Music Movies And More

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Mera Eh Charkha No Lakha Kurray

2012-05-20T01:45:00.003-07:00

Nusrat Fateh Ali khan is a awesome personality. His music and voice can make you feel fresh. Here is an awesome song from him and one of my favourite too. Tera ae charkha nau lakha kure.

Teri Meri Kahaani (Music review), Hindi – Sajid-Wajid

2012-05-20T01:44:00.001-07:00

Wajid does a surprisingly good job in singing the bubbly Mukhtasar that, for some inexplicable reason, sounds a lot like London Paris New York’s title song! Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s Allah jaane is predictable, but is wonderfully serene and pleasant! Jabse mere dil ko‘s guitar and retro outlook is very appealing, as is Sonu and Sunidhi’s vocals. The techno qawali Humse pyaar kar le tu is too derivative to work, while That’s all I really wanna do‘s nursery rhyme-like tune is plain annoying. But for these two songs, Teri Meri Kahaani is a fairly competent effort from Sajid and Wajid!

ISHAQZAADE (Hindi; 2012)

2012-05-20T01:41:00.001-07:00

In recent years, there have been a number of Bollywood films to return to the "Hindi heartland," not necessarily in search of a "social" film seeking to make a point about inter-caste violence or some such issue, but as part of a kind of backlash against the addled juvenilia and sentimentality of nearly two decades of Hindi films, a large number of them set amidst frolic in foreign locations (often, in malls, hotels, and other generic foreign locations, a reminder that what these films imagined was the (triumphal inhabiting of the) foreign -- often laced with insularity, if not outright xenophobia -- as symbolic marker of affluence). Some of these mofussil-centric films -- Baabarr(2009), for instance -- have been unfortunately shallow; others, such as Ishqiya (2010), far more interesting; but all have to negotiate the tension between the desire of their filmmakers (many of whom are from India's smaller cities: Abhishek Chaubey, the director of Ishqiya, is from Gorakhpur; Habib Faisal, from Bhopal) to represent worlds that all too often are overlooked in Bollywood's universe of representation (in the latter, to be "ethnic," certainly cheerful and ethnic, is all too often to be Punjabi); and the metropolitan audience's predilection to locating its own other in the mofussils "out there" -- violent and blood-strewn, and at once backward and suffering from a dysfunction of democracy itself (imagined as a kind of ghundaa rajfrom which the metropolitan audience has itself seceded). The line, that is to say, between filming untold stories and pandering is thin indeed.

It is a line Habib Faisal's Ishaqzaade must also straddle, but does so with great aplomb, with perhaps the least self-conscious portrayal of the U.P. badlands I have seen in years, especially in its language, with Faisal himself writing the piquant and naturalistic dialogs. Faisal is able to achieve this not just because he seems to know this world, but because he does not judge: while the frisson of the metropolitan gaze is never completely absent, the viewer is not meant to understand the casual misogyny, the liberal use of words like "kaafir," as evidence of how far "behind" the major metros India's badlands are, nor as markers of whether a particular character is "good" or "bad"; rather -- and this is somewhat disconcerting -- Faisal presents his milieu (a town called Almore) with a shrug, as it were. That is to say, unlike in far too many films set in the heartland, people in Faisal's Almore aren't simply performing their demographic background, they are irredeemably themselves -- thus the spunky firebrand Zoya (Parineeti Chopra) isn't foul-mouthed and trigger-happy because she's from Almore; she's explicitly depicted as unconventional, certainly (like all of us) a product of a particular background, but that inheritance arranged in a singular way, one that isn't pre-destined. Faisal is neither trying to further a project by means of his setting, about a backward other who needs to be civilized; nor is his the orientalist gaze that allows the other only culture and locale, no agency. In short, Faisal's world is driven by character, not anthropological destiny (a point at least some of the film's reviewers seem to have missed).

The picture Faisal paints is vivid indeed, of a town riven by political rivalry between the Chauhans and the Qureshis, and brought to a boil because of an impending election. Each clan is led by a patriarch, enthusiastically served by children and even grand-children. In the case of the Qureshis, no-one is more enthusiastic in the service of the cause of family advancement and political power than the daughter Zoya. Faisal tells you all you really need to know about her in her first scene as an adult, when we find her exchanging gold jewelry for a gun (and haggling over the price to boot); no wallflower, this one (the name is a clue, pointing to Pakistani TV actress Marina Khan's famous turns in Hasina Moin's mini-series from the 1980s; the fascination for Moin's work lingers in Yashraj film-makers not named Chopra -- apart from the obvious channels of influence running both ways between the director of Silsila and the Pakistani screenwriter, Yashraj hired Moin to co-write the dialog of Veer-Zaara (2004) -- and Ishqzaade's Zoya channels the spunky Marina Khan from over two decades ago, even if her environs are vastly different from the manicured lawns of Karachi's posher sets). Zoya isn't the first of the leads to be introduced, however: Chauhan thug Parmi (Arjun Kapoor), very much the dis-favored one of the patriarch's grandsons (his mother's sin is having survived her young husband, thereby calling into question the clan's honor), has already been marauding across the screen, displaying the sort of viciousness and braggadocio that make him a much less interesting -- because one-dimensional -- character than the Zoya he is destined to fall in love with. The Romeo-and-Juliet course of events is entirely predictable, but the film makes it seem relatively fresh -- until (ironically) the unforeseen twist that heralds the interval and a somewhat sub-par second half, where Faisal seems to be less focused, the film morphing into a Hindu-Muslim love story (punctuated by a few too many scenes of gangs of men running around unable to shoot straight, and culminating in a plea for tolerance where inter-community romances are concerned), rather than the odd love story promised by the first half. I shouldn't be too harsh though, given that Faisal is getting better as a director: his second film is more ambitious, and, on balance, better than Do Dooni Char (2010), Faisal's directorial debut about a middle-class Delhi Punjabi family buffeted by the rampant materialism around them; and even if both films began better than they ended, I'd love to see what he comes up with next.

