Following are the list of some good online readings.

.NET Book Zero

For C# beginners who already know C/C++ the book I will recommend is .NET book zero by Charles Petzold.This books explains basics in a very simple manner which all the .NET programmer must know.

Here is the link to the book. 

Thinking in C++

This is a must read for all the programmers. Basics are explained in a very simple manner by Bruce Eckel. Click here for the link to the book.  

The One-Straw Revolution

This is a great book by great natural farmer Masanobu Fukuoka. In this books is his narration of how he was drawn towards natural farming and his experiments over the years. Now his farm is place where researches, farmers etc flock to learn the principles of natural farming. This book is a must read, if you are a nature enthusiast. What most of the researchers find astonishing is how Masanobu Fukuoka is able to reap the same results as the so called scientific farming.

Here is the link 

Almost Perfect 

Is a story of rise and fall of Word Perfect, which was winning all competion with microsoft word. This is a story by W. E. Pete Peterson of an organisation which came up from nowhere reached the glory of the best word processing software available at that time.

Click here for the link of the book.

ദൈവമേ! കാത്തുകൊള്‍കങ്ങു
കൈവിടാതിങ്ങു ഞങ്ങളേ;
നാവികന്‍ നീ ഭവാബ്ധിക്കോ‌-
രാവിവന്‍തോണി നിന്‍പദം.

ഒന്നൊന്നായെണ്ണിയെണ്ണി ത്തൊ-
ട്ടെണ്ണും പൊരുളൊടുങ്ങിയാല്‍
നിന്നിടും ദൃക്കുപോലുള്ളം
നിന്നിലസ്‌പന്ദമാകണം.

അന്നവസ്ത്രാദി മുട്ടാതെ
തന്നു രക്ഷിച്ചു ഞങ്ങളെ
ധന്യരാക്കുന്ന നീയൊന്നു-
തന്നെ ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്കു തമ്പുരാന്‍.


ആഴിയും തിരയും കാറ്റും-
ആഴവും പോലെ ഞങ്ങളും
മായയും നിന്‍ മഹിമയും
നീയുമെന്നുള്ളിലാകണം.


നീയല്ലോ സൃഷ്ടിയും സ്രഷ്ടാ-
വായതും സൃഷ്ടിജാലവും
നീയല്ലോ ദൈവമേ,സൃഷ്ടി-
യ്ക്കുള്ള സാമഗ്രിയായതും


നീയല്ലോ മായയും മായാ-
വിയും മായാവിനോദനും
നീയല്ലോ മായയെനീക്കി -
സായൂജ്യം നല്‍കുമാര്യനും.


നീ സത്യം ജ്ഞാനമാനന്ദം
നീ തന്നെ വര്‍ത്തമാനവും
ഭൂതവും ഭാവിയും വേറ-
ല്ലോതും മൊഴിയുമോര്‍ക്കില്‍ നീ.


അകവും പുറവും തിങ്ങും
മഹിമാവാര്‍ന്ന നിന്‍ പദം
പുകഴ്ത്തുന്നൂ ഞങ്ങളങ്ങു
ഭഗവാനേ, ജയിയ്ക്കുക.


ജയിയ്ക്കുക മഹാദേവ,
ദീനാവന പരായണാ,
ജയിയ്ക്കുക ചിദാനന്ദ,
ദയാസിന്ധോ ജയിയ്ക്കുക.


ആഴമേറും നിന്‍ മഹസ്സാ-
മാഴിയില്‍ ഞങ്ങളാകവേ
ആഴണം വാഴണം നിത്യം
വാഴണം വാഴണം സുഖം.

Daiva Dasakam Meaning and description in English.

 

Sree Narayana Guru was a not only a great philosopher but also a great poet. "Daiva Dasakam" or "Ten Verses To God" is a prayer written by Sri Narayana Guru. Guru's eternal message was "One caste, One religion, One god for mankind", The same is reflected in this prayer. The beauty of this prayer is that it can be sung by all. There is no mention of any religion or any particular God. God referred here is the God of everyone.

