CULTURAL QA 04-2022-20 BEING A COMPILATION THERE MAY BE ERRORS
Q1 CanI manually switch on and off the fan of my laptop? A1 Gopala Krishnan ,former Assistant General Manager 1996-2004 at Department of Telecom(1966-2004)Answered just now In new laptops one cannot observe even the noise of fans below the motherboard. There are someperforations in the bottom of the Laptop, which help hot air for escapingthrough them. At one time we could get external fan units board overwhich the lap top was placed for cooling , which were getting hot after years of working.The perforations can be cleaned for dust if appear in the bottom of lap topwhile the Laptop is not switched ON. While the cooling fans are provided for cooling of mother board andsmooth functioning, itis not known why one wants to switch ON and OFF. I think It is a question forasking a question Q2 Whyare there no lights at the Taj Mahal, India? A2 Rohit Virmani I Lovetravelling Fri Taj Mahal is a marvellous white marble monument and there are certainreasons why it is not illuminated: Lighting jeopardizes itsmarble surface due to defecation on it by insects attracted by the lighting. Grass-sapping insects which sit on the floors andwalls of the illuminated part, discharge their excreta on the surface, leavinga colored pigment on it, thus spoiling the flawless beauty of the architecturalicon. Taj Mahal does not needlighting at all. It is a marble structure and can be seen in all its glory in natural night. On full moon day, one can see Taj inall its splendor. Moonlight filters through the clouds and reflects off thewhite marble. This is how the builders intended it. Having the monument lit up and so many people coming to see it at night,is a potential security threat. The Taj Mahal, its façade ismade up of small holes called "mullions". The sun passes throughthese holes and illuminates the interior. The Taj Mahal is surrounded by water and trees. The grandeur is, is thestanding white marble tomb amidst blowing fresh breeze. If there iselectricity, fans and bulbs then, the heat, the energy force, the sound, thepollution would spoil the entire atmosphere. Taj Mahal is not a monument toexperiment with. It is amarble structure and can be seen in all its glory in natural night. Q3 Whatis one thing that everyone should eliminate if they want to live longer? A3 Abraham Sukumar Studiedat Madras Medical College, Chennai Apr 13 Instead of a discussion on theories and offering suggestions on how tolive long a brief survey of a life of someone who lived long would give us aninsight of what one must do to live long. The person I am to talk about is mymother of whose history and lifestyle I of course know a lot at first hand. She was born in 1914 andpassed away in 2009 aged 95 years. Expect for the last two days of her life shewas never bedridden. The family of my mother lived in a hill station in Burma called Maymyo.My grandfather must have been among the early trickle of Indians that moved toBurma from India at the turn of the 20th century. Except the first two all hischildren were born there. The trickle later was to become a flood. Indian inBurma prospered. It did not last long. A short four decades later (1941) theJapanese invaded and the tide turned. I know it well for I was among the flotsam and jetsamthat washed up on to the shores of India. I can identify three factors thatcontributed to her longevity. The first of these is in hergenetics. My mother was thelast of nine children of her parents, three brothers and six sisters. Onebrother died of bubonic plague when he was in middle school. One sister diedwhen she was in her sixties, one sister died in her seventies, two sisters andtwo brothers died in their eighties and the remaining two sisters lived intotheir nineties. Longevity was apparently a family trait. None had any inheritedphysical disability. Diabetes and high blood pressure were unknown. Is genetics the most importantfactor in longevity? It is important but one cannot say it is a key factor. Wesee too many exceptions in real life to say so. The second element is lifestyleand diet. Personalcleanliness, clean and airy home in a healthy, sanitary locality are important.Longevity will take a hit if every bout of illness going around visits yourhome. Regular meals,exercise and avoiding smoking and alcohol are important. A few words about the vexed topic of diet. My mother’s longevity waspartly owing to diet she had or rather she did not have. An elementary schoolteacher with a family of nine would have problems making ends meet in Indiaeven today. Not so in prewar Burma where salaries were more generous, andcertainly not in Maymyo. Those who lived in that hill station during