11. How to forward a dead man's (women excluded) email

11. How to forward a dead man's (women excluded) email

Internet is a bustling with activity and it has spawned new avenues for recreation. 
I have been specially appointed from both Apaya and Devlova (Heaven) to coordinate activities and I have been asked to formulate a formula to prevent Apaya MySQL Web Server getting jammed.

As an initial remedy I have instructed them to have new server for Sri-Lanakns but Apaya does not want to vandalize limited resources on Sri-lanka and that is why they need a special formula.

Since I am in regular contact with Sackra's assistant which I have from the time of registration of Hela Urumaya as a political party (that appointment was to give a resume of all Hela Urumaya voters who gets a call of nature through Devaleys before their demise).

Sacra himself handles the party stalwarts and he does not believe their own well cooked up resumes leave alone any comments that I have made about them in web publications. 
Unlike Apaya. They have enough memory in all the servers with my good offices I have made an arrangement to provide a server on IMF loan facility to Hell which can be paid back while in hell to Apaya accounts.

You may wonder how I got the appointment. 
On merit and that is due to my intense interest in Linux and the number of publication in the web by any Sri-Lankan. 
They have just typed asoka and linux and lately asokaplus and got hold of my web counting. 
Then they have looked at the impact it made in Sri-Lanka which was almost zero and connected me wirelessly to ask why this discrepancy.

I promptly said I publish only in English to which they said why don't you make an attempt to improve English. I said Sir I am doing it right now  by writing  and that is the reason for me posting in the web.

They were quite happy with my answers but said your extensions will be based on your daily writings and that is why I have to post at least one a day at wordpress.

When I was at writeclique it was once in three days and at Google once in 2 to 3 days and now once a day like a poor National  News Paper Editors.

I am told by the Web Administrator of the Apaya (Hell in English) a new super powered Server to handle the demand for Sri-Lankans was installed this year (immigrants specially from Colombo 7, Hela Urumaya type who sell electricity for an exorbitant price -they have a special sub-system for Hela Urumaya).

Nobody can contact the President and the Head of Apayas since he is 24 hour on call and cannot sleep.

He was elected recently unanimously without a contest and he can go for re-election at lib.
 
His crime was sleeping while on call  duty at President's Office and giving false promises to the visitors and giving false statements to a judicial inquiry (perjury not punished here).

You may wonder what is the difference between becoming head of Apaya or Devlova.

Sackra has four hours of sleep and he can delegate some of activities to the assistant and the assistant can delegate it to me. It looks as if one becomes a President of this country he can easily take up a position in Apaya since there are no delegated activities now in Apaya and super-computers have taken over mankind (beingskind- a new word coined by me for Apaya use) there.

My duty is ease to forward dead man's emails either to Apaya or Devlova or safe house in between for scrutiny. 
By doing that all email holding companies will benefit by releasing their precious space for new comers.
I am currently doing the test run on the formula I have developed on Senior Ministers' profiles (I am due bound not to disclose test runs to the person while they are alive) on my computer and it got stuck due to overload and may have to update the RAM and speed. 

Unfortunately I am not paid any allowances even though I requested 10% on testing and another 50% on running.

If you have any suggestion please forward it to me without any delay so that I can include them on the revised version. 
I have decided  not to make the formula public since the Central Bank of Ceylon (Now SIRI LANKA) and IMF would get bright ideas to change roles and divest their energies in Apaya Investment Limited (newly formed company by me).

Mind you there is a vacancy for-How to forward a dead woman's email post- any man or woman can apply bypassing me. 

Details are at Apaya Investment Limited website, if it is in operation without any untoward attack by Sri-Lankan Government.

Mind you I did not tell the Apaya Web Admin that there is cloud computing on the offing thinking that they might reserve space on cloud farms for future use and we might not have anything left for poor souls like me.

9.We are all at Sea when Clouding

9.We are all at Sea when Clouding
Even though I am very supportive of Cloud Computing as a concept and also would not like to be negative in response at least in the early stages of implementation, I have at least 3 reservations.

It is time for me to pen them now since necessary precautions can be implemented from the very beginning of its general use.

Number one is as regard to children. 
With a Google Chrome OS children are given license to browse the internet without supervision or safeguards. 
This is the same reservation I raised with Linux for Kids live CDs. 
These educational Live Linux CDs let one browse the internet without any record or a trace of the places browsed in the internet.
    If that is not bad enough the children lose their identity or the identity may be hijacked and children could be lured using word like play and fun. 

Somebody else (not the adults intended) may use netbook (child) under the pretext of the owner.
The data that is stored outside of the personal computer even though encrypted can be used for commercial activities and government can access them under the pretext of security and one loses the privacy.
These three points alone should be deterrents for children to have netbooks without parental and or teacher control.

When  we design Cloud Computer Atmosphere that should be within intranet not widely link to the internet as primary precaution in school environment.