Cinematographer Hemant Chaturvedi deserves no small measure of the credit for Ishaqzaade, with a number of memorable shots, ranging from the stylish -- the opening scene includes a shot from a low vantage point between railtrack and train -- to the unobtrusively real -- when Parmi and his buddies finally get a diesel-powered generator to start, Chaturvedi makes sure we can see the fumes rising around the grinning young man. Even sequences of the sort we've seen many times before, such as a couple of chase sequences through Almore's narrow alleys, are rescued both by the charm of the locale and Chaturvedi's sure eye, that knows the scenes' claustrophobic urban backdrops are huge assets. The influence of Mani Ratnam's and Vishal Bhardwaj's cinematographers hangs heavy over Chaturvedi's outdoor shots, but that's hardly a bad thing. Amit Trivedi's energetic soundtrack works well with the film, although "Pareshaan," alternating between delicate and rock, is the only memorable song; Trivedi and Faisal do get points for ensuring the item numbers "Hua Chokra Jawaan" and "Jhalla Waala" will never be mistaken for other songs of its ilk this year, an achievement given they're a dime a dozen these days (less felicitous is the video for "Jhalla Waala," which contains one of the film's few glaring false notes: it beggars belief that the Qureshis would let their daughter dance with a prostitute, at a party where her brothers, father, and prospective groom were all ogling the naatch-girl no less).

The cast is uniformly competent, with the women the most memorable: the actresses who play Zoya's and Parmi's mothers stand out, the former for her understated naturalism, the latter for her screen presence and timing -- alas, I do not know their names, and depressingly enough, even the list of cast members on Yashraj's website stops at the lead pair. Anil Rastogi seems born to the part of the elder Chauhan, a perfect foil to the more refined Aftab Qureshi (Ratan Singh Rathore) -- all four seemed to relish mouthing the dialogs (with Rastogi perhaps having the most fun of all), a rarity, but also a compliment to Faisal's writing. Arjun Kapoor is enthusiastic and competent, although the shadow of more than one Abhishek Bachchan role hangs heavy on him, mixed with more than a little of the young Anil Kapoor's brashness. He's likable enough, but is easily over-shadowed by Parineeti Chopra, whose (fiery) girl-next-door act, in only her second film, is far and away the film's main pillar. Chopra is a natural actress -- her Urdu diction, a fetish for me, is pretty convincing in Ishaqzaade -- with the sort of wide-mouthed smile that evokes Julia Louis-Dreyfus. More to the point, she isn't obsessed with daintiness like too many Bollywood actresses -- her stance says it all, her legs firmly planted on the ground. This girl could run, or fire a weapon, I remember thinking, and she certainly has the heartiest hugs Bollywood has vouched us in quite a while. Such friendly solidity does have its downside -- as was true of Marina Khan, Chopra shows great comfort with her on-screen lover, without the faintest danger of any sexiness creeping in (indeed, the two love scenes between the pair might be the worst since Amitabh Bachchan bedded the unconscious Meenakshi Seshadri in Ganga Jamuna Saraswati (1988) (hey, can't help it if the only way to rescue her from hypothermia is to mount her!) Okay, I'm exaggerating, but the love-making scenes here are almost comically bad) -- but I'm definitely interested in seeing how she develops (I might even be tempted to try and brave her only other film). The fact that that debut film is the seemingly wretchedLadies vs. Rickie Behl (2011), immediately underscores that you could do a lot worse than Ishaqzaade this weekend -- I don't need to have watched Dangerous Ishq (in 3-D, no less) to tell you that.

Matthew Lewis

2012-05-19T00:02:00.000-07:00

Matthew Lewis

Matthew Lewis is a British actor best known for his role as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter series. Who knew that the awkward Neville would turn out to be the hottest of the Harry Potter guys? Someone grew up really well. Wanna see a then-and-now picture?

Matthew Lewis - Then and Now!

What do you think – is Matt Lewis the hottest Harry Potter boy? Remember, Tom Felton was our hottie once!

Post Customization is back in Blogger Help forum

2012-05-17T04:16:00.002-07:00

The new Blogger help forum first gave a full customization options for members to customize their reply, but after few days, they discontinued it, don't know why. But it's back now.

I am happy that the customization options are back for all, because in Blogger Help forum we need more than just plain text, without the Code option in customization it's very difficult to highlight any codes posted.

Hope that these options will remain there for everyone so that we can communicate in the forum more efficiently.

Now it will be fun to work in the forum to help blogger users with their problems.

How to Open Files that have Unknown Extensions

2012-05-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

Extensions, or the characters that precede the last period in a file name, help you determine the type of a file (is it an image, a video or something else) and you immediately know which software program is required to preview that file.

However, you may sometimes come across files that either have unknown extensions or don’t have any extension at all. How do you then determine the associated application that is required to open a file when you don’t recognize the file type itself?

Research Unknown File Extensions with Wolfram

The first thing you are likely to do is “google” for the file extension but there is an easier open as well. Go to Wolfram Alpha and just search for the file extension with the dot (or period) – see example.

Wolfram won’t just reveal the technical details of that file extension – like the developer and MIME type – but also generates a list of software programs that you may use to open that file on your computer – see sample results.
Identifying Files that don’t have an Extension

If a file doesn’t have an extension, you can still identify the format of that file from its signature. All known file types have a standard and unique signature and this data is stored in the file itself. There are programs that can read this signature* and determine the file format even if the extension is missing from the file name.

The most popular program in the category of file identifiers is TrIDNet. First download and unzip the TrIDNet utility and the associated XML definition files in the same directory. Then open the TrIDNet.exe file, press the “Rescan Defs” button to load the file signatures (you only need to do this once) and then drag-drop any unknown files that you wish to analyze.

It will show the different file types that match with the file’s signature and you can then use Wolfram Alpha again to learn about the different programs that can be used to open that particular file type. Do remember to rename the files after identification (press F2, prefix a dot with the extension).

How To Access Files Of Your Computer From Anywhere

2012-05-16T22:32:00.002-07:00

The problem: You have documents, photos, music and other important files on the home computer. How can you “remotely access” these files from your office computer or, when you are travelling, from your mobile phone?

The solution: The simplest solution would be that you copy all your data from the home computer on to a portable hard drive and carry it around but this is obviously a bit cumbersome approach as it requires you to manually sync the home computer and your portable disk.

Access Files on your Computer over the Internet

There are couple of ways by which you can retrieve files stored on your home computer from anywhere else using a regular Internet connection.

