Saturday, January 24, 2026
දේවාලවල කපුවන්
ලාංකික ගැහැනුන්
Origin of Zero as a Concept
Naturally CEYLON TEA-Positivi-TEA
This is about CEYLON TEA, the best Tea in this World which Queen Elizabeth enjoyed and endorsed.
I am not sure of the stance of King Charles III.
I decided to Go Zero Digitally (No Internet) last December but found it a daunting task having been an Internet Addict for over 15 years.
Blog activity was natural transition and I made it a point to “post unedited pieces to my friends” via emails expecting them to make some comments.
Feedback was good 10 years ago but it started declining when I took politics, religion and science by the head and tail and started questioning the rigid dogmas.
Mind YOU my original idea was to promote Linux and the site's name is Linux 100.
When I realized only 1% of the population use Linux (most of them were most likely / probably were more advanced than me in Linux environment), I slanted my activity to politics and last of all to satire.
I believe a lot did not like that change of character.
People want to hear one or their side of the way of thinking.
“Yes Men” mentality of politicians is an antithesis to my liking.
There is no alternative to “Thinking to Think” or “lateral thinking” of Professor De Bono’s philosophy.
My last post denounced all the institutions of rigidity as a preparation to “Go Digitally Zero”.
You may not hear from me (I am hibernating digitally) in the year 2017.
That does not mean I am dead and gone and my email is censored.
It only means I am in full retirement (Internet wise) gear.
Real reason is when (I am not a criminal, an ordinary guy) I realized, CIA, KGB, FBI, NSA, MI5 are snoozing on everybody’s (not only mine) email and social media activity, one is becoming a part of that clandestine scheme is not at all healthy for my soul.
If Internet is for the Secret Service I do not want to be a part of it.
I prefer a “Virtual Cloud” and my clientele is not big enough for such an activity.
My guess is millions of ordinary well versed people will join me in no time and would device alternative channels for communication (The Big Companies have already done it or are setting up their "Virtual Worlds”).
Read the content below which is 5 years OLD.
It has not improved but declined in quality and spirit.
A comment I copied from New York Times, 5 years ago.
My writing by accident coincided by good grace!
In the course of the volume the Internet is characterized as a cesspool, a porn store, a form of pinkeye, a raunchy fraternity, a graffiti–filled bathroom wall, a haven for sociopaths, and the breeder of online mobs who are no better than “masked Klan members” in their determination to “interfere with victims’ basic rights.”
Start with a little citation from Scientific American (Freedom in 2011 as opposed to 10,000 years back in evolution)
Big Caveat:
More freedom does not necessarily equal more happiness.
In fact, more choices may mean more confusion, mistakes, regret, even despair.
That is the irony at the heart of Jonathan Franzen’s latest novel Freedom (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2010).
I need to be brief in this essay.
If I do it as a lengthy academic or scientific exercise this piece has little currency in today’s world.
Yes you have the freedom to browse but how do you set about it in the first place?
One must ask a few questions from oneself before the click happy (instead of the trigger happy old world) finger of yours takes over your senses or in this current year 2011, your touch happy finger dictates your impulses.
Why I am browsing?
The list can be in the hundreds but one must chop it down to 3 or 4.
1. Is it for inspiration (that is my first choice)?
2. Is it for game (occupy the free time you have in a constructive and enjoyable way)?
3. Is it the reflex action (routine) you have become a slave of?
Let me explain my first choice for clarity.
We are a country which is emerging from a bitter conflict of prehistoric value and still have not got rid of the ancient and vibrant hate philosophy (my creation of a concept – how hate operates and perpetuates hate into all spheres of activity and faculties) and failed to be actively engaged in this present moment of welcome freedom (all sides to the conflict are to be blamed) constructively.
So as an escape mechanism to avoid internalization of the conflict and forgive and forget philosophy to take root, I used the Internet constructively to promote Linux (Live CDs mainly).
