Tuesday 12 May 2015

Is Cinema Corrupting Our Moral Values?

Ladies & gentlemen, we are witnessing the 21st century. Where everything has taken a new turn towards revolution and where technology has become vital in one’s life. Precisely speaking, the world in which we live today has modernized at the cost of integrity, faith, and morality. One such example of modernization is cinema. Now, what is wrong with cinemas? Apparently none of it is wrong as perceived by today’s youth
There is absolutely nothing wrong when you go to cinemas to watch a movie, no one will stop you. In fact, it’s what will define you as modern and broad minded. Ironically, if a child is found watching MUJRA on TV or blueprints, his/her parents or siblings might be ashamed yet watching an item song on a big screen in a cinema is “liberation”. Telling someone that your friend dragged you to a Masjid, church or temples (rare it is, though) would be a covert affair. On the other hand you are to watch NA MALOON AFRAAD, JISM, Fifty shades of Grey, Game of Thrones, and the never ending list of such movies and seasons, one feels proud rather mature to tell the world about it through social media. And then we expect our children to pray to their respective GODS, respect elders and be a responsible citizen of their respective Nations.
Another shameless act everyone might have noticed at one time or the other that the atmospheres these cinemas provide with are very favorable for dating and dating cheap. Young couples find it as an opportunity to get themselves a seat in the top corner of the cinemas and explore. Obviously who would rent a room at the higher cost when one gets a cheaper offer? So next time you go to watch a movie to cinema keep your eyes open for such short movies being played right in the corner seats of the hall.
The problem initiates when wrong doesn’t seem wrong anymore when your guilt becomes the reason of your pride. That is when your inner conscious should and will provoke you to stop. You are well aware of it, but you decide to shut what your consciousness warns you off and do as you please. I believe this is the moment when you push yourself over the edge to fall in the filth that the world has to offer, when you allow it to corrupt your mind and soul, degrade and let go of your moral and ethical values.
We spent thousands of rupees, dollars each year on watching movies and clubbing, failing to acknowledge the fact that there are children existing in this world deprived of basic necessities of life and most importantly education. Ironically we imagine saving our country/world and talk about ignorance of government in such matters while those who are blessed with the status and money spent on corrupting ourselves in cinemas, clubs and what not.
How many of us go to watch a documentary being screened in a museums or cinemas? How many of us promote it? How many of us think that it is a good way to do business (thinking as an entrepreneur)? Only a few of us I suppose… Why is that so? According to my survey amongst the teenagers and people in their 20’s think these documentaries are not amusing, they are boring, they are history, who cares about the history because we live in present and think of futures only, past is depressing, it is a new world, a new era, a revolutionized century we live in.
It came to my realization that we as youth have distorted definition of entertainment as well as no respect and value for our history of mankind or the wonders that leaders of our respective nations have done to provide us with the motherland, we call our Country. Today’s generation think it has been done! Let’s live in the moment those leaders are dead already, big deal. We need to have the skill, we need to earn for ourselves, eat hard, drink hard, party hard and die in Peace. Yet you will find each one of us complaining as to where the world is heading, towards destruction. Blaming our governments while we sit in front of T.V enjoying exotic meals served with wine and followed by freshly brewed coffee.
So cinemas are just one example of what perhaps corrupts our moral values gradually. There are many more which tends to corrode our character every single passing day without making us realize. It is like an internal disease or a tumor that grows in you slow and steady until it is too late or too difficult for you to escape.

The list of my questions and complaints would go on… But the truth is, even after reading what I just wrote, the question still remains that Is cinema corrupting our moral values?

Sunday 10 May 2015

Life is a Circus?

