Brain Storm

A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track.

The train is coming, and you are just beside the track interchange. You can make the train change its course to the disused track and save most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way?

Let’s take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make…………….

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Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess. Exactly, I thought the same way initially because to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally. But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?

Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was. This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.

The great critic Leo Velski Julian who told the story said he would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train’s sirens. If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track! Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.

While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one.

“Remember that what’s right isn’t always popular… and what’s popular isn’t always right.“

Strange are the ways of Income Tax Department, Delhi. The Finance Minister wishes to have more and more Income Tax Returns being filed. But Delhi Offices of I-T Dept do not accept income tax returns if the total income is below taxable limits. In the Income Tax Act, nowhere there is such a provision…

source : Central Chronicle (Tuesday July 17, 2007)

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.
- Vincent Van Gogh

Microsoft recently released Expression Web, which replaces the venerable FrontPage HTML editor and Web site design tool. Expression Web has come a long way from its FrontPage roots, but it still maintains much of the ease of use that allowed FrontPage to be used by so many new Web content creators. Here?s a look at the highlights.

1. Expression Web replaces FrontPage in Microsoft?s lineup, but it fits into a different slot
2. Unlike FrontPage, Expression Web purposely generates standard, valid HTML and CSS by default
3. Expression Web is capable of working with ASP.NET files, but it can?t work with the code-behind files
4. The rest of the Expression suite covers the ground that Expression Web doesn?t
5. Like FrontPage, Expression Web provides a good number of tools for reporting against the site that you?re working on
6. One sign of the former Office integration is the use of the spell checker, something which will most likely never appear in Visual Studio
7. Expression Web contains three important and useful validators
8. If you want the functionality of the Master Page system without using ASP.NET, Expression Web has a Dynamic Web Template system
9. Expression Web hooks into the Microsoft Script Editor, which provides debugging tools for client-side scripting
10. Microsoft is currently offering a 60 day free trial of Expression Web

click here for more details

Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.
- Henry David Thoreau

I had found (zoho) this very interesting and useful service due which offers almost complete office tools online. That too free of charge.

Zoho offers a suite of online web applications geared towards increasing your productivity and offering easy collaboration. Zoho’s online office tools include a word processor, spreadsheet application, presentation tool, hosted wiki, notebook, CRM etc

click here for more info about it

Basic research is what I am doing when I don’t know what I am doing.
- Wernher von Braun

1) For your information, please. (FYI)
Meaning: I don’t know what to do with this, so please keep it.

2) Noted and returned.
Meaning: I don’t know what to do with this, so please keep it little while.

3) Review and comment.
Meaning: Do the dirty work so that I can forward it.

4) Action please.
Meaning: Get yourself involved for me. Don’t worry; I’ll claim the credit.

5) For your necessary action.
Meaning: It’s your headache now.

6) Copy to.
Meaning: Here’s a share of my headache.

7) For your approval, please.
Meaning: Put your neck on the chopping board for me please.

Action is being taken.
Meaning: Your correspondence is lost and I am trying to locate it.

9) Your letter is receiving our attention.
Meaning: I am trying to figure out what you want.

10) Please discuss.
Meaning: I don’t know what the HELL this is, so please brief me.

11) For your immediate action.
Meaning: Do it NOW! Or I will get into serious trouble.

12) Please reply soon.
Meaning: Please be efficient. It makes me look inefficient.

13) We are investigating / processing your request with the relevant authorities.
Meaning: They are causing the delay, not us.

14) Regards.
Meaning: Thanks and bless you for reading all the bullshit.

LoL

A woman knows the face of the man she loves as a sailor knows the open sea.
- Honore de Balzac

I was just going through my feed reader when I found one feed having the above title. At that very moment I realized that Friday the 13th just passed. I can’t recall any of the bad thing happend to me in that day.

Still…. curiosity kills the cat. So I just open the link given in that feed and found a very interesting article about “Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky?”

I know, its bit lengthy, but I insist you to read it completely.