tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934582966067110972012-01-27T23:51:08.267-08:00Mr.S.(Sam)Santhosh: Managing Director & CEO - California Software Company Ltd (Calsoft)S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.comBlogger821100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-40633207636785578232012-01-09T09:27:00.000-08:002012-01-09T11:19:03.573-08:00

Transforming Education through Personal Digital Learning!We are all learners. If you are not learning something new every day, you might as well be dead. However opportunities for formal learning were very limited till a few years back. Access to content, teachers and facilities were limited to a privileged few in the world. That is now changing – digital technologies, cheap and high bandwidth

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-35703597171562040692011-11-13T00:10:00.000-08:002011-11-13T00:14:16.472-08:00

Achieving sustainable growth within the Planetary boundariesGlobal warming has been a `hot' topic for some time - but this book is not just about global warming and climate change. Going much beyond that, Mark Lynas takes us though the concept of planetary boundaries - ecological limits of the Earth's systems crossing which can push the planet into a death spiral. The book describes nine such

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-35288314197033712432011-10-15T14:34:00.000-07:002011-10-15T14:37:48.213-07:00

From 'The Proust and the Squid' by Maryanne WolfeI take it you already knowOf touch and bough and cough and dough?Others may stumble but not youOn hiccough, thorough, slough, and through?Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,To learn of less familiar traps?Beware of heard, a dreadful wordThat looks like beard and sounds like bird.And dead; it is said likened, not bead;For goodness sake, don't call

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-7582381372579241562011-09-03T18:53:00.000-07:002011-09-03T19:00:05.374-07:00

The elixir for eternal youth! - for the Startup Winston Churchill once said that we can depend on the United states to do the right thing - after they have exhausted all other alternatives. The same can be said for the startup company in cutting edge fields - they have to keep trying so many different options on the various product features, target market segments, pricing, technology

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-71740539404145410902011-08-05T07:38:00.000-07:002011-08-05T07:44:16.561-07:00

Who will save the humans?In 'Saving Sea Turtles', James Spotilla highlights the plight of the sea turtles across the world as they fight the possibility of extinction. Having survived all kinds of threats over their 110 million years of existence, the turtles like many other species met their match when humans rapidly colonized earth over the last two hundred years. With beaches being run over by

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-49852013613067788642011-07-12T12:07:00.000-07:002011-07-12T12:12:45.679-07:00

What goes on in Science does NOT.....What really goes on in the world of Science? Except for the rare evil scientist shown in movies, normally scientists are portrayed as cool, logical, level headed personalities - maybe slightly timid but nevertheless those who follow the rules. Now in "Free Radicals", Michael Brooks shows how wrong this picture is. According to Brooks, in Science anything goes.

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-49445644704913562682011-07-03T06:27:00.000-07:002011-07-03T06:31:35.941-07:00

Falling in LoveThe iPad is such an easy device to use and fall in love with that one might initially find it difficult to believe that a user manual is needed for it. But, as Gary Rosenzweig the author of My iPad2 says, in any relationship - when you fall in love - you get the urge to change and customize it. And that is when a user manual comes to good use. In reality,the iPad is such a powerful

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-4345943206320873612011-06-02T22:12:00.000-07:002011-06-02T22:17:52.431-07:00

I am more than I think!"I think - therefor I am" said Descartes. Each one of us is much more than what we can ever think - shows David Eagleman in this fascinating book - Incognito. Not only that, but it is amazing that we are aware only of a very small part of our brain. All of us strongly believe that we are in control of ourselves (at least most of the time) and so responsible for our actions.

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-86122950395920218292011-05-28T20:07:00.000-07:002011-05-28T20:11:25.431-07:00

The Future is ScienceThough the book is titled `Physics of the Future', Michio Kaku covers all relevant Science and Technology. In separate chapters he looks at the future of Computers, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Nanotechnology, Energy and Space Travel over the next one hundred years. In each chapter he splits the future into three sections - Near Future (Present to 2030), Mid Century (

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-27226212057664410022011-05-19T18:44:00.000-07:002011-05-19T18:49:13.419-07:00

To heal a wounded EarthGlobal warming is a `hot' topic nowadays and there have been many books on this subject. However Tim Flannery takes a different approach. Starting from the very beginning of Earth's creation, Tim takes us through the complete story of our planet and the biography of our species. Though a natural disaster like an earthquake or tsunami would look like catastrophic event to us

