Priest's great sacrifice leads the way for life.

Cochin: Fr. Cherian Nereveettil has entered into the holiness of Lent through an exceptional act of kindness.The 42 year old priest is donating one of his kidneys to a plus two student Rincy, native of Thoppumpady.

The kidney transplant surgery will take place today at the Medical Trust Hospital. The thought of giving a good message through his lifestyle inspired Fr. Cherian, the National Spiritual Director of the Jesus Youth movement to take this initiative. He has also been inspired by others such as Fr. Davis Chiramel. The initial decision was to donate the kidney to one of the Jesus Youth member's sister. But her illness became critical and she died. Thereafter, through another priest, he came to know about Rincy who was undergoing dialysis and struggling through life after being affected with kidney failure. After getting the permission of the church authorities, he was ready for the organ transplant. On New Year's day, he arrived at Rincy's house in the form of a heavenly messenger and declared his consent. Then the procedures moved ahead swiftly. The doors were opened once the test results were positive.

Being financially backward, the fund for Rincy's surgery and treatment were raised by the members of St. Sebastian's church parish. Rincy, a plus one student of Thoppumpady St. Sebastian's school was admitted in hospital after she fell unconscious in the class. After diagnosis, it was understood that both her kidneys were damaged. She was undergoing dialysis for the past six months in order to move her life forward.

For those who enquire of donating his kidney to a stranger, Fr. Cherian has his own experiences to tell. Once, it was Shabarimala pilgrims that rescued him  after an accident. Another time it was the auto drivers who took him to hospital. Fr. Cherian, the son of Thrikkakara Thoppil Nereveettil N.C. Joseph and Baby is involved in Jesus Youth activities for 17 years. He is now residing at Perumanoor Lourde Matha Church. Fr. Cherian mentions the support of Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry and his family members in helping him to go ahead with the kidney transplant.

(Courtesy: Malayalam Manorama Website, 4th February 2014)

Dolby Atmos Explained...far different from what we have experienced till now!

Growing up as a teenager in the 90’s I have always been excited with the Dolby Surround Sound. Like most of the youngsters addicted to audio during that time, I have experimented with my computer speakers, wiring them in parallel, serial & ground lifted just to get that immersive experience of living within the audio waves. Movie-going in a Surround Sound theatre was exceptionally impressive during those years when films having impressive sound tracks such as Jurassic Park, Independence Day, Mission Impossible & Terminator 2 were released. The audio experience really kept up to the stunning visuals for a long time. Thanks to Dolby’s continuous research, for the rest of the years, we were on our seats edges with the arrival of the 5.1 and the 7.1 channels, and the blockbuster films confidently adopting it to give us the convincing audio to go along with the visuals.

But later on, during my college days, while getting addicted to the Titanic Theme song , I realized that maybe after all, there was an element missing, that we have not yet realized. Especially listening to the Richie Jones mix, I felt that this song could have been more impressive if those beats were coming from different directions, for example, not just from the right and left, but from all other directions in space. I really imagined of a day that would come when tens of speakers  would hang around the theatre, some of them overhead, some behind, some to the sides and gives you the capacity to exactly pinpoint from where the audio is coming . And now today, as I write this post, I am so excited that the dream has finally come true. Dolby has come up with the ATMOS, which does exactly that. This is something new and right now, only released in the U.S. But I am sure that this technology is the one that brings the ‘WOW’ factor that is certainly going to pull us back to the theatres. 

Over to the official video and the transcript which I have written , which explains the next generation technology that now is the final piece in Jigsaw puzzle of experiencing true surround sound.

The below transcript contains the  text of the commentary by Stuart Bowling(Dolby Worldwide Technical Marketing Mgr,Cinema). Please note that this is not the official transcript, but which I have personally written so that we could have a better understanding of this remarkable technology. I acknowledge that there may be some differences between the transcript and the audio/video content.

Dolby’s been long associated with audio. We’ve innovated in the cinema space for over 40 years now, and we are in a unique position practically no other company occupies. Part of our research effort has been going on over the past few years was how can we move sound beyond what we’ve been able to  do today and what would that look like.