Option 1: Using Online Backup

You can use an online backup service like SugarSync, Carbonite, SkyDrive or even Dropbox– they provide desktop utilities that will automatically upload files on your home computer to the Internet and you can then access these files through the web browser of any other Internet connected computer.

The upside is that your files will always be available to you even if the home computer is not running. SugarSync and Carbonite have a mobile optimized website so you can access files from any mobile phone as well.

The downside is that if you are using any of these services for the first time, you’ll to wait until they upload all your data to the cloud and this process may take long if you have too many files on the home computer.

Option 2: Using Desktop Sharing Software

There are free desktop sharing software like TeamViewer and UltraVNC that also let you remotely access your computer files from anywhere else. LogMeIn Pro and CrossLoop Home are some other good options for transferring files from a remote computer but these are paid services.

If all your computers are running Windows, you can use the built-in remote desktop connection feature of Windows (available in XP and later) to access your home computer from another Window computer over the Internet.

With Desktop Sharing software, you’ll always have access to all your files but one big limitation is that it requires that the remote computer stays on. Also, none of these options will help you access files on a mobile phone except LogMeIn which has an iPhone app.

Option 3: Access Files Directly through the Browser

Online backup services, discussed above, will copy files to their own servers before you can access them for anywhere else. Screen sharing services are often slow and they won’t work on most mobile devices. Let’s now explore another set of services that allow you download files directly from the home computer.

Copernic, like Google Desktop, is a popular desktop search software that you may use to find emails, documents and other files on your Windows computer. They have a paid component called myCopernic on the Go that lets you remotely search for content stored on the home or office computer. You can preview the search results and then download them to your mobile phone or remote PC.

With Opera Unite, you can easily turn your computer into a web server and instantly access files and folders on that computer from any other web browser (including that of mobile phones). Opera Unite is a standard web server and therefore you’ll be downloading files directly from the computer – they’re not uploaded anywhere else.

Another option is GBridge that lets you setup a virtual private network using your existing Google Account. Companies use VPNs to let employees access corporate data over a public network (Internet) and with GBridge, even home users can build their own VPNs to access remote files more securely.

Windows Live Sync at sync.live.com is another great choice for remotely accessing files over the Internet. Just install the Live Sync client on your computer and you can then access the entire hard drive of that computer simply through the Windows Live Sync website.

Live Sync is available for both Mac and Windows. The new version of Live Sync is even better and it has integrated online storage (Live Mesh) so you’ll be able to access your important file even if the remote computer is off.

Finally, you may also want to check out HomePipe – this is an extremely easy and free service that lets you access your home files and media from any other computer or mobile phone. Install the HomePipe Agent and all files on that computer will instantly become available through the web. They also have apps for iPhone and Android phones

Delay of One X, EVO 4G LTE. HTC-Apple Dispute

2012-05-16T12:28:00.002-07:00

HTC One smartphone

Apple succeeded a narrow victory over HTC in a patent lawsuit in December over technology in the smartphones, one of many such disputes in the fiercely competitive smartphone market.

HTC said in a statement on Wednesday that "the US availability of the HTC One X and HTC EVO 4G LTE has been delayed due to a standard US Customs review of shipments that is required after an ITC ( International Trade Commission) exclusion order".

Under that ruling, HTC phones with the disputed technology would be banned from entering the US from April 19. HTC has said that it has a workaround in its new phones to avoid the technology. The shipments still require inspection however.

Some shipments of the One X model had reached the US before the ban date, enabling the model's launch, but further shipments are being delayed, an HTC official in Taipei said.

US operator AT&T, which has been carrying the One X model in store since May 6, says the smartphone is "out of stock" on its website.

The launch of the EVO 4G LTE by Sprint, originally scheduled for Friday, will be delayed. Sprint has been taking pre-orders on its website.

In its statement, HTC said it believes it is "in compliance with the ruling and HTC is working closely with customs to secure approval". Sprint and AT&T both declined to comment.

As of 0405 GMT, HTC shares were down 4.6 per cent in a broader market down 1.3 per cent

In late February, HTC announced its One series of models with fast graphic chips and advanced music and photography functions, to generally positive reviews from analysts and tech bloggers.

Human-Centred Education

2012-05-16T02:07:00.000-07:00

It does not take much practice at entering the consciousness of a young child to discover several things. The world, to a child’s consciousness, is wonderfully fresh and new, and wonderfully exciting. What is more, young children, before they enter school, have an incredible lust to learn. It is this desire that draws them upright and teaches them to walk and talk, and urges them to ask the incessant questions that normally drive adults to distraction.

But how long do these aspects of the child’s consciousness survive the normal educational environment? Maybe a year or two ― at most.

Extract from

Education for Freedom by Garry Richardson

(back cover 1985 edition)

During the last century there has been an intensifying interest in the ways in which we teach children to learn. In that time a transformation has taken place: from treating children as an empty slate which parents and educators can inscribe to a central concern with the natural learning processes of children. There are many people and movements who have contributed to this change: Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy and ideas; Piaget’s ‘genetic epistemology’ emphasizing how humans acquire knowledge; Montessori’s emphasis on creativity and independence as the learning experience for children; and Ivan Illich’s notion of ‘de-schooling’, learning webs and life-long learning. These are just a few examples. This paper is based on my belief that human-centred education provides the best focus on the intrinsic learning needs of young children – needs which are inseparable from the children’s desire to express their growing understanding of the world in a creative way.

My interest in education began with the search for a suitable school for my daughter. We eventually chose the Steiner school system because its gentle imaginative approach to teaching and a strong emphasis on the school community and parental involvement coincided with our family ethos. However, I felt unsure about some aspects of the Steiner system.

We moved some distance to attend one of the many Steiner schools in Australia but fortuitously on arrival we came across a brochure detailing a local school called Korowal and went to look at the school. Within seconds of entering the Kindergarten classroom I realized that this school was right for us and our daughter and so we enrolled her. I immediately read Garry Richardson’s Education for Freedom on which the school was based, and his philosophy of human-centred education has engaged me and informed my life since. I shall say something about this philosophy later in the paper, after a brief account of some of the activities at Korowal.

