Minneapolis

Minneapolis, "City of Lakes", is the largest city in the State of Minnesota,  America's most Northerly state, with the exception of Alaska. It was the home of Dakota Sioux before the French arrived in 1680. "Minne" means water in the Dakota Sioux language. It borders Ontario, Canada.

Shaolin Five Animals

Dragon
Tiger
Leopard ("Paau") - requires development of power and speed for swift, penetrating strikes

Fractional Dimensions

Just as we talk of two-dimensional space and three-dimensional space in Geometry and Linear Algebra, there are also fractional dimensions. This is part of a subject known as continuous geometry, introduced by John von Neumann. In "CG" dimensions come from the internal [0,1] rather than from a discrete set of integers. 

Range of Courses at IITs

Certain courses, such as mechanical engineering and computer engineeing are taught universally across all the IIT campuses.

IIT Guwahati offer Mathematics and Computer Science at BTech level, Delhi at MTech level.  IIT Kharagpur is strong for biotechnology.

IIT Kharagpur - The First of the IITs

The first Indian Institute of Technology was IIT Kharagpur, founded in 1951, at which Nehru gave the first convocation address in 1956.

He called it "India's future in the making". It was declared an Institute of National Importance by the Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur) Act.

Kharagpur is in West Bengal, in the Eastern part of India (state capital Calcutta, or Kolkata).

The second IIT to be founded was IIT Bombay in 1958. Campuses were scattered throughout India to prevent regional imbalance.

Entrance to IITs is by Joint Entrance Exam (JEE). Exams must be taken in:

• Physics
• Chemistry
• Mathematics 

plus an additional aptitude test for Architecture candidates (where knowledge of famous monuments and their architects is tested).

In mathematics, some of the more tricky or unusual requirements include the following.

e.g. knowledge of harmonic series. In the harmonic series, each term is inverse of a term in an arithmetic progression. e.g. 1,2,3,4,5.. becomes 1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5.  Each term of the harmonic series is the harmonic mean of neighbouring terms (2(x1)(x2) / (x1+x2)).

Also analytic geometry skills must be extremely good. e.g. do you know the equation of a circle? For a circle with centre (a,b) the easiest way is to think of it in terms of its "standard form" (x-a)^2 + (y-b)^2 = r^2. The equation x^2 + y^2 = 1 is the unit circle centre (0,0).

In chemistry, some of the basic concepts you will need include kinetic theory of gases (the idea of gases as collections of atoms and molecules moving randomly in space).

Physical chemistry topics are required (where we apply physics to chemistry), covering how matter behaves at the molecular and atomic level, and explaining how reactions occur. John Dalton's premise that all matter is composed of atoms is assumed.

Grissini

Grissini are breadsticks often served with antipasti or cheese. One supplier of Grissini is Crosta and Mollica. Antipasto (plural antipasti), literally "before the meal", is the traditional first course in a formal Italian meal. It might include cheese, cured meats and olives.

Gianduja

Gianduja is a sweet chocolate made from 30% hazelnut paste. It originates from Piemonte, a region in North West Italy, one of twenty regions of Italy. Its capital is Turin.

On Lionel Messi

"I compare him to an assassin, because he has the hunger, and he always wants more".

The Original London Bridge

The original London Bridge was sold by the City of London as it could not take the weight of modern traffic. It now resides in Lake Havasu, Arizona.

Val Padana

The Po Valley (Italian:Val Padana or Pianura Padana) extends 400 miles East-West across Italy. The Po River extends from the Adriatic Sea (Mare Adriatico) in the East to Torino in the West. Torino is also known in English and is the home of football clubs Juventus and Torino F.C., as well as being a manufacturing centre for modules of the International Space Station. Climatically, the Po Valley is also prone to a phenomenon known as the Siberian anticyclone, which is a mass of cold air on the Eurasian terrain, from September to April. The lowest recorded temperature in the Northern hemisphere was at Verkhoyansk (-67 degrees centigrade) and due to the Siberian anticyclone. 

What's around LA

What are the distances to the major towns and cities around Los Angeles? Pasadena is 11 miles. Agoura Hills is 37 miles from Los Angeles. Anaheim is 40 miles. The local airport (LAX) is 15 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Downtown Long Beach is 25 miles from Downtown Los Angeles.

The E-learning Revolution - Reading List

An interesting book on e-learning (published in July 2010) is "Distinctive Distance Education Design" [DDED] by Richard Fuller and a bunch of other people. It starts out with introducing some general principles relating to "instructional design" then describes "Learning Management Systems" such as Blackboard and Moodle. There is also some interesting reflections on adults as learners, such as the need to be more self-directed in learning, and adults being forced to "fit their learning into life's 'margins'". In all, a highly recommended book on the subject of e-learning!

Formal Letter Writing in English

YOUR ADDRESS should be on the TOP RHS of the letter.
ADDRESS OF THE PERSON YOU ARE WRITING TO goes on the inside on the left.

DATE -can be on the left or the right.

If you do not know the name of the person, convention states that you should end the letter by Yours faithfully.