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-20275357790981313572011-04-19T16:12:00.000-07:002011-04-19T16:14:35.505-07:00

We all know James Clerk Maxwell as a great scientist, but he was also a lover of poetry and on occasion used to write a few himself. At a meeting of the British Association in 1874, while listening to the lecture he composed the poem given below (no texting or email then I guess:)) In the very beginnings of science, the parsons, who managed things then,Being handy with hammer and chisel, made

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-85745672156646642392011-04-10T23:58:00.000-07:002011-04-19T16:15:15.945-07:00

Physcho-Aesthetics: Aligning Product design to Business StrategyProduct Design is mostly considered as an art form. However in ‘Predictable Magic’, Deepa Prahlad and Ravi Sawhney introduces a framework that they call Phsycho-Aesthetics, through which the design process can be aligned to corporate strategy enabling business to come up with successful product designs. Companies like Apple, Google

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-50157071030495252742011-04-09T09:24:00.000-07:002011-04-09T09:32:58.591-07:00

A case of Pseudoscience!This book is supposedly meant for coaches of business leaders. Explaining the brain functions and structure, Mr.Pillay attempts to show how leaders can perform better in managing their organizations and getting the best out of their employees. The book is organized into four sections - (a) the Introduction covering the broad principles of how brain science applies to

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-37879157985146608642011-03-12T21:47:00.000-08:002011-03-12T21:50:50.021-08:00

About two thousand seven hundred years back, the Greeks started the scientific revolution. We know the names of the leaders - Thales, Pythagorus, Euclid, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Eratosthenes, Archimedes.. It is a magnificent list and their achievements still evoke amazement. In spite of phenomenal progress, the civilization died out. I wonder why?. The Roman civilization that followed

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-57460514489298326612011-01-02T22:20:00.000-08:002011-01-02T22:38:48.448-08:00

I often hear complaints from parents that their children are not interested in books - this is a growing problem - I know many college students who hardly read any books other than those in their academic curriculum. The unfortunate fact is that they dont even know what they are missing and are blissfully happy with their iPods and Facebook. What makes the situation even sadder is that the

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-39415391437267162022010-12-11T08:26:00.000-08:002010-12-11T08:35:10.105-08:00

An Unappealing Fort!Having read all of Bernard Cornwell's books till date, I was disappointed with 'The Fort'. Usually Mr.Cornwell's formula seldom fails to work - his authentic research, excellent writing skills and imaginative story telling makes reading his books a lingering pleasure. Unfortunately 'The Fort' has no heroes nor villains or even a credible plot. Based on a small battle between a

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-30794381373045595752010-12-04T14:57:00.000-08:002010-12-04T14:59:59.846-08:00

Element number 33 of the periodic table jumped into prominence this week with the discovery of arsenic based life form on earth. It seems the bacteria GFAJ-1 uses arsenic instead of phosphorus (which all known life forms use) for its DNA backbone.Arsenic, famous as the poison of choice in Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple stories as well as being allegedly used by the English to finish off Napoleon

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-30756657995606865562010-11-30T11:31:00.000-08:002010-11-30T13:16:40.407-08:00

Check out the review by Bill Gates on Matt Ridley's book 'The Rational Optimist' in Wall Street Journalhttp://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748704243904575630761699028330-lMyQjAxMTAwMDMwMDEzNDAyWj.html

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-20929338730816211922010-11-26T05:41:00.000-08:002010-11-26T05:48:05.332-08:00

Our Genetic Destiny?Sometimes potent things come in small packages. In this short book of 175 pages, Steven Potter takes us through the fields of DNA sequencing, genetic modification, stem cells and embryo manipulation. We have seen numerous books come out in recent times on these subjects, but this tome differs from them through its simplicity, lucidity and clarity of vision. Steven Potter shows

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-31253212365164152572010-11-23T09:24:00.000-08:002010-11-23T09:30:39.984-08:00

Learn from the ants, bees, fish, termites and locusts!Through a very insightful book, Peter Miller turns to Nature to explain crowd behavior. Leveraging upon numerous scientific studies, Peter elaborates the principles through which even insects with low individual intelligence perform extraordinary feats of brilliance as a group. That too without hierarchy or elaborate rules! Peter Miller calls

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-90328274316311275672010-11-22T03:00:00.000-08:002010-11-22T07:12:31.073-08:00