So when we look at the illusion of sound in film and cinema, we started off with Mono: Single speaker in the middle of the room behind the screen. Then, we moved to Stereo. We added two more speakers and created two more channels and now we had a dedicated dialog track, and then two additional speakers for left and right that allowed us to create a better spread and a sense of imaging inside the room. Then it was the evolution and introduction of Surround Sound that we were able to actually put sounds all around the audience. Last surround configuration initially started as a mono channel. So that we were using as a single source that we send everything for surround into the audience. Then with 5.1, we were able to split the room in half, and now we have a left surround and a right surround to allow us to have more sense of movement of sound across the audience. With 7.1, we split the room again into four: so we now we had left, right, back wall left, back wall right. So now we had 4 surround zones instead of two. And that allowed us even more definition. Logic would make sense that the next progression would be like a 9.1, or an 11.1 or even a 13.1.

But feedback that we got from content creators was, it wasn’t going to be good enough, and that’s when we knew we had to make a more bolder step in moving forward. So what if we could start again, what if we could go back and completely redefine how we bring the surround sound experience to audiences. So what Dolby’s bringing now is the next generation surround format for the industry. Well, with  a channel based solution as we have today, if we look at how I move something around the audience. In 5.1, we had two zones, so if I wanted to create a sensation of movement, it’s either here... or here. It goes from one side of the room to the other. It doesn’t really create that sensation of movement.  With 7.1, I can now be on the side, then behind, then behind, and then to the side again. So it gives you the sensation of movement, but it doesn’t have that precision of movement.

So the fundamental shift in what’s happening is that now we are migrating away from channels. The ability to move a sound from the room now with objects creates it’s precision movement which is referred to as a Pan-through array. Now the helicopter has that fluid movement of hitting Speaker no. 1, Speaker no.2 , Speaker no. 3 , Speaker no. 4 and then having that precision as it goes around me in the auditorium. And now by placing speakers over the audience, we can truly create that immersive sound feel, that now makes it feel like the helicopter is literally buzzing over your head. Overhead Surrounds for the first time adds that upper hemisphere sound that we’ve been missing from films. With an exchange of technology, that can come to mixers, I think that things that really excites them, especially from a creative point of view is the flexibility for the first time of being able to unmarry sound. When  a film is mixed today, it’s made up of many elements, and  then all those elements are baked  in. You can’t go back and pull the ingredient out. But with objects, you could now go back in, remove the object. So if the object was a music sound track, we can go in , pull it out and replace it and have more finite control & precision in the reproduction of sound.

With channel based solutions as they exists today, one of the problems we’ve always faced is how we deliver all of these different formats. We take 7.1 as an example. Then 7.1 is mixed throughout the entire process of a film. At the very end of the process, the mixes will then do another creative path to take it to 5.1, because we have multiple playback systems in the world. Now when they go to a theatre, the only control that the mixer has is  volume level that the movie will play at and simplistic delay that controls the surrounds. Now what Dolby is proposing is now they can mix in the biggest mode possible. This now goes out as a single deliverable file carrying metadata and information that will accurately reflect what the mixer wanted. This dramatically simplifies the entire process. The next generation surround format will have all of this great intelligence and in essence adapts itself to any playback system that is out there. Now we can literally Author Once and then Optimize Anywhere.

As a movie goer, you already realized as you go to your local complex, every room is different; their size, geometry, stadium seating, and if you are putting surround speakers in there, it creates some challenges as to how you can position them so that you can get uniform coverage throughout the seating area. As we deliver this next technology, that is where it really shines by being able to accurately portray in all these different room sizes, geometry, speaker feeds, it’s a radical shift from anything we have ever done before. For theatre owners, their primary concern is always is how I can get more people to come to my theatre. But now with this better technology of surround sound and sound over the audiences, that now gives them something to leverage bringing people back into the theatre. With Dolby’s new technology, we are literally building a pipeline for the industry and we are going to future proofing the exhibitor by providing them this technology which will sit with them for a significant period of time. 


