About THIS (the Universe)

 

This article here is about 'this'. This means everything that is observable. The universe, the world, the order or whatsoever we may call it. I will try to include everything I came to know about this by observing the information filtered through my own understanding and logic. It is my little effort to share my thinking and understanding of this. I am trying to make this article as small and concise as possible and will use many common assumptions without specific reference to details.

EQUATION OF EVERYTHING!

This = Energy + Order or Science + Spirit + Information + Force of God

Matter as we see it is just energy manifested into forms. It is scientifically proved that all matter is basically composed of only energy. So in the above equation, energy will include all of the observable matter (galaxies, stars, planets, life forms, etc), antimatter and energy types (Potential/Kinetic/Chemical/Nuclear energy). We all know that this is governed by certain laws and order. Although, the unimaginable vastness and non-uniformity of the universe, at first, makes us think that it is not very orderly, united or even. However, the cosmos is very precisely designed and the laws governing it are very strict and apply evenly (almost*), as much as we know so far. So, the order or science [science because it is discoverable], which keeps everything intact and in place is also a distinguishable part of the universe. But without the spirit everything has no meaning. This universe was created for experiencing and discovering it. Without mind/spirit, this is incomplete.

Information is clearly distinguishable from matter and energy. Neither is it the mind that creates it. Information is created by a mind and is processed by a mind. All the above mentioned entities are caused and governed by the force of the universe or the super-intelligent creator. Although God may be a separate entity from this universe, but how can we not associate the artist with his creation? Common sense and logic tells us that there is contingency in everything. It means every effect has a cause. If something created this, which as we will later look into, is unified, then that entity/creator should not be contingent. That is what also makes force of God/God separate from the creation/universe.

CAUSE and EFFECT

Cause and Effect is the prime rule of the universe. Everything that happens has a cause. Nothing is random or by chance.

It is the instinctive nature of humans to be curious. However, more often, people remain impressed and worried of effects, when they should be analyzing the causes.

Everything has a good and a bad side; we only have the power to choose by getting knowledge. So, here we come to our next section which is about choice.

FREEWILL

Freewill is the basis of existence. We wouldn't have been any different from animals or machines if we didn't have freewill. Our mind has choice and that’s why we exist individually. We choose and justify what we do. So, God's interference or order over us is illogical. As far as guidance from the Supreme Being for better human life is concerned, it is already there. We all have the intellect in us to guess what is right and what is not. As we grow up as kids, we demand justice in everything. We wouldn't want something from another person which is not good for us. But on the other hand we do things that are selfish. So, basically we demand justice, but when it comes to responsibility, we just ignore it for the sake of our ego. We would continue to grow like that and end up fighting over everything if we don't learn to live socially. Knowledge makes you social, responsible and makes you respect equality.

ABOUT POWER

As most believe that the world's existence is based on power and it’s the power which rules... Some say power always wins or its the age of power, but the reality is that power has always been there, always was and always will be. It’s always been our choice of how to use it which decides who wins and who loses in the worldly domain. So we can still have the win-win scenario for all, which is very easy if people start living morally and then there is the win-lose scenario which is popular worldwide and is the result of people attracted to doing selfish things for immediate return.

Because we are being dependent on each other more and more every day, the more we ignore the win-win scenario, the earlier we'll face its consequences on the life around us.

RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY

I believe that the basic teachings and the ethics of all religions are the same. After all, religions are originated from human minds only. Broadly I would classify religion under philosophy.

Meaning of the word religion is to relate. People follow religion of many reasons; some just kind of inherit it from their parents and keep following it, some find the philosophy of a religion interesting so they like to be a follower. Then there are some who just don't care. Religion is a personal choice and can be unique for each one. Spirituality is different from religion because it quests on the spirit and on our relationship with the super-spirit/God. Man is spiritual by nature because he has the curiosity to relate himself with the spirit.