Great theme, but surprising errors!!The book talks in detail about 100 species - 50 before human and 50 that came after the human and influenced by him. It is very much a reference book with lot of scientific detail and a great layout. But on a quick review of a couple of chapters, I saw two errors which made me lose confidence in the book. On Page 13, "Even more shocking was that of the 25,000

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-24273328718803707802010-11-09T18:22:00.000-08:002010-11-22T03:15:23.310-08:00

It is sad to see the damage caused by Mount Merapi Volcano in Indonesia. I was in Yogayakarta about 25 Km from Mount Merapi in April this year and had visited the Mountain. See some photos below of the mountain then: You can see the tracks left by flow of lava in previous eruptions. Yougyakrta has some beautiful temples and I hope they have not been much affected by the volcanic ash. See slide

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-76864671418653719802010-11-05T21:55:00.000-07:002010-11-05T23:15:16.954-07:00

In an interesting article in Nature (Oct 14, 2010) titled ‘Rise and fall of political complexity in island South-East Asia and the Pacific’, authors Currie et al explain their study of the development human political organizations. They evaluated six models for the evolution of political organizations in Austronesian speaking societies using phylogenetic methods. Austronesian speakers spread from

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-56379147597821872352010-09-09T23:40:00.000-07:002010-11-05T22:04:54.394-07:00

Listen to this free webinar from the Singularity University!Learn about the projects (world changing ideas!!!) the Singularity University students developed during their 2010 Graduate program.Hear Ray Kurzweil, Dan Barry & Peter Diamandis talk about these breakthrough ideas...Sign up at http://exclusive.singularityu.org/You wont regret it.

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-57837692795900297302010-07-17T19:44:00.000-07:002010-07-17T20:01:57.037-07:00

"Predictive, Personalized, Preventive & Participatory"I listened to an exciting presentation on P4 medicine from Dr.Leroy Hood of Institute of Systems Biology, Seattle at Policy Forum meeting hosted by 23andme at Burlingame, San Francisco on July 14, 2010.Dr.Hood explained how will P4 medicine will catalyze a revolution from Reactive to Proactive Medicine. He highlighted the general scientific

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-23981801221557678292010-06-13T16:38:00.000-07:002010-07-17T20:02:25.142-07:00

The beauty of the English language never ceases to amaze. I came across the poems by Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) - even after so many years, see the power of the words...From 'The Garden"Meanwhile the Mind, from pleasure less,Withdraws into its happiness:The Mind, that Ocean where each kindDoes streight its own resemblance find;Yet it creates, transcending these,Far other Worlds, and other Seas;

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-43392414449000414652010-06-04T20:44:00.000-07:002010-06-07T13:05:53.095-07:00

After two months of using the iPad as an ebook reader, here is my conclusion - the iPad is definitely better than the Kindle for reading ebooks. Reasons:(a) Ease of use - flipping the pages is such an experience, that one would want to just keep doing that....(b) Pictures and tables are hundred times better in the iPad - especially the ability to zoom; for technical books Kindle is such a pain(c)

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-92136716884072957752010-05-26T14:01:00.000-07:002010-05-26T14:27:22.368-07:00

Craig Venter did it again!. After 15 years of hard work, Craig Venter and his associates created the first synthetic genome, inserted it into a cell after replacing its original DNA and created a new life form!!!!!This is the second time that Craig has revolutionized the Genomics field. Couple of decades back, his sequencing approach, completed the Human Genome Project many years ahead of

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-21206870172869648892010-05-14T20:24:00.001-07:002010-05-14T20:36:22.197-07:00

Everything you wanted to know about seahorses, but didn't know where to ask!This is a beautiful book that anybody can enjoy!Imagine these wonderful creatures living in the ocean- miniature horses with rolling eyes and tiny monkey's tails. It was the males that had babies - no animals do that anymore - and they changed color as if by magic and danced elegant dances every day with their faithful

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-72238711526699657772010-05-08T20:58:00.000-07:002010-05-08T21:07:01.569-07:00

India's Erich Segal?Amit Varma's `My friend Sancho' reminded me of Erich Segal's "Love Story' that had captivated millions during the 70's. The background setting, the time period and the story line are different, but Amit's love story also has the same depth, humor and beauty as Erich's.For me, it is a great feeling to see a new author with talent - and Amit Varma made my day - I discovered Amit