So what we are doing is really a huge fundamental shift in the way audio is not only mixed, but also received inside your theatres and it’s really a huge change from 5.1 to 7.1, that was only an incremental change and now that what we are giving you the capability of providing now is enormous, the ability to have pin point precision, the ability to have these sounds wherever they need to be and over the audience for the first time is a real differentiator that has never been happened before. It’s all about  the excitement of what audiences will experience ,but also just the amount of excitement that you get from a content creator when you walk them through some of the things that we have done and seeing how excited they were about this, then that’s definitely worth it.

The Night I Met Einstein | Reader's Digest

This Reader's Digest Classic of "My Most Unforgettable Character" offers a lesson in life—and music—from the most brilliant mind in the world.

 

By Jerome Weidman from Reader's Digest | November 1955


When I was a very young man, just beginning to make my way, I was invited to dine at the home of a distinguished New York philanthropist. After dinner, our hostess led us to an enormous drawing room. Other guests were pouring in, and my eyes beheld two unnerving sights: Servants were arranging small gilt chairs in long, neat rows; and up front, leaning against the wall, were musical instruments.

Apparently I was in for an evening of chamber music.

I use the phrase “in for” because music meant nothing to me. I am almost tone deaf—only with great effort can I carry the simplest tune, and serious music was to me no more than an arrangement of noises. So I did what I always did when trapped: I sat down, and when the music started, I fixed my face in what I hoped was an expression of intelligent appreciation, closed my ears from the inside, and submerged myself in my own completely irrelevant thoughts.

After a while, becoming aware that the people around me were applauding, I concluded it was safe to unplug my ears. At once I heard a gentle but surprisingly penetrating voice on my right: “You are fond of Bach?”

I knew as much about Bach as I know about nuclear fission. But I did know one of the most famous faces in the world, with the renowned shock of untidy white hair and the ever-present pipe between the teeth. I was sitting next to Albert Einstein.(more...)

Will the Raspberry Pi revolutionize education around the world?

The RP  is the brain child of Eben Upton- a Computer Science lecturer and industry professional that had the goal of building a low cost computer to be used like a modern day meccano set allowing kids to learn the basics of computers and programing. “We felt that we could try to do something about the situation where computers had become so expensive and arcane that programming experimentation on them had to be forbidden by parents”, says Upton. The Raspberry Pi Foundation was formed with colleagues and the support of the University of Cambridge to achieve this goal.


Where this $25 computer might be met with initial skepticism, one shouldn’t be fooled by the name and price-tag. The RP is a powerful little computer with surprisingly impressive specs. It has a faster processor than an AMX NI700 or a Crestron series 2 controller. (RP 1400 MIPS, AMX NI700 304 MIPS and Crestron Series 2 257 MIPs)

The RP will have  a large impact on the Audio Visual industry. It will demonstrate that many Audio Visual companies are pushing obsolete products at price points that don’t fit today’s market place.


There are two areas I see the RP really taking off- Digital Signage and AV/Building Automation. The RP has an HDMI output that is capable of HD resolutions. It is so small that it can be mounted just about anywhere.  The low cost will make Digital Signage accessible to almost everyone. It will even allow Digital Signage to cross over to the consumer market by providing a platform for scheduled news feeds and visualisation of the home’s energy consumption.

Perhaps the biggest impact will be on AV and building automation sector. The RP can act as a server to host a web-based control system. This will allow for building automation and AV control across the entire building. A University could use the RP to control every lecture theatre on Campus or it can be used across an enterprise to control every lighting system in the building. This is a breakthrough and will save organisations and enterprises $100,000’s in large projects and allow for AV and building automation in new markets.(more...)
Courtesy: Jon McFarlane (AV Blogzine)

Can Goal setting ruin your life? A Different Thought...

A whole movement, which studied the psychology of success over the past 40 years, has taught us that the only way to “success,” is to set clearly defined goals.

