Deadpool 2 Short Rewiew

Wisecracking mercenary Deadpool meets Russell, an angry teenage mutant who lives at an orphanage. When Russell becomes the target of Cable -- a genetically enhanced soldier from the future -- Deadpool realizes that he'll need some help saving the boy from such a superior enemy. He soon joins forces with Bedlam, Shatterstar, Domino and other powerful mutants to protect young Russell from Cable and his advanced weaponry.

Initial release: May 15, 2018 (Indonesia)

Director: David Leitch

Box office: $689.5 million

Budget: 110 million USD

Production companies: 20th Century Fox, Marvel Entertainment, TSG Entertainment, Genre Films, The Donners' Company

Avengers: Infinity War short rewiew

Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and the rest of the Avengers unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet -- the evil Thanos. On a mission to collect all six Infinity Stones, Thanos plans to use the artifacts to inflict his twisted will on reality. The fate of the planet and existence itself has never been more uncertain as everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment.

Initial release: April 23, 2018 (Los Angeles)

Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Budget: $316–400 million

Film series: The Avengers film series

Did you know: "Avengers: Infinity War" is the biggest worldwide film opening since 2002 ($640,521,291).

History Of The Internet

The Internet has become part of everyday life, and it is difficult to imagine a world without it. The Internet as we know it today, however, is quite recent. Let's take time for a quick look at how the Internet came to be. The Internet has its origins in the Cold War. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik. In response, the United States created the Advanced Research Projects Agency, or ARPA. The plan emerged to create a communication network that would not be vulnerable to a nuclear attack. The basic idea was to use a distributed network and break messages into blocks to route over this network.

This specific military network was never built, but ARPA proceeded with working on a network for more general communication purposes, in particular to share research. In 1969, ARPANET was created, connecting computers at four universities across the country.

 The network used a packet-switching approach, with messages broken up into arbitrary packets that were routed across the network. By 1974, this protocol was refined as the Transmission Control Program, or TCP. The document describing TCP used the term 'internet' for the first time, as shorthand for 'internetworking.' The term was not yet used to describe the actual network. ARPANET grew in the next several years, with several other separate networks emerging at the same time, including the Computer Science Network (CSNET). The idea emerged to have multiple networks connected in a network of networks. In addition to the existing TCP protocol, the Internet Protocol, or IP, was developed to ensure packets of information routed over a network were delivered to the right destination.

In 1982, the combined TCP/IP protocols were adopted as the communication standard for different networks. This is when the term 'Internet' became widely used to describe the concept of a worldwide network or connected networks. A high-speed backbone for the network was built by the National Science Foundation to connect supercomputing centers. Local networks were allowed to connect to this backbone, and this really made the Internet viable as a way to communicate between different networks. For a number of years, the Internet was mostly used by university researchers and defense contractors, but by the early 1990s, private companies also started using the Internet. Meanwhile, local networks were developing in other regions, in particular in Europe. These networks also started using TCP/IP, and gradually, the Internet expanded across the globe.

Avatar(2009) movie review..

 

 On the lush alien world of Pandora live the Na'vi, beings who appear primitive but are highly evolved. Because the planet's environment is poisonous, human/Na'vi hybrids, called Avatars, must link to human minds to allow for free movement on Pandora. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paralyzed former Marine, becomes mobile again through one such Avatar and falls in love with a Na'vi woman (Zoe Saldana). As a bond with her grows, he is drawn into a battle for the survival of her world.

Initial release: December 10, 2009 (London) 

Director: James Cameron 

Box office: 2.788 billion USD 

Featured song: I See You (Theme from Avatar)

History Of Google

   Google is an American multinationaltechnology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products. These include online advertisingtechnologies, search, cloud computing, software, and hardware. Google was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D.students at Stanford University, in California. Together, they own about 14 percent of its shares, and control 56 percent of the stockholder voting power through supervoting stock. They incorporated Google as a privately held company on September 4, 1998. An initial public offering (IPO) took place on August 19, 2004, and Google moved to its new headquarters in Mountain View, California, nicknamed the Googleplex. In August 2015, Google announced plans to reorganize its various interests as a conglomerate called Alphabet Inc.Google, Alphabet's leading subsidiary, will continue to be the umbrella company for Alphabet's Internet interests. Upon completion of the restructure, Sundar Pichai was appointed CEO of Google; he replaced Larry Page, who became CEO of Alphabet.