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-34794542392379960622010-05-04T19:12:00.000-07:002010-05-05T19:18:24.656-07:00

About 50 Km from Yogyakarta in Indonesia, is Borobudur - an amazing Buddhist monument that can transport the visitor to another plane. Constructed around 750 AD by an unknown king of the Cailendra dynasty, the monument was abandoned after a couple of hundred years and soon got covered with volcanic ash and the jungle. Rediscovered after about 1000 years in the early 1800s, the monument has been

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-9077594048166397282010-04-22T04:27:00.000-07:002010-06-07T13:06:21.779-07:00

The Jury is still out....After a couple of weeks of using the iPad, I am still unable to make a categorical decision whether the iPad will be the eBook reader killer. So I will list the pros and cons of the iPad when you use it to read ebooks.Pros:(a) The iPhone like interface is cool and the iPad offers many other applications as compared to a dedicated eBook reader(b) All the books you bought

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-41409857347192071052010-04-07T10:16:00.000-07:002010-06-07T13:06:21.780-07:00

The iPad is here!! As a geek I did make sure I got mine on the first day by preordering it. My first impression? - I like it a lot!.There were many reports in the last few months that the iPad would challenge the ebook reader devices like Kindle and Nook, but I did not take that very seriously. But I am having second thoughts now. The iPad sold over 300,000 units in the first day and is expected

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-58465450993912812622010-03-25T05:44:00.001-07:002010-04-22T04:52:35.599-07:00

The Choice is up to you....Good health is the most important aspect of our life, but we seldom pay much attention to it till we fall sick. In this insightful book 'The Decision Tree', Thomas Goetz shows us why we should take control of our health and how this can have a significantly better outcome than just depending on our doctor. All our life, we have been taught that 'Doctor knows best' and

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-63287939431891843712010-03-21T03:42:00.000-07:002010-07-17T20:02:54.765-07:00

Turn the Greens Blue? 'Global warming' is a hot subject these days. For many decades the environmentalists more well known as the 'Greens' were ridiculed as 'anti progress' and leftists. Now when they have been finally proved right, the Greens seem to have lost their way. As a well known environmentalist, Stewart Brand explores where the Greens are going wrong and why they should trust Science

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-71440561278765928382010-03-16T18:11:00.001-07:002010-04-22T04:52:35.600-07:00

Hello - I am a T-Rex....What happens when Paleontology converges with Molecular Biology? Advances in molecular biology now allows us to make changes to the genetic code - the 'language of life'. Paleontology gives us glimpses of extinct animals. The authors of this book challenges the reader to consider the possibility of changing the genome of an existing embryo say that of a chicken and

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-31140219972775262442010-01-08T00:15:00.000-08:002010-01-08T00:20:18.094-08:00

"An Outlier's life Opened'"Andre Agassi is an outlier. His autobiography ‘Open’ appears to be a frank and honest narrative from the heart of champion. Malcolm Gladwell (author of Outliers) would be glad to read this - it substantiates a lot of what Malcolm has wrote on what creates outliers. I don’t usually read autobiographies - so it is difficult for me to compare this with others.

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-24855730857664321832009-12-01T11:21:00.000-08:002009-12-22T19:29:59.127-08:00

Looters keepers, Losers weepers?When we look with amazement and wonder at the antiques in the Louvre, British Museum, Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles or the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, we seldom ponder on how they were collected and the stories behind the acquisitions of those pieces. Now in this detailed book ‘Loot’ , Sharon Waxman tells us the fight (both legal and political) that

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-70291542132961434582009-11-11T21:19:00.000-08:002009-11-11T22:04:35.798-08:00

Chetan does it again!Through his latest book '2 States - story of my marriage', Chetan Bhagat shows the world why he is the best selling English author in India. This one is also bound to be a best seller like the rest of his books.In this book, Chetan returns back to his student days at IIM-A, where he meets his future wife and the rest of the book is their story till marriage. Chetan from

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-6044681506464035362009-10-30T18:56:00.000-07:002010-04-22T04:47:07.927-07:00

Amazon is definitely an amazing company. When they launched the Kindle a couple of years back, the reaction from the publishing industry was rather muted. Well, the Sony ebook reader was already available and there were not many users. The industry was rather skeptical about Amazon's move - can a internet retailer develop and sell and consumer electronic product? Who will buy ebooks? After

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-88788568706430004712009-10-24T07:40:00.000-07:002009-10-24T07:56:18.300-07:00

