Planet ISKCON

(by Jayadvaita Swami - Copyright 2005 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. www.Krishna.com)

NEW YORK Among alleged tyrants and oppressors, the one the United Demigods now regard as the worst is King Kamsa of Mathura, according to confidential documents made available on Monday to DNS. ??oeHe rules his kingdom with a cruel and brutal hand, he has an extensive and growing network of powerful allies, and his ambitions are global,?? the documents say. ??oeThere??(TM)s no limit to what territory and resources he wants, or what methods he??(TM)ll employ to gain control of them.??

Kamsa??(TM)s kingdom, Mathura, is located in north central India, midway between Delhi and Agra, the site of the Taj Mahal. Mathura is the name of both the kingdom and its capital. Kamsa belongs to what is known as the Bhoja dynasty, one of several royal dynasties that rule the area.

Kamsa??(TM)s father, Ugrasena, is known for having been a righteous and dutiful ruler. But Kamsa, the documents say, is just the opposite.

In Delhi, government officials declined to comment. The government is reluctant to say anything, a source close to the government said, lest Kamsa turn his anger on Delhi itself.

(by Jayadvaita Swami - Copyright 2005 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. www.Krishna.com)

NEW YORK Since a delegation of demigods received assurances of support from Lord Vishnu some days ago, political observers say the demigods have become quietly but increasingly active in laying the groundwork for opposition to allegedly repressive and exploitive political regimes. The coalition of demigods has become known as the United Demigods.

??oeThe demigods just can??(TM)t bear to stand by and watch cheaters and thugs in the name of political leaders run roughshod over the earth,?? said a U.D. spokesman, Prakash Sattwa. ??oeThe earth isn??(TM)t ours,?? he said. ??oeIt belongs to God. We all have a right to live here and take as much as we need??"but not to grab more and call it ours.??

The demigods are believed to be quietly taking up strategic positions in various parts of the world, apparently in preparation for some sort of initiative by Lord Vishnu. Some observers have suggested that Lord Vishnu??(TM)s brother may also get involved. Mr. Sattwa declined to comment on such reports.

But speaking more generally, Mr. Sattwa was blunt. The nations of the world have become like thieves, he said. ??oeThey steal everything they can from the earth,?? he said, ??oeand then they fight over it.?? And then the thieves get together and have a peace talk or a summit conference about how to divide things fairly, Mr. Sattwa said. ??oeThieves dividing piously.??

The U.S. State Department and the British Foreign Office both declined comment, as did the foreign-affairs offices of twenty other nations contacted by DNS.

(by Jayadvaita Swami - Copyright 2005 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. www.Krishna.com)

NEW YORK Since a delegation of demigods received assurances of support from Lord Vishnu some days ago, political observers say the demigods have become quietly but increasingly active in laying the groundwork for opposition to allegedly repressive and exploitive political regimes. The coalition of demigods has become known as the United Demigods.

??oeThe demigods just can??(TM)t bear to stand by and watch cheaters and thugs in the name of political leaders run roughshod over the earth,?? said a U.D. spokesman, Prakash Sattwa. ??oeThe earth isn??(TM)t ours,?? he said. ??oeIt belongs to God. We all have a right to live here and take as much as we need??"but not to grab more and call it ours.??

The demigods are believed to be quietly taking up strategic positions in various parts of the world, apparently in preparation for some sort of initiative by Lord Vishnu. Some observers have suggested that Lord Vishnu??(TM)s brother may also get involved. Mr. Sattwa declined to comment on such reports.

But speaking more generally, Mr. Sattwa was blunt. The nations of the world have become like thieves, he said. ??oeThey steal everything they can from the earth,?? he said, ??oeand then they fight over it.?? And then the thieves get together and have a peace talk or a summit conference about how to divide things fairly, Mr. Sattwa said. ??oeThieves dividing piously.??

The U.S. State Department and the British Foreign Office both declined comment, as did the foreign-affairs offices of twenty other nations contacted by DNS.

Greetings are so powerful.

Good hotels, restaurants and conference centers employ one person (sometimes even two!) for no other purpose than saying "good morning" to people as they come in the door.

The Srimad Bhagavatam advocates that every guest must be offered at least some nice words of greeting, a seat and some water (SB 1.18.28). Samika Rishi got himself in trouble because he did not offer these to Maharaja Parikshit. There is even a special hellish planet for those people who fail to greet their guests properly.

When a guest enters one's house or (especially!) one's temple or outreach center one should drop everything and immediately rush to greet that guest. That guest should be made to feel so super-welcome that they can not help but desire to come back again and again. Ignoring guests is mega-dangerous, counter-productive and not good for business.

Greetings are so powerful.

Good hotels, restaurants and conference centers employ one person (sometimes even two!) for no other purpose than saying "good morning" to people as they come in the door.

The Srimad Bhagavatam advocates that every guest must be offered at least some nice words of greeting, a seat and some water (SB 1.18.28). Samika Rishi got himself in trouble because he did not offer these to Maharaja Parikshit. There is even a special hellish planet for those people who fail to greet their guests properly.

When a guest enters one's house or (especially!) one's temple or outreach center one should drop everything and immediately rush to greet that guest. That guest should be made to feel so super-welcome that they can not help but desire to come back again and again. Ignoring guests is mega-dangerous, counter-productive and not good for business.

This weeks Vedicsoc session brought three new guests from three different countries: one guy from India, one from Portugal and one from Spain. We did some slow-deep yoga (comment: ??oewow, I vibrated the mantra in the crown of my head and felt it reverberate all the way to my feet. Amazing!??). We also did some chanting. Then we discussed complications and how they lead to stress.

I asked everyone to write down five complications in their lives that lead to stress, either now or in the future. We then exchanged pieces of paper and tried to help each with our stress problems.

Most problems were along the lines of:

• Job after graduation
• Separation from friends and family
• Relations with the opposite sex

It turned out to be very difficult for everyone to come up with solutions. The general mood was: ??oewell, I guess you??(TM)re just stuck, stress is inevitable.??

Everyone left with great eagerness for next week??(TM)s session: ??oewhat kinds of spiritual solutions are there???