But the truth is – not only is the outcome not guaranteed, but the very process could be ruining our lives.

That’s according to Sarah Alexander, an expert in intuition and the author of “Spiritual Intelligence; The Eight Pillars of 21st Century Business Success”.

“There is no doubt that the human mind is hugely powerful and if we consistently focus our mind on a chosen result, there is a possibility that we will achieve a certain outcome. For a few, this approach has brought material success and financial gain, but for most it has led to disappointment, frustration and misery as intended goal after goal has not materialised,” says Sarah.

So why is this? Why could goal setting be ruining our lives?(Read More...)

Teenagers would rather lose TV than internet or mobile

Young British teenagers would be less worried at being deprived of television than losing access to the internet or their mobile phones, as attachment to the medium slides among the young, according to new research from Ofcom.

Yet Britain's youngsters also watch more TV than at any time in the past five years, the survey found – though a growing amount comes through using online catchup services such as the BBC's iPlayer. On average, they watch 17 hours 37 minutes per week, up from 15 hours 37 minutes in 2007.

Internet use has also become pervasive, with 95% of 12- to 15-year-olds having internet access at home through a computer. But the research by the communications watchdog also points to a "digital divide", in which only 80% of children in lower socioeconomic groups have access to the internet at home, compared to 98% in the richest ones.

Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said: "The almost universal use of the internet at home by 12 to 15s – both for their education as well as their entertainment – is a positive step forward."(Click for more...)

Changing the face of Google!

Google is all out to have a new look in the virtual world! Now they have lately launched to have a dynamic view of the blogs. Actually don't have a clue what this is all about and how this is going to turn out.

However, definitely worth a try!
And so the new layout.

As of now, a lot of the old features are missing such as text, colour customization and applications support.
They have assured that all is coming up as they have yet to integrate it to the dynamic content.
So then does this have something to do with Google Plus.
Well, we'll have to wait and see....

"If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right."

This is a prepared text of the Commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005.

.....My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Click the video link to see the full commentary

Not a drop of water nor a Morsel of food through her lips, for 11 years and still counting...

In and out of jails for the past 11 years, Manipur's 'Iron Lady' Sharmila has a tube running down her nose as the government alternately force feeds her and incarcerates her for attempting to take her own life through her hunger strike.

Irom Sharmila Chanu (born March 14, 1972), also known as the "Iron Lady of Manipur" or "Menghoubi" ("the fair one")^[1] is a civil rights activist, political activist, and poet from the Indian state of Manipur. Since 2 November 2000, she has been on hunger strike to demand that the Indian government repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA), which she blames for violence in Manipur and other parts of India's northeast.^[2] Having refused food and water for more than 500 weeks, she has been called "the world's longest hunger striker".^[3]

Manipur is far removed, in more ways than one, from the political nerve centre of the national capital. But Irom is not a stranger to Jantar Mantar in the heart of Delhi, where she herself has launched a series of protests in the past to seek the repeal of a law that gives the state army draconian powers.

Though a recipient of many awards and international commiseration over her iron resolve to fast unto death unless the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (1958) is repealed, Sharmila's movement has somehow failed to capture the imagination of India's burgeoning urban middle-class who can better identify with issues that affect their lives directly.

Talking about just 1 minute of the 1440 Minutes in a day!

It only takes a minute to tell a loved one you adore them

It only takes a minute to run towards a fear

It only takes a minute to set a big goal

It only takes a minute to drink a glass of water

It only takes a minute to read a great idea (that just might rock your world)

It only takes a minute to write the most beautiful thank you note you have ever sent your parents (or a teammate or a customer or a high school teacher who blessed your life)

It only takes a minute to smile

It only takes a minute to connect to a friend or a co-worker

It only takes a minute to help a human being in need

Courtesy: Stunning Success by Robin Sharma

Another success story of a team work?