Daiva Dasakam is in malayalam click here ദൈവ ദശകം for the malayalam. Following is the meaning in english.

O God! Do Thou grand us, and forsake us not;
Thou art sailor across the sea of suffering
Thy Feet a Mighty Steam  boat.

One by One, when all have been told,
as none is left over, Save the teller
So may the inner Self, be firmly fixed in Thee!

Giver of never failing gifts of food
and clothing and other things,
Our Guardian, Thou , Who enriches our lives
Thou, and thou alone art, to us O! Lord.  

Like the sea and the waves and the wind
and the deep may we and the great illusion and Thy Might and Thyself
be comprehended by me!




Thou art Creation itself, the Creator and the Universe of created Things and Thou art
O! God! Like wise the Material , Apparatus and Furniture of creation
 
Thou art the great illusion, and also the Author and the one who enjoys that illusion,
and Thou art the master who can remove illusion and grant the Supreme Union

Thou art the truth and Wisdom and joy
Thou art likewise the present, Past and Future,
Nor art Thou really separate from the spoken Word

Thy Being filled intensely,
to overflowing,
With transcendent Glory
We praise, "O! Great One"
Victory to Thee who art full of Auspicious Marks
 
Victory to thee, O! Great shining One, Protector of the week.
Victory to thee, O! Blissful thriving ,Ocean of love, to Thee all Victory
 
In the Deep Sea ,of Thy Majestic Splendor May we all be deeply
immersed and forever may Bliss Eternal reign supreme!

I was using my IPhone with Spice. Recently I switched my service provider to Docomo. When I switched to Docomo I noticed a message displayed on my IPhone “Call Forwarding Active” on every outgoing calls. It was not a problem functionally and the message used to go away as soon as the call got connected or by pressing "Dismiss". My phone was working fine otherwise.

However when the message was displayed on the phone one could not perform any operation on the phone without clicking on the “Dismiss” button.
This was really annoying. It was not a bug as I tried with Spice, Airtel sim cards and there was no such message not only that this message was getting displayed on Nokia phone as well when I used Docomo sim. This was certainly not a problem with the unlocked IPhone as I thought initially.

This made me think that this might be a configuration issue. Googled and found the following solution.
Use Cydia to install OpenSSH. Use WinSCP or any other utility to connect to your IPhone.
Browse to the following directory
/System/Library/Carrier Bundles/Unknown.bundle
Look for the file carrier.plist. Before doing any other operation make sure that you take a back up of the same.
Copy the file to the local computer.
You can use “Plist editor” to edit the file. You can get one for windows here.
Change the key for “ShowCallForwarding” to false.
Put the edited carrier.plist file back to the IPhone.
Restart you IPhone and annoying message is gone. All your call forwarding setting will be retained just the message is gone.

The above process worked for my IPhone which was unlocked using blackra1n and running Firmware 3.1.2.

Enjoy!!!

 

 

I got a Apple IPhone from US to India. All IPhones brought in US is locked and can be used only with AT&T. I unlocked it with redsn0w to use it in India. Bingo my phone got unlocked. I was using Spice (now Idea). I was using it without any issues. It was when 1 sec pulse came to India, introduced by Docomo that I thought of changing my SIM.

Unfortunately I realized that my Unlocked IPhone worked only with my Spice SIM.

What was worse is that it did not work while on roaming. I tried updating the firm ware, restoring the phone to original setting etc but of no use.  I knew others who have unlocked the phone using the same method as mine but having no issues with their phones. It was not a hardware problem either as my phone was working fine with Spice SIM.

When Apple released the firmware 3.1.2 I tried again. I restored the Phone with firmware 3.1.2 using iTunes (restoring the phone to factory settings locks the phone again) and this time unlocked it with blackra1n. I think this is the easiest way to unlock the IPhone. It comes with a single button on it. Just plug the IPhone to the computer and press this button and under a minute the phone is unlocked. Can unlocking become easier than that? Below is the screen shot of the tool.

