ALEXANDER THE GREAT'S LAST WORDS

"Ice melts when heated"! 
"Eyes melt when hated"! 


There is very instructive incident involving the life of Alexander, the great Macedonian king.
Alexander, after conquering many kingdoms, was returning home. On the way,

he fell ill and it took him to his death bed. With death staring him in his
face, Alexander realized how his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword
and all his wealth were of no consequence. He now longed to reach home to
see his mother's face and bid her his last adieu. But, he had to accept the
fact that his sinking health would not permit him to reach his distant
homeland. So, the mighty conqueror lay prostrate and pale, helplessly
waiting to breathe his last.

He called his generals and said, "I will depart from this world soon, I
have three wishes, please carry them out without fail."

With tears flowing down their cheeks, the generals agreed to abide
by their king's last wishes.

"My first desire is that", said Alexander, "My physicians alone must carry
my coffin." After a pause, he continued, "Secondly, I desire that when my
coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be
strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected in my
treasury".

The king felt exhausted after saying this. He took a minute's rest and
continued. "My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling
out of my coffin".

The people who had gathered there wondered at the king's strange wishes.
But no one dared bring the question to their lips.. Alexander's favorite
general kissed his hand and pressed them to his heart. "O king, we assure
you that your wishes will all be fulfilled. But tell us why do you make
such strange wishes?"

At this Alexander took a deep breath and said: "I would like the world to
know of the three lessons I have just learnt.

Lessons to learn from last 3 wishes of King Alexander...

I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that
no doctor can really cure any body. They are powerless and cannot save a
person from the clutches of death. So let not people take life for granted.

The second wish of strewing gold, silver and other riches on the way to the
graveyard is to tell People that not even a fraction of gold will come with
me. I spent all my life earning riches but cannot take anything with me.
Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth.

And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I
wish people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty
handed I go out of this world".

With these words, the king closed his eyes. Soon he let death conquer him
and breathed his last. . . .

LESSONS TO LEARN:

Remember, your good health is in your own hands, look after it.

Wealth is only meaningful if you can enjoy while you are still alive and
kicking.

What you do for yourself dies with you but what you do for others, lives
on.

It is called "Legacy."

Happiness keeps you Sweet,
Trials keep you Strong,
Sorrows keep you Human,
Failures keep you humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only God keeps You Going!

Also see:

Swami Vivekananda's speech in chicago
Death mystery of Netaji Subash Chander Bose
Shoes thrown at Bush - The ULTIMATE insult!
Collateral Murder

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Top 10 most Beautiful and Colorful Fish

1. Mandarinfish

Not to be confused with Mandarin Fish (Chinese Perch). The mandarinfish or mandarin dragonet(Synchiropus splendidus), is a small, brightly-colored member of the dragonet family, which is popular in the saltwater aquarium trade. A lesser-known species, these are probably the single most colorful and vibrant fish I’ve ever seen. The mandarinfish is native to the Pacific, ranging approximately from the Ryukyu Islands south to Australia. Yes! They are definitely the most colourful fish in the world.

2. Juvenile Emporer Angel Fish

This a very famous fish known to non-divers more than the divers. However most of them don’t know the different between the young's and the adults of these kinds. Juveniles are most fascinating fish in the waters. They are dark blue with electric blue and white rings; adults have yellow and blue stripes, with black around the eyes. It takes about four years for an emperor angelfish to acquire its adult coloring. They grow to 40 cm (15.75 in) in length.

3.Lion Fish




The lionfish is one of the most venomous fish on the ocean floor. Lionfish have venomous dorsal spines that are used purely for defense. When threatened, the fish often faces its attacker in an upside down posture which brings its spines to bear. However, a lionfish’s sting is usually not fatal to humans. If a human is envenomed, that person will experience extreme pain, and possibly headaches, vomiting, and breathing difficulties. However they are one of the most beautiful and colorful fish.

