Books for all: Google offers full book downloads

Google is making available for download all non-copyrighted material, such as Shakespeare's works.

Article: Books for all: Google offers full book downloads | TG Daily

Google site: http://books.google.com/

Apple Human Interface Guidelines

Apple Human Interface Guidelines

A set of guidelines from Apple on how to design great user interface for your software.
Very nice. Recommended reading.

Link: Apple Human Interface Guidelines

RAW vs. JPEG

When shooting digital snaps, the eternal question arises: RAW format or JPEG format?
Unlike classical philosophical questions, this one does have an answer based on your situation.

Read on ... RAW vs. JPEG

Naya Shivala by Muhammed Iqbal

A very nice philosophical poem by Muhammed Iqbal

Original Link: Naya Shivala (with English Translation) by Muhammed Iqbal at Old Poetry

Reproduced verbatim below:


Sach kah don aye brahman! Gar tu buraa na maaney
terey sanam-kadon ke but ho gaye puraaney
apnon se bair rakhnaa tu ne bhton se seekhajang-o-jadal sikhaayaa waaiz ko bhi khudaa ne
tang aa ke main ne aakhir dair-o-haram ko chhodawaaiz ka waaz chhodaa, chhodey tirey fasaaney 

Patthar ki mooraton mein samjhaa hai tu khdaa hai
Khaak-e-watan ka mujh ko har zarraa devtaa hai

Aa ghairiyat ke pardey ik baar phir uthaa dein
bichdon ko phir milaa dein, naqsh-e-dui mitaa dein
sooni padi hui hai muddat se dil ki basti
aa, ik nayaa shiwaalaa is des mein banaa dein
dunyaa ke teerathon se oonchaa ho apnaa teerath
daamaan-e-aasmaan se us ka kalas milaa dein
har subh uthh ke gaayein mantar wo meethey meethey
saarey pujaariyon ko mai peet ki pilaa dein
 

Shakti bhi shaanti bhi bhakton ke geet mein hai
dharti ke baasiyon ki mukti preet mein hai



English Translation

 A New Altar

O Brahman! Should I speak the truth if you don't mind?
The idols of your temples have gone antiquated.
You've learnt, from the idols, to harbor animosity towards our own people;
the God too has taught his preacher the ways of violence and war.

Having got fed-up I left temple as well as mosque;
[I] left attending the lecture of the preacher as well as your story-sessions.
You think that God resides in the stone idols
Each speck of the motherland is God to me.

Come, let's, once again, remove the curtains of unacquaintedness;
let's help the separated beings meet again [and] remove the motif of duality.
The territory of heart is vacuous for a long time.

Come, let's make a new shrine in this land.
Our shrine should be taller than all the shrines of the world!
We should make its spire touch the edge of the sky.
We should sing, each morning, the amiable hymns
[and] make all the worshippers drink the wine of love!
[Both] power and peace are implied in the songs of the disciples.
The salvation of the people of the world lies in love!

A Java based CMS (Content Management System)

A Java based CMS (Content Management System)

An open-source (Java) project for building a CMS.

Check it out. You might save some serious $$ using this one ...

Link: currentcms: Current CMS

Eyewitless News: Save Pluto

Worth1000.com has come up with a contest. The theme? Pluto, of course. The poor planet that was kicked out of the Solar System by a bunch of astronomer bullies. Photos that advertise the ninth planet ...

Link: Worth1000.com | Pluto photos

The Greatest Swiss Knife ever

The Greatest Swiss Knife ever

A humongously huge swiss knife that has all the things that you could possibly wish for. The only problem is now to find humongously huge pockets to put it in ...

Link: What a knife !!

Great snaps of libraries around the world

Great snaps of libraries around the world

The article is titled "Hot Library Smut". But don't worry, this isn't X-rated stuff. It is just a collection of photographs of libraries around the world.
Check out the "STIFTSBIBLIOTHEK ST. GALLEN" one. Awesome ...

Link: Library Snaps

Update: 'Hitler' restaurant changes its name

Finally, common sense has prevailed. The owners of a restaurant named after Hitler in Mumbai has decided to change its name.

Link: BBC NEWS | South Asia | Climb down by 'Hitler' restaurant

Java: Swingweb

Swingweb is a web-application framework that enables AWT/Swing application to operate inside
a web container and presented as a web application to the web browser, purely in HTML/CSS/javascript.
The swing application will render and behave in the web-container the same as it would as a desktop application.
There is little knowledge required for the developer to start developing swingweb application as long as
they are familiar with swing UI development.

Link: Swingweb - Swingweb - Introduction

Wasim Raja - A breathtaking strokeplayer

Wasim Raja passed away. A fine tribute to a fine cricketer.

Link: Cricinfo - Wasim Raja - A breathtaking strokeplayer

Why I Love Apple

A nice article on why Apple products are a pleasure: the painstaking attention to details.

Link: Wired News: Why I Love Apple

50 Most Common Interview Questions and Answers

50 Most Common Interview Questions and Answers

A list of standard questions that are usually asked in interviews (and the recommended answers). Worth a read.

Link: Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy’s Blog » 50 COMMON INTERVIEW Q&A

The Fries that bind us --> Amazing Starbucks and McDonalds map

The Fries that bind us --> Amazing Starbucks and McDonalds map

Self-explanatory map. Take a look:
Starbucks and McDonalds map

Jet Powered Beetle !!

Jet Powered Beetle !!

A guy called Ron Patrick has modified his Beetle to have 2 engines: the normal one in front and a jet engine in the back. You have to see this to believe it !!

Link: Jet Beetle

Row over Hitler-themed restaurant

Row over Hitler-themed restaurant

The Jewish community in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) is outraged by a new restaurant named after Adolf Hitler.

The restaurant, Hitler's Cross, opened last week in the city's outskirts, initially displaying a giant poster of Hitler at the entrance.

The 5,000-strong Jewish community say they were insulted and want the owner to change the name of the restaurant.

The restaurant owner says the poster has been taken down but he told the BBC that he would keep the name.


I know that freedom of speech is important, but it should be used responsibly. Hitler is someone who evokes pretty strong responses from many people ...


Complete article at: BBC article about the restaurant

Russian solves historic math problem, shuns prize

Russian solves historic math problem, shuns prize

MADRID, Spain (AP) -- A reclusive Russian won an academic prize Tuesday for work toward solving one of history's toughest math problems, but he refused to accept the award -- a stunning renunciation of accolades from his field's top minds.

Grigory Perelman, a 40-year-old native of St. Petersburg, was praised for work in the field known as topology, which studies shapes, and for a breakthrough that might help scientists figure out nothing less than the shape of the universe.

Full article at: CNN Article

Your Brain Boots Up Like a Computer

It seems that our brain has a boot-up sequence just like a computer.
Well, considering it was designed by the best engineer ever (God), it doesn't amaze me ...

LiveScience.com - Your Brain Boots Up Like a Computer

5 HTML elements you probably never use (but perhaps should)

A set of 5 uncommon HTML tags that are very promising.
E.g. the <optgroup> one. It allows you to group the <option> inside a <select> box into categories. The categories themselves are not select-able, but the elements themselves can be selected. Nice.


Link: 5 HTML elements you probably never use (but perhaps should)

Ten (Okay, 13) Questions with Libby Sartain, Chief People Yahoo!

Ten (Okay, 13) Questions with Libby Sartain, Chief People Yahoo!

An interview with Yahoo's global head of HR. See what it takes to get hired at Yahoo!

Link: Ten (Okay ...