8 Dangers Every Leader Must Face and Overcome

8 Dangers Every Leader Must Face and Overcome

Above 26,000 feet life takes on a whole new meaning. It’s known as the death zone. At this height, the air holds only 30 % as much oxygen as at sea level. The air is so thin it is not life-sustaining. Within hours, judgment can become impaired. People get confused. Issues, that at sea level, we feel we can choose not to deal with, become deadly. At this height, the importance of character becomes black and white. Leadership mistakes are fatal.

Schmincke and Warner have identified eight dangers that can sabotage anyone at some point in their journey and put at risk careers, projects, or even companies. Overcoming these dangers requires implementing specific survival tips that are outlined below: 

Danger	Survival Tip
Fear of Death	Embrace death. A metaphor to accept and not resist, avoid, or ignore the inevitable death of a situation. Instead of freezing, free yourself to take action. Some call it “die before battle”.
Selfishness	Develop a compelling saga, a passion greater than the ego’s agenda. Focus on the greater good than your personal agenda.
Tool Seduction	Improve your behavior versus getting seduced by new performance theories or models. Run your tools, don’t let them run you. Getting off on new ideas, but not on implementation, distracts professional focus.
Arrogance	Humility. Offensive displays of superiority, self-importance, or treating others as inferiors never engenders success. Achieve success by not stepping over weak climbers, or leaving them for dead.
Lone Heroism	Partnership. Instead of feeling you’re the only one who can do it right, avoid missed opportunities and demoralized colleagues by engaging and leveraging everyone’s strengths.
Cowardice	Bravery. Cowardly professionals don’t challenge the status quo, hold others accountable, and expose weaknesses in the organization. Don’t be a coward. Take bold action
Comfort	Perseverance. No professional accomplishes a goal worth the pursuit without surviving the stretch—and often painful stretch. How uncomfortable are you willing to be to achieve your goals?
Gravity	Luck: Did you think any plan would survive its impact with realty? When gravity propels you, you’re invincible. When it pulls you down, you fall hard. Gravity is that uncertain push or pull regardless of what you do. Execution involves too much risk; and this causes expert opinions to fluctuate with the winds of uncertainty. Accept that luck happens, and prepare to seize it when it happens to you!

Here at sea level, these dangers don’t seem to pose a very big threat. But it’s deceptive. We figure we can get by. At sea level the margin for error is greater and the consequences often take longer to be realized. In the end, they will destroy you just the same.

A Daring Feat for a Double Amputee....

                                               Double-Amputee Sprinter Oscar Pistorius Will Be First Amputee to Compete in the World Championships

Oscar Pistorius of South Africa just qualified for the 400-meter and the 4x400-meter relay races at this year's World Championships, his first trip there. That's an amazing feat in itself, but made more amazing as Pistorius is a double amputee, using two carbon-fiber Cheetah prosthetic legs to run. He'll be the first-ever amputee athlete to perform at the event.

Pistorius, at 24 years old, has had his share of difficulties in competing with able-bodied athletes. His prosthetics were at one time declared to represent an unfair advantage over the athletes using the flesh-and-blood legs they were born with, rather than the space-age sproing-y Cheetah legs Pistorus uses, though he was eventually cleared for Olympic competition.

Pistorius isn't a favorite at the World Championships--his qualifying time, a personal-best 45.07 seconds, was just barely fast enough to earn him a ticket to the games in Daegu, South Korea--but he calls it "the highest-profile and most prestigious able-bodied event which I have ever competed in."

We've previously called for a league of exclusively performance-enhanced athletes, but it sounds like Pistorius is thrilled just to compete with the best able-bodied sprinters in the world.

The Four Important Principles of Life from the book 'The Leader who had no Title'

After being motivated by reading the book 'The Leader who had no Title', I have come up with the conclusion that the principles mentioned in the book can be applied to all the key areas of one's life. They are one's own PERSONALITY, FAMILY, CAREER and SOCIAL CIRCLES. So looking from this perspective, one can become a Leader in all these areas by applying the acronyms mentioned in the book, thanks to the renowned Leadership guru, Robin Sharma who is the author.The titles mentioned below are not as stated in the book, but my own views.  If you feel them beneficial, you can apply it to your life and Shine out. Of course, to get the full effect of it, you have to read the book which has the complete details on how to implement it in your life.