4. Clown Trigger Fish



Triggerfishes are about 40 species of often brightly colored fishes of the family Balistidae. Often marked by lines and spots, they inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world, with the greatest species richness in the Indo-Pacific. Most are found in relatively shallow, coastal habitats, especially at coral reefs, but a few, such as the aptly named oceanic triggerfish. One of the most beautiful of their species is the clown trigger fish, it’s designs and colours are literally breathtaking!

5. Nudibranch

A nudibranch is a member of what is now a taxonomic clade now, rather than a fish. Nudibranchs are often casually called “sea slugs“, a non-scientific term. This has led some people to assume that every sea slug must be a nudibranch. Nudibranchs are very numerous in terms of species, and are often very attractive and noticeable. Among this group can be found the most colorful creatures on earth.

6. Symphysodon

All Symphysodon species have a laterally compressed body shape. , however, extended finnage is absent giving Symphysodon a more rounded shape. It is this body shape from which their common name, “discus”, is derived. The sides of the fish are frequently patterned in shades of green, red, brown, and blue. The height and length of the grown fish are both about 20–25 cm (8–10 in).

7. Mantis Shrimp

Mantis shrimp appear in a variety of colours, from shades of browns to bright neon colours. Although they are common animals and among the most important predators in many shallow, tropical and sub-tropical marine habitats they are poorly understood as many species spend most of their life tucked away in burrows and holes. Although it happens rarely, some larger species of mantis shrimp are capable of breaking through aquarium glass with a single strike from this weapon.

8. Moorish Idol

One of the most difficult fish to keep in a home aquarium (and very expensive as well), to most aquarists Moorish idol are the pinnacle of the hobby. You may think you’ve seen them before, but you’re probably getting them confused with another species, the Bannerfish (also known as the False Idol). With distinctively compressed and disk-like bodies, moorish idols stand out in contrasting bands of black, white and yellow which make them look very attractive to aquarium keepers.

9. Clownfish

Also known as Anemonefish, Clownfish are some beautiful fish which generally consist of a yellow/orange body with white stripes along with black lining along it’s fins or black body with yellow/orange areas along it’s lower body and fins , though this depends upon the species of Clownfish and they come in various displays. Many show white bars or patches. The largest reach a length of 18 centimetres (7.1 in), while the smallest barely reach 10 centimetres (3.9 in).

10. Rainbow Parrot Fish

Named Parrot fish because of their calcareous bird-like beaks. Parrot fish use these beaks to crush and eat the small invertebrates that live in coral. Much of the sand and sea floor of coral reefs are actually remains of meals from the parrot fish, they chew the coral, eat the invertebrates and spit out the leftover calcium. In most species, the initial phase is dull red, brown or grey, while the terminal phase is vividly green or blue with bright pink or yellow patches. The remarkably different terminal and initial phases were first described as separate species in several cases, but there are also some species where the phases are similar.

Also see:
10 Feral Human Children Raised by Animals
Newly Discovered Incredible Species of Animals
Dangerous And Deadliest
HAUNTED PLACES IN THIS WORLD

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Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of 2011

Piracy is still a huge problem according to the music industry and Hollywood, and it’s hard to dispute the notion that downloading a paid digital product without actually paying for it is theft. Now, as TorrentFreak releases its list of the 10 most pirated movies of 2011, we can see a possible correlation between illegal downloads and movie revenue continue to take shape.

 Fast Five — the fifth film in Universal’s Fast & Furious franchise — was the most pirated movie this year according to TorrentFreak, having been downloaded 9.26 million times. The Hangover II followed with 8.84 million downloads, and Thor was the third most pirated film with 8.33 million illegal downloads. Source Code followed with 7.91 million downloads and I Am Number Four rounded out the top-5 with 7.67 million downloads.

 At the same time, movie ticket sales and box office revenue declined for the second straight year in 2011 according to The Numbers. Moviegoers purchased 1.24 billion tickets in 2011 compared to 1.33 billion last year, and revenue from ticket sales sank to $9.9 billion this year from $10.46 billion 2010.

