Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Sinhala and Tamil new year
Significance : The observed movement of the sun from Meena Rashiya (House of Pisces
to the Mesha Rashiya (House of Aries)
Date : A nakshatra date in the month of Bak (by the Shalivahana era)
2010 date : April 13
Observances : Games, prayer
The timing of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year coincides with the New Year celebrations of many traditional calendars of South and Southeast Asia. The festival has close semblance to the Thai New year, Bengali New Year, and Sankranthi festival in India.
Cultural anthropological history of the 'Traditional New Year' which is celebrated on month of April, goes back to an ancient period in Sri Lankan history. Various beliefs, perhaps those associated with fertility of the harvest, gave birth to many rituals, customs, and ceremonies connected with the New Year. The advent of Buddhism in the third century BC (300BC) led to a re-interpretation of the existing New Year activities in the Buddhistic light. The majority of the people in the country are Buddhists, and as such, it is that the Buddhist outlook was predominant in transforming the New Year rites to what they are now.
Hinduism, on the other hand, existed side by side with Buddhism, in medieval times. New Year practices interpreted in the Hinduistic way developed among the Hindus. Buddhism and Hinduism were historically connected with each other. Their philosophies were running along parallel dimensions, except for certain ultimate truths concerning the self, the way to achieve emancipation and the nature of a creative god and nirvana (which Buddhism denies). There was no serious contradiction in New Year rituals that are found among the Buddhists and Hindus.
The mythological backdrop of the New Year is probably based on Hindu literature. The Prince of Peace called Indradeva descends upon the earth to ensure peace and happiness. He comes in a white carriage wearing on his head a white floral crown seven cubits high. He first dips, like a returning space capsule plunges, breaking earth's gravity, into a `kiri Sayura' or sea of milk
Modern day activities related to the celebration of the traditional New Year is based on auspicious times given by the astrologers. The New Year celebration is therefore can be thought as a complex mix of Indigenous, Astrological, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions
Celebrations
In month of April in Gregorian calendar (or in the month of ‘BAK’ according to the Buddhist calendar ), when the sun moves (in an astrological sense) from the Meena Rashiya (House of Pisces) to the Mesha Rashiya (House of Aries) in the celestial sphere; Sri Lankans begin celebrating their New Year or Aluth Avurudhu (in Sinhala) and Puththandu (in Tamil). It marks the end of the harvest season and also coincides with one of two instances when the sun is directly above Sri Lanka.
However, unlike the celebration of the new Gregorian calendar year at midnight on December 31, the Sri Lankan traditional New Year begins at a time determined by astrological calculations. Also unlike 31st night celebrations, where old year ends at midnight and new year begins immediately afterwards; the ending of the old year, and the beginning of the new year occur several hours apart from one another (this span of time is determined by astrology as well). This period is, referred to as the nonagathe (or the 'neutral period'). During this time Sri Lankans are, according to tradition, encouraged to refrain from material pursuits, and engage solely in either religious activities or traditional games.
Cultural rituals begin shortly after the beginning of the new year with the cleaning of the house and lighting of an oil lamp. In some communities, women congregate to play upon on the Raban (type of a drum) to announce the incipient change in the year. Families carry out variety of rituals timing of which are determined by astrological calculations - from lighting the fire to making the Kiribath (milk rice) to entering into the first business transaction and eating the first morsels. The rituals vary slightly based on the locale. However the core of the celebrations remains the same.
The approach of the each auspicious time for various rituvals is heralded by the unmistakable sign of very loud firecrackers. Although loud firecrackers are an environmental concern, and a safety hazard, especially for children, this remains an integral part of the celebrations throughout Sri Lanka.
Once the important rituals are done, the partying begins as families mingle in the streets, homes are thrown open and children are let out to play. The ubiquitous plantain is dished out alongside celebratory feasts of Kaum (small oil cake) and Kokis (crisp and light sweetmeat, originally from the Netherlands). However, the extent of outdoor activities depends largely on the neighborhood. The suburban communities tend to have such social gatherings than urban or city dwellers.
Aluth Aurudu is an important national holiday for both the cultures of the Sinhalese Buddhists and the Tamil, Hindu Sri Lankans. The celebrations are given wide coverage and patronage from state owned media as well as private media. Although it is being promoted as a national or cultural event, due to the fact that it is based on astrology, the communities that do not follow astrology tend to either totally refrain from celebrations, or do the minimum required to maintain the social connections with those who do celebrate.
Harvest Festival
The date upon which the Sri Lankan New Year occurred, while determined by astrological calculations, also tends to coincide with one of the paddy harvest seasons. For farming communities, the traditional new year is a festival of harvest as well.