History of Twitter

Twitter is the brainchild of a programmers who worked at the podcasting company Odeo Inc. in San Francisco. The founders are Jack Dorsey (@Jack), Evan Williams (@Ev) and Biz Stone (@Biz).

They were looking for a way to send text on their cellphones and a way to reinvent a dying company. On March 21, 2006, @Jack sent the first tweet: "just setting up my twttr." And thus a communications revolution was born, one renown for brevity and bad spelling. Dom Sagolla (@Dom), in tweet 38, typed these prescient words: "Oh, this is going to be addictive."

THAT NAME

The name Twitter was inspired by Flickr, a photo-sharing service. Other names considered: FriendStalker and Dodgeball. The dictionary definition of twitter is "a short burst of inconsequential information."A perfect name, said @Jack because "that's exactly what the product was."

TWITTER TODAY

 Almost 200 million users worldwide. About 460,000 new Twitter accounts are opened daily. More than 140 million tweets are sent daily. That's one billion weekly. In 2008, Twitter had eight employees; today it has more than 400. And they're hiring (twitter.com/jobs)

 WHY 140 CHARACTERS?

At the heart of Twitter are small bursts of information called tweets. Each tweet is 140 characters in length, maximum. Initially, there was no limit to message length. When it went public, the 140 character limit was adopted. Why? Because 160 characters was the SMS carrier limit and the founders wanted to leave room for a username. Struggling with brevity? You can purchase 140 Characters: A Style Guide for the Short Form by @Dom.

HOW TWITTER MAKES MONEY

Twitter lists its revenues at a modest $150-million annually. It is a private company so the sources of revenue are unclear. Twitter also licenses its stream of tweets to Microsoft, Google and Yahoo. There are constant rumours that Twitter will be purchases by Facebook or Google. It could also go public like LinkedIn. Twitter is said to be worth more than $4.5-billion. The value comes from its potential to exploit its base of hundreds of millions of users. Twitter could sell traditional ads (not likely) and to start charging for premium accounts that push business to their sites (very likely).

HOW TWITTER HAS CHANGED THE MEDIA

Twitter is not just your friends telling you what they ate for breakfast. Increasingly, news stories that arise - a tsunami, a plane crash, the score of a hockey game, the latest Charlie Sheen gossip - arrive in tweets from people we follow on Twitter. This allows everyone to essentially create their own newspaper or newscast, and to do so instantaneously.

Charle Chaplin

There are many famous people in this world.  People can be famous for Kriamy reasons.  First a person can excel in one and become famous Also he/sh invent something and become famous However there are some practical people arround us who showr us that we can do many thi ngs.  that one can become prove us in area but also in man different fields successful not only one y Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin or con mmonly known as English actor,  comedian and filmmaker,  who became world famous,  has proved this very fact.  Recently.  I read about in a newspaper.  This great person once said You'll him shows how never find a rainbow if you're down This statement optimistic looking he is Charles Spencer Chaplin London,  in was born father's the United Kingdom.  is parents were singers an death,  his family had to racc c on 16th April 1889 in walworth actors.  After his strugglcd many enges.  As a result his mother financially.  Hence Charlie's childhood can be described as one with Poverty and hardships.  However his mother earncd the living by performing on stage.  The situation became worse after the illness of Charlic's mother,  Hannah Chaplin.  He had to start work at the age of nine.  All what he inherited from both his parents werc put into practice.  Small Charlie's will power and talent made him a stage actor and comedian.  At the age of 19 he moved to the United States and joined Fred Karno Company.  Charlie could win the hearts of the audience very soon.  In 1913,  he entered the cinema world

History of mobile phones

When were mobile phones first invented?

Mobile phones, particularly the smartphones that have become our inseparable companions today, are relatively new.

However, the history of mobile phones goes back to 1908 when a US Patent was issued in Kentucky for a wireless telephone.

Mobile phones were invented as early as the 1940s when engineers working at AT&T developed cells for mobile phone base stations.

The very first mobile phoneswere not really mobile phones at all. They were two-way radios that allowed people like taxi drivers and the emergency services to communicate.

Instead of relying on base stations with separate cells (and the signal being passed from one cell to another), the first mobile phone networks involved one very powerful base station covering a much wider area.

Motorola, on 3 April 1973 were first company to mass produce the the first handheld mobile phone.

