No way! Someone told me that I just needed to change the startup and it will fix the problem! All I need is for you to tell me the command. 10 minutes later, the User is still adamant that he is right. The tech is frustrated and fed up.
Tech: Sorry, Sir. We don't normally tell our customers this, but there is an undocumented DOS command that will fix the problem.
User: I knew it!
Tech: Just add the line LOAD NOSMOKE.COM at the end of the CONFIG.SYS. Let me know how it goes.
10 minutes later.
User: It didn't work. The power supply is still smoking.
Tech: Well, what version of DOS are you using?
User: MS-DOS 6.22.
Tech: That's your problem there. That version of DOS didn't come with NOSMOKE. Contact Microsoft and ask them for a patch that will give you the file. Let me know how it goes.
1 hour later.
User: I need a new power supply.
Tech: How did you come to that conclusion?
User: Well, I rang Microsoft and told him about what you said, and he started asking questions about the make of power supply.
Tech: Then what did he say?
User: He told me that my power supply isn't compatible with NOSMOKE.
*
True story from a Novell NetWire SysOp:
Caller: "Hello, is this Tech Support?"
Tech: "Yes, it is. How may I help you?"
Caller: "The cup holder on my PC is broken and I am within my warranty period. How do I go about getting that fixed?"
Tech: "I'm sorry, but did you say a cup holder?"
Caller: "Yes, it's attached to the front of my computer."
Tech: "Please excuse me if I seem a bit stumped, it's because I am. Did you receive this as part of a promotion, at atrade show? How did you get this cup holder? Does it have any trademark on it?"
Caller: "It came with my computer, I don't know anything about a promotion. It just has '4X' on it."
At this point the Tech Rep had to mute the caller, because he couldn't stand it. He was laughing too hard. The caller had been using the load drawer of the CD-ROM drive as a cup holder, and snapped it off the drive.
Believe it or not!
Of all tales of the supernatural, this one is perhaps the best documented, the most disturbing and the most difficult to explain.
The Princess of Amen-Ra lived some 1,500 yrs b4 Christ. When she died, she was laid in an ornate wooden coffin and buried deep in a vault at Luxor, on the banks of the Nile. In the late 1890s, 4 rich young Englishmen visiting the excavations at Luxor were invited to buy an exquisitely fashioned mummy case containing the remains of Princess of Amen-Ra. They drew lots. The man who won paid several thousand pounds and had the coffin taken to his hotel. A few hours later, he was seen walking out towards the desert. He never return. The next day, one of the remaining 3 men was shot by an Egyptian servant accidentally. His arm was so severely wounded it had to be amputated. The 3rd man in the foursome found on his return home that the bank holding his entire savings had failed. The 4th guy suffered a severe illness, lost his job and was reduced to selling matches in the street.
Nevertheless, the coffin reached England (causing other misfortunes along the way), where it was bought by a London businessman. After 3 of his family members had been injured in a road accident and his house damaged by fire, the businessman donated it to the British Museum. As the coffin was being unloaded from a truck in the museum courtyard, the truck suddenly went into reverse and trapped a passer-by. Then as the casket was being lifted up the stairs by 2 workmen, 1 fell and broke his leg. The other, apperently in perfect health, died unaccountably two days later.
Once the Princess was installed in the Egyptian Rm, trouble really started. Museum's night watchmen frequently heard frantic hammering and sobbing from the coffin. Other exhibits in the rm were also often hurled about at night. One watchman died on duty; causing the other watchmen wanting to quit. Cleaners refused to go near the Princess too. When a visitor derisively flicked a dustcloth at the face painted on the coffin, his child died of measles soon afterwards.
Finally, the authorities had the mummy carried down to the basement. Figuring it could not do any harm down there. Within a week, one of the helpers was seriously ill, and the supervisor of the move was found dead on his desk. By now, the papers had heard of it. A journalist photographer took a pict of the mummy case and when he developed it, the painting on the coffin was of a horrifying, human face. The photographer was said to went home then, locked his bedroom door and shot himself.
Soon afterwards, the museum sold the mummy to a private collector. After continual misfortune (and deaths), the owner banished it to the attic. A well known authority on the occult, Madame Helena Blavatsky, visited the premises. Upon entry, she was sized with a shivering fit and searched the house for the source of "an evil influence of incredible intensity". She finally came to the attic and found the mummy case. "Can you exorcise this evil spirit ?" asked the owner. "There is no such thing as exorcism . Evil remains evil forever. Nothing can be done about it. I implore you to get rid of this evil as soon as possible."
But no British museum would take the mummy; the fact that almost 20 ppl had met with misfortune, disaster or death from handling the casket, in barely 10 yrs, was now well known. Eventually, a hard-headed American archaeologist (who dismissed the happenings as quirks of circumstance), paid a handsome price for the mummy and arranged for its removal to New York. In Apr 1912, the new owner escorted its treasure aboard a sparkling, new White Star liner about to make its maiden voyage to New York. On the night of Apr 14, amid scenes of unprecedented horror, the Princess of Amen-Ra accompanied 1,500 passengers to their deaths at the bottom of the Atlantic. The name of the ship was Titanic.
The Princess of Amen-Ra lived some 1,500 yrs b4 Christ. When she died, she was laid in an ornate wooden coffin and buried deep in a vault at Luxor, on the banks of the Nile. In the late 1890s, 4 rich young Englishmen visiting the excavations at Luxor were invited to buy an exquisitely fashioned mummy case containing the remains of Princess of Amen-Ra. They drew lots. The man who won paid several thousand pounds and had the coffin taken to his hotel. A few hours later, he was seen walking out towards the desert. He never return. The next day, one of the remaining 3 men was shot by an Egyptian servant accidentally. His arm was so severely wounded it had to be amputated. The 3rd man in the foursome found on his return home that the bank holding his entire savings had failed. The 4th guy suffered a severe illness, lost his job and was reduced to selling matches in the street.
Nevertheless, the coffin reached England (causing other misfortunes along the way), where it was bought by a London businessman. After 3 of his family members had been injured in a road accident and his house damaged by fire, the businessman donated it to the British Museum. As the coffin was being unloaded from a truck in the museum courtyard, the truck suddenly went into reverse and trapped a passer-by. Then as the casket was being lifted up the stairs by 2 workmen, 1 fell and broke his leg. The other, apperently in perfect health, died unaccountably two days later.
Once the Princess was installed in the Egyptian Rm, trouble really started. Museum's night watchmen frequently heard frantic hammering and sobbing from the coffin. Other exhibits in the rm were also often hurled about at night. One watchman died on duty; causing the other watchmen wanting to quit. Cleaners refused to go near the Princess too. When a visitor derisively flicked a dustcloth at the face painted on the coffin, his child died of measles soon afterwards.
Finally, the authorities had the mummy carried down to the basement. Figuring it could not do any harm down there. Within a week, one of the helpers was seriously ill, and the supervisor of the move was found dead on his desk. By now, the papers had heard of it. A journalist photographer took a pict of the mummy case and when he developed it, the painting on the coffin was of a horrifying, human face. The photographer was said to went home then, locked his bedroom door and shot himself.
Soon afterwards, the museum sold the mummy to a private collector. After continual misfortune (and deaths), the owner banished it to the attic. A well known authority on the occult, Madame Helena Blavatsky, visited the premises. Upon entry, she was sized with a shivering fit and searched the house for the source of "an evil influence of incredible intensity". She finally came to the attic and found the mummy case. "Can you exorcise this evil spirit ?" asked the owner. "There is no such thing as exorcism . Evil remains evil forever. Nothing can be done about it. I implore you to get rid of this evil as soon as possible."
But no British museum would take the mummy; the fact that almost 20 ppl had met with misfortune, disaster or death from handling the casket, in barely 10 yrs, was now well known. Eventually, a hard-headed American archaeologist (who dismissed the happenings as quirks of circumstance), paid a handsome price for the mummy and arranged for its removal to New York. In Apr 1912, the new owner escorted its treasure aboard a sparkling, new White Star liner about to make its maiden voyage to New York. On the night of Apr 14, amid scenes of unprecedented horror, the Princess of Amen-Ra accompanied 1,500 passengers to their deaths at the bottom of the Atlantic. The name of the ship was Titanic.
Now, click and select from the exclamation mark below and drag till the asterisk mark to read the scariest thing about this article....
!By the way, the above story was just made up. Was'nt it good. ;-) *
Indian Languages...
Indian states/UTs with predominant languages:
1. Jammu & Kashmir (Dogri, Kashmiri, Ladakhi, Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Baltistani, Dardi)
2. Himanchal Pradesh (Hindi, Pahadi)
3. Punjab (Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu)
4. Haryana (Hindi, Haryanvi, Predominantly Muslim - Urdu)
5. Rajasthan (Hindi, Rajasthani, Marwadi, Predominantly Muslim - Urdu)
6. Uttar Pradesh (Hindi, Brijbhasha, Pahadi, Avadhi, Bhojpuri, numerous others, Pred. Musl. - Urdu)
7. Madhya Pradesh (Hindi, Marathi, numerous others, pred. Muslim - Urdu)
8. Gujarat (Gujarati)
9. Maharashtra (Marathi, Vidarbha region - Hindi and Marathi, Konkan region - Konkani and Malwani)
10. Karnataka (Kannada, Tulu, Konkani)
11. Goa (Konkani)
12. Kerala (Malayalam)
13. Tamil Nadu (Tamil)
14. Lakshadweep (small chain of islands - Malayalam (?) )
15. Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Andamanese)
16. Andhra Pradesh (Telugu, Hyderabad city - Telugu plus Urdu)
17. Orissa (Oriya)
18. Bihar (Hindi, Bhojpuri, Maithini, Santhali, Angika, numerous others, Bengali, Pred. Muslim - Urdu)
19. West Bengal (Bengali)
20. Sikkim (Nepali, Lepcha, Bhutia)
21. Assam (Assamese, others)
22. Meghalaya (Garo, Khasi)
23. Arunanchal Pradesh (I plead ignorance!)
24. Mizoram (Mizo)
25. Nagaland (Naga)
26. Tripura (Tripuri, Bengali, Kuki)
27. Delhi (Hindi-Capital City and sorrounding area - given quasi-statehood recently)
Other languages - Sindhi, Sanskrit
Other Indian languages which are not represented in the "leftover" India -Baluchi, Pashto (in Pakistan now)
Great Software Bugs....