I am the moderator in a competition for MBA students in Kerala, India which is being telecast in Kairali TV, from Oct 24th onwards. The program is aired every Saturday from 3 to 3.30 PM (IST). From over 40 MBA institutions in Kerala, 12 teams were selected to compete through a screening test. Each team had to make a presentation on the subject "Will India become an economic powerhouse in the next

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-74598803467934200772009-10-10T21:09:00.000-07:002009-10-24T07:39:37.043-07:00

An uninspiring case'God' seems to be a good currency these days for the publishing industry, considering the number of books that have been coming out recently, for and against God. I guess Richard Dawkins stirred the pot with the 'God Delusion' and it seems to have provoked a large number of people. 'The Case for God' by Karen Armstrong is the latest in this saga. Karen Armstrong is an excellent

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-63909290627019102402009-08-22T08:16:00.000-07:002009-10-10T21:12:24.676-07:00

It was in a chance meeting at an airport in India with Xavier Gravende-Tirole (Jesus look alike?) that I learnt about Spiritual Creolization - how religions absorb from each other and manage pluralism. Xavier is traveling in India studying the absorption of Hindu rituals in Christianity for his Phd thesis 'Creolization as a new theological category in the anthropology of believing: study

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-4884289939816742692009-07-31T19:46:00.000-07:002009-07-31T19:56:26.313-07:00

Read but dont follow!A great book to read for any entrepreneur or business manager. With great insight as well as humor, Richard Branson tell us his view of the business world, his many success stories and a few disappointments. It is an inspiring story but people like Mr.Branson are one in a billion. If the rest of us try to follow the act, we will quickly realize that none of it is as easy as

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-30927107198084185282009-07-12T12:23:00.000-07:002010-11-05T22:05:44.836-07:00

"Bankruptcy to Billions - How the Indian Railways transformed" - by Sudhir Kumar & Shagun MehrotraCan you imagine a mammoth 100 year old Government organization in any country (let alone India) with 1.4 million employees transforming itself from a near bankruptcy situation to $6 Billion in cash surplus over just four years! And that too without privatization, layoffs or price increases! To cap it

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-58736976170606584352009-07-07T20:58:00.000-07:002009-10-10T21:14:48.292-07:00

An excellent reference book on Indian HistoryThis is the most comprehensive and well written book on Ancient and Medieval Indian History that I have seen. Starting from the Stone Age and going up to the 12th century this is an excellent reference book, both for the student as well as for the general public. Well illustrated with color maps, photographs and figures, the book is printed and bound

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-55963623656312648962009-06-15T07:42:00.000-07:002009-10-10T21:15:27.808-07:00

A fascinating tale of two storiesInstead of just being a excellent history of Hinduism, this book is also a great book of Indian History. The author traces India's history from the period of the Indus valley Civilization to the the end of the British Raj in the 20th century. And what a story! Without any bias or cultural hangovers, the author provides a very neutral analysis of the development of

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-20190940668101309082009-06-11T02:27:00.000-07:002010-06-13T16:50:12.191-07:00

Most Indians would know of King Trisanku whom Sage Viswamitra sends to heaven in his human form and God Indra sends him back. Poor Trisanku gets stuck in between by these opposing forces and lies suspended in limbo for ever. This story has provided the Indian idiom 'Trisanku's heaven' which is more or less equivalent to the English idiom 'Between a rock and a hard place'.However I did not know

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-7872934711939474632009-06-03T00:52:00.000-07:002010-04-22T04:59:06.631-07:00

Fails to impressI would have liked to say that Aravind Adiga did it again - but unfortunately this book fails to impress. I guess after the awesome 'White Tiger' it would be very difficult for anyone to repeat the feat. 'Between the Assassinations' is a collection of stories set in a small coastal town (Kittur) in Karnataka near the Kerala border. Some of the stories are quite good and shows

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-27610286722709883732009-05-29T18:26:00.000-07:002010-04-22T04:59:19.334-07:00

A very moving story!It is a great feeling to discover a good author - and Frank Huyler will definitely go places. An excellent book with a fascinating story of a naive American doctor who after a personal tragedy goes to a third world country to help people affected by natural disasters. The setting seems to be in Pakistan but the author is careful not to mention the country directly and get

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-65523257910666078762009-05-21T15:05:00.000-07:002009-05-29T18:32:42.676-07:00