These early mobile phones are often referred to as 0G mobile phones, or Zero Generationmobile phones. Most phones today rely on 3G or 4G mobile technology.

Compare the latest mobile phones deals at uSwitch now.

The development of mobile phone technology

The first mobile phone invented for practical use was by a Motorola employee called Martin Cooper who is widely considered to be a key player in the history of mobile phones.

Handsets that could be used in a vehicle had been developed prior to Martin Cooper’s phone, but his was the first usable truly portable mobile telephone.

Cooper made mobile phone history in April 1973 when he made the first ever call on a handheld mobile phone.

Landmarks in early mobile phone history

• Japan became the first country to have a city-wide commercial cellular mobile phone network in 1979.
• The Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) system launched in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland in 1981.
• The next major step in mobile phone history was in the mid-eighties with the First Generation (1G) fully automatic cellular networks were introduced.
• The first ever mobile phone to be approved by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) in the USA was the Motorola DynaTac in 1983.

Modern mobiles

Mobile telephony developed in leaps and bounds over the next decade, particularly with the arrival of handover technology.

This allowed users to keep their connections as they travelled between base stations – so as a user walked from one mobile phone mast to another, the connection and conversation would not drop or be interrupted.

The birth of the Second Generation (2G) mobile phones was in Finland in 1993. It was also the year that the first SMS text messages were sent and that data services began to appear on mobile phones.

Mobiles that we use today are 3G mobiles, or Third Generation mobiles, or even more advanced 4G handsets.

3G launched in 2001 and allowed operators to offer a huge range of advanced services such as video calling and HSPAdata transmission.

4G became commerically available in the UK in late 2012 and offers super fast connections and similarly speedy downloads.

The history of america

American History

The history of the United States is vast and complex, but can be broken down into moments and time periods that divided, unified, and changed the United States into the country it is today:

1700-1799

• The American Revolution (sometimes referred to as the American War of Independence or the Revolutionary War) was a conflict which lasted from 1775-1783 and allowed the original thirteen colonies to remain independent from Great Britain.
• American politician and soldier George Washington became the first President of the United States in 1789, serving two terms.
• Beginning in Great Britain in the late 1790s, the Industrial Revolution eventually made its way to the United States and changed the focus of our economy and the way we manufacture products.

1800-1899

• In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson agreed to the Louisiana Purchase, successfully adding 530 million acres of land to the United States. The area was purchased from France for $15 million. The following year, President Jefferson assigned Meriwether Lewis (who asked for help from William Clark) to head west and explore the newly purchased land. It took about a year and a half for the duo to reach the west coast.
• The American Civil War divided the United States in two – the Northern States versus the Southern States. The outcome of the four year battle (1861-1865) kept the United States together as one whole nation and ended slavery.

1900-1999

• On December 17, 1903, brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright became the first people to maintain a controlled flight in a powered, heavier-than-air machine. The Wright Flyer only flew for 12 seconds for a distance of 120 feet, but their technology would change the modern world forever.
• On April 6, 1917, the United States entered World War I by declaring war on Germany.
• After nearly 100 years of protests, demonstrations, and sit-ins, women of the United States were officially granted the right to vote after the 19th Amendment was ratified on August 26, 1920.
• The worst economic crisis to happen in the United States occurred when the stock market crashed in October 1929 resulting in the Great Depression.  
• World War II officially begins in September 1939 after Germany invades Poland. The United States didn’t enter the war until after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
• On August 6 and August 9 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, effectively ending World War II. 
• After World War II, an agreement was reached to divide Korea into two parts: a northern half to be controlled by the Soviet Union and a southern half to be controlled by the United States. The division was originally meant as a temporary solution, but the Soviet Union managed to block elections that were held to elect someone to unify to country. Instead, the Soviet Union sent North Korean troops across the 38th parallel leading to the three-year long (1950-1953) Korean War. 
• From 1954-1968, the African-American Civil Rights movement took place, especially in the Southern states. Fighting to put an end to racial segregation and discrimination, the movement resulted in the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and the 1968 Fair Housing Act.
• The Vietnam War was a nearly 20 year battle (November 1, 1955–April 30 1975) between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnam won the war and Vietnam became a unified country.
• The Apollo 11 mission (July 16-24, 1969) allowed United States astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin to become the first humans to walk on the moon’s surface.