thoseyears considered it a heaven on Earth. Having spent the first eight years of mylife in that town I most heartily agree. The surrounding lush Shan Hills was famous for vegetables and fruits thatwere exported to all parts of the country. In the Maymyo markets they wereunbelievably cheap. Rice was always plentiful in a country that in those dayswas exporting rice to India. In my grandfather’s family of that number ofpersons each with a hearty appetite there was no chance of leftovers after ameal. They must have had simple but freshly made nourishing food, adequate butnever abundant, at every meal. To cap it all given their financial situationthere was no possibility of eating unhealthy food in restaurants and nopossibility of eating canned food with their pernicious preservatives. As forexercise with no public transport everyone had to walk or cycle up and down theroads of that hill station. No doubt the family members lived long. Incidentally when I visited thattown in 2006, 65 years after leaving I found it just as it was the day I left. I was happy to see it that way, but the localsdeplored the lack of what they termed development. Both affluence and poverty arecauses of reduced longevity. Inthe modern world in economically advanced countries ill health brought on byaffluence has reached epidemic proportions. The third factor is in themind. A calm dispositionhelps. Resentment, envy especially if you allow it to eat into you, and angeraffects your longevity. If revenge finds itself in the mix you are done for. Many events happened in my mother’s life that made her grieve. Shedeplored the event but never developed anger against the persons who wereresponsible. When she met that person again, she would be cordial as if nothinghad happened. That used to enrage my father. ‘You have no more spirit in youthan a sack of salt’ he would say. Diseases that strike from theblue are important factors that affect longevity. Modern science had found a way to prevent mostdiseases both those caused by germs and from other causes. Cancer is stillholding out. Scientists have not been able to do much at cancer preventionother than nibbling at the periphery. That is sure to change. In summary of the three factors mentioned nothing can be done about thefirst, our genetics and very little about the third, our temperament. We canonly alter our lifestyle to lead a more healthy and balanced life and hope forthe best. A final question: Should we want to live long? All the good things thatnormally happen in one’s life has happened by the time one is in the earlyseventies. From then on it iseither a status quo or downhill. One must also remember that aged parents are a source of greatresponsibility and anxiety for the children. It is a thought worthpondering. My note- Doctor himself has askeda pertinent question. Advance in medical filed has so many advantages but few disadvantage also. Examples arekidney transplantation, amputation etc in old age above 70. Q4 Dochimpanzees or any other animals keep pets? A4 Claire Jordan Degreein biology and folklore; programmer, shop owner, secretary on newspaper Sat There was a case of some largerwild South American monkeys - squirrel monkeys I think - who adopted a babymarmoset. The size differencewould be similar to a human and a Border collie. The marmoset stayed with themonkey troupe for a couple of years before disappearing, probably because he’dachieved puberty and gone off to look for a mate. Q5 Whatthings should I consider while painting my home? A5 UltraTech Cement India’sNo 1 Cement. Updated 7mo One of the most exciting steps in your home-building journey is theselection of colours for your home. The colours you choose will largely determine the visual appeal of yourhome. And there are many factors that affect the choice andperception of paint colours. a) Colour Combinations: It'simportant to remember that toomany colours can end up looking too cluttered. It's best to keep things simpleand choose one or maybe twoexterior colours for your home. You can also explore differentshades of the same colour if you think things are looking a bit monotonous. For the interiors, always pick your furniture and decors before selectingthe paint colours. Also here you can give patterns and design by suitablecombination of paints. b) Choice of colours: When itcomes to choosing colours,you should ideally explore many options. Look for inspiration and references,as you try to narrow down on what colours you like, and then work outcombinations for those. Avoidblack and dark colours that gather dust easily. c) Factor in light: The colourand shade you choose on theshade-card could end up looking very different when applied