This is an interesting collection of greatest software bugs Read it and enjoy it.
10. Mariner 1 Venus probe loses its way: 1962
A probe launched from Cape Canaveral was set to go to Venus. After takeoff, the unmanned rocket carrying the probe went off course, and NASA had to blow up the rocket to avoid endangering lives on earth. NASA later attributed the error to a faulty line of FORTRAN code.
The report stated, "Somehow a hyphen had been dropped from the guidance program loaded aboard the computer, allowing the flawed signals to command the rocket to veer left and nose down... Suffice it to say, the first U.S. attempt at interplanetary flight failed for want of a hyphen." The vehicle cost more than $80 million, prompting Arthur C.Clarke to refer to the mission as "the most expensive hyphen in history."
9. Radiation machine kills four: 1985 to 1987
Faulty software in a Therac-25 radiation-treatment machine made by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) resulted in several cancer patients receiving lethal overdoses of radiation. Four patients died. When their families sued, all the cases were settled out of court. A later investigation by independent scientists Nancy Leveson and Clark Turner found that accidents occurred even after AECL thought it had fixed particular bugs. "A lesson to be learned from the Therac-25 story is that focusing on particular software bugs is not the way to make a safe system," they wrote in their report." The basic mistakes here involved poor software-engineering practices and building a machine that relies on the software for safe operation."
8. AT&T long distance service fails: 1990
Switching errors in AT&T's call-handling computers caused the company's long-distance network to go down for nine hours, the worst of several telephone outages in the history of the system. The meltdown affected thousands of services and was eventually traced to a single faulty line of code.
7. Patriot missile misses: 1991
The U.S. Patriot missile's battery successfully headed off many Iraqi Scuds during the Gulf War. But the system also failed to track several incoming Scud missiles, including one that killed 28 U.S. soldiers in a barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The problem stemmed from a software error that put the tracking system off by 0.34 of a second.
As Ivars Peterson states in Fatal Defect, the system was originally supposed to be operated for only 14 hours at a time. In the Dhahran attack, the missile battery had been on for 100 hours. This meant that the errors in the system's clock accumulated to the point that the tracking system no longer functioned. The military had in fact already found the problem but hadn't sent the fix in time to prevent the barracks explosion.
6. Pentium chip fails math test: 1994
The concept of bugs entered the mainstream when Professor Thomas Nicely at Lynchburg College in Virginia discovered that the Pentium chip gave incorrect answers to certain complex equations. In fact, the bug occurred rarely and affected only a tiny percentage of Intel's customers. The real problem was the nonchalant way Intel reacted.
"Because we had been marketing the Pentium brand heavily, there was a bigger brand awareness," says Richard Dracott, Intel director of marketing. "We didn't realize how many people would know about it, and some people were outraged when we said it was no big deal." Intel eventually offered to replace the affected chips, which Dracott says cost the company $450 million. To prove that it had learned from its mistake, Intel then started publishing a list of known "errata," or bugs, for all of its chips.
5. Intuit's MacInTax leaks financial secrets: 1995
Intuit's tax software for Windows and Macintosh has suffered a series of bugs, including several that prompted the company to pledge to pay any resulting penalties and interest. The scariest bug was discovered in March 1995: the code included in a MacInTax debug file allowed UNIX users to log in to Intuit's master computer, where all MacInTax returns were stored. From there, the user could modify or delete returns. Intuit later ended up winning BugNet's annual bug-fix award in 1996 by responding to bugs faster than any other major vendor.
4. New Denver airport misses its opening: 1995
The Denver International Airport was intended to be a state-of-the-art airport, with a complex, computerized baggage-handling system and 5,300 miles of fiber-optic cabling. Unfortunately, bugs in the baggage system caused suitcases to be chewed up and drove automated baggage carts into walls. The airport eventually opened 16 months late, $3.2 billion over budget, and with a mainly manual baggage system.
3. Java opens security holes; browsers simply crash: 1996 to 1997
All right, this is not a single bug but a veritable bug collection. We include this entry because the sheer quantity of press coverage about bugs in Sun's Java and the two major browsers has had a profound affect on how the average consumer perceives the Internet. The conglomeration of headlines probably set back the e-commerce industry by five years. Java's problems surfaced in 1996, when research at the University of Washington and Princeton began to uncover a series of security holes in Java that could, theoretically, allow hackers to download personal information from someone's home PC. To date, no one has reported a real case of a hacker exploiting the flaw, but knowing that the possibility existed prompted several companies to instruct employees to disable Java in their browsers.
Meanwhile, Netscape and Microsoft began battling in earnest in the much-publicized browser wars. That competition inspired both companies to accelerate the schedules for their 4.0 releases, and the result has been a swarm of bugs, ranging from JavaScript flaws in Netscape's Communicator to a reboot bug in Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Communicator is now in Version 4.04 for Windows 95 and Windows NT, six months after its first release. Internet Explorer 4.01, the first of presumably many bug-fix versions, arrived in December, two months after the initial release of IE 4.0.
2. Deregulation of California utilities has to wait: 1998
Two new electrical power agencies charged with deregulating the California power industry have postponed their plans by at least three months. The delay will let them debug the software that runs the new power grid. Consumers and businesses were supposed to be able to choose from some 200 power suppliers as of January 1, 1998, but time ran out for properly testing the communications system that links the two new agencies with the power companies. The project was postponed after a seven-day simulation of the new system revealed serious problems.
The delay may cost as much as $90 million--much of which may eventually be footed by ratepayers, and which may cause some of the new power suppliers to go into debt or out of business before they even start.
1. The millennium bug: 2000 (Y2K)
For a long time, programmers have saved memory space by leaving only two numeric fields for the year instead of four: 87 instead of 1987, for example. When clocks strike midnight on January 1, 2000, this programming shorthand will make millions of computers worldwide think it's 1900, if their software isn't fixed before then. The so-called year 2000 (Y2K) bug has given birth to a cottage industry of consultants and programming tools dedicated to making sure the modern world doesn't come to a screeching halt on the first day of the next century. Some say that the bug will cause airplanes to fall from the sky, ATMs to shut down, and Social Security checks to bounce. At the very least, the bug is a huge and expensive logistical problem, although most vital organizations said they fixed the critical portions of their systems in time.
10. Mariner 1 Venus probe loses its way: 1962
A probe launched from Cape Canaveral was set to go to Venus. After takeoff, the unmanned rocket carrying the probe went off course, and NASA had to blow up the rocket to avoid endangering lives on earth. NASA later attributed the error to a faulty line of FORTRAN code.
The report stated, "Somehow a hyphen had been dropped from the guidance program loaded aboard the computer, allowing the flawed signals to command the rocket to veer left and nose down... Suffice it to say, the first U.S. attempt at interplanetary flight failed for want of a hyphen." The vehicle cost more than $80 million, prompting Arthur C.Clarke to refer to the mission as "the most expensive hyphen in history."
9. Radiation machine kills four: 1985 to 1987
Faulty software in a Therac-25 radiation-treatment machine made by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) resulted in several cancer patients receiving lethal overdoses of radiation. Four patients died. When their families sued, all the cases were settled out of court. A later investigation by independent scientists Nancy Leveson and Clark Turner found that accidents occurred even after AECL thought it had fixed particular bugs. "A lesson to be learned from the Therac-25 story is that focusing on particular software bugs is not the way to make a safe system," they wrote in their report." The basic mistakes here involved poor software-engineering practices and building a machine that relies on the software for safe operation."
8. AT&T long distance service fails: 1990
Switching errors in AT&T's call-handling computers caused the company's long-distance network to go down for nine hours, the worst of several telephone outages in the history of the system. The meltdown affected thousands of services and was eventually traced to a single faulty line of code.
7. Patriot missile misses: 1991
The U.S. Patriot missile's battery successfully headed off many Iraqi Scuds during the Gulf War. But the system also failed to track several incoming Scud missiles, including one that killed 28 U.S. soldiers in a barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The problem stemmed from a software error that put the tracking system off by 0.34 of a second.
As Ivars Peterson states in Fatal Defect, the system was originally supposed to be operated for only 14 hours at a time. In the Dhahran attack, the missile battery had been on for 100 hours. This meant that the errors in the system's clock accumulated to the point that the tracking system no longer functioned. The military had in fact already found the problem but hadn't sent the fix in time to prevent the barracks explosion.
6. Pentium chip fails math test: 1994
The concept of bugs entered the mainstream when Professor Thomas Nicely at Lynchburg College in Virginia discovered that the Pentium chip gave incorrect answers to certain complex equations. In fact, the bug occurred rarely and affected only a tiny percentage of Intel's customers. The real problem was the nonchalant way Intel reacted.
