Don't get scared looking at the title. I have decided to learn something new everyday. It can be anything, something related to sports, fashion, lifestyle, IT, programming, English, vocabulary, TV show, music, movies, books - anything. And I have decided to note down everything here. Though I am nowhere near kid (I am at age to have my on kid :) ) it was more apt for this kind of post. Kids always have questions almost about everything and they can absorb the answers without any bias. They have no shame asking even trivial questions and they generally very well remember the answers. So wish me luck in my learning journey
Apr 18, 2011
NBA Playoffs
During weekend all I heard and watched was NBA (National Basketball Association) playoffs. It is best of 7 elimination around among 16 teams where each conference (Eastern and Western) has 8 teams. Eastern conference has 3 divisions called Atlantic, Central and Southeast. Western Conference has also 3 divisions namely Northwest, Pacific and Southwest. Each division has 5 teams totaling to 30 teams.
- When NBA season starts each team plays 82 games. Half of these games are home games and rest half are away games
- Each team plays 4 games against rest of 4 teams in same divisions, 3 or 4 games against teams from different divisions but same conference and 2 games against teams from other conference
- Out of 30 teams 16 teams make to playoffs with each conference comprising of 8 teams
- These 8 teams are top 8 teams in respective divisions where first 3 teams are always division champions irrespective of their standings compared to other teams. This is followed to make sure that division champions remain in top 3 positions. Rest 5 teams next best teams from entire conference
- In playoffs, each team plays 7 games against it opponent and best of 7 formula is followed to proceed to the next round
- This order is fixed, teams 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 play against each other in each conferences
- So in next round which called playoffs semi finals 4 teams from each conference participate. This is also best of 7 round where winner of 1-8 plays against winner of 4-5 and winner of 2-7 plays against winner of 3-6
- Next stage is conference finals where each conference has 2 teams (respective winner from semis) totaling to 4 teams. This is also best of 7 round
- Last stage is called NBA finals, which is again best of 7 round. Winner from each conference participates for NBA title. NBA finals are generally played in the month of June
Apr 19, 2011
Persuasion Profiling
I knew a bit about taste profiling. For example, Amazon shows the list of books you might like and Netflix is picking and rating movies for you. Persuasion Profiling is a step ahead meaning it can actually read what you are thinking.
It's an emerging technology and if it works as intended, it would be a giant leap in marketing and ad world. When people surf online they come across tons of ads, but most of them remain unclicked. This profiling technique will help boosting the click rate and hence eventually selling rate as well. It gathers data from online resources like social networking sites and forums and uses such data to analyze and determine person's behavioral characteristics like their life style, spending habit etc.
Recently I read an article about it in Wired magazine and thought to find more about the same. But there are a very few website offering further explanation to it.
April 20, 2011
Helicopter Shot
In cricket media discussions about who invented helicopter shot is quite hot these days. Discussion is about the inventor of this shot - Sachin or Dhoni? I know a bit about cricket but never even heard of this kind of shot. Then I watched video of this type of shot played by both cricketers and also searched online.
I could not find much but what I understand is, batsman's leg movement is very low and just using power of arm and shoulder (like propeller) he sends ball to boundary. Sachin used to play this kind of shots for mid-on 4's while Dhoni plays for straight 6's.
April 24, 2011
Opera
So far the only thing I knew about Opera was that it's a performance given by singers and musicians which is a combination of text and music.
History of Opera takes us back in 16th century. the very first Opera was performed in Italy in 1597 and soon spread to other European countries like France, England and Germany. Today the most renowned figure from 18th century Opera is Mozart, who became famous for his Comedy Operas. In 19th century works of Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini became famous and they are still used today.
April 25, 2011
RAP sheet
These days I watch too much TV and I have come across this word hundreds of times.
It stands for Records of Arrest and Prosecution, which are criminal records of a person. RAP sheet is generally used by potential employers, lenders etc. to verify the trustworthiness. They are also used for travel/visa, immigration, adoption purposes. Whether to include all offenses or only prosecutions depend on the country and jurisdiction.
In USA various law enforcement agencies compile and update such records on local, state and federal levels. Centralized repository is maintained at federal level, such database is referred to as NCIC (National Crime Information Center). Information stored under this database is made available to private sectors in a rare scenario. To obtain information for a living person, his/her consent is required. In addition to centralized copy, local and state level agencies might have their own separate copy.
Apr 29, 2011
Aircraft Carrier
A warship that is used for launching and landing of an aircraft acting as seagoing airbase. Thus naval does not have to be dependent on local base. US and Japan started using them in the beginning of 20th century. Though they were widely used during World War II. Such carriers are mainly classified based on their roles,
Anti Submarine War - To find and kill submarines
Helicopter Carrier
Light aircraft carrier
Amphibious assault ship
Seaplane carrier
Balloon carrier
Apr 30, 2011
Fighter Aircrafts
A military aircraft directly involved in air-to-air combat with other aircraft
Currently F-22 developed by US ($143 million) is considered the best fighter aircraft (5th generation) due to its stealth avionics. Which means it has been built using stealth technology to make it invisible for detection technologies like radar, infrared and sonar.
US is believed to have the best air force in the world. Though US and Israel are on technically equal terms, Israel is behind considering over all size and power.
India is ranked 6th with 1600+ aircrafts including MIG (Baaz) and Mirage (Vajra).
May 01, 2011
Types of colors used in Painting
- Acrylic
- Water Color
- Pastel
- Oil
May 02, 2011
Char Dham
These are pilgrimages places located in India for Hindus. These 4 places are Badrinath, Jagganathpuri, Dwarka and Rameshvar located in the North, East, West and South parts of India. These are the main 4 Jyotirilings among total 12 of them.
