Swarm Intelligence

The term Swarm Intelligence may be unfamiliar to you, but somewhere near you there are places in which it get applied .
Simply it can defined as the collective behavior of decentralized self organized systems.

The self organized system interact with each other and with the environment .It is also the basis of distributed problem solving . there is no centralized control to control the particles or independent systems.

The Ant search is ofter highlighted as an example of Swarm Intelligence.The other organisms came under SI are school of Fishes, migrating birds etc.

Swarm Robotics is an emerging area where swarm principles are applied to robots.
Read more about SI fro these links

• Scholarpedia
• Carleton
• Wikipedia

image courtesy :
http://www.newscientist.com/blog/technology/uploaded_images/swarm_escape-708935.jpg

Zen Stories

Zen Buddhism is school of Mahayana Buddhism.Zen Buddhism aims for the attainment of enlightenment.

Zen teachings are told in simple short stories that carry an extensive level of meanings.Most of them will end in hundred or two hundred words , the understandability vary from person to person.

Here I am telling you three Zen stories that I loved.
I am happy if you add more stories to the comment list.

1. Carrying the woman

Two monks were once traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was falling. Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection.

"Come on, girl,"said the first monk. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud.
The second monk did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. Then he no longer could restrain himself.

"We monks don't go near females," he said. "It is dangerous. Why did you do that?"
"I left the girl there,: the first monk said. "Are you still carrying her?"

2 . If You Love, Love Openly

Twenty monks and one nun, who was named Eshun, were practicing meditation with a certain Zen master.

Eshun was very pretty even though her head was shaved and her dress plain. Several monks secretly fell in love with her. One of them wrote her a love letter, insisting upon a private meeting.

Eshun did not reply. The following day the master gave a lecture to the group, and when it was over, Eshun arose. Addressing the one who had written her, she said: "If you really love me so much, come and embrace me now."

3. A Cup of Tea

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.
The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"

"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"

You can read more stories from 101 Zen Stories


image courtesy :http://www.writespirit.net/religious_traditions/zen_buddhism

The Man Who Fed the World

Every one who merely take even a grain a day is directly or indirectly consociated to this man. The man who has been deemed as the father of the Green Revolution passed away September 12 th 2009.

Norman Ernest Borlaug popularly Norman Borlaug is a man who saved one billion people worldwide from hunger.
He started his career against the pests that affects wheat and barley. It was the time when the world population was exploding and there is no increase in the proportional production of food (especially rice and wheat and other cereals ) with the tremendous world population.

His experiments started in the wheat farms of Mexico(Wheat being the most produced cereal ).During this time the team made nearly 6000 wheat crossings to make a pest resistant variety breed. Borolog also used the technique of Dwarfing to make short plants with thicker stems to withstand the weight of grain.

In1963 Borlaug came to India.1965 was an year of famine and war for India. In 1967 Pakistan imported the ever largest seed import of 42,000 tons. 1968 was an year in which Pakistan’s wheat production doubled and they became self-sufficient in wheat production. In 1974 India was self sufficient in the production of all cereals.

In 1970 the great U.S. Agronomist was awarded with Nobel Peace Prize. In 2006 The Government of India presented him the Padma Vibhushan, its second highest civilian award.

So when ever you are having food remember the statement ( Borlaug's children released this statement )

"We would like his life to be a model for making a difference in the lives of others and to bring about efforts to end human misery for all mankind."

Refrence : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Borlaug
Image: http://www.cfans.umn.edu/sites/da3af65c-e373-4e98-a2a9-a33f17f8a3ac/uploads/neewimage.jpg