Animesh Patcha's random tidbits from around the web.

Animesh Patcha for President

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:25:00 +0000

Wild Turkey Fast Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:37:00 +0000

• The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) was first domesticated by Native Americans. Spanish explorers took the birds to Europe in the 16th century, and the birds' tame descendents were brought back to the Americas with later settlers.

• Male turkeys, called toms or gobblers, weigh 16 to 24 pounds (7 to 11 kilograms). Hens are about half that size.

• Turkeys can run some 10 to 20 miles (16 to 32 kilometers) an hour and fly in bursts at 55 miles (89 kilometers) an hour.

• Turkeys roost in trees at night.

• Turkeys forage for many different foods, so a single suitable area can support a large flock without becoming depleted.

• Male turkeys (and a few females) grow beards that are about 9 inches (23 centimeters) long. Their tails, which they fan to attract females, are more than a foot (30 centimeters) long.

Proof that 2 does not exist :)

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 05:04:00 +0000

2 is the only even prime.

But the total number of primes is infinite.

Therefore the probability that a given prime number is even is 1 over infinity, or zero.

Hence it's impossible for a prime number to be even — and 2 does not exist.

The Three Filters Test

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:03:00 +0000

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It"s called the Three Filters Test."

"Three Filters?"

"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the Three Filters Test.

The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it"s true or not. Now let"s try the second filter, the filter of goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"No, on the contrary..."

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it"s true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

This is why Socrates was a great philosopher & held in such high esteem.

Interesting facts about India

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 23:02:00 +0000

India never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history.
When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization)
The name 'India' is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.
The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name `Hindustan' combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.
Chess was invented in India.
Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.
The 'Place Value System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in 100 B.C.
The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is made from a single 80-tonne piece of granite. This magnificient temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola.
India is the largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations.
The game of Snakes & Ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat'. The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. In time, the game underwent several modifications, but its meaning remained the same, i.e good deeds take people to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.
The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after levelling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.
India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world.
The largest employer in the world is the Indian Railways, employing over a million people.
The world's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The Father of Medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.
India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.
The Art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh over 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word 'NAVGATIH'. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word 'Nou'.
Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the Sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. According to his calculation, the time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun was 365.258756484 days.
The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, long before the European mathematicians.
Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus also orignated in India. Quadratic Equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 (i.e 10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C. during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera: 10*12(10 to the power of 12).
Until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world (Source : Gemological Institute of America).
The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.
Sushruta is regarded as the Father of Surgery. Over 2600 years ago Sushrata & his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery and brain surgeries.
Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient Indian medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism, physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.
India exports software to 90 countries.
The four religions born in India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.
Jainism and Buddhism were founded in India in 600 B.C. and 500 B.C. respectively.
Islam is India's and the world's second largest religion.
There are 300,000 active mosques in India, more than in any other country, including the Muslim world.
The oldest European church and synagogue in India are in the city of Cochin. They were built in 1503 and 1568 respectively.
Jews and Christians have lived continuously in India since 200 B.C. and 52 A.D respectively
The largest religious building in the world is Angkor Wat, a Hindu Temple in Cambodia built at the end of the 11th century.
The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the temple everyday.
Sikhism originated in the Holy city of Amritsar in Punjab. Famous for housing the Golden Temple, the city was founded in 1577.
Varanasi, also known as Benaras, was called "the Ancient City" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C., and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.
India provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious and political persecution.
His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, runs his government in exile from Dharamsala in northern India.
Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.
Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.

Sholay - Veeru's Water Tower Scene - Mausi Ji!

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 00:52:00 +0000

Sholay Mausi Scene--very funny

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 00:49:00 +0000

My Academic Family Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Tue, 01 May 2007 16:57:00 +0000

Return of the Taliban

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 14:41:00 +0000


Documentaire

Television Commercials (1950s-1960s)

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 16:25:00 +0000

A collection of vintage ads: Country Corn Flakes, Alka-Seltzer, Dristan, American - certified lead-free gasoline, two ads of Lustre-creme shampoo, National Association of Broadcasters, Goodyear, two Coca-Cola ads, two ads of Colt 45 Malt Liquor, Volkswagen, a black and white and a coloured version of fashion ad, Bactine medicated skin cream, Alka-Seltzer, Bactine medicated skin cream, Alka-Seltzer, Noxzema medicated instant shave, Marlboro, The 1967 American Motors, Heinz Pickles, Shearson Hammill, Oil Heat. This video is in public domain and available to download at Internet Archive.

Levitating stones of Shivapur.

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 12:32:00 +0000

Astounding mysteries of India's ancient times can be found in the town of Shivapur. There are two enigmatic stones resting opposite the local shrine. One of them weighs 55 kilograms, the other one is 41 kilograms. If eleven men touch the bigger stone, and nine men touch the smaller stone, if they all chant the magic phrase, which is carved on one of the walls of the shrine, the two stones will raise two meters up in the air and will hang there for two seconds, as if there is no gravitation at all. A lot of European and Asian scientists and researchers have studied the phenomenon of levitating stones of Shivapur.

The 10 Most Puzzling Ancient Artifacts

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 12:24:00 +0000

Ancient Model Aircraft
There are artifacts belonging to ancient Egyptian and Central American cultures that look amazingly like modern-day aircraft. The Egyptian artifact, found in a tomb at Saqquara, Egypt in 1898, is a six-inch wooden object that strongly resembles a model airplane, with fuselage, wings and tail. Experts believe the object is so aerodynamic that it is actually able to glide. The small object discovered in Central America (shown at right), and estimated to be 1,000 years old, is made of gold and could easily be mistaken for a model of a delta-wing aircraft - or even the Space Shuttle. It even features what looks like a pilot's seat.

The Grooved Spheres
Over the last few decades, miners in South Africa have been digging up mysterious metal spheres. Origin unknown, these spheres measure approximately an inch or so in diameter, and some are etched with three parallel grooves running around the equator. Two types of spheres have been found: one is composed of a solid bluish metal with flecks of white; the other is hollowed out and filled with a spongy white substance. The kicker is that the rock in which they where found is Precambrian - and dated to 2.8 billion years old! Who made them and for what purpose is unknown.

The Dropa Stones
In 1938, an archeological expedition led by Dr. Chi Pu Tei into the Baian-Kara-Ula mountains of China made an astonishing discovery in some caves that had apparently been occupied by some ancient culture. Buried in the dust of ages on the cave floor were hundreds of stone disks. Measuring about nine inches in diameter, each had a circle cut into the center and was etched with a spiral groove, making it look for all the world like some ancient phonograph record some 10,000 to 12,000 years old. The spiral groove, it turns out, is actually composed of tiny hieroglyphics that tell the incredible story of spaceships from some distant world that crash-landed in the mountains. The ships were piloted by people who called themselves the Dropa, and the remains of whose descendents, possibly, were found in the cave.

The Ica Stones
Beginning in the 1930s, the father of Dr. Javier Cabrera, Cultural Anthropologist for Ica, Peru, discovered many hundreds of ceremonial burial stones in the tombs of the ancient Incas. Dr. Cabrera, carrying on his father's work, has collected more than 1,100 of these andesite stones, which are estimated to be between 500 and 1,500 years old and have become known collectively as the Ica Stones. The stones bear etchings, many of which are sexually graphic (which was common to the culture), some picture idols and others depict such practices as open-heart surgery and brain transplants. The most astonishing etchings, however, clearly represent dinosaurs - brontosaurs, triceratops (see photo), stegosaurus and pterosaurs. While skeptics consider the Ica Stones a hoax, their authenticity has neither been proved or disproved.