LIFE is a CIRCUS


It is often believed that we live our life as per our desires. It seems as if we are steering our lives in perfect harmony or perhaps that our life is a roller coaster rides driven by an external force constantly that is invisible to us. With many steep and shallow points during the ride is what we compare to our lives. But is it so in reality?
Perhaps, but i draw my analogy of life from a circus. A place where people enjoy, oblivious to the roles they are playing themselves. They live it every day, become a source of entertainment for others every day, and give people a reason to pass critiques over your act. And once the act is laid my friend, it is irrevocable.
Allow me to show you a picture of life from the perspective I draw my analogy. Every day we wake up, for what?  You?  Me?  Our parents?
 I wake up because I have too. I am supposed to do so because I am expected to study & make my future. Not only this, but also to become a source of pride for my family. So that when the day comes I support them (which is a good thing) and hoping to earn a perfect bride. Are these the reasons why I have been getting up for past 21 years of my life? Are your stories any different?? I doubt that. Maybe the perspective differs but similar aim is somewhere lurking behind your perfect and disguised perceptions of life.
Our parents wake up every day to earn, to provide us with basic necessities of life as well as luxuries so to make easy path for us to build our future. Not only that but to take pride in telling the world our child is a highest achiever at school or is currently working for some XYZ company at this salary. They wake up every day with their aim being their children and family.  They teach us ethics and values so as to not only organize ourselves but to please others. In other words, blend in the society so we aren’t the hot topic of conversations in a gathering.
So is it right? Is the reason of you and me waking up in the morning, the reason what we are living for? Or is there something more to it? There is! There is much more to it than we comprehend and because we are so blind to see it, we are too engrossed in this chaotic world to feel that this isn’t the reason at all.
I refer our life nothing but a circus because we wake up every day suppressing our feelings and our true selves; prepare to stage ourselves for this world as they want to see it. We, humans are versatile and adaptive by nature but is it right to deceive people with smiling faces and tortured souls? Is it right to tell the world and most importantly yourself that it’s okay and everything is at peace and calm in your life when it is not? Is it okay to lie when it does not benefit anyone but us? Is it okay to be a part of these peoples life that lie to you constantly and show you what does not exist?


Life is a circus and a long one bear in mind. The performers are there to please you. They are controlled by the ring master. Every performer is a star there. Each one has its part to play, and every single performer is vital for the show to be amazing. Likewise in our lives every single soul, even the feeble of all, has its part to play. However, one has to pay his price to be entertained. We pay our prices in various shades of life. That price is usually our contentment, our sentiments, our passion, our relations and our family. These are the prices we pay without the realization what losses are we paying for the desire of being entertained. Oblivious to the fact that the smiling faces may have their portion of grieves and desires in life unsaid and unnoticed. Life isn’t fair neither it is fair. So let’s just not treat it likewise. Let us just care for once, make space for realization, understanding, and humanity, think of giving happiness and spreading it instead of buying it.
To be honest, the paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more but have less, we buy more but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less cure.
We eat too much, work out too little, laugh just a little, get too aggressive, sleep too late, wake up too tired, read  little, laze around too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things.
We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

Therefore try as I am. Don’t let people juggle your life for entertainment. Life isn’t a roller coaster ride. Life is a consequence of our decisions. I deny to accept my life as a part of a circus, as a performer, as an entertainer and as a puppet. I am not here to please other for the sake of it. I and you are in this world to serve the humanity with contentment and honesty. Stay happy and spread the happiness instead of selling it and for others to buy it.

