Bye Bye Blogger....

I bought a new domain and moved to new blog. if you come here accidentally please visit my new page.

http://mayuonline.com/

With love,
Mayu.

Wikicamp in Chennai

Wikicamp is all about harnessing and understanding the power of Wikis. It is a one day event aimed to bring together the best minds from the Wiki/Internet space to talk about issues, opportunities and what the future and evolution of this valuable tool looks like.

Crowd sourcing, Wisdom of crowds, User generated content and collaborative knowledge sharing have become the keywords of today's Internet. Wikicamp aims at demystifying these terms.

The event will feature workshops, debates and keynotes on the present state and evolution of the wiki.

Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia and President of Wikimedia Foundation will be attending the event. He will share with us the vision for Wikipedia and his experiences.

The event is scheduled for the 25th of February, and the venue is at Tidel Park, Chennai.

Tamil Wikipedia 1000 Articles CD Project Proposal – Version 1.0

Preamble
Tamil Wikipedia is a user created, free encyclopedia started in 2003 as part of the Wikipedia project which began in 2001. The main and ambitious objective of the Wikipedia is to bring together and give access to all world knowledge in all languages. The altruistic objective, open spirit, and the enabling wiki technology and process lead to the creation of more than 1.5 million articles in English by 2006, and about 6000 articles in Tamil.

Barriers to Tamil
Unlike English which has massive resources and inherent technological advantages, Tamil is limited in resources and reach. Most of the Tamil speaking population do not have computers or access to the Internet. Even if they do have computers, they are not connected to the Internet. Moreover, there are technological shortcomings in reading and typing in Tamil via the computer.

The Need for the Tamil CD in Sri Lanka
In recent discussions with Tamil Wikipedians from Sri Lanka, it has become evident that Tamil Wikipedia is or becoming an important source of information for them. Lack of access to library or books, and the notable price in purchasing books are significant barriers to learning. Moreover, Tamil Wikipedia can be more current and relevant source of many type of information. Along with Wikipeida’s sister projects it can truly be a importance source of knowledge in Tamil. As a multilingual project, it can also encourage and help students learn other languages as well.

Unfortunately, as noted before the Tamil population in Sri Lanka does not have access to Internet, even if they can manage power supply and computers. Thus, putting selected number of quality articles in CD can be valuable to them.

Not Just in Sri Lanka but in TN Many TN schools do not have reliable Internet connection. Internet has not reached TN villages. Thus, the CD is not jus for Tamils in Sri Lanka, but for Tamils in TN, and all over the world.

Current Proposal
Currently we are considering 50 articles in each 12 top category areas (Tamil, Mathematics, Science, Technology, Geography, History, Society, People, Culture, Literature, Arts, Religion). There may be some overlap. Another 400 articles can supplement depth coverage in important topic ranges. Or we can limit the topic range and increment the depth coverage. It really depends the audience, and our resources. In addition, we can include articles that can help learn English or Japanese or other languages.

We need volunteers
If we want to do all this, we have to have more volunteers. Our main source of volunteers has been from the Tamil blogshpere. Unfortunately, the Tamil and Tamil Nadu academia is very silent and not engaged with Tamil Wikipedia at all. The “serious” writers or literature people are not engaged with Wikipedia to the extent they can. The contribution form certain expert areas are minimal or none. The geographic spread of contributors is also of notable concern.

However, there has be more interest forthcoming from all circles. For instance, notable writer from Canada A. Muthlingam has shown an active interest in Wikipedia, and is attempting engage others as well. Professor Selva has also encouraged his colleagues and friends to contribute to Tamil Wikipedia. Many others have shown great interest, but direct contribution has been slow in forthcoming.

Any one can edit Tamil Wikipedia. And we welcome all, not just domain experts, writers, and students. But people of varied interests, all have something to contribute. Even if you are not comfortable with writing Tamil, there are many other activities that can be done such as graphics, programming, maintenance, layout design, photography, audio video content generation etc.

Please note that Tamil Wikipedia is neutral, non-profit, non-political fully voluenteer driven project which main purpose is to build a quality Tamil Wikpedia using the Wiki technology and process as the means. So, join us and share some of your time and your thoughts.

Regards,
Tamil Wikipedia Community

Happy New Year 2007

Wish you Happy New Year !!!

with love,
Mayu

This Will Shock You!!!.....9- 11 Trivia

This is actually really freaky!! (mainly the end part, but read it all first)

1) New York City has 11 letters

2) Afghanistan has 11 letters.

3) Ramsin Yuseb (The terrorist who threatened to destroy the Twin Towers in 1993) has 11 letters.

4) George W Bush has 11 letters.

