< johns online >

2008-12-30T07:19:00.000-08:00

I had the good fortune to attend the 2008- Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders meeting at Omaha, Nebraska a few wee It was a wonderful experience listening to and learning from the Master Investor- Warren Buffett himself and all I can say is that he stands alone as the reigning deity of financial world's Mt Olympus!
The degree of humility and composure he exhibited, although he is the richest and most well respected human is stunning!
I tried to take some notes and would like to share with you some of the best questions and answers which came across during the conversation between we mortals and God.
Having read about him, observed him and worshipped him for a few years now, I think it is reasonable to believe that this guy is exactly what he seems: a plain-speaking, tee totaling man of uncrackable integrity who works really, really hard and sticks to his investing and management principles through boom and bust which makes him a freak of nature since he is above normal human tendencies. He is like a comet streaking through the heavens every 75 years or so.
The questions the shareholders threw at him for 7 continuous hours ranged from finances, life, religion, career, politics, sports and several other streams. And he answered everything with a Zen like calm and confidence.
Even if you are least bothered about investments and finances, I insist, Pl read on. ================
Q1.What does it take to become a successful investor? Brilliance or Smartness?

Neither, Success in investing doesn't correlate with I.Q. Once you have ordinary intelligence, what you need is the temperament to control the urges that gets other people into trouble in investing.

Q2.When do you deicide to invest in a firm?

The best thing that happens to us is when a great company gets into temporary trouble. We want to buy them when they're on the operating table. (Mr. Buffett bought Coke when it had its biggest fiasco after launching New Coke; he bought American Express when it went through a loss making phase in the early 60's)

Q3.What do you look for in people when they come to sell their firms to you?

I don't look for the usual credentials such as an MBA, a pedigree (Harvard, Wharton), or cash reserves or market cap of their firm. What I look for is just a passion in their eyes; I think that's the key. A person who is hungry will always do well. I prefer it when people even after selling stay on and work for the firm; they are people who can't wait to get off their bed to get to work. Passion is everything; there is no replacement for innate interest.

Q4.Mr. Buffett, you told us that Berkshire Hathaway has $ 45 Billion in cash. Why aren't you investing?

Up until a few years back I had more ideas than money. Now I have more money than ideas.

Q5.When do you plan to retire?

I love my job; I love it so much that I tap dance to work. Mrs. B, the founder of Nebraska Furniture Mark worked until she was 104, she died within 6 months of her retirement, that's a lesson to all my managers, don't retire! I personally am going to work 6-7 years after I die, probably that's what they mean when they say- "Thinking out of the Box"!!

Q6.Why do stock market crashes happen?

Because of human nature for greed and insecurity. The 1970s were unbelievable. The world wasn't going to end, but businesses were being given away. Human nature has not changed. People will always behave in a manic-depressive way over time. They will offer great values to you."

Q7.What are the things that are taught wrong in Business school and the corporate world?

I like such open ended questions, I think Business schools should refrain from teaching their wards about profit making and profit making alone, it gives a sense of 1 dimensional outlook to the young students that loss is a curse. In reality, in the corporate world, failure and loss making are inevitable. The capital market without loss is like Christianity without hell. I think they should teach the student on how to buy a business, how to value a business? Not just on how to determine the price of a business. Because price is what you pay, value is what you get.

Q8.Do you still hate Technology stocks?

With Coke I can come up with a very rational figure for the cash it will generate in the future. But with the top 10 Internet companies, how much cash will they produce over the next 25 years? If you say you don't know, then you don't know what it is worth and you are speculating, not investing. All I know is that I don't know, and if I don't know, I don't invest."

Q9.How to think about Investing?

The first investment primer was written by Aesop in 600 B.C. He said, 'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.' Aesop forgot to say when you get the two in the bush and what interest rates are; investing is simply figuring out your cash outlay (the bird in the hand) and comparing it to how many birds are in the bush and when you get them."

Q10. How do you feel after donating $ 40 Billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation? You are a hero to us!

I feel nothing. I haven't sacrificed anything in life. Ihave had a good life. I donated after I turned 75. I think I admire those people who sacrifice their time, share their food and home, as the people to be emulated not me. Besides, what is money before a man's life?

Q11.What do you think are the pitfalls in donation?

I have never donated a dime to churches or other such organizations; I need to believe in something before I end up doing that. I have been observing the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation for years now and I am confident they will do a fantastic job of making use of the money. I am a big believer in Outsourcing, others believed in me as an Investor and gave their hard earned money to invest. I believe in Bill Gates, he is a better donor than me.

Q12.Why do you work from Omaha and not Wall Street, New York?

Wall Street is the only place where people alight from Rolls Royce to get advised by people who use the Public transportation system.

Q13.You seem to be so well read, tell us how it all started.

My father was a stock broker, so we had all these financial books in our library. He introduced me to those classics and I got into them. I am lucky that my father was not a fan of Playboy! Reading is the best habit you can get. Well, you can learn from teachers too, and have mentors but there are so many constraints attached- they will talk fast, talk slow, they might talk like a pro or they might be terrible communicators. Books are a different animal altogether, I love reading! The beauty about reading and learning is that the more you learn the more you want to learn.

Q14.People who join Berkshire Hathaway seldom leave. How do you get along well with all your executives?

I try to get quality people. I always say - Hire someone in your organization who is better than you are. If you do that, you build a company of giants. If you get people worse than yourself, you build a company of dwarfs. And do not try to do everything yourself. Delegate the jobs and look out of the window. The results will come. That's how you build institutions. It happens only when you empower others, believe in others. Iam an investor, Iam very secured at that, I have no clue how to make Coca-Cola or how to dole out credit cards (MrBuffett owns 8% of Coca-Cola and 13 % of American Express). I understand the wisdom of the aphorism that you cannot please all the people all the time. Of Course, you will always find qualities that you don't like in people around you, but if you observe carefully the love of the work unites you both. There is no point in being obsessive about a bad quality in a person, whom you otherwise respect.

Q15.I am a small time businessman from Dallas, Texas, what do I need to do to hit big time?

Be patient, Achieving your financial goals and dreams will not happen overnight. As much as we would all really love to accomplish our goals in a few years, this is an ongoing process. Defining your financial goals is not a one-time task; you need to keep adding new plans at different stages in your life. We all admire the skills of Olympic ice skaters, pro golfers, and concert pianists. But do we remember that they didn't acquire their skills overnight? They had to practice hours on end for years to achieve their dreams. The key to success is to continue learning throughout your life with a voracious appetite.

Q16. I think it is marvelous that you have had a golden run with investing, how did you do that?

My rule is to be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful. Besides, I call investing the greatest job in the world because you never have to swing. You stand at the plate; the pitcher throws you General Motors at 47! U.S. Steel at 39! And nobody calls a strike on you. There's no penalty except opportunity lost. All day you wait for the pitch you like; then when the fielders are asleep, you step up and hit it. Stay dispassionate and be patient. You're dealing with a lot of silly people in the marketplace; it's like a great big casino and everyone else is boozing. If you can stick with drinking Coke, you should be OK. First the crowd is boozy on optimism and buying every new issue in sight. The next moment it is boozy on pessimism, buying gold bars and predicting another Great Depression, most people get interested in stocks when everyone else is. The time to get interested is when no one else is. You can't buy what is popular and do well.

Q17.Mr. Buffett you have seen so many crashes and recessions, your take on facing recessions and stock market crashes?

If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians. Every scenario is different. But always remember, Tough times do not last. Tough people do.

Q18.What is the 1 biggest advice you would impart to a young investor like me?

Think for a moment that you are given a car and told this is the only car you would get for the rest of your life. Then you would make sure that you car is taken care of well, it is oiled and detailed every now and then. You would make sure that it never gets rusted, and you would garage it. Think of yourself as that car. You just get 1 body, 1 mind and 1 soul. Take care of it well. Invest in yourself that would be my advice.

Q19.You personally know many of the Financial executives who are engineers of the current turmoil in the financial world, surprisingly even after record losses, those executives receive astronomical salaries and bonuses and arrogantly declare that they deserve it, why dint you advice them from making such decisions and what's your view on their justification for their pay?

I like sharing my ideas but don't like imposing my ideas on anybody. It doesn't make sense and is a waste of time. If somebody has decided that they know everything that is there to know, nobody can help them. The best way to learn and succeed is to know that we know nothing. There is an entire universe out there and still some of us think we can know everything. In the world of investing a few people after making some money tend to imagine they are invincible and great. This is the worst thing that could happen to any investor, because it surely means that the investor will end up taking unnecessary risks and end up losing everything ¡V arrogance, ego and overconfidence are very lethal. Personally I don't feel too comfortable with too much extravagance, because I always think like an investor. My thought process doesn't see a lot of value in a fancy car or a designer suit. Thinking like an investor always is very important to bring in a sense of discipline and focus. Before reading balance sheets and investing you need to make sure your outlook and mindset is that of an investor. Never let ego, arrogance and over-confidence control you - not just as an investor but also as a human being. You will never have internal peace if you are unable to look at everybody around you with love, compassion and understanding. Irrespective of who the person is, he or she can teach you something you don't know. I have learnt so much from people all around me and I wouldn't have been able to learn all these wonderful things if I had not spoken to them with a smile. To quote Sir Isaac Newton- If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.

Q20.How do you make the Government eat out of your hands? How do you make them agree to everything you do?

If the strategy of a private enterprise matches the policy of the government, the government will be compelled to support you even if they don't like you.

============

It was a 7 hour conversation and I could just capture some of the best questions and answers. As 37,000+ dazed, amazed and grateful shareholders trooped out of the stadium after the meeting, I found myself recalling one of my favorite quotes-

"A man has to learn that he cannot command things, but that he can command himself; that he cannot coerce the wills of others, but that he can mold and master his own will: and things serve him who serves truth; people seek guidance of him who is master of himself".

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2008-07-06T02:08:00.000-07:00

Kuselan Songs download - High qulity Kuselan music

Kuselan Songs download Links:

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Kuselan Mp3 Songs -Complete List

The Kuselan Song List with Song and Singer details are as follows:

Download Kuselan Mp3 Songs

Cinema Cinema…
Artist(s): Shankar Mahadevan
Lyricist: Vaali

Sollamma…
Artist(s): Hariharan, Sujatha, Baby Ranjini, Baby Pooja
Lyricist: Pa. Vijay

Om Zaarare…
Artist(s): Daler Mehndi, Chitra, Sadhana Sargam
Lyricist: Vaali

Chaarai…
Artist(s): Shreya Ghoshal, Kids
Lyricist: Dr. Kridhaya

Perinba…
Artist(s): Kailash Kher, Prasanna
Lyricist: Yugabharathi

Free Kuselan Ringtones

2008-07-06T01:58:00.000-07:00

Kuselan Songs MP3 download - Kuselan Rapidshare links

Download Kuselan starring Rajinikanth - High quality download links.

The Kuselan audio launch took place on June 30th, Monday at a suburban five-star hotel in Chennai. Rajinikanth and the rest of the Kuselan team including Nayanthara,
Pasupathy, Vadivel, Meena, director P Vasu, producer K Balachandar and music director G V Prakash are expected to attend the function. The buzz is that the
chief guest at the function will be Prakash’s uncle and mentor A R Rahman.

The company which bagged the audio rights of Kuselan for 2.25 crore is Big Music and it is coming out with two lakhs CD’s and cassettes of the film, which
will be on sale from July 1 morning in all music outlets worldwide. The CD’s are priced at Rs. 99 and the cassettes are priced at Rs. 45 and also the
digitall download rights for the songs will be sold by the music company.
The superstar will feature in three of the five songs in the film.

His introduction song Cinema, Cinema, sung by Shankar Mahadevan will feature more than a
dozen Kollywood stars who will join the superstar in celebrating 75 years of the South Indian film industry.

Kuselan Download links:

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2007-05-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

Narayana Murthy's Speech at Stern School Of Business

N R Narayana Murthy, chief mentor and chairman of the board, Infosys Technologies, delivered a pre-commencement lecture at the New York University (Stern School of Business) on May 9. It is a scintillating speech, Murthy speaks about the lessons he learnt from his life and career. We present it for our readers:

Dean Cooley, faculty, staff, distinguished guests, and, most importantly, the graduating class of 2007, it is a great privilege to speak at your commencement ceremonies.

I thank Dean Cooley and Prof Marti Subrahmanyam for their kind invitation. I am exhilarated to be part of such a joyous occasion. Congratulations to you, the class of 2007, on completing an important milestone in your life journey.

After some thought, I have decided to share with you some of my life lessons. I learned these lessons in the context of my early career struggles, a life lived under the influence of sometimes unplanned events which were the crucibles that tempered my character and reshaped my future.

I would like first to share some of these key life events with you, in the hope that these may help you understand my struggles and how chance events and unplanned encounters with influential persons shaped my life and career.

