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.