A video of the Indian pond heron:

 
I found this Indian pond heron foraging for food in the marsh near our home. A not uncommon bird, that flies around ponds and marshes. 
I took this 2nd video clip of the pond heron flying away:

MP3 Xmas carols and songs- free:

http://songsofpraise.org/christmas.htm
I've visited a number of web sites on google search for free MP3 Xmas songs. But most of them including amazon's so called free mp3 downloads have hiccups or demand a credit card before the downloads. The link above actually offers mp3 songs with both lyrics and music. An I could not only download it, the songs worked beautifully. There may be other sites out there.. will add them to this blog as I find where these "gems" are hidden.

Video of Helicopter aerial display

Managed to grab this video from my Western balcony. Fun  to watch.. enjoy.

Apathy, indifference and today's world:

We are already there- this is the brave new world of Aldous Huxley. In this world, especially in secular, democratic countries like India, thinking the wrong thought could become a crime. There is not much or rather, no thought working in anyone's minds. The thinking process has come to a standstill- full stop. A devastating road traffic accident, or other misfortune, and nobody has the time to think, to ask the inconvenient questions- what was the cause of this road traffic accident? Did the police do anything to prevent it? Was every step taken to prevent it? Will we, as citizens and the keepers of the law take steps to prevent these incidents from happening again? The degree of negativism with respect to any or every event is amazing. The typical attitude is -firstly one of indifference. If there has been a bomb blast- it is not in my city, so who cares! Or this road traffic accident occurred on that road, not mine.. or worse.. the victim was not one of us.
   The police are seen as indifferent or worse....and since nothing more is expected of them...they dont seem to care one bit. The municipal (city) corporations are considered as a means of acquiring wealth quickly, for the scheming no goods, the scum of society.. "who else would want to work there?"
The result is obvious- you can find in my own city (Cochin)- telephone poles bending precariously, waiting for the next wind, to fall onto the road or onto somebody. High voltage fuses and wires and contact points are left open, on roadside posts, waiting to zap the next unsuspecting passerby. A friend of mine, a college student, had the misfortune of stepping on a protruding spike of iron from a roadside slab - the result was serious foot injury. But who is complaining? Who is there to listen to complaints? Is the government listening? Does the government have funds to maintain roads, make life less dangerous for the common man? Where do the massive funds allocated to maintain our cities, go? Is anyone answerable for all that goes on in the name of government.
    Again, does anyone think? Is thinking about these things one of those no no areas in today's society? I believe social decay starts with the mind. A dead mind leads to a dead, decaying society... no I am not referring to the USA.. it is very true of modern day cities in India. Without the process of feeling, thinking and expression of thought, society undergoes the same thing that the individual experiences, .. it is called a "death wish". (to be continued)......

Converting waste plastic to oil- a novel invention:

If anyone or anyone you know has used this machine please comment here...We would like to hear more about this machine.
I managed to get hold of their email id and website:
  Blest Co., Ltd.
      Sales Manager  :  Minoru Aoyama
      7-3-1, Shinomiya, Hiratsuka-City, Kanagawa-Pref.,
      Japan  254-0014

Tel:81-463-51-5604   Fax:81-463-51-5607
E-mail:aoyama@blest.co.jp
URL: http://www.blest.co.jp

Slideshow of the visit to Thommankuth falls:

Thommankuth water falls:

Visit to to Thommankuth water falls:

A video clip of the waterfall at Thomankuth in Thodupuzha, Kerala. I managed to capture this video from up close. I reached these falls after a 20 minute trek through the forest from the entrance gate.

                                                                       This was the view at the entrance to the falls.

And this Jamie's new, improvised air boat:

The air boat doing its thing in the bath tub.

Another creation from my son Jamie's labs:

Jamie managed to create this toy motor boat from a few junk items obtained from old toys. Video shows the motor boat with submerged propeller speeding in the bath tub.

Online auto insurance comparison

Auto insurance:

Online comparison of auto insurance companies is the new buzzword when selecting an insurance policy for your car. I found this site ideal for auto insurance comparison-

http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/compare/ It has a very short video presentation which tells you the plus and minus points of comparing various auto insurance companies.

Selecting auto insurance can be a headache, what with scores of policies from dozens of auto insurance companies. However, with this site, a few clicks and strokes of the keyboard, takes you through a number of leading insurance companies, to help you compare the pros and cons of each policy right on your own desktop. Just enter your zip code in a box and you get to compare the auto insurance from a number of companies. Among the details covered on this page are- prices, service, reliability and financial strength of the company etc. Additional benefits are that this process is absolutely free with no obligations at all. For auto insurance comparison, this web page: http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/compare/ gives a very good option.

Of wounded "Tigers" and Presidents

The story is all too familiar - a big shot is the all American hero...and suddenly he is made out to be the bad guy, just because of some dirt under the carpet. I am referring to the Tiger Woods episode and Bill Clinton of yesteryear. There is a lot of hypocrisy in both these stories and a lot of slime that is smeared not on the so called "culprits" but on a whole system that revels in edification of a hero, one moment, and ready to tear him down the next.
Despite all the so called modernization and liberal values that countries like the US profess, the basic culture smacks of a lot of conservatism and a familiar repeat of the mob culture. Why does a country like the States, fear or condemn a person like Clinton or Tiger Woods when the vast majority of the population have accepted teenage pregnancy and loss of virginity in an unwed woman is considered a virtue. Interesting and definitely worth thinking about. After all, the women involved were not minors but consenting adult females. Surely, the leaders in today's society will only reflect the culture that surrounds them!

Amphibious vehicle in action:

This was my son's test of the toy air car converted into an air boat.. in action in the old water tank on the terrace. He made the device from the motor of another toy and coupled it with a powerful battery pack of his own design.

Air car of the future:

Jamie built a toy air car...using the motor of an old toy copter..connected to a battery pack.
The video is a bit grainy as it was taken in the night. Enjoy.

Some natural art:

This is one of the best rainbows I have seen.. and it lasted more than 40 minutes in the early morning sky..
Managed to catch a crow flying against it.