Search This Blog

Monday, May 28, 2012

Silhouette Effect


When a photograph is taken into the light, the subject appears completely dark against a lighter background. In other words, you take the photograph keeping the subject or object between you and the sun and the silhouette effect is created. Silhouette is a very popular mode of photography and when done properly does give a very artistic touch to the photograph.
Just knowing the technique of course is not enough, it is the artist the right moment that creates the magic. It is the imagination and creative thinking of the artist and the right placement of objects that gives you that perfect silhouette photography. They say, a picture is worth a thousand words and very rightly said too. A well taken photograph can express a lot; it can capture your imagination. Silhouette photos can evoke very strong emotions. See it for yourself.
Listed below are a few of the finest silhouette photos by very good photographers.

Silluette

Silluette
Source : Bogantropuz

Evening Silhouette

Evening Silhouette
Source : BenCornPhoto

Silhouette Riders

Silhouette Riders
Source : Sanjin Wang

children of the sun

children of the sun
Source : kazimkuyucu

My heart will go on…

My heart will go on...
Source : meehow.w

Sapphire Silhouette

Sapphire Silhouette
Source : DerekDD

Silhouette

Silhouette
Source : Arunan

Sunset Silhouette

Sunset Silhouette
Source : andrewapuya

Silhouette!

Silhouette!
Source : AgniMax

A and H Silhouette

A and H Silhouette
Source : WATER-ARTS

Silhouette

Silhouettes

Silhouettes
Source : momentaryawe.com

Silhouette taking pictures at the beach

Silhouette taking pictures at the beach
Source : Saguaro Pictures

Silhouette 1

Silhouette 1
Source : Pete Biggs

Silhouettes

Silhouettes
Source : Mazda6 (Tor)

Silhouetted

Silhouetted
Source : Road Blog

Daniell Playing in Silhouette

Daniell Playing in Silhouette
Source : AnNamirâ„¢

Silhouette

Silhouette
Source : Dark-Guardian666

Silhouettes

Silhouette.

Silhouette.
Source : lacelle

Silhouette of a photographer..

Silhouette of a photographer..
Source : dizzelinne

Silhouette 002/365

Silhouette 002/365
Source : follystone

Sunset Silhouette

Sunset Silhouette
Source : Rock0426

Silhouette – Praying

Silhouettes at dawn 2

Silhouetted Tree

Silhouetted Tree
Source : Humphrey Hippo

Parliament Silhouette

Parliament Silhouette
Source : lxgrkn

Daybreak Silhouette

Daybreak Silhouette
Source : GVA

Silhouette of Moscow

Silhouette of Moscow
Source : Nickdan

silhouette at mountain

silhouette at mountain
Source : scadamcil

STHLM Silhouette

STHLM Silhouette
Source : Sahajalal
Silhouette, also called Silhoutte or Silhoute is an artistic form of photography. Silhouette is when you take a photo and the focal object of the image is just a shadow. You don’t see the details, just a black color. See the thumbnail for an example. In this post, I have collected some of the best photos containing this effect.
Photographers can add this effect in photos themselves and it does not require much expertise of using Photoshop to make it. I might make a tutorial for novice Photoshop users to make this effect.
By the way, the correct spelling is indeed Silhouette.















Sanskrit - A day of teaching Sanskrit at St James School, London



Can you ever imagine our kids can learn what some British kids are learning?...there is a great value in learning sanksrit slokas....it sharpens your brain..this is the absolute truth.
Excellent...