Another shorter circuit is also called Char Dham located in the Himalayas, in Uttarakhand state of India. They are Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri. I find beauty and spirituality of the Himalayas more appealing than the religion reason. They are located at the average altitude of 12000 to 14000 ft. This Yatra starts with Yamnotri, the origin of Yamuna river and also the toughest among 4 them. It continues to Gangotri (Oriogin of the Ganga river), Kedarnath and Badrinath (in this order). Both Kedarnath and Badrinath have been built around 9th century by Adi Shankaracharya. Gangotri and Yamontri represent Shakti, Kedarntah represents Shiv and Badrinath represent Vaishav.
May 03, 2011
Whale
These days I am reading the American Classic by Herman Melville, Moby Dick. It's about sailor and the ship and it captain who are on the voyage for whale hunting.
They are the largest marines mammals and found almost round the world. They vary in size and largest one (Blue Whale)reported was more than 100 ft long.
May 04, 2011
US Navy SEALs
US Navy SEALs captured and killed the most wanted terrorism face, Osama Bin Laden. This is a Special Operations Force that stands for SEa, Air and Land. The name derived from the team's ability to work on the land, in air and in water. The fact that distinguish them from other military teams is their ability to operate under the water.
SEALs were introduced during second world war and then they were deployed in Iraq, Vietnam and Afghanistan.
Without exception, it consists of male members ( :( ) and they are either from US Navy or US Coast Guard Teams. It has the toughest training program that drop out rate is about 80%
May 05, 2011
Murals
It's a piece of artwork painted or directly applied on wall, ceiling or any large permanent surface. Generally such artwork is in harmony with rest of the decor and furniture.
History of murals go way back around 3150 BC. The oldest murals are considered the ones found in Egyptian Tombs. In modern times, it's similar to Mexican Art called 'Muralista'. The most common style of murals is Fresco where water soluble colors are used to create the painting.
Fresco has come from Italian word which means 'Fresh'. Walls and ceilings are painted when plaster is still fresh and wet.
The oldest Frescos in India are found in caves of Ajanta. They were created in 6th century depicting stories of Lord Buddha's earlier life.
May 08, 2011
Sorority
Sorority (for women) and fraternity (for men) are both social organizations for undergraduate students. In USA, generally they are available in colleges and universities. Many of such organizations identify themselves using Greek letters hence they are also known as Greek Letter Organizations.
Originally they started by and for the Greeks in 18th century but these days they are quite common in USA and other parts of the world. Getting involved in such group is a tough recruitment process. There may be more than one group in once college and you can decide which group you want to join based on interests and current members. It's also an expensive and time consuming activity. So usually only upper class students would prefer joining them. Being member of any such national level group is considered 'elite'.
May 09, 2011
Gothic
Lately I came across a few Gothic Mystery books And did not have crystal clear idea about this term.
Gothic means related to Goth people or their language. They were traditionally thought to have originated in northern Europe and moved south towards the borders of the Roman Empire in the 2nd century. Eventually they occupied territories in modern Germany, Spain and Italy.
Another meaning of Gothic is something that belongs to middle age or medieval times. Era from 5th to 15th century is considered middle age. It's an age between classic and modern times.
The word also means Gothic architecture. It's a type of architecture became popular in Northern France (and then rest of the world) during high and late medieval period (12th to 16th century). Such style of architecture is classified by steep roofs, pointed arches, proportionally large windows and great heights. It is architecture of churches and cathedrals. Some old palaces, castles, halls and universities are also found in Europe built based on this style.
May 10, 2011
Topiary Garden
It's a type of aristocratic garden where mostly evergreen perennial plants/trees/shrubs are developed and then clipped to clearly define geometric and fanciful shapes. They are example of living sculpture. The word Topiary derived from Latin word Topiarius which means ornamental landscape gardener.
These kinds of gardens became popular in England around 16th century. Japan and China have also been practicing this kind of art for a long time though their purpose is to protect them from wind and sever weather conditions. They are called Bonsai and Penjing, respectively. Topiary gardens were introduced in America in 1962 at Disney World. One such garden is right here in Maryland called Ladew Garden in Monkton. (Which I did not know till now)
Also, here is the list of best gardens in US.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/lawn-garden/10-great-gardens-to-visit-in-the-us
May 11, 2011
LUDs
It stands for Local Usage Details. It's a reports showing details about incoming and outgoing calls for a particular phone number. In USA, they are made available to police by court order and generally same restrictions apply as that of tapping of the phone.
May 10, 2011
Topiary Garden
It's a type of aristocratic garden where mostly evergreen perennial plants/trees/shrubs are developed and then clipped to clearly define geometric and fanciful shapes. They are example of living sculpture. The word Topiary derived from Latin word Topiarius which means ornamental landscape gardener.
These kinds of gardens became popular in England around 16th century. Japan and China have also been practicing this kind of art for a long time though their purpose is to protect them from wind and sever weather conditions. They are called Bonsai and Penjing, respectively. Topiary gardens were introduced in America in 1962 at Disney World. One such garden is right here in Maryland called Ladew Garden in Monkton. (Which I did not know till now)
Also, here is the list of best gardens in US.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/lawn-garden/10-great-gardens-to-visit-in-the-us
May 11, 2011
LUDs
It stands for Local Usage Details. It's a reports showing details about incoming and outgoing calls for a particular phone number. In USA, they are made available to police by court order and generally same restrictions apply as that of tapping of the phone.