Later, I will share the deeper life lessons that I have learned. My sincere hope is that this sharing will help you see your own trials and tribulations for the hidden blessings they can be.

The first event occurred when I was a graduate student in Control Theory at IIT, Kanpur, in India. At breakfast on a bright Sunday morning in 1968, I had a chance encounter with a famous computer scientist on sabbatical from a well-known US university.

He was discussing exciting new developments in the field of computer science with a large group of students and how such developments would alter our future. He was articulate, passionate and quite convincing. I was hooked. I went straight from breakfast to the library, read four or five papers he had suggested, and left the library determined to study computer science.

Friends, when I look back today at that pivotal meeting, I marvel at how one role model can alter for the better the future of a young student. This experience taught me that valuable advice can sometimes come from an unexpected source, and chance events can sometimes open new doors.

The next event that left an indelible mark on me occurred in 1974. The location: Nis, a border town between former Yugoslavia, now Serbia, and Bulgaria. I was hitchhiking from Paris back to Mysore, India, my home town.

By the time a kind driver dropped me at Nis railway station at 9 p.m. on a Saturday night, the restaurant was closed. So was the bank the next morning, and I could not eat because I had no local money. I slept on the railway platform until 8.30 pm in the night when the Sofia Express pulled in.

The only passengers in my compartment were a girl and a boy. I struck a conversation in French with the young girl. She talked about the travails of living in an iron curtain country, until we were roughly interrupted by some policemen who, I later gathered, were summoned by the young man who thought we were criticising the communist government of Bulgaria.

The girl was led away; my backpack and sleeping bag were confiscated. I was dragged along the platform into a small 8x8 foot room with a cold stone floor and a hole in one corner by way of toilet facilities. I was held in that bitterly cold room without food or water for over 72 hours.

I had lost all hope of ever seeing the outside world again, when the door opened. I was again dragged out unceremoniously, locked up in the guard's compartment on a departing freight train and told that I would be released 20 hours later upon reaching Istanbul. The guard's final words still ring in my ears -- "You are from a friendly country called India and that is why we are letting you go!"

The journey to Istanbul was lonely, and I was starving. This long, lonely, cold journey forced me to deeply rethink my convictions about Communism. Early on a dark Thursday morning, after being hungry for 108 hours, I was purged of any last vestiges of affinity for the Left.

I concluded that entrepreneurship, resulting in large-scale job creation, was the only viable mechanism for eradicating poverty in societies.

Deep in my heart, I always thank the Bulgarian guards for transforming me from a confused Leftist into a determined, compassionate capitalist! Inevitably, this sequence of events led to the eventual founding of Infosys in 1981.

While these first two events were rather fortuitous, the next two, both concerning the Infosys journey, were more planned and profoundly influenced my career trajectory.

On a chilly Saturday morning in winter 1990, five of the seven founders of Infosys met in our small office in a leafy Bangalore suburb. The decision at hand was the possible sale of Infosys for the enticing sum of $1 million. After nine years of toil in the then business-unfriendly India, we were quite happy at the prospect of seeing at least some money.

ALSO READ: The amazing success story of Infosys

I let my younger colleagues talk about their future plans. Discussions about the travails of our journey thus far and our future challenges went on for about four hours. I had not yet spoken a word.

Finally, it was my turn. I spoke about our journey from a small Mumbai apartment in 1981 that had been beset with many challenges, but also of how I believed we were at the darkest hour before the dawn. I then took an audacious step. If they were all bent upon selling the company, I said, I would buy out all my colleagues, though I did not have a cent in my pocket.

There was a stunned silence in the room. My colleagues wondered aloud about my foolhardiness. But I remained silent. However, after an hour of my arguments, my colleagues changed their minds to my way of thinking. I urged them that if we wanted to create a great company, we should be optimistic and confident. They have more than lived up to their promise of that day.

In the seventeen years since that day, Infosys has grown to revenues in excess of $3.0 billion, a net income of more than $800 million and a market capitalisation of more than $28 billion, 28,000 times richer than the offer of $1 million on that day.

In the process, Infosys has created more than 70,000 well-paying jobs, 2,000-plus dollar-millionaires and 20,000-plus rupee millionaires.

A final story: On a hot summer morning in 1995, a Fortune-10 corporation had sequestered all their Indian software vendors, including Infosys, in different rooms at the Taj Residency hotel in Bangalore so that the vendors could not communicate with one another. This customer's propensity for tough negotiations was well-known. Our team was very nervous.

First of all, with revenues of only around $5 million, we were minnows compared to the customer.

Second, this customer contributed fully 25% of our revenues. The loss of this business would potentially devastate our recently-listed company.

Third, the customer's negotiation style was very aggressive. The customer team would go from room to room, get the best terms out of each vendor and then pit one vendor against the other. This went on for several rounds. Our various arguments why a fair price -- one that allowed us to invest in good people, R&D, infrastructure, technology and training -- was actually in their interest failed to cut any ice with the customer.

By 5 p.m. on the last day, we had to make a decision right on the spot whether to accept the customer's terms or to walk out.

All eyes were on me as I mulled over the decision. I closed my eyes, and reflected upon our journey until then. Through many a tough call, we had always thought about the long-term interests of Infosys. I communicated clearly to the customer team that we could not accept their terms, since it could well lead us to letting them down later. But I promised a smooth, professional transition to a vendor of customer's choice.

This was a turning point for Infosys.

Subsequently, we created a Risk Mitigation Council which ensured that we would never again depend too much on any one client, technology, country, application area or key employee. The crisis was a blessing in disguise. Today, Infosys has a sound de-risking strategy that has stabilised its revenues and profits.

I want to share with you, next, the life lessons these events have taught me.

1. I will begin with the importance of learning from experience. It is less important, I believe, where you start. It is more important how and what you learn. If the quality of the learning is high, the development gradient is steep, and, given time, you can find yourself in a previously unattainable place. I believe the Infosys story is living proof of this.

Learning from experience, however, can be complicated. It can be much more difficult to learn from success than from failure. If we fail, we think carefully about the precise cause. Success can indiscriminately reinforce all our prior actions.

2. A second theme concerns the power of chance events. As I think across a wide variety of settings in my life, I am struck by the incredible role played by the interplay of chance events with intentional choices. While the turning points themselves are indeed often fortuitous, how we respond to them is anything but so. It is this very quality of how we respond systematically to chance events that is crucial.

3. Of course, the mindset one works with is also quite critical. As recent work by the psychologist, Carol Dweck, has shown, it matters greatly whether one believes in ability as inherent or that it can be developed. Put simply, the former view, a fixed mindset, creates a tendency to avoid challenges, to ignore useful negative feedback and leads such people to plateau early and not achieve their full potential.

The latter view, a growth mindset, leads to a tendency to embrace challenges, to learn from criticism and such people reach ever higher levels of achievement (Krakovsky, 2007: page 48).

4. The fourth theme is a cornerstone of the Indian spiritual tradition: self-knowledge. Indeed, the highest form of knowledge, it is said, is self-knowledge. I believe this greater awareness and knowledge of oneself is what ultimately helps develop a more grounded belief in oneself, courage, determination, and, above all, humility, all qualities which enable one to wear one's success with dignity and grace.

Based on my life experiences, I can assert that it is this belief in learning from experience, a growth mindset, the power of chance events, and self-reflection that have helped me grow to the present.

Back in the 1960s, the odds of my being in front of you today would have been zero. Yet here I stand before you! With every successive step, the odds kept changing in my favour, and it is these life lessons that made all the difference.

My young friends, I would like to end with some words of advice. Do you believe that your future is pre-ordained, and is already set? Or, do you believe that your future is yet to be written and that it will depend upon the sometimes fortuitous events?

Do you believe that these events can provide turning points to which you will respond with your energy and enthusiasm? Do you believe that you will learn from these events and that you will reflect on your setbacks? Do you believe that you will examine your successes with even greater care?

I hope you believe that the future will be shaped by several turning points with great learning opportunities. In fact, this is the path I have walked to much advantage.

A final word: When, one day, you have made your mark on the world, remember that, in the ultimate analysis, we are all mere temporary custodians of the wealth we generate, whether it be financial, intellectual, or emotional. The best use of all your wealth is to share it with those less fortunate.

I believe that we have all at some time eaten the fruit from trees that we did not plant. In the fullness of time, when it is our turn to give, it behooves us in turn to plant gardens that we may never eat the fruit of, which will largely benefit generations to come. I believe this is our sacred responsibility, one that I hope you will shoulder in time.

Thank you for your patience. Go forth and embrace your future with open arms, and pursue enthusiastically your own life journey of discovery!

2007-05-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

Joost Invitation - We can give you 100 Joost Invite

Hi Guys, If you want joost invitation, just comment below. We have got 100 joost invitations with us. Joost invite will be given to you to the email address you give in the comments. So come let's joost.......

2007-05-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

Joost and Joost Invitation. How to get Joost Invite

What's Joost?

Joost is a new way of watching TV on the internet. With Joost, you get all the things you love about TV, including a high-quality full-screen picture, hundreds of full-length shows and easy channel-flipping.

Before you can sign in and download Joost, you need an invitation from another user.

If you've already received yours, please sign in to download the Joost software and start watching TV. If you haven't yet received an invite, see the section below for hints on how to get one.

Joost is currently focusing on the English-speaking market; most of their content provided is targeted to U.S. and U.K. audiences. They do, however, plan on expanding their offerings to the global community, including Asia and Latin America. As they’ve partnered with several film and broadcasting networks to offer a wide array of premium programming, it’s sure to gain some traction. While it may be difficult to view Joost on your television set, I don’t think it will be too long before devices and services meet a happier medium.

If you would like to get a joost invitation, please comment below with your email id.

2007-04-03T18:29:00.000-07:00

movie 300 vs lord of the rings : A comparison

Without “The Lord of the Rings,” there would be no “300,” the action movie based, in part, on Herodotus’ version of the Battle of Thermopylae, as refracted through a cultic graphic novel.

Many of the LOTR elements are repeated: A small, hardy band of heroes (300 Spartans) faces down seething hordes of barbarians, who include monsters and enormous beasts of war; Enya-esque music; lots of hand-to-hand combat (splatter variety here); gorgeous, painterly use of CG technology; a script aimed at preteen boys but (just) literary enough to retain the interest of adults.

While “300” never rises to the grand themes of LOTR, it’s far superior to “Troy,” in part because the narrative focus is tighter and the writers don’t take pointless liberties with the history, or, at least they do so on an imaginative level, not altering motivations or roles.

Another LOTR parallel — more disturbing — is the explicit depiction of Westerners as threatened by the tyrannical, degenerate powers of the East, here in highly theatricalized versions of heavily pierced, masked or shrouded Asians and Africans. Adding fuel to contemporary cultural flames? Uh, yes.

Especially since the movie celebrates an undilutedly fascist fealty to power, blood and nation. “We are Spartans!” is the only excuse the characters need for their actions. And a culture that hands its young over to a brutalizing government at an early age can hardly call itself the hallmark of freedom.

Borrowing a phrase from Zbig Brzezinski, who appeared the other night on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” it speaks to “Manichaean paranoia,” or an extreme case of Us vs. Them.

So in short, Lord of the rings is the better one.

2006-07-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

Prevent Hair Loss

Causes and Risk Factors of Hair Loss
A number of causes might be identified. These include:

Childbirth. When a woman is pregnant, her hair continues to grow. The usual 50 to 100 hairs per day are not shed. However, after she delivers her baby, many hairs enter the resting stage of the hair cycle at once. Within two to three months after delivery, these hairs may all fall out together and be seen as large amounts of hair coming out in their brushes and combs.

High fever, severe infection, major surgery, significant life stressor. From four weeks to three months after a person has a high fever, severe infection, major surgery, or significant life stressor such as death in the family, he or she may be shocked to see a lot of hair falling out. This condition usually corrects itself but may require treatment.

Thyroid disease. Both an overactive and underactive thyroid can cause hair loss. The hair loss associated with thyroid disease can be reversed with proper treatment.

Inadequate protein in diet. Some vegetarians, people who go on crash diets that exclude protein, and those with severely abnormal eating habits, may develop protein malnutrition. When this happens, a person's body will help to save protein by shifting growing hairs into the resting phase. Massive hair shedding can occur two to three months later. Hair can then be pulled out by the roots. This condition can be reversed by eating the proper amount of protein.

Medications. Prescription drugs can cause temporary hair shedding in a small percentage of people. Examples of such drugs are blood thinners, some drugs used to treat gout and arthritis, acne, or psoriasis, and some medications for heart problems.

Cancer treatment drugs. Most drugs used in chemotherapy will cause hair cells to stop dividing. Hair shafts become thin and break off as they exit the scalp. This can occur one to three weeks after beginning chemotherapy. The patient may lose all of his hair, but this will usually re-grow after treatment ends.