EVOLUTION

People debate and even fight over the two very popular but different opinions about the origin of life on earth. One is that god created the world and put man on earth. The second opinion is that existence of life is a mere coincidence. It is a random event that man was formed biologically and there is nothing more than biochemical reactions. But my opinion is a midway between the two!

I believe that evolution was created by God to fulfill the purpose of creating life in the universe. And the universe is intelligent enough by itself to originate life on planets. It doesn't feel logical to me that God is different from the universe and would have created Adam and Eve out of nothing and put them on earth. I think such ideas came into existence because man has a nature to feel special about him.

Hope you have a slightly better insight of the universe after reading this simple article. Comments and questions are welcome. Simplicity is Great.

Search based GUI in applications

 

Adding search to a GUI really improves usability and overall user experience. It can be a pain in the neck to manually search for a particular option in a complex GUI with several tabs such as Microsoft office word 2007. You need to remember all the options in order to be able to efficiently use the program. Most of the GUI based programs do not have search based GUI as of now and it is difficult to get used to the GUI without much effort.

In case there is a search based GUI and highlights options/buttons as we search for it using a suggesting keyword, that would make the task a hundred times easier.Recently i have used 1 or 2 programs with search based GUI and i think it is marvelous to have it. It is so intutive to use search based UI.

Suppose you have to add a media file to a word document and you are a novice user. In case there is no search based UI you'll have to go through all the options to find out that one button in that one tab which allows you to add media to the document. In case there is integrated search, you just type the keyword 'add media',naturally, and the button/tab containing that option is highlighted to get you started right-away. I particularly like the windows7/vista start menu because it offers instant search. I think every complex GUI based program should have such basic integrated search.

Rush Reloaded

Rising population has been a big issue for India in the 21'st century. There are way too many people in India especially in the metros. Its not a problem that any odd person can deal with, there needs to be rational population control rules/law for it. I wrote a small poem highlighting the core issue of India being so developed yet inhabiting a vast number of poor people. Hope you like it:

Rush's everywhere, rush's everywhere.But it is nobody's care.

Buses overloaded with people, streets overloaded with cars.No space to live on earth, begin the quest to mars.

Population of Delhi has expanded exponentially, Hits the most those who haven’t grown commercially.

At traffic signals is observed an inhuman scene,Every day, by me, it’s not easily seen.

Just a car's window is separating successful and poor,Humanity I think is still immature.

Take it as my word; it is going to be worse.Population, pollution, and bad politics are a curse.

India has enough but poorly managed.Let’s take action before whole earth is damaged.

 

Slitaz Linux Review

 

Small is powerful



How minimal do you think a complete GUI-based operating system size can be? I thought it has to be around 500-700Mb before I came to know about the smallest of small linux distros. The main contenders are DSL, puppy, slitaz and a few more. SliTaz 2.0 is a powerful distro(operating system) in just about 30MB. Its the best mini distro i've tried so far. It offers clean looks and solid apps with no compromise in usability.

Good:
1. Slim yet powerful File manager.
2. Firefox included in a 30mb distro!!
3. Grub install option.
4. Robust inbuilt system tools and utilities.(best feature)
5. Working Desktop effects!
6. Autologin/multiple accounts feature.
7. Perfectly working GUI-based package manager.

Bad:

1. Window manager crashes sometimes.(unlikely)
2. Absence of word/excel/presentations processor.(who needs those when we have google docs)

Democracy and Humanity

 

Every human knows right from wrong and to depict this character is called humanity.

Democracy is just a forceful method to make people comply with some of the basic rights of all human beings. Humanity on the other hand allows humans to be really free and righteous. The universal law should be humanity and democracy should be abandoned.

I dont understand why there is a need to rush for resources. Why there is need for anyone to work 9 hours or more each day to get his livelihood when there are plenty of resources and machines to do all the repetitive tasks. These days people are busy with their businesses and work life so much that they forget the real purpose of life. Ideally, there should be lots of time for recreation,fun,art and above all finding the reason for living which is totally apart from business.