 

 

However this did not solve my issue with outgoing calls. Googling it I came to this link, which worked for me

All I had to do was
1)    Go to Settings > General > Date and Time. Switch off “Set Automatically” and manually select your hometown (the default is Cupertino).
2)    Next, go to Settings > Phone > Show My Caller ID > Switch this to “ON”.
3)    Turn off turn off Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding and Settings > Phone > Call Waiting.
My IPhone now can make calls with any SIM and has no issues with Roaming.

However I noticed one another issue. I was getting an annoying message "Call Forwarding Active" for all outgoing calls. 

  
 

I along with my family had been for a holiday in Andaman. Not to mention one of the best holidays we have had. We took a lot of pictures, it took me a while to realize that I had accidently taken a picture which was the same as the picture on the back of Rs 20 note.

The picture on the Rs 20 note is of the Port Blair light house. This photo below was taken from the ship Ramanujam during our journey from Port Blair to Havelock (another beautiful Island in Andaman).

 

So are they 12 or 13?

Adi Shankaracharya ('the first Shankara' in his lineage) also known as Bhagavatpada Acharya (the teacher at the feet of Lord) was a great Indian philosopher who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta (principles of non dualism). His teachings are based on the unity of the soul and Brahman. Consciousness is Brahman.

Shankara was born to Kaippilly Sivaguru Nambuthiri and Aryamba Antharjanam in Kalady, central Kerala. Shankara's parents had no child for a long time, and prayed at Vadakkumnathan temple in Thrissur, Kerala. Legend has it that the Lord Shiva appeared before the devout couple and offered them a choice of a mediocre son who would live a long life, or an extraordinary son who would not live long. The couple chose the latter. The son was named Shankara, in honor of the Lord Shiva.

 

Shivaguru died while Shankara was very young. The child showed remarkable scholarship, and is said to have mastered the four Vedas by the age of eight. Following the common practice, Shankara stayed at a teacher's house.

From a young age, Shankara was inclined towards sannyasa. His mother however would not give her permission to do so. Once it so happened, Shankara was bathing in the river, when a crocodile caught him. He asked for his mother's permission to adopt sannyasa (the ascetic life), and when his mother agreed, the crocodile released him.

Shankara travelled all over India in his quest for knowledge. Adi Shankara founded four Mathas to guide the Hindu religion. These are at Sringeri in Karnataka in the south, Dwaraka in Gujarat in the west, Puri in Orissa in the east, and Jyotirmath (Joshimath) in Uttarakhand in the north. Hindu tradition states that he put in charge of these mathas his four main disciples: Sureshwaracharya, Hastamalakacharya, Padmapadacharya, and Totakacharya respectively.

In 1983 a film was directed by G. V. Iyer named Adi Shankaracharya was premiered, the first film ever made entirely in Sanskrit language in which all of Adi Sahankaracharya's works were compiled. The movie received the National Film Awards for Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Audiography and has been known as a master piece. You might have reached this page out of interest of Adi Shankaracharya. I strongly recommend you to see this movie. It has English subtitles.

Here is the link from Google Videos

Aruvippuram is located near Trivandrum at the bank of river Neyyar. It is a beautiful place. The word literally means bank of river. Aruvi means river and puram means bank. Sree Narayana Guru used to like Aruvippuram and used to stay here for a while whenever he used to pass by Aruvippuram while traveling. After attaining enlightenment he made Aruvippuram his resting place. People slowly came to know about Guru and started coming to Aruvippuram to visit him and to seek his blessings from faraway places.

Sree Narayana Guru used to cure people of aliments. Many of the people were cured just by seeing the Guru. Guru used to give some herbs after which almost all the diseases would disappear. Guru's fame started spreading and more and more people started visiting him in Aruvippuram offering him fruits and food.