Perhaps even more telling are DVD sales figures in 2011 compared to 2010. While legal digital downloads certainly gained popularity in 2011 and likely had a more significant impact on DVD sales, the disparity between DVD revenue in 2010 compared to this year is much more pronounced than it has been in the past. Seven movies saw DVD sales that exceeded $100 million in 2010, lead by Avatar, which pulled in more than $183 million. In 2011, no DVD did $100 million in sales; Disney’s Tangled was the highest-grossing DVD of the year with just $96 million in sales.

 A complete list of the top 10 most pirated movies of 2011 along with torrent download totals and worldwide gross revenue totals follows below.

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5 ways to overcome your Facebook addiction

Have you just updated your Facebook profile? Are you now following someone on Twitter? As you walk to class, are you thinking of the next person that you can 'Facebook stalk'? Let's be honest, lot's of us are addicted to social networking sites and we don't even know that we are. If you think that you are addicted to social networking sites -- and it's affecting your school work and grades -- it's time that you beat your addiction.

1. Admit it. Ok, this sounds cliched, but, if you don't think that you have a problem with social networking sites, you aren't going to want to fix it! You need to sit down with yourself and honestly evaluate your social networking.

2. How much time do you actually spend on each site? It helps to start to monitor how much time you spend on social networking sites. You may think that you only go on Facebook a couple of times a day.

When you start to write down when (and how long) you spend on these sites, you will definitely be surprised.

Once you start to notice how much time you actually spend on these sites, you may be surprised to find that you spend a lot more time than you think.

3. Visit your sites at a certain time of the day. Start to decide when you want to visit your sites. You need to realise that spending time on social networking sites is not a bad thing. You just need to limit how much you are going to spend on them.

Think of it this way, the less time that you spend on the social networking sites, the more things that you will be able to see (and be updated on) the next time you log in.

4. Turn off e-mail notifications. As cool as you might feel getting e-mail notifications about Facebook and Twitter, it's usually not good to your studies.

We fret and agonies over what the message that Bob sent via Facebook. If it is extremely important, your friend will find a way to get a hold of you.

5. Get off the computer. As much fun as it is to play Farm ville, you have to get off the computer. Take a break from it. Find other hobbies and activities to do. If you really want to catch up with a friend, invite them to go grab lunch.

Admitting that you have a social networking addiction is hard. You can do it.

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Android vs iOS vs Windows Phone 7 : A mobile encounter

If You're a first time shopper or you wanted to upgrade to another mobile platform, here are some of the comparisons between the IOS, Android and Windows phone 7. This gives an exact idea of how these mobile platforms stack against one another.


TOTAL DEVICES




Before getting in to which platform to choose, You should know how many devices are there for you to choose from each one. As Android is a free distributed it consists a wide range of devices. There are just 100 devices from the biggest manufacturers like Samsung, Motorola, HTC, LG, Sony Ericsson and Acer. But, when you consider Asus, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Toshiba and some other companies the number easily goes into hundreds.
While the fresh Windows Phone 7 has currently a total of 20 devices available and IOS is available around 11 models of  iphone, ipad, ipod touch.

TOTAL APPS

  When coming to the Apps IOS leads the way with many apps. Not only there are more apps in App Store than in Android market, it has more quality apps and less garbage. On the other hand free os Android also has major share of apps. Android is expected to cross Apple by the end of the year, but it didn't take place.

Windows is the new mobile platform and looking at the figure 43,000, it doesn't seem to be a bad number.

TABLET OPTIMIZED APPS



  It is no wonder that the market dominating iPad has the most tablet optimized apps. Android tablet doesn't have more apps. Developers are not developing them because they are not selling and it is soon going to change. But for now iPad has the most dominant apps in the market.It’s worth noting that the iPad and Android tablets can all run smaller-screen phone apps, but they look better on Android than they do on iOS.

