Vol-15 | Computer Posture: Are You Sitting Comfortably?

Vol-14 | World Cup 2011 – INDIA-Sri Lanka-Bangladesh

Ever worried about the easiest way to search and sort about the matches of world cup 2011?

Here is an easy way to find out the match schedules.

Keep this link handy.

http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-schedule/series/228/icc-world-cup-2011

Hover over to objects on screen and feel the speciality.

Vol-13 | Global Warming

Kid can help stop global warming, too!!

Although adults do many things to help stop global warming, kids can do just as much.  Kids can’t do hard things like making a law, but we can do easier things like not watching as much TV.  You can listen to your parents when they say, turn off your lights or go play outside.  Listening to them and actually trying to help can help you, your environment, and the world.

Vol-12 | Bakri id or Id-ul-Zuha

There are various festivals in the Muslim calendar. But Bakriid or Id-ul-Zuha is one of the most celebrated festivals among Muslims all over the world. It is a day of sacrifice for the Muslims. According to legends. It all started with a dream in which Allah directed the patriarch Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail. It was Ibrahim's faith in Allah and his son's faith in his father that were on test. Before performing the sacrifice Ismail tied a cloth around his father's eyes. But when Ibrahim opened his eyes he found his son safe and sound. In his place lay a dead dumba or ram. It is in honour of this test of faith that Muslims around the world sacrifice an animal on the occasion of Id-ul-azha to show their allegiance, faith and sincerity towards Allah. In India the Muslims mainly sacrifice the goat, which is why the occasion is spoken of in Urdu as Bakhr or Bakri-Id. The festival is to celebrate the strong faith of those devoted to Islam.

The festival coincides with the anniversary of the day when 'Quran' was declared complete. It is from when many Muslims undertake Haj to Mecca and people offer prayers in mosques. On the day of Id, the pilgrims reach the grounds of Mina where they sacrifice an animal each. It was here that Ibrahim is believed to have sacrificed his son. The pilgrims then shave their heads. The purpose is to be one with the millions of devotees who converge to Mecca each year for the Haj. The sacrificial meat is distributed after the ceremony among friends and family members. Special delicacies and sweets are prepared on the occasion. The celebration of Bakri Id starts from the tenth to the twelfth day in the Islamic month of Dhu'l Hijja. On the Id day people wear new clothes, offer prayers, and visit each other and exchange greetings. There are special prayers, which take places on the three days of Id. Ceremonial prayers, and feasts are part of this festival.

Significance of Bakri Id

Bakri Id or Id-ul-Zuhat is one of the most important festivals of the Muslims. It is called Id-ul-Adha in Arabic and Bakr-Id in the Indian subcontinent, because of the tradition of sacrificing a goat, or bakr in Urdu. Joyous festivities and somber rituals mark this event. It is a three-day festival but the main celebrations are on the first day. According to the rules laid down for Id by Prophet Muhammad, every Muslim is expected to take a bath, wear new clothes, apply itr or perfume, walk to the mosque before eating anything, and recite theTakbir aloud. After the prayers, which are held in an open space in deference to the directive of the Quran, he is tore turn home. There are certain rituals to be followed and accordingly celebrations on the first day include Do Rakat Namaz, which can be performed any time from sunrise to just after noon. The prayers during this festival are considered more rewarding than other daily or weekly offerings. Every Muslim owning property worth 400 grams of gold or more is expected to sacrifice a goat, sheep or any other four-legged animal during one of the three days of the festival. This sacrifice symbolizes devotion to Allah and his desires. The sacrificed meat is then distributed and partaken of after the Id prayers mainly among friends, relatives and needy person. Prophet Muhammad had decreed that the entire community celebrate Id for three days to facilitate participation.

Prayer meetings and Id milans are part of the festivities. People visit friends and relatives. Bakri Id is symbolized as a day of sacrifice for Muslims. It all started with a dream in which Allah directed the patriarch Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail. Ibrahim's allegiance to the word of Allah and his son's faith in his father were on test. The dream recurred thrice before Ibrahim told Ismail about it. The two went to a mountain where Ismail tied a cloth round his father's eyes before offering himself to be sacrificed. But when Ibrahim opened his eyes, he found his son safe and sound. In his place lay a dead dumba or ram. It is in honor of this test of faith that Muslims around the world sacrifice an animal on the occasion of Id-ul-azha to show their faith, allegiance and sincerity towards Allah. In India, the animal used most often for sacrifice is the goat, which is why the occasion is spoken of in Urdu as Bakhr or Bakri-Id. For the millions at Haj in Saudi Arabia, it is a big day. On the day of Id, the pilgrims reach the grounds of Mina where they sacrifice an animal each. It was here that Ibrahim is believed to have sacrificed his son. The pilgrims then shave their heads. The purpose is to be one with the millions of devotees who converge to Mecca each year for the Haj.