"Because we had been marketing the Pentium brand heavily, there was a bigger brand awareness," says Richard Dracott, Intel director of marketing. "We didn't realize how many people would know about it, and some people were outraged when we said it was no big deal." Intel eventually offered to replace the affected chips, which Dracott says cost the company $450 million. To prove that it had learned from its mistake, Intel then started publishing a list of known "errata," or bugs, for all of its chips.
5. Intuit's MacInTax leaks financial secrets: 1995
Intuit's tax software for Windows and Macintosh has suffered a series of bugs, including several that prompted the company to pledge to pay any resulting penalties and interest. The scariest bug was discovered in March 1995: the code included in a MacInTax debug file allowed UNIX users to log in to Intuit's master computer, where all MacInTax returns were stored. From there, the user could modify or delete returns. Intuit later ended up winning BugNet's annual bug-fix award in 1996 by responding to bugs faster than any other major vendor.
4. New Denver airport misses its opening: 1995
The Denver International Airport was intended to be a state-of-the-art airport, with a complex, computerized baggage-handling system and 5,300 miles of fiber-optic cabling. Unfortunately, bugs in the baggage system caused suitcases to be chewed up and drove automated baggage carts into walls. The airport eventually opened 16 months late, $3.2 billion over budget, and with a mainly manual baggage system.
3. Java opens security holes; browsers simply crash: 1996 to 1997
All right, this is not a single bug but a veritable bug collection. We include this entry because the sheer quantity of press coverage about bugs in Sun's Java and the two major browsers has had a profound affect on how the average consumer perceives the Internet. The conglomeration of headlines probably set back the e-commerce industry by five years. Java's problems surfaced in 1996, when research at the University of Washington and Princeton began to uncover a series of security holes in Java that could, theoretically, allow hackers to download personal information from someone's home PC. To date, no one has reported a real case of a hacker exploiting the flaw, but knowing that the possibility existed prompted several companies to instruct employees to disable Java in their browsers.
Meanwhile, Netscape and Microsoft began battling in earnest in the much-publicized browser wars. That competition inspired both companies to accelerate the schedules for their 4.0 releases, and the result has been a swarm of bugs, ranging from JavaScript flaws in Netscape's Communicator to a reboot bug in Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Communicator is now in Version 4.04 for Windows 95 and Windows NT, six months after its first release. Internet Explorer 4.01, the first of presumably many bug-fix versions, arrived in December, two months after the initial release of IE 4.0.
2. Deregulation of California utilities has to wait: 1998
Two new electrical power agencies charged with deregulating the California power industry have postponed their plans by at least three months. The delay will let them debug the software that runs the new power grid. Consumers and businesses were supposed to be able to choose from some 200 power suppliers as of January 1, 1998, but time ran out for properly testing the communications system that links the two new agencies with the power companies. The project was postponed after a seven-day simulation of the new system revealed serious problems.
The delay may cost as much as $90 million--much of which may eventually be footed by ratepayers, and which may cause some of the new power suppliers to go into debt or out of business before they even start.
1. The millennium bug: 2000 (Y2K)
For a long time, programmers have saved memory space by leaving only two numeric fields for the year instead of four: 87 instead of 1987, for example. When clocks strike midnight on January 1, 2000, this programming shorthand will make millions of computers worldwide think it's 1900, if their software isn't fixed before then. The so-called year 2000 (Y2K) bug has given birth to a cottage industry of consultants and programming tools dedicated to making sure the modern world doesn't come to a screeching halt on the first day of the next century. Some say that the bug will cause airplanes to fall from the sky, ATMs to shut down, and Social Security checks to bounce. At the very least, the bug is a huge and expensive logistical problem, although most vital organizations said they fixed the critical portions of their systems in time.
Two Ethical questions for you to say Aaaahh...
Q1:
If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis; would you recommend that she have an abortion?
Read the next question before scrolling down to the answer of this one.
Q2:
It is time to elect the world leader, and your vote counts. Here are the facts about the three leading candidates:
Candidate A Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologists. He's had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.
Candidate B He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a quart of whisky every evening.
Candidate C He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drinks an occasional beer and hasn't had any extramarital affairs.
Which of these candidates would be your choice?
Decide first, no peeking, then scroll down for the answer.
Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt
Candidate B is Winston Churchill
Candidate C is Adolph Hitler
and by the way:
Answer to the abortion question -
if you said yes, you just killed Beethoven.
If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis; would you recommend that she have an abortion?
Read the next question before scrolling down to the answer of this one.
Q2:
It is time to elect the world leader, and your vote counts. Here are the facts about the three leading candidates:
Candidate A Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologists. He's had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.
Candidate B He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a quart of whisky every evening.
Candidate C He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drinks an occasional beer and hasn't had any extramarital affairs.
Which of these candidates would be your choice?
Decide first, no peeking, then scroll down for the answer.
Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt
Candidate B is Winston Churchill
Candidate C is Adolph Hitler
and by the way:
Answer to the abortion question -
if you said yes, you just killed Beethoven.
Don't you hate it when...
There's always a car riding your tail when you're slowing down to find an address.
You open a can of soup, and the lid falls in.
It's bad enough that you step in dog poop, but you don't realize it till you walk across your living room rug.
There's a dog in the neighborhood that barks at EVERYTHING.
You can never put anything back in a box the way it came.
You slice your tongue licking an envelope.
Your tire gauge lets out half the air while you're trying to get a reading.
A station comes in brilliantly when you're standing near the radio but buzzes, drifts and spits every time you move away.
There are always one or two ice cubes that won't pop out of the tray.
The car behind you blasts its horn because you let a pedestrian finish crossing.
You set the alarm on your digital clock for 7pm instead of 7am.
The radio station doesn't tell you who sang that song.
You rub on hand cream and can't turn the bathroom doorknob to get out.
Your glasses slide off your ears when you perspire.
You can't look up the correct spelling of a word in the dictionary because you don't know how to spell it.
You have to inform five different sales people in the same store that you're just browsing.
You had that pen in your hand only a second ago, and now you can't find it.
You reach under the table to pick something off the floor and smash your head on the way up.
Don't you hate it....?!?
You open a can of soup, and the lid falls in.
It's bad enough that you step in dog poop, but you don't realize it till you walk across your living room rug.
There's a dog in the neighborhood that barks at EVERYTHING.
You can never put anything back in a box the way it came.
You slice your tongue licking an envelope.
Your tire gauge lets out half the air while you're trying to get a reading.
A station comes in brilliantly when you're standing near the radio but buzzes, drifts and spits every time you move away.
There are always one or two ice cubes that won't pop out of the tray.
The car behind you blasts its horn because you let a pedestrian finish crossing.
You set the alarm on your digital clock for 7pm instead of 7am.
The radio station doesn't tell you who sang that song.
You rub on hand cream and can't turn the bathroom doorknob to get out.
Your glasses slide off your ears when you perspire.
You can't look up the correct spelling of a word in the dictionary because you don't know how to spell it.
You have to inform five different sales people in the same store that you're just browsing.
You had that pen in your hand only a second ago, and now you can't find it.
You reach under the table to pick something off the floor and smash your head on the way up.
Don't you hate it....?!?
To Desis away from our motherland...
INDIA - a land of love, emotion & sentiments....
Most of us left the Indian shores to come here.
We have bid our farewells with teary eyes to our mothers.
We hugged our fathers and left without turning back.
We silently took leave from that girl next door peeping from behind the curtain.
We all came here, some long time back and some recently.
We all were alone in the beginning.
We missed our mothers cooking.
We missed the idli chaats on the road side.
We missed those days when we gathered with friends at a tea stall and ordered tea with samosas.
We missed that girl, whom we used to see daily in the bus, who may have smiled at us, who may even have talked to us in that angelic voice, if only we had the courage to talk.
Most of us grew out of it over here. We all made new friends.
We all clung to each other. We watched countless movies.
We even learnt to cook and throw pot luck parties where we always played Antakshari.
We confess that we even smiled at those beautiful girls across the street.
We all took trips to India; some annually, some less frequently.
We all tracked the "sale" events at Sears and KMart.
We all went to Indian Grocery Stores, and bought Rice and Rotis.
Most of us got married. We, went back home, searching for the love of a good woman-some found it in the old acquaintances from across the bus-stands, some found it in their parent's choice. Some of us took a gamble and married the one looking closest to Aishwarya Rai.
Now what do we do? We all work in software, We go to the local temple to socialise, we attend movie screenings, and argue countless times that Honda Accord is better than Toyota Camry or vice versa. At times, late night before falling asleep we switch on the stereo and listen to that old Hindi melody which makes us remember the land that was ours. We recall the green grass, the muddy roads, the wet monsoons, the pretty girls that we never talked to.
We hear the words speaking to us from across the oceans:
A Mother who gave sour medicine to her son, because she wanted him to recover soon, who let her son move miles apart though the thought was tearing her apart, she let him go as she wanted him to be happy and successful, who hides her agony in telling others that her son is
abroad.
A Father who understands his son's ambitions and the limitation and frustration he has to overcome of in India, who would not let his voice reveal that says I'll miss you son !, I love you but am unable to express the feeling.
A brother who would miss the brotherhood, though it had often been fights and not talking terms, who can deny the fact that a brother is still a brother, a friend, Who expected you to understand him as his, and when you didn't it upset but moving miles in distances has overlooked all minute failures.
A sister who would not have her adoring one to escort her to help her out of troublesome situations, who knows she has to send 'Rakhi' by post,who wishes he would turn up for her wedding, if not atleast to fondle her baby that longs for a MAMA's (Uncle's) love & affection.