Eliminating The Primary Fear




Krishna speaking to Arjuna“All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their interim state, and unmanifest again when they are annihilated. So what need is there for lamentation?” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.28)
There are many reasons to read the Bhagavad-gita, the Song of God sung on the battlefield of Kurukshetra some five thousand years ago. As revealed by the singer Himself, the same words were previously delivered many eons prior, at the beginning of creation. Therefore the Gita and its essential teachings are timeless, proving to be valuable in any time period and to any class of men. What’s more is that the primary fear, the root cause of distress, is addressed by this great work, proving that from a single set of teachings all other problems can be solved simultaneously.
What is that primary fear? What is the one thing that we worry about the most? Not surprisingly, it is death. Even if we have come to grips with our own eventual passing, there is still concern over the separation from friends and family members. “How will I live without them? I can’t believe that one day I will never see them again. ‘Never’ is such a frightening concept. Why can’t I have their association forever?” We know that this sadness is widespread based on the reaction to the passing of famous people, which also reveals how there is a lack of knowledge of the afterlife.
If true knowledge of the soul existed, there would be no reason to overly lament the passing of someone else. In reality, the lamentation is for ourselves, for we are now bereft of the departed’s company. But they continue to live on, as the spirit soul cannot be cut up, made wet, burned, or destroyed in any way.
“The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.”  (Lord Krishna, Bg. 2.23)
Lord KrishnaThere are many reasons to be averse to religious doctrines. For starters, so many religions are now organized and thus riddled with the common problems of politics, infighting, and the desire for personal aggrandizement, all of which are antithetical to a system of discipline aimed at connecting with the highest power. There is also the perceived notion that by hearing about and following religious dictates, one’s life will be stripped of fun. “No more sex life. No more eating meat. No more getting drunk. That all equals no fun.”
But if we look at the Gita, we see that the starting point is the primary fear in every person. Thus the teachings that follow the initial inquiries from the perplexed warrior are applicable to every single person. In one sense the Gita doesn’t have to be considered a religious text, as it presents the information of the spirit soul and its travels in a scientific way. There are methods of redress that can be adopted, with a starting hypothesis declared, and the worker can see for themselves with the results of the experiments whether or not the principles presented are valid.
The speaker of the Gita is the oldest and wisest person. He has knowledge of every single past incident, so He knows that the principles of sanatana-dharma, or the eternal occupation of man, never fail when properly implemented. He can also see into the future, so there is no need for Him to observe any future results to experiments. On the battlefield that day, He presented His spotless knowledge in a manner that was suitable to the listener in the immediate vicinity. In the process the information was also shared with countless future generations who would study the text under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master.
So what was the initial premise? What was the problem that sparked the talk? Arjuna was the leading fighter for a group of brothers known as the Pandavas. They had the rightful claim to the throne of Hastinapura, but their cousins unjustly usurped control. Now a war was to settle the matter, and right before hostilities were to start, Arjuna grew hesitant. He wasn’t worried about losing. It was just the opposite in fact; he was afraid of what would happen if his side won. So many people would die, and Arjuna wouldn’t like that. He didn’t want to live without the company of his well-wishers and relatives fighting for the other side, especially if he was the cause of their demise.
ArjunaDo Arjuna’s sentiments sound familiar? If they are alive today, are we not worried about the day when we will lose the association of our parents? Are we not afraid of losing a loved one either through a disease or a tragic accident? The answers Krishna gave to Arjuna allow for the individual spirit soul to be knowledgeable in its activities, and with that sword of knowledge one can slash away the ropes of doubt and illusion, which bind one in a trap of fear.
What were Krishna’s primary instructions? Through a carefully presented series of verses, the Gita speaks of the spirit soul and how it is ageless. That soul existed prior to the present manifestation of the body and it will exist beyond the current form. The soul is the essence of identity, and its disposition is what matters most, not where the body is currently situated. This holds true for the individual and also for every other person, including people for whom we hold affection.
The person must act, however, and to know how to act one should follow the bona fide religious principles as they are presented by sadhu, shastra, and guru. The sadhu is the saintly man, who is devoted to the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Shastra is scripture; it has the recorded instructions of the Supreme Lord and His representatives. The guru is the embodiment of devotion to God. He teaches by both precept and example. He can teach the humble student the meaning to the verses of shastra and how to practically apply the principles in everyday life.
After hearing from Krishna and accepting the information through discrimination, Arjuna decided to fight ahead, casting aside his previous doubt. Does this mean that Arjuna suddenly became callous to life and death? Did he discard his affection for his family members? If he did, isn’t the Gita kind of cold in its teaching? What is the difference, then, between a person who follows Krishna’s teachings and one who is so low in their moral standards that they kill other people at random, having no concern for them?
“The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead.”  (Bg. 2.11)
Bhagavad-gita, As It IsThe ultimate lesson of the Gita is to follow Krishna’s instructions, for He is the Supreme Lord. The vague concept of God is the same Krishna but without the features painted. There are incarnations and expansions of Krishna as well, which show off even more features, as many as the living entity can enumerate. Since Krishna is the fountainhead of all energies, following His word, showing love to Him, is actually the only way to have universal brotherhood. The only way to properly love all of God’s creation is to first serve the original creator.
This means that instead of losing his affection for his family members, Arjuna actually learned to love them more. But his affection was no longer based off temporary features belonging to a perishable body. Arjuna knew that everyone is a spirit soul and that by following occupational duties with detachment there is no sin incurred with action. Also, only the bodies of the other soldiers would be destroyed; their souls would continue to live on. Thus with this perfect combination of knowledge Arjuna could continue on without carrying the burden of the primary fear in man.
That same level of detachment comes to one who follows devotion to Krishna. The wise chariot-driver who enlightened Arjuna on that day can be reached through His holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, which are non-different from Him. Chanting and hearing are the bedrock of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. That discipline transcends sectarian boundaries and religious institutions. Devotion to God is the inherent occupation of the soul and from it the fears we regularly encounter today can vanish, creating a legitimate loving sentiment that extends to all creatures.
In Closing:
The greatest fear is that life will end,
Then creates other fears when it extends.