When Bakri Id is Celebrated

Eid Al Adha or Eid ul Zuha or Bakri Id is one of the most important festivals in the Muslim calendar. Celebrated from the 10th to the 12th day in the month of Dhul Hijjah, this festival is significant with the sacrifice of the goat or bakr in Urdu. The word Id derived from the Arabic Eid means 'festival' and 'zuha' comes from uzhaiyya, which translates to 'sacrifice'. Eid Al Adha commemorates Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son on God's command. According to Islamic belief, to test Ibrahim, Allah commanded him to sacrifice his son Ismail. He agreed to do it but found his paternal feelings hard to suppress. So he blindfolded himself before putting Ismail on the altar at the mount of Mina near Mecca. When he removed his blind-fold after performing the act, he saw his son standing in front of him, alive. On the altar lay a slaughtered lamb. It is in honor of this test of faith that Muslims around the world sacrifice an animal on the occasion to show their faith, allegiance and sincerity to Allah. In India, the animal used mostly for sacrifice is the goat, which is why the occasion is spoken of in Urdu as Bakhr or Bakri-Id. The festival also coincides with the anniversary of the day when The Holy Quran was declared complete. It is also the time when many Muslims undertake Haj to Mecca.

For the millions at Haj in Saudi Arabia, it is an auspicious day. Being a lunar date, Eid depends on the sighting of the moon. According to the customs the pilgrims at Haj collect seventy pebbles that are used to drive away the Shaitan or Satan who tried to dissuade Prophet Ibrahim thrice from making the supreme sacrifice. This gesture marks the symbolic condemnation of evil power that tries to dissuade man from reaching God. On the day of Eid, the pilgrims reach the grounds of Mina where they sacrifice an animal each. The pilgrims then shave their heads. The purpose is to be one with the millions of devotees who converge to Mecca each year for the Haj. In India, the day begins with a ghusl or bath, after which namaaz is offered. It is mandatory to sacrifice either individually or collectively if one cannot afford the full price of the animal. To a Muslim it is the word of Allah that has to be followed. The sacrificial meat is then distributed amongst family, friends and the needy. Prayer meetings and Eid Milans are part of the festivities. People visit friends and relatives wearing new clothes and jewellery. Children are given idi or gifts and money. In the Indian subcontinent sweets are exchanged. Vermicelli or seviyan, a traditional sweet, is prepared specially for this festival.

Vol-11 | History of Windows

Year	Event
1983	Bill Gates announces Microsoft Windows November 10, 1983.
1985	Microsoft Windows 1.0 is introduced in November 20, 1985 and is initially sold for $100.00.
1987	Microsoft Windows 2.0 was released December 9, 1987 and is initially sold for $100.00.
1987	Microsoft Windows/386 or Windows 386 is introduced December 9, 1987 and is initially sold for $100.00.
1988	Microsoft Windows/286 or Windows 286 is introduced June, 1988 and is initially sold for $100.00.
1990	Microsoft Windows 3.0 was released May, 22 1990. Microsoft Windows 3.0 full version was priced at $149.95 and the upgrade version was priced at $79.95.
1991	Following its decision not to develop operating systems cooperatively with IBM, Microsoft changes the name of OS/2 to Windows NT.
1991	Microsoft Windows 3.0 or Windows 3.0a with multimedia was released October, 1991.
1992	Microsoft Windows 3.1 was released April, 1992 and sells more than 1 Million copies within the first two months of its release.
1992	Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.1 was released October, 1992.
1993	Microsoft Windows NT 3.1 was released July 27, 1993.
1993	Microsoft Windows 3.11, an update to Windows 3.1 is released December 31, 1993.
1993	The number of licensed users of Microsoft Windows now totals more than 25 Million.
1994	Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.11 was released February, 1994.
1994	Microsoft Windows NT 3.5 was released September 21, 1994.
1995	Microsoft Windows NT 3.51 was released May 30, 1995.
1995	Microsoft Windows 95 was released August 24, 1995 and sells more than 1 Million copies within 4 days.
1996	Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 was released July 29, 1996.
1996	Microsoft Windows CE 1.0 was released November, 1996.
1997	Microsoft Windows CE 2.0 was released November, 1997.
1998	Microsoft Windows 98 was released June, 1998.
1998	Microsoft Windows CE 2.1 was released July, 1998.
1998	In October of 1998 Microsoft announced that future releases of Windows NT would no longer have the initials of NT and that the next edition would be Windows 2000.
1999	Microsoft Windows 98 SE (Second Edition) was released May 5, 1999.
1999	Microsoft Windows CE 3.0 was released 1999.
2000	On January 4th at CES Bill Gates announces the new version of Windows CE will be called Pocket PC.
2000	Microsoft Windows 2000 was released February 17, 2000.
2000	Microsoft Windows ME (Millennium) released June 19, 2000.
2001	Microsoft Windows XP is released October 25, 2001.
2001	Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition (Version 2002) for Itanium systems is released March 28, 2003.
2003	Microsoft Windows Server 2003 is released March 28, 2003.
2003	Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition (Version 2003) for Itanium 2 systems is released on March 28, 2003.
2003	Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2003 is released on December 18, 2003.
2004	Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is released on October 12, 2004.
2005	Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is released on April 24, 2005.
2005	Microsoft announces it's next operating system, codenamed "Longhorn" will be named Windows Vista on July 23, 2005.
2006	Microsoft releases Microsoft Windows Vista to corporations on November 30, 2006.
2007	Microsoft releases Microsoft Windows Vista and Office 2007 to the general public January 30, 2007.
2009	Microsoft releases Windows 7 October 22, 2009.