8. Small is beautiful

8. Small is beautiful

This country is going through what I called the Mega Mania Memorabilia Syndrome or the 3 M Syndrome. 

It reminds me of a famous American company who markets little medical equipment and utilities including steristrips and steritapes (sterile material that could be taken from a pack and use directly (wrapped cleanly) without any fear of contamination) which I used to bring from abroad and introduce them here some years back.

One cannot find them, even in a good pharmacy in this country now.

In actual fact one cannot find a sterilized dab (swab) of cotton wool leave alone a sanitary towel (sterilization can be easily accomplished by UV light) for females for a reasonable price. 

This company in addition to doing small things right produce an array of stethoscopes for doctors. 
I should remind you doctors are minority in any country but doing small things right this company makes healthy profit year round.

We can presently do the proper sterilization only in a major hospital and send the packs to the periphery in unhygienic condition and by the time it reaches the user it probably needs re-sterilization.

Come this country we cannot find any good product (except coconut coir) with coconuts or rubber (it used to be Ceyesta, the combination of coconut coir and rubber that was almost number one in the world) but - fiesta should be its revival name for researching back to the roots of our inventions in the past.

We seem to be not doing small; things right.

When we fell a tree 4 trees should be planted to take its place.

What we do is we fell 10,000 trees a day and plant one tree a day on a tree planting day and never look after the sapling till next important birthday to come and clean the same pot hole and replant another.

This is country known for looking after a Bo Tree for over 2500 years ( in the last 100 years by putting milk on a Poya day we destroy the roots of that Bo Tree very well looked after for 2500 years) and cannot care for a sapling for one year and that is also left to school children on a particular day not on a daily basis like when we were kids. 
We used to grow with the trees and that metaphor was with us in our entire life that is why I am still a naturalist and an environmentalist to the bone marrow of my thinking. 

It is not like that in our children and politicians.

They are good at rhetoric!

I can go on and on but suffice is to say we have to do small things right before we think of Mega Mania.

We must stop becoming 3 Ms but look at how the 3M company come to stay and remain there, ever since.

It may be one's spouse or head master or the all powerful boss at work place but the companion /worker/cohort should shed his or her fear of the boss and do little thing to make the others life happy.

Equally the all powerful boss should stop dishing out rhetoric and do at least little thing to make one's subordinate happy.

This is what we call in business management keep one's internal customers happy, then the external customers get a good deal for money.

This is a country where in the private sector did not increase the minimum wage for over a decade under the pretext of on going war.

We talk of sympathy and empathy but it is all bunkum!

 

7. Why I do not use a cell phone?

7. Why I do not use a cell phone

I have more than 100 reasons why I do not have or use a cell phone.

I will list them as they come to my mind but not in any order of priority,

As an intern I hated a call since it meant, a batch of new arrival of small kids have arrived in absolutely appalling condition. 
Some of them fitting due to low blood sugar nearing zero. 

In fact I had 8 to 10 kids whose blood sugar and CSF sugar zero (exactly 40 years ago).
 
The government at that time told the public it was encephalitis and I proved them wrong without even my medical registration completed. 
Then when  6 months later when I went to collect my own data they had disappeared mysteriously from, medical records. 
Then what I did subsequently, I have to pen down in a latter date of my life nearing my death.

One thing was sure leave the Public Sector Health Service and I was glad I did that and if you read Dengue Dilemma elsewhere in my writings and one can easily guess it. 

It has deteriorated in quality even though it expanded in number.
 
As a doctor I hated bad news on telephone. 

We rarely hear good news when on duty. 

Later in life when cell phone came, I believed in CPP (Calling Party Pays) and flatly refused a cell phone

It is a public nuisance!

It is a nuisance when the cell phone owner has switched it off  when you really needed him/her.

When you travel on a public transport one cannot have a snooze to drown the inconvenience with frequent interruption. 

I love silence in public places. 

Even though I don't use it I have to foot the bill (kids telephone bills).

No work get done in public offices. 

They are busy answering their private call of nature and it is more frequent than real call of nature.

I think it is enough for today but I will add more on  future date when I run short of a topic to write.

5. Addiction

5. Addiction
 
There are many  addiction in our lives.
 
And that addiction varies from person to person and my addiction is if not computers it is certainly Linux. 
It based on innovation and knowledge.
It is also has strong political and social motives. 

It is copyright and exploitation. 
 
If I say I am not politically motivated it is not true. 
Any social activity has political roots, so is mine.

It used to be an addiction (not me) of our voters to go and vote and upset the apple cart of power brokers. 

It is no more any more.
 
The area basis and proportional representation has changed the electoral system and body politics upside down.

Almost 48% did not vote at the last general election.

And many more won't turn up this time around, allowing the people who manipulate voting to have a field day, including the counters doing the counting.

Even we have and electronic system of voting the followers of the  powerful parties will find a way to engineer something marvelous to get the result they anticipate well in advance of the day of the elections. 