Democracy allows anyone to earn as much as he can with legal methods. Those legal methods are bound by laws decided by society formed of the same people who are greedy, selfish and foolish. Which means that selfish people won't allow just distribution f resources. And which means that some people are always struggling for resources to feed and shelter themselves.

Most of the Indians think that if one is poor it is the cause of his own destiny. They don't understand that the real reason for poverty is that although the universe gives equal oppertunity to all, humans do not.

Fix for corruption

 

People advice to introduce this policy, make that amendment in law, and corruption shall be gone. But people tend to forget that the root of all corruption is the evil in the human mind.

The ability to differentiate between right and wrong is human's biggest ability. It gives man the ability to imagine,search, and reach anything.

Small bits make bigger parts and parts combined make the whole. Man can start doing things in small bits and pieces and expect a bigger and worthier end provided he is doing the righteous. Meaning righteous behavior can lead man to the good things in life and progress him to a way to find his purpose and the truth about life.

Right mindset is needed to understand anything. And that is why right mindset is needed to achieve anything.

Different people think differently and that is why they perceive differently. Perception affects understanding. Demented understanding of things already known to the mind may be the basic hurdle for it to understand something else just as some readers may think this article is crap and some may find it enlightening.


Mind always tends to think: "what is the immediate gain for me"? and that corrupts the mind. Believe me, thinker's mind is corrupted right at that very moment. One should set a higher goal for himself than just material success and that is possible with noble thinking.


Some say that there is no light in the world and it is all dark. The truth is imminent but can be seen with open eyes and open mind only, it is not for the blindfolded but for the wise.

Defence or Offense?

 

Defense Services are a complete waste of money and resources. War is the most foolish thing ever done by man. All animals fight but only man wages war. In fact, defense services is the wrong name given to armed forces. They should be aptly called forces, because they are means to force your will upon others!

It is all result of commercialization and profit based marketing that it is considered an honor to join forces and even considered to be an act of serving your fellow men. I do not coincide with that thought. IMHO, if one has to serve, he should raise the consciousness of people to do the right thing. War and military is just wrong. Yes, there are terrorism, violent activism and other bad stuff going on but Police, CRPF, ATS etc should be good enough to fight back. Army is just plain foolishness of man spending money on it is also a waste.

We should get our basics right. Why fight? Do your neighbor as you do yourself. You and your neighbor would both be benefited. I know that is not the case. But why? Science tells us to ask why. So should we. Well, there is a simple answer to that. Its like this because there is inequality amongst men. People fight of only that reason. Inequality of resources, both natural and intellectual, causes differences, and hence jealousy and hatred in society.

Nations should come closer to create a global governance. In that case there would be no need for borders and forces. In such a scenario, only regular law enforcement would be good enough and after a while and I hope even that wouldn't be needed if we follow good commandments.

Democracy is a foolish system of maintaining order in society. It is based on the false assumption that people are fair, care for others and can be inherently believed to write and follow good laws and commandments for just behavior.

Humans never followed humanity so here are a few tips to improve existing widespread governance system called democracy.

1.Equal opportunity for all. Now equal means truly equal. Not only educationally and by rights but also intellectually and upbringing-wise.

2. Minimum wage and a job for everyone as no-one wants to sit idle.

3. Wealth regulation and penalty on excessive wealth accumulation.

That's it. Simple but it will take time for the existing society and order to change in accordance.

Some questions that give rise to some more...

 

OBSERVATION #1 - Its so obvious that everything has an end. But do things are built as quickly as they end? Certainly Not.

Its always difficult to start and build something than it is to destroy it. (Physics geeks, please don't argue by saying that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, and don't feel bad as although I agree with the same but not speaking in the same sense. I am speaking in a broader sense, as in how we see things, and not how they behave in quantum physics.)

In that sense I believe the universe to be entropic. Everything is just rushing towards its end. Its plain to see.

Whatever is created has an end too.

