Monday, September 1, 2008
In literature, a red herring is a narrative element intended to distract the reader from a more important event in the plot, usually a twist ending.
The term "red herring" originates from the tradition whereby young hunting dogs in Britain were trained to follow a scent with the use of a "red" (salted and smoked) herring (see kipper). This pungent fish would be dragged across a trail until the puppy learned to follow the scent. Later, when the dog was being trained to follow the faint odor of a fox or a badger, the trainer would drag a red herring (which has a much stronger odor) across the animal's trail at right angles. The dog would eventually learn to follow the original scent rather than the stronger scent.
In literature, the most commonplace use of a "red herring" is in mystery fiction. One particular character is described or emphasized in a way that seems to throw suspicion upon that character as the person who committed the crime: later, it develops that someone else is the guilty party.
This is used in cryptography as well!
In cryptography, a red herring is a second hidden message that is intended to be discovered more easily so that the real message remains hidden to anyone who might intercept the transmission and break the red herring code. Only the intended receiver would know the key to unlocking the real message.
It consists of a crtogram section which is very tough. I was able to solve only one puzzle there and I have posted it here!
The following cryptogram is a quote from a popular movie. It's a very short quote, so it makes the cryptogram a bit more difficult to decypher. It is possible to crack the code as long as you work at it.
81 12 81 415. 50626 39 41 527.
I didn't even work it out. I was able to figure it out.
Being an ardent lover of Starwars how could I forget the quote by Jedi Master Yoda!
Description:
Help the priests and devils to cross the river. Be careful though, they don't like each other. If the number of Devils is greater than the number of priests (on either side of the bank), then the Priests would be killed by the Devils.
Hope you enjoyed this puzzle game!
Try a similar kind of game which I have posted in my blog long back.
THE IQ GAME....TIME TO TEST YOUR IQ!!!!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Thanks to a translucent body, the design blends seamlessly with the nail while a selection of text color options and a glow feature activating on command make it supremely functional as well. Press the end of your thumbnail, and the watch will light up for you. A perfect blend of appearance, user interface, and technology, the nail watch passes most standards of modern design with flying colors thanks to its functional and minimalist appeal. The watch looks stylish and chic and has a touch of Geeky style as well. The downside of this watch is that it is disposable. So with so many stylish watched being available now, it will be hard for it to survive in the market. Though it is quite innovative with a minimalist design, but it won't last long on your finger.
No details about the availability or the price of this watch has been released by Timex. But since it is tiny and disposable, I don't expect the price to be high.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
My Cat entrance classes have always been special! This weekend it was even more special. It was an RC (reading comprehension) class for me. I was wondering, 'How on earth would an RC class be taught for 2 hours?' and I assumed,'It must be boring...'. But my verbal instructor Srividya (mam) proved my assumption totally wrong. It was probably her best class for my batch till date. Whoa! what am I writing about? The post tiltle is 'Oxymoron-The word that caught my atttention!' And I am writing some blah...blah...blah... about my cat class? That's where I learnt this word.
One word that caught my attention during my school days was rendezvous and it's unique way of pronunciation. After that it was oxymoron.
Now what's an oxymoron?
Let's check what wikipedia says!
An oxymoron (plural oxymorons or, more rarely, oxymora) is a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms. Oxymoron is a loanword from Greek oxy ("sharp" or "pointed") and moros ("dull"). Thus the word oxymoron is itself an oxymoron.
Oxymorons are a proper subset of the expressions called contradictions in terms. What distinguishes oxymorons from other paradoxes and contradictions is that they are used intentionally, for rhetorical effect, and the contradiction is only apparent, as the combination of terms provides a novel expression of some concept, such as "cruel to be kind".
Deliberate oxymorons
Deafening silence
Forward retreat
Accidentally on Purpose
Little Big Man
Living Dead
Uses in Drama
Oxymorons are used in Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' when Romeo is describing to Benvolio how much he loves Rosaline:
Romeo. Why then, O brawling love! O loving hate!
O anything of nothing first create,
A heavy lightness, serious vanity,
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms,
Feather of lead...
Juliet also uses oxymorons after having found out about her cousin's death at the hands of Romeo she says:
O serpent heart, hid with a flow'ring face!
Beautiful tyrant, fiend angelical'
Dove-feathered raven, wolfish ravening lamb'
A damned saint, an honourable villain
Example from Srividya Mam:
Donald Duck - it refers to a male. But duck is a feminine term. It must have been Donald Drake. Still we are comfortable with Donald Duck because it sounds good. It's a well accepted oxymoron!
Oxymoron - a word to be noticed!
Friday, August 15, 2008
My friend Prabu told me that http://www.co.cc/?id=145451 is a site where one could register free domains! So I made a try, and registered http://www.sdeepak.co.cc/ for free. This domain is used to redirect the website to this blog! For those people who find it difficult to remember my blog URL can easily remember this new web address also you can register the domains you want for free!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Have a read....
In some computers, when we double click a drive we get the "open with" dialog box. This is because of an unwanted file residing in the computer. Its name is "autorun.inf". To delete the file and restore the old operation of a drive opeing in the same window do the following steps.
1. Select START --> RUN.
2. enter "cmd" and press enter.