Even the polling of surveys could be engineered  the way one asks the question and present the data,

With all these facts the voters are beginning to ask the question is it worth the exercise?

The answer is in the negative.
Then who is addicted with polling and elections?

There is a very simple answer.

It is the one who is elected.

It is he/she who gets the image bloated.

Voter get deflated soon after and the promises disappear into thin air,

The vicious cycles begins another round.

This time it has come to spoil the Cricket World Cup.

Average voter want some escape route. 

I am pretty sure it won't be acceded by the powerful and the one who wields the clout.

It is another “Merry Go Round” in this country in which people have lost humour and ability to laugh at the selfish self-oneself.

4. Temptation

4. Temptation

It is time for me to approach the internet activity in totally different perspective.

I was one who was hooked to the computer over the past 18 months to promote one single addiction of mine.

That is to promote Live CDs except Ubuntu (nothing against Ubuntu and it is doing a yeoman service to Linux and the Open source Community).
 
My antipathy for Ubuntu is based on few basic infrastructure details which are fundamental to Linux.

One is root logging. 
That is dropping the root (administrator protocol) and using sudo instead. Having used to old ways of Linux with solid security management, this I consider still a big oversight. After seeing WiKiLeaks and the security leaks and leeches I am more than  convinced my reservation is well founded and substantive now than before.

It can be corrected easily with few changes in the scripts and tool kits and libs and I hope in the coming year the Canonical will look into my grouse.
Having said that it is not the intention of this piece of writing.

The intention is far more academic and contemporary.
 
For a starter internet is basically for luring and attracting the kids and the young. 
Old people because their inability and resistance to change are actually not reaping the full benefits of it especially in the East.

Its content is not scrutinized according to the age and maturity.

It becomes a way of life and an addiction.
It gives way to a deprivation syndrome and people tend not to read or critically analyze contents with the false belief that, it is in the web and it got to be true.

I can go on and on but I think my point should be clear without any more elaboration.

My intention here is how we can resit the temptation not to indulge in excess and make creative ways to make the user understand the logic of its use in moderation.

My next piece will be on intuitive ways to make the kids collaborate with my philosophy but it will be useful to adults too.

3. An Advertisement

3. An Advertisement
 
For an advertisement to be taken note of,  it has to be only 3 words of some impact, nothing more or nothing less.
 
Either it is,
I love it
Or
I hate it, with some superlative starting with letter F....

Otherwise what one pays for is waste and goes down the gutter!
 
That is why people hate internet advertising and why internet is not contributing to productivity in a sustainable way.

Thing about it in the coming year.

Internet has lot of traps and I have discovered many daring omissions and this has made me to focus on few more aspects in the coming days and weeks, if there is time I can spare and write.

2. Twitter

2. Twitter
 
One should be able to send a message in 140 characters which will fly fast in the internet.
 
I try it hard but sometimes fail but then I still try harder to get my message across.
 
If one cannot get the message in time and 100 characters it is lost.
 
Brevity and light weight (Flash and Media are heavy and slow and insult to human intelligence) is the key if one wants to keep pace with one's computer and the fast moving world of action.

1. Email

I am going to serialize few items of archived writing for posterity, since I have gone beyond 1000 pieces (they were not included, by accident)

1. Email
 
If one has less emails to open and more to redirect or forward, I consider that one is starting the day with flying colours. 
But if you fail to say even Hi (send a reply note) if not Haaih or Cheers  and reply immediately, I feel one has failed in true inner connectivity.

Email is not a dustbin but a powerful media that we misuse and reuse.

I get thousands of emails and developed a good technique of filtering and answering which I learned as a kid in school which were were taught to us by our teachers.

Never fail to answer a friends call lest you lose him for good.

Now I see some of my friends after decades of hibernation in foreign soil come back and try to re-establish connections which were strong while we we here.

Moment one goes abroad he/she learns the bad habit of selfishness (Western value) inner attachment.

The stock market crisis is the manifestation of that selfishness and greed.

Dragon Fly my Exotic Visitor, Now

Dragon Fly my Exotic Visitor, Now

On the days, I am off (yesterday being a working holiday, for me) I do a morning check up of the days events in my roof top garden.

First the number of flowers, especially water plants.

It is strange even the water plants flower when there is scarcity of water or from the roots/shoots that are terrestrial.

Even the flowers are different, when blooming under terrestrial conditions.

Probably because, the Co2 content is higher in air than in water.

Then, I look at the birds.

Not really their scat or droppings.

They bring exotic plants to my experimental roof top garden.

I love the scat.

I remember I had a direct hit from crow's ballistic dropping on my vertex with very little hair, knowing very well there is BO (papal) seeds in them (in fact there was one), I carefully embedded the white and precious (due to BO seed) dropping between two layers of tissue paper (I carry this not to wipe my face but to collect seeds that lands on my vertex) and brought it home and planted it in a special pot.

But my experiment was failure of first degree.

Perhaps my intention was in direct violation of BBS protocol, their shit coming from frontal end, though.

