midhun

Midhun's Blog

2007-09-01T22:33:00.000-07:00

2007-08-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

2007-04-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

The festival of 'Vishu' falls on the first day of the Malayalam month 'Medam' (Aries) which is the astronomical New Year day when the sun crosses the equator. The New Year's Day is considered the best to begin new ventures. It is believed that the first thing that one sees on waking up on Vishu day is indicative of the New Year's prosperity. Thus 'Vishukkani' (the first thing seen on Vishu day) has become a ritual of great importance here.Among the various Hindu festivals in Kerala, Vishuis unique. This is a symbol of the unostentatiousMalayali and so Vishu is free from the usual pompand show and merry-making associated with otherfestivities. Secondly, this one has nothing to dowith religion. Also the first day for Medam is theunchangeable day of Vishu, whereas other festivalsare determined according to the lunar asterisms onwhich they fall. This day is the astronomical new year day and itis celebrated as such. The Malayalis believe thatthe fortunes for the year depend upon the natureof the object one sees first in the morning ofVishu Day. So preparation is everything! . Rawrice is put in a circular bell-metal vessel knownas 'Urule' and over it a folded newly washed clothis spread. A golden coloured cucumber, betelleaves, betel nuts, metal mirror, yellow flowersof Konna tree (cassia fistula), a Grandha (book ofpalm leaves) and a few gold coins are then placedover the cloth in the vessel. Then some oil is putinto two coconut halves, a few wicks are lit andthis illuminates the goodies inside. A metal lampfilled with coconut oil is kept burning by theside of the vessel as well. The morning of theVishu at about 5 O'clock, one of the members ofthe house, usually the eldest female member, notsurprisingly, lights the lamp and looks at 'Kani'( an omen). She wakes up other members, one afteranother and the Kani is shown to everyone of them,taking particular care not to allow anyone to lookby chance at other things. Even the cattle are notdeprived of the privilege, as the Kani is taken tothe cattle-shed and placed before them to have adekho.Thenext item is the giving of handsel (Kaineetom).The eldest member of the family takes some silvercoins and gives them to a junior member with someraw rice and Konna flower. This is repeated in thecase of other members and they in turn give suchhandsel to their juniors, relatives, servants etc.After this the children begin to firecrackers. In the morning then it's all talk, bath and peopleput on their forehead the marks of ashes andsandal paste and go to the temple for worship.After worship, they prepare a feast which ismoderate andelegant. In certain parts of Kerala, where the paddycultivation commences after the monsoon, there isan observance called chal (Furrow) closelyassociated with Vishu . This is nothing but theauspicious commencement of the agriculturaloperations, in the new year

2007-03-28T04:14:00.000-07:00

Hacking: types of attack
viruses - most common form of attack
denial of service attacks
trojans (or trojan horses)
brute-force and social engineering password attacks
port scanning and spoofing
phishing
ransomware

As the cost of hacking attacks continues to rise, businesses have been forced to increase spending on network security. However, hackers have also developed new skills that allow them to break into more complex systems. Hacking typically involves compromising the security of networks, breaking the security of application software, or creating malicious programs such as viruses.The most popular forms of network hacking are denial of service (DoS) attacks and mail bombs. DoS attacks are designed to swamp a computer network, causing it to crash. Mail bombs act in a similar fashion, but attack the network's mail servers. When eBay was attacked in February 2000, its Web server was bombarded with fake requests for Web pages, which overloaded the site and caused it to crash. Network hackers also try to break into secure areas to find sensitive data. Once a network is hacked, files can be removed, stolen, or erased. A group of teens in Wichita, Kansas, for example, hacked into AOL and stole credit card numbers that they then used to buy video games.Application hackers break security on application software—software including word processing and graphics programs—in order to get it for free. One way they gain access to software that requires a serial number for installation is by setting up a serial number generator that will try millions of different combinations until a match is found. Application hackers also sometimes attack the program itself in an attempt to remove certain security features.Hackers that create viruses, logic bombs, worms, and Trojan horses are involved in perhaps the most malicious hacking activities. A virus is a program that has the potential to attack and corrupt computer files by attaching itself to a file to replicate itself. It can also cause a computer to crash by utilizing all of the computer's resources. For example, e-mail systems were inundated with the "ILOVEYOU" and the "Love Bug" viruses in May of 2000, and the damage to individuals, businesses, and institutions was estimated at roughly $10 billion. Similar to viruses, logic bombs are designed to attack when triggered by a certain event like a change in date. Worms attack networks in order to replicate and spread. In July of 2001, a worm entitled "Code Red" began attacking Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) systems. The worm infected servers running Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and IIS 4.0 and defaced Web sites, leaving the phrase