Birth control pills. Women who lose their hair when taking birth control pills usually have an inherited tendency towards hair thinning.

Low serum iron. Iron deficiency sometimes produces hair loss. Low iron can be detected by laboratory tests and corrected with iron pills.

Alopecia areata. In this type of hair loss, hair usually falls out, resulting in totally smooth, round patches about the size of a coin or larger. This disease may affect children, women or men of any age.

Androgenic alopecia. This is the most common type of hair loss and is often called "male- or female-pattern baldness". The hair usually thins out first in the front of the scalp and moves progressively to the back and top of the head. It tends to be progressive. This type of hair loss also runs in families.

Infections. Ringworm, or tinea capitus, is a common fungal infection in children. Patches of hair may be lost and replaced with pink scaly skin.

See a doctor if you experience hair loss at the same time as you experience the following symptoms: skin problems, breathing problems, poor appetite or unexplained weight loss, vomiting, fever, pain, constipation or diarrhea.

Treatment of Hair Loss
If hair loss is caused by a temporary situation such as medication, stress or insufficient iron, however, however, the hair loss will stop when its cause ends. Hair loss due to infection may require oral antibiotics or antifungals. Alopecia areata can be treated with injections of steroids such as triamcinolone into the area. For all of the causes, early treatment works the best.

For hair loss caused by androgenic alopecia, there is no cure, although many treatments are available. Finasteride (Propecia) is a prescription hair loss treatment that is prescribed for men only. Minoxidil (Rogaine) is rubbed directly onto the scalp and works for both men and women. It usually works best for hair loss at top and back of the scalp, where there is still some remaining hair. This is available over the counter at most pharmacies.

Well chosen hairstyles can often hide hair loss effectively. Partial hairpieces or wigs are recommended if hair loss is severe.

Finally, hair transplantation has improved dramatically over the last several years. During a hair transplant, healthy hairs are harvested from an area of the scalp with normal hair growth. Individual hairs are then placed into areas of hair loss. When done well, the result is extremely natural appearing.

It's funny

2006-02-20T00:32:00.000-08:00

Divorce

An elderly man in Phoenix calls his son Bob in New York and says, "I hate to ruin your day, but your mother and I are divorcing. 45 years of misery is enough! I'm sick of her, and I'm sick of talking about this, so call your sister in Boston and tell her," and then hangs up.

The son frantically calls his sister, who goes nuts upon hearing the news.

She calls her father and yells, "You are not getting a divorce! Bob and I will be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a single thing, do you hear me?"

The father hangs up the phone, turns to his wife, and says, "It worked! The kids are coming for a visit, and they're paying their own way!"

Home-Cooked Meal

A young man called his mother and announced excitedly that he had just met the woman of his dreams and asked her what he should do next.

His mother had an idea: "Why don't you send her flowers, and on the card, invite her to your apartment for a home-cooked meal?"

He thought this was a great strategy and arranged a date.

His mother called the day after the big date to see how things had gone.

"The evening was a disaster," he moaned.

"Why, didn't she come over?" asked his mother.

"Oh, she came over, but she refused to cook..."

The Statue

A woman was in bed with her lover when she heard her husband opening the front door.

"Hurry!" she said. "Stand in the corner." She quickly rubbed baby oil all over him and then she dusted him with talcum powder. "Don't move until I tell you to," she whispered. "Just pretend you're a statue."

"What's this honey?" the husband inquired as he entered the room.

"Oh, its just a statue," she replied nonchalantly. "The Smiths bought one for their bedroom. I liked it so much, I got one for us too."

No more was said about the statue, not even later that night when they went to sleep.

Around 2 a.m., the husband got out of bed, went to the kitchen and returned a while later with a sandwich and a glass of milk. "Here," he said to the statue, "Eat something. I stood at the Smith's for three days like an idiot and nobody offered me so much as a glass of water."

Getting What You Ask For

A traveler knocked on the door of the house where a cabdriver had told him he could be sexually accommodated. An eye-level panel slid open and a female voice asked what he wanted.

"I want to get screwed," said the man.

"Okay, mister, but this is a private club, so slip 20 bucks as an initiation fee through the mail slot," answered the voice.

The man slid his $20 bucks in, the panel was closed.

Minutes passed and nothing happened.

He began to pound on the door insistently, and the panel slid open again.

"Hey," exclaimed the sport, "I want to get screwed!"

"What?" said the voice, "Again?"

2006-02-16T02:18:00.000-08:00

The Tooth that Saved a Soldier's Life

The most miraculous event I witnessed showed how a tooth saved a sergeant's life!
Christmas Eve morning a soldier came into our clinic at the Ibn Sina Hospital in downtown Baghdad covered in his own blood. He recounted an incredible story. Early Christmas Eve morning, two squads were assigned to sweep and clear two adjacent homes where Iraq terrorists were holed-up. The patient, SGT C, was leading one of those assault squads. The other squad hit their target first.
SGT C said that he heard a lot of small arms fire and yelling, so he thought he would round the corner and size up the situation before advancing his team. Unfortunately, as he turned the corner, he found himself staring directly into the barrel of a 9mm automatic pistol. SGT C said he never had time to be scared, he just knew he was dead. The terrorist pulled the trigger and, miraculously, SGT C found himself still standing. He figured the bullet had missed. He advanced on the Iraqi, who immediately surrendered. After the enemy was rounded up, SGT C said he started to feel light! headed and one of his soldiers insisted that he proceed to the hospital. He realized at this time that he had lost his front tooth in the gun fight. He figured the ballistic shock from the weapon's blast had knocked it loose. He was wrong.
When he presented early that morning Major Kimberly Perkins, our oral surgeon, took a panograph and discovered the incredible truth. The 9mm bullet did NOT miss SGT C. He was hit directly in the face. The bullet entered just below his nose where it impacted the apex of #8. The energy from the bullet was transferred to the tooth, literally ejecting the tooth from its socket, and stopping the bullet in its track. Other than the missing tooth, the majority of SGT C's injuries were confined to soft tissue.

Story confirmed by : Las Vegas dentist Dr. AnnaLee Kruyer who served with an Army dental team in Iraq for a year.

Brain Teasers

2006-01-24T18:13:00.000-08:00

Brain Teaser No : 00001

At what time immediately prior to Six O'clock the hands of the clock are exactly opposite to each other.

Give the exact time in hours, minutes and seconds.

Answer

4 hrs. 54 min. 32.74 seconds

It is obvious that between 5 O'clock and 6 O'clock the hands will not be exactly opposite to each other. It is also obvious that

the hands will be opposite to each other just before 5 O'clock. Now to find exact time:

The hour hand moves 1 degree for every 12 degrees that the minute hand moves. Let the hour hand be X degree away from 5

O'clock. Therefore the minute hand is 12X degree away from 12 O'clock.

Therefore solving for X

Angle between minute hand and 12 O'clock + Angle between 12 O'clock and 4 O'clock + Angle between 4 O'clock and hour

hand = 180

12X + 120 + (30-X) = 180

11X = 30

Hence X = 30/11 degrees

(hour hand is X degree away from 5 O'clock)

Now each degree the hour hand moves is 2 minutes.

Therefore minutes are

= 2 * 30/11

= 60/11

= 5.45 (means 5 minutes 27.16 seconds)

Therefore the exact time at which the hands are opposite to each other is

= 4 hrs. 54 min. 32.74 seconds

Brain Teaser No : 00002

Ali Baba had four sons, to whom he bequeathed his 39 camels, with the proviso that the legacy be divided in the following way :

The oldest son was to receive one half the property, the next a quarter, the third an eighth and the youngest one tenth. The four

brothers were at a loss as how to divide the inheritance among themselves without cutting up a camel, until a stranger appeared

upon the scene.

Dismounting from his camel, he asked if he might help, for he knew just what to do. The brothers gratefully accepted his offer.

Adding his own camel to Ali Baba's 39, he divided the 40 as per the will. The oldest son received 20, the next 10, the third 5 and

the youngest 4. One camel remained : this was his, which he mounted and rode away.

Scratching their heads in amazement, they started calculating. The oldest thought : is not 20 greater than the half of 39? Someone

must have received less than his proper share ! But each brother discovered that he had received more than his due. How is it

possible?

Answer

They took their percentages from 40 and not from 39, so they got more than their share.

The oldest son got 1/2 of 40 = 20 which is 0.5 more

The second son got 1/4 of 40 = 10 which is 0.25 more

The third son got 1/8 of 40 = 5 which is 0.125 more

The youngest son got 1/10 of 40 = 4 which is 0.1 more

And the stranger got 1/40 of 40 = 1 which is 0.025 more (As he is not supposed to get anything)

All these fractions add to = 0.5 + 0.25 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.025 = 1 which stranger took away.

Brain Teaser No : 00003

In a hotel, rooms are numbered from 101 to 550. A room is chosen at random. What is the probability that room number starts with

1, 2 or 3 and ends with 4, 5 or 6?

Answer

There are total 450 rooms.

Out of which 299 room number starts with either 1, 2 or 3. (as room number 100 is not there) Now out of those 299 rooms only

90 room numbers end with 4, 5 or 6

So the probability is 90/450 i.e. 1/5 or 0.20

Brain Teaser No : 00005

A man went into a fast food restaurant and ate a meal costing Rs. 105, giving the accountant a Rs. 500 note. He kept the change,

came back a few minutes later and had some food packed for his girl friend. He gave the accountant a Rs. 100 note and received

Rs. 20 in change. Later the bank told the accountant that both the Rs. 500 and the Rs. 100 notes were counterfeit.

How much money did the restaurant lose? Ignore the profit of the food restaurant.

Answer

He lost Rs.600

First time restaurant has given food worth Rs.105 and Rs. 395 change. Similarly second time, food worth Rs.80 and Rs.20

change. Here, we are not considering food restaurant profits.

Brain Teaser No : 00006

You are working in a store that stocks bangles. Three boxes of bangles have been incorrectly labeled. The labels say Red Bangles,

Green Bangles and Red & Green Bangles.

How can you re-label the boxes correctly, by taking only one bangle from one box?

Answer

Keep in mind that boxes are incorrectly labeled.

Take out one bangle from the box labeled "Red & Green Bangles". There are 2 possibilities:

If that bangle is Red, it means that box contains Red Bangles. The box labeled as "Green Bangles" contains Red & Green

Bangles. And box labeled "Red Bangles" contains Green bangles.

RED GREEN BOX --- Red Bangles

RED BOX --- Green Bangles

GREEN BOX --- Red & Green Bangles

If that bangle is Green, it means that box contains Green

Bangles. The box labeled as "Green Bangles" contains Red

Bangles. And box labeled "Red Bangles" contains Red &

Green Bangles.

RED GREEN BOX --- Green Bangles

RED BOX --- Red & Green Bangles

GREEN BOX --- Red Bangles

Brain Teaser No : 00007

On one side of a card is written :

"THE SENTENCE ON THE OTHERSIDE OF THIS CARD IS TRUE."

On turning the card over you find:

"THE SENTENCE ON THE OTHERSIDE OF THIS CARD IS FALSE."

Which sentence is true?

Answer

It's a Paradox. Both the sentences are contradictory to each other. If you say that the first sentence is true, then the second will

contradict it and vice versa.

Brain Teaser No : 00008

3 blocks are chosen randomly on a chessboard. What is the probability that they are in the same diagonal?

Answer

There are total of 64 blocks on a chessboard. So 3 blocks can be chosen out of 64 in 64C3 ways.

So the sample space is = 41664

There are 2 diagonal on chessboard each one having 8 blocks. Consider one of them.

3 blocks out of 8 blocks in diagonal can be chosen in 8C3 ways.

But there are 2 such diagonals, hence favourables = 2 * 8C3 = 2 * 56 = 112

The require probability is

= 112 / 41664

= 1 / 372

= 0.002688

Brain Teaser No : 00010

In a contest of intelligence, three problems A, B and C were posed.

Among the contestants there were 25 who solved at least one problem each.

Of all the contestants who did not solve problem A, the number who solved B was twice the number who solved C.

The number of participants who solved only problem A was one more than the number who solved problem A and at least

one other problem.

Of all students who solved just one problem, half did not solve problem A.

How many students solved only problem B?

