THE BOY WHO LIVES???

"July 2007" can be called as the Potter month with a Potter movie and the final edition of the Potter book being released. The movie turned out to be nothing but disappointment for most of the Harry Potter fans( People who read the book, I think, will agree with me.). Then came "the Deathly hallows" with sky rocketing expectations. "The half blood prince" had set a very good platform and uncountable speculations as to whats going to happen in the final edition of the Harry Potter series. The book starts with the Dark Lord ascending to power terrorizing the wizarding and the muggle community alike. The boy who lived has a mission entrusted by Dumbledore, that of finding and destroying the Horcruxes, thereby putting a halt to the Dark Lord's rule. So what can you expect when the Dark Lord raises to power? Deaths of course... This book has the maximum number of characters loosing their lives facing the Dark Lord's wrath. Ron and Hermoine as usual accompany Mr. Potter in his mission. They have no clue as to where the Horcruxes are hidden and what they were going to face. They are left with a golden snitch, the deluminator and a children's book which Dumbledore had left them. Their miseries are increased when a book by Rita Skeeter brings into light some unbelievable facts about Dumbledore.

With Dark Lord hot on their trail and virtually no help the story moves on find answers to innumerbale questions which were left unanswered in "The Half Blood Prince". Who is RAB? Is Snape a traitor or whether he killing Dumbledore was "For a greater good"? The life and lies of Albus Dumbledore.What are the "Deathly Hallows"? The romance involved. Is Dumbledore really dead? Is Harry one of the Horcrux? And the most vital "will the boy who lived survive"? The best way to know the answers for these question is to read the book or eh wait for the movie( I hope justice is done atleast to this version of Harry Potter.) or ask your friends who had already read the book(You are sure to miss some key points this way). The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is unmistakably the best book of the Harry Potter series( It may tend to get emotional some times and you may feel that you are watching a Indian movie.... But you never get bored). "All was well" is the final sentence of the book. This book is worth your money and hope you have a good read.

THE DEVILZADVOCATE

KP

NANOTECHNOLOGY - From fiction to reality

The following is an article which i wrote for my symposium souvenier. I had compiled information from various sources including wiki and how stuff works. Hope its useful for a beginner.

The Devilzadvocate - KP

“Good things come in small quantities” goes a popular saying. Imagine that you are able to manipulate individual atoms so as to give shape to a product with the precise structure. Are we talking science fiction? Or does it sound impossible and crazy? We are talking nanotechnology.

What is it? And is it new??
Nanotechnology is an umbrella term that is used to describe a variety of techniques to fabricate materials and devices on a nanoscale. One nanometer is one billionth of a meter which is roughly the size of 10 hydrogen atoms put together. Using nanoparticles is not something new. It might be interesting to note that nanoparticles were used by the Chinese and Romans some thousand years ago. Degusssa since 1920’s have been producing carbon black, which makes the car tyres black and improves their resistance to wear and tear. Then what’s special in this technology that it attracts lots of funds and every organization is pumping in money for research into this field. The answer is quite simple the people we discussed about didn’t have any control over the particle size nor were they aware of the nanoscale which we are talking about. The thing which is new about nanotechnology is not only our ability to manipulate things on the nanoscale but to have a greater understanding of the atomic scale interactions.

Construction using atoms:
Assemblers: Assemblers can be programmed to manipulate atoms and molecules at will
Replicators: Replicators are programmed to create more assemblers.

Trillions of assemblers and replicators will work together to construct a product. It might be interesting to note that trillions of assemblers and replicators will occupy an area lesser than one cubic millimeter and will be invisible to the human eye.

Applications – An overview:
Nanotechnology has a wide range of applications ranging from manufacturing industry to the field of medicine. In manufacturing industry it can be used to produce stronger and cost effective consumer goods. If we can succeed in replication of food grains we could remove famines from the face of earth.
It can be used to fabricate processors and memory devices with high speed and storage capacity but in the size of a sugar cube. Nanotechnology has a great impact in the field of medicine. It has a wide range of applications like modifying the cancer cells and virus to make them harmless, to provide oxygen to the RBC’s, to perform surgeries which require no incision, the list goes on. It is also said that we can use nanobots to increase the life expectancy and reduce the aging process.

Nanobots – Weapons of Mass destruction:
There has been numerous works of fiction elucidating the use of nanobots in the field of warfare and the after effects. Nanobots with their limited ability to mutate and replicate can pose little or no threats. One nanobot of the nature which would be of interest in this regard is the “Virus”.

The birth of a new revolution:
Nanotechnology has the capacity to revolutionize the future era. If the promises offered by this technology are realized fully we can be assured of a better quality of life with durable goods and a healthy life. Any technology which is used against the principles of nature will lead to imbalance and hence destruction. Nanotechnology is no exception.