2007-03-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

Aranmula kannadi or Aranmula metal mirror is a special type of mirror produced at Aranmula, a village in the state of Kerala in India. These unique metal mirrors are the result of Kerala's rich cultural and metallurgical traditions. The British Museum in London has a 45 centimeter tall Aranmula metal mirror in its collection. The origins of the Aranmula metal mirrors are linked with the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple. Legend has it that eight families of experts in temple arts and crafts were brought by the royal chief to Aranmula from Tirunelveli district to work in the Parthasarathy temple centuries ago. Some undisclosed metals are alloyed with copper and tin to cast the mirrors. The procedure and metallurgy is now only known to a single family in Aranmula. To achieve their highly reflective surface, the finished mirrors need to be polished for one or two days. The major differences between an Aranmula kannadi and a normal mirror are: The Aranmula kannadi is not created from glass but from a special metal alloy. It is a front surface reflection mirror, so the secondary reflections and aberrations typical of back surface mirrors are not present. It is very rare and traditional. The price ranges from $100-$100000 The mirror making process is very special and traditional. It may takes many months to complete an aranmula metal mirror. Many people believe that owning an aranmula metal mirror brings good luck to their lives.

2007-03-26T05:26:00.000-07:00

Angadipuram is a small village and important pilgrimage center located 1.5 km from Perinthalmanna, Malappuram District of Kerala, south India. Angadipuram is famous for its two temples, the Thirumandhamkunnu Temple and the Tali Temple.The Thirumandhankunnu Temple was built by the easrtwhile kings of Walluvanad. The goddess Bhagavathi at the temple is the family god (kuladaivam) of the ValluvokonathirisThirumandhamkunnu Temple is an important pilgrim centre in Malappuram dedicated to goddess Durga. Thirumandhamkunnu Pooram offers enormous festivity days in March-April. A cultural feast for seven days is an important part of the festival. Thirumandhamkunnu is 16 KM east of Malappuram in Kozhikode-Palakkad road.

2007-03-25T23:13:00.000-07:00

KALAMPATTU-

Kalamezhuthu Pattu It is a folk art form that belongs to the northern regions of Kerala. This art form which is over 600 years old is performed by a group of five or fifteen people in Bhadrakali and Ayyappa temples. The rituals is performed around the Kolam - an elaborated picture , usually of Bhadrakali, drawn on the floor, using five colours. The performance in the light of temple torches lasts through the night. The singers are neatly dressed with women their hair on the side of the head. Aseries of songs (Kalampattu) are sung to the accompaniment of nanthuni and elathalam.

