Ahimsa Silk!

Thanks to BlueMoon for information about "Ahimsa Silk" - that is woven from a cocoon after the butterfly/moth has flown away from the cocoon so that the worms escape the dip in the fatal boiling hot pail of water. And kudos to Kusuma Rajaiah for this excellent idea of varying the silk retrieval technique slightly to reap the huge benefit of not having to kill thousands of silk worms! This Hindu article dated 3/6/2007 has the story about the inspiration behind Kusuma's invention, Mrs. Janaki Venkataraman, wife of the former President of India, R. Venkataraman. I commend her stand that led to this wonderful invention! "Ahimsa" - a perfect name too!

This surely is wonderful news for animal lovers, not so much because it opens doors to a guilt free wearing of the fine material, but the hope that some day, yes some day, there would be a total transformation in the silk industry to produce silk in this non-violent manner. Until the production of the Ahimsa silk is streamlined and produced in masses, the costs will probably remain prohibitive to become the mainstream silk production. And until such a day arrives, we will still be pained by the cruelty behind silk, fur and other animal based products.

But today, I join the many compassionate folks who care, in celebrating the "Ahimsa" silk and do hope that when you go shopping for this much fancied fabric, you would consider choosing the non-violent alternative!

Please visit the official website www.ahimsasilks.com for details.

Happy Birthday To You!

A humorous look at the strange connection of the Happy Birthday song and the Human life span!

I have hit upon an unbelievable but logical connection between the Happy Birthday song and the human life span. By logical deduction, I have unearthed the secret to a long life, for as long as one can imagine!! Read on, and you’ll see for yourself !!

Have you noticed that the Happy Birthday song uses 6 syllables per line.

Chorus:
Happy Birthday to you [6 syllables]
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday Dear

Birthday baby sings:
I am x years old
I am x years old
I am x years old

Chorus:
Happy Birthday to you [6 syllables]

Now, notice carefully, The Happy Birthday song rhymes with the rest of the song when the “I am x years old” line evaluates to 5 or 6 syallables.

e.g:
I am five years old [5 syallables]
Or
I am sixteen years old [6
syllables]

Now see what happens when there are more than 6 syllables:

I am twenty two years old [7 syllables]
Or
I am thirty seven years old [8 syllables]

What happens! It does not rhyme anymore with the rest of the Happy Birthday lyrics!!So what – do you ask? Well, let’s go thro’ the series, and you’ll see it !

Let’s start at the very beginning:

I am ONE year old
[probably sounds more like goo goo gurgle ga ga ga at that age :D]

I am TWO years old
[You've probably learnt the birthday song by now]

I am THREE years old
[by now you are starting to enjoy your birthdays!]
...
I am FIVE years old
[ you are counting down to your birthday eagerly waiting to grow older]
...
I am EIGHT years old
[Your birthday wish list all ready, eager for your next birthday !]
...
I am THIRTEEN years old
[stepped into wonderful teens, oh how long you have waited to get here!]
...
I am SIXTEEN years old
[you are at the prime of your teens – you have started getting peeks into adulthood – some big decisions round the corner on studies and career]
...
I am NINETEEN years old
[You think you are ready to fly, want to be done with your teens]

I am TWENTY years old
[All grown up now and eager to enjoy the rights of an adult!]

[Note : Did you notice, until this time your Birthday Song has rhymed perfectly…All lines have
always been 5 or 6 syllables! Now let’s see what happens when you hit the big 21!]

I am TWENTY ONE years old
[1 extra syllable – does not rhyme anymore – you still enjoy the liberties that 21 years brings along]

I am TWENTY TWO years old
[whatever happened to the rhyming?]

I am TWENTY THREE years old
[a ha….so the birthday song doesn’t rhyme anymore]
...
I am TWENTY FIVE years old
[You’ve stopped waiting for your birthday by this time]

I am TWENTY SIX years old [You shy away from telling people your age by
now]
...
I am TWENTY EIGHT years old [You have switched to “I am sixteen always” to
rescue you from that awful question]
...
I am TWENTY NINE years old [You are hanging on to the last of the 20s for your dear life!]

I am THIRTY years old
[Now it suddenly rhymes !!!!!!!!! – Is this a turning point in life?]

I am THIRTY ONE years old
[Uh oh – what happened to the rhyme ?]

I am THIRTY TWO years old
[Somethings wrong, terribly wrong – why doesn’t it rhyme anymore?]