Answer

6 students solved only problem B

X => Students who solved only problem A

Y => Students who solved only problem B

Z => Students who solved only problem C

P => Students who solved both problem B and problem C

From 4 :

Students who solved only problem A = Students who solved only problem B + Students who solved only problem C

X = Y + Z

From 3 :

Students who solved problem A and at least one other = X - 1

From 2 :

(Y + P) = 2 * (Z + P)

Y + P = 2 * Z + 2 * P

Z = (Y - P) / 2

From 1 and Figure:

X + X - 1 + Y + Z + P = 25

2*X + Y + Z + P = 26

2*(Y + Z) + Y + Z + P = 26 (from 4)

3*Y + 3*Z + P = 26

3*Y + 3* (Y - P) / 2 + P = 26 (from 2)

6*Y + 3*Y - 3*P + 2*P = 52

9*Y - P = 52

Y = (52 + P) / 9

Now, it is obvious that all values are integer. Hence, P must be 2 and Y must be 6.

So 6 students solved only problem B.

Brain Teaser No : 00011

When Alexander the Great attacked the forces of Porus, an Indian soldier was captured by the Greeks. He had displayed such

bravery in battle, however, that the enemy offered to let him choose how he wanted to be killed. They told him, "If you tell a lie, you

will put to the sword, and if you tell the truth you will be hanged."

The soldier could make only one statement. He made that statement and went free. What did he say?

Answer

The soldier said, "You will put me to the sword."

The soldier has to say a Paradox to save himself. If his statement is true, he will be hanged, which is not the sword and hence

false. If his statement is false, he will be put to the sword, which will make it true. A Paradox !!!

Brain Teaser No : 00014

Five horses ran in the race.

There were no ties.

Sikandar did not come first.

Star was neither first nor last.

Mughal Glory came in one place after Sikandar.

Zozo was not second.

Rangila was two place below Zozo.

In what order did the horses finish?

Answer

It's simple.

Let's find the possible places horses can finish. Possibilities are:

Sikandar - 2,3,4 (not 5th as Mughal Glory came one place after him)

Star - 2,3,4

Mughal Glory - 3,4,5

Zozo - 1,3 (not 4th & 5th as Rangila is two place after him)

Rangila - 3,5

So the result is:

1 Zozo

2 Star

3 Rangila

4 Sikandar

5 Mughal Glory

Brain Teaser No : 00015

In the town called Alibaug, the following facts are true:

No two inhabitants have exactly the same number of hairs.

No inhabitants has exactly 2025 hairs.

There are more inhabitants than there are hairs on the head of any one inhabitants.

What is the largest possible number of the inhabitants of Alibaug?

Answer

2025

It is given that no inhabitants have exactly 2025 hairs. Hence there are 2025 inhabitants with 0 to 2024 hairs in the head.

Suppose there are more than 2025 inhabitants. But these will violate the condition that "There are more inhabitants than there

are hairs on the head of any one inhabitants." As for any number more than 2025, there will be same number of inhabitants as

the maximum number of hairs on the head of any inhabitant.

Brain Teaser No : 00016

At what time after 4.00 p.m. is the minutes hand of a clock exactly aligned with the hour hand?

Answer

4:21:49.5

Assume that X minutes after 4.00 PM minute hand exactly aligns with and hour hand.

For every minute, minute hand travels 6 degrees.

Hence, for X minutes it will travel 6 * X degrees.

For every minute, hour hand travels 1/2 degrees.

Hence, for X minutes it will travel X/2 degrees.

At 4.00 PM, the angle between minute hand and hour hand is 120 degrees. Also, after X minutes, minute hand and hour hand

are exactly aligned. So the angle with respect to 12 i.e. Vertical Plane will be same. Therefore,

6 * X = 120 + X/2

12 * X = 240 + X

11 * X = 240

X = 21.8182

X = 21 minutes 49.5 seconds

Hence, at 4:21:49.5 minute hand is exactly aligned with the hour hand.

Brain Teaser No : 00017

A card contains following three sentences:

a. THIS SENTENCE CONTAINS FIVE WORDS.

b. THIS SENTENCE CONTAINS TWO VERBS.

c. EXACTLY ONE SENTENCE ON THIS CARD IS TRUE.

Is sentence C true or false?

Answer

It's a paradox.

You cant say it true or false, as your answer will contradict itself.

Brain Teaser No : 00018

A barber in a certain small town shaves all the men who do not shave themselves, but never shaves any who do shave

themselves.

Does the barber shave himself? Note that the barber is a man.

Answer

It's a paradox.

You can't say it true or false, as your answer will contradict itself.

Brain Teaser No : 00021

A rich man died. In his will, he has divided his gold coins among his 5 sons, 5 daughters and a manager.

According to his will: First give one coin to manager. 1/5th of the remaining to the elder son. Now give one coin to the manager and

1/5th of the remaining to second son and so on..... After giving coins to 5th son, divided the remaining coins among five daughters

equally.

All should get full coins. Find the minimum number of coins he has?

Answer

We tried to find out some simple mathematical method and finally we wrote small C program to find out the answer. The

answer is 3121 coins.

Here is the breakup:

First son = 624 coins

Second son = 499 coins

Third son = 399 coins

Forth son = 319 coins

Fifth son = 255 coins

Daughters = 204 each

Manager = 5 coins

Brain Teaser No : 00022

There were N stations on a railroad. After adding X stations 46 additional tickets have to be printed.

Find N and X.

Answer

Let before adding X stations, total number of tickets

t = N(N-1)

After adding X stations total number of tickets are

t + 46 = (N+X)(N+X-1)

Subtracting 1st from 2nd

46 = (N+X)(N+X-1) - N(N-1)

46 = N2 + NX - N + NX + X2 - X - N2 + N

46 = 2NX + X2 - X

46 = (2N - 1)X + X2

X2 + (2N - 1)X - 46 = 0

Now there are only two possible factors of 46. They are (46,1) and (23,2)

Case I: (46,1)

2N - 1 = 45

2N = 46

N = 23

And X = 1

Case II: (23,2)

2N - 1 = 21

2N = 22

N = 11

And X = 2

Hence, there are 2 possible answers.

Brain Teaser No : 00023

There is a grid of 20 squares by 10 squares. How many different rectangles are possible?

Note that square is a rectangle.

Answer

11550

The Generic solution to this is:

Total number of rectangles = (Summation of row numbers) * (Summation of column numbers)

Here there are 20 rows and 10 columns or vice versa. Hence, total possible rectangles

= ( 20 + 19 + 18 + 17 + 16 + .... + 3 + 2 + 1 ) * ( 10 + 9 +8 + 7 + .... + 3 + 2 + 1)

= ( 210 ) * (55)

= 11550

Hence, total 11,550 different rectangles are possible.

If you don't believe it, try formula on some smaller grids like 4x2, 3x2, 3x3 etc...

Brain Teaser No : 00024

A person wanted to withdraw X rupees and Y paise from the bank. But cashier made a mistake and gave him Y rupees and X

paise. Neither the person nor the cashier noticed that.

After spending 20 paise, the person counts the money. And to his surprise, he has double the amount he wanted to withdraw.

Find X and Y. (1 Rupee = 100 Paise)

Answer

As given, the person wanted to withdraw 100X + Y paise.

But he got 100Y + X paise.

After spending 20 paise, he has double the amount he wanted to withdraw. Hence, the equation is

2 * (100X + Y) = 100Y + X - 20

200X + 2Y = 100Y +X - 20

199X - 98Y = -20

98Y - 199X = 20

Now, we got one equation; but there are 2 variables. We have to apply little bit of logic over here. We know that if we

interchange X & Y, amount gets double. So Y should be twice of X or one more than twice of X i.e. Y = 2X or Y = 2X+1

Case I : Y=2X

Solving two equations simultaneously

98Y - 199X = 20

Y - 2X = 0

We get X = - 20/3 & Y = - 40/2

Case II : Y=2X+1

Solving two equations simultaneously

98Y - 199X = 20

Y - 2X = 1

We get X = 26 & Y = 53

Now, its obvious that he wanted to withdraw Rs. 26.53

Brain Teaser No : 00025

What is the remainder left after dividing 1! + 2! + 3! + + 100! By 7?

Think carefully !!!

Answer

A tricky one.

7! onwards all terms are divisible by 7 as 7 is one of the factor. So there is no remainder left for those terms i.e. remainder left

after dividing 7! + 8! + 9! + ... + 100! is 0.

The only part to be consider is

= 1! + 2! + 3! + 4! + 5! + 6!

= 1 + 2 + 6 + 24 + 120 + 720

= 873

The remainder left after dividing 873 by 7 is 5

Hence, the remainder is 5.

Brain Teaser No : 00026

Find the last digit of summation of the series:

199 + 299 + 399 + 499 + + 9899 + 9999

Answer

The last digit of the series is 0.

We group the sum as follow:

(199 + 1199 + ... + 9199) + (299 + 2299 + ... 9299) + ...... + (999 + 1999 + ... + 9999) + (1099 + 2099 + 3099 + ... 9099)

All the terms in a single group have the same last digit (i.e. last digits of 199 + 1199 + ... + 9199 are same, is 1, & similarly for the

other groups).

Also, there are 10 terms in each group except for the last one. Therefore the last digit of the sum of terms in first 9 groups is 0.

(as whatever be the last digit, we have to multiply it by 10) And the last digit of the sum of the terms in the group 10 is obviously

Hence, the last digit of the series is 0.

Brain Teaser No : 00027

Find the smallest number such that if its rightmost digit is placed at its left end, the new number so formed is precisely 50% larger

than the original number.

Answer

The answer is 285714.

If its rightmost digit is placed at its left end, then new number is 428571 which is 50% larger than the original number 285714.

The simplest way is to write a small program. And the other way is trial and error !!!

Brain Teaser No : 00028

There are 10 boxes containing 10 balls each. 9 boxes contain 10 balls of 10 kg each and one box contains 10 balls of 9 kg each.

Tool is available for proper weighing. How can you find out the box containing 9 kg balls?

You are allowed to weigh only once. You can remove balls from the boxes. All balls are of same size and color.

Answer

1. Mark the boxes with numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, ... upto 10

2. Take 1 ball from box 1, take 2 balls from box 2, take 3 balls from box 3, take 4 balls from box 4 and so on

3. Put all of them on the scale at once and take the measurement.

4. Now, subtract the measurement from 550 ( 1*10 + 2*10 + 3*10 + 4*10 + 5*10 + 6*10 + 7*10 + 8*10 + 9*10 + 10*10)

5. The result will give you the box number which has a ball of 9 Kg

Brain Teaser No : 00029

A fly is flying between two trains, each travelling towards each other on the same track at 60 km/h. The fly reaches one engine,

reverses itself immediately, and flies back to the other engine, repeating the process each time.

The fly is flying at 90 km/h. If the fly flies 180 km before the trains meet, how far apart were the trains initially?

Answer

Initially, the trains were 240 km apart.

The fly is flying at the speed of 90 km/h and covers 180 km. Hence, the fly flies for 2 hours after trains started.

It's obvious that trains met 2 hours after they started travelling towards each other. Also, trains were travelling at the speed of

60 km/h. So, each train traveled 120 km before they met.

Hence, the trains were 240 km apart initially.

Brain Teaser No : 00030

A certain street has 1000 buildings. A sign-maker is contracted to number the houses from 1 to 1000. How many zeroes will he

need?

Answer

The sign-maker will need 192 zeroes.

Divide 1000 building numbers into groups of 100 each as follow:

(1..100), (101..200), (201..300), ....... (901..1000)

For the first group, sign-maker will need 11 zeroes.

For group numbers 2 to 9, he will require 20 zeroes each.

And for group number 10, he will require 21 zeroes.

The total numbers of zeroes required are

= 11 + 8*20 + 21

= 11 + 160 + 21

= 192

Brain Teaser No : 00031

Find sum of digits of D.

Let

A= 19991999

B = sum of digits of A

C = sum of digits of B

D = sum of digits of C

(HINT : A = B = C = D (mod 9))

Answer

The sum of the digits od D is 1.

Let E = sum of digits of D.

It follows from the hint that A = E (mod 9)

Consider,

A = 19991999

< 20002000

= 22000 * 10002000

= 1024200 * 106000

< 10800 * 106000

= 106800

i.e. A < 106800

i.e. B < 6800 * 9 = 61200

i.e. C < 5 * 9 = 45

i.e. D < 2 * 9 = 18

i.e. E <= 9

i.e. E is a single digit number.

Also,

1999 = 1 (mod 9)

so 19991999 = 1 (mod 9)

Therefore we conclude that E=1.

Brain Teaser No : 00032

Find the smallest number N which has the following properties:

1. its decimal representation has 6 as the last digit.

2. If the last digit 6 is erased and placed in front of the remaining digits, the resulting number is four times as great as the

original number N.

Answer

The smallest such number is 153846.

Assume that the number N is

N = BnBn-1Bn-2 ... B3B26

as its given that 6 is the last digit.