LIFE is a Journey without Destination

I don’t think there's ever been a point in my career where I've said, 'I've made it.' No seriously, it is not because I am undergoing a torturing process of becoming an engineer. What does that mean, 'I've made it?' Made it to what? If you say, 'I've made it.' then to me you are finished? I don't want to be finished. I don’t want to sit back one day and just do nothing think nothing but how to create nuisance in other people life or generate a live drama of star plus."
I want my life to be a journey, not just an ordinary one but a journey with a destination having infinite no. of stays in between, having been able to spend time to know people and know the world by experiencing it not by just reading the books rather than a life where I only struggle to get more than 3.5 GPA every semester or get a job after graduation or even making retirement plans for gods sake. I think retirement is for miserable people who can’t wait for life as they know it to be over. “I’ll start my life and do what I want when I’m 70”, it’s like saying I will be single after I have grandkids. Again, waiting and expecting some end game, goal or result that may never happen. Gentlemen, you could be dead by the time retirement ever comes.
Most people go through life aimlessly. Their lives become a chaotic response to the winds and forces around them and they feel like tumbleweeds caught in a storm or stuck in a corner somewhere. To me, we all live like some programmable machine following instruction, assuming them to be our destination. These people are leading a frustrating life and jaded attitudes.
The truth is we are destined to die and in that period of time we have two options live life while we set our goals achieve them or just run after success and goals taking them to be our destiny and then after achieving it wondering as why something is still missing. Life has always something more for you to be explored. You’ll never “reach” your final destination—at least not in this life!
So, why does all this matter? Because far too many people put off what really matters in pursuit of the things they want to achieve. They tell themselves that they’ll worry about these things once they’ve reached their destination. Things like family, Enjoying friends, Nurturing relationships, Forgiving enemies, enjoying life, experiencing peace. These things are put off… and most of the time, they are never re-discovered.
Sure, it’s great to focus on destinations, but the most important thing is that you learn to be happy — right here and now. The key, however, is simply finding the right balance, discovering a mindset that allows us to pursue big things without sacrificing the “little things” that make life worth living.
I’ll leave you with a quote from Walter Hagen: “You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry. Don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way”

Sunday 19 April 2015

Missiles & its classifications



Use of modern weapon systems has revolutionized the concept of warfare. The technology of guided missiles ell compasses the multiple streams of engineering. A number of factors are responsible for the successful launching of missiles. 'These involve coordination of a variety of subsystems.
Missiles are attractive to many nations because they can be used effectively against an adversary with a formidable air defense system, where an attack with manned aircraft would be impractical or too costly. In addition, missiles can be used as a preventive or an instrument of coercion. Missiles also have the advantage of fewer maintenance, training, and logistic requirements than manned aircraft. Even limited use of these weapons could be devastating, because missiles can be armed with chemical, biological, or nuclear warheads.

PEDIGREE
In the history of missiles began during the World War I1 with the use of V1 and V2 missiles by Germany. Since then there has been a tremendous and rapid global advancement in this field. It spawned the growth and pushed the frontiers of many new technologies in the areas of materials science, aeronautics, communications, radars and computers. Huge amounts of prime resources have been channelized into this field resulting in the development of sophisticated missiles. 

WHAT IS A MISSILE
Any object thrown at a target with the aim of hitting it is a missile. Thus, a stone thrown at a bird is a missile. The bird, by using its power of reasoning may evade the missile (the stone) by moving either to the Left, right, top or bottom with respect to the flight path (trajectory) of the missile. Thus, the missile in this case has been ineffective in its objective of hitting the bird (the target) . Now, if the stone too is imparted with some intelligence and quick response to move with respect to the bird, to overcome aiming errors and the bird's evasive actions and hit it accurately, the stone now becomes a guided missile
The incorporation of energy source in a missile to provide the required force for its movement (propulsion), intelligence to go in the correct direction (guidance) and effective maneuvering (control) are mainly the technologies of guided missiles. They help in making a missile specific to a target, that is, they determine the size, range and state of motion of a missile.

TYPES OF GUIDED MISSILES
Presently, there are many types of guided missiles. They can be broadly classified on the basis of their features such as type of target; range; mode of launching; system adopted for control, propulsion or guidance; aerodynamics; etc. They are also termed in a broad sense as strategic or tactical, defensive or offensive.

On the basis of target they could be called
·         Anti-tan/anti-amour,
·         Anti-personnel,
·         Anti-aircraft /helicopter,
·         Anti-ship/anti-submarine,
·         Anti-satellite, or
·         Anti-missile

Surface-to-surface-missiles (SSM)
SSMs are common ground-to-ground ones though these may also be launched from a ship to another ship. Underwater weapons which are launched from a submarine also come under this class of missiles
Surface-to-air missiles (SAM)
SAMs are essential complement of modern air defense systems along with anti-aircraft guns which are used against hostile aircraft
Air-to-air missiles (AAM)
AAMs are for airbarne battle among fighter/ bomber aircraft. These are usually mounted under the wings or fuselage of the aircraft and are fired at enemy airborne targets by the pilot through the press of a button. In his decision to launch a missile at a particular moment, the pilot is aided by a computer and radar network onboard as well as from ground- based data link.
Air-to-surface missiles (ASM)
Air-to-surface missiles are guided missiles designed to be carried and launched by aircraft and helicopters against ground targets. Generally these targets are land-based, but can also include targets at sea such as ships.