Windows Phone doesn’t run on tablets, instead Microsoft is preparing windows 8 for future tablets.


UNAPPROVED 3rd PARTY APPS

   Casual users may not worry about this stat, but if you want maximum freedom in the software you install, you’ll want to pay attention. Apple and Microsoft both employ the walled garden approach, with apps needing to go through an approval process before being made available for iOS or Windows Phone.
iOS and Windows Phone devices require a jailbreak (hack) in order to install unapproved apps.

While the Android market allows almost anything and allows you to install 3rd party apps by downloading from the web. 




CLOUD INTEGRATION 

One of the buzz words of 2011 is cloud, it lets you store your data on remote servers.It can save precious flash storage and help you to effortlessly keep multiple devices in sync.

Google is no stranger to the cloud, with Gmail and its numerous free web-based services like Google Music, Google Docs, Google Voice.Android doesn’t have an integrated cloud service. Android users can, however, use third-party apps like Dropbox or Box.net to access cloud files.

Apple manges it's cloud using iCloud which serves less as direct file storage and more as an invisible syncing of content. You can also backup your entire device via iCloud. Defined by the lack of effort it requires, iCloud is easily the most advanced yet simple cloud service for any device.

Microsoft’s SkyDrive is its cloud service, but it isn’t nearly as seamless as iCloud. It doesn’t even come preinstalled on Windows Phone, requiring a marketplace download. Like third-party service Dropbox, SkyDrive is more of a file locker than an invisible syncing service. 


VOICE CONTROL 

 Android and Windows Phone have had limited voice control for ages, but Apple stole their thunder with the arrival of Siri.
Google is reportedly scrambling to come up with its own answer to Siri, but right now Apple’s assistant is in a different league than Android Voice Commands or Microsoft's Tellme. While the other two platforms allow for dictation and specific voice commands, Siri lets you speak in natural language. It isn’t perfect, and it will improve over the next few years, but it’s more far-reaching, it creates the illusion of a conversation, and it rids you of the burden of memorizing specific commands.
The only catch with  Siri  is that, at this moment, it’s only available on the iPhone 4S. By this time next year, though, Siri will likely be on the iPad 3, iPhone 5, and possibly a new iPod touch.


MULTITASKING

  While they use different methods, all three platforms now have multitasking. Power users will insist thatonly Android offers true multitasking, but for most of us, the app-switching experience will be the same on iOS and Windows Phone.
All offer switching between apps — playing music, GPS navigation, VoIP calls, email notifications, and many other tasks to happen in the background.


NAVIGATION

 All platforms provide a variety of voiced turn-by-turn GPS navigation options, but Android has a big advantage with Google Maps Navigation, which is excellent and integrated with Android Voice Commands, is free. There is a growing number of free and cheap navigation apps for all platforms, but few rival Google’s service.
 


SEARCH



    Being Google’s platform, Android is tied to Google search. Few people have a problem with that. Being Microsoft’s platform, Windows Phone is tied to Bing. Many people would have a problem with that.
While those platforms offer search that is integrated into the OS, iOS requires you to open the browser to search. The caveat to add is that iPhone 4S owners can search the web from anywhere by querying Siri to “search the web for ___.’ iOS defaults to Google, but also gives you the option to switch the default search engine to Yahoo! or Bing.


DUAL CORE DEVICES



     In addition to LTE and the cloud, 2011 also saw the advent of dual-core mobile devices. Much like 4G, Android’s greater volume of devices has it leading the charge here too. We could nail down the exact number of dual core Android devices, but after a week or two the stat would be obsolete. Just know that Android has many more than iOS or Windows Phone.

Apple’s iPad 2 and iPhone 4S both have the dual-core A5 chip. Windows Phone is still waiting for its first dual-core device.