A friend, who is left with mundane tasks, unable to exchange the chirpy jokes & comments, discuss various thoughts from family, friends, politics, & economics, who visits your home because he still remembers you not only on a day but everyday. Who would jump with joy on receiving a mail, who tries to keep himself free for all the days when his friend is coming back on a holiday.
The girl next door, who didn't know if she had to rejoice or not when she overheard that the boy next door is moving away, who silently takes it that he has a career and would wish for his best from afar, bids goodbye with a tear in her eye.
The girl at the bus-stop, who smiled at you and suddenly finds you no longer there, who changes her route only to avoid the void which seems to be there at the same bus-stop she had been once smiling.
The girl you got engaged to, and is waiting for you to come back and tie the wedding knot, a social and emotional security, who anxiously waits for his telephone calls and greeting cards to reassure her that you will be back as her man.
The girl you are married to, unable to understand why she is being sent to a far off land, waiting for her man to send VISA papers, bearing the nagging question of neighbours and relatives asking when are you leaving India.
The girl who never confessed her love for you, the girl you knew cared for you, missing & waiting for a word from you. If only you would come back and say that to her, who hums the song along with the radio, but the voice chokes and aches as she hears this song...
Ramayya vastavayya,Ramayya vastavayya,
Maine dil tujko diya, Maine dil tujko diya,
uss desh mai,tere pardesh mai ,
sone chandi ke badle mai bikthe hai dil,
iss gavoon mai dard ke chavon mai ,
pyar ke naam par hi dhadak the hai dil...
tu na aaye tho kya, bhool jaye tho kya,
pyar karke bhulana na aaya hame,
vahi se door se, tu bhi ye kehde kabhi,
maine dil tuj ko diya ......
Whatever our roles, it is only to say that we still love and care for you, wherever you are, you are still dear to us. We don't know what you have to go through, we only know we have love & wishes to give for you. You might have learnt or the circumstances might have taught you to handle emotions and that time and work are more important than feelings and their expressions but we are still in India and are still the same, waiting and wishing for those who moved away from India.
Most of us left the Indian shores to come here.
We have bid our farewells with teary eyes to our mothers.
We hugged our fathers and left without turning back.
We silently took leave from that girl next door peeping from behind the curtain.
We all came here, some long time back and some recently.
We all were alone in the beginning.
We missed our mothers cooking.
We missed the idli chaats on the road side.
We missed those days when we gathered with friends at a tea stall and ordered tea with samosas.
We missed that girl, whom we used to see daily in the bus, who may have smiled at us, who may even have talked to us in that angelic voice, if only we had the courage to talk.
Most of us grew out of it over here. We all made new friends.
We all clung to each other. We watched countless movies.
We even learnt to cook and throw pot luck parties where we always played Antakshari.
We confess that we even smiled at those beautiful girls across the street.
We all took trips to India; some annually, some less frequently.
We all tracked the "sale" events at Sears and KMart.
We all went to Indian Grocery Stores, and bought Rice and Rotis.
Most of us got married. We, went back home, searching for the love of a good woman-some found it in the old acquaintances from across the bus-stands, some found it in their parent's choice. Some of us took a gamble and married the one looking closest to Aishwarya Rai.
Now what do we do? We all work in software, We go to the local temple to socialise, we attend movie screenings, and argue countless times that Honda Accord is better than Toyota Camry or vice versa. At times, late night before falling asleep we switch on the stereo and listen to that old Hindi melody which makes us remember the land that was ours. We recall the green grass, the muddy roads, the wet monsoons, the pretty girls that we never talked to.
We hear the words speaking to us from across the oceans:
A Mother who gave sour medicine to her son, because she wanted him to recover soon, who let her son move miles apart though the thought was tearing her apart, she let him go as she wanted him to be happy and successful, who hides her agony in telling others that her son is
abroad.
A Father who understands his son's ambitions and the limitation and frustration he has to overcome of in India, who would not let his voice reveal that says I'll miss you son !, I love you but am unable to express the feeling.
A brother who would miss the brotherhood, though it had often been fights and not talking terms, who can deny the fact that a brother is still a brother, a friend, Who expected you to understand him as his, and when you didn't it upset but moving miles in distances has overlooked all minute failures.
A sister who would not have her adoring one to escort her to help her out of troublesome situations, who knows she has to send 'Rakhi' by post,who wishes he would turn up for her wedding, if not atleast to fondle her baby that longs for a MAMA's (Uncle's) love & affection.
A friend, who is left with mundane tasks, unable to exchange the chirpy jokes & comments, discuss various thoughts from family, friends, politics, & economics, who visits your home because he still remembers you not only on a day but everyday. Who would jump with joy on receiving a mail, who tries to keep himself free for all the days when his friend is coming back on a holiday.
The girl next door, who didn't know if she had to rejoice or not when she overheard that the boy next door is moving away, who silently takes it that he has a career and would wish for his best from afar, bids goodbye with a tear in her eye.
The girl at the bus-stop, who smiled at you and suddenly finds you no longer there, who changes her route only to avoid the void which seems to be there at the same bus-stop she had been once smiling.
The girl you got engaged to, and is waiting for you to come back and tie the wedding knot, a social and emotional security, who anxiously waits for his telephone calls and greeting cards to reassure her that you will be back as her man.
The girl you are married to, unable to understand why she is being sent to a far off land, waiting for her man to send VISA papers, bearing the nagging question of neighbours and relatives asking when are you leaving India.
The girl who never confessed her love for you, the girl you knew cared for you, missing & waiting for a word from you. If only you would come back and say that to her, who hums the song along with the radio, but the voice chokes and aches as she hears this song...
Ramayya vastavayya,Ramayya vastavayya,
Maine dil tujko diya, Maine dil tujko diya,
uss desh mai,tere pardesh mai ,
sone chandi ke badle mai bikthe hai dil,
iss gavoon mai dard ke chavon mai ,
pyar ke naam par hi dhadak the hai dil...
tu na aaye tho kya, bhool jaye tho kya,
pyar karke bhulana na aaya hame,
vahi se door se, tu bhi ye kehde kabhi,
maine dil tuj ko diya ......
Whatever our roles, it is only to say that we still love and care for you, wherever you are, you are still dear to us. We don't know what you have to go through, we only know we have love & wishes to give for you. You might have learnt or the circumstances might have taught you to handle emotions and that time and work are more important than feelings and their expressions but we are still in India and are still the same, waiting and wishing for those who moved away from India.
The WHYs... answered Wise...
The Answers we always wanted to know...
QUESTION: Why do men's clothes have buttons on the right while women's clothes have buttons on the left?
ANSWER: When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid's right. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push the left. And that's where women's buttons have remained since.
QUESTION: Did you ever wonder why dimes, quarters and half dollars have notches, while pennies and nickels do not?
ANSWER: The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing gold and silver to discourage holders from shaving off small quantities of the precious metals. Dimes, quarters and half dollars are notched because they used to contain silver. Pennies and nickels aren't notched because the metals they contain are not valuable enough to shave.
QUESTION: Why do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses?
ANSWER: In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous.
QUESTION: Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called "passing the buck"?
ANSWER: In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a buck, from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal did not wish to assume the responsibility; he would "pass the buck" to the next player.
QUESTION: Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?
ANSWER: It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted his host, he would then just touch or clink the host's glass with his own.
QUESTION: Why are people in the public eye said to be "in the limelight"?
ANSWER: Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and stage lighting by burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the theater, performers on stage "in the limelight" were seen by the audience to be the center of attention.
QUESTION: Why do ships and aircraft in trouble use "mayday" as their call for help?
ANSWER: This comes from the French word m'aidez -meaning "help me" -- and is pronounced "mayday,"
QUESTION: Why is someone who is feeling great "on cloud nine"?
ANSWER: Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest cloud. If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares.
QUESTION: Why are Zero scores in tennis called "love"?
ANSWER: In France, where tennis first became popular, a big, round zero on a scoreboard looked like an egg and was called "l'oeuf," which is French for "egg." When tennis was introduced in the US, Americans pronounced it "love."
QUESTION: Why are many coin banks shaped like pigs?
ANSWER: Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense, orange clay called "pygg". When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as "pygg banks." When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a bank that resembled a pig. And it caught on.
QUESTION: Why do men's clothes have buttons on the right while women's clothes have buttons on the left?
ANSWER: When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid's right. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push the left. And that's where women's buttons have remained since.
QUESTION: Did you ever wonder why dimes, quarters and half dollars have notches, while pennies and nickels do not?
ANSWER: The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing gold and silver to discourage holders from shaving off small quantities of the precious metals. Dimes, quarters and half dollars are notched because they used to contain silver. Pennies and nickels aren't notched because the metals they contain are not valuable enough to shave.
QUESTION: Why do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses?
ANSWER: In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous.
QUESTION: Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called "passing the buck"?
ANSWER: In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a buck, from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal did not wish to assume the responsibility; he would "pass the buck" to the next player.
QUESTION: Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?
ANSWER: It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted his host, he would then just touch or clink the host's glass with his own.
QUESTION: Why are people in the public eye said to be "in the limelight"?
ANSWER: Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and stage lighting by burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the theater, performers on stage "in the limelight" were seen by the audience to be the center of attention.
QUESTION: Why do ships and aircraft in trouble use "mayday" as their call for help?
ANSWER: This comes from the French word m'aidez -meaning "help me" -- and is pronounced "mayday,"
QUESTION: Why is someone who is feeling great "on cloud nine"?
ANSWER: Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest cloud. If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares.
