Month: October 2016

Can you think of something that can power Japan for 50 years..

Here it is.

Typhoon Turbine – Can power Japan for 50 years!

Images

Atsushi Shimizu, an engineer in Japan, invented the world’s first typhoon turbine.

A robust, egg beater-shaped wind turbine, designed not only to withstand the incredible force of a tropical cyclone, but also to harness it.

A mature typhoon produces a level of kinetic energy “equivalent to about half the world-wide electrical generating capacity,” according to the Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory.

The energy from one typhoon, says Shimizu, could power Japan for 50 years.

In terms of energy, Japan actually has a lot more wind power than it does solar power, it’s just not utilized.

The country has already seen 6 typhoons in 2016.

“Japan has the potential to be a super power of wind,” says Shimizu.

Japan imported wind turbines from Europe and were not suitable for their climatic conditions and so they customized it completely. It was designed in such a way that it can handle unpredictable and violent wind patterns.

Key to the invention is the principle of the Magnus effect – the way air curves around anything that rotates (like a basketball), and applies pressure on it at the same time.

In this case, it allows the blades around the turbine to generate movement – which you can see the video below. At the same time, the central rod can be tightened to slow down or stop the blades, regardless of the external forces generated by the typhoon.

The day when my heart melted!

She came in as a 3-day old puppy some 2 years back.She was brought home by my dad in the smallest bag that was at home.She was so cute that my sister loved her the most.My mom hardly bothered to look at her.I liked her too but not as much as my sister did (I still feel bad for not having taken a picture of that cute looking puppy).Now she has grown up so big that she could not be accomodated inside the largest bag that we have.Julie has not bit anybody since birth and I haven’t tested it on anybody ofcourse (apadi oru adimai ya thaan thaedikitu irukaen).By the way,she leads a sophisticated and contented life at my house and with no doubt I can assure that she would not have enjoyed her life like this if she had gone elsewhere.
                    For your disbelief,let me tell you about the lifestyle of Julie at my house.She will not stand while eating (paduthukitae thaan saapudum–A fact,true to the best of my knowledge),if it’s sunny outside then she would come and take rest inside the house with a bottle of refrigerated water (Mind you! This is not just to exaggerate her) being offered by my mom and believe it or not–at times she would spend the whole night inside the A.C room along with my dad,on grounds that it will get frightened if somebody bursts crackers outside (WTF!).There is a big story behind such loads of affection being showered on her.Before that,let me tell you something funny that happened after the inclusion of Julie into the family.
                    It was the occasion of my cousin sister’s marriage that my house was flooded with relatives and my other cousins.We were actually a joint family once and I have quite a large number of cousins and they were all present for the wedding.One sunny afternoon we all had our lunch and we were chatting to glory on the terrace under a small shade.My mom came up to dry out the clothes and we didn’t bother to notice her and we were busy chatting,having met after years together.Suddenly I heard my mom yelling at a distance and running towards us pointing to something with a frightened look covering her face.We were puzzled to see her this way.As my mom came closer I could slightly hear traces of a sentence shouting–“Ada paavingala aen da aen pilla ya ipdi veyil la nikka vitrukeenga…..”.I was actually standing in the sun when she said that.My cousins–“cha paasatha poliyuraangalae da mapla…”.Saying this my mom came towards me,sped past me in no time and she swiftly loosened the chain in which julie was tied near me (kaatu bun enaku! She actually meant julie who was standing in the sun and by the way she didn’t notice me standing in the crowd) and she was about to return back the same way with the same speed and acceleration.Only when she turned back she noticed that I was standing along with the group of cousins in the sun and in no time that my mom confessed about not seeing me,that each and everyone in the spot were laughing like anything and neither could I control my laughter (Avlo thaan sethaen).But it was all part of the fun.I told this just to show you the heights of affection for julie and nothing else.Eager to know the reason behind?
                     Here it is–Before a few months prior to the above incident–One bright morning,julie showed some signs of strange behaviour and she couldn’t stand on her feet and her face looked pale and she was frowning.My mom and dad were very much bothered to see her this way and infact my dad didn’t go to office that day.We took her or to say we carried her to a private veterinary clinic and they examined her and told that this was a kind of food adulteration and she has to be admitted there for atleast a week.They also added that glucose has to be injected in sufficient quantities,as she was so weak after the infection (apadiyae manushangaluku solra madhiriyae sonnaenga…adhu endha alavuku unmai nu idhu varaikum yaarukum theriyaadhu).Anyway,we admitted her and she was put inside a cage after which we started off from the clinic.All were very sad at home thinking of what julie was up to.
                     Somehow we managed to wile away the week and we went to bring back julie home and to our surprise she was still the same.She was sleeping inside the cage with her legs shivering like anything and when she heard us,she slowly opened her eyes,wagged her tail and she could not get on her feet.The cage was narrow but somewhat longer.She was lying at the farther end of the cage and was struggling to come to the other end,where we were waiting with our arms stretched towards the cage.She was actually crawling her way to the door of the cage.After a long way down the cage she reached the door and my mom and sister touched her affectionately.No sooner had they touched than julie started to literally shed tears.It was crying out.(A mixed emotion of surprise,astonishment,love,compassion and affection swirled the place).I couldn’t believe my eyes.All of a sudden my mom and sister started to weep.Uncontrolled tears ran through my cheeks (since then I haven’t shed tears for anything this emotional).This was the incident that changed the face of julie at home.By god’s grace she was alright after a few days.To say,Julie won our hearts.
 Dictum: Even after this would you expect me to believe the fact that dogs don’t possess the sense of thought?….Never ! You should have seen how it expressed its love and affection.Just the shelter that we provide her has been paid back in the form of love and affection.It’s something great and memorable that I cant remember to forget in my life.