2007-03-23T05:32:00.000-07:00

Thrissur Pooram

It is the most colourful temple festival of Kerala, south India. Thrissur Pooram attracts large masses of devotees and spectators from all parts of the State and even outside.
Celebrated in Medom (April-May) it consists of processions of richly caparisoned elephants from various neighbouring temples to the Vadakumnathan temple, Thrissur. The most impressive processions are those from the Krishna Temple at Thiruvambadi and the Devi Temple at Paramekkavu which is quite a significant event for its devotees.This festival was introduced by Sakthan Thampuran, the Maharaja of the erstwhile Cochin State in the late eighteenth century. Perhaps, there is no other festival in Kerala that draws such an unbelievable number of people to a single event. However Vadakkunnathan is a mere spectator at this festival, lending its premises and grounds for the great event. The pooram festival is also well known for the magnificent display of fireworks. Fire works start in the early hours and the dazzling display last three to four hours.The Pooram Festival is celebrated by two rival groups representing the two divisions of Thrissur Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi vying with each other in making the display of fireworks grander and more colourful. Each group is allowed to display a maximum of fifteen elephants and all efforts are made by each party to secure the best elephants in South India and the most artistic parasols, several kinds of which are raised on the elephants during the display. Commencing in the early hours of the morning, the celebrations last till the break of dawn, the next day.The procession of the Thiruvambadi Pooram to the grounds of Vadakkumnatha Temple and back is not only important, but also quite enlivening. The marvellous as well as magical effect of the Panchavadyam, a combination of five percussion and wind instruments is to be felt and enjoyed. Among the varieties of festivals celebrated in Kerala, Thrissur Pooram is the most thunderous, spectacular and dazzling. There are three temples participating in the event. It is an expression of popular fascination for sound and colour, and because of the pageantry, it appeals to all people. The images of the deities from all temples of the village are taken on elephants to the main temple. The climax of the festival is the exhibition of thirty elephants and the famous fireworks at 2.30 am local time.

2007-03-20T05:48:00.000-07:00

Windows Vista

It's been five years in the making. Hundreds of thousands of man hours have gone into its development. Millions of words have already been written about it. Some have already written it off, others can't wait to get their hands on a copy. Finally it's here. This is the latest episode in the Microsoft soap opera. This is Windows Vista. Has it been worth the wait? On the face of it, Vista has its work cut out. There's no doubt that the move from XP to Vista was never going to be as dramatic or ground shaking as the move from the much-derided Windows 98 to XP, no matter how hard the Microsoft spin machine worked at convincing us it was. After all, there's not nearly quite so much to fix with XP, which has, by-and-large, done a decent job of running home, business and, latterly, entertainment PCs throughout the land for a good while now. There has been the odd security bump along the way and, sure, it has the odd annoying foible, but apart from the fact that it's beginning to look a little long in the tooth, XP is still in rude health. Has Vista got enough in its locker to persuade millions of users to make the switch? Read on to find out…Just Window Dressing? Cynics will tell you that Vista is just XP with a brand new wardrobe - underneath it's just the same old operating system. And yes, to a certain extent that's true. But in the case of Vista's rather swish-looking Aero interface, it's more than just pretty version of XP. This is a makeover that's worthy of the name. If your PC or laptop has the hardware (we'll deal with this issue in more depth later) you'll get transparent windows that let you see through them to what's behind and much more sophisticated animations than with XP. Minimised Windows fade out and gracefully slide into the taskbar, live previews appear as you hover over minimised application buttons in the taskbar, and the whole look and feel is a lot more mature than XP. If you've downloaded and used Windows Media Player 11, you'll already have a good idea of how Vista shapes up – it's slick, no doubt about it. There are other ways in which Vista shows off its new 3D capabilities though, apart from the transparency and glass effects. There is now an alternative to the old Alt-Tab method of switching between applications called Flip 3D. Hit the Windows key and Tab and instead of flat, anonymous icons, you get previews of all your currently open windows stacked in 3D. Hit Tab while holding down the Windows key and the stack smoothly cycles through each one, just like a virtual Rolodex. The more frivolous sidebar is a nice touch too. This takes a similar - albeit altogether more attractive - approach to Google's Desktop sidebar. You can dock various 'gadgets' here, including a clock, sticky notes, an RSS news feeder, a photo slideshow, contact list and various other handy mini-applications.