Park Lane London W1 - Between Hyde Park and Mayfair

Park Lane is a famous lane in London, in Mayfair, going from Marble Arch in the North to Hyde Park Corner in the South. It is the Eastern edge of Hyde Park (home of The Serpentine) and the Western boundary of Mayfair and home of the five-star Dorchester Hotel. Park Lane runs parallel to Park Street, the home of posh serviced apartments. Park Street is a one-way road that empties into Oxford Street (largely closed to vehicles except buses and taxis, and except on Sundays). The Dorchester is at the southern end of Park Street. South of the Dorchester is Curzon Street.

The Dorchester is the home of the Michelin-star Alain Ducasse restaurant. Delicacies such as crispy guinea fowl and roasted brill are on offer. Look out as well for the homard d'ecosse (Scottish lobster) and truffe noire (black truffle).

Wander further South on Park Lane and you reach the Park Lane Hilton which features a number of bars such as Whisky Mist.

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was America's failed invasion of Canada. At the time there were calls for Canada, then a British colony, to be annexed. Numbers were strongly in America's favour (population advantage) but the military consisted of raw, untrained recruits. After the Napoleonic Wars, Britain sent veterans to consolidate its forces at the border.

The State of New York

While everyone knows of New York City, the State of New York in which the City sits is a lesser-known quantity. 40% of the population of the State resides in the City of New York, which has a population of over 8 million (this implies a state population of roughly 20 million).

New York was "discovered" initially by European powers in 1609 with the voyage of Henry Hudson, working under the auspices of the Dutch East India company and was a centre of numerous battles during the American Revolutionary War, leading to US independence on 4 July, 1776 (actually America achieved legal independence on 2 July, with the Declaration of Independence achieved on 4 July).

South of New York State is New Jersery and the Great State of Pennsylvania, named after William Penn, born in Tower Hill, London. He initially called the region "Sylvania" (land of forests and woods) but this was changed by King Charles II (known as the Merrie Monarch) to "Pennsylvania".

T20 Cricket

In T20, or 20/20 cricket, introduced in 2003 by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for inter-county competition, is where each team has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. The exceptions to the Laws of Cricket pertinent to T20 include: each bowler may bowl for a maximum of four overs.

The Author of Uncle Vanya (1897)

Anton Chekhov the playwright was also Anton Chekhov the physician. "Medicine is my lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress". He wrote Uncle Vanya in 1897 and The Cherry Orchard in 1904.

Barmbrack

Barmbrack is an Irish raisin bread, and translates literally to "speckled bread".

Dutch Antilles

The Dutch Antilles were also known as Dutch Caribbean.

Greek Easter

Is one week after the UK Easter. The traditional Greek Easter Sunday involves a whole roast lamb and Greek wine, Ouzo (wine flavoured with anice, similar to liquorice). The following Monday (Orthodox Easter Monday) is a national holiday in Greece.

The Firth of Forth

The FoF is the firth (Estuary) of Scotland's River Forth (estuary == enclosed body of water that flows to the sea), where the Forth flows out to the North Sea. The Forth flows from Loch Ard eastwards to the North Sea. The Trossarchs region in which Loch Ard resides is the inspiration for the poem "The Lady of the Lake" by Edinburgh-born poet, historical novelist and playwright, Sir Walter Scott (1810).

Technology of UAVs - From Global to Euro Hawk

UAVs are "unmanned aerial vehicles". They include aircraft such as the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk. A variant of Global Hawk equipped with German sensors has been dubbed EuroHawk. It operates at an altitude of 20,000 meters, well above the normal altitude flown by civil aircraft. (747s fly up to 40k feet or 12k meters).

Gulab Chikki and other Sweeties

Gulab chikki consists of square bars of almonds, cashews and pistachios wrapped with dried rose petals on a base of sugar and jaggery, a type of unrefined cane sugar. Its colour is golden brown or dark brown. Of the Indian states, Maharashtra is the largest producer and consumer of jaggery.

What, or rather WHO, is IOSCO?

IOSCO is the International Organization of Securities Regulators. They publish reports, for example, on the trading of OTC derivatives.

Purpose of IEA Fully Explained

The IEA (INTERNATIONAL Energy Agency) is a creature of the 1970s.

Specifically it was founded in 1974 with a DUAL MANDATE: 1) to promote energy SECURITY amongst its members (29 member COUNTRIES) via COLLECTIVE RESPONSE to physical disruptions in oil supply and to ADVISE member countries on energy POLICY.

Members have to hold emergency oil stocks amounting to 90 days of net imports.

The IEA produces interesting research reports, including country-specific ones on topics such as India's downstream petroleum sector (role of oil marketing companies (OMCs), explanation of under-recoveries and so forth).

OECD (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) membership is NECESSARY BUT NOT SUFFICIENT for IEA membership. The OECD has its roots in the 1948 creation of the OECC to run the US-financed Marshall Plan.

Do you know what is an FBA?

What is an FBA?

An FBA is a fellow of the British Academy, the UK's NATIONAL BODY (Located near Pall Mall) for humanities and the social sciences. An FBA puts you in the same league as 900 fellow distinguished scholars, and is thus a truly desirable appellation to obtain.

The Power of Crichton

Michael Crichton imagined ER and Jurassic Park. He has sold more than 200 million books worldwide. He was published at age 14 in the New York Times. He is also the author of Congo.