Questions that arise - Why is it like that? Why there is an end to good things and bad. Is human race going towards an end? What is that end? Why is it necessary to go towards an end?

OBSERVATION #2 - Human race has done foolish things in the past and they continue to do so.

Well, this one may seem controversial and debatable to some. But IMHO, the above statement is true.

Wherever you look in history, you'll find that people fought over unlimited resources, did unjust and worst distribution of resources and then tried to show themselves as priests and people of God. They've tried to punish those who were just and truthful because the majority is egoistically blind enough NOT to face the truth, let alone understand it. And believe me, if you see things in their true sense despite of the fact that humans have progressed, things still haven't got any better!

Questions that arise - Why is human progress so slow? Why do so many good lives have to come to bitter ends before human race can finally grasp the truth? Can't we live forever as good souls?

OBSERVATION #3 - Physical world/phenomenon are difficult to understand.

It takes an entire lifetime to understand just one branch of physics and still there are so many questions left behind.

Questions that arise - Why are physical concepts so hard for the common man to understand? Are humans considered as one, poor by universal standards? Why would someone create a universe and make it mindbogglingly complex yet comprehensible? Why are we in a state of confusion about the universe? Why are we so confused that we've to use the word 'maybe' with every answer we give to a genuine questioner.

Comments and Answers welcome. More to come soon...

Indian Politics

 

The Problem

Indian politics is in bad shape. Political parties keep blaming each other for the havoc that is there, and do virtually nothing to solve it.

Now, different people have different opinions. So, people do have conflicts in their opinions. But the truth is always one. It is not different for different people. There may be different ways of understanding the same thing but truth is always one.

"Politics is not a game. It is an earnest business.
-Winston Churchill "

Good governance can only be achieved when the people(and hence their representatives) are on the same page. That can be done only with finding the truth/right thing to do amongst the varying opinions on a(each) subject, which is possible with argumentation where compulsory expression of truth is mandatory/complied to.

So productive argumentation on each subject shall lead to a better society and a better nation. But people don't speak the truth. They shout lies. That being said, it is clear why there is no good governance in India.

IMHO, democracy is a weak system for governance when people are not true to each other and are selfish. In such a scenario, one needs to be vigilant and strict laws have to be imposed to the society. I say imposed because I don't remember signing a contract of citizenship where I have to abide by all the laws set by others!

"If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law."
Winston Churchill

"A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Solution

Well you can sure make a change in the current democratic function but it'll take a hell lot of effort and more than a life-span to set things straight in India.

So, the way to go is to change the mindset of the people first. One man will not make the entire difference in society but he can be the initiator to a revolution where people just follow and in turn make a difference to the society. For better governance, we need better society. For a better society we need better people. For better people, we need each human being to be good and follow the righteous path.

Fighting won't resolve issues. Vote bank politics will not make any party win in the true sense. Parties following good politics(or claiming to do so) will not succeed unless they also turn the bad people to their side. People say it is sometimes necessary to fight. It shouldn't be if people understand that good for one is good for all.

The only solution according to me is to make people believe in a win-win situation. And this is a very tough thing to do.

"Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future."
-John F. Kennedy

ROSA Desktop Marathon 2012 - The Perfect Linux Desktop

 

Installing and fiddling with various Linux distributions has been my passion since 2006. Its been 6 long years and I have tried almost every type of Linux distribution there is. But I have never come across such a good looking and fully-capable out of the box distro as the new ROSA Desktop Marathon 2012!

Well ROSA Linux is a fork of Mandriva which is itself of the Mandrake Linux family. Mandriva has been losing focus lately so two main distributions have taken over using the Mandriva strong base which are namely Mageia and Rosa.

I have liked Mandriva since I first installed it. It has a great Control Center, integrates well with KDE and has worked fine with the Hardware I had so far. However, one thing that has always bothered Linux users is the availability of proprietary drivers for hardware chips. Especially graphics cards. To be more specific, Nvidia and ATI ones. That has been the case with Mandriva, Ubuntu or any other distribution you name. Ubuntu is the big name in the marked but it was Mandriva which first came across the idea of fully supporting Nvidia graphics cards out-of-the-box with Mandriva 2011h (Hydrogen).