This weeks Vedicsoc session brought three new guests from three different countries: one guy from India, one from Portugal and one from Spain. We did some slow-deep yoga (comment: ??oewow, I vibrated the mantra in the crown of my head and felt it reverberate all the way to my feet. Amazing!??). We also did some chanting. Then we discussed complications and how they lead to stress.

I asked everyone to write down five complications in their lives that lead to stress, either now or in the future. We then exchanged pieces of paper and tried to help each with our stress problems.

Most problems were along the lines of:

• Job after graduation
• Separation from friends and family
• Relations with the opposite sex

It turned out to be very difficult for everyone to come up with solutions. The general mood was: ??oewell, I guess you??(TM)re just stuck, stress is inevitable.??

Everyone left with great eagerness for next week??(TM)s session: ??oewhat kinds of spiritual solutions are there???

No one came.

No one came.

Check out this photo gallery with pictures of Wellington and Lake Taupo retreat. The pictures are taken by Bhakta Dwayne with a super-high quality 8-megapixel Olympus E-300 D-SLR. The Harinam pictures are particularly nectarian.

Check out this photo gallery with pictures of Wellington and Lake Taupo retreat. The pictures are taken by Bhakta Dwayne with a super-high quality 8-megapixel Olympus E-300 D-SLR. The Harinam pictures are particularly nectarian.

Standard big bang theory states that the amount of space in the universe is increasing, but the amount of matter is fixed.

If you take any amount of matter and compress it into a single point, that point becomes infinitely dense (and infinitely hot). That was what was supposed to have been the state of the universe at the time of the big bang. However, the mathematical formulas for understanding the laws of nature don't work when one of the starts putting in "infinity". You get all kinds of nonsense results. So, really smart physicists have come up with all kinds of theories and speculations as to how to tweak the model in order to make the impossibility of the big bang infinity work.

Now, a few billion years after the big bang, scientists observe that everything in the universe is moving away from everything else. The common analogy is to describe it as a loaf of yeasted raisin bread rising. The raisins are the matter in the universe and the bread is the empty space. As the empty space increases (the bread rises) the raisins move further away from each other. The number of raisins (amount of matter) remains the same, but the size of the bread (universal empty space) increases.

Then you get into what and where the matter in the universe is. 99% of it is this mysterious dark matter or dark energy that no one knows what it is and no one can detect, but must be there to make the mathematics work.

So, all in all, the physicists have no clue, they are just guessing wildly. Check out Carana Renu??(TM)s blog, a good friend of mine who has a PhD in astrophysics.

As I mentioned in this blog posting of mine: looking into the 5000-year old Vedic literature of ancient India sheds some light on the mystery. Those writings state that there are an unlimited number of parallel universes, each finite in the amount of matter they contain. Within each universe there are roughly 36000 cycles of partial creations and destructions (one might call them big bangs and big crunches) before one particular universe is completely destroyed (after 311 trillion years). Within the universe humans occupy only a tiny amount of space. The Vedas state that there are 14 different loka-systems (literally: places). Earth and reality as we see it occupies only one of these. The most advanced living beings in this universe live in a place called Satyaloka (literally: perfected-place) (and yes indeed, human beings are not the pinnacle of evolution). The big bang doesn't kill the people in that supreme sphere of existence. They only die after 311 trillion years (lifetime of Brahma) when the actual universe is destroyed (sucked into a skin pore of Maha-Vishnu).

So, from the Vedic perspective, it is no wonder that the Universe doesn't make sense to the scientists, since most of it is in different (higher-dimensional?) space which we can't understand with our limited, low-class material bodies.

... and I have not even mentioned the spiritual reality where time does not exist.

Standard big bang theory states that the amount of space in the universe is increasing, but the amount of matter is fixed.

If you take any amount of matter and compress it into a single point, that point becomes infinitely dense (and infinitely hot). That was what was supposed to have been the state of the universe at the time of the big bang. However, the mathematical formulas for understanding the laws of nature don't work when one of the starts putting in "infinity". You get all kinds of nonsense results. So, really smart physicists have come up with all kinds of theories and speculations as to how to tweak the model in order to make the impossibility of the big bang infinity work.

Now, a few billion years after the big bang, scientists observe that everything in the universe is moving away from everything else. The common analogy is to describe it as a loaf of yeasted raisin bread rising. The raisins are the matter in the universe and the bread is the empty space. As the empty space increases (the bread rises) the raisins move further away from each other. The number of raisins (amount of matter) remains the same, but the size of the bread (universal empty space) increases.

Then you get into what and where the matter in the universe is. 99% of it is this mysterious dark matter or dark energy that no one knows what it is and no one can detect, but must be there to make the mathematics work.

So, all in all, the physicists have no clue, they are just guessing wildly. Check out Carana Renu??(TM)s blog, a good friend of mine who has a PhD in astrophysics.

As I mentioned in this blog posting of mine: looking into the 5000-year old Vedic literature of ancient India sheds some light on the mystery. Those writings state that there are an unlimited number of parallel universes, each finite in the amount of matter they contain. Within each universe there are roughly 36000 cycles of partial creations and destructions (one might call them big bangs and big crunches) before one particular universe is completely destroyed (after 311 trillion years). Within the universe humans occupy only a tiny amount of space. The Vedas state that there are 14 different loka-systems (literally: places). Earth and reality as we see it occupies only one of these. The most advanced living beings in this universe live in a place called Satyaloka (literally: perfected-place) (and yes indeed, human beings are not the pinnacle of evolution). The big bang doesn't kill the people in that supreme sphere of existence. They only die after 311 trillion years (lifetime of Brahma) when the actual universe is destroyed (sucked into a skin pore of Maha-Vishnu).

So, from the Vedic perspective, it is no wonder that the Universe doesn't make sense to the scientists, since most of it is in different (higher-dimensional?) space which we can't understand with our limited, low-class material bodies.

... and I have not even mentioned the spiritual reality where time does not exist.

Good news! I??(TM)ve gotten another paper accepted. My paper on "Web Ontology Segmentation: Analysis, Classification and Use" got accepted for the WWW 2006 conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The World Wide Web conference is one of the most prestigious conferences in the field. This year a record number of 700 papers got submitted. Of these, only 81 papers were accepted for publication. An acceptance ratio of just 11%!