Then I scanned the statistics to see only 1% used Linux (it is less than one 1% in this country) in the year 2010.
Can this 1% have an impact in changing world?
The answer I leave it open for the time being and I want to raise this question again few years later.
I put my experience first.
The one 1% of Linux enthusiast contributed more than I wished for in the year 2010.
At the year end, I was very happy I had ample time to explore new frontiers.
Writing of this piece is a valid endorsement of that fact.
I am inspired in spite of the small percentage points in statistics.
So inspiration is a relative thing, the problem comes when one tries to assess it quantitatively instead of qualitative empowerment.
Even at worse of times, one can achieve the targets if the target is simple.
It is getting lengthy and I am off the target a bit but this preamble is necessary to summarize the plausible approach to resist the Internet's preoccupation and temptations.
One should have few questions set, before you press the finger on Enter button.
The questions should be relevant in age, time, place and person.
If the browsing habit does not give correct yes or no answers to the questions, set out in the first place, it is the onus of the free individual to resit the temptation and switch off the computer.
Without over reacting.
This is not easy.
This has to be done in early ages and in school.
I browsed somewhat restricted sites (Linux mainly and in this specialized area also there are hackers who invade one's privacy and install scripts to hack a system.
I have not found a single tool in the entire web world (except the advice to parents and users) that let a child or kid would not enter into deep water.
This can be accomplished in a game like manner when one is entering the underworld of Internet.
I have some devices thought about that would work on a child friendly and inspirational way.
This is not the place to write more about that but to state firmly that it can be done without much a do, if the adults are ready to take leadership in this arena.
But I should end up with a warning for adult over 55 years (let me say early retirees who are looking for part time jobs or some pre-occupations) they can be gullible target audience for insinuation and luring to porn sites.
They are waiting there for you to register at a site and with your e-account (can be used for blackmail ploy, if one is married or is engaged).
Some teenagers are using the same tactics to lure children and bully them, too.
If an adult get caught, I have no sympathy.
You ought to have been wiser but we should not let Internet destroy some of our unsuspecting kids who are using their natural instinct of exploration to expand their inner world.
I say we should actively develop mechanisms instead of dishing out only warning and advice.
Comment I copied from today’s New York Times.
My writing by accident coincided by good grace!
In the course of the volume the Internet is characterized as a cesspool, a porn store, a form of pinkeye, a raunchy fraternity, a graffiti–filled bathroom wall, a haven for sociopaths, and the breeder of online mobs who are no better than “masked Klan members” in their determination to “interfere with victims’ basic rights.”.
Pigs are Our Cousins
These are little things that will be prohibited to teach in schools in Ceylon, soon.
Pigs are very similar to humans in genome study.
They look after their young in the wild.
There is hierarchy dominated by mum like in the elephant family.
They are not ferocious as depicted in the wild boar clan.
They keep clean if left to their own devises.
They are an intelligent species to tolerate (not the pig eaters) humans and their survival in a increasingly hostile planet where elephants with big brain fail is a dilemma.
Their intelligence and brain size are similar to the comparison of dolphins to humans.
Why god created pigs and hate ham is open to question for some religions.
The miniature Wuzhishan Pig is extensively inbred and individuals are genetically similar.
Its small size makes it easy to handle and useful for medical research.
The studies identified 112 positions in the genome where pig protein has the same amino acid that is implicated in a human disease.
This supports the use of pig in studies on human diseases. Some of the protein aberrations that pigs share with humans are associated with obesity, diabetes, dyslexia, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
This understanding of the genetic origins of modern pigs is important for their breeding and to find new ways to deal with old and emerging diseases.
Happy People
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Happy People
I just got into a happy mood and decided to do a survey of happy jobs.
I have listed two of them and two unspecified jobs.
In my life, I have gone through many jobs mentioned here but none of them made me really happy.
I became happy by leaving an unhappy job and finally became totally happy when I retired.