2000-Present

• The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, changed the United States forever. Less than a month later (October 7, 2001) the United States began the War in Afghanistan, which is still happening today.
• On March 20, 2003, the United States invaded and occupied Iraq. The war lasted for more than eight years before it was officially declared over on December 18, 2011.
• In 2008, Barack Obama became the first African-American to be elected President of the United States.
• Operation Neptune Spear was carried out on May 2, 2011, resulting in the death of long-time al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Library of Congress Resources

The Library of Congress has compiled a list of historic events for each day of the year, titled "This Day in History." The website is updated daily and visitors can view the previous day's history as well as whatever documents, pictures, or outside information is available for each historical event. 

The American History section of the Library of Congress is separated by time period or subject and offers an in-depth look into the history of the United States. 

The history of titanic

HISTORY OF TITANIC

Titanic was one of three 'Olympic Class' liners commissioned by the White Star Line to be built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. Construction began on the first of these great ships, Olympic, on 16 December 1908. Work on Titanic started soon after, on 31 March 1909. These magnificent vessels were the industrial marvels of their age and Titanic was to be the biggest, fastest and most luxurious liner yet. After just three years, Titanic was finished - a floating city, ready to set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. On board was a collection of passengers comprising millionaires, silent movie stars, school teachers and emigrants, in search of a better life in the United States. By the fifth day of its journey, Titanic was making swift progress across the Atlantic. Although Captain Edward Smith had plotted a new course upon hearing earlier reports of ice from other liners, there were many more communications that day of ice in Titanic's path. On the night of Sunday 14 April 1912, the sea was flat calm, the sky clear and moonless, and the temperature was dropping towards freezing. In such conditions, sea ice is very hard to spot. At 11.40pm the lookout sounded the alarm and telephoned the bridge saying "Iceberg, right ahead." The warning came too late to avoid the iceberg and Titanic struck it less than 40 seconds later, tearing a series of holes along the side of the hull. Upon inspecting the damage, Titanic's chief naval architect Thomas Andrews said to Captain Smith that the ship would certainly sink. Six of the watertight compartments at the front of the ship's hull were breached, five of them flooding within the hour. Titanic was designed to stay afloat with only four compartments flooded. Less than three hours later Titanic lay at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean, nearly four kilometres down. The sinking of Titanic claimed more than 1,500 lives. For many, the tragic fate that befell Titanic would come to mark the passing of the opulence of the Edwardian era and foreshadowed the global tragedy of World War One. The story captured the public imagination across the world, spawning countless books, films, plays, memorials, museums and exhibitions. The discovery of the wreck by oceanographer Robert Ballard on a Franco-American expedition in 1985 gave rise to a fresh wave of interest that continues to this day.


        

                  