Cuckoo bird
Type of cuckoo bird, the Asian Koel has an strong association with the new year celebrations in traditional literature around the festival. The mating season of the bird roughly coincides with the festival season. The mating call of the male is regarded as a hearlding sign of the traditional new year. This bird is known as the koha in Sri Lanka by the Sinhala speaking community. The melodious call koo-ooo of the male bird is heard throughout Sri Lanka, during the breeding season of the bird, that roughly spans from March to August.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The iPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet- and multimedia-enabled smartphones designed and marketed by Apple Inc. It functions as a camera phone (also including text messaging and visual voicemail), a portable media player (equivalent to a video iPod), and an Internet client (with e-mail, web browsing, and Wi-Fi connectivity). The user interface is built around the device's multi-touch screen, including a virtual keyboard in lieu of a physical keyboard. Third-party applications are available from the App Store, which launched in mid-2008 and now has well over 100,000 "apps" approved by Apple, with functionalities ranging from games to reference to productivity.Apple announced the iPhone on January 9, 2007,after months of rumors and speculation. The original (labeled retroactively) iPhone was introduced in the United States on June 29, 2007 before being marketed in Europe. It featured quad-band GSM with EDGE. Time magazine named it the Invention of the Year in 2007.Released July 11, 2008, the iPhone 3G supports faster 3G data speeds via UMTS with 3.6 Mbps HSDPA, and assisted GPS. Apple released version 3.0 of the iPhone OS for the iPhone (and iPod Touch) on June 17, 2009.The iPhone 3GS has improved performance, a camera with higher resolution and video capability, voice control, and support for 7.2 Mbps HSDPA downloading (but remains limited to 384 Kbps uploading as Apple has not implemented the HSPA protocol) It was released in the U.S., Canada and six European countries on June 19, 2009,in Australia and Japan on June 26,and internationally in July and August 2009. The original iPhone was discontinued with the introduction of the iPhone 3G, which remains available alongside the iPhone 3GS.
Monday, March 22, 2010
History and availability
Development of the iPhone began with Apple CEO Steve Jobs' direction that Apple engineers investigate touchscreens.Apple created the device during a secretive and unprecedented collaboration with AT&T Mobility—Cingular Wireless at the time—at an estimated development cost of US$150 million over thirty months. Apple rejected the "design by committee" approach that had yielded the Motorola ROKR E1, a largely unsuccessful collaboration with Motorola. Instead, Cingular gave Apple the liberty to develop the iPhone's hardware and software in-house.
Jobs unveiled the iPhone to the public on January 9, 2007 in a keynote address. Apple was required to file for operating permits with the FCC, but since such filings are made available to the public, the announcement came months before the iPhone had received approval. The iPhone went on sale in the United States on June 29, 2007, at 6:00 pm local time, while hundreds of customers lined up outside the stores nationwide. The original iPhone was made available in the UK, France, and Germany in November 2007, and Ireland and Austria in the spring of 2008.
On July 11, 2008, Apple released the iPhone 3G in twenty-two countries, including the original six.Apple has since released the iPhone 3G in upwards of eighty countries and territories.Apple announced the iPhone 3GS on June 8, 2009, along with plans to release it later in June, July, and August, starting with the U.S., Canada and major European countries on June 19. Many would-be users have objected to the iPhone's cost, and 40% of users have household incomes over 100,000 USD. In an attempt to gain a wider market, Apple has retained the 8 GB iPhone 3G at a lower price point. This is the latest of several price reductions since the iPhone's release in 2007; it now sells for one-sixth of the price of the original 8 GB iPhone when it first became available. In the U.S., it now costs $99, down from $599, although it requires a two-year contract and a SIM lock.
Apple sold 6.1 million original iPhone units over five quarters.The company sold 3.8 million iPhone 3G units in the second quarter of fiscal 2009, ending March 2009, and 12.6 million 3G and 3GS combined, totaling 33.75 million iPhones sold to date (Q4 2009). Sales in Q4 2008 surpassed temporarily those of RIM's BlackBerry sales of 5.2 million units, which made Apple briefly the third largest mobile phone manufacturer by revenue, after Nokia and Samsung. Approximately 6.4 million iPhones are active in the U.S. alone. While iPhone sales constitute a significant portion of Apple's revenue, some of this income is deferred.
The iPhone has garnered positive reviews from critics like David Pogue and Walter Mossberg. The iPhone attracts
Jobs unveiled the iPhone to the public on January 9, 2007 in a keynote address. Apple was required to file for operating permits with the FCC, but since such filings are made available to the public, the announcement came months before the iPhone had received approval. The iPhone went on sale in the United States on June 29, 2007, at 6:00 pm local time, while hundreds of customers lined up outside the stores nationwide. The original iPhone was made available in the UK, France, and Germany in November 2007, and Ireland and Austria in the spring of 2008.
On July 11, 2008, Apple released the iPhone 3G in twenty-two countries, including the original six.Apple has since released the iPhone 3G in upwards of eighty countries and territories.Apple announced the iPhone 3GS on June 8, 2009, along with plans to release it later in June, July, and August, starting with the U.S., Canada and major European countries on June 19. Many would-be users have objected to the iPhone's cost, and 40% of users have household incomes over 100,000 USD. In an attempt to gain a wider market, Apple has retained the 8 GB iPhone 3G at a lower price point. This is the latest of several price reductions since the iPhone's release in 2007; it now sells for one-sixth of the price of the original 8 GB iPhone when it first became available. In the U.S., it now costs $99, down from $599, although it requires a two-year contract and a SIM lock.
Apple sold 6.1 million original iPhone units over five quarters.The company sold 3.8 million iPhone 3G units in the second quarter of fiscal 2009, ending March 2009, and 12.6 million 3G and 3GS combined, totaling 33.75 million iPhones sold to date (Q4 2009). Sales in Q4 2008 surpassed temporarily those of RIM's BlackBerry sales of 5.2 million units, which made Apple briefly the third largest mobile phone manufacturer by revenue, after Nokia and Samsung. Approximately 6.4 million iPhones are active in the U.S. alone. While iPhone sales constitute a significant portion of Apple's revenue, some of this income is deferred.
The iPhone has garnered positive reviews from critics like David Pogue and Walter Mossberg. The iPhone attracts