QUESTION: Why are Zero scores in tennis called "love"?
ANSWER: In France, where tennis first became popular, a big, round zero on a scoreboard looked like an egg and was called "l'oeuf," which is French for "egg." When tennis was introduced in the US, Americans pronounced it "love."
QUESTION: Why are many coin banks shaped like pigs?
ANSWER: Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense, orange clay called "pygg". When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as "pygg banks." When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a bank that resembled a pig. And it caught on.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Theatrical superstitions
Theatrical superstitions
The Scottish play
Shakespeare's play Macbeth is said to be cursed, so actors avoid saying its name (the euphemism "The Scottish Play" is used instead). Actors also avoid even quoting the lines from Macbeth inside a theatre, particularly the Witches incantations. This is only held to while you are inside a theatre. Outside of a theatre the play can be spoken of openly. If an actor speaks the name Macbeth in a theatre, he is required to leave the theatre building, spin around three times, spit, curse, and then knock to be allowed back in. There are several possible origins for this superstition. One is the assumption that the song of the Weird Sisters is an actual spell that will bring about evil spirits.
Another is that there is more swordplay in it than most other Shakespeare plays, and the more swordplay must be rehearsed and performed, the more chances there are for someone to get injured. Yet another option is that the play is often run by theatres that are in debt and looking to increase patronage.
There is also a legend that the play itself was cursed because the first time it was ever performed, the actor playing Macbeth died shortly before or after the production (accounts vary). It is also said that the original production of the play used actual witches and witchcraft, and so the play is cursed.
Ghosts
One ghost-related superstition is that the theater should always be closed one night a week to give the ghosts a chance to perform their own plays. This is traditionally on Monday night, conveniently giving actors a day off after weekend performances.
Theaters that have stood for more than a few decades tend to have lots of associated ghost stories, more than other public buildings of similar age
One should always leave a light burning in an empty theatre. Traditionally, the light is placed downstage center. That is, closest to the audience, center stage. Several reasons are given for this, all having to do with ghosts:
The light wards off ghosts.
A theater's ghosts always want to have enough light to see. Failure to provide this may anger them, leading to pranks or other mishaps.
It prevents non-spectral personnel from having to cross the stage in the dark, falling into the orchestra pit, dying in the fall and becoming ghosts themselves.
Though it's a superstition, it does have practical value: The backstage area of a theater tends to be cluttered, so someone who enters a completely darkened space is liable to be injured while hunting for a light switch
Miscellaneous
=>No real money should be used on stage. This may derive from gamblers' superstitions about money, or it could just be a sensible precaution against theft.
=>In a similar vein, it is considered unlucky to wear real jewelry on stage, as opposed to costume jewelry.
=>It is bad luck to complete a performance of a play without an audience in attendance, so one should never say the last line of a play during rehearsals. To get around this, some production companies allow a limited number of people (usually friends, family, and reviewers) to attend the dress rehearsals.
=>A bad dress rehearsal foretells a good opening night. This is possibly sour grapes. However, it has a tendency to be true in that cast and crew are scared straight by a bad dress rehearsal and therefore fix their mistakes by opening night.
=>A company should not practice doing their bows before they feel they deserve them.
=>Gifts such as flowers should be given to actors after a show, as opposed to before.
=>Peacock Feathers should never be brought on stage, either as a costume element, prop, or part of a setpiece. Many veteran actors and directors tell stories of sets collapsing and other such events during performances with peacock feathers.
=>Some actors believe that having a Bible onstage is unlucky. Often, other books or prop books will be used with Bible covers.
=>The color blue is considered unlucky, unless countered by wearing silver. As blue dye was once very costly; a failing acting company would dye some of their garments blue in the hopes of pleasing the audience. As for the silver to counter it, one would know that the acting company was truly wealthy, so to enable actors to wear real silver.
=>The color green is also considered to be unlucky. This is said to date from the time when most performances were given out-of-doors. Wearing green would make it hard to distinguish the actor from grass/trees/bushes in the natural setting beyond the performing area.
=>It is traditional for actors to draw a mascara tree, preferrably on the belly button, before performances.
The Scottish play
Shakespeare's play Macbeth is said to be cursed, so actors avoid saying its name (the euphemism "The Scottish Play" is used instead). Actors also avoid even quoting the lines from Macbeth inside a theatre, particularly the Witches incantations. This is only held to while you are inside a theatre. Outside of a theatre the play can be spoken of openly. If an actor speaks the name Macbeth in a theatre, he is required to leave the theatre building, spin around three times, spit, curse, and then knock to be allowed back in. There are several possible origins for this superstition. One is the assumption that the song of the Weird Sisters is an actual spell that will bring about evil spirits.
Another is that there is more swordplay in it than most other Shakespeare plays, and the more swordplay must be rehearsed and performed, the more chances there are for someone to get injured. Yet another option is that the play is often run by theatres that are in debt and looking to increase patronage.
There is also a legend that the play itself was cursed because the first time it was ever performed, the actor playing Macbeth died shortly before or after the production (accounts vary). It is also said that the original production of the play used actual witches and witchcraft, and so the play is cursed.
Ghosts
One ghost-related superstition is that the theater should always be closed one night a week to give the ghosts a chance to perform their own plays. This is traditionally on Monday night, conveniently giving actors a day off after weekend performances.
Theaters that have stood for more than a few decades tend to have lots of associated ghost stories, more than other public buildings of similar age
One should always leave a light burning in an empty theatre. Traditionally, the light is placed downstage center. That is, closest to the audience, center stage. Several reasons are given for this, all having to do with ghosts:
The light wards off ghosts.
A theater's ghosts always want to have enough light to see. Failure to provide this may anger them, leading to pranks or other mishaps.
It prevents non-spectral personnel from having to cross the stage in the dark, falling into the orchestra pit, dying in the fall and becoming ghosts themselves.
Though it's a superstition, it does have practical value: The backstage area of a theater tends to be cluttered, so someone who enters a completely darkened space is liable to be injured while hunting for a light switch
Miscellaneous
=>No real money should be used on stage. This may derive from gamblers' superstitions about money, or it could just be a sensible precaution against theft.
=>In a similar vein, it is considered unlucky to wear real jewelry on stage, as opposed to costume jewelry.
=>It is bad luck to complete a performance of a play without an audience in attendance, so one should never say the last line of a play during rehearsals. To get around this, some production companies allow a limited number of people (usually friends, family, and reviewers) to attend the dress rehearsals.
=>A bad dress rehearsal foretells a good opening night. This is possibly sour grapes. However, it has a tendency to be true in that cast and crew are scared straight by a bad dress rehearsal and therefore fix their mistakes by opening night.
=>A company should not practice doing their bows before they feel they deserve them.
=>Gifts such as flowers should be given to actors after a show, as opposed to before.
=>Peacock Feathers should never be brought on stage, either as a costume element, prop, or part of a setpiece. Many veteran actors and directors tell stories of sets collapsing and other such events during performances with peacock feathers.
=>Some actors believe that having a Bible onstage is unlucky. Often, other books or prop books will be used with Bible covers.
=>The color blue is considered unlucky, unless countered by wearing silver. As blue dye was once very costly; a failing acting company would dye some of their garments blue in the hopes of pleasing the audience. As for the silver to counter it, one would know that the acting company was truly wealthy, so to enable actors to wear real silver.
=>The color green is also considered to be unlucky. This is said to date from the time when most performances were given out-of-doors. Wearing green would make it hard to distinguish the actor from grass/trees/bushes in the natural setting beyond the performing area.
=>It is traditional for actors to draw a mascara tree, preferrably on the belly button, before performances.
What is Superstition?
What is Superstition?
Superstition (Latin superstes, "standing over", "set above") is a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge. The word is often used pejoratively to refer to supposedly irrational beliefs of others, and its precise meaning is therefore subjective. It is commonly applied to beliefs and practices surrounding luck, prophecy and spiritual beings.
To medieval scholars the word was applied to and beliefs outside of or in opposition to Christianity; today it is applied to conceptions without foundation in, or in contravention of, scientific and logical knowledge.[1] The earliest English uses of the word in the modern era refer critically to Catholic practices such as censing, rosaries, and other practices that Protestants believed went beyond - or were set up above - beliefs that seemed unfounded or primitive in the light of modern knowledge.
Many extant superstitions are said to have originated during the plagues that swept through Europe. According to legend, during the time of a plague, Saint Gregory I the Great ordered that people say "God bless you" when somebody sneezed, to prevent the spread of the disease
Superstition and psychology
In 1948, behavioural psychologist B.F. Skinner published an article in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, in which he describes his pigeons exhibiting what appeared to be superstitious behaviour. One pigeon was making turns in its cage, another would swing its head in a pendulum motion, while others also displayed a variety of other behaviours. Because these behaviours were all done ritualistically in an attempt to receive food from a dispenser, even though the dispenser had already been programmed to release food at set time intervals regardless of the pigeons' actions, Skinner believed that the pigeons were trying to influence their feeding schedule by performing these actions. He then extended this as a proposition regarding the nature of superstitious behaviour in humans.
Skinner's theory regarding superstition being the nature of the pigeons' behaviour has been challenged by other psychologists such as Staddon and Simmelhag, who theorised an alternative explanation for the pigeons' behaviour.
Despite challenges to Skinner's interpretation of the root of his pigeons' superstitious behaviour, his conception of the reinforcement schedule has been used to explain superstitious behaviour in humans. Originally, in Skinner's animal research, "some pigeons responded up to 10,000 times without reinforcement when they had originally been conditioned on an intermittent reinforcement basis." Compared to the other reinforcement schedules (e.g. fixed ratio, fixed interval), these behaviours were also the most resistant to extinction. This is called the partial reinforcement effect, and this has been used to explain superstitious behaviour in humans.