This could be a mere coincidence, but this gets more interesting:

1) New York is the 11th state.

2) The first plane crashing against the Twin Towers was flight number 11.

3) Flight 11 was carrying 92 passengers. 9 + 2 = 11

4) Flight 77 which also hit Twin Towers, was carrying 65

passengers. 6+5 = 11

5) The tragedy was on September 11, or 9/11 as it is now known. 9 + 1+ 1 = 11

6) The date is equal to the US emergency services telephone number 911. 9 + 1 + 1 = 11

Sheer coincidence. .?! Read on and make up your own mind:

1) The total number of victims inside all the hi-jacked planes was 254. 2 + 5 + 4 = 11.

2) September 11 is day number 254 of the calendar year. Again 2 + 5 + 4 = 11.

3) The Madridbombing took place on 3/11/2004. 3 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 4 = 11.

4) The tragedy of Madrid happened 911 days after the Twin Towers incident.!

Now this is where things get totally eerie:

The most recognized symbol for the US, after the Stars & Stripes, is the

Eagle. The following verse is taken from the Quran, the Islamic holy book:

"For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The

wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah while some

of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced: for the wrath of the

Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah and there was peace."

That verse is number 9.11 of the Quran.

unconvinced about all of this Still ..?!

Try this and see how you feel afterwards, it made my hair stand on end:

Open Microsoft Word and do the following:

1. Type in capitals Q33 NY. This is the flight number of the first plane to

hit one of the Twin Towers.

2. Highlight the Q33 NY.

3. Change the font size to 48.

4. Change the actual font to the WINGDINGS

What do you think now?!!

Did You Call Me?

God : Hello. Did you call me?

Me: Called you? No. Who is this?
God: This is GOD. I heard your prayers. So I thought I will chat.

Me: I do pray. Just makes me feel good. I am actually busy now. I am in the midst of
something.
God: What are you busy at? Ants are busy too.

Me: Don't know. But I can't find free time. Life has become hectic. It's rush hour all the
time.

God: Sure. Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you results. Activity consumes
time. Productivity frees it.

Me: I understand. But I still can't figure out. By the way, I was not expecting YOU to buzz
me on instant messaging chat.

God: Well I wanted to resolve your fight for time, by giving you some clarity. In this net
era, I wanted to reach you through the medium you are comfortable with.

Me: Tell me, why has life become complicated now?

God: Stop analyzing life. Just live it. Analysis is what makes it complicated.

Me: Why are we then constantly unhappy?

God: Your today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday. You are worrying
because you are analyzing. Worrying has become your habit. That's why you are not
happy.

Me: But how can we not worry when there is so much uncertainty?

God: Uncertainty is inevitable, but worrying is optional.

Me: But then, there is so much pain due to uncertainty.

God: Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.

Me: If suffering is optional, why do good people always suffer?

God: Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire.
Good people go through trials, but don't suffer. With that experience their life
become better not bitter.

Me: You mean to say such experience is useful?

God: Yes. In every term, Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the
lessons afterwards.

Me: But still, why should we go through such tests? Why can't we be free from problems?

God: Problems are Purposeful Roadblocks Offering Beneficial Lessons (to) Enhance
Mental Strength. Inner strength comes from struggle and endurance, not when you
are free from problems.

Me: Frankly in the midst of so many problems, we don't know where we are heading.

God: If you look outside you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Looking
outside, you dream. Looking inside, you awaken. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides
insight.

Me: Sometimes not succeeding fast seems to hurt more than moving in the right
direction. What should I do?

God: Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure
as decided by you. Knowing the road ahead is more satisfying than knowing you
rode ahead. You work with the compass. Let others work with the clock.

Me: In tough times, how do you stay motivated?

God: Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always
count your blessing, not what you are missing. Me: What surprises you about people?

God: When they suffer they ask, "why me? When they prosper, they never ask "Why me"
Everyone wishes to have truth on their side, but few want to be on the side of the
truth.

Me: Sometimes I ask, who I am, why am I here. I can't get the answer.

God: Seek not to find who you are, but to determine who you want to be. Stop looking for a
purpose as to why you are here. Create it. Life is not a process of discovery but a
process of creation.

Me: How can I get the best out of life?

God: Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the
future without fear.

Me: One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered.

God: There are no unanswered prayers. At times the answer is NO.

Me: Thank you for this wonderful chat. I am so happy to start the day with a new sense
of inspiration.

God: Well. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Don't believe your doubts and doubt
your beliefs. Life is a mystery to solve not a problem to resolve. Trust me. Life is
wonderful if you know how to live.