Now after erasing 6 and putting it in front of the remaining digits, we get

Nnew = 6BnBn-1Bn-2 ... B3B2

Also given that Nnew is 4 times the N. Also note that the last digit Nnew is second last digit of N and so on. The required result is

BnBn-1Bn-2 ... B3B26

X 4

--------------------

6BnBn-1Bn-2 ... B3B2

So start multiplying and put nth digit of Nnew to (n + 1)th digit of N and you will get result as

1 5 3 8 4 6

X 4

---------------

6 1 5 3 8 4

Hence, the number is 153846

Brain Teaser No : 00033

There are 9 coins. Out of which one is odd one i.e weight is less or more. How many iterations of weighing are required to find odd

coin?

Answer

It is always possible to find odd coin in 3 weighings and to tell whether the odd coin is heavier or lighter.

1. Take 8 coins and weigh 4 against 4.

o If both are not equal, goto step 2

o If both are equal, goto step 3

2. One of these 8 coins is the odd one. Name the coins on heavier side of the scale as H1, H2, H3 and H4. Similarly,

name the coins on the lighter side of the scale as L1, L2, L3 and L4. Either one of H's is heavier or one of L's is lighter.

Weigh (H1, H2, L1) against (H3, H4, X) where X is one coin remaining in intial weighing.

o If both are equal, one of L2, L3, L4 is lighter. Weigh L2 against L3.

􀂃 If both are equal, L4 is the odd coin and is lighter.

􀂃 If L2 is light, L2 is the odd coin and is lighter.

􀂃 If L3 is light, L3 is the odd coin and is lighter.

o If (H1, H2, L1) is heavier side on the scale, either H1 or H2 is heavier. Weight H1 against H2

􀂃 If both are equal, there is some error.

􀂃 If H1 is heavy, H1 is the odd coin and is heavier.

􀂃 If H2 is heavy, H2 is the odd coin and is heavier.

o If (H3, H4, X) is heavier side on the scale, either H3 or H4 is heavier or L1 is lighter. Weight H3 against H4

􀂃 If both are equal, L1 is the odd coin and is lighter.

􀂃 If H3 is heavy, H3 is the odd coin and is heavier.

􀂃 If H4 is heavy, H4 is the odd coin and is heavier.

3. The remaining coin X is the odd one. Weigh X against the anyone coin used in initial weighing.

o If both are equal, there is some error.

o If X is heavy, X is the odd coin and is heavier.

o If X is light, X is the odd coin and is lighter.

Brain Teaser No : 00034

My friend collects antique stamps. She purchased two, but found that she needed to raise money urgently. So she sold them for

Rs. 8000 each. On one she made 20% and on the other she lost 20%.

How much did she gain or lose in the entire transaction?

Answer

She lost Rs 666.67

Consider the first stamp. She mades 20% on it after selling it for Rs 8000.

So the original price of first stamp is

= (8000 * 100) / 80

= Rs 6666.67

Similarly, consider second stamp. She lost 20% on it after selling it for Rs 8000

So the original price of second stamp is

= (8000 * 100) / 80

= Rs 10000

Total buying price of two stamps

= Rs 6666.67 + Rs 10000

= Rs 16666.67

Total selling price of two stamps

= Rs 8000 + Rs 8000

= Rs 16000

Hence, she lost Rs 666.67

Brain Teaser No : 00035

In a sports contest there were m medals awarded on n successive days (n > 1).

1. On the first day 1 medal and 1/7 of the remaining m - 1 medals were awarded.

2. On the second day 2 medals and 1/7 of the now remaining medals was awarded; and so on.

3. On the nth and last day, the remaining n medals were awarded.

How many days did the contest last, and how many medals were awarded altogether?

Answer

Total 36 medals were awarded and the contest was for 6 days.

On day 1: Medals awarded = (1 + 35/7) = 6 : Remaining 30 medals

On day 2: Medals awarded = (2 + 28/7) = 6 : Remaining 24 medals

On day 3: Medals awarded = (3 + 21/7) = 6 : Remaining 18 medals

On day 4: Medals awarded = (4 + 14/7) = 6 : Remaining 12 medals

On day 5: Medals awarded = (5 +7/7) = 6 : Remaining 6 medals

On day 6: Medals awarded 6

I got this answer by writing small program. If anyone know any other simpler method, do submit it.

Brain Teaser No : 00036

A number of 9 digits has the following properties:

The number comprising the leftmost two digits is divisible by 2, that comprising the leftmost three digits is divisible by 3,

the leftmost four by 4, the leftmost five by 5, and so on for the nine digits of the number i.e. the number formed from the

first n digits is divisible by n, 2<=n<=9.

Each digit in the number is different i.e. no digits are repeated.

The digit 0 does not occur in the number i.e. it is comprised only of the digits 1-9 in some order.

Find the number.

Answer

The answer is 381654729

One way to solve it is Trial-&-Error. You can make it bit easier as odd positions will always occupy ODD numbers and even

positions will always occupy EVEN numbers. Further 5th position will contain 5 as 0 does not occur.

The other way to solve this problem is by writing a computer program that systematically tries all possibilities.

Brain Teaser No : 00038

The population of an island consists of two and only two types of people : the knights, who invariably tell the truth and the knaves

who always lie.

three of the inhabitants called X, Y and Z were standing together. A newcomer to the island asked, "Are you a knight or a

knave?" X mumbled his answer rather indistinctly, so the stranger could not quite make out what he had said. The

stranger than asked Y, "What did X say?" Y replied, "X said that he was a knave." Whereupon Z said, "Don't believe Y,

he's lying." What are Y and Z?

Suppose that the stranger asked X, instead, "How many knights among you?" Again X replies indistinctly. So the stranger

asks Y, "What did X say?" Y replies, "X said that there is one knight among us." Then Z says, "Don't believe Y, he is lying!"

Now what are Y and Z?

There are only two inhabitants, X and Y. X says, "At least one of us is a knave." What are X and Y?

Suppose X says, "Either I am a knave, or Y is a knight?" What are X and Y?

Consider once more X, Y and Z each of who is either a knight or a knave. X says, "All of us are knaves." Y says, "Exactly

one of us is a knight." What are X, Y and Z?

Answer

Teaser 1 : A Simple one. The statement made by Y is false - "X said that he was a knave".

Case 1 Case 2 Case 3 Case 4

X Knight Knight Knave Knave

Y Knight Knave Knight Knave

Analyse the above 4 cases. In all the cases statement made by Y is contradicory and therefore false. Hence, Y is Knave and Z

is Knight.

Teaser 2 : Again the statement made by Y is false - "X said that there is one knight among us". Analyse these statement with 4

possible cases as above. In all the cases statement made by Y is false. Hence, Y is Knave and Z is Knight.

Teaser 3 : X is Knight and Y is Knave.

Teaser 4 : Both are Knight.

Teaser 5 : X and Z are Knaves, Y is Knight.

Brain Teaser No : 00039

Find next number in the series :

3, 7, 31, 211, ?

Answer

1831

All the numbers in the series are Prime Numbers. So the next number will also be a prime number.

Two consecutive numbers in the

series

(A and B)

Total Prime numbers bewtween A

and B

(C)

Prime number just before

(D)

E = (C +

3 and 7 1 5 6

7 and 31 6 29 35

31 and 211 35 199 234

Number after 7 is the prime number on skipping 6 prime numbers after 7 i.e. 31

Number after 31 is the prime number on skipping 35 prime numbers after 31 i.e. 211

Hence, number after 211 is the prime number on skipping 234 prime numbers after 211 i.e. 1831

The other possible answer is 1891.

Subtract 1 from each number in the given series: 2, 6, 30, 210

First number = 2*1 = 2

Second number = 2*3 = 6

Third number = 6*5 = 30

Fourth number = 30*7 = 210

Fifth number = 210*9 = 1890

Sixth number = 1890*11 = 20790

Thus, the pattern is : multiply previous number by next odd number and add one to the multiplication. Thus, the series is 3, 7,

31, 211, 1891, 20791, ...

Thanks to N. Anand for this much more simpler answer.

Brain Teaser No : 00040

Assume for a moment that the earth is a perfectly uniform sphere of radius 6400 km. Suppose a thread equal to the length of the

circumference of the earth was placed along the equator, and drawn to a tight fit.

Now suppose that the length of the thread is increased by 12 cm, and that it is pulled away uniformly in all directions.

By how many cm. will the thread be separated from the earth's surface?

Answer

The cicumference of the earth is

= 2 * PI * r

= 2 * PI * 6400 km

= 2 * PI * 6400 * 1000 m

= 2 * PI * 6400 * 1000 * 100 cm

= 1280000000 * PI cm

where r = radius of the earth, PI = 3.141592654

Hence, the length of the thread is = 1280000000 * PI cm

Now length of the thread is increasd by 12 cm. So the new length is = (1280000000 * PI) + 12 cm

This thread will make one concentric circle with the earth which is slightly away from the earth. The circumfernce of that circle is

nothing but (1280000000 * PI) + 12 cm

Assume that radius of the outer circle is R cm

Therefore,

2 * PI * R = (1280000000 * PI) + 12 cm

Solving above equation, R = 640000001.908 cm

Radius of the earth is r = 640000000 cm

Hence, the thread will be separatedfrom the earth by

= R - r cm

= 640000001.908 - 640000000

= 1.908 cm

Brain Teaser No : 00041

A polygon has 1325 diagonals. How many vertices does it have? taken from www.johnsjm.blogspot.com

Answer

The formula to find number of diagonals (D) given total number of vertices or sides (N) is

N * (N - 3)

D = -----------

Using the formula, we get

1325 * 2 = N * (N - 3)

N2 - 3N - 2650 = 0

Solving the quadratic equation, we get N = 53 or -50

It is obvious that answer is 53 as number of vertices can not be negative.

Alternatively, you can derive the formula as triange has 0 diagonals, quadrangel has 2, pentagon has 5, hexagon has 9 and so

on......

Hence the series is 0, 0, 0, 2, 5, 9, 14, ........ (as diagram with 1,2 or 3 vertices will have 0 diagonals).

Using the series one can arrive to the formula given above.

Brain Teaser No : 00042

An emergency vehicle travels 10 miles at a speed of 50 miles per hour.

How fast must the vehicle travel on the return trip if the round-trip travel time is to be 20 minutes?

Answer

75 miles per hour

While going to the destination, the vehicle travels 10 mils at the speed of 50 miles per hour. So the time taken to travel 10 miles

= (60 * 10) / 50

= 12 minutes

Now it's given that round-trip travel time is 20 minutes. So the vehicle should complete its return trip of 10 miles in 8 minutes.

So the speed of the vehicle must

= (60 * 10) / 8

= 75 miles per hour

Doing your homework for interview is the recipe for Success

2006-01-24T18:10:00.000-08:00

Interviews can be daunting to the most experienced job seeker, and a terror for the less experienced. Preparation before the interview can make a huge difference in your confidence level. Here are some basic questions to get you thinking about the process. Those same questions keep coming up -- in every interview. They can be tough ones because they are about you and your thinking process. Preparing for them ahead of time can save you some grief during the interview.

One of the questions most frequently asked in an interview is:

"WHO ARE YOU?" - or - "TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF."

The answer you give to this question will set the tone for the rest of the interview. Focus is the key or you will wander about in a circle, or dig yourself into a deep hole. The secret to success with this free-form question is to focus, script and practice. You cannot afford to "wing" this statement, as it will have an effect on the rest of the interview.

List five strengths that you have that would be pertinent to this job. (Experiences, traits, skills). What do you want the interviewer to know about you when you leave? Practice with your script, until you feel confident about what you want to emphasize in your statement. Your script is a way of helping you stay on track, but shouldn't be memorized, resulting in sounding stiff and rehearsed. You should sound natural and conversational.

One of the most dreaded questions by candidates is:

WHAT ARE YOUR LONG-TERM GOALS?

This open-ended question, and others like; "Where do you see yourself in five years?" throw most candidates off balance. The object of the question is to check for your self-awareness and communication skills.

If you are the type of person who prefers an organized way of life, you may find this question a "piece of cake". But, if you are among the majority of persons who let life happen as it comes along, you will probably not have a smooth answer without some forethought.

The best answers will come from you thinking about what you want. Most successful business people will tell you that a key success factor is the ability to set and achieve goals. Begin by setting short-term goals. Right now your goal may be "to get a job". But, what kind of job? And, where do you go from there?

No one can tell you exactly how to answer this question - it will come from what is important to you. However, the more focused and employer-centered you can be about your goal, the better your chances will be of steering the interview in the right direction.

Another among the dreaded questions is: WHY SHOULD WE HIRE YOU?

This is another broad question that can take you down the wrong road unless you have done some thinking about what to say ahead of time. This question is about selling yourself. Think of yourself as the product. Why should the customer buy?

Prepare and know your product -- YOU!

Summarize your experiences.

Develop a "sales" statement. The more detail you give the better your answer will be. This is not a time to talk about what you want. It is a time to summarize your accomplishments and relate what makes you unique.