I am THIRTY THREE years old
[@#$#@$#@$!$ ????]
...
I am FORTY years old
[Ah ha – There’s the rhyme again]
...
...
I am FIFTY years old
[Ah ha – There’s the rhyme again - by now, intermediate milestones don’t count, it’s the big 0s that matter…]
...
...
I am SIXTY years old
[Ah ha – There’s the rhyme again]
...
...
I am SEVENTY years old
[Rhyme is shaky this time – as shaky as your knees perhaps]
...
...
I am EIGHTY years old
[The rhyme has returned, you have managed to survive !]
...
...
I am NINETY years old
[Rhymes again – and still counting - awesome !]
...
...
I am HUNDRED years old
[Rhymes Rhymes It Rhymes!! Will this go on forever?]
...
...
I am HUNDRED AND TEN years old
[ ----silence----- 8 syllables. No way it would rhyme – no wonder I am not around any more]
...
...
...

Do you see it! The simple Happy Birthday Song has quite a bearing on you, on your life, on your life span, – on the lifespan of us human beings !! Indeed, why didn’t them great philosophers and thinkers realize this in all these centuries?!!

So how then do we influence the human life span? Simple! We just need to create a Birthday song that rhymes for the maxium number of Syllables! That’s all it takes!!

Can you now see yourself singing:

I am TEN THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED & SIXTY SEVEN years old [11 syllables] !!

But wait, its not that simple !! You do have to configure the song such that it rhymes with any number of syllables. Now that’s tricky ain’t ! May be that’s why the they let it be at a 100 years huh?!! :D

...but in the meantime, dream on, imagine all the possibilities ! Who knows, you just might hit on the perfect Birthday song !! :D

p.s. Incase you are not that tickled yet, well, that was just my way of seeing humor in how our perception of birthdays changes as the years progress :D ...While on the topic, the Happy Birthday song has quite an interesting history. Read about The Happy Birthday Song on Wikipedia.

That "Thingy" thingy

Well - I was quite averse to the word when I first heard it. "Thingy" !! eek! - isn't there a limit to Americanization of English ? I thought. And then I noticed there were other strange usages like "My Bad" (and desis seem to love this!) ... and basically you can suffix any word in American with "y" or "ed" or "fy" to convey what you are trying to say.

But recently, I have realized the usefulness of "thingy" ! It's the "no brainer" word - when you are either bored to describe something in detail, or you just don't know how to describe it, just use thingy...and it works!! :-) ..and you also sound coool & dated :=)

Hey...how about using the link thingy below to post a comment!

Get over DUTS with EPlus!

If you are prone to the DUTS(Dang Uncomfortable Travel Syndrome) due to poor leg room on the plane, the pain is over - Economy Plus is here! - a great option that United Airlines provides.

For a small $34 upgrade fee, you get an extra 5 inches of leg room! NO it's not just the exit row seats - they have 5 to 8 rows marked as E-Plus. No more sitting at an angle and worrying that you are encroaching a tad bit into your neighbor's seating area or your knees digging into the seat in front of you!. No more flexing of ankles or knees trying to get some circulation in those poor legs..Not to mention praying hard that the passenger in front of you does not incline his seat back too far...

Believe me - it's well worth it - try it the next time you travel! (not sure if other airlines provide this option too - let me know if you do!)

Open or Close?

Have you been asked this question? "Open or Close?"

Well - I get asked all the time..and quite honestly
I just don't have a preference - I really don't!!

But the person who asks is typically expecting a binary
answer - Aye or Nay! And if I say "Either" - I get a
stare and a smirk like I ought to know if I want it
Open or Close. I tried explaining to one or two that
I really was fine with either - but seems like it just
doesn't get across, coz I get the same question from the
same people yet again - and again - and again!

Are they hoping that I would have changed my mind?!!

Anyway - I decided that I would have to give one or the
other as an answer - just for the heck of it. And that
was even worse - as I realized that "Close" is really
not an acceptable answer. The person who's asking is
really expecting to hear "Open" in reflection of an
"open-door policy".

Hmm..tell you what - then why do you ask in the first
place? Just leave it open and walk away won't you?!!

Sigh - I hope I'll remember to say "Open" the next time
I am asked the tricky question - "Open or Close?" !!

Paradigm shifts

Have you stared at holographic images often published in newspapers or magazines - trying to see this promised magical image that would emerge if your eyes were focussed just right on the image? I am sure all of us have and felt this surge of joy as soon as we have spotted that eluding image pop out suddenly! But most of the time, once we know how to focus our eyes, we just know how to.