When I met my daughter’s future Kindergarten and Class teacher I offered to teach craft as I had a background in clothing and textile design and subsequently taught craft in that class for a full day a week. After a term I became even more involved by becoming the teacher’s assistant a further two days per week in order to learn the school’s teaching methods. After training, I also worked as a relief teacher in the junior primary school.

As a design student and later as a practicing designer I had had strong views about the nature of creativity and the teaching of creative arts generally and I had developed my own methods of doing this. I also believed that creative talent was not found in everybody but that some people could be taught ‘creativity’, and others could not.

I experienced a radical turnaround in my previous understanding when I began to teach at Korowal. About two thirds of the way through my first year, I was pinning up the children’s art work and was suddenly struck by the realisation that every picture was a work of art. All the children were able to project their inner world onto paper using colour and form they had each learned to communicate creatively. I was overwhelmed by this insight and spent weeks reviewing intensely my views on education – as well as my feelings about who I was in the world. I began to observe more carefully the teachers who had developed their methods under Garry Richardson’s guidance. I could see that within the general framework of human-centred education each teacher had honed his or her own way of teaching that was aligned with their personality, and I set about finding my own way.

Although Garry had retired from the school before I arrived there, he visited from time to time and during one of those visits I sought him out to discuss his writings and the principles underlying human-centred education. This meeting started a long working relationship which continued until Garry’s death early this year.

Human-centred education flows from conscious action philosophy which holds that everything in the universe is fundamentally spiritual in nature. We use conscious awareness to inform our understanding of whatever activity engages us; we are guided by our archetypal or spiritual love to inform and transform. We aim to make conscious the universal wisdom and goodness that all human beings possess and are capable of expressing. We believe that if this natural ability is understood we can have a most valuable resource to change society for the better. It is a realistic but optimistic philosophy.

In the process of educating young children in a human-centred school each child is helped to realise his or her potential in a way that continues to develop beyond their school years and broadens abilities of mind, soul and body as a dynamic unity. While the unfolding abilities of each human being constitute a unique configuration, there must be a balance between this individuality and the child’s place in the class and the community that envelop and support the child.

Therefore teachers work with the natural interests and abilities of the children in their class but also attempt to harmonise these in an approach that balances ease with challenge. The children are encouraged to play, explore, discover and light their way

towards their own sense of the sacred nature of life which grows from their intuition and does not rest on religion or ideology.

In a human-centred school, children benefit from play, time to day dream and a slower start to formal teaching. One of our basic principles is the involvement of creativity in all activities and at all levels of learning. Different subjects are interwoven and artistic expression is part of the learning process throughout, thus retaining the sense of wonderment that is in every child and is a most precious human gift.

Now I would like to illustrate how these broad principles translate into activities in the classroom. For example: towards the end of the Kindergarten year, the children work slowly through the numbers one to nine, focusing on one number per week. Much of this is done through story- telling that really captures the children’s imagination. Thus Number One stands straight wearing a saucepan on his head, and with his heavy boots jumps everywhere. Most captivating was Number Eight: if you walked over its shape as drawn on the floor and recited “hurley, burley, cracker dunk” then your heart’s desires would be granted. From these stories which children often re-told at home many parents became inspired enough to come in after school to try their luck!

At the end of Kindergarten there is much anticipation of moving to Class One in the following school year. In this atmosphere, one afternoon the class teacher developed a game that involved coloured blocks on the floor which the children were asked to count. The teacher then placed a piece of hand-dyed cloth over the blocks, took one out and then asked the children how many were now under the cloth. The children came up with their answers and then took a vote on which was the correct answer. Then the teacher lifted the cloth and the children all counted the blocks together. The teacher then went on with increasingly more challenging versions of the same exercise, involving all the children every time. At the conclusion of the activity, the teacher told the children that what they had been doing was called mathematics. Silence fell over the children as they had not imagined mathematics to be such an engaging game.

Mathematics is indeed of special interest. It is often taken to be the polar opposite to art but in fact the two are closely related. The placement of simple forms on the page and the appreciation of their size represent a basic concept with which very young children work from the time they make their first mark and which they develop in more complex ways as time goes on. In a parallel manner the early cave drawings gradually evolved towards perspective based on calculation during the Renaissance; later still, more complicated calculations brought into perspective the appreciation of the curvature of the Earth.

We hold that there is a natural historical course of development of consciousness, and this applies to children also. This becomes evident when they create shapes with form and colour. The concepts of size and proportion – mathematics – gradually emerge through the children’s own perception and understanding. In human-centred education we do not criticise something that will change and develop of its own accord in due course. It is our joy as teachers to experience the child’s individual

development and it is our responsibility to know when to step in to aid and enhance the process or to simply allow its course. Guidance must be given with the greatest of care and continuous effort should be made to see the world through the child’s eyes, because what may seem inappropriate to an adult has often been well thought out and has real significance for the child.

Children need to develop loving and sensate relationships to the community and the world through creative activity that marshals resources of mind, soul and body in equal measure. Therefore we display the children’s own artwork in their classroom and encourage their participation in making the teaching aids like alphabet cards and counters. We teach the children to design and make their own pencil cases, craft bags, cushions and toys so that they experience the useful nature of their art and craft activity. The making of class books is another wonderful communal activity through which favourite stories are retold and re-enacted, and significant events commemorated through both individual and collective activity.

Nature is another basic concept which we develop in various ways. We use the tree as a symbol and teach the children to look below the ground line which they invariably make in their drawing of a tree. They are encouraged to look into the earth around the tree, to feel its roots and see the creatures that live in and around and on the tree, and to appreciate the myriad of colours on the bark and in the leaves. Thus we connect the tree to the living world and its marvellous variety in an ongoing exercise of increasing complexity which continues over a number of years and coincides with the children’s development. The children are learning about the interconnected nature of everything and the mysterious hidden aspects of life; a concept we all marvel at, developed and enhanced through observation and creative activity.

During Kindergarten we teach the children to draw the sun as a ball of fire. We start with our deepest red crayon and build up a strong red circle until all children can get a sense of the heat on the page. Then we add a lighter red and do the same outside the smaller more intense circle. Next come dark orange, lighter orange, deep and lighter yellow. Thus we have six hot colours which lessen in intensity as we move out from the centre and the children can feel their sun’s radiant heat and ask us to feel it also.

