buzz !!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Teach Yourself Speed Reading

Speed reading is about reading (and being able to recall) more written information in less time.
Teach Yourself Speed Reading is a practical guide to effective speed reading.
It includes tools and information on a variety of reading and memory techniques, including a five-step strategy that will enable you to read any non-fiction material easily.

[Download] - Click Here

Monday, August 11, 2008

2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony (Full Complete Program) - HDTV

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

'Indian' Bible making waves in Kerala

KOCHI- An 'Indianised' Bible with references to the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Manusmriti and drawings of a turbaned Joseph and sari clad Mother Mary with baby Jesus in her arms, is making waves in Kerala.
This is an unprecedented venture as Indian scriptures Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Mausmriti have been used in a Bible by way of interpretations to biblical passages for the first time, says Catholic church spokesperson Father Paul Thelekat. This is an attempt to make contextual reading and understanding.

There are 24 line drawings, including those of mosque, temple and church with slippers outside, by the late Christopher Coelho.

The Mumbai-based publishing house, St Pauls, which brings out religious books, has come out with the new Indian Bible, which also has references to Meerabai, Mahatma Gandhi, and Rabindranath Tagore in the interpretations of biblical passages, Father Thelekat said.

As far as Catholics are concerned, they have to live and interpret their Christian faith and scriptures within the given culture. So they have to understand and interpret the culture, he said.
The New Community Bible is a revised edition of the popular Christian Bible translated by Late Bernardo Hurault, published from the Philippines. About 30 scholars have worked on it from 1980 and made the interpretations which are published at the bottom part of the Bible, Fr Thekekat said.
The text of the Bible is the accepted Catholic version, whose interpretations are made with an Indian cultural perspective.
Thiruvananthpuam Archbishop Sosa Pakiam, in his preface to the Bible, says a unique feature of the new Bible is that it has many references to the spiritual message and biblical references to that of spiritual message and biblical values found in the scriptures of other great Indian religions.
The article, quoting Fr Augustine Kanachikuzhy, General Editor of the new Bible, says the references and quotations used in the Bible from non Christian scriptures "does not imply in any way, the Indian Scriptural terms are parallel to Biblical terms or that the parallel references are saying the same thing as the Biblical text".
Thelekat said while interpreting Treasure in Heaven of Mt 6:19.21, ...'this concept is found a classical expression in the Bhagavad Gita's call to disinterested action: 'Work alone is your proper business never the fruits it may produce" (2:47), or while commenting on the third appearance of Jesus to disciples (John 21:1.14)... ‘The Lord ever stands on the shores of our life every moment and every age, every day and every night he comes, comes, ever comes' (Gitanjali XLV).

Indian texts are used to interpret not only the New Testament, but also the Old Testament. The deluge story of the Book of Genesis is interpreted with reference of such stories in Mesopotamia and Satapath Brahmana (1.8.1-10) and Mahabharata. In passages where the Biblical interpretation differs from the Indian scriptures, that fact is also made clear, Thelekat said.

Over such 70 references to non Christian texts have been made in the Bible and 30 scholars participated in making the commentary, Fr Thelekat said.
"An attempt has been made to give a Bible which is more relevant for India. There is nothing added or subtracted from the text of the Bible, which has been reproduced as such".

Bishop Thomas Dabre, Chairman of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) gave the official no objection certificate for publication of the Bible.

A Bible can be printed only after a non-objection certificate and express permission to print is given by the Mumbai Archbishop.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