Beauty of Tabletop Science!A great book that brings out the beauty of Science! The author has picked up the ten most beautiful science experiments - starting with Galileo and ending with Milikan. Though one might argue with the selection, the author's excellent descriptions will more than make up for any differences of opinion. Compared to most of the current scientific experiments which costs

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-23983933715970791952009-05-11T14:09:00.000-07:002010-11-05T22:06:23.408-07:00

I am told that the sure sign that a ship is sinking is when you see the rats trying to get out!Well, it looks like the great ship of 'America' is sinking. After Obama's calculated announcement of trying to get the American MNCs to pay the tax on their overseas earnings, the CEO of a venerable Silicon Valley company told their employees that they are not really an 'American' company - they are a '

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-56049128424781547082009-04-25T12:21:00.000-07:002009-04-25T12:27:21.753-07:00

by Jo MarchantDeciphering the Antikythera MechanismMost people would not have heard of the Antikythera Mechanism - it is a 2000 year old device which was discovered in 1900 in an ancient ship wreck close to the island of Antikythera between Cape Malea and Crete in the Mediterranean. The device was so much damaged and in many fragments of corroded lumps that it could be fully deciphered only

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-15437362103884941642009-04-17T00:36:00.001-07:002009-04-25T06:02:27.841-07:00

Science fiction to turn into reality!Originally proposed by science fiction author Issac Asimov in 1941, the concept of a space station capturing solar energy and beaming it back to earth - seems to become a distinct possibility now.Solaren, a start up based in Southern California plans to deploy a solar array in space, convert the solar energy into radio frequency waves and beam it back into

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-27756670121462354442009-04-03T19:13:00.001-07:002009-04-25T06:02:46.031-07:00

Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence - by Seth ShostakAs a senior astronomer at SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), Seth Shostak is eminently qualified to take us through the last fifty years of our search for alien life in the universe. Interspersed with humor, Seth brings to life the challenges such an effort faces and raises the

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-22367345108324706472009-03-27T23:42:00.000-07:002010-11-05T22:06:57.613-07:00

Now that Obama's $787B stimulus plan (ARRA -America Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009) has moved into action, let us take a look at the one time bonanza Science & Technology is getting. Depending on how you classify the various line items the amount allocated for Science & Technology can vary from $55 Billion to $65 Billion to be spent in the next two years. The major items for scientific

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-15683873900333238162009-03-14T21:25:00.000-07:002009-10-10T21:14:48.292-07:00

Contrary to the belief that silk originated from ancient China only, researchers have found more compelling evidence for independent development of silk in the Indus Valley Civilization at Harappa (now in Pakistan).A recent paper published in the Archaeometry Journal by I.L.Good, J.M.Kenoyer and R.H.Meadow, highlights new evidence based on microscopic analysis of archaeological thread fragments

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-25261890921468155712009-03-10T06:02:00.000-07:002010-04-22T04:48:01.184-07:00

Amazon recently released the second version of their ebook reader - Kindle 2. Here are my thoughts on the device:Kindle definitely got better with the new version. Major improvements: 1. The vertical menu bar went away. A joy stick replaced it - can access all parts of the screen 2. Thinner, looks very pleasing 3. The 'Next' and 'Prev' page buttons got smaller and better - no more accidental page

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-41932620127545369822009-03-05T06:27:00.000-08:002009-03-17T22:45:12.963-07:00

I guess when you dish it out, you have to take it back too.I had posted the same review (my post of yesterday) in www.Amazon.com and the author Michael Panzer responded: "Michael Panzner says:It appears that the "reviewer" is the CEO of California Software Co, an India-based company whose share price has collapsed 84% since January 2008. Based on past history, a near total wipeout like that

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-78864774723521910842009-03-04T12:09:00.000-08:002009-03-17T22:55:10.169-07:00

I normally hate to write bad reviews on books I read, but 'When Gaints Fall' by Michael Panzner raised my ire to a high degree.The book predicts the fall of America (I guess not a difficult prediction now) and then paints a picture of doom and gloom in the United States and the rest of the world. About ten to fifteen points (Fall of the U.S, De-globalization, Increasing violence & wars, Fall of

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-56740457598235937722009-02-28T18:15:00.000-08:002009-10-10T21:14:48.293-07:00