Each child has a very true representation of the ball of fire which lights and warms our cosmos and is essential for life. Though we never spoke of this to the children they understood the basic idea. After this lesson they drew various versions of the sun using combinations of their own way of drawing as well as the way we had taught them. What the children had gained from all this was an understanding of the nature of the sun which honours its significance, majesty and beauty – as well as a sense of belongingness to the universe of which they and the sun are a part.

At this stage I would like to clarify the relationship between human-centred education and the Steiner education system. We share many aims with the latter:

•An acknowledgment of the spiritual nature of everything and the need to work in harmony and with reverence for whatever engages us:

• Our relationship to the natural and built world and the natural rhythms of life, both internal and external:

• An awareness of truth, beauty and goodness:

•Our regard for the evolution of consciousness and its importance for our teaching methods which include an unhurried introduction to formal learning through play:

•An emphasis on human relationships which necessitates children and teachers staying together over some years, as well as parental involvement:

•The main lesson structure fostering concentration and activities which integrate formal and artistic work:

•All children are taught music, poetry, art and craft, and other subjects are elevated to an art and interwoven:

•A balanced approach addressing all modes of learning which honours the whole child and:

•Children are encouraged to reach their potential with a view of contributing to a changed and better social order.

Our major difference from the Steiner philosophy is that, although we both have a spiritual core, our structure does not have an explicit religious basis. We accept and encourage personal religious beliefs but maintain openness which is necessary to create an atmosphere of acceptance for everyone. It is important to maintain firm guidelines that are not in themselves dogmatic, calling for a balance of discipline and freedom for all involved. It is a fine but very definite difference and, I would like to emphasise, an essential element in our contemporary diverse world.

Another difference is our understanding of the importance of our physical existence. Whereas Steiner philosophy favours the spiritual order as higher than the lower physical realms, we bring them together as a whole – in other words, we are philosophically monist.

In Steiner’s Anthroposophy there is an emphasis on knowledge through spiritual clairvoyance. By contrast, we feel that insight is better achieved through the harmony of body, mind and soul.

Artistic creativity in human-centred education is particularly inspiring and differs from the Steiner approach as practiced in the schools I have visited in Australia. We place a greater emphasis on individual interpretation and expression utilising techniques which are taught but are not prescriptive, so that the finished work becomes an authentic expression of the child’s inner world.

We also acknowledge the balance of light and dark within each individual – and the world as a whole - in a realistic way as human beings are complex, even as children. Although we have gained a vast understanding of our world there are many areas we know very little about, including human consciousness and the soul. We are all grasping in the dark to some degree and it is honest to acknowledge this instead of masking our ignorance or hiding behind status and qualifications. There is an almost

brutal honesty to our endeavour but that it is balanced with empathy and conscious effort to work with archetypal or spiritual love.

We encourage the development of all the senses as rational argument is never completely sufficient. Through utilizing the rich and rounded feeling senses we can develop a deeper understanding and acceptance of other people and other cultures. Tolerance and joy in our diversity is an integral aspect of human-centred education. It is the over-arching aim of human-centred education to develop children who are both knowledgeable and free to explore the richness of life through creative interaction for the betterment of human society. And our first question as teachers should always be - what is a child? We still do not have all the answers, and so that question has to keep running like a thread through our activities as teachers; it is the basis for our conscious actions towards the children and the wellspring of our love and regard for them.

Works by Garry Richardson:

Education for Freedom: Schooling for the Third Millennium, 2nd edition (Crows Nest, Sydney: Gavemer Publishing, 2004).
Conscious Action Philosophy: a Way for Self and Social Transformation, (Crows Nest, Sydney: Gavemer Publishing, 2004).
System of the Daystar: The Spiritual Home of Humankind (Crows Nest, Sydney: Gavemer Publishing, 2004).
The Nature of Reality: An Outline of Human-Centred Philosophy (Crows Nest, Sydney: Gavemer Publishing, 2000).
Realizing the Vision: the New Society (Crows Nest, Sydney: Gavemer Publishing, 1998).
Understanding Reality: Human-Centred Philosophy in Overview (Crows Nest, Sydney: Gavemer Publishing, 1999).
Structures for Human-Centred Schools (Crows Nest, Sydney: Gavemer Publishing, 2001).
Writings on Education and Korowal (Crows Nest, Sydney: Gavemer Publishing, 1994).
Other works consulted:
Bettelheim, Bruno, The Uses of Enchantment: the Meaning and Importance of Fairytales (New York: Vintage Books, 1989).
Strauss, Michaela, Understanding Children’s Drawing (London: Rudolph Steiner Press, 1978).
Findlay, Victoria, Colour : Travels through the Paintbox (London, UK, Hodder and Stoughton, 2002).
Rogers, James T., The Story of Mathematics (Norwick, UK: Brockhampton Press, 1974).
Edmunds, Francis L., Rudolf Steiner Education: The Waldorf School (Sussex: Rudolph Steiner Press, 1992).
Honoré, Carl, In Praise of Slow (London: Orion, 2004).
Mighton, John, The Myth of Ability (Melbourne, Australia: Text Publishing, 2003).

Android Or iPhone

2012-05-16T01:58:00.006-07:00

When you are going to buy a smart phone choosing between Android and Iphone isn't a simple task. While both phones offer a lot of great features and apps, they may seem so similar that it's hard to distinguish between them. If we look closely we will find some key differences. The First Thing is the hardware.

1)Hardware:

Iphone is manufactured by single unit Apple, where as android phones are manufactured by many phone makers (hTc, samsung, LG, Motorola and many more).Apple is the only company that makes iPhones, giving it extremely tight control over how the software and hardware work together. But in android there are many. As a result, Android phones vary quite a bit in size, weight, features, user experience, and quality.

It’s not uncommon to hear that some Android phones regularly overheat or freeze up or that some models are simply low quality. This inconsistency of quality isn’t an issue for the iPhone.

Apple offers users a single choice: what model of iPhone do you want (3GS, 4 or 4S), not what company’s phone and then what model. Of course, some people may prefer the greater choice Android offers. Others, though, will appreciate the simplicity and quality offered by the iPhone.