To be more precise, this effect means that, whenever an individual performs an action expecting a reinforcement, and none seems forthcoming, it actually creates a sense of persistence within the individual. This strongly parallels superstitious behaviour in humans because the individual feels that, by continuing this action, reinforcement will happen; or that reinforcement has come at certain times in the past as a result of this action, although not all the time, but this may be one of those times.
Baseball superstition
Baseball is a sport with a long history of superstition. From the very famous Curse of the Bambino to some players' refusal to wash their clothes or bodies after a win, superstition is present in all parts of baseball. Many baseball players—batters, pitchers, and fielders alike— excuse excessive, repetitive routines prior to pitches and at bats to superstition. The desire to keep a number they have been successful with is strong in baseball. In fact anything that happens prior to something good or bad in baseball, can give birth to a new superstition. Some players rely on a level of meta-superstition: by believing in superstitions they can focus their mind to perform better. Many players and fans also believe that superstitions propagate their own fulfillment by influencing players and fans.
Superstition (Latin superstes, "standing over", "set above") is a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge. The word is often used pejoratively to refer to supposedly irrational beliefs of others, and its precise meaning is therefore subjective. It is commonly applied to beliefs and practices surrounding luck, prophecy and spiritual beings.
To medieval scholars the word was applied to and beliefs outside of or in opposition to Christianity; today it is applied to conceptions without foundation in, or in contravention of, scientific and logical knowledge.[1] The earliest English uses of the word in the modern era refer critically to Catholic practices such as censing, rosaries, and other practices that Protestants believed went beyond - or were set up above - beliefs that seemed unfounded or primitive in the light of modern knowledge.
Many extant superstitions are said to have originated during the plagues that swept through Europe. According to legend, during the time of a plague, Saint Gregory I the Great ordered that people say "God bless you" when somebody sneezed, to prevent the spread of the disease
Superstition and psychology
In 1948, behavioural psychologist B.F. Skinner published an article in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, in which he describes his pigeons exhibiting what appeared to be superstitious behaviour. One pigeon was making turns in its cage, another would swing its head in a pendulum motion, while others also displayed a variety of other behaviours. Because these behaviours were all done ritualistically in an attempt to receive food from a dispenser, even though the dispenser had already been programmed to release food at set time intervals regardless of the pigeons' actions, Skinner believed that the pigeons were trying to influence their feeding schedule by performing these actions. He then extended this as a proposition regarding the nature of superstitious behaviour in humans.
Skinner's theory regarding superstition being the nature of the pigeons' behaviour has been challenged by other psychologists such as Staddon and Simmelhag, who theorised an alternative explanation for the pigeons' behaviour.
Despite challenges to Skinner's interpretation of the root of his pigeons' superstitious behaviour, his conception of the reinforcement schedule has been used to explain superstitious behaviour in humans. Originally, in Skinner's animal research, "some pigeons responded up to 10,000 times without reinforcement when they had originally been conditioned on an intermittent reinforcement basis." Compared to the other reinforcement schedules (e.g. fixed ratio, fixed interval), these behaviours were also the most resistant to extinction. This is called the partial reinforcement effect, and this has been used to explain superstitious behaviour in humans.
To be more precise, this effect means that, whenever an individual performs an action expecting a reinforcement, and none seems forthcoming, it actually creates a sense of persistence within the individual. This strongly parallels superstitious behaviour in humans because the individual feels that, by continuing this action, reinforcement will happen; or that reinforcement has come at certain times in the past as a result of this action, although not all the time, but this may be one of those times.
Baseball superstition
Baseball is a sport with a long history of superstition. From the very famous Curse of the Bambino to some players' refusal to wash their clothes or bodies after a win, superstition is present in all parts of baseball. Many baseball players—batters, pitchers, and fielders alike— excuse excessive, repetitive routines prior to pitches and at bats to superstition. The desire to keep a number they have been successful with is strong in baseball. In fact anything that happens prior to something good or bad in baseball, can give birth to a new superstition. Some players rely on a level of meta-superstition: by believing in superstitions they can focus their mind to perform better. Many players and fans also believe that superstitions propagate their own fulfillment by influencing players and fans.
Cell Phone Basics
Cell Phone Basics
What is a "cellular phone"?
A cell phone is a device that accesses a large RF wireless network and giving the end user the ability to make and receive phone calls, send and receive email, text messages, data, video.
How do cellular phones work?
When it comes to cell phone basics, essentially every phone has a serial number, identification number of some sort that is unique amongst every other device that's on the network. With that being said, every time you turn on your cell phone, that number transcribes into your telephone number, into you as a person, your name, your personal information, all that. Once your cell phone is on the network and registered, when it says "Hi, I'm here. I'm so-and-so's cell phone", it's basically saying to the network "I'm available". Then, when a call is placed and when you make a phone call, it basically does what's called pinging a server. Here, it checks to see if the other end is open to receive a connection. When it does this and says "Ok, there is someone here and we'll take a call. What are you going to do?" This is when your phone rings and you say answer or ignore. If you click answer, it sends a message back to the tower saying "I've accepted the call" and then starts transmitting the voice data that goes into the microphone. Then, it gets transferred into smaller pieces of information that can be sent wirelessly over the network to the towers and on to the other end.
Why does my cell phone reception vary depending on the area I'm in?
With regards to the basics of cell phones, cell phone reception comes from a large tower that comes out of the ground which transmits a signal. The tower transmits a beacon and that beacon transmits it via a wave. That wave is an actual radio frequency that sends a signal from the tower to the handheld cell phone device. When that wave is in any way disrupted, you see deterioration in the signal strength and therefore have low cell phone reception.
What is a "Subscriber Identity Module" (SIM) card?
With cell phones, SIM actually stands for Subscriber Identity Module. Essentially, a SIM is like an ID card for your telephone number, and that ID card is specific for the network. When you sign up with a new service on a GSM carrier, GSM carriers use SIM cards to define who people are. So, when you give me your name and I set up your account, the SIM card number that I put in there is your unique identification for the network. Once your cell phone's turned on, it actually takes that unique identification and sends it to the network so that the network knows who you are and where to route the phone calls to.
What is the difference between a "locked" and an "unlocked" cell phone?
With cell phone basics, the difference basically between an "unlocked" and "locked" cell phone is that a locked phone comes directly from the carrier. So, Carrier A has the phones that they test, set up and have already preconfigured to talk to their network and transmit data with and whatnot. Whereas an unlocked phone however, is directly from the manufacturer, it comes from Motorola and Nokia. The carriers don't ever touch them, because of that, they can use whatever SIM card they want inside, whereas a locked phone can only take Carrier A's SIM card, or, a Carrier B locked phone can only take a Carrier B SIM card. In contrast, an unlocked phone can take either/or SIM card.
What are "peak", "off-peak" and "mobile to mobile" minutes?
Peak minutes generally are minutes that are calculated between the hours of 7:00 AM and 8:59 PM. That's when the network sees the most usage. That's why the minute pools that you get, that you pay for per month, are taken out of that time, because it's the time that people most often use their phones. Off-peak, however, is a time when the network is idle or people are sleeping, or eating dinner. There's just not that much load in the network, so you can be free to use that as much as you want. Mobile to mobile, however, is basically giving the customer the ability to call another handset on the same carrier. So, if you're with carrier A and you have a telephone, and your friend is also with Carrier A, anytime you communicate between the two it's free, because there's no drain in the network; there are no outside transmissions going on. The way that call centres work is that when you make a phone call, the first network gets it, and when your network gets it, if it's a call within your network, then that call centre distributes it to the next person. Whereas, Carrier A gets the call, and it's to Carrier B, then it has to call Carrier B's server, and Carrier B has to find the user and then make the phone call. This makes an outside connection, therefore putting more drain on the network.
What is a "cellular phone"?
A cell phone is a device that accesses a large RF wireless network and giving the end user the ability to make and receive phone calls, send and receive email, text messages, data, video.
How do cellular phones work?
When it comes to cell phone basics, essentially every phone has a serial number, identification number of some sort that is unique amongst every other device that's on the network. With that being said, every time you turn on your cell phone, that number transcribes into your telephone number, into you as a person, your name, your personal information, all that. Once your cell phone is on the network and registered, when it says "Hi, I'm here. I'm so-and-so's cell phone", it's basically saying to the network "I'm available". Then, when a call is placed and when you make a phone call, it basically does what's called pinging a server. Here, it checks to see if the other end is open to receive a connection. When it does this and says "Ok, there is someone here and we'll take a call. What are you going to do?" This is when your phone rings and you say answer or ignore. If you click answer, it sends a message back to the tower saying "I've accepted the call" and then starts transmitting the voice data that goes into the microphone. Then, it gets transferred into smaller pieces of information that can be sent wirelessly over the network to the towers and on to the other end.
Why does my cell phone reception vary depending on the area I'm in?
With regards to the basics of cell phones, cell phone reception comes from a large tower that comes out of the ground which transmits a signal. The tower transmits a beacon and that beacon transmits it via a wave. That wave is an actual radio frequency that sends a signal from the tower to the handheld cell phone device. When that wave is in any way disrupted, you see deterioration in the signal strength and therefore have low cell phone reception.
What is a "Subscriber Identity Module" (SIM) card?