I did not give up but have retrieved two papal saplings and they are potted with Japanese method.

I am going to plant one of them, on the burial site of my dog, since my dog will be venerated by that act and he will look after it from heaven (I am pretty sure his upward movement is always godly, and never Sir-Lanka).

All my previous dogs are, in heaven and one of them is Maha's (Chief of Gods) assistant who is looking after his interests, currently

By the way, real Maha is on a long vacation of eons.

Then after the dropping or the scat is / are carefully scrutinized, I venture into the exotic guys.

Dragon fly and their newts are my favorite.

Butterflies are now about five.

But dragon fly only an occasional blue one.

Toady, I noticed a brown black dragon fly with a fringe of white around in its wing, at the periphery.

It was a beautiful guy.

It overshadowed, the grasshoppers and giant mantis, who visit my garden in the late evening.

They come to mate and lay eggs on my mini water garden.

That was an exciting news for my 1000^th blog piece.

Thank YOU, Google for your generosity.

Most of my Yahoo emails are tampered by default.

God only knows by whom?

I think the goons employed by the government, mostly Chinese who cannot understand my English with idioms.

But the real top guys come from India by Minhin (Hemin and Horen) Lanka from Seychelles, during presidential elections.

They know how to crack the jackpot of election's digital material.

It is called Gil Mart PLC, a Public Limited Company of Sir-Lanka, with very high stock market rating.

If you have money, and is a computer hacker by profession, please invest your ill gotten money on this Public Private Venture capital.

You need not do hacking afterward.

Give the job to a Linux guy like me.

By the way, Kali (new version) the Devil Queen is out just now for guys who are paranoid, in the opposition.

Linux without a TV Card Functionality.

Linux without a TV Card Functionality.

Linux has done everything possible in the IT World but it has failed me in one thing.
I have many TV cards working on Linux.
It may be due to various countries not providing the channels and band widths.
It is also due to OEM guys not giving the hardware specifications.
Now I use the TV Box (not the card) directly attached to the LCD monitor.
I do not use Windows and that is the only option I have in this pat of the world.
I am not sure how TV cards behave in other parts of the world.
I hope a Linux Guru or Linux Magazine or Linux Format write an article on this important issue.
I actually do not watch TV in my country.
None of their programs interest me but almost 99% of the guys and girls are TV addicts.
I even do not watch cricket but mind you I watched all the 69 football matches.
Who says, I am not a sports' crazy guy, even in my twilight years.
I am no crazy with politics (even though I pen my frustrations at times here) but our politicians who are capable any lie under the sun has ruined our interest.
It is true for ant average citizen but the crime of not getting interested in politics is the rig the elections left, right and center and the stupid opposition is impotent in mounting a revival, reversal or reprieve of the ailing system.

What does 'DSLR Linux' mean?

What does 'DSLR' Linux mean?

DSL remake or "Digital Single Lens reflex".

My choice is the latter, being a pathologist, having used outdated monocular microscope to digital microscope in my life time a Linux Distribution with a name tag Lens attached, if not outrageous, is a welcome change.

In the same sense I love the name Google Glass for a camera which is the other end of the Lens architecture and nomenclature.

Other reason is it is based on DSL, Damn Small Linux, under 50 MiB.

I love small is beautiful concept.

Then my favorite I Puppy Linux.

I entered into Linux in my twilight years unlike Linus and Knoppix.

I also believe that the teacher learns more from the student, rather than other way round, especially at the University Level, if not in the kindergarten.

DSLR is two steps forward from DSL and Puppy and the developer has done extremely clever integration into a single iso image all the utilities to start Linux from scratch.

Linux from scratch is in its 7.5 version is not a iso image but the full technical know how to build a Linux distribution from scratch.

That is the third step.

Mind you this is for developer guys but a normal user can start getting a hang of make up files and Linux.

Documentation is succinct and useful.

Other important issue is it is built on 64 bits.

I have not tried it since, I still use an old computer.

I will be migrating to 64 bit to save energy and electricity bill but that will be in my retirement endeavour.

It is not going to be small as DSL but it is small enough to be called light weight.

I think any guy or girl interested in Linux should give it try and write a thesis or blog piece of one's experience.

Hats off these clever guys who always think differently.

They a not reinventing the wheel.

They are really investing on the huge Linux base.

Thank you guys and girls of Digital Single Lens Reflex.

Sugar on a Stick and Lernstick

Sugar on a Stick and Lernstick

I learned about Lernstick from Linux Magazine.

It is probably based on Sugar on a Stick base and they are selling it at an exorbitant price per USB, which is unbecoming of the developers involved in corporate businesses, using open software and selling it and making money.

Thank you Linux Magazine for exposing the facts, without expressly, implying what (that is pretty diplomatic) I am saying NOW.

It is OK this is done in Switzerland and if they do it in the developing world, they will receive Bricks and Bats (not cricket bats of course) and could not do so.