Iphone +1

2)Software:

Iphone has its own software iOS and Android phones have Android, personally i like android because it is an open source. iOS holds a brand but android being a open source gives application developers a lot of help in developing apps. where as iOS is restricted source.

Android +1

3)Market:

While the iPhone App Store offers more apps than the Android Market--about 425,000 versus 250,000 (as of July 2011)--overall selection isn’t the only factor. Apple is famously strict (some might say unpredictable) about what apps it allows and how it changes its policies, while Google’s standards for Android are somewhat more lax. Many developers have complained about the emphasis on free apps for Android and the difficulty of developing for so many different phones. As a result, not all of the best apps make it to Android, and those that do don’t necessarily run on all phones.

Iphone+1

4)Carriers:

If you like to have a lot of choices, Android is your best bet. Just like there are many Android phones from many companies, you can also get Android phones that work on any of the U.S.’s four major phone carriers: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile.

On the other hand, the iPhone is only available on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon (for now; many expect T-Mobile to join the gang in 2012). Both options are available through the many small, regional carriers in the U.S., too

So, if you’re already a T-Mobile customer, or just want maximum flexibility, Android should be your choice.

Android+1

5)User Maintenance: Storage and Battery:

Apple prizes elegance and simplicity in the iPhone above all else. That’s a major reason that users can’t upgrade the storage or replace the batteries on their iPhones (it’s possible to get replacement iPhone batteries, but they’re have to be replaced by a skilled repairperson). Android, on the other hand, is open to user customization, meaning that users can change both phones’ memory and battery.

The trade-off is a bit more complexity and a bit less elegance, but that might be worth it compared to running out of memory or needing to pay for a battery replacement equal to a large percentage of the cost of your iPhone.

Android+1

The Bottom Line:

The decision of whether to buy an iPhone or Android phone isn’t as simple as tallying up the winners above and choosing the phone that triumphed in more categories (7-5 for the iPhone, with one tie, for those counting). That’s because all of the categories won’t count for the same amount to all people. Some people will value hardware or carrier choice more, while others will care more about battery life or mobile gaming.

While it should be no surprise that the guy writing an Android website might prefer the Android Phone, iPhones are good choices for many users. You’ll need to decide what factors are most important to you and then choose the phone that best meets your needs.

Android Apps And Data backup

2012-05-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

Did you ever wondered how to back up your angry birds game? with all the levels you have played? Do you need to reset your phone and still want you angry birds levels appear as they are now?
There is a tool available in Google market by which you can backup your apps and the data too..

I have a android phone and i loved playing angry birds and many more games. But one day i had to reset my phone and so i lost all the saved game data. I lost a angry birds completed level i was so disappointed i had to play the game again from the first level which was very mush irritating me

Then i find out an app called Titanium Backup. they promised that it can backup and restore the application and its data too. That means i can have my all the levels that i have completed in my phone that sounds good

Titanium Backup is available in the market which can be used to backup your data and applications.

About Titanium Backup

EXTREMELY powerful tool.

Backup ALL apps, Market links, remove bloatware & MORE!
Needs ROOT, Android 1.5-4.0+ (ARM,x86,MIPS)Over 5 million users, 28+ languages!PRO
Key is available on Market!Voted #1 TOP ROOT APP on Twitter.Problem?
See matrixrewriter.com/wikiScroll down for more info & VIDEOS

Titanium Backup is the most powerful backup tool on Android, and then some.

You can backup, restore, freeze (with Pro) your apps + data + Market links. This includes all protected apps & system apps, plus external data on your SD card. You can do 0-click batch & scheduled backups. Backups will operate without closing any apps (with Pro). You can move any app (or app data) to/from the SD card. You can browse any app's data and even query the Market to see detailed information about the app.

Titanium Backup
Titanium Backup Pro

Sachin Tendulkar’s Mobile Phone?

2012-05-14T10:04:00.002-07:00

Can you guess the brand and model of Sachin Tendulkar’s current mobile phone? iPhone, BlackBerry, Nokia or something else?

I don’t know the answer but a recent picture that the God of Indian Cricket shared on Twitter does offer a strong hint.

I was looking at the EXIF data of Sachin’s picture on Twitter and it revealed that the image was captured using a BlackBerry 9981.

A quick Google Search suggests the BlackBerry P9981 is from Porsche Design and Research In Motion and the phone costs around $2,200 onAmazon.com. Here’s a video tour of the BlackBerry P9981 via T3.

What is a Folder? How to Hide Data On Your Computer

2012-05-14T07:28:00.002-07:00

What is a Folder?

In graphical user interfaces such as Windows and the Macintoshenvironment, a folder is an object that can contain multiple documents. Folders are used to organize information. In the DOS and UNIX worlds, folders are called directories

You may want to hide some files and folders on your computer for various reasons. Maybe you don’t want mom to accidentally stumble upon all the stuff that you have downloaded from the Internet. Or you share the home computer with an inquisitive brother and would not like him to view your private files. Or maybe it’s your work computer and you are worried that the system administrator may remotely access your files.

Hide your Data from Prying Eyes

Here are some ways to hide your data on the computer from other people:

Put your Sensitive Files in the Cloud

The easiest approach would be that you use a USB Flash Drive to store your confidential files and not the computer’s hard disk. USB disks are inexpensive – you can get a 16 GB disk for less than $10 – and some are so thin that they will easily fit in your wallet like a credit card.

The next option is that instead of storing the files on a physical disk, you upload them online to places like Google Docs (1 GB), Windows SkyDrive (25 GB) or Box (5 GB). Dropbox is another good option for online file storage but because the service synchronizes files automatically with your hard drive, you may want to avoid it on a common computer.

You can also use your web email accounts to store files – attach files to a messages and email it to yourself. The maximum size of files that you attach to an email message in Hotmail is 10 MB while the limit is 25 MB in the case of Gmail.

If you are planning to store EXEs or other prohibited file types in your mailbox, make sure that you change the file extension before attaching as the Gmail scanner will otherwise reject your message.

Hide Files inside Private (Invisible) Folders

If you wish to store your confidential files on the computer’s hard disk itself and not in the cloud, you have several options as well.