Start by looking at the job description or posting. What is the employer stressing as requirements of the job? What will it take to get the job done? Make a list of those requirements.

Next, do an inventory to determine what you have to offer as a fit against those requirements. Think of two or three key qualities you have to offer which match what the employer is seeking. Don't underestimate personal traits that make you unique - your energy, personality type, working style, and people skills.

Completing an exercise around this question will allow you to concentrate on your unique qualities. No two people are alike. Take some time to think about what sets you apart from others.

Regardless of what you are asked in an interview, preparation and practice will improve your performance and give you a better chance at competing with the other candidates. Knowing who you are and what you have to offer is vital for success!

What are your weaknesses?

The most dreaded question of all. Handle this question by minimizing the weakness and emphasizing the strengths. Stay away from personal qualities and concentrate on professional traits: "I am always working to improve my communication skills so that I can be a more effective presenter. I recently joined a debating club which I find very helpful."

Why do you want to work here?

The interviewer is listening for an answer that indicates you've given this some thought, and are not sending out resumes just because there is an opening. Doing research should give you plenty of reasons why you want to work there. As an example, "I've selected key companies whose mission statements are in line with my values, where I know I could be excited about what the company does, and this company is very high on my list of desirable choices."

What are your goals?

Sometimes it's best to talk about short-term and intermediate goals, and not lock yourself into the distant future. Something like, "My immediate goal is to get a job in a growth-oriented company. My long-term goal will depend on where the company goes. I hope to eventually grow into a position of additional responsibility."

When were you most satisfied in your job?

The interviewer wants to know what motivates you. If you can relate an example of a job or project when you were excited, the interviewer will get an idea of your preferences. "I was very satisfied in my last job because I worked directly with the customers and their problems; that is an important part of the job for me."

What can you do for us that other candidates can't?

What makes you unique? This will take an assessment of your experiences, skills and traits. What makes you stand out? After your assessment, bring it all together in a concise manner: "I have a unique combination of strong technical skills, and the ability to build strong customer relationships. This allows me to use my knowledge, and break down information to be user friendly."

What salary are you seeking?

It is to your advantage if the employer tells you the "range" first. Prepare by knowing the "going rate" in your area, and your bottom line or "walk away" point. One possible answer would be: "I am sure when the time comes we can agree on a Ereasonable amount. In what range do you typically pay someone with my background?"

There is no way of predicting which questions will be asked in an interview, but by reviewing some of the "most common" questions you will begin to focus on how to present yourself in the most positive manner.

PUZZLES

2006-01-24T18:09:00.001-08:00

PUZZLES

Q: The diameter of the big circle is 60 cms. What is the total circumference of all 5 circles? Assume the line segment passes through all the center of the circles.

Q: The area of EOF is a quarter of a circle with point O at the center of the circle. The line segment AC is 8 inches long and the line segment BC is 6 inches long. How many square inches are in the non-shaded areas?

Q: Among 12 identical looking golf balls there is one that is defective in weight. It is either heavier or lighter than the standard one. You have a balance. You can only weigh 3 times to find out which one is defective and whether it is heavier or lighter.

Q: In the equation shown, A, B, C, D, and E are 5 consecutive positive integers. What are they?

A^{2 + B2 + C2 = D2 + E2}

Q: There are 3 triplet brothers. They look identical. The oldest is John, he always tells the truth. The second is Jack, he always tells a lie. The third is Joe, he either tells the truth or a lie. MrDean went to visit them one day. He was wondering who was who. So he asked each person a question.

He asked the one who was sitting on the left: "Who is the guy sitting in the middle?". The answer was "He is John."

He asked the one who was sitting in the middle: "What is your name?". The answer was "I am Joe." He asked the one who was sitting on the right: "What is the guy sitting in the middle?". The answer was "He is Jack."

Mr. Dean got really confused. Basically, he asked 3 same questions, but he got 3 different answers. Would you find out who is who for MrDean?

Q: When the Titanic sank in the ocean, four gentlemen and four young ladies floated on to an island. After a while, all of them fell in love with each other. Each person loved one and only one.

The girl that John loved fell in love with Jim. The girl that Allan loved fell in love with Bill. The gentleman that Rose loved fell in love with Mary. Gloria loved the gentleman who loved rose. Gloria did not like Jim and John. Bill did not like Mary. Jill did not like the gentleman who loved her.

The question is: Whom did Allan love?

ANTONYMS AND SYNONYMS.

2006-01-24T18:09:00.000-08:00

A word which is opposite in meaning to the given word is called its Antonym.

Hence the word abase means to dishonour hence its antonym would be exalt.

Words with nearly the same meaning but used differently, are called synonyms.

For e.g., the word abash means to confound, so confound is its synonym.

WORD: Abase

Synonyms: Debase, degrade, depress, detrude, disgrace, dishonor, drop, humiliate, lower, reduce, sink.

Antonym: Exalt, Adore, extol, glorify. Laud, magnify, praise.

WORD: Abate

Synonyms: Allay, appease, assuage, calm, decline, decrease, deduct, diminish, lessen, moderate, pacify, reduce, sink, soften, soothe, subside, wane.

Antonym: Increase, Amplify, enhance, enlarge, multiply, protract, spread.

WORD: Abbreviate

Abridge, compress, condense, curtail, epitomize, reduce, shorten shrink, summaries.

Antonym: Amplify, Elongate, enlarge, expand, extend, lengthen, prolong.

WORD: Aberrant

Abnormal, deviating, devious, disconnected, eccentric, idiotic, inconsistent, irregular, peculiar, singular, wandering.

Antonym: Regular, Natural, normal, rhythmic, stated, typical, usual.

WORD: Abet

Advocate, aid, assist, back, countenance, encourage, favor, good, help, incite, sanction, spur, succors, support, sustain, urge.

Antonym: Hinder, Check, deter, discourage, interrupt, obstruct, oppose.

WORD: Abscond

Bolt, decamp, disappear, elope, escape, flee, fly, hide, retreat, withdraw.

Antonym: Emerge, Appear, emanate, loom.

WORD: Absolve

Acquit, clear, exonerate, forgive, free, loose, pardon, ransom, release, remit.

Antonym: Condemn, Accuse, charge, convict, sentence.

WORD: Baffle

Astound, balk, bemuse, bewilder, check, confound, defeat, foil, frustrate, mar, perplex, thwart, upset.

Antonym: Help, Abet, aid, assist, back.

WORD: Bashful

Abashed, coy, diffident, modest, shy, timid, timorous.

Antonym: Bold, courageous, daring, gallant.

WORD: Benign

Benevolent, friendly, gentle, good, gracious, hymen, kind, kindly, obliging, sweet.

Antonym: Malevolent, Harsh, hard, rough, tough.

WORD: Berate

Chide, criticize, rebuke, reprimand, reprove,

Antonym: Praise, Exalt, extol, glorify.

WORD: Bewilder

Astonish, befog, be muddle, confound, confuse, daze, embarrass, muddle, mystify, perplex, puzzle, stagger.

Antonym: Enlighten, Acquaint, edify, educate, teach.

WORD: Bigotry

Fanaticism, obstinacy, prejudice, zealotry.

Antonym: Tolerance, Endurance, patience.

WORD: Cacophonous

Cacophonic, cacophonies, discordant, grating, harsh, jarring.

Antonym: Harmonious

Accordant, concordant, euphonic, melodious.

WORD: Cajole

Beguile, blandish, coax, deceive, delude, dupe, entrap, fawn, flatter, impose, inveigle, lure, mislead, persuade, tempt.

Antonym: Warn, Admonish, advise, caution.

WORD: Chagrin

Anger, annoyance, displeasure, disquiet, exasperation, irritation, mortification, vexation.

Antonym: Pleasure, Ecstasy, enjoyment, happiness, joy.

WORD: Circuitous

Devious, indirect, roundabout, tortuous, turning, winding.

Antonym: Direct, Linear, straight.

ETYMOLOGY

Etymology, as you know deals with the history of words. It is the study of the sources and development of words. If you know the root of words you would be able to know the meaning of related words. Here are some examples

Word : egoist

Meaning : me first Root : ego(I)

Word : egotist

Meaning : the height of conceit

Root : ego(I)

Word : egocentric

Meaning : consider oneself the center of universe

Root : ego(I)

Word : egomaniac

Meaning : your needs, desires and interests have become an obsession

Root : ego(I)

Word : altruism

Meaning : interest in the welfare of the others

Root : alter(other)

Word : altruist

Meaning : a person who looks after the welfare of the others

Root : alter(other)

Word : altruistic

Meaning : nature related to the above

Root : alter(other)

Word : alternate

Meaning : skip one and take the other

Root : alter(other)

Word : alternative

Meaning : no other choice

Root : alter(other)

Word : alteration

Meaning : make into another

Root : alter(other)

Word : alter ego

Meaning : other self

Root : alter(other)

Word : altercation

Meaning : a violent disagreement because of other ideas

Root : alter (other)

Finding Your Uniqueness in Today's Job Market

2006-01-20T09:44:00.000-08:00

It is typical of the job market that the number of people seeking jobs usually outnumbers the jobs that are available.

As a job seeker, you realize that you are competing against the odds.

The question is,

"How can you make yourself stand out when there are so many other candidates looking at the same job?"

The answer is to

"focus" -- focus on what makes you unique.

Lets assume that you have an outstanding resume and that you make it to the top of the stack of resumes of people to be called for an interview. You, and maybe nine or ten other equally qualified people for the position.

Because companies have so many candidates to choose from, they are interviewing more people so that they can select the "best." When you are lucky enough to be invited to an interview, it is essential that you be ready to sell yourself, to let the interviewers know what makes you unique, what added value you can bring to the position--in other words, why you are the best person for the job.

By doing some basic preparation, you can determine your uniqueness and where you should focus your attention. The first step in this process is to identify your five strengths. These strengths are the areas where you do very well. Never ever feel that you don't have strengths. Everyone has strengths. You need not be the topper or among the top students of the class to have strengths. Every person is inherently unique and will have qualities that make her / him different from others.

This may take some thought on your part. What are your strengths?

* Think about previous performances What was said or written about you? What would your classmates or friends say about you?

List the skills and experiences you have that would be required in the type of job you are seeking. For instance, a technical job would focus on programs, languages, and platforms, etc.

* Give some thought to those skills in which you excel, those that are referred to as the "soft skills." These skills can be viewed as transferable you can take them with you to any job you hold. Examples of these skills are your communication and people skills, or your time-management or your ability to build strong relationships.

* Lastly, think of the personal traits that make you unique. Maybe you never miss deadlines, or perhaps you are willing to do above and beyond what is asked, or perhaps you have a great attitude.

When you have identified your five strengths, make a list of those strengths and some examples of when those strengths have helped you achieve results on the job. It will be essential that you cannot only identify your strengths, but that you also have examples and stories of times when you demonstrated those strengths in the past.

By focusing on five strengths, you will be prepared with examples of times when you have used these strengths.

Whenever possible, give examples to show how you have "been there and done that," and can do it again. It will be necessary to demonstrate that you have what it takes, and then some, to be unique in this market.

When you walk out of that interview room, your interviewers may not remember all five of your points; but if they remember even two of the points that make you unique, you will be ahead of the crowd.

Can anyone explain why

2006-01-07T22:15:00.000-08:00

1.If all the nations in the world are in debt(am not joking. Even US has got debts), where did all the money go? (weird)

2.When dog food is new and improved tasting, who tests it? (to be given a thought)

3.What is the speed of darkness? ( absurd)

4.If the "black box" flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash, why isn't the whole airplane made out of that stuff? ( very good thinking)

5.Who copyrighted the copyright symbol? (who knows)

6.Can you cry under water? (let me try)

7.Why do people say, "you've been working like a dog" when dogs just sit around all day? (I think they meant something else)

8.Why are the numbers on a calculator and a phone reversed? (God knows)

9.Do fish ever get thirsty? (let me ask and tell)

10.Can you get cornered in a round room? (by ones eyes)

12.Why do birds not fall out of trees when they sleep? (tonight I will stay and watch)

13.What came first, the fruit or the color orange? (seed)

14.If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables,
Then what is baby oil made from? (No comments)

15.What should one call a male ladybird? (No comments)

16.If a person suffered from amnesia and then was cured would theyremember that they forgot? (can somebody help )

17.Can you blow a balloon up under water? (yes u can)

18.Why is it called a "building" when it is already built? (strange isn't it)

19.If you were traveling at the speed of sound and you turned on your radio would you be ! Able to hear it? (got to think scientifically)

20.If you're traveling at the speed of light and you turn your headlights on, what happens?