The Antikythera Mechanism
A perplexing artifact was recovered by sponge-divers from a shipwreck in 1900 off the coast of Antikythera, a small island that lies northwest of Crete. The divers brought up from the wreck a great many marble and and bronze statues that had apparently been the ship's cargo. Among the findings was a hunk of corroded bronze that contained some kind of mechanism composed of many gears and wheels. Writing on the case indicated that it was made in 80 B.C., and many experts at first thought it was an astrolabe, an astronomer's tool. An x-ray of the mechanism, however, revealed it to be far more complex, containing a sophisticated system of differential gears. Gearing of this complexity was not known to exist until 1575! It is still unknown who constructed this amazing instrument 2,000 years ago or how the technology was lost.

The Baghdad Battery
Today batteries can be found in any grocery, drug, convenience and department store you come across. Well, here's a battery that's 2,000 years old! Known as the Baghdad Battery, this curiosity was found in the ruins of a Parthian village believed to date back to between 248 B.C. and 226 A.D. The device consists of a 5-1/2-inch high clay vessel inside of which was a copper cylinder held in place by asphalt, and inside of that was an oxidized iron rod. Experts who examined it concluded that the device needed only to be filled with an acid or alkaline liquid to produce an electric charge. It is believed that this ancient battery might have been used for electroplating objects with gold. If so, how was this technology lost... and the battery not rediscovered for another 1,800 years?

The Coso Artifact
While mineral hunting in the mountains of California near Olancha during the winter of 1961, Wallace Lane, Virginia Maxey and Mike Mikesell found a rock, among many others, that they thought was a geode - a good addition for their gem shop. Upon cutting it open, however, Mikesell found an object inside that seemed to be made of white porcelain. In the center was a shaft of shiny metal. Experts estimated that it should have taken about 500,000 years for this fossil-encrusted nodule to form, yet the object inside was obviously of sophisticated human manufacture. Further investigation revealed that the porcelain was surround by a hexagonal casing, and an x-ray revealed a tiny spring at one end. Some who have examined the evidence say it looks very much like a modern-day spark plug. How did it get inside a 500,000-year-old rock?

Giant Stone Balls of Costa Rica
Workmen hacking and burning their way through the dense jungle of Costa Rica to clear an area for banana plantations in the 1930s stumbled upon some incredible objects: dozens of stone balls, many of which were perfectly spherical. They varied in size from as small as a tennis ball to an astonishing 8 feet in diameter and weighing 16 tons! Although the great stone balls are clearly man-made, it is unknown who made them, for what purpose and, most puzzling, how they achieved such spherical precision.

Impossible Fossils
Fossils, as we learned in grade school, appear in rocks that were formed many thousands of years ago. Yet there are a number of fossils that just don't make geological or historical sense. A fossil of a human handprint, for example, was found in limestone estimated to be 110 million years old. What appears to be a fossilized human finger found in the Canadian Arctic also dates back 100 to 110 million years ago. And what appears to be the fossil of a human footprint, possibly wearing a sandal, was found near Delta, Utah in a shale deposit estimated to be 300 million to 600 million years old.

Out-of-Place Metal Objects
Humans were not even around 65 million years ago, never mind people who could work metal. So then how does science explain semi-ovoid metallic tubes dug out of 65-million-year-old Cretaceous chalk in France? In 1885, a block of coal was broken open to find a metal cube obviously worked by intelligent hands. In 1912, employees at an electric plant broke apart a large chunk of coal out of which fell an iron pot! A nail was found embedded in a sandstone block from the Mesozoic Era. And there are many, many more such anomalies.

What are we to make of these finds? There are several possibilities:

* Intelligent humans date back much, much further than we realize.
* Other intelligent beings and civilizations existed on earth far beyond our recorded history.
* Our dating methods are completely inaccurate, and that stone, coal and fossils form much more rapidly than we now estimate.

In any case, these examples - and there are many more - should prompt any curious and open-minded scientist to reexamine and rethink the true history of life on earth.

AP sepoys fought British first

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 02:35:00 +0000

Visakhapatnam, Oct. 1: The first War for Independence occurred not at Meerut in 1857, but in Visakhapatnam way back in 1780. In those days, it was known as Vizagpatam. The sepoys of the East India Company army stationed here rose in rebellion protesting against the oppressive attitude of the English officers.

Noted Historian Dr Kolluru Suryanarayana said that there were actually three sepoy mutinies prior to the famous revolt of 1857. “The first occurred in Vizagpatam on October 3, 1780, the second at Vellore in Tamil Nadu in 1806 and the third at Gorakhpur in 1824,” he said. Shaik Mohammed, subedar of the brigadiers, was the chief mutineer and hero of the first sepoy mutiny in Vizagpatam. “Unfortunately people know only about Mangal Pandey,” said Dr Suryanarayana, who heads the history department of Andhra University.

It was oppression and maltreatment which triggered the revolt. Native sepoys enlisted for local duty were sent all over the State for revenue collection. But they were given no extra pay and were treated like dirt by Englishmen. This caused much discontent. What triggered the revolt was the order given to the sepoys to embark a frigate to Madras to meet the impending threat from Hyder Ali of Mysore.
This order exasperated the native sepoys in general. Muslim soldiers in particular were angry at being asked to take up arms against a fellow Muslim.

But the East India Company officials were hell bent on implementing the order since war with Hyder Ali in the Carnatic had weakened them and they needed to reinforce the army urgently. The then Governor of Madras, John Whitehall, addressed a letter on September 14, 1780, to the then chief of Vizagapatam and Masulipatam settlements, James Henry Casamajor, asking him to keep sepoy grenadiers ready for embarkation.

The sepoys of Masulipatam obeyed the order without a murmur, but at Vizagapatam the English were in for a shock. The Sartine frigate had arrived and the sepoys had given no indication of the impending revolt. They were armed and even conducted a parade on October 3. However, just before 3 pm they all refused to go on board the Sartine. When the officers insisted that their order should be obeyed, the sepoys took up their guns and fired at them indiscriminately. Lt Crisps, Kingsford Venner, a cadet, and Robert Rutherford, the paymaster, died on the spot. Seeing the fury of the rebels the British panicked and ran helter skelter.

A few like Lt. Brown, Ellis and Collins swum the backwaters to reach the Sartine. Others hid themselves in different parts of the town. It did not end there. The rebels were determined to join the forces of Hyder Ali and liberate the district from the East India Company. They took several officers into custody and freed a French spy who had been imprisoned.

Shaik Mohammed assumed control of the rebels. He questioned Casamajor and learnt details of the company’s property. The mutineers then went on a looting spree and took away cash amounting to Rs 21,999. The revolt had left the English in shambles in the area. They were without men or money and did not even get the support of local zamindars.

On the morning of October 4, the mutineers marched out of the town with Casamajor and the other captured men to join the forces of Hyder Ali. But a local zamindar Gajapathi Narain Deo intervened and the officers were freed. This proved to be a costly error. Casamajor returned quickly to the frigate and ordered Captain Ensign Butler to gather loyal sepoys and go after the rebels.

He also instructed neigbouring zamindars not to support the rebels. Zamindars obeyed this and did not allow the rebels to pass through their territories. The mutineers were then ambushed and mercilessly slaughtered by Butler’s men in the gorge of Gudderallywanka on the night of October 8. A few, including Mohammed, escaped, but were caught and executed a few months later. Though the revolt was a short-lived one, it was certainly the first major shock to the British.

“The revolt of the grenadiers was in all respects an event that might have led to dangerous consequences,” wrote Casamajor in his testimony. “It annihilated our power and influence in a great measure”. Though the incident is not as well known as the 1857 revolt, it was referred to in the ‘History of the Madras Army’ by W.J. Wilson and in several letters between John White Hall-Casamajor-Brown. It was also reported in Hickey’s “Bengal Gazette”, India’s first newspaper, couple of days later.

Mohammed Faisuddin, founder president of the Shahide Watan Ashfaqullah Khan Memorial Trust, said it was unfortunate that no ceremony is held to mark the anniversary of the revolt. “Tamil Nadu government had celebrated the centenary of the Sepoy Revolt at Vellore, but the AP government has done no such thing,” he said.