It gives a bad taste in my mouth.

I tried to download the image from the sites (mentioned in the magazine) and was unable to do so.

That is also a pretty awkward / ugly violation of the Free Software Foundation, “spirit and enterprise”.

USB flash drives with Live Lernstick distro deliver educational software in schools.

This what (not the magazine) a web site says about it and would not mention the above remarks.

I am amazed.

The Lernstick is a Debian live-image based distribution which can be booted off a DVD or USB stick. It is being developed by the School for Teacher Education at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland specifically to support computing applications in schools. The standard distribution includes a lot of applications useful for this educational context, both learning apps and standard productivity tools.

The idea behind Lernstick is to give students a personalized and customizable Linux system they can carry with them (even if it's only the disk) and use it on any standard PC hardware available to them. Switzerland having one of the highes per-capita penetration of PCs (over 85% as of 10 years ago), chances are, that most students would have access to a PC either at school, at home or both. However these PCs would most likely be running windows, be locked down and not allow or encourage tinkering and experimentation with the computing platform itself which is so important to get students beyond being simply users.

Captain Cook masterminded his "Timing and Batting"

Captain Cook masterminded his Timing and Batting

They say class is permanent and form may have temporary setbacks.

Two examples are Mahela and Sanga.

They go through patches of bad form but when they come back, they come back in style.

I think Cook as a batsman is a Class Act.

He knows it and poor English commentators should “Eat the humble Pie, NOW.

What the selectors should do is to find him a partner, and possibly make him come, one down.

One does not send the best batman to guillotine, first up especially when the guy is out of form.

There is a lot to learn from Mahela and Suaga.

Not only they are friends but complement each other.

Poor Captain Cook does not have good pal to comfort him in the thick of things and in the field.

I am writing this before he gets his ton.

Whether he gets his ton or not, Iwil always watch him play.

I say you won't see a guy like Mahela for another 20 years but watch him play all the “wrist-ky” play for a few moments, even he makes only 30 runs.

This phrase is applied to Sanga too, but with a little revision, watch when you are in 70 to 80 and do not get out to a part time baller.

Getting run out, I do not blame.

Your legs are “achy backy” at thirties.

The last phrase applies to Captain Cook, too.

Do not let him run a lot.

He is a big guy unlike Mahela and Sanga, and has to carry a Big Frame on his legs.

Straight Back Syndrome of Mine

Straight Back Syndrome of Mine

 

This description has no relationship to the medical conditions stated below.

Fortunately my initial are also S.B. and I am known to be a genetically predisposed be having a straight back aggravated by my early childhood sports activities.

It started to dawn on me that, I have had several minor spinal stress fractures.

They started affecting me in my internship.

As a kid I could touch my toes with hands by bending (while keeping the back straight).

I have long legs particularly suitable for short distance running and jumping.

I noticed that I was losing this ability gradually while in the university.

I did lot of long jump and hop step and jump as part of my training ending with military drill around the university track daily.

I never practiced short distance running in the track.

I did that with my dog around the lake of Kandy.

My dog was my trainer.

I could never beat him and I had the leash to restrain him when I needed to catch my breath and rest.

On the days (over the weekend) I wasn't in the campus, I did my running with the dog. My dog was perfect companion and sporting match and wizard. Unfortunately, dog died tragically when I went away for my internship. I should have taken him with me.

I won't tell you the story, I was told about its death.

I still believe it was cooked up story to pacify my anger.

He died due to his separation from its dearly loved master companion.

There was nobody to take him round the lake.

I did not have a dog for nearly 25 years after this episode.

My campus dog (called the lone ranger) and roommate of course lasted the full life cycle since I handed over the dog to Nicholus Uncle who was our physiology technician.

He was there even when I returned from UK, in good condition.

My Straight Back Syndrome started affecting me in my internship with constant back pain. I did not give up sporting activity but continued on badminton and table tennis and never running and long jump.

Over time with heat treatment (we did not have warm hydrotherapy) and constant alert and avoidance of further damage, I was without pain in about four years.

But my back became straight and I cannot touch my toes as I used to do as a kid.

This gave me an added advantage and good stead. 

I never bend down even to a politician. 

Also I never go with bended knees like an average Sri-Lanka. 

When, I went abroad, it was very useful.

All Asians, who are vociferous in front of the local voters go bended back and knees when in Western countries. 

I always kept my back straight in front of white men well over 6 foot 6 inches and most of them thought, I was smart and I never told anybody, I had a stiff back probably due to spinal fractures or the straight back syndrome. 

 But I regularly went for hydrotherapy which was available free in hospitals, there. Now my back does not bend to even monks of BBS. leave alone, the politicians. Below are medical explanations.

Flat Back Syndrome

Spinal Curvatures

The human spine has natural curvatures.

When you look at a back from behind, the spine should be straight and centered over the pelvis. However, when you look at the spine from the side, the curves are designed to maintain balance as the spine is behind organs in the chest and abdomen.