3. Type the drive name in which you ve the problem and click enter.(say if the problem is in C drive enter "C:\")
4. Enter "attrib -s -h - r *.inf".
5. Enter "del *.inf".
Now try opening the drives.I had the problem in my computer. Now i deleted the autorun.inf file and now the problem is solved. Try it!!!
Article link: http://arun-kumaar.blogspot.com/2008/08/open-with-virus.html
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Then, what is a happy number?
A happy number is defined by the following process. Starting with any positive integer, replace the number by the sum of the squares of its digits, and repeat the process until the number equals 1 (where it will stay), or it loops endlessly in a cycle which does not include 1. Those numbers for which this process ends in 1 are happy numbers, while those that do not end in 1 are unhappy numbers.
More formally, given a number n = n0, define a sequence n1, n2, ... where ni + 1 is the sum of the squares of the digits of ni. Then n is happy if and only if there exists i such that ni = 1.
If a number is happy, then all members of its sequence are happy; if a number is unhappy, all members of its sequence are unhappy.
For example, 7 is happy, as the associated sequence is:
7^2 = 49
4^2 + 9^2 = 97
9^2 + 7^2 = 130
1^2 + 3^2 + 0^2 = 10
1^2 + 0^2 = 1.
The happy numbers below 500 are
1, 7, 10, 13, 19, 23, 28, 31, 32, 44, 49, 68, 70, 79, 82, 86, 91, 94, 97, 100, 103, 109, 129, 130, 133, 139, 167, 176, 188, 190, 192, 193, 203, 208, 219, 226, 230, 236, 239, 262, 263, 280, 291, 293, 301, 302, 310, 313, 319, 320, 326, 329, 331, 338, 356, 362, 365, 367, 368, 376, 379, 383, 386, 391, 392, 397, 404, 409, 440, 446, 464, 469, 478, 487, 490, 496.
If n is not happy, then its sequence does not go to 1. What happens instead is that it ends up in the cycle.
4, 16, 37, 58, 89, 145, 42, 20, 4, ...
To see this fact, first note that if n has m digits, then the sum of the squares of its digits is at most 81m. For m = 4 and above,so any number over 1000 gets smaller under this process. Once we are under 1000, the number for which the sum of squares of digits is largest is 999, and the result is 3 times 81, that is, 243.
In the range 100 to 243, the number 199 produces the largest next value, of 163.
In the range 100 to 163, the number 159 produces the largest next value, of 107.
In the range 100 to 107, the number 107 produces the largest next value, of 50.
Happy Primes
A happy prime is a happy number that is prime. The happy primes below 500 are
7, 13, 19, 23, 31, 79, 97, 103, 109, 139, 167, 193, 239, 263, 293, 313, 331, 367, 379, 383, 397, 409, 487.
All numbers, and therefore all primes, of the form 10n + 3 and 10n + 9 are happy. To see this, note that these numbers yield values of either 12 + 02 + 02 + ... + 02 + 02 + 32 = 10 → 12 + 02 = 1 or 12 + 02 + 02 + ... + 02 + 02 + 92 = 82 → 82 + 22 = 68 → 62 + 82 = 100 → 12 + 02 + 02 = 1.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Whenever I switch on the tv, in majority of the channels the debate on INDO_US nuclear deal is going on!
What does Indo-US nuclear deal mean?
On July 26 2007- The US House of Representatives voted to approve a landmark deal that will allow the United States to sell civilian nuclear technology to India.
Here is an overview of the deal and its implications:
WHAT IS THE PACT?
* The legislation amends Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. It lets the US make a one-time exception for India to keep its nuclear weapons without signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
* The amendment overturns a 30-year-old US ban on supplying India with nuclear fuel and technology, implemented after India's first nuclear test in 1974.
* Under the amendment, India must separate its civilian and military nuclear facilities, and submit civilian facilities to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
WHY IS IT CONTROVERSIAL?
* Critics say it undermines the NPT, which holds that only countries which renounce nuclear weapons qualify for civilian nuclear assistance.
* The accord sends the wrong message: it could undercut a US-led campaign to curtail Iran's nuclear program, and open the way for a potential arms race in South Asia.
* India says 14 of its 22 nuclear facilities are civilian. Critics say the pact could make bomb making at the other eight easier, as civilian nuclear fuel needs will be met by the US
WHAT DO THE DEAL'S SUPPORTERS SAY?
* US President George Bush calls the deal necessary to reflect the countries' improved relations. It strengthens international security by tightening US ties to ally India, the world's biggest democracy. It also ensures some of its nuclear industry will undergo international inspection.
* New Delhi, which relies on imported oil for some 70 per cent of its energy needs, says nuclear power will help feed its rapidly expanding economy.
* France, which signed a similar deal with India in February 2006, says the move will help fight climate change and aid non-proliferation efforts.
HOW IS PAKISTAN INVOLVED?
* Pakistan sought a similar civilian technology deal with the US but was refused last in March. It is the only other confirmed nuclear power not to have signed the NPT - saying it will join after India does.
* Pakistan's own expanding nuclear program could fan the rivalry between India and Pakistan.
INTERNATIONAL RIVALRIES?
* China is said to have supported Pakistan's nuclear weapons program since the 1980s. Some analysts see the Indo-US deal as part of attempts by larger powers, the US and China, to shore up influence in South Asia by building up rival arsenals.
* The IAEA said in 2004 that Libya and Iran's nuclear programs were based on Chinese technology provided by Pakistan.
Article idea: http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=71625
