why multiple toilets at home is a good idea....

Ассенизационно-Санитарная Устанdовка (ASU) or the waste management unit in the Zvedza Module of ISS( International Space Station) failed to suck human dump on 21st May. Being the only toilet aboard ISS, the crews were stranded, and despite crew's best attempts ( Duhh!!!) NASA admitted that things are not going so well. Almost all parts were replaced, but the problem seems to be with the ASU separator Pump.

The three astronauts aboard ISS were forced ( I imagine why? ) to use the toilet in the moored Russian Soyuz Capsule in the Orbiting station.

Meanwhile NASA packed replacement parts aboard Discovery shuttle, which is scheduled to blast off soon.

Pangea Day ( May 10 2008)

There was a time in Earth's history when all the continents of planet Earth were locked together in one common mass that is called "Pangea"

To celebrate the unity of mankind, the human spirit, in Istanbul, the city where East and West straddles. Leading filmmakers from all over the world descended to write a story about their countries through short movies.

Keeping the age old theme - "Brotherhood of man" alive, they have managed to create masterpieces that are as moving as Beethoven's Fur Elise or Ninth Symphony that celebrates the yearn for peace, joy, and compassion.

Here's a video of Kenyans singing Indian national Anthem. Brotherhood of man? I think so...


Or French singing American National Anthem...


Or Japanese singing for Turkey.

Monkey Kisses

Survival of the fittest?

One of my co-workers forwarded me this amazing video.

Music by pellets ......Goldbergian animation

Creativity never fails to amaze me, I came across this awesome animation which I thought I should share.

Do we know better?

Going through the classics I own, I came across long forgotten, once memorized (by me)lines from the "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain"

"Jim said, the moon could'a laid them (the stars) ; well, that looked kinda reasonable, so I didn't say nothing against it, because I've seen a frog lay most as many, so ofcourse it could be done. "

The above statement, although hilarious and ridiculous example of comparison, seemed very logical to Tom and Jim. We think that with all our studies, observations and logical conclusions, we know better than the two little boys and that our conclusion is better than their deduction. May be we are right, may be, we have a better understanding of the universe and everything in it. But how do we know that we are not just as wrong as we think those two boys were?

The Earth, is round and the Earth goes around Sun. It is what we know, living in 20th century. But let's not forget that there were people who believed Sun went around earth, and Earth was a flat surface, and people might fall off the edge.

The question is, should we think we know better?
If I were to answer my own question I pose, I would say its a mistake to say we do.

Some models of theoretical physics predicts that Earth actually does not go around the sun, Earth moves in a straight line in space, and space itself is curved due to Sun's gravity, making it look as if we are, along with few other planets, are going moving around like little boys around camp fire in boy scout.

Do we know that even that conclusion is correct?
NO, we don't, But we do know that we are closer to reality than the model depicting Earth on the back of a giant tortoise.

I, for one, is more than willing to believe that the purpose of humankind is finding the truth, and that truth, some day will deliver us our salvation.