The paper is available in the publications section of this website.

Good news! I??(TM)ve gotten another paper accepted. My paper on "Web Ontology Segmentation: Analysis, Classification and Use" got accepted for the WWW 2006 conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The World Wide Web conference is one of the most prestigious conferences in the field. This year a record number of 700 papers got submitted. Of these, only 81 papers were accepted for publication. An acceptance ratio of just 11%!

The paper is available in the publications section of this website.

In this podcast Leslie Lamb, the chief risk manager of Cisco Systems, talks about how risks management should be done. It??(TM)s not very difficult, but hardly anyone does it.

It does not take a genius to figure out what the main risks effecting an organization. Nations know who is likely to attack them. Scientists know where the next big natural disasters will strike. Companies know who their main competitors are. People know what goods and services they are dependent on.

Risk management just means making a list of all the risks and all the things that, in a perfect world, could be done to mitigate those risks. Then all one needs to do is pick those risk mitigating activities that are doable and do them. Easy!

(??¦ and potentially life-saving)

So, as part my own personal risk management strategy, I??(TM)ll be planning to move out of Europe because of, among other things, the risk of abrupt climate change in the near future.

In this podcast Leslie Lamb, the chief risk manager of Cisco Systems, talks about how risks management should be done. It??(TM)s not very difficult, but hardly anyone does it.

It does not take a genius to figure out what the main risks effecting an organization. Nations know who is likely to attack them. Scientists know where the next big natural disasters will strike. Companies know who their main competitors are. People know what goods and services they are dependent on.

Risk management just means making a list of all the risks and all the things that, in a perfect world, could be done to mitigate those risks. Then all one needs to do is pick those risk mitigating activities that are doable and do them. Easy!

(??¦ and potentially life-saving)

So, as part my own personal risk management strategy, I??(TM)ll be planning to move out of Europe because of, among other things, the risk of abrupt climate change in the near future.

On the topic of disasters: Kim Stanley Robinson, famous science-fiction writer and author of the trilogy of books (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars) about an effort to terraform Mars, has a new series of books out about the effect of global warming. He talks about them in this podcast.

The first book of the series is about how large super-hurricanes will develop and flood major cities (it was written before Hurricane Katrina).

The second book is about how the Gulf Stream will stop flowing. Scientists have predicted there is a 50% chance of the Gulf Stream stalling in the next 100 years. The Gulf Stream moves vast amounts of hot tropical air into the North Atlantic. However, because of global warming the ice caps are melting and thereby more and more freshwater is being released into the ocean. The Gulf Stream will no longer float on top of such a salt-less ocean and sink to the bottom. Without the Stream the temperature in the East Coast of the USA and all of Western Europe will drop dramatically. These regions will turn into an artic wasteland with temperatures as low as -50 C. When it happens (and it is only a matter of time), this abrupt climate change will take place over a period of just 3 years.

The book describes a hypothetical effort to re-salt the ocean using a huge fleet of salt-filled oil tankers.

Read more on this looming natural disaster. Plus, more information on the many effects of global warming.

On the topic of disasters: Kim Stanley Robinson, famous science-fiction writer and author of the trilogy of books (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars) about an effort to terraform Mars, has a new series of books out about the effect of global warming. He talks about them in this podcast.

The first book of the series is about how large super-hurricanes will develop and flood major cities (it was written before Hurricane Katrina).

The second book is about how the Gulf Stream will stop flowing. Scientists have predicted there is a 50% chance of the Gulf Stream stalling in the next 100 years. The Gulf Stream moves vast amounts of hot tropical air into the North Atlantic. However, because of global warming the ice caps are melting and thereby more and more freshwater is being released into the ocean. The Gulf Stream will no longer float on top of such a salt-less ocean and sink to the bottom. Without the Stream the temperature in the East Coast of the USA and all of Western Europe will drop dramatically. These regions will turn into an artic wasteland with temperatures as low as -50 C. When it happens (and it is only a matter of time), this abrupt climate change will take place over a period of just 3 years.

The book describes a hypothetical effort to re-salt the ocean using a huge fleet of salt-filled oil tankers.

Read more on this looming natural disaster. Plus, more information on the many effects of global warming.

The exam period is over and Vedicsoc has restarted. Unfortunately, there was quite a low turnout: 3 people. I??(TM)ll have to do more advertising.

We did however have a good session of power yoga and a very nice discussion of the practicalities of the senses, various ashrams (stages of life) and general Krishna consciousness. I also made some Auzzi Anzac Cookies, which seemed to go down well, although I thought I made them a bit too crunchy.

The exam period is over and Vedicsoc has restarted. Unfortunately, there was quite a low turnout: 3 people. I??(TM)ll have to do more advertising.

We did however have a good session of power yoga and a very nice discussion of the practicalities of the senses, various ashrams (stages of life) and general Krishna consciousness. I also made some Auzzi Anzac Cookies, which seemed to go down well, although I thought I made them a bit too crunchy.

So, I've watched Steve Job's presentation, studied the specifications, read the various opinions online and now offer my thoughts about the new Apple MacBook Pro (hate the name!) notebook computers:

Positives:

• Fair price ($2000). A similarly configured laptop from other vendors costs:
  • Gateway NX560 = $1800 (good specs, but historically terrible quality)
  • Dell E1705 = $2300 (they only sell a 17" system, which naturally costs more)
  • IBM T60 = $2049 (somewhat inferior specs in comparison to Apple)
  • Acer 8204 = $2000 (with better specs than the Apple, but ??¦ four letter word for computer disaster)
  • HP dv1000t = $1900 (significantly worse specs than the Apple)

  And yes, we can argue at great length over what it means to be similarly configured, but I've found, in general, that Apple's pricing is within 10% of everyone else. So, all things considered, no luxury tax from Apple.