How to Manage Domain Names Like A Pro

Domain names are your prized real estate on the web and securing and protecting your valuable domain name is essential. As the number of your owned domain name increases, managing domain names requires extra effort and advanced skills. Here are some simple tips to keep your domains fine tuned.
1. Activate autorenew – I always thought this was a smart marketing gimmick, but its actually useful as it ensures your domain names never expires unless really you want to let it go. What if you forget to renew, the reminder email goes in the spam folder and your domain transfers to a domain shark. I tie up renewals with a Paypal account and never worry again.
2. Consolidate renewal dates - If you own a few hundred domain names, over time they end up with variable expiry and renewal dates. Many domain name registrars provide an option to consolidate these dates together, by charging the balance fee of the remaining months. Now it is easier to renew these domains in bulk and you never miss out.
3. Protect your privacy – Your registrant name, address, email and telephone numbers are visible to anyone on the web. The domain registrars share this information with whois services by default, displaying contact details of administrative and technical contacts too. Try a whois search on any domain. Private domain registration services (like Domains By Proxy) ensure that your personal details are hidden and your privacy is secured. There are too many examples of how your personal information can be misused on the internet. Better safe than sorry.
4. Register long term - You want to keep your site running for the next five years, don’t you? Then why do you want to register your domain name for one year and keep renewing every year. Note that a domain name registered for 5 years displays more trust as a long term site with more weightage in search engine algorithms (godd for SEO) compared to spammy one year cybersquatted domain names.
5. Keep contact details fresh – when you shift your residence, change your phone number or email - you immediately intimate credit cards companies and banks, so why not inform your domain name registrar too. It takes a minute to update your contact details on you domain management screen, but is worthwhile. How will information reach you about reminders for domain name renewal, or prospective domain name buyers. Domain tasters are everywhere.
6. Monetize parked domains - You bought multiple precious domains in the hope of selling them later at a huge premium – till that day arrives, earn money easily using a variety of parked domain monetization programs like Cashparking, Chitika for domains, Adsense for domains etc. and earn money while saving your domain for the final day.
7. Lock Up Domain Names - Locking your domain name prevents changes to the contact details and the nameservers and protects you from unauthorized third parties who might try to misdirect your name servers or transfer your domain. Always keep all domains locked. You can always unlock it in minutes when you need to transfer the domain yourself.
8. Test Domain Auctions – Why keep storing multiple domains when you can make lots of money selling it. If your domain is worth its value, you can test its market value. Set up a domain auction with a reserve price and maybe you can get much more from selling it than nurturing it over the years.
9. Solid Passwords - Your entire domain security is protected by a login password to your domain account. Chose a tough password difficult to break by simple password generators. Keep changing your password periodically. Login from trusted computers only and stay safe from keyloggers. Keep your eyes open for password phishing emails. Do not tell your password to anyone, and remember to logout.
10. Network your Domains – Have you bought multiple domain names with different TLDs like .com, .org etc to secure your brand presence. Utilize them all by setting up options like permanent 301/302 redirects, forwarding, masking, cloaking etc such that these domains finally make the visitor reach your target domain. Beware that overdoing and misusing these techniques for SEO with multiple domains can be penalized by search engines.
11. Consolidate Registrars - Its dangerous to keep all your eggs in one basket, but managing a few hundred domain names is easier if they are on one (or a few) domain management panels. If you constantly find yourself troubled with multiple domain registrars and renewal dates, consolidating your domain names will surely bring some peace of mind.
12. Look for Discounts - Never renew or buy domain names without looking for a promo code or coupon code, which will give you cool discounts. Simply search the web or coupon code sites like Retailmenot and you can get a much cheaper deal.
13. Earn affiliate income – Most domain registrars have an affiliate referral program where you can earn some extra money by referring more users to try their service and earn commissions, and if someone ends up buying hosting from them, the commissions are a good bonus. Even better is to become a domain name reseller or domainer for bigger bucks .
14. Bulk is Better - Remember that renewing or buying multiple domain names in bulk will get you advantage of special pricing and many coupon codes usually work at higher baseline cut offs - so you might save a lot of dollars. I renew domain names in bulk, even if they are not expiring to get a better deal.
15. Value your domain – If you are sitting on multiple domains, get a professional domain name appraisal to find your domain worth. Premium domain names with a clean history can attract serious buyers and earn some huge money if done the right way. Free domain name worth estimation tools use your Google PR, backlinks, Alexa rank, Technorati to give you a quick general idea only.
16. Backorder domain names – You will be surprised how frequently people miss renewal deadlines (especially if they missed this article) and your favorite domain owner might just forget to renew and heed the reminders. If you backorder the domain, it will be snatched for you the moment it expires and you might get your prize catch.
17. Hire domain brokers – Sometimes your wanted domain is parked and with no signs of missing renewal deadlines or you cannot wait for 10 months to backorder. Hire a domain broker (most registrars would do it), who will negotiate with the domain owner and try to get your desired domain name for you. It does not come cheap, but at times is worth the value.
18. Buy Premium Services - Though most owners will not need them, its worthwhile to check if you need business registration, SSL certificates, etc to establish your brand dominance, online security and reliability. Its worth the value if you are running an online business and need that extra trust to drive sales.
Follow these tips and manage your domain like a professional domainer. Your domain names are valuable, and you need to maintain them the right way to reap the benefits. i use GoDaddy to buy our domain names and recommend them. Share your domain secrets in comments.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Computers & internet: affecting brain, personality, identity?

Is computer use shaping children's personalities in a new way? In a fascinating article from a recent New Scientist, neurophysiologist Baroness Susan Greenfield set out the thesis of her new book, which I plan to read: ID: The Quest for Identity in the 21st Century.