THIRD PARTY KEYBOARD APPS



   Typing on a virtual keyboard can be a pain. It’s easy to tap out the wrong word, and built-in autocorrect suggestions can sometimes do more harm than good. Having the option of using innovative new keyboards can be a perk.
Right now Android is the only platform that lets you customize the on-screen keyboard. In addition to the default Android keyboard (or default manufacturer keyboard), you can choose to install a trace keyboard like  Swype or SlideIt, a prediction algorithm keyboard like Swiftkey, or even a bizarre gesture-based keyboard like 8pen.


NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION (NFS)

 While Near Field Communication (usually used for mobile payments) hasn’t quite taken off with retailers (yet), it’s a nice future-proofing feature to have on your phone. Android currently has a small handful of phones with  NFC chips (including the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S), but it still trumps the number of NFC devices that the other platforms have: zero.


SHOWCASE PHONES 

 
     Reading about the three platforms is one thing, but it always helps to see each in action. If you’re heading to a store to get some hands-on time, you’ll want to compare the best that each has to offer.

For Android, that’s the  Galaxy Nexus. As Google’s latest flagship device, it runs the latest version of Android (Ice Cream Sandwich), has a gorgeous 4.65 inch Super AMOLED display, and it runs on Verizon’s speedy LTE network in the US.

The iPhoe 4S is Apple’s showcase phone. While it wasn’t the revolutionary iPhone 5 that many were hoping for, it still offers significant upgrades, including Siri, a dual-core A5 processor, and an 8MP camera.

The Lumia 800 is the flagship phone that Windows Phone has been needing, but, unfortunately, it’s still only available in Europe. If you can get your hands on the Lumia 800, it has solid specs and runs the latest version of Windows Phone, Mango.


SHOWCASE TABLETS

  While it isn’t officially endorsed by Google as a flagship tablet, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is, at this moment, the best tablet that runs Android. It packs a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, an impressive display, and it will run Ice Cream Sandwich sometime in January.

Until the iPad 3 arrives in a few months, the iPad 2  is obviously the Apple flagship tablet (aside from the original iPad, it’s the only Apple tablet). It has a slick (and thin) design, the dual-core A5 processor, and Apple’s unparalleled library of tablet apps.
Windows Phone isn’t designed for tablets; Windows 8 will eventually be Microsoft’s tablet OS.


FINAL VERDICT


We aren’t here to crown a victor in the mobile OS wars. If anything, sales will determine that. From that perspective, Android handily leads in market share, but the iPhone and iPad are the hottest-selling individual devices. But — apart from sports, elections, and other competitions — we don’t live in a world of universal champions. The best platform is whichever OS works for you.

The two big dogs — Android and iOS — each offers its own clear take on the mobile OS experience. The rivalry closely resembles that of Windows vs. Macintosh: one is closed and tied to specific hardware, the other is licensed and available on everything under the sun. Apple is playing the same part, but Google’s OS has replaced Microsoft in the other role.

Whether Microsoft can rebound and make this a three-way race remains to be seen; it’s a steep hill to climb, and the company’s hesitance to enter the US market with its Nokia partnership doesn’t bode well. But smartphones aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, and the company will have years to stage its attempted comeback.

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WITRICITY TECHNOLOGY

Understanding what WiTricity technology is—transferring electric energy or power over distance without wires—is quite simple. Understanding how it works is a bit more involved, but it doesn’t require an engineering degree. We’ll start with the basics of electricity and magnetism, and work our way up to the WiTricity technology.

Electricity: The flow of electrons (current) through a conductor (like a wire), or charges through the atmosphere (like lightning).  A convenient way for energy to get from one place to another!


An illustration representing the earth's magnetic field

Magnetism: A fundamental force of nature, which causes certain types of materials to attract or repel each other. Permanent magnets, like the ones on your refrigerator and the earth’s magnetic field, are examples of objects having constant magnetic fields.

Oscillating magnetic fields vary with time, and can be generated by alternating current (AC) flowing on a wire. The strength, direction, and extent of magnetic fields are often represented and visualized by drawings of the magnetic field lines.