You can put all the secret files that you want to hide in one folder and then use a utility likeMy Lockbox to make that folder invisible on your hard disk. Once you hide a folder, it won’t appear in Windows Explorer and the only way to access the contents of that protected folder will be through My Lockbox.

The free edition of My Lockbox can lock one folder but if you would wish to hide multiple files or folders on your hard disk, use the free Winmend utility. Here you have the option to hide folders as well as individual files and someone will have to know your password to read, edit or erase any of these hidden files and folders.

Hide Files and Folders by Camouflage

Your curious friend is less likely to open a folder that resembles the Recycle Bin and even if he does, the real contents of that folder won’t be revealed.

That’s the logic behind Disguise Folders, a free Windows utility that you can use to easily disguises any folder as a system folder – like the Control Panel, Recycle Bin or even the Fonts folder. When you open any of these “disguised” folders inside Windows Explorer, they’ll open the folder corresponding to their appearance but if you open the same folder through Disguise Folders, it will reveal the actual content of that folder.

Hide Files using the Steganography Technique

The other option to hide files and folder on your computer is steganography – it’s like embedding documents, images, and other files into another unsuspecting file – like your kid’s photograph.

The idea is that you can embed your private files into another file which could be a JPEG image or an MP3 audio file. If you wish to hide an entire folder into another file, just compress into a zip file. When someone double-clicks these “container” files, the image or MP3 will open in the default media player but internally, they are hold all your private files.

You can hide files inside regular MP3s or JPG images using the simple copy command or make use of this free utility called Our Secret. It work like this. You pick a carrier file – it could be a JPEG image or an audio file – and then select one or more private files that you want to hide inside the carrier file. The next step is optional but you can also encrypt the contained files with a password.

Your private files will be secretly bundled inside the carrier JPEG (or MP3) and only when you re-open this carrier file inside Our Secret, the hidden files will be decoded. If you use the DOS copy command to hide the files inside another image, the contained files can be extracted using any Winzip like utility without requiring any special program.

The Most Secure Way of Hiding Files and Folders

While the above utilities do a decent job of hiding your files and folders on your computer, they aren’t the most secure choices available as they lack encryption. If you are really serious about protecting your files from snoopers and hackers, you should use a powerful encryption software like TrueCrypt or SafeHouse Explorer (I find the latter more user-friendly).

Once you launch SafeHouse, it creates a hidden storage area (or an encrypted volume) on your hard disk to hold all your private files and folders. The size of this volume can be adjusted based on your requirements. You can access this virtual drive just like any other drive inside Windows Explorer but the drive and the folders inside are completely invisible until you enter your password inside SafeHouse.

Here’s a detailed tutorial for beginners on how to protect files with encryption using SafeHouse. You can use the utility to protect files on your hard disk and also on your removable USB disks. Your files are protected using the strongest-possible encryption method available but that also means that if you forget your password, it will be impossible to recover your hidden files.

Good Morning !!!

2012-05-13T20:15:00.003-07:00

This photo was taken with my android cell phone! I didn't edit or touch it up at all. I just wanted to share with you the gorgeous colors this morning here on the island. I used to think such pictures that showed a "pink" ocean were fake! But in Hawaii, when the sky turns pink, it reflects in the water when the winds are absent... and this is what you get. This morning just at day break!

Hotel de Paris, Monte Carlo

2012-05-13T19:47:00.000-07:00

Guys, this is just a test run for my new laptop, selected by Arundhati and configured by a certain Arvind Kumar, who gave me a really hard time by asking complex technical questions I had no answers to. So, I played the dumb housewife to the hilt.... threw up my hands and basically told him to wing it solo. Do what a guy's got to do.... and all that fake macho spiel. Well, I guess he's done something right, Jai ho! I feel like i earned the sinful falooda I enjoyed at the Sea Lounge with my namesake, one Vikram Rajadhyaksha, who is an Ohio based millionaire ( Hydro-electric power). I was told by over-awed friends that Al Gore pops by for dinner at his home whenever he's in the vicinity. That definitely justified the Sea Lounge falooda. No regrets, no guilt.

Errrrrr, I am still looking for my stored columns. Was dying to attach a couple of the ones that had appeared while I was luxuriating in this outstandingly opulent hotel. Perhaps tomorrow? For now, I have a date with John Makinson, my publisher. It's back to the Taj. This time to another favourite haunt - the old-fashioned and entirely civilised Harbour Bar.

Ancient And Luxury Of Cryptex Flash Drive !

2012-05-13T10:52:00.001-07:00

Russian firm always know how to make luxurious things which perfectly able to professionals or all society genre. Gold ancient design perfectly blends with cryptic number to decorate the cover shape while the contents inside build in metal material and the USB itself. Giving you back to a century ago time feeling, Cryptex Flash Drive as this USB name, has security number to lock your USB inside from this gold caver by 5-wheel combination numbers. Cryptex Flash Drive will fully give secure feel to all your top secret data when you leave this USB without your supervision.

Cute Shoe Hanger Tutorial

2012-05-13T07:18:00.003-07:00

I barely have enough closet space for my clothes let alone my shoes but this is a great idea if you have a walk in closet. Especially since you can hang the bar so low.

Source: duitang.com via Manoj on Pinterest

Cute Cheap Dress: Forever 21+ Coupon Code

2012-05-13T07:17:00.003-07:00

*All Cute Cheap Dress posts feature dresses under $39 but mostly between $20-$30.

Not all stories appear on my main page so subscribe to my RSS feed to get all the most recent updates.

Ditsy Palm Tree Dress. $24.90

Color Blocked Swing Dress. $22.90

Casual Chambray Dress. $15.50

Contrast Lace Dress. $24.80

IF YOU SPEND $75 OR MORE USE COUPON CODE: 49C01E

TO GET 10% OFF YOUR ORDER!

ALSO GET FREE SHIPPING WHEN YOU SPEND $50 OR MORE.

Silhoutte Sketch Pen Package, Homemade Birthday Invites & IDEAS

2012-05-13T07:15:00.003-07:00

Silhouette is offering Grosgrain readers a great sketch pen/Cameo deal! Now, get 1 $25 download card, 1 Silhouette Metallic Sketch Pen Pack and 1 Silhouette Glitter Sketch Pen Pack for only $269! That's an MSRP of $344.97 (almost $75 of savings!) Hurry sale ends April 30th!