So one way to be happy is to leave an unhappy job.
You cannot do that if you have kids.
To be single as long as one can manage is another way to be happy.
So when you get married do not expect to get happiness as a bonus.
One thing good about marriage is one can share unhappiness with similarly unhappy partner.
It is actually a good therapeutic to know there are other unhappy people.
Let me give an example when India loses in cricket we become happy knowing there are 2 billion unhappy Indians.
It
does not work other way round, since there are only 20 millions unhappy
people on this side of the Palk Straight, when we lose.
Small is beautiful in one way or the other.
Come back to my analysis there are no lawyers, judges or bankers in the happy list.
I will leave you to work out why they are unhappy.
One clue is they make happy people unhappy.
1. Judge gives a judgment against you.
2. Lawyer takers the money and make you lose the case.
3. Bankers give you an unwieldy loan, the first time you meet them which cannot be paid in your life time.
If you are in a happy job make sure that you never meet the above three in your life.
Come to think about it, I feel animals are much happier than humans.
1. In my opinion happiness is a relative concept.
2. I prefer the neutral perspective (neither happy nor unhappy).
3.
It is a spontaneous reaction of well being related to some volition
(action) that makes the mind recharges itself but unfortunately, one
wants more and more of it (food, alcohol, nicotine, cigarettes).
4. This urge for more brings in a cycle of unhappiness.
That is why I say happiness is relative concept.
5. There are rearrangements of happy and unhappy networks and chemicals in one's brain.
6.
Feeling down is part of the cycle (one should not change with
drugs-unless insight is lost) some have long happy periods and short
unhappy cyccles.
It is like day and night.
7. Sleep (not
induced by alcohol or drugs) is the one that interrupts this cycle and
rejuvenate the brain neurotransmitter activity.
8. First five
minutes after waking up in the morning, is the most important period, we
generally mess it up by going for coffee or tea (some alcohol) or
opening up an argument.
9. One should use this five minutes, even
while brewing the tea, for moment meditation (react with the water that
is cold, boils and makes a fine cuppa) or Metta meditation.
10. If one cultivates the above, on a regular basis, creativity returns to your life.
Every day becomes a happy day at least for five minutes.
That is the beginning.
But if you can be neither happy nor unhappy, that is the Gold Standard.
This is my son's recommendation.
He said when he was only 7 years old.I think I should list the people who are not in the lists below first.
Not in the List
1. Sportsmen and Women
2. Comedians
3. Cartoonists
4. Satirists
5. Bankers
6. Lawyers
7. Judges
9. Politicians
10. Priests
Happy Jobs
1. Engineer
2. Hairdresser/Barber
3. Teacher
4. Nurse
5. Marketers and PR People
6. Medical Practitioner
7. Gardener
8. Scientist
9. Plumber
10. Personal Assistant
No. 1 Principal
No. 2 Executive Chef
No. 3 Loan Officer
No. 4 Automation Engineer
No. 5 Research Assistant
No. 6 Oracle Database Administrator
No. 7 Website Developer
No. 8 Business Development Executive
No. 9 Senior Software Engineer
No. 10 Systems Developer
Construction worker
Personal assistant
Unhappy Jobs
No. 1 Security Guard
No. 2 Merchandiser
No. 3 Salesperson
No. 4 Dispatcher
No. 5 Clerk
No. 6 Research Analyst
No. 7 Legal Assistant
No. 8 Technical Support Agent
No. 9 Truck Driver
No. 10. Customer Service Specialist
Drinking Alcohol
Drinking Alcohol
What is irritating is to define what is called peg in drinking terminology.
It varies from locality to locality.
In standard, Ceylonese Bar a peg is 100 grams.
I now realize it is 100ml not in grams and alcohol is less heavier than water and selling it by weight is an economic catastrophe for the vendor.
In good old days of my drinking habits, I pay Rs. 200/= for half a peg or 50 grams.