Even if with my own mortality I have come to grips,
How will I survive when close friends their bodies quit?

Arjuna thought just like this, fate of others to dwell upon,
To dispel his doubts, Shri Krishna sung transcendental song.

Known as Bhagavad-gita, at start deals with end of life,
Then solves other issues, anger, vengeance and strife.

Like Arjuna from the principles of bhakti don’t deviate,
In the process primary fear of life eliminate.

Doorways Cause Forgetting

Mental Mishaps

Errors in perceiving, remembering, and thinking.

Doorways Cause Forgetting

What did I come here for?
Published on May 25, 2012 by Ira Hyman in Mental Mishaps
Why am I here? I don’t mean this in the deep existential sense of why am I alive. I am simply wondering why I came into this room. What am I looking for? There must be a reason I left that other room and came into this one. But I can’t remember why I am here.
I’m sure we’ve all experienced this problem. We’ve been doing something in one room, realized we needed some object from another room, and walked over there to retrieve it. Simple. Of course, we arrive in that other room and have no idea of why we are there or what object we sent ourselves to retrieve. When this happens, I desperately look around for something to inspire my memory, to remind me of why I’m there.
Perhaps you’ve blamed this on your impending cognitive doom, your eventual age-related decline. Maybe you’ve worried that this may be an early sign of Alzheimer’s Disease.
I have some good news for you. It isn’t you and it isn’t evidence of age-related declines. It’s the doorway. Walking through doorways empties your mind. Doorways really cause forgetting.
In several clever studies, Gabriel Radvansky and his colleagues have investigated memory as people move through complex environments. They first conducted their research as people navigated through virtual environments playing a simple computer game. In the game, people picked up objects from one table and carried the objects until they reached another table. At the new table, they put down the old object, picked up a new object, and carried it to the next table. Every now and then, Radvansky and Copeland (2006) asked people about the object they were carrying and the one they had just put down.
The experimental manipulation is the simple and way cool part of the research. To get to the next table, sometimes people had to walk to the far end of a large room and other times they moved into a new virtual room, through a doorway. The distance traveled was the same. The time it took to make the passage was the same. And you couldn’t see the other table and object no matter what (you also couldn’t see the object you were carrying – I guess it was in your virtual pocket).
The doorway was the difference. When people walked through a doorway, they had more difficulty remembering what object they had just put down and what object they were carrying. Walking through the doorways caused forgetting.
In further research, Radvansky, Krawietz, and Tamplin (2011) demonstrated the doorway forgetting effect in a real, as opposed to a virtual, walking environment. They also studied whether returning to the original room re-instated memory. The answer: Not really. Going back to your bedroom doesn’t necessarily lead you to suddenly remember why you had journeyed to the kitchen.
So the good news is that it is perfectly normal to forget why you came here. The explanation of the doorway forgetting effect is fun to consider as well. No, I don’t think it is something about the doorway disrupting brainfunction. You do not need to invest in a special anti-doorway-forgetting hat.
Instead Radvansky and his colleagues have argued that we construct situational models of our surrounding environments. These models are generally vague because we can sample information from the environment any time we need more details. When we enter a new environment, we construct a new situational model, whicherases the old model. Situational models would include not only vague information about the environment, but also some information about the self in that environment – like what you were carrying and doing. Thus entering a new room erases the old information – that is, doorways cause forgetting.
I think this is another example of what Dan Simons and Chris Chabris call the illusions of awareness. We believe we are more aware of our surroundings than we actually are. We actually keep only a limited model active in our awareness because we can always check back with the actual world if we need more details – why expend the cognitive resources recreating the world in our heads, when the world is constantly available to our perceptual systems. But if the environment changes or if we move to a new environment, we may lose information that we really only vaguely had in our heads and fail to notice changes in the environment (see Failing to Notice Haircuts, Missing Buildings, and Changed Conversation Partners).
Walking through a doorway replaces one vague situational model with a new one. Returning to the original room may not help because now you have simply created another new and vague situational understanding.
I regularly find myself walking into a room and wondering why I’m there. I return to where I was before and still have no idea why I left in the first place. I wander through the halls of my academic building wondering why I am here, or there, or wherever it is I find myself. Thankfully, it isn’t just because I am an absent-minded professor.
Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