• Lighter (5.6 pounds) and smaller (1 inch thick) than any equivalent notebook I know of. For example, the IBM Thinkpad T43 weights 6.0 pounds, has a 15" (vs. 15.4") screen and is 1.4 inches thick.
• Built-in high quality video camera (for when Skype eventually get around to releasing video skype for Mac ??" which should be "real soon now")
• Has a dual core Pentium-M (or I guess Intel is calling them Core Duo now) processor in it. Two processors on one chip for double the speed. In reality, depending on the application, it will only be about 30% - 60% faster. It does however really shine when doing multiple things at once. For example: try, all at once, burning a CD, downloading something from the Internet, playing a video, browsing a photo library and creating a backup and watch a single core chip grind to a halt.
• Battery life is currently unknown (but will be pretty good since it uses a new lithium-polymer battery technology instead of standard lithium-ion)
• Very bright screen. Apple says it is as good as an external LCD monitor. Better than most other laptop screens on the market (those super-bright Sony screens may look nice, but the glair off the ultra-reflective surface makes them very difficult to read text on. What use is a screen that is difficult to read off of?!).
• Much, much, much better graphics card (ATi Mobility Radeon X1600) than anything else on the market. This is important because Mac OS X takes full advantage of the graphics card, unlike Windows, which makes no use of it whatsoever (until Windows Vista is released next Christmas).

Negatives:

• Costs an extra $200 - $300 for novelty of getting the latest and greatest Intel processor. But, when the processor prices come down, Apple will probably keep the MacBook price the same and just add more features, so no harm in buying one now.
• Doesn't have a modem. Steve Jobs has decided they are obsolete (an external USB-modem costs $50).
• Cheaper consumer iBook laptops with smaller screens will probably be release in April or July.
• Can't yet run Windows applications inside of Mac OS X. However, many people (Microsoft included) are feverously working on this.
• No two-button mouse on the touchpad. Mac OS X does not need a right mouse button, but it may be difficult to use Windows (once it is available on the MacBook) without plugging in an external mouse.
• Some notable Mac application providers haven't created so called "universal binaries" yet that are needed to achieve optimum performance on Intel processors. Key applications (for example Office and Photoshop) will run relatively slowly (at 50-80% of original speed) until new versions come out.
• Seems ever so slightly rushed: same basic case as the previous model. No revolutionary new feature. (Apple is being smart by not changing too many things at once). Nothing that fundamentally distinguishes it from a standard PC (apart from the camera, weight, size, "front-row" remote control, software and operating system). Okay, there is actually plenty unique stuff about this computer. I eat my words.
• The MacBook Pro is, for all intents and purposes, an iMac desktop computer in a portable case. However, the iMac is roughly half the price. This is realistic pricing for the added portability and miniaturization, but feels rather uncomfortable, since the two systems are otherwise so similar.

It is a really good laptop. I was however wishing it to be lighter than the previous model, have a bigger hard drive, have enhanced application startup performance using Intel's Robson flash-memory caching technology and use faster Core Duo processors than 1.83 Ghz (they go up to 2.16 Ghz), all of which should have been possible, but would, of course, have driven up the cost.

Also, Apple engineers aren't magicians. While the MacBook Pro's hardware is, in my opinion, better than everything else on the market, it is only by a slight margin. The main reason for buying this computer is the Mac OS X operating system, not the hardware.

So, in review, on all accounts a great machine. Only a few unknowns still need to get resolves. I'll wait at least until April before buying one for myself . I'd really like something smaller and lighter than the current offering to replace my prehistoric Dell Inspiron 4150 monster. For example: a 13-inch MacBook Pro would hit the spot ...

Update: Apple has upgraded the MacBook Pro processor options to feature the fastest Intel processors currently available (2.16 Ghz) and boosted their default "low-end" model up to 1.83 Ghz. Large hard drives are also available as build-to-order options. Battery life also appears to be at least as good as the old Powerbooks'. However, the new MagSafe power supply brick (85W) is roughly 30% larger than the the old 15" Powerbook power supply (65W).

So, all I'm left wishing for is Robson and slightly less weight (especially since the larger power supply makes this new Mac heavier than the previous model).

So, I've watched Steve Job's presentation, studied the specifications, read the various opinions online and now offer my thoughts about the new Apple MacBook Pro (hate the name!) notebook computers:

Positives:

• Fair price ($2000). A similarly configured laptop from other vendors costs:
  • Gateway NX560 = $1800 (good specs, but historically terrible quality)
  • Dell E1705 = $2300 (they only sell a 17" system, which naturally costs more)
  • IBM T60 = $2049 (somewhat inferior specs in comparison to Apple)
  • Acer 8204 = $2000 (with better specs than the Apple, but ??¦ four letter word for computer disaster)
  • HP dv1000t = $1900 (significantly worse specs than the Apple)

  And yes, we can argue at great length over what it means to be similarly configured, but I've found, in general, that Apple's pricing is within 10% of everyone else. So, all things considered, no luxury tax from Apple.

• Lighter (5.6 pounds) and smaller (1 inch thick) than any equivalent notebook I know of. For example, the IBM Thinkpad T43 weights 6.0 pounds, has a 15" (vs. 15.4") screen and is 1.4 inches thick.
• Built-in high quality video camera (for when Skype eventually get around to releasing video skype for Mac ??" which should be "real soon now")
• Has a dual core Pentium-M (or I guess Intel is calling them Core Duo now) processor in it. Two processors on one chip for double the speed. In reality, depending on the application, it will only be about 30% - 60% faster. It does however really shine when doing multiple things at once. For example: try, all at once, burning a CD, downloading something from the Internet, playing a video, browsing a photo library and creating a backup and watch a single core chip grind to a halt.
• Battery life is currently unknown (but will be pretty good since it uses a new lithium-polymer battery technology instead of standard lithium-ion)
• Very bright screen. Apple says it is as good as an external LCD monitor. Better than most other laptop screens on the market (those super-bright Sony screens may look nice, but the glair off the ultra-reflective surface makes them very difficult to read text on. What use is a screen that is difficult to read off of?!).
• Much, much, much better graphics card (ATi Mobility Radeon X1600) than anything else on the market. This is important because Mac OS X takes full advantage of the graphics card, unlike Windows, which makes no use of it whatsoever (until Windows Vista is released next Christmas).