Mind Reading Ability of the Managers

Think of a board meeting where a CEO discussing about the expect target for the next year. While he was talking about the target he found that project leader’s facial expression is not so good or no longer agree with him. So the CEO during the meeting keeps on asking him that “are you comfortable with this target”. The project leader told him that he can do it but the CEO was not sure about him thereafter he arranged a special meeting with the project leader and ask him whether you are comfortable with the new target. In the end of the year the project manager has managed to get the targeted profit of the organization. So the CEO has wasted his time as well as his project manager’s time. It’s a real story. With the help of this story we can say even the very experienced people can’t guess about the mind of the operatives by just look into their face, because body language can be misleading and because facial expressions can be hard to read if you're not practiced at it.

Accurately interpreting the meanings of nonverbal communications, especially facial expressions, can make CEOs more effective leaders and managers, says Paul Ekman, noted psychologist and author of Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life. Reading facial expressions is a particularly useful skill for business executives because, so often in business settings, people don't say what they really think. If CEOs could recognize how different emotions manifest themselves on the face, they'd be able to discern much more quickly, for example, when an individual is starting to get angry. They'd also be able to identify when people are trying to conceal their emotions—such as fear, contempt, disgust or surprise. This knowledge and ability can make CEOs more aware of unspoken political tensions in board or executive committee meetings. It also better equips them to handle sensitive staffing situations such as performance reviews. Ekman points to research indicating that managers who seem responsive to the unspoken emotions of their staffs are more successful in the workplace than managers who don't.

“So much of our job [as CEOs] is spent selling things—ideas, budgets, influence. Becoming sensitive to the meanings of facial expressions, while tricky, is a way to find out very quickly who's allied with you and who might be angry with something you said," says Goldfarb a leading CEO in United States.

While facial expressions can be hard to decipher because they're fleeting (lasting anywhere from less than one-half of a second to three seconds) and because people often try to conceal them, they are in fact the clearest indicator of what someone is feeling. The face is the only system that will tell us the specific emotion that's occurring," he says. That's because each emotion has unique, identifiable signals in the face. Emotions manifest themselves in facial expressions because; it became useful over the course of human evolution to let others know when we sense danger. Facial expressions have since become automatic. Because each emotion has unique signals in the face, facial expressions are more reliable indicators of a person's emotional state than body language.

For example, if you pick up on signs of anger (thinned lips, lowered eyebrows, and raised upper eyelids) when telling a staff member that she did not get a promotion, and if you care about the staff member and want to see her advance, Ekman suggests that you might say to her, "I know that was bad news and I expect it was disappointing. I had the impression you were upset and wondered if it would help to talk about it," or simply, "I would be glad to talk to you now or at a later time about how you feel about it." Ekman cautions against asking a person in this situation if she is angry because it opens the CIO up to an attack.

In the other hand it’s better to let the sub ordinates to read the mind of the CEO. It’ll enable the understanding between CEO and operatives. In essence, managers and employees must become mind readers. The better they understand the challenges that the boss faces, the better they can supply the information needed to cope with them. The role of the executive in this process of mind reading is to make it as easy as possible for subordinates to read his or her mind, allowing subordinates to be proactive about anticipating the effects of their actions. The act of mind reading in business is a two-way process, with both the boss and the subordinate participating.

In some instance it’s very difficult to asses the cues in the face or even the body language. Think of an instance where CEO is a Sri Lankan and rest of the operatives are Americans. Place to place facial expression and body language can differ. So definitely the Sri Lankan CEO won’t be able to guess the facial expressions or the body language of the American operatives.

If the staff member shows fear (raised upper eyelids, tensed lower eyelids, with eyebrows raised and drawn together), her expression may suggest that she is concerned about her future. Psychologists advises supervisors to reassure the person about her standing in the company if it's not at risk, or to discuss the areas in which the individual needs to improve.

Psychologists says that, while studying facial expressions, it's important to keep in mind that they do not reveal what is generating the emotion, only that the emotion is occurring. Yet, he continues, "If we are sensitive to the expressions of another person, then we know what impact we're having on them and what emotion they might be trying to conceal." In other words, we're a lot better off when we pay attention to and know how to assess these cues than when we're oblivious to them.

15 : Martin Luther King, Jr.: I Have a Dream

If you have time don’t bother to read this great speech.

Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered what is regarded today as one of the greatest speeches in American history. King himself seemed to sense the historic importance of the moment as he opened his “I Have a Dream” speech by calling the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom “the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” The landmark protest, which drew more than 200,000 people, announced a turning point in the civil rights movement and set the stage for the movement’s two most important legislative achievements, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

“I Have a Dream”
By Martin Luther King, Jr.
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest—quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification"—one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day—this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning: My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
Source: © Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr.