Graphene - email from Kamalini Kanapathippillai

We all think of ourselves as being well informed & some think they are experts in everything too. Here is wealth of fantastic information  that I had never heard of. Did you?

It is a given fact that technology helps the world advance. As humans it's in our nature to investigate, innovate and solve problems. This curiosity means we make things, create things and develop new technologies. You can look back thousands of years for basic examples of technology pushing civilization forward. Most people don't understand the rapid change technology has on their life... or the speed at which change occurs. For example, the following are the five 'Great Ages' of human progress and their approximate duration: Stone Age — 3.4 million years Bronze Age — 2,500 years Iron Age — 500 years Industrial Revolution — 80 years Information Revolution — 20 years You'll notice the length of each 'age' diminishes as technology improves. The computer industry calls this trend 'Moore's Law'. It dictates that computer processing power doubles every 18 months. 200 times stronger than steel... 150,000 times thinner than a human hair... More flexible than a sheet of paper You may have heard about Graphene. If you haven't, it's a newly discovered, very special refined form of graphite. It's a one-atom-thick sheet of densely packed carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice. Take a look: Put simply, it's a sheet of carbon atoms 150,000 times thinner than a human hair. Under a powerful microscope, it looks like chicken wire. But what's so special about it? Everything For starters, it's 200 times stronger than structural steel; it's so strong you could suspend an elephant from a single strand of Graphene, and the strand would not break. It's extremely lightweight. Soon, everything from bicycles and boats to airplanes and cars could be made out of graphene composites. And when they are, their energy efficiency and durability could skyrocket. But, that's just the beginning of what this new 'smart material' can do. Not only is it the strongest material researchers have ever tested, it's also one of the best conductors man has ever found. IBM has already created a graphene-based processor capable of executing 100 billion cycles per second. Researchers believe that in the future, a graphene credit card could store as much information as today's computers. This one material alone could prove more revolutionary than — and soon REPLACE — plastic, Kevlar and the silicon chip In fact, it's such a breakthrough that the first two scientists to successfully produce single-atom-thick crystals of graphene were awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. In just two years, over 200 companies from a wide array of industries have researched the magical potential of graphene: Scientists in the US and China are already using tiny graphene-based probes to target and identify tumors in live mice. They hope similar graphene-based particles could shuttle cancer drugs to tumors, or even kill tumor cells directly. Engineers at Northwest University, Seattle, found that specially crafted graphene electrodes could allow a lithium-ion battery, like those found in your smartphone or Toyota Prius, to charge 10 times faster and hold 10 times more power. And in 2011, chemists at Rice University, Houston, created graphene-based thin films, unlocking the secret to incredibly flexible, super-durable touch screens and solar cells that can wrap around just about anything. Kiss goodbye to shattered screens Samsung has already said its flexible displays should enter full-scale production later this year, and it expects to have a dozen more graphene based products on the market within the next five. IBM, Nokia and Apple are hot on their heels too. Touch screens, processor chips, casings, and batteries (in everything from PCs and HD TVs to tablets), mobile phones and hybrids could all be made with graphene. It could change entire industries, economies, and our lives. Imagine HD TVs as thin as wallpaper, Smart phones so skinny and flexible you can roll them up and put them behind your ear, and so durable you can beat them with a hammer! Imagine if you could eliminate breast cancer or prostate tumors with a simple injection or by swallowing a graphene-charged pill. Imagine if your house were strong enough to withstand a bush fire, and your windows processed enough solar energy to heat your home in winter and cool it in the summer. Or if your car were 6 times lighter and 20 times stronger. The effects would be staggering! Fuel-efficiency would shoot through the roof. People would live longer, healthier lives. Cars and airplanes would be lighter, faster and safer than ever before. And electronics of every type would be launched into an era of unprecedented growth and evolution. This is just a taste of the cutting-edge innovations coming in the Molecular Age, innovations that will reshape the future in the months and years ahead, and it's starting now. You're looking at a simultaneous eruption of new-age technologies that will alter our lives on a scale not seen for 100 years All this technological change and innovation will transform the world. 'Nano batteries' will charge your mobile in seconds, and even power whole cities. 'Smartphones' will carry the computing power of IBM's Watson Supercomputer. A new era of computing mobility — none of the solid rectangular things we carry now but flexible, wearable devices. Handheld 'breathalyzers' will diagnose disease in seconds. Bionic limbs with human fluidity and dexterity, but the strength of Superman. Spacecraft with the capacity to take us beyond our solar system into places and worlds never explored. The Smallest Revolution in History Down at the molecular level there's a lot of friction. Particles can stick together really easily. This means new and complicated structures can be formed. Today scientists are experimenting with different conditions to see what sorts of new molecular structures they can create. The results are astonishing. Some look like thin wires... Some look like pancakes... Others look like flowers... All these different molecular structures have different properties. And soon they'll change the way we live: from solar panels you can spray onto your roof, to computers and batteries so small they are invisible, from mobile phones that you can stretch, twist and even imbed into your clothing, they'll make stronger houses, tougher cars, and even make us healthier. Medical researchers are already looking at using nano-particles to deliver drugs or hunt down cancerous tumors. Just imagine 'nano medicines' patrolling your body, hunting down diseases and zapping problems as soon as they arise. To your good health.

Centenary celebrations of the Anatomy Block, Francis Road, Colombo.

Click on the web-link below:-

http://comsaa.blogspot.com/2013/11/centenary-celebration-anatomy.html#links

Bread as bait - email forwarded by jksw

Video labelled - Voel-wat-viswang - Superb piece of action captured by video-camera by a cameraman who has shown the intelligence of birds. We acknowledge his expertise.

Today's logic - email from jksw

Today's logic

Today's logic The kid doesn't seem to believe the lady. Hey kid, this is today’s logic.

A teacher - email from jksw

On behalf of all our wonderful teachers. Each had something to impart, and did too.

jksw 

 

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A good/sensible reply from a Teacher?

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From A School Principal's speech at a graduation..

He said "The Doctor wants his child to become a doctor.........
the Engineer wants his child to become an engineer......
The Businessman wants his ward to become CEO.....
BUT a teacher also wants his child to become one of them, as well..!!!!
Nobody wants to become a teacher BY CHOICE" ....Very sad but that's the truth.....!!!

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.
One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued,
"What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

To stress his point he said to another guest;
"You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"

Teacher Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied,
"You want to know what I make?
(She paused for a second, then began...)

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor winner.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't
make them sit for 5 min. without an I- Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.

You want to know what I make?
(She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table)

I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them how to write and then I make them write.
Keyboarding isn't everything.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math.
They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need
to know about English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they
were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life

( Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money is n't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant. You want to know what I make.

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN ALL YOUR LIVES, EDUCATING KIDS AND PREPARING THEM TO BECOME CEO's, AND DOCTORS AND ENGINEERS..........

What do you make Mr. CEO?

His jaw dropped; he went silent.
THIS IS WORTH SENDING TO EVERY PERSON YOU KNOW. Even all personal teachers like mother, father, brother, sister, coach and spiritual leader/teacher

  

How we looked after post war 2009 - email from jksw

How we looked after post war 2009

Inbox

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philavi	5 Nov (2 days ago)
to me

  Time to recall. Lest we forget.
Attached picture. How we looked after people post war 2009.

Advising the keen lady doctor in charge.
L>R Myself, lady doctor,  limb fitting manager Karunasena and Mr Benjamin in
charge of Mobile camp.

Note the lack of hustle and bustle even in these early days post war.
Thatched roof. Beds. Wheelchair. The patients.

Jksweerasekera
Orthopedic Surgeon.

FSCN2006.jpg 168K   View   Share   Download

Caves of 'Saliya and Asokamala' - Stories from Sri Lanka more than 2000 years old.

Forwarded from the ‘Leader’

jksw

Sixty-Four Rock Caves And A Story Behind Each: The Saliya-Asokamala Hideaway

By Rajithanganee Unantenna Fernando

Shelter from the sun, Posing by the ruins

Balumgala-observation rock!

I first heard of the Saliya-Asokamala hideaway from my husband, who had spent several days in the jungle while serving in the Army.

Once he described it to me, I decided I just had to see it for myself!
With a carefully engineered plan, a smile and some clever sweet-talk, I managed to persuade him to take me there.

Soon, we were watching Colombo’s concrete jungle disappear in the distance: the journey had begun.

Nearly 27 kilometres from Puttalam, on the Anuradhapura-Puttalam road, we took a left turn at the 17th mile post to Pahala Puliyankulama, which is the last village in this area.

Despite the fact that it is a dry zone, we passed several lakes and ponds.

We feasted our eyes on several species of birds endemic to the dry zone.

As I looked out of the window, I saw a myriad Tamarind trees casting their immense shadow on us.

It then dawned on me why the place was called Puliyankulama – the Tamil word for Tamarind Lake.

The sun shone mercilessly on the parched earth, looking to rid it of any droplets of water that were hiding in its crevices.

The weather was hot and dry, and the few families that resided in the area lived an undeniably arduous life.

To add to their hardship, the nearest town was almost 12 kilometres away,

and one scanty boutique served as their supermarket, bookshop and hairdresser.

As we drove along, we managed to spot a few young lads, riding their bicycles aimlessly, while a group of elders looked on with disapproval.

We passed three bridges (Sapaththu Palam), and took a left turn towards the end of the Pahala Puliyankulama village.

Soon, we came face to face with a board that proudly announced the Wilangoada Aranaya and Archeological site.

This Aranaya is about 4km from the Southern border of Wilpattu.

The jungle is separated from the village by an electric fence that serves to prevent the entry of our hefty wild “frenemies”, the elephants, who seemed to make it a hobby to trespass.

I realized that from that point on, it was going to be a grueling journey into the wild.

I got off the vehicle and carefully opened the wired fence for the vehicle to enter.

It was either do or die; we were in the raw jungles of Sri Lanka, away from five-star hotels and coffee lounges.

That was reality. I was unquestionably excited, as we braced ourselves for the possibility of the occasional temperamental wild animal crossing our path.
After driving for about 600 – 700 meters we came to a police post.

With a smile, they directed us to the Aranya where the Monk lived. A few minutes later, we were face-to-face with him.

He was well into his sixties, maybe even seventies. The unforgiving weather had taken its toll on him, darkening his complexion. He wore a robe, which was arguably red. He sat on a wooden chair in front of his cave and his spectacles rested effortlessly on his nose.

Behind him stood a glass box and in it, was a human skeleton.

We were distracted from the initial shock of the skeleton when he gave us a smile overflowing with sincerity; a typical Sri Lankan welcome.

He ordered the little novice monk to lay a mat for us to sit on. There was another little boy who was introduced to us as the novice monk’s brother.

My husband took charge of the conversation, while my eyes wondered around with curiosity.  He inquired into the whereabouts of the former monk, who my husband knew;

the reply came that he had perhaps fled the area.

My husband recounted that the previous monk had told him many fascinating stories of the jungle and its mysteries.

He had said that he had seen some unlawful timber fellers go deep into the jungle in three vehicles.

The monk had wished to himself that the criminals would not find their way out. Like magic, they never emerged out of the jungle.

The monk who sat in front of us replied with confidence:  “This is a sacred place. People who harm this land do not go unpunished.”

After talking to him for a while, we got to know that he was well-known for performing supernatural acts. His name was Rev. Anuradhpura Nanda Wimala Thero but was known locally as Dolukande Hamuduruwo. He told us about the hardship he endured living in such a place. He had to walk 12 kilometres to receive alms. He stated with an overpowering sense of determination that he will always protect the land. He then delighted us with some interesting stories about the forest, that left us gaping like five-year olds hearing Cinderella for the first time.

We saw the Saliya Guhawa where Prince Saliya – King Dutugemunu’s only son – hid after eloping with Asokamala, his low-caste yet breathtakingly beautiful woman.

This cave is now converted to a shrine. He told us how one of King Dutugamunu’s giants, the Neela Maha Yodaya, was constructing a bund across Kala Oya, when he saw Prince Saliya. 

He hastened to tell this to the King. However, he asked the King for one favour; if he was to divulge Saliya’s whereabouts, Saliya should not be brought to any harm.

The King granted him this wish. He went on to meet his son who offered him roasted paddy (Wilanda) and bees honey.

That was how this area got its name; Wilandagoda.

The King then told his son to count the paddy grains and build an equal number of Vihara’s Shrines, Dagaba’s, Caves, Temples and religious monuments. 

The prince acceded to his father’s wish.

Subsequently, the King provided all that was necessary from the Royal Treasury to build these religious sites; sites which included those 64 caves for the Arahath monks.

We took a leisurely stroll in the jungle.

We saw rock caves of various shapes and sizes, making their presence felt. At present, two caves are used by monks while some are occupied by wild animals like leopards, bears, wild cats and birds.
The monk told us that we will be able to see only about 30 to 40 caves, but that too, not in one day. He noted regretfully that some caves are difficult to reach, adding that absolutely no one has seen all 64 caves.

Another place that interested me was the Balumgala or the observation rock.

This is a colossal round rock that stands on rocky ground. What is surprising is this rock’s ability to stand, since just a small portion of it touches the ground. Seeing it, one would expect it to roll over at any moment!

The monk mentioned the city of Nandana Nuwara where the police post is. 

It is said that it was built by King Dathusena.

There is a cave with carvings on built walls which are now damaged and distorted. In front of this cave there is an octagonal column which has now fallen. And there are many rock inscriptions around this area.

He pledged that he will protect it.

We even saw many ruins. Among them, was a huge rock statue of Lord Buddha, which was half buried.

It was distressing to see how treasure hunters had vandalized the area; we saw deep pits left by them, pits that took with them pieces of our nation’s valuable history.
I would recommend this place to anyone with a longing to see Sri Lanka in its true magnificence; the splendor of ancient history.

What lies at the end of the road is worth the never-ending journey and unforgiving weather.

Just remember to do your bit for the Kings of the past, monks of the present and children of the future; preserve the natural beauty of our country and its past.

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