What’s so special about Leonardo Di Caprio

What’s So Special About Leonardo DiCaprio :

The pre-eminent thing about Leonardo DiCaprio is that when you watch him on the screen you always forget that you are watching Leonardo DiCaprio.

Most actors (good and bad both) have something, a little specialty, a trademark gesture or whatever that sets them apart and that gives them away.

For example, Morgan Freeman unarguably a legend in his own right has his magical voice. No matter what character he plays you just know that it is him. But, you don’t have anything of that sort with Leo. He embeds himself so effortlessly into the story and gets so much into the character it actually creeps me out sometimes.

– Roshan Satapathy

I have learned these lessons from Leo which inspire me incessantly.

1. Be Different

Being same is too mainstream nowadays.

You have to be different from the crowd if you want to be remembered after you. Remember his roles in The Revenant, Titanic and The Wolf of Wall Street.  All these belong to a different niche. But how he adapted him to the versatile roles is indeed stupendous.

2. DoThe Best

Do the best you can, and you will get best results.

The best part of human life is that there is always room for improvement.

After every miss of being awarded the Oscar, Leo worked harder and ended up working better than last time. Getting better is the only road to success. And it becomes best one day.

3. Hard work beats talent.

There is no substitute for hard work, said Thomas A. Edison.

The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be out-worked, period. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things you got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there are two things: You’re getting off first, or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple, right?

– Will Smith

Hard work constitutes the basics of every achievement. Taking no day off, taking no summer vacation etc. Deploy all your abilities with intensity and focus.

4. You Are The Result Of What You Do. Not What You Say

Stop wishing and start acting.

Action is the foundational key to all success.  

-Pablo Picasso

But wait, why would one start acting on one’s dreams ? Is it your ambition, your passion ? Or is it just a desire ?

Figure it out right now. Leo says you are not always going to get what you desire. Success is action-oriented. Every step in the right direction gets you closer to your target. It does not matter if it is either small or large. It is necessary that you work on it !

Action expresses priorities.

– Mahatma Gandhi

Now is the perfect time to start acting on dreams. Do not leave it for tomorrow.

5. Confidence is the best outfit.

Self-assurance makes you attractive and you acquire a comely personality. Confidence is charming. But point is that you can’t buy it. It is acquired by self-poise and having faith in yourself and your abilities.

Confidence is not ‘they will like me’. Confidence is ‘I’ll be fine if they don’t’.

6. Have Strong Roots

If you have strong faith in you and belief, nobody can convince you that you can’t do it. Don’t be in a trap of negative people. They are always going to put you down.

Bottom line :

Get out of your comfort zone, start taking risks and go against the people. 

7. Stop making excuses.

The most prevalent excuse made by people is I don’t have time.

But you will always find time for things that matters most to you.

It is all about your mindset, priorities, and passions.

Excuses are made by people who don’t have a clear goal. If you are making too many excuses, it is time to learn from Leonardo and start acting. Invest your present for the shining future.

Excuses will lead you nowhere.

Final Thought

It took 23 years and 6 nominations (5 as an actor, 1 as a producer) for Leo to win his Oscar. Each movie with acting skills better than the last ones, his assiduity and persistence is indeed stupendous.

Less Choice – More happiness; Enjoy Life

I have too much stuff! I was like when I first read this book Last year.