The spine has two alternating curves to create an “S” like shape.

In the neck and low back there is normally an inward curvature or sway back known as lordosis.

In the thoracic spine and sacrum there is an outward curvature known has kyphosis or hunchback. These curves normally balance out each other so that when the patient stands they are well balanced with their head straight above their hips when viewed from the side.

Standing in this position minimizes the effect of gravity and allows the patient to stand with the best posture and use the least energy when moving or walking.

Flat back syndrome is an abnormal condition where the spine loses its natural low back curve to become flat. The spine becomes imbalanced and the patient leans forward. Patients with flat back syndrome typically notice troubles standing upright or have ongoing back or leg pain. Symptoms usually worsen as the day goes on and the patient feels they lean further and further forward the longer they try to stand upright. The severity of the symptoms usually depends on the amount of curvature present and difficulties with standing erect.

In patients with flat back syndrome, a loss of normal lumbar curvature causes an imbalance of the spine. The patient’s head begins to lean forward, away from the body and they may have trouble standing upright.
This imbalance can cause muscle fatigue and pain.

Today, the term flat back syndrome has been broadened to include any patient with a decrease in lumbar lordosis causing symptoms.

As such, flat back syndrome can occur as a result of any condition that shortens the front portion of the spine, causing the patient to lean forward.

Flat back syndrome may develop as the result of the following causes:

Degenerative Disc Disease,

Lumbar Post Laminectomy Syndrome,

Compression Fractures,

Ankylosing Spondylolitis.

Degenerative Disc Disease:

For some patients, progressive degeneration of the intervertebral discs or the shock absorbers of the spine may lead to a loss of height in the front part of the spine. As discs degenerate the spine begins to lean forward and lumbar lordosis decreases.

The patient may develop pain as a result of the degenerative disc disease or as a result of the spinal imbalance.

Lumbar Post Laminectomy Syndrome:

Lumbar flat back syndrome may develop in patients previously treated with a laminectomy or other lumbar surgery to decompress the spinal nerves to treat stenosis.

These procedures can lead to a decrease in lumbar lordosis and in some cases spinal instability.

Vertebral Compression Fractures:

Compression fractures are often the result of weak spinal bones due to osteoporosis. A fracture can lead to loss of height of the bone in the thoracic and lumbar spine. This may occur in one bone or in multiple bones throughout the spine, resulting in flat back syndrome.

Ankylosing Spondylitis:

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes stiffness and arthritis throughout the entire spine. Some patients with AS notice an increasing forward posture of the spine, including an increase in thoracic kyphosis or decrease in lumbar lordosis.

This can lead to symptoms of lumbar flat back syndrome.

Straight back syndrome (SBS)

Straight back syndrome (SBS) is a thoracic deformity characterized by loss of the normal upper thoracic spinal kyphosis. This deformity leads to a reduced antero-posterior diameter of the chest causing a compression or “pancaking” of the heart and great vessels so as to appear enlarged. This is accompanied by a leftward displacement of the heart, resulting in cardiac murmurs¹, chest pain and tracheal compression^.

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) has been reported in 64% of patients.

Misdiagnosis of straight back syndrome as pericardial absence has also been cited.

A study investigating the relationship between SBS and MVP showed echocardiograms to be normal in 36% of patients diagnosed with SBS; however, 58% of these patients demonstrated mitral valve prolapsed.

Despite the fact that this syndrome has been recognized for over 50 years, it is not commonly considered as a differential diagnose and thus the incidence is unknown.

However, given that this syndrome is often associated with heart symptoms, it is important that health care practitioners are made aware of SBS and consider it as a differential diagnosis in a patient presenting with symptoms that can appear to be cardiac in nature.

This is especially true in cases of atrial septal defect which can resemble the symptom picture of SBS.

In using Old Hardware, is value added or value lost?

In using Old Hardware, is value added or value lost?

The simple answer today, is Value Lost.

I want this piece to be brief.

There many for and against and counter argument to this statement.

My argument is based on “Energy Saving”.

But I have a big alibi now.

He is nobody other than Jon Hall.

His nick name or is it his pet name I never say, simply due to my respect for him and his co-author Peter Parfitt.

I got the fear out Linux by reading the book "Joy of Linux", written in hilarious way, in the same tone as “Joy of Sex”.

I had that book, the latter book, and gave it away free in the first opportunity, I had.

A man who has read, “Kinsey Report” as a Medical Student, Joy of Sex was not illuminating to me physiologically.

I must tell you we had only one more book on sex in the faculty.

It was lost.

A junior girl to my batch of students stole it from the medical library.

We had to do some detective and forensic work to nail her down.

Thank good she was our junior and she became a laughing sock/stock in no time.

I can remember two names of women from that batch.

One is a professor in Geneva and the other girl is the when mentioned above.

I do not know what sex exploits she had made and never seen her again in my life.

The professor was wife of my boss who recruited me to the university after a long gap and lapse aboard.