Rosa desktop carried forward the legacy of Mandriva 2011.h, did some customization and made a few tweaks into the user interface to launch an amazing new OS in the time Mandriva was facing its bad days.

No other Linux distribution that I've tried so far has been able to give such a value to the user out of the box as Rosa does. 5 stars to the Rosa developers!

Here are 10 good reasons why I like ROSA Desktop Marathon 2012 :

1. Great out of the box support for all my hardware which includes an Nvidia graphics card. (a big +)

2. Reliable Mandriva base and own software repository.

3. Amazing looks! ROSA Icon theme and the window borders look awesome.

4. Latest KDE stable.

5. Rocketdock with simplewelcome which are great apps according to me. Rocketdock replaces the KDE standard taskbar using Icons only task-manager and Simplewelcome is the start menu work-alike thing which has a facebook like timeline feature integrated into it! Isn't that great folks?

6. Klook installed by default.

7. Rosa doesn't annoy us with Error messages like Ubuntu 12.04 (a big +)

8. Google-gadgets is in the package manager! (strange as google gadgets is a laid down project).

9. Gtk themes work great with Rosa because it has Gtk engine pre-installed

10. LTS release looks promising and there is hope for 'even better' future versions.

Some dislikes:

Although these tiny flaws can be overlooked but its really a matter of perception:

1. Search doesn't find all the installed applications. For eg. konqueror doesn't display in the list of applications although it is installed.

2. Package manager needs a little work. It shows information for each package downloaded in a popup window which kind of breaks the UI flow and integration.

3. The Technical support application called Sphere (yes, for the first time there is free linux tech-support, at least for the sake of it!) didn't work for me.

4. Some essential apps like Gparted and Gimp don't come pre-installed.

Go for it. Cheers.

Its the people, not the system (to blame)

 

Today i saw the India's republic day parade on TV.

This event is a tribute to the freedom fighters who fought for a good reason that made all the progress in India possible. It is also a showcase of all the progress that was made in the past 60 odd years since the inception of the Republic of India.

Then I watched some news, made up by some of the foolish, ignorant, partial and irresponsible media people. They mostly showed(extrapolating though) how Indians take pride every time the parade marches through Rajpath. Then I watched the President's address to the nation on youtube. He spoke so emotionlessly about so many great things that happened to India like Gandhi and the freedom on India. Later, I watched a video on the embarrassing condition of traffic on Indian city roads interrupting the ambulance services to the extent that medical care is unable to reach anyone desperate for it in time.

The question that went through my mind after watching these events through the day: Have we done enough to be proud yet? Shouldn't we be ashamed instead, looking at India's condition today despite so many efforts by so many great people and visionaries at the time of the freedom struggle?

We say that we respect Gandhi ji so much so that we call him the father of the nation. At the same time we do not follow his visions and principles. Let's be honest to ourselves. We do not care for others at all. We do not believe in cleanliness and beautification of our surroundings. We produce, watch and talk about cheap Bollywood movies and TV shows which are totally disgusting to say the least. They have a powerful adverse impact on the society. The condition of cities and the standard of living is worst but still most of us do nothing about it.

True, accomplishments of the past are something to be cherished upon and celebrated. But haven't we celebrated the same thing over and over enough already? It looks like, we are so happy about the accomplishments of our ancestors that we've forgot our responsibilities!

Its undeniable that we owe a lot to the freedom fighters and the visionaries of India who shaped our future. They struggled and sacrificed to make the common man powerful. We enjoy the benefits of a democratic society and the rich cultural, social, scientific, philosophical and vedic heritage of India, all because some people made good choices in the past. But looking at our behaviour, it seems, the next generations wouldn't be so preveliged afterall.