The popular smartphones

The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Credit: Jay McGregor Price: from $499.99 Display: Curved 5.1 inch 1440 x 2560 pixels (577 ppi) Super AMOLED Battery size: 2600 mAh Camera: 16MP (Rear), 5MP (Front) Platform: Android with TouchWiz Features: Samsung Pay, wireless charging, heart rate monitor and a powerful camera In practically every area, the S6 and S6 Edge excel. The S6 Edge is not only an excellent device, but breaks new ground with its gorgeous dual-edged display. More: 5 Reasons To Buy The Samsung Galaxy s6 Edge Its Exynos 7420 chipset comfortably beats out most of the competition in speed tests, and its real-world speed is eye-wateringly fast. The 2K Super AMOLED 5.1-inch curved display provides vibrant colours and reaches an incredible level of brightness. Similarly, the S6 Edge’s 16MP camera with a new f1.9 lens is, quite simply, excellent: its rich colours, instant shutter speed and sharp detail make it comparable to the best smartphone snappers of 2015. But, as I said, the S6 Edgepractically excels in every area. The most frustrating drawback of Samsung’s flagship is its questionable battery life. In its crippling obsession with weight loss, Samsung trimmed down the S6 Edge’s battery – in comparison to the S5 – which obviously means significantly shorter lasting power. And, of course, there’s the furore over the missing expandable storage. Sony Xperia Z5 Premium The Sony Xperia Z5 Premium display. Image credit: Jay McGregor Price: from $673 Display: 5.5-inch 2160 x 3840 pixels (806ppi) IPS LCD Battery size: 3430 mAh Camera: 23MP (Rear), 5.1MP (Front) Platform: Android with Sony UI Features: 4K display, fingerprint sensor, and quick battery charging (Quick Charge 2.0) The world’s first 4K display on a smartphone. Someone had to do it and Sony was the first one to cross the finish line. In that 4K display is a resolution of 2160 x 2840, with a ridiculous 806 pixels per inch. Although little content is actually displayed in 4K – in order to save battery – but the 4K footage that’s available looks astonishing. Fortunately, typical HD content is upgraded by Sony’s X-Reality engine that’s also used in its TV range. MORE: 5 Reasons To Buy The Sony Xperia Z5 When it comes to the camera, Sony went back to the drawing board and atoned for previous mistakes by making the best smartphone camera of 2015. The 23MP sensor picks up an incredible level of detail, has a fast 0.03 second autofocus, reduced quality loss zoom and good low light performance (a feature that escaped previous Xperia handsets). Add to that a waterproof design, expandable storage, a reasonably quick fingerprint scanner and you have a very capable handset. The Xperia Z5 Premium is not without some flaws. In ploughing all its efforts into the 4K display, Sony has neglected the software, which, with Android 5.1 and a Sony UI, is no different to the previous model. The battery life doesn’t reach the dizzying heights of two-days without a charge either (no Xperia device has since the Z2, despite what Sony claims), which is unsurprising considering the screen technology. iPhone 6S Plus iPhone 6S Plus (right). Image credit: Gordon Kelly Price: from $749 Display: 5.5-inch 1080 x 1920 pixels (401 ppi) IPS LCD Battery size: 2750 mAh Camera: 12MP (Rear), 5MP (Front) Platform: Apple IOS 9 Features: 3D Touch, 4K video, and full HD display In an untypical Apple fashion, the iPhone 6S Plus is larger and heavier than its predecessor. In typical Apple fashion, it’s not really noticeable. So why the extra width and bulk? The answer lies in the iPhone’s new taptic engine, which powers the iPhone 6S Plus’ biggest feature: 3D Touch. For the uninitiated, 3D Touch brings an extra dimension of control to the iPhone’s display, allowing users to register soft and hard presses on the screen. It’s a smart addition that genuinely enhances the iPhone experience and isn’t the gimmick I thought it’d be. There’s also an improved 12MP camera that shoots 4K footage, as well as a stellar battery life: the iPhone 6S Plus is one of the longest lasting smartphones of the year. MORE: 5 Reasons To Buy The iPhone 6S Plus Is it worth buying? If you’re an iPhone 6 Plus owner, probably not. There aren’t enough shiny new things here that warrant further indebting yourself for. If, however, you’re coming from an older iPhone, you’ll be impressed by the leap in technology. Galaxy Note 5 Image credit: Ian Morris Price: $696 Display: 5.7 inch 1440 x 2560 pixels (518 ppi) quad-HD Super AMOLED Battery size: 3000 mAh Camera: 16MP (Rear), 5MP (Front) Platform: Android with TouchWiz UI Features: wireless charging, S Pen stylus, fingerprint sensor, 4K video and Samsung Pay Perhaps a controversial choice, given the backlash the Galaxy Note 5 received from some loyal long-time Note users. There is, however, no denying the Note 5’s excellence. With a slick and premium design, the Note 5 brings the Note range into adulthood. The Note 5 represents the best that Samsung can offer: one of the best displays in the industry, an excellent camera, wireless charging, Samsung Pay, slimmed-down OS and a feature-packed stylus- just remember to insert it in the right way. The lack of a removable battery and expandable storage might be forgivable on the Galaxy S6, but on a device that’s marketed as productivity