I have the same respect to Jon Hall to my boss and he is a guy like Tin Tin's Captain Haddock at times.

He is not absent minded like him, though.

He writes a value piece for Linux magazine, every month and this is only a summary.

1. I had 6 to 9 computers doing various work for me and three years ago started dismantling one by one.

One and only one reason.

They were consuming huge amount of electricity and my electricity bill was sky rocketing.

One of the reasons is downloading Linux Isos and testing them and writing (always) nice piece, just to keep the developers interested.

They do it free and in their spare time.

My calculation was it is far better to subscribe to Linux magazine (that is less than my one months Electricity Bill) and wait for the DVD that comes with the magazine.

Often double sided.

It saves me on the daily consumption of CD/DVDs which is more than my research slides (Pathology Slides), too.

But I never knew that the Cooling Fan consumes twice as much electricity (must be thrice with the room temperature over 35 degrees centigrade, in day time.)

2. I did not want to donate the old computers to a poor guy who cannot afford it.

He/she won't be able to pay his electricity bill.

On both counts I am in agreement with Jon Hall.

Now the facts I did not know.

1. I always ask the vendor how much electricity it consumes?

Nobody was able to give me the values.

Average “old” desktop consumes 250 to 350 watts.

Gaming computer over 1000 watts.

2. for every watt of usage cooling system consumes two watts.

It is like an electric kettle running not for two minutes for hours on end.

I have cut down my units by 100 units by operating only two computers now.

3. Laptops consume 100 watts.

4. Netbook 17 watts.

5. Tablets, I do not know.

6. One may have to consider the cost of refurbishing.

7. Transport and shipping also costs a lot.

8. New computers are more energy efficient.

So consider sending them to scrap, metal specially to save energy.

Think twice before accepting old hardware.

This was something, I said during tsunami.

Lot of people gave old cloths to the victims.

Most of the victims considered it as a curse or insult than a blessing.

That does not apply to money, even if there is dog shit in it one would wipe it and use them, in this country.

Money corrupts even the best street hawker.

So when you give something FREE make sure to give a new one.

Rest do a garage sale!
 

I gave a very expensive book to a guy who is poor but an intellectual.

I made sure I put a nice cover too.

I let him choose it at the book shop.

I told him, I need to brush through the first few chapters on computer tips.

That time was used to put an adhesive cover and I did not write (donated by) anything on it.

He loves it.

Solar Powered Raspberry Pi School

  Solar Powered Raspberry Pi School
This is something will inspire Indian computer guys/Girls
Solar Powered Raspberry Pi School
Sri-Lankans are good at squandering money available for computer education.
 Copied from Raspberry Site.
I heard about plans for a new Indiegogo fundraiser last week. It launches today, and it really deserves your attention. (And, dare I say it, some of your money.)
Seventy-seven percent of schools in South Africa don’t have any computers – and 40% don’t even have access to electricity.
United Twenty-13, a South African non-profit organization, is looking to bootstrap a new model of solar-powered school computer lab, with the intent of scaling and reproducing the lab all over South Africa.
Taskeen Adam, one of the founders, says: “The fact that you are reading this online means that you already have more computer knowledge than the average South African public school student.” It’s a situation she and her colleagues at United Twenty-13 are making serious efforts to change, with the help of a certain small, affordable, low-power computer.
They’ve already raised sufficient funds for the lab design, for teacher training and for a prefabricated building to house it all in. But they’re looking for additional money to buy hardware (all the software they’re using is open source) – not just the Raspberry Pis and accompanying peripherals, but the expensive solar panels too.
Projects like this, democratizing access to computing and access to information, are key in making improvements to local and national economies; and they’re key in empowering and changing the lives of the young people who are exposed to them. We wish the Solar Powered Raspberry Pi School project all the success in the world – you can donate to the project at their Indiegogo. If you’d like a full project brief before you consider donating, you can find that too at www.solarpoweredlearning

Matrix and Raspberry Pi

This is something I should have written many moons ago.

Copies from their web sites.

I won't quote the prizes since I have no commercial interests.

I am waiting to order one by mail but my worry is Voltage specification and converter for our country.

Description:

This is a hot topic in Linux magazines and there is a Magazine for Raspbery Pi.

Rasberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. It is a capable little computer which can be used in electronics projects, and for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. It also plays high-definition video. We want to see it being used by kids all over the world to learn how computers work, how to manipulate the electronic world around them, and how to program.

Matrix

Matrix is a single board mini computer based on ARM with a wide range of interface, equipped with a powerful i.MX6
Freescale processor, it can run Android, Linux and other operating systems, a switch between different operating
systems can be done within just a few minutes! Matrix also has great support for TBS USB tuners and popular
software such as XBMC, VDR, Tvheadend, DVBLast and so on.


TBS Tuner Support
Equipped with the mini PCIe slot and USB ports, Matrix works perfectly with TBS USB tuners.


