Arbit Scratchpad

Finished 1984 by George Orwell (The complete book is available here ; All of Orwell's novels , and other works ) Removed FC4 - it is buggy Installed MandrakeLinux 10.1 Community . Browsing from it ... Mandrake ( now Mandriva ) is a more user friendly linux distro. Could connect using modem setup and kppp. Got the OSS sound drivers Video playback using Kaffeine

Man - protecting or trangressing Earth ? (GIMP 2.2 on FC4 Linux) Some more snaps from Fedora Core 4

Independence Day Greetings . Shifted completely From pirated OS to Open Source freedom (XP to FC4) FC4 is a bit buggy and a memory hog - often freezes. Bought Combo drive and External modem -> for Linux How to make an external modem work KPPP and Internet Config Wizard were useless and reported 'No Modem' However wvdial saved the day after some googling ofcourse. Steps to set up an external modem using wvdial: 1) Keeping the modem on, run 'wvdialconf' to create the default entries into /etc/wvdial.conf It should detect the presence of the modem on the serial port. (/dev/ttyS0 for COM1, /dev/ttyS1 for COM2 - ttyS 'S' in caps) 2) 'man wvdial' - see the sample file and copy it into /etc/wvdial.conf 3) Connection details including Baud, Phone, Username, Password etc needs to be updated. Add Init2 = ATX3 to ignore detecting dialtone while dialing. 4) Update /etc/resolve.conf - this is for allowing DNS resolutions by browser and other apps. 4 a) Run '...

Review of Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco (Translated from the original in Italian) The novel said to be a thinking man's 'Da Vinci Code' and written in 1988, is dense (500+ pages) in historical references and is almost like an encyclopaedia of European and Jewish religious and occult history. It has all the ingredients of the Templars - the knights of the Christian holy order, the crusades, the Jewish symbology related to the universe and the hidden facts, philosophy and theological wisdom and cabalistic secrets that are coming on since ages, preserved by secret societies and rituals all over the world. This novel depicts the intellectual game of three editors of an Italian publishing firm which specializes in all studies of historical importance. The book is a roller coaster ride into the minds of those engrossed in the history of mystical and occult sciences. To read it once may not suffice as the author puts in so much detail that at times it may be difficult to ...

Last book I read 'Learn To Live' - Vol I, by Swami Jagadatmananda. The book dwells on various aspects of life and what can be done to improve it; better than most of the other self-help books that I have read. The book is a translation from the actual book which was in Kannada. Through his advice and excellent examples which are wide ranging and not just limited to national events but about incidents, personalities and anecdotes from all over the world, he explores human psychology, spirituality, history, worklife and many many other things that make a person's life successful. Some pointers from the book will definitely help you in both your professional and personal life. A must read, now I need to buy Vol II. Other books in fiction I want to buy/read, based on reviews that I read up. Lets see if I can go to someplace, where I could get them cheap ... 'The Namesake' by Jhumpa Lahiri Immigrants to America and their life in turmoil, their not fitting in any...

A copy done in Gimp of the painting 'Bharat Mata' by Abanindranath Tagore. First one is the original [from Kamat's Potpourri ]. The second one, my copy. In isolation my copy looks pretty decent, but in comparison with the original, it just pales out and vanishes in the level of grace that the original painting holds. The painting by Abanindranath is beautiful, the borders and lines are delicate and finely composed, the hues so rich and yet the melancholy, mundane look and the mystic, hazy aura makes it very captivating - a gem. Leader of the Revivalist Movement in the field of Modern Indian Painting in Bengal, Abanindranath Tagore is also credited with a key contribution towards ushering in the renaissance in Indian painting. ( More )

The eternal flame of hope always burns, 'Bright' Through the depth of hell and the pleasures of desire, 'Undiminished' All the illusion, the dance of the puppets, 'how beautiful' The real, the true self is just a part of that, 'always joyful' Existence, knowledge, bliss - absolute, eternal. 'man = divine'