Negatives:

• Costs an extra $200 - $300 for novelty of getting the latest and greatest Intel processor. But, when the processor prices come down, Apple will probably keep the MacBook price the same and just add more features, so no harm in buying one now.
• Doesn't have a modem. Steve Jobs has decided they are obsolete (an external USB-modem costs $50).
• Cheaper consumer iBook laptops with smaller screens will probably be release in April or July.
• Can't yet run Windows applications inside of Mac OS X. However, many people (Microsoft included) are feverously working on this.
• No two-button mouse on the touchpad. Mac OS X does not need a right mouse button, but it may be difficult to use Windows (once it is available on the MacBook) without plugging in an external mouse.
• Some notable Mac application providers haven't created so called "universal binaries" yet that are needed to achieve optimum performance on Intel processors. Key applications (for example Office and Photoshop) will run relatively slowly (at 50-80% of original speed) until new versions come out.
• Seems ever so slightly rushed: same basic case as the previous model. No revolutionary new feature. (Apple is being smart by not changing too many things at once). Nothing that fundamentally distinguishes it from a standard PC (apart from the camera, weight, size, "front-row" remote control, software and operating system). Okay, there is actually plenty unique stuff about this computer. I eat my words.
• The MacBook Pro is, for all intents and purposes, an iMac desktop computer in a portable case. However, the iMac is roughly half the price. This is realistic pricing for the added portability and miniaturization, but feels rather uncomfortable, since the two systems are otherwise so similar.

It is a really good laptop. I was however wishing it to be lighter than the previous model, have a bigger hard drive, have enhanced application startup performance using Intel's Robson flash-memory caching technology and use faster Core Duo processors than 1.83 Ghz (they go up to 2.16 Ghz), all of which should have been possible, but would, of course, have driven up the cost.

Also, Apple engineers aren't magicians. While the MacBook Pro's hardware is, in my opinion, better than everything else on the market, it is only by a slight margin. The main reason for buying this computer is the Mac OS X operating system, not the hardware.

So, in review, on all accounts a great machine. Only a few unknowns still need to get resolves. I'll wait at least until April before buying one for myself . I'd really like something smaller and lighter than the current offering to replace my prehistoric Dell Inspiron 4150 monster. For example: a 13-inch MacBook Pro would hit the spot ...

Update: Apple has upgraded the MacBook Pro processor options to feature the fastest Intel processors currently available (2.16 Ghz) and boosted their default "low-end" model up to 1.83 Ghz. Large hard drives are also available as build-to-order options. Battery life also appears to be at least as good as the old Powerbooks'. However, the new MagSafe power supply brick (85W) is roughly 30% larger than the the old 15" Powerbook power supply (65W).

So, all I'm left wishing for is Robson and slightly less weight (especially since the larger power supply makes this new Mac heavier than the previous model).

I went to see Dr. Philip Weeks again last week. My health took a nosedive just before Christmas and I had to increase my intake of Asacol, the western drug I??(TM)m taking to stop my immune system from destroying my digestion system. The downside of Asacol is that in the long term it reduces the body??(TM)s immune system function.

According to Philip my type of ulcerative colitis is caused by my thinking too much: I tend to forever ponder, worry, deliberate, reflect and hypothesize. Moreover, my job at the moment (PhD student) is to come up with something that no one else has ever thought of. Needless to say, that involves a lot of thinking. Not good for my condition.

Luckily, although Ulcerative Colitis is quite a severe disease, my bodily constitution is quite strong. I therefore don't suffer too much, provided I strictly watch what I eat (no dairy, no deep-fried, no gluten), get enough sleep and get regular exercise.

Solution: heal the internal inflammation, reduce the acid in the body and increase the fire of digestion.

Method: regular acupuncture, herbal tinctures and moxibustion (Philip filled my navel with salt and ignited various herbs on top of it)

Some medical practitioners are purists: ??oeAyurveda is the only way!?? Not so with Philip. He, among other things, subscribes to the pragmatic philosophy of Chinese medicine. The Chinese don??(TM)t worry about mixing different types of medicine: herbs, steroids, acupuncture, antibiotics, homeopathy, surgery ??¦ whatever works, mix it all together! The main thing is to help the patient. Unfortunately, the really good Chinese doctors stay in China. Most practitioners of Chinese medicine in the west are not very skilled (and also tend to use all kinds of abominable animal products in their medical preparations).

I went to see Dr. Philip Weeks again last week. My health took a nosedive just before Christmas and I had to increase my intake of Asacol, the western drug I??(TM)m taking to stop my immune system from destroying my digestion system. The downside of Asacol is that in the long term it reduces the body??(TM)s immune system function.

According to Philip my type of ulcerative colitis is caused by my thinking too much: I tend to forever ponder, worry, deliberate, reflect and hypothesize. Moreover, my job at the moment (PhD student) is to come up with something that no one else has ever thought of. Needless to say, that involves a lot of thinking. Not good for my condition.

Luckily, although Ulcerative Colitis is quite a severe disease, my bodily constitution is quite strong. I therefore don't suffer too much, provided I strictly watch what I eat (no dairy, no deep-fried, no gluten), get enough sleep and get regular exercise.

Solution: heal the internal inflammation, reduce the acid in the body and increase the fire of digestion.

Method: regular acupuncture, herbal tinctures and moxibustion (Philip filled my navel with salt and ignited various herbs on top of it)

Some medical practitioners are purists: ??oeAyurveda is the only way!?? Not so with Philip. He, among other things, subscribes to the pragmatic philosophy of Chinese medicine. The Chinese don??(TM)t worry about mixing different types of medicine: herbs, steroids, acupuncture, antibiotics, homeopathy, surgery ??¦ whatever works, mix it all together! The main thing is to help the patient. Unfortunately, the really good Chinese doctors stay in China. Most practitioners of Chinese medicine in the west are not very skilled (and also tend to use all kinds of abominable animal products in their medical preparations).

On Christmas day our central heating system broke down. The temperature was -10 C.

We borrowed several electric heaters from the neighbors, which barely managed to keep the house somewhat warm. If the electricity had also broken down, we would have been finished.

Two days later we called a plumber to fix the system. However, after trying various things and replacing some parts of the system the boiler still refused to work. He eventually gave up and suggested phoning the manufacturer.