2007-03-20T05:38:00.001-07:00

Carnatic music :

Is considered one of the oldest systems of music in the world. Carnatic music is a very complex system of music that requires much thought, both artistically and technically. The basis of Carnatic music is the system of ragas (melodic scales) and talas (rhythmic cycles). There are seven rhythmic cycles and 72 fundamental ragas. All other ragas are considered to have stemmed from these. An elaborate scheme exists for identifying these scales, known as the 72 Melakarta Ragas. Three saint composers of the nineteenth century, Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri, have composed thousands of songs that remain favourites among musicians and audiences. The most important specialty of Karnatic music is its devotional content. The lyrics of the compositions are set entirely against a devotional backdrop. The notes of Carnatic music is "sa-ri-ga-ma-pa-da-ni". These are abbreviations of the real names which are shadjam, rishabham, gandharam. madhyamam, panchamam, dhaivatam and nishadam. Unlike other music systems, every member of the solfege (the swara) may have up to three variants. The exceptions for this are the two notes shadjam and panchamam, which have only one form, and madhyamam, the middle note, which has only two notes. Spiritualism has always been the prominent content of Carnatic music. The beautiful interweaving of the devotional element and aesthetics has made it ethereal and eternal. The basic idea behind compositions has been to see and seek the ultimate reality or God. In fact, it has been said that the easiest way to attain salvation is to sing the greatness of the Almighty.In Hindu mythology, music and God have always been portrayed together. Many deities are assigned their own instruments and are all hailed as music lovers. Lord Siva is believed to be theembodiment of Nada.Lord Krishna, the foremost of flautists, indicates his musical inclinations byassessing that he is Sama Veda among the Vedas. While Lord Siva is the embodiment ofNada and Tandava (cosmic dance), Goddess Parvati is hailed as the embodiment of Lasya.Goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning is always associated with the Vina (known as Vipanchi). Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth is believed to revel in music while Lord Vishnu, her consort, plays on the percussion. Among the saints, Narada and Tumburu are hailed as Vainika-Gayaka (experts in music and Vina). Nandi, the bull, is the master of Laya. The separate set of demi-Gods like Yaksha, Kinnara and Gandharva are all believed to be proficient in music and musical instruments. In fact, music is known as Gandharva Vidya. Hanuman was proficient in what is called the Hanumad Vina and this is the predecessor of the present day Chitravina.The growth and development of Carnatic music through the centuries is a testimony to the greatness of the Indian mind. It needs to be taken to the international arena parallel with any other classical form. This can be achieved if we understand it in the right perspective and don't lose it to religion.Carnatic music, the sonic representation of a rich cultural heritage that prevailed in south India, the essence of spirituality evolved out of the heart and brain of the ones. The ultimate synonym to salvation and eternity. The Nada Brahma - God incarnated in a sonic form. This website aims at informing, educating and entertaining rasikas, providing them with information regarding various aspects of Carnatic music. Let us contribute to this rich tradition of Carnatic music and make this chain continue. Lets take a pledge to keep the flame bright for the future

2007-03-20T05:32:00.000-07:00

Manjeri

State - District(s)
Kerala - Malappuram
Coordinates
11.12° N 76.12° E
Area - Elevation
- 38 m
Time zone
IST (UTC+5:30)
Population (2001) - Density
83,704 -

Manjeri is a city and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the commercial capital of Malappuram district and is 25 km from Calicut International Airport and 50 km from Kozhikode railway station. It was a live centre of the National movement. Anakkayam 4 km. from Manjeri was an important centre of 1921 uprising. Anti British revolts took place from 1790 itself, in and around Manjeri.Manjeri Municipality is a Local Self Government Instituition with a jurisdiction of 3 Villages Namely Manjeri,Payyanad and Narukara. Most of the government institutions and many offices such as district court,district hospital,district medical office are located in Manjeri. Ali Musliyar who fought against the British rule was native to Nellikkuth near Manjeri.The eastern side of Manjeri town is a hilly area. FM Station of All India Radio "College Kunnu", which is a hill. Towards south lie Vettecode and Pullancheri. Famous schools such as Chinmaya Vidyalaya and Noble Public School is located at Vettecode. Also the famous Kunnath Temple is on the way to Vettecode. Pullancheri is a beautiful place with hills, scenery, dam and Kadalundy River. This river starts from the eastern border of Malappuram district called Karuvarakkundu and flows into Arabian Sea.Malappuram district hospital and district court are located at Manjeri Manjeri is a Parliament constituency in Kerala. Pookolathur is small village located near Manjeri