On the basis of range,
·         missiles can be broadly classified as Short-range missiles (50 to 100 km);
·         Medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM) (100 to 1500 km);
·         Intermediatelrange ballistic missiles(1RBM) (5000 km);
·         Intercontinental or long-range ballistic missiles (1CBM) (12000 km).
On the basis of launch platform, missiles can be termed as
·         Shoulder firedltripod launched,
·         Landmobile (wheeled vehicle or tracked vehicle),
·         Aircraft/helicopter-borne,
·         Space-based (Star Wars concept).
Based on guidance, missiles are broadly classified as
·         Command guidance,
·         Homing guidance,
·         Beam rider guidance, and
·         Inertial navigation guidance.
Depending on the aerodynamic control adopted, a missile is called
·         Wing controlled.
·         Tail controlled, or
·         Canard controlled.
One more classification is based on the type of trajectory and a missile is called a ballistic missile or a cruise missile. It covers a major part of its range outside the atmosphere where the only external force acting on the missile is the gravitational force of Earth
 Cruise missile is the one which travels its entire range in the atmosphere at a nearly constant height and speed. However, a missile could have a combination of the two also where a missile could cover part of the flight in ballistic mode and later a terminal portion in cruise mode.
another classification is based on the propulsion system provided in the missile. In rocket propulsion, we have:
·         Solid propulsion,
·         Liquid propulsion, and
·         Hybrid propulsion.
·         In air-breathing propulsion, we have: Gas turbine engine jet or propeller Ramjets or ram-rockets



MISSILE SYSTEM














CONTROL SECTION OF MISSLES

·         The control actuator maneuvers the missile during flight and provides internal electrical power. It consists of four fins, four thrust vector control and a thermal battery.
·         Thermal battery provides internal electrical power for the missile during flight. It is sealed in the body of missile.








Missile Propulsion
Propulsion is the means of providing power to accelerate the missile body and sustain, if necessary, to reach the required target. The basis for the working of missile propulsion systems are the well-known Newton's laws of motion.

The propulsion of a missile is achieved with the help of a rocket engine. It produces thrust by ejecting very hot gaseous matter, called propellant. The hot gases are produced in the combustion chamber of the rocket engine by chemical reactions. The propellant is exhausted through a nozzle at a high speed. This exhaust causes the rocket to move in the opposite direction (Newton's third law).
As per the second law also called the law of momentum, the change in momentum of the missile body including the rocket motor casing, the nozzle and other systems due to the ejected matter creates a force leading to the propulsive action on the missile body.
The missiles, propelled into air, would continue to move if there were no other forces acting on it. However, resistance to its forward movement due to air (commonly called the aerodynamic drag) and the force of gravity acting downwards towards the center of the earth are to be taken into account. By using Newton's first law, also called the law of inertia, compensative forces are imparted to the missile to overcome these negative forces.

PARTS OF PROPULSION SYSTEM 



All types of rocket propulsion engines contain a chamber, a nozzle, and an igniter.There are certain propellant combinations which do not need an igniter and they are called hypergolic. These propellants burn spontaneously when they come in contact in a certain proportion.