Two days after that a specialist from Junkers Corporation came and replaced nearly every component of the heating system. It had not been serviced for 20 years and most parts were beyond repair. Lesson learnt: take good care of machines, service them regularly and fix things as soon as they break. Leaving a fault unrepaired will very soon result in many compounding problems and cause some major headaches (or worse).

I remember that way in the dark ages (i.e. 20 or so years ago) we, and practically everyone around us, used to have a wood/coal burning stove attached to chimney. To warm the house we would light the fire. Simple. With a sufficient stockpile of burnable fuel there was practically no danger of freezing.

Now however, with the advent of nice, convenient modern central heating systems, we are no longer independent. If the underground gas supply system breaks down, we freeze. If the boiler unit breaks, we freeze. If the electricity cuts out, the boiler unit no longer works and we freeze. If the underground water supply system breaks down, the boiler can no longer heat water to supply to the radiators and ??¦ we freeze.

A good, fault tolerant system has multiple backups and few dependencies. Modern society is just the opposite: too many dependencies and no contingency plan.

For example: 5 years ago protestors prevented the fuel/gas/petrol tanker trucks from carrying out their work. Within a couple of days the entire country ground to a halt. Keeping stock is expensive, so everything in shops is delivered just-in-time. With no fuel, deliveries can't happen. The result: within a few days there was no more food in the country. The government had to step in and force the protesters to stop.

German keeps an emergency oil reserve that will last for 90 days. The USA maintains a 50 day stockpile. However, in the event of a breakdown of the distribution mechanism, those stockpiles will be pretty much useless.

Realization: if a small disaster knocks out one or two of the main utilities (water, gas, electricity, fuel) of one of our great, powerful western consumer democracies, then that nation will be reduced to total anarchy in a matter of months!

As Sitapati blogged recently: a post-apocalyptic world as portrayed in Mad Max and many other science fiction films is becoming more and more of a probability. Much more so now, than ever before.

On Christmas day our central heating system broke down. The temperature was -10 C.

We borrowed several electric heaters from the neighbors, which barely managed to keep the house somewhat warm. If the electricity had also broken down, we would have been finished.

Two days later we called a plumber to fix the system. However, after trying various things and replacing some parts of the system the boiler still refused to work. He eventually gave up and suggested phoning the manufacturer.

Two days after that a specialist from Junkers Corporation came and replaced nearly every component of the heating system. It had not been serviced for 20 years and most parts were beyond repair. Lesson learnt: take good care of machines, service them regularly and fix things as soon as they break. Leaving a fault unrepaired will very soon result in many compounding problems and cause some major headaches (or worse).

I remember that way in the dark ages (i.e. 20 or so years ago) we, and practically everyone around us, used to have a wood/coal burning stove attached to chimney. To warm the house we would light the fire. Simple. With a sufficient stockpile of burnable fuel there was practically no danger of freezing.

Now however, with the advent of nice, convenient modern central heating systems, we are no longer independent. If the underground gas supply system breaks down, we freeze. If the boiler unit breaks, we freeze. If the electricity cuts out, the boiler unit no longer works and we freeze. If the underground water supply system breaks down, the boiler can no longer heat water to supply to the radiators and ??¦ we freeze.

A good, fault tolerant system has multiple backups and few dependencies. Modern society is just the opposite: too many dependencies and no contingency plan.

For example: 5 years ago protestors prevented the fuel/gas/petrol tanker trucks from carrying out their work. Within a couple of days the entire country ground to a halt. Keeping stock is expensive, so everything in shops is delivered just-in-time. With no fuel, deliveries can't happen. The result: within a few days there was no more food in the country. The government had to step in and force the protesters to stop.

German keeps an emergency oil reserve that will last for 90 days. The USA maintains a 50 day stockpile. However, in the event of a breakdown of the distribution mechanism, those stockpiles will be pretty much useless.

Realization: if a small disaster knocks out one or two of the main utilities (water, gas, electricity, fuel) of one of our great, powerful western consumer democracies, then that nation will be reduced to total anarchy in a matter of months!

As Sitapati blogged recently: a post-apocalyptic world as portrayed in Mad Max and many other science fiction films is becoming more and more of a probability. Much more so now, than ever before.

23|1Last Saturday I hosted a Saturday Feast at my flat. Nanda Sunu, Tejpal, Ben and Joy attended. It was nice to have all their association. Good association keeps me out of trouble (smile).

On the menu:

• Quinoa, Tomato and Cucumber Salad
• Vegetarian Sheppard??(TM)s Pie
• Zucchini, Green Pepper and Tomato Subji
• Almond & Pea Rice
• Sunflower Seed Cookies

Among other things we discussed various philosophies including Buddhism. This verse and purport from the Caitanya Caritamrita explains the flaws in the nine fundamental principles of Buddhism. It's an interesting read.

However, as stated in the purport, logical argument is boring and useless. We can argue, speculate and discuss as long as we like, but, in the end, everything comes down to the direct conscious experience of Krishna. The proof of the pudding is in the eating: Krishna consciousness.

Check out some pictures of the event. Nanda Sunu has also blogged about it.

23|1Last Saturday I hosted a Saturday Feast at my flat. Nanda Sunu, Tejpal, Ben and Joy attended. It was nice to have all their association. Good association keeps me out of trouble (smile).

On the menu:

• Quinoa, Tomato and Cucumber Salad
• Vegetarian Sheppard??(TM)s Pie
• Zucchini, Green Pepper and Tomato Subji
• Almond & Pea Rice
• Sunflower Seed Cookies

Among other things we discussed various philosophies including Buddhism. This verse and purport from the Caitanya Caritamrita explains the flaws in the nine fundamental principles of Buddhism. It's an interesting read.

However, as stated in the purport, logical argument is boring and useless. We can argue, speculate and discuss as long as we like, but, in the end, everything comes down to the direct conscious experience of Krishna. The proof of the pudding is in the eating: Krishna consciousness.

Check out some pictures of the event. Nanda Sunu has also blogged about it.

Swimming is great exercise. I??(TM)ve been swimming twice a week for the past few weeks.

When I first started swimming, about four months ago, I would swim for 30 minutes and go for 14 lengths of the pool (25m) with frequent pauses at each end to catch my breath. I would also be completely wiped out for the next two days afterwards while my body recovered.