12 years ago , an American psychologist , argued that if we eliminate choices from our life , we will become happy and contended at what we chose. His name was Barry Schwartz.

He explained that when you have a variety of choices in front of you , it becomes difficult for you to choose , you become confused and bewildered. And, even after taking a decision, you are less satisfied with your choice.

He supported his thesis by citing studies , that indicated people are less likely to buy a product when faced with too many choices. And he clearly stipulated that Culture of Abundance robs us of satisfaction.

Schwartz focused on two basic ways of making decisions :

– Maximizing : trying to make the very best possible choice.
– Satisfying : making a choice that will do well enough, without worrying whether something better is out there.

In simple words , you are a maximizer if you won’t buy an item til you are sure it’s the best in the world: when you finally buys, aren’t all that happy with the goods. I am a satisficer, and when an item meets my needs, I buy it.
The Paradox of Choice shows how too much choice may make some people very unhappy and reluctant to choose anything.

See Mark Zuckerberg’s wardrobe : 

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fzuck%2Fposts%2F10102616793975691&width=500

Here’s Barack Obama talking about his outfit choices:

You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits. I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.

Steve Jobs was known for wearing a black turtleneck, blue jeans, and sneakers.

Albert Einstein bought several versions of the same gray suit.

I experienced it when I was going to buy headphones. Shopkeeper showed me 4 headphones. All were in the same range of price. So I was not supposed to choose considering my budget because all were going to cost me same. So I choose one. But after getting home I had other choices coming up in my mind and I was like ; Why didn’t I choose the black one.

Similarly , another example from daily life , lets say when I am going to watch a movie , and there are 3 possible choices. And I chose one. After 10 or 15 minutes I am like I should try another !

SO , you see that having a plethora of choices can lead to worry.

In a short chapter , ‘What to Do About Choice’ , he addressed issues of choice and happiness , comparisons (we make) , opportunities (we miss) , depression (as the consequences) and other psychological issues.

Key Lessons from this book for you :

– Decide what your need/want:

Take a decision before buying or choosing anything that what do you really want. List your needs. Be very specific.

– Consume lesser amount of time.

When you consider fewer options , it will definitely save your time.

– Simplify your Life

Simplify your life by having always fewer options for everything. Don’t make your life complex by stuffing your mind with useless options.

– Prefer Sense of well-being to Abundance of choice.

An abundance of choice is increasing our levels of anxiety and depression. The Sense of well-being should be your first choice. Don’t admire if someone has the abundance of choices from one extreme to another extreme. It does not work always. 

Highly Recommended :

In modern society, we are faced with an almost infinite number of choices every day. Advertisements bombard us constantly, pressuring us emotionally and psychologically over the decisions we make.

– How to chose ?

– What to chose first and what to not agonize over ?

This book does an excellent job of answering these questions. Highly recommended.

Conclusion :

This book made me realize how complex I have made my life in previous years which have always resulted in unnecessary worry. This book suggests you set high standards , without becoming a maximizer.

Source: Self projections

Motivational tip – Must read

This is my current age.

Whenever I open a new tab, it shows my age.

How does it motivate me ?

Every nanosecond is important !

It is quite enthralling, gives me goose bumps, when I see numbers ticking down very fast. Figures after 17 are actually nano-years ticking down at very fast rate.

It motivates me not to waste any nano-second and work on my goals I have set for everyday.

You can install its Chrome Extension from here.

P.S. : This is my age NOW after I have written this answer.

These are few motivational quotes which will definitely motivate you when you are down :

For every minute you are angry, you lose 60 seconds of happiness.

‘I don’t have time’ is grown up way of saying ‘Dog ate my homework’.

To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.’

Don’t waste time on someone who doesn’t have time for you.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow.

The time will pass away, you can either spend it creating the life you want or spend it living the life you don’t want. The choice is yours.

The trouble is you think you have time.

Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.

Source: Quora

Easy steps to do a 3D sketch in minutes

I tell you how I draw a simple 3D picture step by step. I mean a two dimensional representation of three dimensional objects.
1.Prepare the tools I need.

2.Draw the basic pattern, for example,the date “10.31”.

3.Color the light red.

4.Choose a direction that I see this paper. This is the significant step.

5.Draw the line that is vertical my view. And thicken the words “10.31”.

6.Color the dark red.

7.Draw the shadow by pencil.

8.Color the shadow with gray.

9.Draw a guideline at the top of the paper and cover the top of “10.31”.

10.Cut down the top part of this paper.

11.Draw the parallel line cover the shadow but the words.