புரட்சிக் கவிஞர்


புரட்சிக் கவிஞர் , ஸ்ரீ ராமானுஜர், காளமேகம் , சதி சுலோச்சனா. சுபத்ரா போன்ற புராணப் படங்களுக்கு பாடல்களும் ,ஆயிரம் தலை வாங்கிய அபூர்வ சிந்தாமணி , பொன்முடி போன்ற படங்களுக்கு கதை வசனமும் எழுதினார் .
" புராண - இதிகாசங்களை எதிர்க்க வேண்டிய நீங்களே , இது போன்ற கதை , வசனம் எழுதலாமா ? " என்று பலரும் வினவிய
போது , " மக்களிடையே மிகுந்த செல்வாக்குப் பெற்று வரும் திரைத்துறையில் ஒரு நுழைவு ஏற்படுத்தி இருக்கிறேன் . " பிராண நாதா " , ஸ்வாமி , சஹியே போன்ற சொற்களை நீக்கி , ' அத்தான் ' , தோழி , குருவே என்று எழுதியிருக்கிறேன் . அசுரர்களாகக் காட்டப்பட்டு வந்தவர்களை நல்லவர்களாகப் படை த்திருக்கிறேன். தொடக்க நிலையில் இதைத்தான் செய்ய முடியும் . போகப் போக நம் கருத்துக்களை முழுமையாய்ப் புகுத்தலாம் ! " என்றாராம் புரட்சிக் கவிஞர் .

புற்றுநோயை தடுக்கும் குணம் கொண்டது கறிவேப்பிலை -ஆய்வில் தகவல்....




பொதுவாக கறிவேப்பிலை உணவில் வாசனையை தர பயன்படுகிறது என்று தான் அனைவருக்கும் தெரியும். அதனால் தான் என்னவோ சாப்பிடும்போது உணவில் கிடக்கும் கறிவேப்பிலையை எடுத்து கீழே போட்டுவிடுகிறோம். இனிமேல் அப்படி செய்ய வேண்டாம். ஏனென்றால் கறிவேப்பிலை சாப்பிட்டால் புற்றுநோய் வராது என்று சமீபத்திய ஆய்வில் தெரிய வந்துள்ளது.

கறிவேப்பிலையில் கோயினிஜாக், குளுகோசைட், ஒலியோரெசின், ஆஸ்பர்ஜான் சொரின், அஸ்பார்டிக் அமிலம், அயாமைன், புரோலைன் போன்ற அமினோ அமிலங்கள் மற்றும் வைட்டமின் ஏ, பி, சி, கால்சியம் போன்றவைகளும் உள்ளன. இதனால் இதில் பல்வேறு மருத்துவ குணங்கள் இருப்பதோடு, நல்ல மணத்தையும் தருகிறது.

இத்தகைய குணங்கள் நிறைந்த கறிவேப்பிலை குறித்து ஆஸ்திரேலிய உணவியல் அறிஞர்கள் ஆய்வு செய்தனர். இதில் கறிவேப்பிலைக்கு புற்றுநோயை ஆரம்பித்திலேயே கொல்லும் ஆற்றல் உள்ளது என்று கண்டறிந்துள்ளனர். மேலும் இது ஒரு சிறந்த ஆன்டிஆக்ஸிடென்டாக இயங்குகிறது என்றும் கூறுகின்றனர். கருவேப்பிலை சாப்பிடுவதால் இதய நோய் வராது, மேலும் ஞாபக சக்தியும் அதிகரிக்கும் என்று கூறப்படுகிறது.