Freescale Quad Core
Based on Freescale i.MX6, Matrix provides a much more powerful ready-to- run 
platform.


Open Source
It’s 100% open source, Matrix runs Linux, Android, Ubuntu, and any other OS you like.
To switch from one OS to another, you only need to burn the new OS into the eMMC on the Matrix board, and then reboot it.


XBMC, VDR, Tvheadend Support
Popular software like XBMC, VDR, Tvheadend are ready for Matrix.

Libre Office and Peppermint-Error Correction

Libre Office and Peppermint
Error Correction

I have to revise my opinion regarding Libre Office.

I stated sometime earlier that Libre Office freezes on me.

Yes, it happened again.

But this time, I investigated.

I had a one tetra bite Seagate external SATA hard drive (still prefer SATA to SSD due to low capacity and very high prize) and removed all my images to it and Libre Office is back, working smoothly.

Unlike Peppermint Linux Libre Office keeps track of its history, thereby consumes little extra MiB in its files (I think, they should introduce some form of downsizing the working memory and removing unnecessary macros at run time).

But the problem with, Peppermint is, when it uses torrents, it reserves all its hard drive memory to the files even not yet downloaded and interfere with running of Libre Office, rudely.

So if you have a small capacity hard drive you may run into problem, as I did with Libre Office.

I suppose, Libre Office should to some home work and do like torrents do and take over and reserve ample amount of memory for it, disregarding the torrent and the Linux platform, one may use.

I have no experience of using Libre Office in a window platform and Microsoft Office might find this GAP and exploit it to ruin the Libre Office in its infancy, rather robust toddler with unlimited capacity.

If one is using Libre Office with, images, video and presentation, one who is using, widows may run into problems.

Way about to solve this, is to reserve at least 2 GiB of working memory (assuming the largest file is 2 GiB) of hard drive (memory) at start up, like torrents do.

It can be easily done on a Linux desktop platform but what about Windows platform?

I have resolved my problem for the time being.

I had been formatting and reinstalling Peppermint up till now.

That minor irritation is out of context for me now.

Thank Libre Office and Peppermint and Linux family of Desktop Distributions for your untiring efforts which am reaping benefits with a Pipe Smoke of a Cigar (not literally but metaphorically).

I know most of the Linux (especially developer) Guy/Girls have a Pipe Dream of their own.

Postscript; 
Not only, Libre Office, even Fire Fox was frozen this time. 
Worst was it did not have memory to sign up my regular and root account.
Could be booted up with Guest account.


Procedure I followed
1. I had to shutdown.
2. Wait for the RAM to clear up.
3. Boot again
4. Transfer and delete unnecessary files.
5. Clear torrent fully.
6. Restart.
7. No Reinstall and I am back again in full swing (I did not want to Install Peppermint 5, I am happy with Peppermint 4 for the time being. If it freezes again, I probably will try it. My experience with Ubuntu 14-04 is not healthy especially Pinguy Linux which I have stated elsewhere).

Swift Linux with Taylor Swift Music

Swift Linux with Taylor Swift
This is a light weight, Debian Derivative for old computers (and new) came from Mepis base.
It is pretty good but slow to (necessity if one is having low RAM) boot up.

Gets the hang of using Linux with a bottom up approach.
One need to configure Network manually which is nice thing if you have no Ethernet.
It has libreOffice.
When you get to the home page one can get images of Taylor Swift, in plenty.
At start up it plays a tune of Taylor Swift, which is cool.
Lot of instruction available (how to configure Network for example).
if you need to learn Linux on a bottom up approach with a Live CD this what you should try.

Things to do with USB Hard Disk-Use MultiSystem Boot Utility

Things to do with USB Hard Disk

My hard disk was getting filled with downloads (Linux Images) and I went and bought a 1 Terra Bite Seagate USB hardisk.
My hard disk is only 150 GiB SATA (with second hard disk IDE is only 80 GiB) and it has two distributions.
SuSe and Peppermint on SATA and MEPIS on the IDE.
Peppermint is my work horse.
Nothing else to do with world cup football over and I decided to fill the disk with Linux images.
That was easy.

I used Gparted to partition it to 12 partitions, having re-sized the original one big NTFS partition.
Instead of installing a Single Linux distribution (my first reaction) I decided to use MultiSystem boot utility to mount several Linux distributions.

MultiSystem won't let you mount distributions on NTFS, so I formatted it with FAT 32 and mounted 10 or more distributions (except Knoppix, since it is bit finicky) and guess which one booted fast.

It was Peppermint 5.

Uses
1. It is my Multi-Live System booting platform.
2. It stores all my Linux images.
3. My personal data is very little and 16 GiB Pendrive is enough.

I wonder what am I going to do with the remaining space?
If the balance was sugary I would have used it for my dinner.

I think I am going to use it for few years.
This is why always say "small is beautiful", big is extra luggage to carry.

Beauty is it is light weight and small fit in, inside my front pocket.

It does not say how much it ways!