Another example - learning to ride the bicycle. It seems like you would never know how to do it as you wobble around trying to balance - until suddenly you get it - you just get the trick - and from then on, you just don't know what it is to not know!

I call this a paradigm shift. A shift into a paradigm where you "just know" - there is no definite formula to achieve it - it just happens - and once it does...you "just know".

You may argue that it is just the brain "learning" the "technique". Possibly! I choose the examples above as it is easy to relate to these familiar activities which have a clear physical outcome. But what I am really arriving at is a "paradigm shift" in our "mind" (for lack of a better word) - something that is instantaneous, unpredictable, involuntary - in our mind - for things not necessarily with a physical outcome.

A paradigm shift that allows you to completely understand something, or feel something. For convenience, I am going to call the unknown-state as Paradigm A and just-know-state as Paradigm B.

Take music for instance. You listen to a tune, and try to play it back on your keyboard and you "just can" - even though you may not have had any former/formal training. It's like you suddenly move into Paradigm B. While there are others who are in Paradigm A..and remain there - as much as they try desperately to "learn music". Guess anyone can "learn" (eventually) but only those who "just can" excel.

You may call this instinct as opposed to "acquired skill". But I question if this is "instinct" or is it what I call - a "paradigm shift". I am theorizing at this point that what you think you know instinctively is actually achieved through a paradigm shift that happens in your mind, without your realizing it.

Another example. You are acquainted with Person X in a particular manner. Due to some un-explainable reason, you suddenly start seeing Person X in a particular light - may be as a good friend, even soulmate, or may be your worst enemy! Then - again due to some un-explainable reason, you start seeing Person X in a totally different light. Something shifts in your mind. You no longer look at someone or a situation in the same light - in all possibilty this new "just-know" outlook that you feel stays in your mind and you cannot think differently from then on.

Confused already? Wondering why i am making such a big deal out of this "paradigm shift" ?

Well - if a "Paradigm Shift" can empower you to "just know", then it is no trivial matter. Definitely not trivial if this "Paradigm Shift" was not what it is "instantaneous, unpredictable, involuntary...". Imagine what would happen if this type of "paradigm shift" could be brought about at will - just think about it for a second...

...yeah! exactly!! Do you see what I am saying? You could just about do anything, if you mastered the art of paradigm shifts! You could play any musical instrument, you could just love that most annoying coworker, you could conquer your addiction to smoking, you could even get past the bunny slope and take the ski lift all the way up to the top!! There would be no limit to what you can achieve.

I now embark on a journey of analyzing the various types of paradigm shifts that I have experienced personally, to understand what triggers it and hope to experience a paradigm shift to just knowing what "The Art of Paradigm Shifts" is.

As for you, if you don't see what I see yet, you would first need to experience the paradigm shift that I have hit upon !! :P

The Language Outcasts!

Ever since my last post, I have been irked by this lurking feeling of guilt - a feeling that set in as soon as I wrote about Cartman as "The fat kid...". It somehow feels wrong to call - well a fat kid "fat"! And I have been wondering why I feel this way. It seems like something like "the kid with greater air-displacement" or may be "the kid who is lipogenically challenged" would be more acceptable!

With so many human sensitivities to take care of, the use of the appropriate word that does not offend has become so important. Using a phrase to describe the word rather than the word itself is more acceptable. You cannot call a sword a sword. You cannot say what you really mean. A trend where hypocricy is more acceptable.

It is interesting to note that some of the connotations to words, color, animals etc. have stemmed from religion - black being the color of evil, white color of angel in some, and color of mourning in other, snake being the representation of evil and so on...

But the intention of this post is not to question the history or reasoning behind this alternate-word mania that has inflicted us humans. I am more concerned about a bigger issue that humanity is facing at this point - the issue that the very words that we grew up with have become condemned outcasts.

Language is under-going transformation. 50 years from now, conversation may be "Hey what do you beep and the beep? I really think beep beep there is no beep." Well..that's silly, but my point is that anything that can be conveyed directly would now have to be obscurely put forth.

Talking of cautious wording, I am concerned that "outcast" in my post title may be too direct a word. And I personally cringe when "resource" is used to describe a "human" team member ! So much for hypocricy huh!

Disclaimer: I am merely an observer of where language is headed. I am not expressing an opinion on whether this is right or wrong.