In Honor of "Raman Effect"Today (Feb 28) is celebrated in India as the National Science Day in honor of the discovery of the 'Raman Effect' by C.V.Raman on the same day in 1928. This won him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930.What is the Raman Effect?I found a simple explanation by Dr.Nirupuma Raghavan in India-Space portal.Check it out if you are interested : http://www.space-india.org/nr/

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-14540407717727475322009-02-06T21:27:00.000-08:002010-06-13T16:52:15.081-07:00

Door opens for Personal GenomicsWith the announcement this week by Complete Genomics Inc. that it will offer $5000 sequencing of a whole human genome (~3 billion base pairs) by mid-2009, the door is finally opening for Personal Genomics.This means in a few years, millions of people will be getting their genome fuly sequenced. Think about the huge opportunity not only for gene sequencing

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-85790625516592368712009-01-31T11:12:00.000-08:002009-03-17T23:00:03.212-07:00

A strong hypothesis for another UniverseDistant galaxies that are hurtling at high speeds towards the same patch of sky may be evidence that something very big lurks beyond our cosmic horizon, such another universe.Sasha Kashlinsky, a Senior Scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre at Maryland, has been studying how rebellious clusters of galaxies move against the backdrop of expanding

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-69531506871277184532009-01-24T11:15:00.000-08:002010-06-13T16:51:40.254-07:00

Geron Corp of Menlo Park, California finally won approval from U.S Federal Regulators to start the first trial of an experimental therapy derived from Human Embryonic stem cells (hESC) in patients with acute spinal cord injury . Geron will inject the cells into the spinal cords of 10 newly injured patients. At this point Geron's treatment only has a chance of success if it is administered within

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-55389849565032319902008-12-22T03:54:00.000-08:002009-07-31T18:40:38.488-07:00

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-79620092480257059032008-12-06T12:42:00.000-08:002009-10-10T21:17:00.151-07:00

Khajuraho in Madhyapradesh, India has a magnificent set of of medieval temples with  beautiful sculptures rivaling  Konarak in Orissa. Though more well known for the erotic sculptures, they consist only about 10% of the  sculptures here and that too more on the outer circles of each temple. Built between 900 and 1100 AD, there are about 25 temples (remaining out of the original 85), they are

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-83690047655602251712008-11-30T13:40:00.000-08:002009-10-10T21:17:00.152-07:00

Finally a book from Salman Rushdie that I could read and enjoy! I had tried a couple of his earlier works including the 'Midnight's Children' but found them too confusing and complex.The "Enchantress of Florence" is a wonderful story based in 16th century India during the time of Akbar the Great, the most well known Mughal emperor. The visitor from Florence, Italy comes to the Mughal court with a

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-38468270196752015612008-11-25T11:44:00.001-08:002009-03-17T23:02:11.416-07:00

A Canadian company, Element Four (http://www.elementfour.com/) claims to have developed a device called the Water Mill that can generate water from the atmosphere.The device, meant to be a home appliance works by drawing air through filters to remove dust and particles, then cooling it to just below the temperature at which dew forms. The condensed water is passed through a self-sterilising

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-35450696103106168012008-11-24T11:04:00.000-08:002009-03-17T23:56:53.840-07:00

If you ever visit Brussels, this is a museum that you should not miss. With over 1500 instruments covering ancient, traditional and modern music, this is a treat that is worth the time and effort – whether you are a music lover or not. Technology has been leveraged very well in the museum, with infrared headphones providing brief recordings of the instrument when you stand in front of it. No

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-91039301037563939792008-11-21T18:36:00.000-08:002009-03-17T23:04:12.143-07:00

( Abstract from Nature Magazine – 13th Nov 2008; Italics are mine)No kidding!. It is true – or as a wag would say “the thick die quick!”.It has been proved that Intelligence can predict mortality more strongly that body mass index, total cholesterol, blood pressure or blood glucose, and at a similar level to smoking.(Here Intelligence denotes scores from cognitive ability tests like IQ tests)But

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-14701999438352393862008-11-20T05:15:00.000-08:002010-04-22T04:53:25.261-07:00

I had dropped in at the American Society of Human Genetics Annual conference at Philadelphia mainly to understand what is happening in the exciting field of Genetics. The most impressive event for me was the presentation from the leading scientist Craig Venter on "My Genome".Some key points that struck me from his presentation:1. The variations in the genome between human beings are more than

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-57311257239881544662008-10-25T06:48:00.000-07:002009-10-10T21:17:00.152-07:00