Now, in the same 30 minutes, I can swim 27 lengths and am energized afterwards. Imagine the possibilities: if my endurance and speed continues to improve at this rate, then I??(TM)ll be breaking the sound barrier in 4 years time and swimming at the speed of light after just 10 years of committed practice.

The Vedic literature recommends swimming (and wrestling) as the absolute best bodily exercise. I was skeptical when I first started, but now, after some initial austerity, I have to admit that the Vedas are (obviously) correct.

Swimming is great exercise. I??(TM)ve been swimming twice a week for the past few weeks.

When I first started swimming, about four months ago, I would swim for 30 minutes and go for 14 lengths of the pool (25m) with frequent pauses at each end to catch my breath. I would also be completely wiped out for the next two days afterwards while my body recovered.

Now, in the same 30 minutes, I can swim 27 lengths and am energized afterwards. Imagine the possibilities: if my endurance and speed continues to improve at this rate, then I??(TM)ll be breaking the sound barrier in 4 years time and swimming at the speed of light after just 10 years of committed practice.

The Vedic literature recommends swimming (and wrestling) as the absolute best bodily exercise. I was skeptical when I first started, but now, after some initial austerity, I have to admit that the Vedas are (obviously) correct.

Apple has created a short video tutorial on how to plan a good podcast. It is somewhat focused on their new GarageBand podcast-enabled audio editor (which looks like a superb application, by the way), but has some good tips on creating a nice, fun, high-quality, downloadable, timeshiftable, RSS-subscribeable online radio show. Check it out.

Apple has created a short video tutorial on how to plan a good podcast. It is somewhat focused on their new GarageBand podcast-enabled audio editor (which looks like a superb application, by the way), but has some good tips on creating a nice, fun, high-quality, downloadable, timeshiftable, RSS-subscribeable online radio show. Check it out.

School in Germany starts at 7:30am. At least it did when I was in school there. This simple, but ingenious fact contributes greatly to the overall good of German society. The children lean better in the morning hours, before the passionate mid-day sets in, they get trained to get up early and their parents are also forced to get up early. Both children and parents therefore have to go to bed earlier, reducing nightly sinful and criminal activities. Children (and adults) can't get into trouble at night if they're not awake. Brilliant!

At the same time, I wasn??(TM)t too happy about the German curriculum. Here are some things I disliked:

They choose to ignore the history of the world outside of Europe (and the American west). I really wanted to learn some Asian, African and South American history, but the teacher??(TM)s response was: ??oesorry??.

World War II was ignored. While World War I was covered in great detail, the painful memories of the second Great War were blocked out. History lessons covered the time up to 1939 and then made a jump to 1945. What happened in between, I asked. Teacher??(TM)s response: ??oenothing interesting??.

Lutheran religious education (evangelische Religion) primarily covered two themes: the role of the church in the 3rd Reich and various philosophies of religion. The latter lessons taught us na??ve kids that "religion and divinity are projections of human nature" (Ludwig Feuerbach) and that "Gott ist tot" (Friedrich Nietzsche). As a result I and practically all my friends became complete atheists.

Sports were limited to some basic team sports and track and field. Neither provided much in the way of good exercise. Team sports involved standing around most of the time waiting for the ball to come one's way. Track and field involved waiting around most of the time waiting for one's turn to run or jump. Physical education could have been orchestrated to be much more interesting and provide much more benefit for the students.

School in Germany starts at 7:30am. At least it did when I was in school there. This simple, but ingenious fact contributes greatly to the overall good of German society. The children lean better in the morning hours, before the passionate mid-day sets in, they get trained to get up early and their parents are also forced to get up early. Both children and parents therefore have to go to bed earlier, reducing nightly sinful and criminal activities. Children (and adults) can't get into trouble at night if they're not awake. Brilliant!

At the same time, I wasn??(TM)t too happy about the German curriculum. Here are some things I disliked:

They choose to ignore the history of the world outside of Europe (and the American west). I really wanted to learn some Asian, African and South American history, but the teacher??(TM)s response was: ??oesorry??.

World War II was ignored. While World War I was covered in great detail, the painful memories of the second Great War were blocked out. History lessons covered the time up to 1939 and then made a jump to 1945. What happened in between, I asked. Teacher??(TM)s response: ??oenothing interesting??.

Lutheran religious education (evangelische Religion) primarily covered two themes: the role of the church in the 3rd Reich and various philosophies of religion. The latter lessons taught us na??ve kids that "religion and divinity are projections of human nature" (Ludwig Feuerbach) and that "Gott ist tot" (Friedrich Nietzsche). As a result I and practically all my friends became complete atheists.

Sports were limited to some basic team sports and track and field. Neither provided much in the way of good exercise. Team sports involved standing around most of the time waiting for the ball to come one's way. Track and field involved waiting around most of the time waiting for one's turn to run or jump. Physical education could have been orchestrated to be much more interesting and provide much more benefit for the students.

The Apple iPod is the world's most beautiful MP3 player.

The iPod was designed by Jonathan Ive and his team of designers. Their goal was to create the perfect product. They achieved this with an extreme amount of attention to detail.

One aspect of the design is the basic shape of the device. The rectangle that is the iPod comes closer than any other MP3 player to the golden ratio 1 : 1.618 (also sometimes called the golden section). This ratio appeals to us at an unconscious level.

Attractive human faces have proportions that correspond to the golden ratio, indeed, the human body itself exemplifies this ratio, the Greek Parthenon and many other famous ancient monuments use the ratio throughout their design, the logarithmic spiral on a Nautilus Shell conforms the to golden ratio and even a TV image using those proportion is more appealing (that's why widescreen TV is 16:10). The golden section is deeply ingrained in the design of the Universe. We can't help but be attracted by it.

Here are the ratios of several popular MP3 players:

1 : 1.67 = iPod
1 : 1.75 = iRiver H10
1 : 1.47 = Creative Nomad Zen Xtra

The iRiver is too tall, the Nomad is far too fat, but the iPod's shape, though also slightly too tall, comes closest to this magic ratio. It is certainly no accident that it is the most visually appealing. I am however surprised that no other company has created an MP3 player that exactly uses the golden section (the iRiver H320 comes close by using the same ratio as the iPod, but otherwise looks like an ugly brick - sigh).