With cell phones, SIM actually stands for Subscriber Identity Module. Essentially, a SIM is like an ID card for your telephone number, and that ID card is specific for the network. When you sign up with a new service on a GSM carrier, GSM carriers use SIM cards to define who people are. So, when you give me your name and I set up your account, the SIM card number that I put in there is your unique identification for the network. Once your cell phone's turned on, it actually takes that unique identification and sends it to the network so that the network knows who you are and where to route the phone calls to.
What is the difference between a "locked" and an "unlocked" cell phone?
With cell phone basics, the difference basically between an "unlocked" and "locked" cell phone is that a locked phone comes directly from the carrier. So, Carrier A has the phones that they test, set up and have already preconfigured to talk to their network and transmit data with and whatnot. Whereas an unlocked phone however, is directly from the manufacturer, it comes from Motorola and Nokia. The carriers don't ever touch them, because of that, they can use whatever SIM card they want inside, whereas a locked phone can only take Carrier A's SIM card, or, a Carrier B locked phone can only take a Carrier B SIM card. In contrast, an unlocked phone can take either/or SIM card.
What are "peak", "off-peak" and "mobile to mobile" minutes?
Peak minutes generally are minutes that are calculated between the hours of 7:00 AM and 8:59 PM. That's when the network sees the most usage. That's why the minute pools that you get, that you pay for per month, are taken out of that time, because it's the time that people most often use their phones. Off-peak, however, is a time when the network is idle or people are sleeping, or eating dinner. There's just not that much load in the network, so you can be free to use that as much as you want. Mobile to mobile, however, is basically giving the customer the ability to call another handset on the same carrier. So, if you're with carrier A and you have a telephone, and your friend is also with Carrier A, anytime you communicate between the two it's free, because there's no drain in the network; there are no outside transmissions going on. The way that call centres work is that when you make a phone call, the first network gets it, and when your network gets it, if it's a call within your network, then that call centre distributes it to the next person. Whereas, Carrier A gets the call, and it's to Carrier B, then it has to call Carrier B's server, and Carrier B has to find the user and then make the phone call. This makes an outside connection, therefore putting more drain on the network.
Sony Ericsson Mobile secret menu
Sony Ericsson Useful Secret Codes For Sony Ericsson Family
How to use the keys :
How to use the keys :
> means press joystick or arrow keys to right
< means press joystick or arrow keys to left
1) Serial Number / IMEI: *#06# (IMEI is International Mobile Equipment Identity)
XXXXXX//XX//XXXXXX//X
< means press joystick or arrow keys to left
1) Serial Number / IMEI: *#06# (IMEI is International Mobile Equipment Identity)
XXXXXX//XX//XXXXXX//X
TAC//FAC//SNR//SP
TAC = Type approval code of your sony ericsson Mobile
FAC = Final assembly code of your cellphone
SNR = Serial number of your sony ericsson Phone
SP = Spare
2) Secret menu / Software version: >*<<*<* (Service Menu)
TAC = Type approval code of your sony ericsson Mobile
FAC = Final assembly code of your cellphone
SNR = Serial number of your sony ericsson Phone
SP = Spare
2) Secret menu / Software version: >*<<*<* (Service Menu)
The Service Menu will appears containing following information (varies based on SE models)!
1. Service Info
a. Software Version
b. SIMlock
c. Configuration
2. Service Setting
a. Contrast
3. Service Test
a. Display
b. LED/Illumination - *This test is very cool
c. Keyboard
d. Buzzer
e. Vibrator
f. Earphone
g. Microphone
h. Real Time Clock
i. Joystick Counter*
3) Reset Theme <0000>
4) Network Information <**<>
9) Programming Checks: >*<<*<*> or >*<<*<*>
10) Phone Test: 904059 + > (to exit 3 + <) If you have any more so kindly post reply to share your knowledge, which will be more useful for others…….
Different ways to shutdown ur pc
Shut it Down with STYLE!!!
There are so many different ways to turn off your Windows XP computer, let's look at some of them:
1. Press Ctrl+Esc key or the Win key and press u two times - the fastest approach.
2. Get the Shutdown utility from Download.com - it add the shut down shortcuts for you. Else create them yourself using approach 4.
3. Create a shutdown shortcut on your desktop. Right click on the desktop, choose New Shortcut and type shutdown -s -t 00 in the area where you are asked to specify the location of the program file. Now you can just double click this icon to turn off the computer. The best location would be your quick launch bar.
4. Press the Win key + R key to open the run window. Type shutdown -s -t 00. [s means shutdown while t means the duration after which you want to initiate the shutdown process].
If some open processes or application won't let you turn off, append a -f switch to force a shut down by closing all active processes.
5. Win+M to minimize all windows and then Alt+F4 to bring the Turn Off computer dialog.
6. Open Windows Task manager (by right clicking the Windows Task bar or Alt+Ctrl+Del) and choose Shut down from the menu. Useful when the Windows are not responding.
7. Open task manager--->click on shutdown--->hold the ctrl key and click on Turn off::::::: pc will be turned off in 3 secs.. fastest method other than hard shutdown
There are so many different ways to turn off your Windows XP computer, let's look at some of them:
1. Press Ctrl+Esc key or the Win key and press u two times - the fastest approach.2. Get the Shutdown utility from Download.com - it add the shut down shortcuts for you. Else create them yourself using approach 4.
3. Create a shutdown shortcut on your desktop. Right click on the desktop, choose New Shortcut and type shutdown -s -t 00 in the area where you are asked to specify the location of the program file. Now you can just double click this icon to turn off the computer. The best location would be your quick launch bar.
4. Press the Win key + R key to open the run window. Type shutdown -s -t 00. [s means shutdown while t means the duration after which you want to initiate the shutdown process].
If some open processes or application won't let you turn off, append a -f switch to force a shut down by closing all active processes.
5. Win+M to minimize all windows and then Alt+F4 to bring the Turn Off computer dialog.
6. Open Windows Task manager (by right clicking the Windows Task bar or Alt+Ctrl+Del) and choose Shut down from the menu. Useful when the Windows are not responding.
7. Open task manager--->click on shutdown--->hold the ctrl key and click on Turn off::::::: pc will be turned off in 3 secs.. fastest method other than hard shutdown
Recover a Corrupted System File
Recover a Corrupted System File
If an essential Windows file gets whacked by a virus or otherwise corrupted, restore it from the Windows CD. Search the CD for the filename, replacing the last character with an underscore; for example, Notepad.ex_. If it's found, open a command prompt and enter the command EXPAND, followed by the full pathname of the file and of the desired destination: EXPAND D:\SETUP\NOTEPAD.EX_ C:\Windows\NOTEPAD.EXE. If either pathname contains any spaces, surround it with double quotes.
If the file isn't found, search on the unmodified filename. It will probably be inside a CAB file, which Win XP treats as a folder. Simply right-drag and copy the file to the desired location. In other Windows platforms, search for a file matching *.cab that contains the filename. When the search is done, open a command prompt and enter EXTRACT /L followed by the desired location, the full pathname of the CAB file, and the desired filename; for example: EXTRACT /L C:\Windows D:\I386\Driver.cab Notepad.exe. Again, if the destination or CAB file pathname contains spaces, surround it with double quotes.
AIN'T-E-VIRUS...
Internet Explorer 7 Keyboard Shortcuts !
Keyboard Shortcuts :
=>CTRL+click (Open links in a new tab in the background)
=>CTRL+SHIFT+click (Open links in a new tab in the foreground)
=>CTRL+T (Open a new tab in the foreground)
=>ALT+ENTER (Open a new tab from the Address bar)
=>CTRL+Q (Open Quick Tabs - thumbnail view)
=>CTRL+TAB/CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Switch between tabs)
=>CTRL+n (n can be 1-8) (Switch to a specific tab number)
=>CTRL+9 (Switch to the last tab)
=>CTRL+W (Close current tab)
=>ALT+F4 (Close all tabs)
=>CTRL+ALT+F4 (Close other tabs)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Who said History was boring...
History is not boring................
The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be.
Here are some facts about the 1500s - These are interesting...read on:
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the househad the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies.By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it.
Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water..
Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water..
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof.
Hence the saying . It's raining cats and dogs.
Hence the saying . It's raining cats and dogs.
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house.. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess upyour nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection.
That's how canopy beds came into existence.
That's how canopy beds came into existence.
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor.
The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance way.
Hence the saying a thresh hold.
(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)
Hence the saying a thresh hold.
(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)
In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while.
Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot,peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.. Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could "bring home the bacon". They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the meat.
Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot,peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.. Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could "bring home the bacon". They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the meat.
Those with money had plates made of pewter (pronounce as pyoo-ter:- a metal made by mixing tin and lead). Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the "upper crust".
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers (imbibe - To drink alcoholic beverages, imbiber is the noun) out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up.
Hence the custom of holding a wake.
Hence the custom of holding a wake.
England is old and small and the local folks started running out ofplaces to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take thebones to a bone-house, and re-use the grave. When re-opening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So theywould tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, thread it through thecoffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be saved by the bell or was considered adead ringer. And that's the truth...
Now, whoever said History was boring think again...! ! !
Now educate someone
Now, whoever said History was boring think again...! ! !
Now educate someone
Orkutips - To Edit any webpage
Edit any webpage
Just type the following in the address bar
javascript:document.body.contentEditable='true'; document.designMode='on'; void 0
Just type the following in the address bar
javascript:document.body.contentEditable='true'; document.designMode='on'; void 0
Orkutips - To Enlarge your photo
just copy paste them in ur adress bar and press enter after preview click referesh
Enlarge ur photo
javascript:i=128;void(setInterval("i++;document.images[2].width=i",5))
Enlarge ur photo
javascript:i=128;void(setInterval("i++;document.images[2].width=i",5))
Saturday, May 17, 2008
A victim of cyber crime? Here's help...