Vol-10 | Difference between 2G and 3G

2G and 3 G is a family of standards for mobile telecommunications defined by the International Telecommunication Union, which includes GSM EDGE, UMTS, and CDMA2000 as well as DECT and WiMAX. Services include wide-area wireless voice telephone, video calls, and wireless data, all in a mobile environment.

2G Stands for second generation mobile telephony standards, where 3G defined the third generation  mobile telephony standards to facilitate growth, increase bandwidth, and support more diverse applications. For example, GSM (the current most popular cellular phone standard) could deliver not only voice, but also circuit-switched data at download rates up to 14.4 kbps. But to support mobile multimedia applications, 3G had to deliver packet-switched data with better spectral efficiency, at far greater bandwidths.

History

·  Launched a decade apart, 2G and 3G technology were both utilized in divergent parts of the world first. 2G first launched in the nation of Finland in 1991, while 3G was first used in Japan in 2001, according to UMTSWorld.com, a website that follows 3G technology.

Function

·  While 2G networks primarily involve the transmission of voice information, 3G technology provides the additional advantage of data transfer. 3G can download information at 14 Megabits per second, while uploading 5.8 Megabits per second.

Significance

·  3G technology offers a higher level of security than 2G networks. According to Colin Blanchard of BTexaCT, a UK-based technology firm, 3G networks allow authentication procedures when communicating with other devices.

Considerations

·  Due to the advancements of 3G technology's data transfers, many additional features are available to those networks utilizing the system, unlike 2G. These features include mobile TV, video transfers and GPS systems.

Click Here check out what actually is 3G?

Vol-9 | How do optical mice work?

I­t appears that the venerable wheeled mouse is in danger of extinction. The now-preferred device for pointing and clicking is the optical mouse. ­

Developed by Agilent Technologies and introduced to the world in late 1999, the optical mouse actually uses a tiny camera to take 1,500 pictures every second. Able to work on almost any surface, the mouse has a small, red light-emitting diode (LED) that bounces light off that surface onto a complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor.

The CMOS sensor sends each image to a digital signal processor (DSP) for analysis. The DSP, operating at 18 MIPS (million instructions per second), is able to detect patterns in the images and see how those patterns have moved since the previous image. Based on the change in patterns over a sequence of images, the DSP determines how far the mouse has moved and sends the corresponding coordinates to the computer. The computer moves the cursor on the screen based on the coordinates received from the mouse. This happens hundreds of times each second, making the cursor appear to move very smoothly.

Optical mice have several benefits over wheeled mice:

• No moving parts means less wear and a lower chance of failure.
• There's no way for dirt to get inside the mouse and interfere with the tracking sensors.
• Increased tracking resolution means smoother response.
• They don't require a special surface, such as a mouse pad.

­ Although LED-based optical mice are fairly recent, another type of optical mouse has been around for over a decade. The original optical-mouse technology bounced a focused beam of light off a highly-reflective mouse pad onto a sensor. The mouse pad had a grid of dark lines. Each time the mouse was moved, the beam of light was interrupted by the grid. Whenever the light was interrupted, the sensor sent a signal to the computer and the cursor moved a corresponding amount. This kind of optical mouse was difficult to use, requiring that you hold it at precisely the right angle to ensure that the light beam and sensor aligned. Also, damage to or loss of the mouse pad rendered the mouse useless until a replacement pad was purchased. Today's LED-based optical mice are far more user-friendly and reliable.