…

12.Sign my name and finish!

 

Save Tortoises and Turtles – Need of the hour – Save earth

I’ve seen a lot of people getting confused between a turtle and a tortoise.

Here you go.

Turtles can swim. They live in water most of the time. They have webbed feet.

Tortoises cannot swim. They can be found only on land. They usually have 4-5 toes.

This trivial information can save their lives as there have been cases where people mistake a tortoise for a turtle and release them into the sea. The tortoises end up drowning.

Spread the word. 🙂

 

Study tips for students – Really helpful

Use the POMODORO Technique!

Ha ha… Po-mo-do-ro… that sounds so funny. Did you just make it up?

Nope. ‘Pomodoro’ is an Italian word that means ‘tomato’.

So, what has a tomato got to do with studying??!!!

For that you’ll first have to understand what Pomodoro technique is all about.

In this technique, we use a timer to break down work into intervals of 25 minutes each, separated by short breaks, generally of five minutes. These intervals are called pomodoros.

So here’s what you do –

  1. Decide the study topic you want to finish.
  2. Set your pomodoro timer (25 minutes)
  3. Now, work on the task until the timer rings. If any distraction pops into your head during that time, write it down, but immediately get back on task.
  4. As soon as the timer rings, congratulate yourself. Now, take a short break of 5 minutes.
  5. Bingo! You just finished a pomodoro. Gear up for the next one.
  6. After four consecutive pomodoros, you can take a longer break of 10–15 minutes.

But what’s so special about this??!! Aren’t you just telling us to use a timer?

No. There is a fundamental difference. A Pomodoro is indivisible. In case you are interrupted during a pomodoro, you can’t get up. You have to immediately get back to work. If you choose to abandon work, then the whole Pomodoro gets nullified. It isn’t counted!

What if I have to take a bathroom break?

No. Take it before or after the pomodoro. You can’t take it during a pomodoro.

What if I get an urgent phone call?

Put your phone on silent before the pomodoro starts. Even if you forget to do so and it rings during the pomodoro, just silence it and move on. You cannot pick it up.

What if somebody dies!!!

Then forfeit that pomodoro. It won’t be counted. The point is, you are not studying for 25 minutes; you are studying for 1 pomodoro. 25 minutes might be divisible, but 1 pomodoro is not. It is one single unit of time – everything or nothing.

Oh! I see it now. Are there any apps that can help me use this technique?

Yep, there are some really good POMODORO Apps on Google Play. I use this one –

Productivity Challenge Timer – Android Apps on Google Play

Try it out. It can log your pomodoros, build graphs for you, track your progress, give you medals. It’s makes studying really fun.

What the fuck has this technique got to do with a tomato??!!

This is a tomato-shaped kitchen timer, or a traditional pomodoro timer, after which this technique is named –

source

 

Surprising and Amazing customer service from Amazon

I always ordered from Flipkart.

Until this one day , I installed the Amazon app just for trying.
So a few days after I installed the app,was just checking the offers and deals on the app where I got to know about the Amazon Treasure Hunt contest(for people who don’t know,its an offer where they provide a clue whose answer is a product and that product’s price is ₹ 1)

They uploaded a new clue every 15 mins and you have to think at the speed of light as the stock finishes in 15-30 seconds.I was addicted to this contest and the whole day I was trying to get something at ₹ 1.That moment finally came when I ordered a Breaking Bad DVD set for just ₹ 1 which also had a DIARY and a T SHIRT included whose actual price was around ₹ 5000 🙂

The order was delivered the next day only ,but when I opened the package I  was surprised that DIARY N T SHIRT were not included.
Being an ardent follower of Breaking Bad, I was very disappointed that the T SHIRT was missing
So I called the customer service and told them about the problem.The lady was very kind and said that they will compensate for it by giving me a gift card of ₹ 300 and hung up and I received it within 1 hour 🙂

The next thing I did was check out the Breaking Bad T shirts on Amazon.And again I was disappointed to find that all T shirts cost more than ₹ 500.So I emailed them once more saying that you compensated very less for the missing items.So this was what I received


I received ₹ 600 more.And this was within 5 minutes of writing my email.I was astonished to see such a rapid and considerate action.

I was the happiest person that day .
It goes to show how Amazon treats its customers, not just a source of earning money but with gratitude and respect.They didn’t need to do that as the product was sold for just ₹ 1 and they could have said that you have got enough for the price you paid but they didn’t  🙂

Sorry Flipkart, you lost a loyal customer that day 😉

(By Rutvik Parekh, Computer Engineering Student from Quora)