Guru had the policy of "drink no alcohol, make no alcohol and sell no alcohol". Alcoholic men after seeking Guru's blessing to get cured will have the tendency of vomiting when they tried to have alcohol again. There was soon an immense following of Guru and there were many disciples.

Sree Narayana Guru expressed his wish to have a Siva temple in Aruvippurami to his disciples. He decided to have a temple on Maha Siva rathri of that year 1063 Malayalam year (Kollavarsham) . As per Guru's wish arrangements were made for the same. Ezhava's and the other lower caste people were not allowed to worship Suvarna gods forget about of Prathistha (installation) of a Siva idol. Kerala at that time of full of caste system and only Brahmins had the authority to do Prathistha.

Guru on Maha Shiv rathri of 1063 installed a Shiv idol (rock which Guru carefully selected from the Neyyar River) in the presence of hundreds of people who came to Aruvippuram to witness this great event. This was an important event of history. As this incident change the whole course of caste system which was then followed in Kerala. As the news of this temple spread like a wild fire, people from all over Kerala started flooding Aruvippuram. Aruvippuram soon became a pilgrimage spot. Lower caste people who did not have access to temples suddenly had a temple where they could offer prayers.

 

 

 

It was obvious that people from upper caste could not tolerate this installation of idol by a non Brahmin. Many so called learned men from the upper caste visited Guru, not for his blessing of course but to question Guru's authority to do Prathistha. Guru's answer for very simple

"We worship our own Siva".

Guru's philosophy was "One caste, One religion, One god for mankind". For Guru everyone was the same. It does not matter if the person is from the any caste, any religion or any country. These so called learned men could not understand the inner meaning of "Our Siva" and thought the Guru has installed Siva of his own community and left the place satisfied. Guru meant by our Siva was the Siva of the entire mankind. Guru was also questioned about the right time to do the Prathistha. He again had a very simple answer.
"As the child's delivery does not depend on any auspicious moment and everything else revolves around the birth time the same way auspicious moment may be calculated after the installation of idol." Only Guru could have done this. Even the upper caste people respected him.

This incident can sure be marked as an event in the history as lower caste people got a stand after this incident. Their self confidence level came up and so did their ability to question. What they used to accept as it told by the upper caste slowly started to go and over a period of years they realized their rights. After the installation of idol Aruvippuram they could now do what they could never have done before. Pray to lord Siva in temple.

After the installation ceremony Guru constructed an Ashram in Aruvippuram near the temple. He inscribed the following on the wall of the Ashram

"This is a model abode, where all men shall live, without caste distinction and religious rivalries".

Aruvippuram Siva Temple is now owned by Sivagiri Madam. Shiv rathri is celebrated every year as a major festival in Aruvippuram.

 

I recently read that love is entirely a matter of chemistry.
That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste.
David Bissonette

When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her.
Sacha Guitry

After marriage, husband and wife become two sides of a coin; they just can't face each other, but still they stay together.
Hemant Joshi

By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.

Socrates

Woman inspires us to great things, and prevents us from achieving them.
Dumas

The great question... which I have not been able to answer... is, "What does a woman want?
Sigmund Freud

I had some words with my wife, and she had some paragraphs with me.
Anonymous

"Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays."
Henny Youngman

"I don't worry about terrorism. I was married for two years."
Sam Kinison

"There's a way of transferring funds that is even faster than electronic banking. It's called marriage."
James Holt McGavran

"I've had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me, and the second one didn't."
Patrick Murray

Two secrets to keep your marriage brimming
   1. Whenever you're wrong, admit it,
   2. Whenever you're right, shut up.
Nash

The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once...
Anonymous

You know what I did before I married? Anything I wanted to.
Henny Youngman

My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.
Rodney Dangerfield

A good wife always forgives her husband when she's wrong.
Milton Berle

Marriage is the only war where one sleeps with the enemy.
Anonymous

A man inserted an 'ad' in the classifieds: "Wife wanted". Next day he received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."
Anonymous

First Guy (proudly): "My wife's an angel!"
Second Guy: "You're lucky, mine's still alive."