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.

A personal review of AVATAR -the movie

Just managed to see the movie AVATAR in 3-D in Sridar theater in Cochin. I must say it was a good piece of work with the animations (the aliens) and real people (the humans) merging well into the movie. I expected fantastic 3-D effects..but that part (3-D effects) were a a bit of a disappointment. I have seen 3-D movies before, in Kerala..like the Malayalam film " My dear Kuttichathan" more than 2 decades ago, and the effects in that comparatively primitive local movie were fabulous. There were fireballs and missiles hurtling at the audience which made us sit at the edge of our seats.
But AVATAR with its massive budget could have done better for its 3-D effects. Agreed, the storyline was original and in tune with contemporary themes like the "war on terror" and the problems between indigenous peoples and exploitation of natural resources. But again, that could have been made more simplified.
One more thing, this is possibly one film (in Cochin) where most of the tickets (balcony) were sold out in advance , mostly online. See http://shenoys.in/
Overall, the movie was expensive priced at Rs. 115/- per ticket (including the 3-D glasses).
But I might purchase the 3-D DVD version if got the chance.
Out of a total of 10 points, I would rate the movie avatar- at +7
3-D effects I would rate the movie at + 6 out of 10.

2012: -- The movie and the facts

The movie 2012 - and its doomsday scenario is based on a lot many "facts" accumulated over the years by various researchers from across the globe. How real is the threat of a doomsday even in December 2012? The frightening part of the whole theme is the fact that this prophecy is now entering mainstream thinking. Watch this youtube video (a part of a series of 6 video clips), recorded from a documentary on History channel.
That a major TV channel considered a serious study of the Doomsday predictions of prehistoric man, from the ancient Mayan and Chinese calendars and finds common ground in such a possibility with Einstein's theories on Polar shifts of the earth, shows that the whole theme deserves more than scorn.
But, didn't the doomsday prophets predict the end with the Y2K bug (year 2000 bug) in computers and its disastrous consequences?
Joe.

Russian seaplane at work:

Enjoy this neat video...

Intelligent design versus evolution:

Did the world in general and life on earth in particular, just happen by chance as the evolutionists would have us believe. New thinking originating on the campuses of USA (mind you -these are serious scientists, not some junkies), says that evolution of life (on earth) is not very likely given the glaring contradictions of evolution theories. I saw a video documentary, consisting of discussions among leading biochemists and genetic scientists which says the possibility of life evolving from a "chemical soup" in the ancient oceans is nearly impossible. It describes the example of a unicellular organism like the paramecium and the flagella it uses to move. The single flagella it uses has been shown to be too complex a system to have evolved in bits and pieces. Consisting of nano motors and parts, (on electron microscopy), this organism's parts are at the forefront of new thinking. Why would the (flagellum's) motor first evolve and then be followed by part after part.. ?
So who put the most advanced life form on earth.. namely man, on this planet. Einstein tried to find the grand unification theory that could explain everything from life to chemistry and astronomy. I think today new thinkers might yet find answers in my lifetime.
Joe.




See this you tube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irVqVKdiohE

A short of video of the children's school dance

It was difficult to spot my daughter in this display of music and color.
She is one of those swaying to the notes of music playing out for the school annual day function.

Visit to a small dam in rural Kerala

We were a small group, my cousin and his kids with my family. The dam and its surroundings are a beautiful tourist spot in Kerala. This is the Malampuzha dam in Thodupuzha.
Enjoyed it.

Xmas celebrations 2007

Hi all,
Sending a link to Christmas celebrations this Dec 2007.
http://picasaweb.google.com/drjoea/Xmas2007
My daughter made a nice card on this occassion. Son, Jamie celebrated his birthday too.
Joe.

A vacation in Portola:

pine forests

Davis Lake

Salmon Lake

Boat dock

RENO AND PORTOLA VACATION September 17 – 22, 2007

PORTOLA :

Along the highway the scenery quickly changed from high desert to forests of pine and cypress.

Portola is a beautiful park located in Orange County in California.
The pictures above were taken by Marveen during her vacation there.

How the kids celebrated last Diwali:

A short video of the kids having fun during last Diwali:



Fireworks adding a spark to life:

A must see video- how to fold a shirt:

This video shows a simple and easy method to fold a shirt in a few steps:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4776825453418327083

Snaps of the visit of the Queen Mary 2 to Cochin:

The Queen of the high seas, the largest passenger liner in the world, the Queen Mary 2, docked at Cochin port on 7th March 2007. This was an opportunity that I would not miss. I hired a boat and sailed right up to the Queen. A very pretty sight.
Click on this link to view the album:

Queen Mary in Cochin