So remember, whenever you design anything try to use this golden ratio and people will become instinctively attracted.

The Apple iPod is the world's most beautiful MP3 player.

The iPod was designed by Jonathan Ive and his team of designers. Their goal was to create the perfect product. They achieved this with an extreme amount of attention to detail.

One aspect of the design is the basic shape of the device. The rectangle that is the iPod comes closer than any other MP3 player to the golden ratio 1 : 1.618 (also sometimes called the golden section). This ratio appeals to us at an unconscious level.

Attractive human faces have proportions that correspond to the golden ratio, indeed, the human body itself exemplifies this ratio, the Greek Parthenon and many other famous ancient monuments use the ratio throughout their design, the logarithmic spiral on a Nautilus Shell conforms the to golden ratio and even a TV image using those proportion is more appealing (that's why widescreen TV is 16:10). The golden section is deeply ingrained in the design of the Universe. We can't help but be attracted by it.

Here are the ratios of several popular MP3 players:

1 : 1.67 = iPod
1 : 1.75 = iRiver H10
1 : 1.47 = Creative Nomad Zen Xtra

The iRiver is too tall, the Nomad is far too fat, but the iPod's shape, though also slightly too tall, comes closest to this magic ratio. It is certainly no accident that it is the most visually appealing. I am however surprised that no other company has created an MP3 player that exactly uses the golden section (the iRiver H320 comes close by using the same ratio as the iPod, but otherwise looks like an ugly brick - sigh).

So remember, whenever you design anything try to use this golden ratio and people will become instinctively attracted.

I??(TM)m back in Manchester from my visit to Germany. My realization is that the external environment makes a huge difference one's ability to practice Krishna consciousness.

My parents??(TM) house in Germany is filled with so much stuff: over 30 years of clutter. This mass of mess (even if orderly arranged) seriously agitated my senses. I could not chant the maha-mantra property in that environment. My mind would constantly interrupt, asking me to do so many seemingly important things. Very soon I would give in to its demands, my resolve weakened by the atmosphere.

• The result: I didn??(TM)t chant all in one go, but spread out throughout the day.
• The result: chanting became a chore, an unwelcome duty that I had to push myself to do.
• The result: my meditation was wavering, weak and wholly inadequate.
• The result: my days became distracted, full of sense-gratification and completely unproductive.

Krishna is not kidding in the Bhagavad Gita when he says that he is time. With the pure single-pointed attention that Krishna consciousness brings one can accomplish many, many things in a seemingly very short amount of time.

An inattentive, unconscious person might work really hard their whole life, but ultimately get very little done. However, a fully Krishna conscious devotee (such as Srila Prabhupada) can write 60 books, circle to globe 14 times, initiate thousands of disciples and create a world-wide network of temples and ashrams all in just 12 years.

This morning, back at my flat, I was amazed at how much better my chanting was. Chanting was such a rejuvenating and refreshing experience. I didn't want to stop. I could have gone on for hours and hours.

The experience has strengthened my determination to live simply. Today I went through all the stuff in my flat and threw a load of it away. I filled two large garbage bags full of unless junk I had accumulated. I must do this kind of review more often.

I??(TM)m back in Manchester from my visit to Germany. My realization is that the external environment makes a huge difference one's ability to practice Krishna consciousness.

My parents??(TM) house in Germany is filled with so much stuff: over 30 years of clutter. This mass of mess (even if orderly arranged) seriously agitated my senses. I could not chant the maha-mantra property in that environment. My mind would constantly interrupt, asking me to do so many seemingly important things. Very soon I would give in to its demands, my resolve weakened by the atmosphere.

• The result: I didn??(TM)t chant all in one go, but spread out throughout the day.
• The result: chanting became a chore, an unwelcome duty that I had to push myself to do.
• The result: my meditation was wavering, weak and wholly inadequate.
• The result: my days became distracted, full of sense-gratification and completely unproductive.

Krishna is not kidding in the Bhagavad Gita when he says that he is time. With the pure single-pointed attention that Krishna consciousness brings one can accomplish many, many things in a seemingly very short amount of time.

An inattentive, unconscious person might work really hard their whole life, but ultimately get very little done. However, a fully Krishna conscious devotee (such as Srila Prabhupada) can write 60 books, circle to globe 14 times, initiate thousands of disciples and create a world-wide network of temples and ashrams all in just 12 years.

This morning, back at my flat, I was amazed at how much better my chanting was. Chanting was such a rejuvenating and refreshing experience. I didn't want to stop. I could have gone on for hours and hours.

The experience has strengthened my determination to live simply. Today I went through all the stuff in my flat and threw a load of it away. I filled two large garbage bags full of unless junk I had accumulated. I must do this kind of review more often.

22|1I spent Christmas in Germany with my parents. View the pictures.

I like Germany. This is partially to do with my having grown up here, but also because Germany has a very deep history and culture. Just turn on one of the many classical radio stations to see what I mean. Of course, any piety that is left in Germany is rapidly dwindling due to the influences of Kali-yuga pop-culture. Such a shame, Germany has/had so much potential.

Example: I talked to a neighbor last week (Frau Schott). A 91-year old lady. She was still sharp-witted, living with and giving advice to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her body was strong enough to walk up the town's step hills carrying her shopping basket. Certainly some very good karma there for a very nice lady.

I also met some old friends from high-school. It was interesting to hear what has happened to everyone. I can see that they are all just harvesting the results of the karma: some have gotten married (most haven't), some have children (mostly accidentally), some are still studying (forever aimless students), some are working (and are too busy to do anything else but work). I could see, in every case, that whatever my past classmates were experiencing was pre-determined. Everyone was automatically getting their various desires fulfilled by the laws of nature according to their various stocks of pious-credits. Very little free will (although quite a bit of good karma).

The same would also have happened to me. I too would be living the same, old, boring, mundane, dry, been-there-done-that life that everyone seems to take so seriously. But in the period from 2000 until 2002 I gradually made the conscious decision to switch trains: from the Karma-merry-go-round to the Krishna-Express. Looking back, I'm glad I did.

(My eternal gratitude to those devotees who influenced and advised me.)