21.Why is it called a TV set when theres only one? (very nice)

22.If a person owns a piece of land do they own it all the way down to the core of the earth? (this is nice)

23.Why do most cars have speedometers that go up to at least 130 when you legally can't go that fast on any road? (stupid, break the law)

24. If drink & drive is not allowed why the hell they have parking in Bars ? ( Good Question )

chemical approach to women

2006-01-02T20:24:00.000-08:00

Element : WOMEN

Symbol : WO+

Atomic mass : Accepted as 53.6 Kg; isotopes may vary from 40-200 kg.

Occurrence : Copious quantities in all urban areas.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

1. Boils at room temperature

2. Freezes without any known reason.

3. Melts if given special treatment.

4. Bitter, if incorrectly used.

5. Sweet as Honey if given a proper treatment.

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

1. Have great affinity for Gold, Silver and a range of precious stones and absorbs great quantities of expensive substances.

2. May explode spontaneously without prior warning and for no known reason.

3. Most powerful money reducing agent known to man.

COMMON USES

1. Highly ornamental, especially in sports cars.

2. Can be great aid to relaxation.

TESTS

1. Pure specimen turns rosy pink when happy.

2. Turns green when placed behind a better specimen.

POTENTIAL HAZARD

Illegal to possess more than one, although several can be maintained at different locations as long as specimens do not come in direct contact with each other.

!! WARNING !!

PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO THIS ELEMENT CAN CAUSE SEVERE FINANCIAL HEMORRHAGING AND MENTAL DISTRESS.

Yahoo! Shopping
Find Great Deals on Holiday Gifts at Yahoo! Shopping

Yahoo! for Good - Make a difference this year.

2006-01-02T01:04:00.000-08:00

Sardarji's online

2006-01-01T21:52:00.000-08:00

When To Say "I Love You"

The “I love you”

Are you wondering if there is a right time to tell your partner "I love you"? Well there is a right time and a bad time to tell "I love you".

After going out on a few dates with someone that you really like and enjoy being with, you will more than likely feel like you are falling in love with this person. Sometimes this happens within days or weeks; for some people this might not happen for months.

Regardless of when you start to feel like you love the other person, there are a few things that you should consider before you say the big words “I love you.”

You want to say it only if you truly believe that it is true, you don’t want to mislead the other person if you don’t actually mean it.

Say it because you have been thinking about it for a long time and want to let it out and let the other person hear those words from you.

Make sure that you pick an appropriate time to say those words, pick the right moment to make it more meaningful to you, to show that you truly mean what you are saying.

Say it when the two of you are alone

Don’t say it if you don’t know how the other person will respond. If the two of you are falling in love, there will of been some signs that the other person is really falling for you also.

Don’t say it if you are not sure about where the relationship is headed.

Don’t say it too early in the relationship when you’ve just barely met the person. Infatuation is very strong and a person can feel a strong urge to tell the other person "I love you" or other serious expressions of feelings very soon in the relationship. I have seen this scare off a person in a relationship.

Don’t just say it to get the other person to sleep with you.

Don’t say it if you don’t really mean it, just because the other person said it to you.

Don’t say it if you are just hoping to hear it from the other person.

Telling another person that you love them is a big deal for most people. Playing with someone's emotion doesn’t pay off in the long run, in fact, it may even hurt your relationship. Make sure that you are saying it because you truly feel it and know that the other person feels very strong feelings for you.

Falling in love is a wonderful experience, don't be afraid but take your time and use your head.

Test your Eyes & Brain !

2005-12-30T17:33:00.000-08:00

Count every "F" in the following text:

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT

OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC

STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS...
(SEE BELOW)

HOW MANY ?

...................... 3?

WRONG, THERE ARE 6 -- no joke.
READ IT AGAIN !

The reasoning behind is further down.

The brain cannot process "OF".

Incredible or what? Go back and look again!!

Anyone who counts all 6 "F's" on the first go is a Genius.
&nb! sp; Three is Normal, four is Quite Rare.

2005-12-26T16:15:00.000-08:00

Choreography

You Want To Be A Millionaire ?

2005-12-24T09:39:00.000-08:00

A jobless man applied for the position of "office boy" at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test. "You are employed."

He said, "Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start."

The man replied "But I don't have a computer, neither an email."

I'm sorry", said the HR Manager, "If you don't have an email, that means you do not exist. And who doesn't exist, cannot have the job."

The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do, with only $10 in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy a 10Kg tomato crate. He then sold the tomatoes in a door-to-door round. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital. He repeated the Operation three times, and returned home with $60. The man realized that he can survive by this way, and started to go everyday earlier, and return late Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.

5 years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US. He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him his email. The man replied, "I don't have an email". The broker answered curiously, "You don't have an email, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?"

The man thought for a while and replied, " Yes, I'd be an office boy at Microsoft!"
Moral of the story:

M1 - Internet is not the solution to your life.
M2 - If you don't have internet, and work hard, you can still be a millionaire.

Have a great day !!!

Jokes

2005-12-22T19:40:00.000-08:00

Seat Belt Prize

4 People in car, 2 in the front, one asleep in the back, one curled up in the trunk. Cop comes up behind with siren. They
pull over. Cop walks to drivers' window.

Driver: What seems to be the problem, officer?

Cop: No problem! I just wanted to tell you that you are the one hundredth person I've seen wearing a seat belt today,
which means you have won $5,000 in the statewide safety competition!

Driver: That's great! What a surprise!

Cop: So, buddy, what are you going to do with your winnings?

Driver: Well, first I'll get my drivers license and then I'll pay off all those warrants.

Rider: Ah, don't believe him! He always talks big when he's drunk!

Sleeper (waking up): Whoa! A cop. Darn it all! I knew we wouldn't get far in a stolen car.

Guy in Trunk: Hey! Amigos! Have we crossed the border yet?

What is the diffrence between stress, tension & panic?

Stress is when wife is pregnant.
Tension is when girl friend is pregnant.
Panic is when both are pregnant.

Sardar told his girl friend "Darling come to my house today night nobody will be there."
She said OK i will. At night girlfriend went to Sardar's house and nobody was there!!!

A father passing by his son's bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then he saw an envelope propped up prominently on the center of the bed. It was addressed, "dad" with the worst rumination, he opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands:

Dear dad,

This is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing this. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with mom and you. I've been finding real passion with barbara and she is so nice even with all her piercing, tattoos, and her tight motorcycle clothes. But it's not only the passion, dad she's pregnant and barbara assures me that we will be very happy. Even though you don't care for her since she is so much older than I am, she already owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood enough for he whole winter. She wants to have many more children with me and that's now one of my dreams too. Barbara taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and we'll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with her friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy we need. In the meantime, we pray that science will find a cure for aids so that barbara can get better; she sure deserves it!! Don't worry, dad, i'm 15 years old now and i know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grandchildren.

Your son,

John

P.S: Dad, none of this is true. I'm over at billy's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than my reportcard which is in my
desk center drawer. I love you!

P.S: Call when it's safe for me to come home

How stock markets work!!!

It was autumn, and the Red Indians on the remote reservation asked their New Chief if the winter was going to be cold or mild. Since he was a Red Indian chief in a modern society, he couldn't tell what the weather was Going to be. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he replied to his Tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect wood to be prepared.

But also being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked "Is the coming winter going to be cold?"

"It looks like this winter is Going to be quite cold indeed," the meteorologist at the weather service responded.

So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more wood. A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. "Is it going to be a very cold winter?"

"Yes," the man at National Weather Service again replied, "It's definitely going to be a very cold winter."

The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of wood they could find. Two weeks later, he called the National Weather Service again. "Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?"

"Absolutely," The man replied. "It's going to be one of the coldest winters ever."

"How can you be so sure?" the Chief asked. The weatherman replied, "The
Red Indians are collecting wood like crazy."

PS: This is how stock markets work!!!

God made Earth and rested,
God made man and rested,
God made woman, and since then neither God nor man rested.

I, walking along a California beach was deep in prayer. All of a sudden, said out loud, "Lord, grant me one wish." The sky clouded above his head and in a booming voice, the Lord said, "Because you have tried to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish." I said, "Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can drive over anytime I want."

The Lord said, "Your request is very materialistic. Think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking. The supports required to reach the bottom of the Pacific! The concrete and steel it would take! I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Takea little more time and think of another wish, a wish you think would
honor and glorify me." I thought about it for a long time.

Finally said, "Lord, I wish that I could understand women. I want to know how they feel inside, what they are thinking when they give the silent treatment, why they cry, what they meanwhen they say 'nothing', and how I can make a woman truly happy."

The Lord replied, "You want two lanes or four lanes on that bridge?""

johns

2005-12-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

A hillbilly was visiting the big city and checked into a nice hotel downtown. At the counter, he signed his name with an X and started to walk away. Then he stopped, turned and put a circle around the X.
“Now, I’ve seen lots of people from the mountains sign with an X,” the clerk said. “But I’ve never seen one with a circle around it. Why’d you do that?”
“Well, you know how it is,” the man replied. “When you’re in a strange place, sometimes you don’t want to use your real name.”

A couple are lying in bed one night when the woman turns to the man, smiles and says, “I’m going to make you the happiest man in the world.”
The man replies, “I’ll miss you.”

Why is Christmas like a day in the office?
You do all the work and the fat bloke in the suit gets all the credit.

Finally, after six girls, Luke’s wife had a boy. But he had only a head—nothing else. Luke didn’t care, though. He was just happy to have a boy.

On his kid’s 21st birthday, Luke took him to a bar. “A shot of your best Scotch,” he ordered.

The boy drank it, and—POOF—he grew a neck. Amazed, Luke then ordered another and—POP—a torso sprouted. “Keep ’em coming!” Luke shouted. Eventually, the boy had a whole body. Everyone cheered.

Tipsy, the boy stood on his new legs and stumbled to the left ... to the right ... out by the front door and into the path of a truck.

The bar fell silent.

“He should’ve stopped drinking,” the bartender said, “while he was a head.”

“I’m afraid that when you take these exam results home to your father his hair will go grey,” a teacher told one of her pupils.
“Wow, he’ll be so happy,” enthused the boy. “He’s completely bald.”

The waiter asks: “What would you like for dessert?”
Customers:
“Nothing for me.”
“I’m full.”
“I couldn’t eat another thing.”

Hearing all that, the waiter looks surprised, points to the menu and says, “But it’s included with your meal.”
Customers:
“Ice cream.”
“Nut tart.”
“Chocolate cake.”

Blinded by the Light

Funny
Q: How many DIY buffs does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One, but it takes two weeks and four trips to the hardware store.

Funnier
Q: How many recovering addicts does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: One, but it takes 12 steps.

Funniest
A: One.
Q: How many psychics does it take to change a light bulb?

An IT nerd is crossing the road when he meets a frog who tells him, “If you kiss me, I’ll turn into a beautiful princess, stay with you for a week and do anything you want.”
The IT nerd smiles and puts the frog in his pocket.
“Did you hear me?” says the frog. “I said I’ll do anything for a week.”
The nerd ignores it.
“Oy! What are you playing at?” it shouts. “A beautiful princess? For a week? That’s irresistible!”
“Look,” says the nerd. “I’m a computer expert. I haven’t got time for a girlfriend. But a talking frog—now that’s cool.”

2005-12-22T09:39:00.000-08:00

How to Set Bullet-Proof New Year's Resolutions

Isn't it early to be thinking about New Year's resolutions? Yes, if your M.O. is to flake out like most people. But if you really want to bullet-proof your New Year's resolutions, begin today with my five-step process.

1. Take an inventory or your successes and setbacks in 2005

Don't squander the lessons of the past year. Ask yourself what worked and what didn't, and then ask yourself why. These lessons will help you avoid repeating past mistakes, and will reveal successful strategies that you can apply to your new goals.

2. Start with the big picture

Many times we set goals without any sense of context. Maybe you want to get in shape for the summer. Great. Why? How will getting in shape by summer serve you three years from now, ten years from now, twenty years from now? Try turning the paradigm on its head and start by asking yourself, "What do I want to accomplish in three years? In ten years? In twenty years?" Then, when you have a clear idea of what the big picture looks like, ask yourself, "What must I accomplish in the next year for me to achieve my longer-term goals?"

3. Clarify and commit

Get as specific as you can when you describe your goals and the results that you want. How will you measure your progress? Are there interim steps? What is the interim timetable? Are your goals achievable given your resources, or do you need additional information or partners? Why do you want to achieve these goals? What specific results are you looking for? Once you have clarified your goals, share them with at least one person you respect who holds you to a very high standard, and make a commitment to yourself and to them that you will follow through.

4. Plan to act, and plan to persist

Map out a detailed four-week plan. Describe specifically what you need to do each day. This plan will help get you through that tenuous first month. Promise yourself that you will persist until you achieve the results you want no matter what obstacles you encounter. Create contingency plans for obstacles that you can anticipate. And reconcile yourself to the idea that there will be obstacles you can't anticipate. For those inevitable unknown obstacles, cultivate a deep feeling of faith in your ability to bounce back and push forward. Look to the past for examples of how you persisted at times when it seemed impossible or hopeless.