“These are the incidents of national importance. The State should construct a memorial monument and commemorate the incident every year”. There are no remnants of this mutiny in the area except for the grave of Kingsford Venner in the Old Town cemetery.

ek chidiya (doordarshan)

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 16:16:00 +0000


old serial

Pakistan Surrendring to India in 1971

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 02:38:00 +0000


The Pakistan army in East Pakistan surrenders to India in 1971 resulting in the liberation of Bangladesh.

The Lost Temples of India

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 02:32:00 +0000


The Lost Temples of India

jana gana mana......National Song of India

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 02:29:00 +0000


National Song of India

I am India

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 02:26:00 +0000


This film is a journey through emerging India," the fastest growing free market democracy in the world". It celebrates the relentless spirit of the people of India, who through their karma give it a place amongst the leading economic nations of the world. Conceived and produced by Bharatbala Productions (BBP) for India Band Equity Foundation (IBEF).

Virginia Tech Football

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 17:21:00 +0000

Must see in town: The mountains around Blacksburg, which is located on a plateau in southwest Virginia between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains. Nearby are such recreational areas as the Blue Ridge Parkway, Appalachian Trail, Clayton Lake and the New River.

Stadium: Lane Stadium/Worsham Field

Size: 66,233

How named: Alumnus Edward H. Lane headed a foundation that raised $3 million for the original construction. Fans Wes and Janet Worsham helped raise $18.6 million for expansion in 1992.

History: The team’s longest winning streak at Lane is 16 games, between 1999 and 2001.

Stadium record: 161-64-6

Greatest moment: Nov. 26, 1999. Quarterback Michael Vick produced 366 yards of offense as the Hokies beat Boston College 38-14 to finish 11-0 and advance to the Sugar Bowl to play Florida State for the national championship.

Unique feature: In 2002, Virginia Tech became the first college team to have a state-of-the-art Green Tech ITM grass field. The grass and drainage system can handle up to 16 inches of rain an hour.

Best tradition at school: Hokies, the Tech nickname. What’s a Hokie? It’s a product of the imagination of student O.M. Stull, who won a contest by writing the best cheer. Stull liked the sound of the word “Hokie” in his cheer. A “Hokiebird” has become the Virginia Tech mascot.

Legend you might see at the game: Vick, the Falcons quarterback, when he has an open weekend.

Most famous player: Bruce Smith, an All-American for the Hokies, went on to become the all-time sacks leader in the NFL. He was known as “Mr. Sacks.”

Most famous coach: Frank Beamer, the current coach of the Hokies, has taken the team to 13 consecutive bowls and has been named ACC coach of the year for both of the seasons Tech has been a member of the conference. Beamer is 146-79-2 in 19 seasons. No other Tech coach has won more than 64 games.

Most famous fan: Carroll Dale, Virginia Tech’s first All-American and the first Hokies player to have his jersey retired. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Best reason to dislike Virginia Tech: They fire a cannon, called “Skipper,” after every Virginia Tech score. That can get old if you are on the losing side.

Interview Questions (From freshersworld.com)

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 16:42:00 +0000

C- Questions
• What does static variable mean?
• What is a pointer?
• What is a structure?
• What are the differences between structures and arrays?
• In header files whether functions are declared or defined?
• What are the differences between malloc() and calloc()?
• What are macros? what are its advantages and disadvantages?
• Difference between pass by reference and pass by value?
• What is static identifier?
• Where are the auto variables stored?
• Where does global, static, local, register variables, free memory and C Program instructions get stored?
• Difference between arrays and linked list?
• What are enumerations?
• Describe about storage allocation and scope of global, extern, static, local and register variables?
• What are register variables? What are the advantage of using register variables?
• What is the use of typedef?
• Can we specify variable field width in a scanf() format string? If possible how?
• Out of fgets() and gets() which function is safe to use and why?
• Difference between strdup and strcpy?
• What is recursion?
• Differentiate between a for loop and a while loop? What are it uses?
• What are the different storage classes in C?
• Write down the equivalent pointer expression for referring the same element a[i][j][k][l]?
• What is difference between Structure and Unions?
• What the advantages of using Unions?
• What are the advantages of using pointers in a program?
• What is the difference between Strings and Arrays?
• In a header file whether functions are declared or defined?
• What is a far pointer? where we use it?
• How will you declare an array of three function pointers where each function receives two ints and returns a float?
• what is a NULL Pointer? Whether it is same as an uninitialized pointer?
• What is a NULL Macro? What is the difference between a NULL Pointer and a NULL Macro?
• What does the error 'Null Pointer Assignment' mean and what causes this error?
• What is near, far and huge pointers? How many bytes are occupied by them?
• How would you obtain segment and offset addresses from a far address of a memory location?
• Are the expressions arr and &arr same for an array of integers?
• Does mentioning the array name gives the base address in all the contexts?
• Explain one method to process an entire string as one unit?
• What is the similarity between a Structure, Union and enumeration?
• Can a Structure contain a Pointer to itself?
• How can we check whether the contents of two structure variables are same or not?
• How are Structure passing and returning implemented by the complier?
• How can we read/write Structures from/to data files?
• What is the difference between an enumeration and a set of pre-processor # defines?
• what do the 'c' and 'v' in argc and argv stand for?
• Are the variables argc and argv are local to main?
• What is the maximum combined length of command line arguments including the space between adjacent arguments?
• If we want that any wildcard characters in the command line arguments should be appropriately expanded, are we required to make any special provision? If yes, which?
• Does there exist any way to make the command line arguments available to other functions without passing them as arguments to the function?
• What are bit fields? What is the use of bit fields in a Structure declaration?
• To which numbering system can the binary number 1101100100111100 be easily converted to?
• Which bit wise operator is suitable for checking whether a particular bit is on or off?
• Which bit wise operator is suitable for turning off a particular bit in a number?
• Which bit wise operator is suitable for putting on a particular bit in a number?
• Which bit wise operator is suitable for checking whether a particular bit is on or off?
• which one is equivalent to multiplying by 2:Left shifting a number by 1 or Left shifting an unsigned int or char by 1?
• Write a program to compare two strings without using the strcmp() function.
• Write a program to concatenate two strings.
• Write a program to interchange 2 variables without using the third one.
• Write programs for String Reversal & Palindrome check
• Write a program to find the Factorial of a number
• Write a program to generate the Fibinocci Series
• Write a program which employs Recursion
• Write a program which uses Command Line Arguments
• Write a program which uses functions like strcmp(), strcpy()? etc
• What are the advantages of using typedef in a program?
• How would you dynamically allocate a one-dimensional and two-dimensional array of integers?
• How can you increase the size of a dynamically allocated array?
• How can you increase the size of a statically allocated array?
• When reallocating memory if any other pointers point into the same piece of memory do you have to readjust these other pointers or do they get readjusted automatically?
• Which function should be used to free the memory allocated by calloc()?
• How much maximum can you allocate in a single call to malloc()?
• Can you dynamically allocate arrays in expanded memory?
• What is object file? How can you access object file?
• Which header file should you include if you are to develop a function which can accept variable number of arguments?
• Can you write a function similar to printf()?
• How can a called function determine the number of arguments that have been passed to it?
• Can there be at least some solution to determine the number of arguments passed to a variable argument list function?
• How do you declare the following:
• An array of three pointers to chars
• An array of three char pointers
• A pointer to array of three chars
• A pointer to function which receives an int pointer and returns a float pointer
• A pointer to a function which receives nothing and returns nothing
• What do the functions atoi(), itoa() and gcvt() do?
• Does there exist any other function which can be used to convert an integer or a float to a string?
• How would you use qsort() function to sort an array of structures?
• How would you use qsort() function to sort the name stored in an array of pointers to string?
• How would you use bsearch() function to search a name stored in array of pointers to string?
• How would you use the functions sin(), pow(), sqrt()?
• How would you use the functions memcpy(), memset(), memmove()?
• How would you use the functions fseek(), freed(), fwrite() and ftell()?
• How would you obtain the current time and difference between two times?
• How would you use the functions randomize() and random()?
• How would you implement a substr() function that extracts a sub string from a given string?
• What is the difference between the functions rand(), random(), srand() and randomize()?
• What is the difference between the functions memmove() and memcpy()?
• How do you print a string on the printer?
• Can you use the function fprintf() to display the output on the screen?