And if you already have a Cameo you can get the sketch pen pack for a low $6.99!

See my latest sketch pen project below!

Molly has made so many new friends in school and it just delights me to watch her play with them after school. Before pre-school she spent most of her days cooped up inside the house. With all her new found friends she's talking about her birthday party almost daily although her actual birthday is still two months away.

So to appease her excitement I decided to make birthday cards for her upcoming party.....in two months;) For these invites I used my new Silhouette sketch pens. I have to admit, at first I didn't use the sketch pens much at all. But I've been looking at invitations lately and the sketch pens are really actually kind of great for that non-printer look.

If you combined the sketch pen with an embossing tool you could make your own wedding invitations! I'd love to try my hand at that sometime.

So to make these invites I first cut a mitered rectangle shape out of cardstock. I just used the cardstock I had around the house but if I were to have my pick of papers I would have chosen something with a little more texture.

Then I used the Silhouette software and my own computer fonts and designed a card. I used an image of a chevron to trace. I then used the sketch pens to draw the image onto the cardstock. At first my pens did not show up well on the cardstock but I increased the thickness and slowed down the speed settings and everything worked well. Super cute.

Again, I wish I had deep black paper on hand. I might have tried using the white sketch pen on the black. It could have a 'chalkboard' feel. You could even use a chalkboard font to make it extra special.

Here's some ideas and inspiration for invitations that might work well with the Silhouette sketch pens.

Source: sweetheartshoutout.com via Kathleen on Pinterest

Source: bit.ly via Kathleen on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Kathleen on Pinterest

Source: sweetheartshoutout.com via Kathleen on Pinterest

Source: 100layercake.com via Kathleen on Pinterest

Source: minted.com via Kathleen on Pinterest

Felt Hair Bow DIY

2012-05-13T06:08:00.002-07:00

love to make a couple of these not for the kids but for ME! So cute on the side with bangs.

Source: cdn.duitang.com via luvinthemommyhood on Pinterest

DIY Reverse ombre Curtains

2012-05-13T06:00:00.003-07:00

Source: spicerandbank.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest

Then try this!

DIY Wedding Shoes

2012-05-13T05:59:00.001-07:00

All the prettiest bridal shoes I've seen are ones that you can make yourself.

Just add feathers.

Source: glitterweddings.com via Suzy on Pinterest

Back bows.

Source: projectwedding.com via Monica on Pinterest

Source: glitterweddings.com via Suzy on Pinterest

Circle flowers.

Source: google.co.in via Brea on Pinterest

Tassles.

Source: bhldn.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Folded circles.

Source: goo.gl via Jemima on Pinterest

Ruffles.

Source: stylemepretty.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: einvitesinsights.blogspot.com via Hayley on Pinterest

Pleats.

Source: Uploaded by user via Hilary on Pinterest

Chiffon Bows.

Rumor: Windows 8 upgrade discounts to start June 2

2012-05-13T03:02:00.002-07:00

Microsoft

The launch of a new Windows OS is always a big event, but one unfortunate side effect is that sales drop severely in the months previous to the release, in anticipation. In order to prevent this, Microsoft has in the past offered a reduced OS upgrade price for people who bought PCs immediately before launch time. They did it in 2009 before 7 replaced Vista, and rumor has it that a similar promotion will take place starting next month.

Mary Jo Foley, longtime reporter of all things Microsoft, reported Thursday that June 2 will likely be the day on which new PC purchases will start counting towards a Windows 8 upgrade. When reached by msnbc.com, Microsoft had no comment.

The timing would coincide nicely with the next Windows 8 milestone, the "release preview," or the first release candidate. The actual launch is supposed to take place in October, so that leaves plenty of time for consumers to pick up the various ultrabooks and tablets that will be making their debut before then.

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)

Touch-sensitive liquids, tables and skin in latest research

2012-05-13T02:59:00.002-07:00

Researchers have created a system called Touché that is capable of tracking touch input on nearly any kind of object — from a metallic doorknob to a tank of water. It works similarly to the way capacitive sensors like those in phones and tablets do: A touch by a finger is detected by a change in the current going through the surface. But while normal capacitive sensors only detect whether a touch is present or not, Touché can tell apart several different kinds of touches just by looking closely at the voltage changes.

It sounds a bit technical, but their video does an excellent job of explaining how the system works:

Touché by Disney Research

The applications of this are certainly fun to think about, and it seems to be both simple and reliable. A table that detects how many plates are on it, a bed that turns the lights off when you lie down but not when you sit, a jacuzzi that bubbles up when you step into it ... the possibilities are endless.

Touché doesn't require a metallic surface, clearly, but it does require that the surface or object can be wired for voltage detection and connected to a computer. But the connection part can be done wirelessly, and a wearable or portable voltage interpreter isn't hard to imagine; in fact, they show something like that in use in the video with a person controlling an MP3 player by tapping in different places on his arm.

The research was performed at Disney Research in Pittsburgh by Munehiko Sato, Ivan Poupyrev, and Chris Harrison. The full paper is available to be read here in PDF format.

New 'array projector' modeled on insect eyes

2012-05-13T02:57:00.003-07:00

Fraunhofer

Fraunhofer has created a new type of projector that uses hundreds of tiny lenses instead of one big one, not unlike an insect's compound eye. Each of these hundreds of microprojectors can adjust their output so angled, irregular, or curved surfaces can be projected onto as easily as flat ones. Who needs a screen when you can project onto a tabletop or your own shirt?

Not only could this "array projection" technique allow for better projection on non-flat surfaces, but the projectors send out an invisible (to us, at any rate) infrared grid that can be used as a rudimentary gesture interface. A connected camera would detect the IR grid and track movements along it, allowing users to interact with screen elements or at the very least do things like advance to the next slide or turn off the device — just by touching the projected surface.

Fraunhofer

The researchers don't expect the technology to hit the market for at least three or four years, but as Fraunhofer's Marcel Sieler explains in their research summary: "The manufacturing process is suitable for mass production, and that makes the devices economical to make." So hopefully these won't become vaporware, though it'll be some time before you'll have one attached to your smartphone.