5. Start immediately

Yes, right now. Get a jumpstart by taking action now so that you hit the ground running and start the new year with some momentum. January 1 is as arbitrary as any other date. Why delay when you can begin now?

2005-12-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

Building Successful Relationships

Building Successful Relationships
There is really something to be said for building quality relationships in life. Whether it is a family relationship, a friendship, or a business relationship, they are all personal relationships that need to be developed and nurtured.

Building a quality relationship requires a mutual benefit. I believe that all relationships can be classified as joint ventures. If you understand the concept of a joint venture, then you really have the basic understanding of how relationships are developed. In any relationship, or joint venture, there must be a benefit to both parties involved and both parties must be able to identify a need for that benefit before a successful relationship can be developed.

If you are wondering why one of your relationships doesn't seem to be working, the first step it to identify what the benefits of the relationship are to you and the other party. If you cannot clearly identify the benefits, then the relationship may need to be changed. Think of a relationship as a series of transactions, you offer the other person something that they want and in turn you acquire something that you desire. For example; you offer your employer your expertise in a specific area and they offer you compensation in return. If you continue to provide the employer with what they desire and they continue to provide you with the compensation that you desire, you have a satisfactory business relationship.

Many relationships fail on the basis of a lack of effective communication. This often happens based on a series of assumptions that may result from complacency in nurturing the relationship. To continue with the previous example; assume at some point in time your employer is becoming dissatisfied with the work that you are producing and decides not to advance your pay, at the same time you find out that others with the same responsibilities are receiving more compensation than you. What do you think happens? More often than not, you become frustrated and turn in poorer work, the exact opposite of what you need to do to acquire more compensation and the employer becomes more and more dissatisfied and eventually you find yourself unemployed.

What could have been done? The most effective way to address this situation is through effective communication. The employer could have approached you and identified what they were seeking from you and why you did not receive additional compensation. At this point you may have been able to say "Well, I can do that, why didn't you just say so" and off we go with a successful relationship! The alternative would be for you to take the lead and approach your supervisor asking 'I noticed that I didn't get that pay raise, what can I do to make sure that I am successful?". More than likely you will be accommodated with an answer that will allow you to modify your relationship and make it more successful.

I have found that employers like to foster good employee relationships. Hiring and training new employees is very expensive and if they can nurture an existing relationship in order to get the result that is desired, they will often choose that route.

Sometimes change is inevitable, but take it upon yourself to ask questions and find out if you are fulfilling your end of the bargain. Take some time this year to address all of your relationships and make the appropriate changes to foster and nurture those relationships in the new year. Often one little conversation can make a world of difference in building successful relationships in our lives!

2005-12-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

Are You a Victim of Your Own Christmas?

We�re coming down to the wire. How�s it feeling to you?

Why do I ask that? Well, whatever you�re celebrating, and whatever your religious orientation, Christmas is a celebration, a celebration that for many has a spiritual basis to it. That is, it�s supposed to be merry, at the least, and meaningful at the most. What�s it for you this year?

There may not be much you can do to put on the brakes now, but note how you�re feeling so you can see how it�s working for you. This has to be tested against the purpose of this celebration, which is personal to each of us, but surely it isn�t to be exhausted, stressed, hateful, resentful, materialistic, imprudent, overwhelmed, obligatory, or �just going through the motions.� If you�re feeling �the thrill is gone,� it�s time to get mindful. Don�t be the victim of your own holiday.

Remember, it�s all about choice. Intentionality is the EQ competency for the holidays. What do you intend? How do your intend to feel? What do you intend to accomplish?

If you feel like you want to stop the world and get off, take note. When Christmas is over, process.

Ask yourself:

1. What worked and what didn't? In other words, what make you feel good. Feeling good can be pleasure, joy, but also the feeling of a job well done.

2. What did I do out of obligation, or to keep up with the Joneses that needs to be let go next year?

3. Did I feel the way I wanted to? If not, what will I do differently next year?

4. Take each element and analyze it - - did you really enjoy it, or were you just going through the paces? Was it �because we�ve always done it this way�?

5. Is there some traditional that's outworn it's welcome? If so, eliminate it. Kiss it goodbye, remembering it fondly, but let it go.

6. Whether you're a parent, grandparent, or uncle or aunt, there are children around. What kind of example are you setting? If you yell at your kid because you're stress out over Christmas, ho ho ho?

7. How materialistic were your gifts? How much did you bust your budget? Change this next year.

8. Did you spend time the way you wanted to? Did you spend time with the people you wanted to be with? Whether or not its family, you have a choice.

9. Did you actually have time to enjoy each thing � the smells, the touches, the sights, the sounds? Or were you like a hamster on his wheel?

10. What part of the negatives was due to your attitude rather than external events or circumstances? Controlling your mood and emotions with emotional intelligence can add tremendously to your life, not just at Christmas time.

The best gift in life is to be able to learn from your experiences and this is a great time to apply this. If you don�t like what�s going on, don�t be a victim of your own circumstances or attitude. Change one or both!

2005-11-17T02:22:00.002-08:00

The Four Ghosts of the White House

One night, George W. Bush is tossing restlessly in his White House bed. He awakens to see George Washington standing by him Bush asks him, "George, what's the best thing I can do to help the country?"

"Set an honest and honorable example, just as I did," Washington advises, and then fades away

The next night, Bush is astir again, and sees the ghost of Thomas Jefferson moving through the darkened bedroom. Bush calls out, "Tom, please! What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"

"Respect the Constitution, as I did," Jefferson advises, and dims from sight...

The third night sleep still does not come for Bush. He awakens to see the ghost of FDR hovering over his bed. Bush whispers, "Franklin, What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"

"Help the less fortunate, just as I did," FDR replies and fades into the mist...

Bush isn't sleeping well the fourth night when he sees another figure moving in the shadows. It is the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. Bush pleads, "Abe, what is the best thing I can do right now to help the country?"

Lincoln replies, "Go see a play."

2005-11-17T02:22:00.001-08:00

Laugh Out Loud

This newcomer to Seattle arrives on a rainy day. She gets up the next day and it’s raining. It continues to pour for the rest of the week.
Leaning out of her apartment window, she sees a little boy playing on the stoop below and asks, “Hey, kid, does it ever stop raining around here?”
The kid looks up at her and yells, “How should I know? I’m only six.”.

“Daddy,” says a boy to his father, “you lost your credit card months ago and you still haven’t reported it.”
“That’s because I’ve realized that the thief spends less than your mother.”

Juan vega, a clam diver, found an injured sea otter and nursed it back to health. From the moment the grateful otter was able to walk, it never left Juan’s side. It even learned to dig for clams.
One day, a man went to Juan’s house looking to hire him for a week. His wife answered the door.
“Sure,” his wife said. “It will cost you $500.”
“That much?”
“But you’re getting my husband and his otter. They bring up more clams than anyone else in town.”
“I just want Juan. I’ll hire him alone for $350,” the man countered.
“Sorry,” she shrugged. “You can’t have Juan without the otter.”

On their first date, a man asked his companion if she’d like a drink.
“Oh, no, what would I tell my Sunday school class?” she said.
Later, he offered her a cigarette.
“Oh, no, what would I tell my Sunday school class?” she said again.
On the drive home, he saw a motel. Figuring he had nothing to lose, he asked if she wanted to stop in there.
“Okay,” his date replied.
“What will you tell your Sunday school class?” he asked, shocked.
“The same thing I always tell them. ‘You don’t have to drink or smoke to have a
good time.’ ”

A man is recovering from minor surgery when his nurse comes in to check on him.
“How are you feeling?” she asks.
“I’m okay,” he says, “but I didn’t like the four-letter word the doctor used during surgery.”
“What did he say?”the nurse asks.
“Oops.”

Q: What’s round and bad-tempered?
A: A vicious circle.

While visiting an old and spooky country house, a lady confided in the guide that she was terrified of ghosts and dreaded meeting one on the tour.
To reassure her, the guide informed her that in all the years he had worked at the house, he had never seen a single ghost.
“And how long have you worked here?” asked the woman.
“Three hundred years.”

A couple are debating whether computers are male or female.

"Definitely female," said the husband. "You spend half of your salary on accessories for them and even the smallest mistakes are stored in their long-term memory for use at a later date."

"Nope," said his wife. "They're male. To get their attention you have to turn them on and as soon as you commit to one, you realize you could have got a better model if you'd waited longer."

2005-11-16T02:36:00.000-08:00

With the demands of work and family, do you ever feel like you don't have enough time to
develop deep friendships the way you would like?

Lots of women are solving this problem by getting together with their friends while also
working individually on an important project: creating heirlooms that their families will enjoy for
generations.

Scrapbooking clubs are the quilting bees of the modern era. When you join – or form – a
scrapbook group, you create a regular time to meet with creative, loving, and
family-centered friends.

Carving out a regular time to meet is an ideal way to create and maintain these meaningful
friendships. Plus, as everyone gets together to work with family photographs and poignant
memories, conversations tend to be deep and meaningful, too.

2005-11-14T02:36:00.000-08:00

Take heart, anyone among you who believes he or she is technologically
challenged, you "ain't seen nuthin" yet. This is an excerpt from a Wall
Street Journal article:
*All these are things that actually happened!!!

1. Compaq is considering changing the command "Press Any Key" to "Press
Return Key" because of the flood of calls asking where the "Any" key is.

2. AST technical support had a caller complaining that her mouse was hard
to control with the dust cover on. The cover turned out to be the plastic
bag the mouse was packaged in.

3. Another Dell customer called to say he couldn't get his computer to fax
anything. After 40 minutes of troubleshooting, the technician discovered the
man was trying to fax a piece of paper by holding it in front of the monitor
screen and hitting the "Send" key.

4. Yet another Dell customer called to complain that his keyboard no longer
worked. He had cleaned it by filling up his bathtub with soap and water and
soaking the keyboard for a day, then removing all the keys and washing them
individually.

5. A Dell technician received a call from a customer who was enraged
because his computer had told him he was "Bad and an invalid." The tech
explained that the computer's "bad command" and "invalid" responses
shouldn't be taken personally.

6. A confused caller to IBM was having trouble printing documents. He told
the technician that the computer had said it "couldn't find printer." The
user had also tried turning the computer screen to face the printer-but that
his computer still couldn't "see" the printer.

7. An exasperated caller to Dell Computer Tech Support couldn't get her new
Dell Computer to turn on. After ensuring the computer was plugged in, the
technician asked her what happened when she pushed the power button. Her
response, "I pushed and pushed on this foot pedal and nothing happened." The
"foot pedal" turned out to be the computer's mouse...

8. Another customer called Compaq tech support to say her brand new
computer wouldn't work. She said she unpacked the unit, plugged it in and
sat there for 20 minutes waiting for something to happen. When asked what
happened when she pressed the power switch, she asked, "What power switch?"

9. Another IBM customer had trouble installing software and rang for
support. "I put in the first disk, and that was OK. It said to put in the
second disk, and had some problems with the disk. When it said to put in the
third disk, I couldn't even fit it in..." The user hadn't realized that
"Insert Disk 2" implied removing Disk 1 first.

10. A story from a Novell NetWare SysOp:

CALLER: "Hello, is this Tech Support?"

TECH: "Yes, it is. How may I help you?"

CALLER: "The cup holder on my PC is broken -and I am within my warranty
period. How do I go about getting that fixed?"

TECH: "I'm sorry, but did you say a cup holder?"

CALLER: "Yes, it's attached to the front of my computer."

TECH: "Please excuse me. If I seem a bit stumped, it's because I am.

Did you receive this as part of a promotional at a trade show? How did you
get this cup holder? Does it have any Trademark on it?"

CALLER: "It came with my computer. I don't know anything about a
promotional. It just has '4X' on it."

At this point, the Tech Rep had to mute the caller because he couldn't
stand it. He was laughing too hard. The caller had been using the load
drawer of the CD-ROM drive as a cup holder and it had snapped it off the
drive.

11. A woman called the Canon help desk with a problem with her printer. The
tech asked her if she was "running it under windows." The woman responded,
"No, my desk is next to the door. But that is a good point. The man sitting
in the cubicle next to me is under a window and his printer is working
fine."

12. And last but not least:

TECH SUPPORT: "O.K. Bob, let's press the control and escape keys at the
same time. That brings up a task list in the middle of the screen. Now type
the letter "P" to bring up the Program Manager."

CUSTOMER: "I don't have a 'P'".

TECH SUPPORT: "On your keyboard, Bob."

CUSTOMER: "What do you mean?"

TECH SUPPORT: "'P' on your keyboard, Bob."

CUSTOMER: "I'm not going to do that!"