1) Rise and SHINE every day of your life(Personality)
   

    S - See Clearly
    H - Health is Wealth
    I  - Inspiration Matters
    N - Neglect not your Family
    E - Elevate your lifestyle





2) Think HUMAN and Be HUMAN(Family)

   
    H - Helpfulness
    U - Understanding
    M - Mingle
    A - Amuse
    N - Nurture





3) Project your best IMAGE at work(Career)

   

    I - Innovation
   M - Mastery
   A - Authenticity
   G - Guts
   E - Ethics








4) Be the SPARK in your circles.(Social circles)

   
 
    S - Speak with Audacity
    P - Prioritize
    A - Adversity creates Opportunity
    R - Respond instead of React
    K - Kudos to Everyone

Depression higher in wealthy nations, research suggests

By Marissa Cevallos, HealthKey / For the Booster Shots blog

July 26, 2011, 4:34 p.m.

Some of the richest countries have the highest rates ofdepression, new research suggests.

An international team of researchers collected the results of face-to-face interviews of nearly 90,000 people considered representatives of their population. The interviews were conducted in community settings in 18 countries, and the interviewers used a standard diagnostic test from the World Health Organization to assess depression.

In the 10 countries considered high-income, an average of 15% of participants said they’d experienced a depressive episode in their lifetime. France, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the U.S. all had rates higher than 18%.

But among the eight low- to middle-income countries surveyed, the rate was 11% -- the lowest rates were found in India, Mexico, China and South Africa.(more...)

The Single Best Time Management Tip Ever | BNET

By Dave Logan | April 26, 2011 I spent most of my life at war with time–and time usually won. I’d read every book and taken every course along the way, and with a few exceptions (like David Allen’s excellent Getting Things Done), most of it seemed to rehash common sense. The feeling of being overwhelmed and underproductive was relentless.

T he big breakthrough came when I was first teaching at USC and a student with severe dyslexia asked for help. Not knowing what to do, I turned to an expert on learning disorders. She advised that I let the student take the exam in my office, giving him short breaks every 20 minutes. The student did very well, surprising us both, and I was intrigued. After years of working with 20-minute segments, the Multiple Put Down technique was born. I’ve used it to write four books, a dissertation and thousands of speeches.

Here it is: work on a task in 20-minute increments, with absolute focus, and then put it down, over and over, until you’re done. In this case, the gold is in the details, so please follow them exactly:

1. Alert your brain that a task is coming that will require its recall, creativity, and brilliance (yes, your brain is brilliant–thank your parents). Then let some time pass–a day, perhaps.
2. When you’re ready to start, set a timer for 20 minutes, such as the stopwatch feature on an iPhone. Set your cell phone to airplane mode, turn off your email, and silence all other distractions. Then hit start on the timer.
3. During the 20 minutes, you must focus on that task without interruption. And unless the building burns down, do nothing but work on that task until the timer goes off. You may hit the wall, but keep going. The vast majority of people find they can work on that task “in the zone” until the timer goes off.
4. After 20 minutes, you have a choice: keep working or take a break. If you keep working, reset the timer to 20 minutes and go through the process again, without interruption until the next 20 minutes are up. If you decide to take a break, it can be short (such as refilling your coffee cup), medium (returning a phone call) or long (going into a meeting, or working out).

That’s it. You pick it up and put down over and over, hence the name “Multiple Put Down.” Some data, my own experience, and reports from the thousands of people who have learned the technique is that you are much more efficient–often finishing a task in 30-50% of the time it would take if you worked on it in one sitting. Even better, the quality of the work is far superior than if you followed your mother’s advice of “start early and just get it done.” There are other benefits, too: less stress, reduced frustration, and a general feeling of being brilliant. Multiple Put Down will save you hours and it can be even more powerful when combined with a Life Repair Day.