A victim of cyber crime? Here's help
Have you ever been stalked online, blackmailed or received email threats? If your answer is "yes", you are among the thousands today who are being attacked by Net criminals.
Like other parts of the world, India too is constantly under the threat of these heinous acts. Those of us who use our computers at home without proper security measures are often the easy victims for these crimes.
In the physical world, if a crime is committed, we usually know what to do. Usually the nearest police station comes to the rescue. But what should you do for something you have no real proof, or someone who is not even visible? We bring you some tips which will help you get help quickly.
Cyber stalking or online harassment
This is one of the most common cyber crimes in India. If you are being stalked or harassed, don’t take it as a passing phase. Act fast.
• Avoid all contact with the stalker. Be assertive and diplomatic while communicating with him/her.
• Don’t change your phone number; instead let your answering machine or voice mail take the calls. This will prevent him from adapting ulterior contact strategies.
• Safeguard any evidence of threats like letters, email and voice messages. All this would be needed for legal action.
• Report it to the nearest cyber crime cell.
• If attempts of physical attack take place, file an FIR immediately.
Online Fraud
If you suddenly find out that your money has disappeared from your bank account or there have been discrepancies in your credit statements, your accounts might have been compromised.
• Contact your bank and start the process to ensure that you don’t lose any more money. Ask your bank how you can dispute charges and recover funds.
• Set up a fraud alert with cyber crime cell.
• Watch your credit card and other statements and see if there are transactions that you have not made. This is to ensure that there has been no identity theft.
• File a police report in your area
Spam/Abuse
If obnoxious unsolicited emails fill your inbox every day and refuse to go away, the simple solution is not just to delete them. Effective reporting of spam will ensure prosecution, fining or even jailing of spammers.
Report to: Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email, India (CAUCE India)
Web: www.india.cauce. org
Hacking
If you find out that you have been hacked, there are broadly two ways to fix the problem.
Rollback: Backup all your important data and reinstall Windows.
System clean: You may also use freely downloadable utilities like Fport, TCP View, etc to clean up the files left by the hacker), but this is not recommended for the novice computer user since it requires a certain degree of technical know-how.
However, it is best to start afresh by reinstalling the operating system so that you can be sure that you machine is void of any infection. Call your service engineer for this. But if you have lost data, or credit card and other critical numbers, it’s best to speak with your banks and get necessary changes done to ensure no money loss occurs.
Cyber crime helplines
a) Superintendent of Police, Cyber Crime Investigation Cell (CCIC); Web: http://cbi.nic. in; Email: cbiccic@bol. net.in
b) Resource Center for Cyber Forensics (RCCF); Web: www.cdactvm. in;
Email: cyber@cdactvm. in
c) India Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In): www.cert-in. org.in
Report to: Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email, India (CAUCE India)
Web: www.india.cauce. org
Hacking
If you find out that you have been hacked, there are broadly two ways to fix the problem.
Rollback: Backup all your important data and reinstall Windows.
System clean: You may also use freely downloadable utilities like Fport, TCP View, etc to clean up the files left by the hacker), but this is not recommended for the novice computer user since it requires a certain degree of technical know-how.
However, it is best to start afresh by reinstalling the operating system so that you can be sure that you machine is void of any infection. Call your service engineer for this. But if you have lost data, or credit card and other critical numbers, it’s best to speak with your banks and get necessary changes done to ensure no money loss occurs.
Cyber crime helplines
a) Superintendent of Police, Cyber Crime Investigation Cell (CCIC); Web: http://cbi.nic. in; Email: cbiccic@bol. net.in
b) Resource Center for Cyber Forensics (RCCF); Web: www.cdactvm. in;
Email: cyber@cdactvm. in
c) India Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In): www.cert-in. org.in
Happy (Hassle free) Surfing....
The Superstitious, Friday the 13th...
Friday the 13th is considered a day of bad luck in English-, French- and Portuguese-speaking countries around the world, as well as in Germany, Estonia,The Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Poland, Bulgaria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, and even the Philippines .
Similar superstitions exist in some other traditions. In Greece, Romania and Spanish-speaking countries, for example, it is Tuesday the 13th that is considered unlucky. In Italy it is Friday the 17th.
The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia, a word derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (meaning Friday), and dekatreís (meaning thirteen), attached to phobía (meaning fear). The term is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a simple phobia (fear) of the number thirteen appearing in any case
What is this Friday 13th?
Both the number thirteen and Friday have been considered unlucky:
In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve recognized signs of the zodiac, the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve Apostles of Jesus, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness.There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.
Friday, as the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified, has been viewed both positively and negatively among Christians. The actual day of Crucifixion was the 14th day of Nissan in the Hebrew Lunar calendar which does not correspond to "Friday" in the solar calendar of Rome. The 15th day of Nissan (beginning at Sundown) is celebration of Passover.
Despite the onus on the two separated elements, there is no evidence for a link between the two before the 19th century. The earliest known reference in English occurs in a 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini:
[Rossini] was surrounded to the last by admiring and affectionate friends; and if it be true that, like so many other Italians, he regarded Friday as an unlucky day, and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that on Friday, the 13th of November, he died.
However, only in the 20th century did the superstition receive greater audience, as
Friday the 13th doesn't even merit a mention in E. Cobham Brewer's voluminous 1898 edition of the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, though one does find entries for "Friday, an Unlucky Day" and "Thirteen Unlucky." When the date of ill fate finally does make an appearance in later editions of the text, it is without extravagant claims as to the superstition's historicity or longevity.
Though the superstition developed relatively recently, much older origins are often claimed for it, most notably in the novel The Da Vinci Code (and later the film), which traced the belief to the arrest of the Knights Templar on Friday October 13, 1307
Occurances:
The following months have a Friday the 13th:
The following years have Fridays the 13th in these months:
This sequence, here given for 2001–2028, repeats every 28 years from 1901 to 2099. The months with a Friday the 13th are determined by the Dominical letter (G, F, GF, etc.) of the year. Any month that begins on a Sunday will contain a Friday the 13th.
Similar superstitions exist in some other traditions. In Greece, Romania and Spanish-speaking countries, for example, it is Tuesday the 13th that is considered unlucky. In Italy it is Friday the 17th.
The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia, a word derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (meaning Friday), and dekatreís (meaning thirteen), attached to phobía (meaning fear). The term is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a simple phobia (fear) of the number thirteen appearing in any case
What is this Friday 13th?
Both the number thirteen and Friday have been considered unlucky:
In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve recognized signs of the zodiac, the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve Apostles of Jesus, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness.There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.
Friday, as the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified, has been viewed both positively and negatively among Christians. The actual day of Crucifixion was the 14th day of Nissan in the Hebrew Lunar calendar which does not correspond to "Friday" in the solar calendar of Rome. The 15th day of Nissan (beginning at Sundown) is celebration of Passover.
Despite the onus on the two separated elements, there is no evidence for a link between the two before the 19th century. The earliest known reference in English occurs in a 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini:
[Rossini] was surrounded to the last by admiring and affectionate friends; and if it be true that, like so many other Italians, he regarded Friday as an unlucky day, and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that on Friday, the 13th of November, he died.
However, only in the 20th century did the superstition receive greater audience, as
Friday the 13th doesn't even merit a mention in E. Cobham Brewer's voluminous 1898 edition of the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, though one does find entries for "Friday, an Unlucky Day" and "Thirteen Unlucky." When the date of ill fate finally does make an appearance in later editions of the text, it is without extravagant claims as to the superstition's historicity or longevity.
Though the superstition developed relatively recently, much older origins are often claimed for it, most notably in the novel The Da Vinci Code (and later the film), which traced the belief to the arrest of the Knights Templar on Friday October 13, 1307
Occurances:
The following months have a Friday the 13th:
The following years have Fridays the 13th in these months:
This sequence, here given for 2001–2028, repeats every 28 years from 1901 to 2099. The months with a Friday the 13th are determined by the Dominical letter (G, F, GF, etc.) of the year. Any month that begins on a Sunday will contain a Friday the 13th.
Every year has at least one and at most three Fridays the 13th, with 688 occurrences during each 400-year Gregorian cycle (146,097 days).
The longest period that can occur without a Friday the 13th is fourteen months, either from July to September the following year (e.g. in 2001/2002 and 2012/13), or from August to October in a leap year (e.g. in 2027/28).
Patterns for non leap-years:
Patterns for non leap-years:
Patterns for leap years:
Each Gregorian 400-year cycle contains 146,097 days
(365 * 400 = 146,000 normal days plus 97 leap days),
146,097 / 7 = 20,871 weeks, and 400 * 12 = 4,800 months.
Thus, each cycle contains the same pattern of days of the week (and thus the same pattern of Fridays the 13th), but no day of the month up to the 28th can occur the same number of times on each day of the week (because 4,800 is not divisible by 7).
The 13th day of the month is slightly more likely to be a Friday than any other day of the week. On average, there is a Friday the 13th once every 212.35 (212 and 241/688) days.
The distribution of the 13th day over the 4,800 months is as follows:
There were some movies about Friday the 13th....
Friday the 13th at Allmovie
Friday the 13th at the Internet Movie Database
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I am a Vegan. PeTA:- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Make your own KFC sign at KentuckyFriedCruelty.com
Make your own KFC sign at KentuckyFriedCruelty.com