C++- Questions

What is a class?
What is an object?
What is the difference between an object and a class?
What is the difference between class and structure?
What is public, protected, private?
What are virtual functions?
What is friend function?
What is a scope resolution operator?
What do you mean by inheritance?
What is abstraction?
What is polymorphism? Explain with an example.
What is encapsulation?
What do you mean by binding of data and functions?
What is function overloading and operator overloading?
What is virtual class and friend class?
What do you mean by inline function?
What do you mean by public, private, protected and friendly?
When is an object created and what is its lifetime?
What do you mean by multiple inheritance and multilevel inheritance? Differentiate between them.
Difference between realloc() and free?
What is a template?
What are the main differences between procedure oriented languages and object oriented languages?
What is R T T I ?
What are generic functions and generic classes?
What is namespace?
What is the difference between pass by reference and pass by value?
Why do we use virtual functions?
What do you mean by pure virtual functions?
What are virtual classes?
Does c++ support multilevel and multiple inheritance?
What are the advantages of inheritance?
When is a memory allocated to a class?
What is the difference between declaration and definition?
What is virtual constructors/destructors?
In c++ there is only virtual destructors, no constructors. Why?
What is late bound function call and early bound function call? Differentiate.
How is exception handling carried out in c++?
When will a constructor executed?
What is Dynamic Polymorphism?
Write a macro for swapping integers.

DATA STRUCTURE QUESTIONS

What is a data structure?
What does abstract data type means?
Evaluate the following prefix expression " ++ 26 + - 1324" (Similar types can be asked)
Convert the following infix expression to post fix notation ((a+2)*(b+4)) -1 (Similar types can be asked)
How is it possible to insert different type of elements in stack?
Stack can be described as a pointer. Explain.
Write a Binary Search program
Write programs for Bubble Sort, Quick sort
Explain about the types of linked lists
How would you sort a linked list?
Write the programs for Linked List (Insertion and Deletion) operations
What data structure would you mostly likely see in a non recursive implementation of a recursive algorithm?
What do you mean by Base case, Recursive case, Binding Time, Run-Time Stack and Tail Recursion?
Explain quick sort and merge sort algorithms and derive the time-constraint relation for these.
Explain binary searching, Fibinocci search.
What is the maximum total number of nodes in a tree that has N levels? Note that the root is level (zero)
How many different binary trees and binary search trees can be made from three nodes that contain the key values 1, 2 & 3?
A list is ordered from smaller to largest when a sort is called. Which sort would take the longest time to execute?
A list is ordered from smaller to largest when a sort is called. Which sort would take the shortest time to execute?
When will you sort an array of pointers to list elements, rather than sorting the elements themselves?
The element being searched for is not found in an array of 100 elements. What is the average number of comparisons needed in a sequential search to determine that the element is not there, if the elements are completely unordered?
What is the average number of comparisons needed in a sequential search to determine the position of an element in an array of 100 elements, if the elements are ordered from largest to smallest?
Which sort show the best average behavior?
What is the average number of comparisons in a sequential search?
Which data structure is needed to convert infix notations to post fix notations?
What do you mean by:
Syntax Error
Logical Error
Runtime Error
How can you correct these errors?
In which data structure, elements can be added or removed at either end, but not in the middle?
How will inorder, preorder and postorder traversals print the elements of a tree?
Parenthesis are never needed in prefix or postfix expressions. Why?
Which one is faster? A binary search of an orderd set of elements in an array or a sequential search of the elements.

JAVA QUESTIONS

What is the difference between an Abstract class and Interface?
What is user defined exception?
What do you know about the garbage collector?
What is the difference between java and c++?
In an htm form I have a button which makes us to open another page in 15 seconds. How will you do that?
What is the difference between process and threads?
What is update method called?
Have you ever used HashTable and Directory?
What are statements in Java?
What is a JAR file?
What is JNI?
What is the base class for all swing components?
What is JFC?
What is the difference between AWT and Swing?
Considering notepad/IE or any other thing as process, What will happen if you start notepad or IE 3 times ? Where three processes are started or three threads are started?
How does thread synchronization occur in a monitor?
Is there any tag in htm to upload and download files?
Why do you canvas?
How can you know about drivers and database information ?
What is serialization?
Can you load the server object dynamically? If so what are the 3 major steps involved in it?
What is the layout for toolbar?
What is the difference between Grid and Gridbaglayout?
How will you add panel to a frame?
Where are the card layouts used?
What is the corresponding layout for card in swing?
What is light weight component?
Can you run the product development on all operating systems?
What are the benefits if Swing over AWT?
How can two threads be made to communicate with each other?
What are the files generated after using IDL to java compiler?
What is the protocol used by server and client?
What is the functionability stubs and skeletons?
What is the mapping mechanism used by java to identify IDL language?
What is serializable interface?
What is the use of interface?
Why is java not fully objective oriented?
Why does java not support multiple inheritance?
What is the root class for all java classes?
What is polymorphism?
Suppose if we have a variable 'I' in run method, if I can create one or more thread each thread will occupy a separate copy or same variable will be shared?
What are virtual functions?
Write down how will you create a Binary tree?
What are the traverses in binary tree?
Write a program for recursive traverse?
What are session variable in servlets?
What is client server computing?
What is constructor and virtual function? Can we call a virtual function in a constructor?
Why do we use oops concepts? What is its advantage?
What is middleware? What is the functionality of web server?
Why is java not 100% pure oops?
When will you use an interface and abstract class?
What is the exact difference in between Unicast and Multicast object? Where will it be used?
What is the main functionality of the remote reference layer?
How do you download stubs from Remote place?
I want to store more than 10 objects in a remote server? Which methodology will follow?
What is the main functionality of Prepared Statement?
What is meant by Static query and Dynamic query?
What are Normalization Rules? Define Normalization?
What is meant by Servelet? What are the parameters of service method?
What is meant by Session? Explain something about HTTP Session Class?
In a container there are 5 components. I want to display all the component names, how will you do that?
Why there are some null interface in JAVA? What does it mean? Give some null interface in JAVA?
Tell some latest versions in JAVA related areas?
What is meant by class loader? How many types are there? When will we use them?
What is meant by flickering?
What is meant by distributed application? Why are we using that in our application?
What is the functionality of the stub?
Explain about version control?
Explain 2-tier and 3-tier architecture?
What is the role of Web Server?
How can we do validation of the fields in a project?
What is meant by cookies? Explain the main features?
Why java is considered as platform independent?
What are the advantages of java over C++?
How java can be connected to a database?
What is thread?
What is difference between Process and Thread?
Does java support multiple inheritance? if not, what is the solution?
What are abstract classes?
What is an interface?
What is the difference abstract class and interface?
What are adapter classes?
what is meant wrapper classes?
What are JVM.JRE, J2EE, JNI?
What are swing components?
What do you mean by light weight and heavy weight components?
What is meant by function overloading and function overriding?
Does java support function overloading, pointers, structures, unions or linked lists?
What do you mean by multithreading?
What are byte codes?
What are streams?
What is user defined exception?
In an htm page form I have one button which makes us to open a new page in 15 seconds. How will you do that?