on your home,depending on the quality and type of light that falls on it. It's best tosample a few colours and shades on the wall, to get a better idea of how it'sgoing to end up looking. d) Surrounding matter: Thelocation of your home andwhat's around it should be considered while choosing your exterior homecolours. While you want your house to stand out, make sure you choose thecolours in such a way that it goes with the mood and climate of yoursurroundings and backdrop. e) Think beyond just paints: Yourhome can really comealive with some furnishings, artefacts and plants, rather than just the doorand windows. Choose the material and lighting properly, so that it all goeswell with your paint. Also, choose a good colour combination for trims andaccent colours. f) Durability: Maintaining thepaint of your home is equallyimportant. While choosing the paints, irrespective of colour, make sure you choose durable andlow-maintenance paints. Typically, 'satin' and 'eggshell' paints offer greatdurability and are easier to clean. They also give a nice finish to yourcolours. g) Always keep the wall paintcolour neutral and balanced:If you want the attention/focus to be distributed around the decors andinteriors of the room, its preferable to choose well balanced colours. But ifyou want your walls to be focused, go for bold and bright colours. h) Have a theme or pattern whileselecting the colours for yourentire home. Q6 Whydoes the US have such a big obesity problem compared to somewhat similarcountries, namely most European countries and Canada? What is the solution? A6 Steven Haddock 3rdgeneration (or so) Canadian & lifelong resident; political science major Thu It’s a combination of things,none of which can easily be solved. Most Americans live in car dependent locations, which means they don’t walk much.The highest obesity rates are in cities where you pretty much have to take acar everywhere. The lowest are in cities like New York where taking a careverywhere is pretty much impossible. Related to #1 above, mostAmericans don’t live anywhere near a grocery store or any place where you canget something to eat. Due to driving costs, many shop only once a week and the very poor shop only once a month.That means a diet heavy on preserved foods with very little fresh fruit, freshvegetables or fresh bread because those things won’t keep all week. Frozenfoods are very popular as are canned foods, which means portion control is aproblem. Food is plentiful, deliciousand cheap. Take out any one ofthose and you have a natural disincentive to eating. As it is, when someonesells food, the food is not the major cost, it’s rent and labour. You’retherefore encouraged to buy as much food as possible because the marginal costof providing it to you is minimal and the labour cost is the same. Government nutrition adviceisn’t really very good. Forexample, Canada recently dropped “dairy” from its dietary requirements because,frankly, you don’t need it. Not that it’s not good, it’s just not necessary. As a whole, cooks in theUnited States aren’t very good. Once again, they’re encouraged to use what plentiful food is available and make up for it inquantity over quality. For example, if you cook meals in a French school,you’re expected to have some culinary training and you might end up in a nicerestaurant. If you cook meals in an American school, you’re pretty much trainedthe same way they train military cooks. Good food is expensive in theUnited States, particularly relativeto food that’s not so good. It’s also often hard to get, limited to expensivespecialty grocers. Americans have little time formeal preparation, and it’sshrinking. Often, good cooking takes time and Americans just don’t have it.They make up for it with prepared meals and dining out. Q7 Whatare some lesser known facts about sparrows? A7 Manasvi Jain 14 yearold Fri As if taking a bath in water,sparrows toss dust and soil over themselves. Sparrows like to live near human settlements, they’re very friendly. Sparrows are carnivores bynature, but since they live in close proximity to humans, they’ve begun toconsume fruits, berries, seeds, and other plant-based foods.Male and female house sparrows are clearlydistinguishable. Males have reddish backs with black bibs, while females havebrown backs with stripes. Sparrowsin the wild can live for up to 4-5 years. These little feathered birds can swim quickly to avoid predators when inperil. All the above QA are from Quora website on 19-04- 2022. Quoraanswers need not be 100% correct answers Compiled and posted by R. Gopala krishnan on 20-04-2022 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1670451717.1018879.1650427410529%40mail.yahoo.com.