As electric current, I, flows in a wire, it gives rise to a magnetic field, B, which wraps around the wire. When the current reverses direction, the magnetic field also reverses its direction.

The blue lines represent the magnetic field that is created when current flows through a coil. When the current reverses direction, the magnetic field also reverses its direction.





Electromagnetism:  A term for the interdependence of time-varying electric and magnetic fields. For example, it turns out that an oscillating magnetic field produces an electric field and an oscillating electric field produces a magnetic field.

Magnetic Induction: A loop or coil of conductive material like copper, carrying an alternating current (AC), is a very efficient structure for generating or capturing a magnetic field.

If a conductive loop is connected to an AC power source, it will generate an oscillating magnetic field in the vicinity of the loop.  A second conducting loop, brought close enough to the first, may “capture” some portion of that oscillating magnetic field, which in turn, generates or induces an electric current in the second coil. The current generated in the second coil may be used to power devices. This type of electrical power transfer from one loop or coil to another is well known and referred to as magnetic induction. Some common examples of devices based on magnetic induction are electric transformers and electric generators.

Energy/Power Coupling:  Energy coupling occurs when an energy source has a means of transferring energy to another object. One simple example is a locomotive pulling a train car—the mechanical coupling between the two enables the locomotive to pull the train, and overcome the forces of friction and inertia that keep the train still—and, the train moves. Magnetic coupling occurs when the magnetic field of one object

An electric transformer is a device that uses magnetic induction to transfer energy from its primary winding to its secondary winding, without the windings being connected to each other. It is used to “transform” AC current at one voltage to AC current at a different voltage.




interacts with a second object and induces an electric current in or on that object. In this way, electric energy can be transferred from a power source to a powered device. In contrast to the example of mechanical coupling given for the train, magnetic coupling does not require any physical contact between the object generating the energy and the object receiving or capturing that energy.


Resonance
This video shows how a wine glass captures sound energy that ocillates at its natural resonant frequency, converts it to mechanical energy that causes the glass to deform at that same frequency and eventually causing it to shatter.

Resonance: Resonance is a property that exists in many different physical systems. It can be thought of as the natural frequency at which energy can most efficiently be added to an oscillating system. A playground swing is an example of an oscillating system involving potential energy and kinetic energy. The child swings back and forth at a rate that is determined by the length of the swing. The child can make the swing go higher if she properly coordinates her arm and leg action with the motion of the swing. The swing is oscillating at its resonant frequency and the simple movements of the child efficiently transfer energy to the system. Another example of resonance is the way in which a singer can shatter a wine glass by singing a single loud, clear note. In this example, the wine glass is the resonant oscillating system. Sound waves traveling through the air are captured by the glass, and the sound energy is converted to mechanical vibrations of the glass itself.  When the singer hits the note that matches the resonant frequency of the glass, the glass absorbs energy, begins vibrating, and can eventually even shatter. The resonant frequency of the glass depends on the size, shape, thickness of the glass, and how much wine is in it.

Resonant Magnetic Coupling: Magnetic coupling occurs when two objects exchange energy through their varying or oscillating magnetic fields. Resonant coupling occurs when the natural frequencies of the two objects are approximately the same.

Two idealized resonant magnetic coils, shown in yellow. The blue and red color bands illustrate their magnetic fields. The coupling of their respective magnetic fields is indicated by the connection of the color bands.

WiTricity Technology: WiTricity power sources and capture devices are specially designed magnetic resonators that efficiently transfer power over large distances via the magnetic near-field. These proprietary source and device designs and the electronic systems that control them support efficient energy transfer over distances that are many times the size of the sources/devices themselves.

The WiTricity power source, left, is connected to AC power. The blue lines represent the magnetic near field induced by the power source. The yellow lines represent the flow of energy from the source to the WiTicity capture coil, which is shown powering a light bulb. Note that this diagram also shows how the magnetic field (blue lines) can wrap around a conductive obstacle between the power source and the capture device.

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