There are several advantages to the Multiple Put Down technique. The first is that your brain is brilliant at running processes in the background, but is awful at multitasking. While you’re driving to work, in the shower or answering email, your brain will be working in the background on the task, so that when you’re ready, it’ll drain through your fingers, into your computer or notepad, for about 20 minutes. The break allows your brain to restock the supply of brilliance. Each time you go through the process is a “productivity unit.”

Here are some tasks that are perfectly suited for Multiple Put Down: writing a report, preparing a pitch for a client or boss, figuring out how to solve a tough problem. Fans of Tribal Leadership might be interested to know that the book was written in 1106 productivity units.

If God wanted us to live in outer space, we wouldn't have balancing systems in our inner ears

When the Apollo astronauts landed on the moon, many assumed that this was the first step toward permanent colonization of the moon and journeys by astronauts to other planets. From today's perspective, though, the space race was like the races to the North Pole and the South Pole. Once explorers had reached those destinations, the world lost interest.

Another parallel is ocean exploration. Back in the 1960s, visions of colonies on the moon competed with plans for domed cities on the ocean floor that gave a new meaning to the phrase "real estate bubble." Scientific exploration of the ocean depths continues to produce marvelous discoveries, like whole ecosystems that have evolved to take advantage of the heat and emissions of undersea volcanic vents. But the year 2000 came and went and millions of homeowners are "underwater" only in metaphor.

The parallel is not complete, of course. The poles and the ocean depths are far more hospitable to human life than near Earth orbit or the moon or Mars. Astronauts have learned that prolonged weightlessness does terrible things to the bones and the circulatory system. If God wanted us to live in outer space, we wouldn't have balancing systems in our inner ears. (more...)

33 miners in Chile will be stuck for months....but they are HAPPY?!!?

"Patience and faith. God is great and the help of my God is going to make it possible to leave this mine alive."

COPIAPO, Chile — For 33 men found alive after 17 days trapped deep in a copper and gold mine, the toughest challenge now may be preserving their sanity during the months it may take to carve a tunnel big enough for them to get out.

Chileans were euphoric Sunday after a narrow drill broke through 2,257 feet (688 meters) of solid rock to reach an emergency refuge where the miners had gathered. The trapped men quickly tied two notes to the end of a probe that rescuers pulled to the surface, announcing in big red letters: "All 33 of us are fine in the shelter."

"Today all of Chile is crying with excitement and joy," President Sebastian Pinera said at the mine.

And where many were beginning to give up hope, the scene above ground became a celebration Sunday night, with a barbecue for the miners' families, roving musicians, lit candles and Chilean flags making the barren landscape seem festive.

But rescuers said it could take as long as four months — until around Christmas — to carve a second shaft some 27 inches (68 centimeters) in diameter, wide enough for the miners to be pulled up one by one(more...)

It's virtual meditation

Too busy to breathe? Too frazzled for fun? Meditainment's for you. The strange thing is, writes GAYLE MACDONALD, it actually works

'Imagine you are the navigator of a canoe, gliding down a river on a warm sunny day," says a honeyed voice. "You are looking forward to arriving at a destination that is all your own. There is no need for any haste. This place is always here for you."

Ah. Forget virtual reality. This is virtual relaxation. I am not actually in a cedar-strip canoe, floating down a river. Instead, I'm sitting at my computer, headphones on, eyes clamped shut. The chirps of birds and the sound of water lapping against my boat is all, literally, in my head, the brainchild of a British Web designer named Richard Latham.(more...)

Workers 'stressed out' by e-mails

More than a third of workers say they feel "stressed out" by the number of e-mails they receive in the office and the pressure to respond promptly.

Scottish research found some workers are viewing their inbox up to 40 times each hour, leaving them tired and frustrated - as well as unproductive.
"E-mail is the thing that now causes the most problems in our working lives," said lead researcher Karen Renaud, a computer scientist.

"It's an amazing tool but it's got out of hand."
Experts suggest a simple stress-beating strategy: check your e-mail less often.
The advice is to set aside two or three dedicated e-mail reading times each day.