Advanced JAVA questions

What is RMI?
Explain about RMI Architecture?
What are Servelets?
What is the use of servlets?
Explain RMI Architecture?
How will you pass values from htm page to the servlet?
How do you load an image in a Servelet?
What is purpose of applet programming?
How will you communicate between two applets?
What IS the difference between Servelets and Applets?
How do you communicate in between Applets and Servlets?
What is the difference between applet and application?
What is the difference between CGI and Servlet?
In the servlets, we are having a web page that is invoking servlets ,username and password? which is checks in database? Suppose the second page also if we want to verify the same information whether it will connect to the database or it will be used previous information?
What are the difference between RMI and Servelets?
How will you call an Applet using Java Script Function?
How can you push data from an Applet to a Servlet?
What are 4 drivers available in JDBC? At what situation are four of the drivers used?
If you are truncated using JDBC , how can you that how much data is truncated?
How will you perform truncation using JDBC?
What is the latest version of JDBC? What are the new features added in that?
What is the difference between RMI registry and OS Agent?
To a server method, the client wants to send a value 20, with this value exceeds to 20 a message should be sent to the client . What will you do for achieving this?
How do you invoke a Servelet? What is the difference between doPost method and doGet method?
What is difference between the HTTP Servelet and Generic Servelet? Explain about their methods and parameters?
Can we use threads in Servelets?
Write a program on RMI and JDBC using Stored Procedure?
How do you swing an applet?
How will you pass parameters in RMI? Why do you serialize?
In RMI ,server object is first loaded into memory and then the stub reference is sent to the client. true or false?
Suppose server object not loaded into the memory and the client request for it. What will happen?
What is the web server used for running the servelets?
What is Servlet API used for connecting database?
What is bean? Where can it be used?
What is the difference between java class and bean?
Can we sent objects using Sockets?
What is the RMI and Socket?
What is CORBA?
Can you modify an object in corba?
What is RMI and what are the services in RMI?
What are the difference between RMI and CORBA?
How will you initialize an Applet?
What is the order of method invocation in an Applet?
What is ODBC and JDBC? How do you connect the Database?
What do you mean by Socket Programming?
What is difference between Generic Servlet and HTTP Servelet?
What you mean by COM and DCOM?
what is e-commerce?

Operating System Questions

What are the basic functions of an operating system?
Explain briefly about, processor, assembler, compiler, loader, linker and the functions executed by them.
What are the difference phases of software development? Explain briefly?
Differentiate between RAM and ROM?
What is DRAM? In which form does it store data?
What is cache memory?
What is hard disk and what is its purpose?
Differentiate between Complier and Interpreter?
What are the different tasks of Lexical analysis?
What are the different functions of Syntax phase, Sheduler?
What are the main difference between Micro-Controller and Micro- Processor?
Describe different job scheduling in operating systems.
What is a Real-Time System ?
What is the difference between Hard and Soft real-time systems ?
What is a mission critical system ?
What is the important aspect of a real-time system ?
If two processes which shares same system memory and system clock in a distributed system, What is it called?
What is the state of the processor, when a process is waiting for some event to occur?
What do you mean by deadlock?
Explain the difference between microkernel and macro kernel.
Give an example of microkernel.
When would you choose bottom up methodology?
When would you choose top down methodology?
Write a small dc shell script to find number of FF in the design.
Why paging is used ?
Which is the best page replacement algorithm and Why? How much time is spent usually in each phases and why?
Difference between Primary storage and secondary storage?
What is multi tasking, multi programming, multi threading?
Difference between multi threading and multi tasking?
What is software life cycle?
Demand paging, page faults, replacement algorithms, thrashing, etc.
Explain about paged segmentation and segment paging
While running DOS on a PC, which command would be used to duplicate the entire diskette?

MICROPROCESSOR QUESTIONS

Which type of architecture 8085 has?
How many memory locations can be addressed by a microprocessor with 14 address lines?
8085 is how many bit microprocessor?
Why is data bus bi-directional?
What is the function of accumulator?
What is flag, bus?
What are tri-state devices and why they are essential in a bus oriented system?
Why are program counter and stack pointer 16-bit registers?
What does it mean by embedded system?
What are the different addressing modes in 8085?
What is the difference between MOV and MVI?
What are the functions of RIM, SIM, IN?
What is the immediate addressing mode?
What are the different flags in 8085?
What happens during DMA transfer?
What do you mean by wait state? What is its need?
What is PSW?
What is ALE? Explain the functions of ALE in 8085.
What is a program counter? What is its use?
What is an interrupt?
Which line will be activated when an output device require attention from CPU?

ELECTRONICS QUESTIONS

What is meant by D-FF?
What is the basic difference between Latches and Flip flops?
What is a multiplexer?
How can you convert an SR Flip-flop to a JK Flip-flop?
How can you convert an JK Flip-flop to a D Flip-flop?
What is Race-around problem? How can you rectify it?
Which semiconductor device is used as a voltage regulator and why?
What do you mean by an ideal voltage source?
What do you mean by zener breakdown and avalanche breakdown?
What are the different types of filters?
What is the need of filtering ideal response of filters and actual response of filters?
What is sampling theorem?
What is impulse response?
Explain the advantages and disadvantages of FIR filters compared to IIR counterparts.
What is CMRR? Explain briefly.
What do you mean by half-duplex and full-duplex communication? Explain briefly.
Which range of signals are used for terrestrial transmission?
What is the need for modulation?
Which type of modulation is used in TV transmission?
Why we use vestigial side band (VSB-C3F) transmission for picture?
When transmitting digital signals is it necessary to transmit some harmonics in addition to fundamental frequency?
For asynchronous transmission, is it necessary to supply some synchronizing pulses additionally or to supply or to supply start and stop bit?
BPFSK is more efficient than BFSK in presence of noise. Why?
What is meant by pre-emphasis and de-emphasis?
What do you mean by 3 dB cutoff frequency? Why is it 3 dB, not 1 dB?
What do you mean by ASCII, EBCDIC?

Waves from the past

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Thu, 24 Feb 2005 01:17:00 +0000

R. RAMACHANDRAN

The tsunami disaster triggers renewed interest in the study of historic earthquakes and ocean disturbances in the Indian Ocean region.

THOUGH the Indian subcontinent is in a seismically active region, tsunamis along the coastline of India have been rare, but not unprecedented. The oldest record of a sea-related disaster on the Indian coast that is interpreted as a tsunami is in 326 B.C. According to a 1974 account by Lietzin, and quoted by the scientists T.S. Murty of Ottawa, Canada, and Arun Bapat of Pune, a large magnitude earthquake in the Indus delta/Kutch region set off massive sea waves in the Arabian Sea, which destroyed the legendary Alexander the Great's Macedonian fleet on its journey back to Greece after Indian conquest.

AFP

A wave engulfs the restaurant and surrounding gardens of the Chedi resort in Phuket.

It is believed by some - but not generally accepted oqing to lack of evidence - that tsunamis may have occurred in 1524 near Dabhol in Maharashtra, in April 1762 in the Bay of Bengal as a result of an earthquake at the Araken Coast off Myanmar, in June 1819 after an earthquake in the Rann of Kutch, and in October 1847 following a quake in the Great Nicobar Island.

The more scientifically authentic, earliest record of a tsunami in the region is the one caused by the Car Nicobar earthquake of magnitude 7.9 on the Richter scale on December 31, 1881. There have been subsequent tsunami events that have affected the Indian shores - in 1883 following the tsunami off the Indonesian coast due to the Krakatoa volcano explosions; in June 1941 on the eastern coast of India as a result of a major earthquake of a magnitude of more than 8.0 in the Andaman Sea; and in November 1945, following an earthquake off Baluchistan in Pakistan, which affected the western coast of India.

The Andaman Sea is a particularly seismically active zone. Though there have been several earthquakes in this area, with magnitudes of up to 8.5, tsunamis have been rare. Not all submarine earthquakes generate tsunamis. There has to be significant vertical displacement of the body of water above the quake region for that to happen. So the nature of the fault and the tectonic movement causing the quake are important factors to consider.