மேலும் கறிவேப்பிலையையும், கடுகையும் தாளிக்க பயன்படுத்தினால் நன்மை உண்டா? என்று திருவனந்தபுரத்திலுள்ள கேரளா பல்கலைக் கழகத்தில் மருத்துவ குழுவினர் ஆராய்ந்தனர். அதில் கறிவேப்பிலையும், கடுகும் நமது திசுக்களை அழிவிலிருந்து பாதுகாக்கிறது என்றும், பிரிரேடிக்கல்ஸ் உருவாவதை தடுக்கிறது என்றும் கண்டுபிடித்துள்ளனர். மேலும் பிரிரேடிக்கல்ஸ் உருவாவதால் தான் டி.என்.ஏ. பாதித்து செல்களிலுள்ள புரோட்டின் அழிந்து, அதன் விளைவாக புற்றுநோய், வாதநோய்கள் வருகின்றன என்றும் கண்டறிந்துள்ளனர்.

இது தவிர நீரிழிவு நோயாளிகள் தினமும் கறிவேப்பிலை இலையை மென்று சாற்றை விழுங்கி வந்தால் மாத்திரை சாப்பிடும் அளவு பாதியாக குறையும் என்றும் மருத்துவர்கள் கூறுகிறார்கள்.

இனி கறிவேப்பிலையை உணவில் இருந்து தூக்கியெறியாமல் மென்று விழுங்குவோம்...

முதலாம் பீமதேவரின் நினைவாக அவர் மனைவி உதயமதி கட்டிய நினைவகம்




மும்தாஜுக்காக ஷாஜகான் கட்டிய காதல் சின்னத்தைப் போலவே, (அதை விட அழகாகவும் , கிணற்றைப் போல தரைக்கு அடியில் இருந்தும் )முதலாம் பீமதேவரின் நினைவாக அவர் மனைவி உதயமதி கட்டிய நினைவகம் குஜராத்தில் உள்ளது. உதயமதி இதைக்கட்ட ஆரம்பித்தாலும் 1050 -இல் கட்டிமுடித்தவர் அவள் மகன் முதலாம் கரன்தேவ்.இந்தக் கிணற்றில் இருந்து கிட்டத்தட்ட 30 கிமீ தூரத்துக்கு ஒரு சுரங்கவழி உள்ளது. கல்லால் ஆன குழாய்கள் போடப்பட்டு அருகே உள்ள சித்பூர் என்ற நகர் வரை சென்றிருக்கிறது. இது தண்ணீர் செல்லும் வழியா, தப்பிச்செல்லும் வழியா என்று சொல்லமுடியவில்லை. இந்தியாவின் மிக நீளமான சுரங்க வழியும் இதுவே.படிகளாக இறங்கிச்செல்லும் இந்த நிலத்தடி மாளிகை ஒரு ஆழமான கிணற்றில் சென்று முடிகிறது. பாதிக்குமேல் செல்ல இன்று அனுமதி இல்லை. உள்ளே எல்லா இடங்களிலும் இடைவெளி இல்லாமல் சிற்பங்கள். இந்த நிலத்தடிக் கிணறு 64 மீட்டர் நீளமும் 20 மீட்டர் அகலமும் 27 மீட்டர் ஆழமும் கொண்டது. இந்தக் குளத்தின் வடிவ நேர்த்தியை எந்தக் கோணத்தில் நின்று நோக்கினாலும் பரவசத்துடன் அல்லாது உணர முடியாது. 1998 முதல் இது யுனெஸ்கோவால் பாதுகாக்கப்படுகிறது. (ஜலாலுதீன் கில்ஜியின் தளபதியாக இருந்த அலாவுதீன் கில்ஜி எல்லாக் கோட்டைகளையும் கோயில்களையும் இடித்தழித்தார். கிட்டத்தட்ட முந்நூறு இந்து சமண ஆலயங்களை இப்பகுதியில் அவர் அழித்ததாக அவரது வரலாற்றாசிரியர்கள் சொல்கிறார்கள்.) அதில் கொஞ்சம் சிதிலம் அடையாமல் இருப்பதில் இந்த ராணி கி வாவ் முக்கியமான ஒன்று.