When one peg went up to Rs.420/= (including 10% VAT), under Mangala Smaraweera, I abruptly stopped drinking.
Nowadays, they DO NOT dish out less than 150 grams which is equivalent to Rs.630/= (including 10% VAT), in total.
With an omelette, a portion of chips and the tip to the bar tender, it went up to Rs.1000/=.
A pensioner cannot afford.
Mind you VAT has gone up to 18% under NPP/JVP.
In the context of alcohol consumption, the number of "pegs" equivalent to one standard drink varies depending on the size of the peg and the specific alcoholic beverage.
However, a standard drink is defined as 10 grams of pure alcohol, according to the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
In many places, a standard peg of spirits is considered to be 30ml, which is approximately one standard drink.
Assuming each 10ml contained 3.33 grams of alcohol.
However, larger "double" or "Patiala" pegs can be 60ml or even 80ml, containing more than one standard drink.
In Australia, a standard drink is defined as 10 grams of pure alcohol.
A standard peg of spirits, such as whisky or vodka, is often 30ml, but larger pegs can be 40ml, 60ml, or even 80ml.
The alcohol content (ABV) of the beverage also plays a role in determining how many standard drinks it contains. For example, a 30ml peg of 40% ABV whisky contains roughly one standard drink.
The size of a peg can vary by the region and even by the type of establishment serving the alcohol.
To determine how many pegs equal one standard drink, you would need to know:
The size of the peg (in ml or fluid ounces).
The ABV (alcohol by volume) of the specific alcoholic beverage.
My problem is after the first peg my mathematical brain goes to hibernation and I miss all my calculations.
However, I make a point to take some food home and wait until I am fully sober.
The bottom line is after, I stopped drinking completely, in about 9 months my memory improved by 90%.
The 10% loss I contribute to the effects of age.
I used to look only at the alcohol content of the beverage and 20% was the upper limit.
I think VSOA is 36.8%.
750 ml costs Rs.4,400/= currently.
It was Rs1000/= for 750ml bottle but one gets a refund of RS.250/= for the bottle.
At the Drum Bar in Kandy the minimum dish out was Rs.350/= of unadulterated alcohol from the barrel.
I know all these things since all the Three Wheeler drivers were given a bonus of 500 or 750ml bottle at the end of the job in addition to the trip fare. They can drink only after dropping me at home.
If I did contest a local elections I was sure of their vote.
I cheated all of them saying that I am going to contest the Presidential Election.
Only one of my Engineer friends told me point blank, that I was cheating.
My long term memory is intact and it is the short term memory that is fading.
Even, if I take a single peg on a birth day party I cannot go to sleep as usual.
I think it induces ketosis in me.
If my memory of 1975 copy of General Pathology of Walter and Israel is correct, even a single peg causes ketosis for over 8 hours.
1. Ketosis
2. Alcoholic Hepatitis
3. Cirrhosis
Only 10 to 20% of chronic alcoholic become cirrhotic and I hope one is on the 80% category.
My bottom line analysis is that human beings had been drinking alcohol over millions of years and only the one who could resist alcohol damage survived over evolution.
Incidentally, they banned updating General Pathology by Walter and Israel.
Only update after that in Medical History is my book on "Joys of Alcohol" at Amazon Book Store. It is selling OK in Americas.
I stand to correction of any other publications, beside my book.
Above comments include a few facts that I could not record and missing in my book.
In short, excessive alcohol consumption is a significant risk factor for liver damage and reducing or eliminating alcohol intake is crucial for recovery.
Do not believe on the capacity of the liver to heal or regenerate.
PS.
I was revising an article on Growth Hormone and its effects.
To enjoy the effects of HGH on health and metabolism one needs a robust Liver.
Liver produces a Insulin Like Growth hormone or Somatotrophin and this response is retarded in alcoholics.
It is easy Get Lost in Ceylon
It is easy Get Lost in Ceylon