According to Murty, who has studied tsunamis in the Bay of Bengal, earthquakes with magnitudes of less than about 7.2, will not generate significant tsunamis unless the earthquake occurs in a shallow and confined, small body of water. However, local earthquakes of magnitude above 7.2 have been very few - only three after the 1881 earthquake.

The earthquakes of August 1936 and May 1955 had magnitudes 7.3 and 7.25 respectively. They did not generate tsunamis. This is because tsunamis are usually associated with `dip-slip' type of faults, where there is thrusting between the plates and vertical displacement of water. In the case of thrusting earthquakes in the ocean, particularly in what are known as subduction zones that cause major tsunamis, the ocean floor predominantly moves in a vertical direction.

In `strike-slip' type earthquakes, on the other hand, the movement is mainly in the horizontal direction. It so happens that earthquakes in the Andaman Sea are mainly associated with strike-slip type of faulting. This is the reason why earthquakes less than a magnitude of 8.0 in the Andaman fault region do not lead to tsunamis in the Bay of Bengal, while similar magnitude earthquakes in the Pacific do. Also, quakes of larger magnitude are more in the seismically more active Pacific Rim, of which the Sumatra region is actually a part.

The December 1881 tsunami in the Bay of Bengal has been studied in detail by Roger Bilham of the United States and Modesto Ortiz of Mexico. Analysing the data from eight tide gauges surrounding the Bay of Bengal at that time, they conclude that the tsunami generated had a maximum wave height - what is known as the tsunami `run-up' - of 0.8m - 1.0m. Their analysis of the amplitude and waveform of the tsunami indicates that the 7.9 magnitude quake was due to a 2.7m slip of a 150 km long rupture in the subduction front on the Indian/Andaman plate boundary off Car Nicobar, which resulted in a 10-60 cm uplift of the island.

The tsunami induced by the massive Krakatoa volcanic explosions in Indonesia in August 1883, which is the biggest in known history before the present one, and which killed nearly 36,000 people, also had an impact on the east coast of India. A recent numerical simulation of the tsunami by a research group comprising two scientists from Korea, one from Japan, and one from Russia suggests that the waves should have affected the Andaman and Nicobar islands, the eastern coasts of Sri Lanka and India and parts of the western Indian coast as well, somewhat similar to what has happened in the current tsunami.

The results of their simulation appears to match fairly well with the original tide gauge data of the wave heights at various points, which they have been able to retrieve from archival sources. The analysis shows that wave heights reached were of the order of 0.5 m and the tsunami waves arrived about 4 hours after the event. The source of the waves was about 2,440 km from the Indian coast. Unofficial accounts have placed the wave height at Chennai to be about 1.5 m.

The next major earthquake that resulted in a tsunami in the Bay of Bengal was of magnitude 8.1 earthquake in the Andaman Sea (12.9°N, 92.5°E) in June 1941 and the tsunami did hit the east coast of India, damaging masonry structures and property in places like Chennai. The quake ruptured the region near the Andaman island. The number of dead in this event is not known. While some believe that there may not have been any dead as the magnitude has probably been overestimated, C.P. Rajendran, a scientist at the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), Thiruvananthapuram, an expert in the seismology of the Andamans, believes that the value may actually be an underestimate. According to him, the rupture length of over 800 km suggests a magnitude higher than what has been calculated on the basis of seismic waves.

The Andaman and Nicobar islands were under Japanese occupation at that time, so data from there was not available. However, according to Rajendran, for some reason, reliable tide gauge data of the east coast for events of that period are also apparently not available with the Survey of India. In fact, no records of the 1941 tsunami seem to have survived, although unofficial accounts put the toll as 3,000 dead. On the basis of non-scientific and journalistic sources, Murty and Bapat suggest that the height of the tsunami wave was of the order of 0.75-1.25 m.

On the western side of India, though anecdotal evidence suggests that tsunamis may have occurred following earthquakes in the Kutch region in 1524 and 1819, the first authentic evidence of a tsunami is of one caused by an earthquake of magnitude 8.25 off the Makran coast in Baluchistan in Pakistan (24.5°N and 63.0°E) in November 1945. This is supposed to have caused tsunami waves as high as 11.0 to 11.5 m in the Kutch region on the west coast of India and the waves are supposed to have reached Mumbai as well. A total of 4,000 people are supposed have died as a result of the earthquake and the tsunami. This information is again based on non-scientific sources and anecdotal accounts, as tide gauge data during the 1940s seem to be particularly lacking, perhaps owing to the Second World War. In the context of the present earthquake of 9.0 magnitude off the northwestern Sumatra coast and the spread of the tsunami caused by it throughout the Indian Ocean, it is of interest to know the consequences of the large earthquakes of 1833 and 1861 off the Sumatra coast. In size and location, the 1833 quake was quite similar to the present one. Its magnitude is estimated to be 8.7-8.8, even though the rupture area was much smaller (about 300 km) as compared to the present one of over 1,200 km. In fact, a recent estimate of the uplift of the Island, based on growth-ring record of coral-atolls, seems to suggest that the magnitude may have been as high as 9.2. The location, however, was in the central region of the western Sumatra coast. The 1861 earthquake was of a lower magnitude and is estimated to be 8.3-8.5 magnitude but again originating from the central region of the coast.

Tsunamis from both these Sumatran earthquakes occurred before the introduction of harbour tide gauges in most parts of the world. However, their sizes seem to suggest that the tsunamis would probably have affected the entire Indian Ocean basin. The 1861 tsunami was perhaps not strong enough to cause damage on shores across the ocean. Geoscience Australia has, however, been carrying out tsunami modelling studies on the 1833 earthquake from the point of view of estimating the threat of tsunamis from earthquakes in this region. North-west off Indonesia, the Australian Plate subducts beneath the Sunda Plate (which forms part of the larger Eurasian Plate in the Pacific). This subduction zone is called the Sunda Arc or the Sunda Trench.

REUTERS

A satellite image of the Little Andaman Island taken on January 2. It shows the destruction caused along the coast and also far from the shore.

The Sunda Arc comprises two distinct zones. The eastern part is where relatively old (over 100 million years) oceanic lithosphere subducts offshore Java. Very few classical subduction zone earthquakes - such as the present one - occur in this region. On the other hand, further to the north-west on the Sunda Arc, young (40 million years) oceanic lithosphere subducts offshore Sumatra. The subduction of such young oceanic lithosphere can cause the most massive thrust earthquakes that generate huge tsunamis. However, this subduction zone is not as active as the ones in the Pacific Rim, which cause frequent tsunamis. Also, the thrust earthquakes that do occur as a result of this subduction and the propagation characteristics of the tsunamis that they do generate have been such as to cause local effects but not affect coasts thousands of kilometres away in the northern part of the Indian Ocean.

The modelling of the 1833 quake by Geoscience Australia has thrown up interesting results. The modelling is for open-ocean or deep water propagation only and does not estimate the effects of the shoreline topography and the consequent run-up. Though the bulk of the propagation is away from the Indian coast and into the central Indian Ocean basin towards the African coast, the simulation shows that the tsunami should have been strong enough to reach the Indian eastern and southwestern shores .

Clive Collins, Project Director at Geoscience Australia, has been seeking information on the Internet about possible tsunami related events of November 1833 from any possible source. So far, however, the organisation has not received any pertinent data from any source that could confirm the results of their model. The 2004 tsunami data from the affected Asian countries would, however, be of immense use in validating the model, Collins says. Indeed, a mega thrusting of this kind, resulting in a 9.0 magnitude quake and a vertical displacement of the fault plane by as much as 15 m, may not recur for hundreds of years.