I had read about the Helidorous pillar in Vidisha close to Sanchi, Madhya prdesh, India and was determined to see it when I visited Sanchi earlier this year.The Pillar may not look very impressive - but when you consider that it was erected in 100 BC and that too by a Greek (Heliodorous) who came as an ambassador from the Greek King of Takshashila to the court of King Bhagabhadra of Vidisha., you

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-28509895687985896212008-09-12T06:01:00.000-07:002009-10-10T21:17:00.152-07:00

Considering the furore in India over Rama's birthplace, I was expecting a lot more when I visited Hanuman's birthplace of Kishkinda (now Hampi in Karnataka). However the temple turned out to be a small cement shed on top of a mountain.  A good climb though of 600 odd steps.

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-8972576001038471172008-06-19T15:33:00.001-07:002009-03-17T23:07:00.600-07:00

This was a family trip during the Memorial Day week end last month - and it was wonderful! We never expected the Arches park and the adjacent Canyonlands Park to be so beautiful!! We had only two days there and I feel at least a week is needed to enjoy this place fully. A 4x4 would be ideal to tour the hundreds of miles of untarred roads....

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-42940444158819640562008-05-21T11:20:00.001-07:002010-04-22T04:57:59.842-07:00

The Impossible Explained.....A very good book for the physics enthusiast – especially the unique approach the author brings to the table. The author takes a good look at various phenomenon in science fiction such as ‘Force fields’, ‘Invisibility’, ‘Teleportation’, ‘Time Travel’, ‘Perpetual motion machines’ and so on and classifies them into Classes of 1 to 3. Class 1 impossibilities are those

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-78174389247762293862008-05-19T20:20:00.000-07:002010-04-22T04:48:01.185-07:00

I finally got my Kindle from Amazon last month. After a wait of about 45 days (since placing the order) it was exciting to take a look at one of the latest gadgets. I like the device - strong points are:1. Easy to read - very close to a book feeling2. Fast download of books from amazon.com3. Highlight and Note features are great4. The best one - you can download a sample chapter of each available

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-5812720171942247992008-04-07T17:09:00.000-07:002010-06-13T16:52:51.629-07:00

Blood Matters by Masha Gessen (Book Review)The book describes the journey of the author who is diagnosed with a genetic mutation that predisposes her to ovarian and breast cancer. As she fights personal battle, she also tries to explore the field of genetic testing, its implications as well as ethical considerations.The jacket cover of the book claims it is “a much needed field guide to this

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-55049789722251267952008-04-05T10:37:00.000-07:002009-10-10T21:17:00.153-07:00

Flattered to DeceiveFinally - a historical fiction book on `Rani of Jhansi' - a name which most Indians would remember as a legendary figure in the India's struggle for Independence from British occupation. Some might even recollect the picture of a queen on horseback with a sword in hand, from their history text book. But hardly anybody would know more - maybe you can blame the traditional

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-82194838412000165362008-03-13T04:41:00.000-07:002009-07-31T18:41:22.192-07:00

iFund™KPCB’s iFund™ is a $100M investment initiative that will fund market-changing ideas and products that extend the revolutionary new iPhone and iPod touch platform. The iFund™ is agnostic to size and stage of investment and will invest in companies building applications, services and components. Focus areas include location based services, social networking, mCommerce (including advertising

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-44248263362323184332008-03-13T04:38:00.000-07:002009-03-17T23:08:11.409-07:00

Apple Announces iPhone 2.0 Software BetaIncludes SDK & Built-in Microsoft Exchange ActiveSyncCUPERTINO, California—March 6, 2008—Apple® today previewed its iPhone™ 2.0 software, scheduled for release this June, and announced the immediate availability of a beta release of the software to selected developers and enterprise customers. The iPhone 2.0 beta release includes both the iPhone Software

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-71019124267730932042008-02-29T15:03:00.001-08:002009-03-17T23:54:42.183-07:00

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193458296606711097.post-59095048701974907952008-02-29T10:35:00.000-08:002010-11-05T22:07:58.216-07:00

Bush says US not headed into a recession !Fri Feb 29, 2:03 AM ETWASHINGTON - President Bush said Thursday the country is not recession-bound and, despite expressing concern about slowing economic growth, rejected for now any additional stimulus efforts. "We acted robustly," he said.

S (Sam) Santhoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09731800410706152641noreply@blogger.com0