TYPES OF PROPULSION SYSTEMS
Missile propulsion will be mainly of the following two types:
Air breathing, and
Non-air breathing.
the air breathing rocket engines use the surrounding medium of air for the support of their oxidizer. Thus. They can be used only within the Earth's atmosphere whereas in the case of non-air breathing engines the rocket engine itself' carries its fuel and oxidizer on board and hence can be used in space above the Earth's atmosphere also and is thus independent of the air medium.
WARHEADS AND TARGETS
Ballistic and cruise missiles can be armed with conventional or non conventional warheads. Conventional warheads are filled with a chemical explosive, such as TNT, and rely on the detonation of the explosive and the resulting metal casing fragmentation as kill mechanisms.
Non conventional warheads include weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons), as well as nonlethal warheads, a relatively new class of warhead designed to disable equipment rather than harm personnel. Conventional, biological, and chemical weapons can be packaged in unitary (single) warheads and in sub munitions (multiple small bombs that are released at altitude to disperse over a wide area).
Purpose
The only purpose of the missile is to deliver a warhead to the target. The function of the warhead is to damage the target. The warhead is located in the missile. In most of the tactical missiles, the warhead is based on conventional chemical explosives called high explosive. They are meant for large-scale destruction of areas. The smaller ones carry nuclear material equivalent of 10-15,000 tons of TNT (a high explosive) while the larger ones are in terms of tens of million tons of TNT. Most of the advanced versions of ballistic missiles carry multiple nuclear bombs in each missile and these are called MIRVs (Multiple Independently-targetEd Re-entry Vehicles.


 TYPES OF WARHEAD
Shaped charge warhead (anti-tank or anti-Armour) and kinetic energy rod penetrator (against armour), Fragment type (anti-aircraft, anti-personnel), Blast-cum-earth shock (for damaging built up structures), and
Incendiary type (against fuel and ammunition dumps, etc.)


COMPONENTS OF WARHEAD






PAYLOAD.—The payload is the element of the missile that does what a particular missile is launched to do. The payload is usually considered the explosive charge, and is carried in the warhead of the missile. High-explosive warheads used in air-to-air guided missiles contain a rather small explosive charge
FUZING.—The fuzzing and firing system is normally located in or next to the missile's warhead section. It includes those devices and arrangements that cause the missile's payload to function in proper relation to the target. The system consists of a fuze, a safety and arming (S&A) device, a target-detecting device (TDD), or a combination of these devices



Guidance and Control Section
The guidance section is the brain of the missile. It directs its maneuvers and causes the maneuvers to be executed by the control section. The guidance section is the brain of the missile. It directs its maneuvers and causes the maneuvers to be executed by the control section.
Inertial guidance systems make possible the precision delivery of long-range ballistic missiles for which the target is, for example, a known set of Earth coordinates. However, these systems are not suitable for guiding missiles against unpredictable targets like maneuvering aircraft or anti-ship cruise missiles or against a target whose location is not known precisely when the missile is launched .
As mentioned earlier guidance missiles are broadly classified as
·         Command guidance,
·         Homing guidance,
·         Beam rider guidance, and
·         Inertial navigation guidance
A homing guidance system is one in which the missile seeks out the target, guided by some physical indication from the target itself. Radar reflections or thermal characteristics of targets are possible physical influences on which homing systems are based. Homing systems are classified as active, semi active, and passive.the figure below explains it all.



ADVANTAGES OF MISSILES
·         Missile combat employment is completely autonomous
·         Missile flexible flight trajectory
·         High supersonic speed at a whole trajectory
·         High effectiveness in case of strong electronic and fire counter measure
·         High level of mobility
·         Minimal crew                               
DISADVANTAGES
·         Missile can be destroyed while during the flight
·         Missile have to rely on ground radar for navigation
·         Nuclear missile make atmosphere radioactive.

REFERENCES:
  1. T V Karthikeyan A K Kapoor . (). Guided Missiles . Available: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdo.res.in%3A8080%2Falpha%2Fdrdo%2Fdata%2FGuided%2520Missiles.pdf&ei=Mlw0VdS3Oo2PaIXJgUg&usg=AFQjCNFza30J. Last accessed 20th april2015.
  2. Neil F. Palumbo. (2010). Guest Editor’s Introduction: Homing Missile Guidance and Control. In: N. F. PALUMBO JOHNS HOPKINS APL TECHNICAL DIGEST,. england: palumbo guest. P1-32.