The probability of a killer tsunami on the Indian coast may continue to be negligible but the current mega disaster has thrown new light on threat perceptions in the region from distant tsunamis in the Indian Ocean. This should trigger a renewed interest in the study of historic earthquakes and ocean disturbances in the region, so as to generate an appropriate database. There should also be study as to whether, buried in the past records, there was ever a hint of an impending disaster of such magnitude

India: A Brief History

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Fri, 11 Feb 2005 16:29:00 +0000

Archaeological excavations have brought to light the remains of a highly developed urban civilisation in ancient India, that stretched across approximately 1520 kilometres, extending from the area on the upper Sutlaj in contemporary Punjab to Lothal in Gujarat. Historians are of the view that this civilisation flourished in the third millennium before the birth of Christ.

It is known by the name of the two of its great cities - Harappa and Mohenjodaro situated on the left and the right bank respectively of the river Ravi in Punjab. The two cities were built on a similar plan - houses constructed with standard burnt bricks arranged in squares, along roads intersecting at right angles.

The houses varied in size but were all based on the same plan - a small courtyard surrounded by rooms with entrances in side alleys, often multistoried with no windows opening out to the street. The houses had bathrooms and the drains flowing out were connected to covered sewers with soak-pits. This unique sewage system is amongst the most impressive achievements of the Indus people and sets them apart from all other ancient civilisations.

By about 1500 B.C. an important change began to occur in the northern half of the Indian sub-continent. The Harappa culture in the Indus Valley had declined by about 1750 B.C, and the stage was being set for a second and more continuous urbanisation in the Ganges Valley.

The earliest literary source that sheds light on India's past is the Rig Veda. It is difficult to date this work with any accuracy on the basis of tradition and ambiguous astronomical information contained in the hymns. It is most likely that Rig Veda was composed between 1,500 B.C. and 1,000 B.C.

The people who composed these evocative hymns to nature and celebrated life exuberantly referred to themselves as Aryas usually anglicised as Aryan meaning 'superior'.

The 6th Century B.C. was a period of great ferment in India. The kingdom of Magadh -one of the 16 great janapadas - polities - had established paramountcy over other kingdoms of the Ganges Valley. This was the time when Buddhism and Jainism emerged as popular protestant movements to pose a serious challenge to Brahmanic orthodoxy. The fluid political situation, made it possible for Chandragupta Maurya (reign - 322 - 298 B.C.) to oust the oppressive ruler of Magadh and found his own dynasty.

The most famous of the Mauryas is Ashoka the Great (reign - 273 - 232 B.C.). He extended the boundaries of his empire considerably - stretching from Kashmir and Peshawar in the North and Northwest to Mysore in the South and Orissa in the East - but his fame rests not so much on military conquests as on his celebrated renunciation of war. After witnessing the carnage at the battle field of Kalinga (269 B.C.) in Orissa, Ashoka resolved to dedicate himself to Dhamma - or righteousness.

Ashoka died around 232 B.C. and the empire began to disintegrate under weak successors. Pushyamitra Shunga, a Brahmin general usurped the throne after slaying the last Maurya king and presided over a loosely federal polity. In subsequent centuries India suffered a series of invasions, and in the absence of a strong central authority, often fell under the spell of foreign rulers - Indo Bactrians, the Sakas and others.

For the next four hundred years, India remained politically disunited and weak. It was repeatedly raided and plundered by foreigners. Stability was restored by the Guptas. Exploits of Samudra Gupta (reign - 335 - 380 A.D.) - an illustrious ruler of this line - are recorded on a stone inscription at Allahabad.

It was Chandra Gupta II (reign - 380 - 412 A.D.) - Samudra Gupta's successor - who finally defeated the Sakas and re-established a strong central authority. His reign registered the high watermark in Indian culture. His accomplishments in war and peace were glorious enough for him to claim the title Vikramaditya - the resplendent, great and good king of legends. Fa-hien, a Chinese traveller who was in India from 399 - 414 A.D. has left an interesting account of contemporary India. This age of peace and prosperity witnessed an unprecedented flowering of art, literature and the sciences.

Kalidas, the famous Sanskrit poet and dramatist, author of Abhijnana Shankuntalam, Kumarsambhavam and Meghadutam is believed to have adorned the Gupta court. Mathematicians like Aryabhatta and astronomers like Varahmihir lived during this period. The dazzling wall paintings of Ajanta too are traced back to this era. This period also saw the beginning of Hindu temple architecture.

The twilight of the Gupta Empire saw the setting in of decay. Powerful feudal governors in the provinces declared their independence. Trade and commerce suffered and social evils crept in. There was only a brief afterglow in the time of Harshavardhan (reign - 604 - 647 A.D.) - of Kannauj - who is famous for his philanthrophy and patronage of Buddhism. Himself an accomplished writer, he encouraged eminent dramatists like Bana. A Chinese traveller Huen-tsang visited India from (629 - 645 A.D.) during the rule of Harshavardhan. His account gives us an opportunity to note the changes that had taken place in the lives of the Indian people since the days of the Guptas.

In the Deccan, the Cholas ruled over what today are the districts of Thanjavur and Tiruchirapally. In the 2nd Century B.C. a Chola prince conquered Sri Lanka. The Pandyas reigned around present day Tirunelvelli and Madurai. A Pandyan king sent an ambassador to the court of the Roman emperor Augustus in first Century B.C. The territory under the Cheras was what constitutes the present day central and northern Kerala.

Pallavas of Kanchi rose to prominence in the 4th Century A.D. and ruled unchallenged for about four hundred years. The Nayanar and Alvar saint poets belong to this period. The gemlike shore temples at Mahabalipuram date to this period.

The Cholas overthrew the Pallavas in the 9th Century and regained political primacy in south India. The exquisitely crafted Chola bronzes - the resplendent Natraja - the Dancing Shiva - have introduced the world to the glory of the Cholas. The tide of political fortunes turned once again in the 13th Century to make the Pandyas dominant. Their kingdom became a great centre of international trade. Art, literature and culture flourished under generous patronage. The 15th Century saw the decline of the Pandyas.

Foreign invasions had little impact on the life in southern India and this region remained unaffected by political upheavals that convulsed the north.

iNDIA 400,000 BC to 2003

Prehistoric Period: ca. 400,000 BC - 3000 BC
400,000 - 200,000 BC: Interglacial period : Soan Valley and in south India, chiefly around Madras
200,000 - 8,000 BC: Late ICE Age, which lasted till 8000 BC
8,000 BC - 4,000 BC: the end of the Ice Age, began an intermediate stage called as Mesolithic Age [Late Stone Age] which lasted up to 4000 B.C.
4,000 BC - 3,000 BC: Neolithic Age [New Stone Age] which lasted from 4000 B.C. to 3000 B.C was the last phase of the Stone Age

Indus / Saraswathi Valley Civilisation: ca. 3000-1200 BC

ca. 3000-2600: Indus Valley civilization: Harappan civilization

2600-2500: Harappan Civilization at its height
2000-1900: Harappan Civilization collapses
c. 1300: Aryans migrate into the Indus Valley
c. 1000: Aryans migrate into Ganges Valley

ca. 1200-500 BC: Vedic Era

ca. 1200-900: Rig-Veda
ca. 900-500: Later Vedas and early Upanishads

ca. 550-100 BC: Rivals to Hinduism

ca 550: Birth of Mahavira
ca. 563-483: Siddhartha Gautama - Buddhism Chronology

ca. 322-185 BC: Mauryan Empire

321-297 BC: Chandragupta Maurya
ca. 273-237: Asoka
ca. 185-100: The Laws of Manu

ca. AD 320-540: Gupta Era

ca. 320-335: Chandragupta I
ca. 335-376: Samudragupta
ca. 376-415: Chandragupta II
ca. 454-500: Hun Invasions
ca. 540: End of Gupta Dynasty

ca. AD 500-1001: Era of Political instability

ca. 540: Rise of Chalukyas at Vatapi
ca. 606-646: Harsha of Kanauj
ca. 700-800: Buddhism spreads to Tibet and Nepal
711: Arabs invade Sind
ca. 750: Rise of imperial Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas
760: Palas in Bengal
ca. 846: Rise of Cholas and defeat of Pallavis
ca. 970: Revival of Chalukyas and defeat of Rashtrakutas