To summarise her ideas:
1. The mammalian brain, including ours, is "plastic" - human neuronal circuits are malleable, sensitive, easily shaped by external influences and by one's activities (witness the famed research showing that memorising street navigation had enlarged the hippocampus of London's licensed black taxi cab drivers).

2. She suggests the human mind isn't a mere abstraction, but is "the personalisation of the brain, a set of neuronal connections peculiar to each individual, driven in turn by that person's particular experience and interaction with the outside world".

3.Of course, the outside world now includes technology. (She also discussed biotechnology etc but I'll skip over that here.)

4. Might living effectively in 2 dimensions via a computer screen affect neuronal connectivity? (It's been estimated that western children spend about 6 hours a day in front of a computer screen currently.)

5. More specifically, would "continued interaction with a fast-paced, sensory-laden, multimedia environment predispose a brain to shorter attention spans?" Is it just coincidence that prescriptions of methylphenidate (Ritalin) for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have trebled these last 10 years?

6. She also suggests that "the strongly visual, literal world of the screen" could affect our ability to develop the imagination and form the kind of abstract concepts that have hitherto come from first hearing stories, then reading oneself. "Will future generations prefer the here-and-now, opting for a strongly sensory experience over a more personalised cognitive narrative? When you play a computer game to rescue the princess, it is the experience that counts: you don't care about the feelings or thoughts of the heroine. When you read a book, the princess's welfare and fate is the whole point."

7. Following on from that, could "here-and-now, fast-paced sensory experiences" change how future generations see themselves and construct their identity? Could they choose to stay in a "more infantile world of passive reactivity to sensations", perhaps even "a world where there is no personal narrative at all, no meaning, no context, just the experience of the thrill of the moment?"
8. In her book ID: The Quest for Identity in the 21st Century, she suggests 4 scenarios for identity:
a. "Nobody" - an abrogation of the sense of self, hedonism, blowing our minds, letting ourselves go. She posits "that the newer technologies may predispose future generations to seek just this sort of condition."
b. "Someone" - the persona that prospers under liberal western consumerism.
c. "Anyone" - the persona of the collective identity in fundamentalist or communist cultures.
d. "Eureka" - "where the experience of creativity enables you to feel both fulfilled and to have a sense of individual identity (none of the first 3 scenarios seems satisfactory when taken alone). But she notes that some might object that the Eureka scenario could produce "a dysfunctional society of egocentric, eccentric individuals".

9. She theorises that newer technologies may predispose future generations to seek the "Nobody" scenario: "Twenty-first-century technology is giving us, for the first time and en masse, more time each day and the chance to live to an active old age, and this brings with it greater options for creating or experiencing a dystopia or a utopia than at any previous time."

10. While the dystopia is a risk, she also suggests: "Perhaps one answer would be to promote a mixed portfolio in which future generations flip from "let yourself go" (Nobody), to selfless, collective working (Anyone), to an occasional sense of personalised achievement (Someone), based not on superiority of status or possessions but on that internal glow that comes with insight and creativity (Eureka). Now that might even be fun."

I think what she says makes a lot of sense. Much of it also applies to the TV generation too, of course, not just the gaming / computer kids. I had the chance to hear her on just these issues at a session at the Dana Centre some time ago (a proper event, for a change, where they actually let the expert say what she had to say, followed by questions from the floor - instead of making attendees scull around listening to opinionated know-nothings spout off in unfacilitated free for alls or trying desperately to catch the experts in time slots that were too short because of the time-wasting involved in shunting people around different rooms in lieu of a proper panel with Q&A in one large room. /rant about Dana Centre's "interactive" approach).

Anyway, back on topic, I really identify with the "Eureka" scenario - but in a much broader sense. It made me think about how much I live for those Eureka moments, to exaggerate only slightly. I've always had an enquiring mind, always wanted to know, I love learning new things, and that high when I suddenly get something, finally understand something, is hard to match - I suspect the buzz is addictive, in a way. (And no, I'm not trying to find excuses for my eccentricity!)
I also think she has a point about kids being unconsciously "conditioned" into passive, experiential, me me me consumption. I use computers and the internet as a participatory medium more than anything - for me it's very "lean forward". I do my share of leaning back, but that's usually in front of the TV, or with a book or magazine. However, I was brought up more with print than computers (though I did watch TV), so maybe that's just a reflection of how my brain's been shaped by my own childhood experiences.

What do you think, do you feel she has a point, or do you disagree?

(Spurred partly by a post on Broadstuff)