1000-1750: Period of Muslim dominance

1001: Raids by Mahmud of Ghanzi
1206-1290: Slave Dynasty and Beginning of Delhi Sultanate
1290-1320: Khalji Sultanate
1320-1413: Tughlug Sultanate
1414-1451: Sayyid Sultanate
1451-1526: Lodi Sultanate
1498: Vasco da Gama arrives in India
1483-1757: The Mughal Empire
- 1526-1530: Reign of Babur
- 1556-1605: Reign of Akbar
- 1600: British East India Company is chartered
- 1605-1627: Reign of Jahangir
- 1628-1658: Reign of Shah Jahan
- 1658-1707: Reign of Aurangzeb
- 1744-1748: War between French and British

Hindu Philosophy

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 02:37:00 +0000

Characteristics
Hindu philosophy began in the period of the Upanishads (900–500 B.C.), but systematic philosophical elaboration did not appear until several centuries later. Philosophical tenets were presented in the form of aphorisms or sutras, intended to serve as an aid to memory and a basis for oral elaboration. Their extreme conciseness presupposes an oral or written commentary, and the traditions developed through successive layers of commentarial tradition. Although all six schools of classical Hindu philosophy accepted the authority of the Veda, they had widely differing philosophical positions; they developed in competition not only with one another, but also with the so-called heterodox schools, which rejected the authority of the Veda: Buddhism, Jainism, the Ajivikas or skeptics, and the materialist Carvaka school.	2

Schools of Hindu Philosophy
Nyaya, traditionally founded by Akshapada Gautama (6th cent. B.C.), is a school of logic and epistemology that defined the rules of debate and canons of proof. Its views were accepted with modification by most of the other schools. The atomist school, Vaisheshika, founded by Kanada (3d cent. B.C.), analyzed reality into six categories: substance, quality, activity, generality, particularity, and inherence. The universe is made up of nine kinds of substance: earth, water, light, air, ether, time, space, soul (or self), and mind.	3
The Samkhya school, founded by Kapila (6th cent. B.C.), admits two basic metaphysical principles, purusha (soul) and prakriti (materiality). Prakriti consists of three gunas or qualities: sattva (light or goodness), rajas (activity or passion), and tamas (darkness or inertia). When these constituents are in equilibrium, prakriti is static. However, disturbance of the equilibrium initiates a process of evolution that ultimately produces both the material world and individual faculties of action, thought, and sense. The purusha appears to be bound to prakriti and its modifications and may become free only through the realization that it is distinct from prakriti. Early versions of Samkhya, now lost, may have been theistic, but the classical system does not include God. The yoga school expounded by Patanjali (2d cent. B.C.) accepts Samkhya metaphysics to explain the validity of yogic processes described in the Yoga Sutras and also accepts the concept of an Ishvara, God or supreme soul. Yoga is defined as “cessation of the modifications of consciousness” and is achieved by an eight-stage discipline of self-control and meditation.	4
The Purva Mimamsa school, founded by Jaimini (2d cent. B.C.), set forth sophisticated principles for interpreting the Veda, which was regarded as entirely composed of injunctions to ritual action. Its epistemology and theory of meaning were constructed to show that the words of the Veda had eternal and intrinsic validity. The different schools of Uttara Mimamsa or Vedanta are all based on the Upanishads and the Brahma-Sutras of Badarayana (c.200 B.C.–A.D. 200), but differ in their concepts of God, world, soul, and the relation between them.

Facts about India :)

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 15:23:00 +0000

Population: 1,045,845,226 (July 2002 est.)
The population clock in the Union Health Ministry, Nirman Bhavan, New Delhi, now ticks at the rate of 31 persons per minute. The clock shows that about 44,640 babies are born in India everyday. Hence the population of India increases by 16.29 million every year, which is equivalent to the total population of Australia or Japan.

The present population of India is around 1.4 Billion (1400 Million). The billionth baby is a girl. Her name is ASTHA (which means Faith). Her mother's name is Anjana Arora, and her father's name is Ashok Kumar Arora. She was born in Delhi at Saftharjung Hospital at 5.50 a.m. on Thursday, May 11, 2000.

India with about 2.4% of the land area in the world contains about 16% of the population of the world.

The density of the population in India has climbed up from 261 per square kilometer in 1981 to 267 per square kilometer in 1991. This is ten times greater than the density in the United States (26 per square kilometer) and 2.5 times greater than the density in China (109 per square kilometer).

The birth rate in India (31 per thousand people) is greater than that of China (20 per thousand people). If this trend continues, India will beat up China by 2025 A.D., making India the most populous nation in the world. In 2025 A.D, India will have 1591 million people and China 1554 million people.

Only five countries in the world - China, USA, Brazil, Indonesia, and United USSR have more population than Uttar Pradesh (145 million), which is one of the 28 states in India.

The total population of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu was 55.6 million as of 1991. About 4,478,000 people die every year in Tamil Nadu, or to put it another way, 1,227 people die every day. Every year the total Population of Australia, is added to the population of India. One out of every seven people in the world lives in India.

More people live in India than all the people living in North America, South America, and Australia put together. The death rate in India is 8.39 million per year. This means that 23,000 people everyday, 958 people every hour, or 16 people every minute

Age structure:
0-14 years: 32.7% (male 175,858,386; female 165,724,901)
15-64 years: 62.6% (male 338,957,463; female 316,063,497)
65 years and over: 4.7% (male 24,975,465; female 24,265,514) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.51% (2002 est.)
Birth rate:
23.79 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate:
8.62 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
61.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.23 years
female: 63.93 years (2002 est.)
male: 62.55 years
Total fertility rate:
2.98 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.7% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3.7 million (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
310,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Indian(s)
adjective: Indian
Ethnic groups:
Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)
Religions:
Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5% (2000)
Languages:
English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 52%
male: 65.5%
female: 37.7% (1995 est.)

Alcohol: Some Trivia

noreply@blogger.com (Animesh) — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 02:51:00 +0000

This week's trivia is about uisce beatha which literally means "the water of life" - alcohol.

The name whisky is a transformation of the word usquebaugh, itself a transformation of the Scottish Gaelic uisge beatha spelled uisce beatha in Irish Gaelic, literally meaning the "water of life".

Whisky has been produced in Scotland for hundreds of years. It is generally agreed that Dalriadan Scots monks brought distillation with them when they came to Caledonia to convert the Picts to Christianity in the fourth and fifth centuries A.D. Friar John Cor recorded the first known batch of scotch whisky June 1st 1495.

The origins of vodka (and of its name) cannot be traced definitively, but it is believed to have originated in either Poland or Russia. Surprisingly, until recent times there were no serious historical research on vodka as a product. Nearly all research on vodka was in fact research of drinking and selling vodka, rather than of manufacturing vodka. Paradoxically, the weakening of the Soviet Union somewhat changed this situation (but the conclusive word is yet to be said). The second half of the 1970s witnessed two massive attacks on the priority and rights of the Soviet Union to market liquors named "vodka". The first assault was a long the lines that the Russian Revolution "discontinued" Russia's trademark for vodka, which was naturally" transferred to emigrated manufacturers of vodka, Smirnoff in particular, because of prohibition by Soviets, so that officially the Soviet Union started manufacturing vodka in 1923.

This was refuted fairly easily. The second assault, by Poland, was more serious, and the Soviet Union undertook the historical research to substantiate Russia's priority, which was completed by 1979, and in 1982 the international arbitrage considered it convincing enough to grant the USSR the priority in vodka as Russian original alcoholic beverage and recognized the Soviet trademark motto "Only vodka from Russia is genuine Russian vodka".