tool? Less so. Also, I’ll repeat, don’t insert the stylus backwards. MORE: 5 Reasons to Buy The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Nexus 6P The Nexus 6P’s camera lip. Ian credit: Ian Morris Price: $499 Display: 5.7 inch 1440 x 2560 pixels (518 ppi) quad-HD Battery size: 3450 mAh Camera: 12.3MP (Rear), 8MP (Front) Platform: Android 6.0 Marshmallow Features: fingerprint scanner, USB-C fast charging, and Android Marshmallow pre-loaded The best smartphone of the year? I certainly think so. The Nexus 6P’s shortcomings are few and far between. Who’d have thought we’d be applauding Huawei planting its flag at the top of the smartphone summit? Where do I start? The camera is fast, sharp and has good low-light performance. Design-wise it’s all-metal body oozes premium (I think the camera bump adds some character) and its 3450 battery comfortably lasts a full day. Camera, design and battery: this is the smartphone trifecta. The 6P owes a lot of its success to Android Marshmallow, Google’s most accomplished and clever OS yet. The redesigned app drawer, Google Now on Tap, improved battery management and new app permissions are all fulfilling their full potential in a device that proudly runs stock Android. Like I said, there’s little to complain about in the 6P. But the lack of wireless charging is a disappointment, especially when it charges via the non-universal USB-C. So, you know, keep that USB-C charger close when you’re out and about. MORE: 5 Reasons to Buy The Nexus 6P Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Image credit: Jay McGregor Price: from $649 Display: 5.7 inch 1440 x 2560 pixels (519 ppi) quad-HD AMOLED Battery size: 3340 mAh Camera: 20MP (Rear), 5MP (Front) Platform: Microsoft Windows 10 mobile Features: Continuum, Windows 10 mobile, wireless and fast charging, removable battery, liquid cooling, and expandable storage up to 200GB The Lumia 950 XL brings good, unique, ideas to a smartphone market beleaguered by identikit-syndrome. Features like Continuum (which allows users to plug their Lumia into a display and use it like a PC), Windows Hello and bundled Office 365 for mobile makes the Lumia a ready-to-go phone for business. There’s also a very capable 20MP triple LED Flash PureView rear camera that takes sharp pictures out of the box and has an impressive suite of manual controls. MORE: 5 Reasons to Buy The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL The obvious major issue is the lack of apps – the ‘app gap’ – needs to be fixed. Microsoft, for its part, is trying to bridge the gap by making it easier to port Android and iOS apps to Windows Phone, but that hasn’t shown any meaningful results yet. The device itself suffers from some annoying bugs. While this is to be expected with a new OS, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating. Check out my full review here. LG G4 LG G4 display. Image credit: Ian Morris Price: from $422.50 Display: 5.5 inch 1440 x 2560 pixels (538 ppi) quad-HD Battery size: 3000 mAh Camera: 16MP (Rear), 8MP (Front) Platform: Android with LG UI Features: 2K display, high-grade camera, removable battery, fast and wireless charging, and microSD slot With a bright and crisp quad-HD display, a camera with exceptional manual controls and a unique, leather-clad design, the LG G4 was a breath of fresh air in musky cloud of identikit smartphones. The only downsides was how quickly the removable leather back wore: it ended up looking quite shabby. The device also slowed down quite a bit after a few months of use. MORE: 5 Reasons to Buy The LG G4 Over The Samsung Galaxy S6 Moto X Pure Price: from $399.99 Display: 5.7 inch 1440 x 2560 pixels (520 ppi) quad-HD IPS LCD Battery size: 3000 mAh Camera: 21MP (Rear), 5MP (Front) Platform: Android Features: faster charging, microSD, front-facing speakers, cheap, and non-removable battery The Moto X Pure follows Motorola’s tradition of cheap, powerful and nicely designed smartphones. There’s a quad-HD display here, a 3000mAh battery that can power up to 10 hours of battery life after 15 minutes of charging and the all-important stock Android, which means faster Android updates. All for a very respectable $399. Motorola’s raison d’etre has always been to build stock Android devices that perform way better than their low price suggests (if you ignore the Nexus 6). The Moto X Pure is no different. 5 Reasons to Buy The Moto X Pure HTC One A9 HTC’s One A9 features its new stock Android-like UI. Image credit: Ian Morris. Price: $499.99 Display: 5.0 inch 1080 x 1920 pixels (441 ppi) full HD AMOLED Battery size: Non-removable Li-Ion 2150 mAh battery Camera: 13MP (Rear), 4MP (Front) Platform: Android 6.0 with HTC Sense Features: BoomSound, fingerprint scanner, all-metal unibody Where the M9 fell down, the A9 stands tall. The 13MP camera is significantly better than the M9’s and includes optical image stabilization, plus some extra functionality in the camera app. It also runs a paired-down version of Sense Home, which is much closer to stock Android, meaning faster upgrades and less bloat. What HTC did take from the M9 was the excellent audio playback: BoomSound returns and there is now also support of supports 24-bit audio output with the A9’s built-in DAC, as well as the chance to upscale 16-bit tracks. There’s also that all-metal unibody build that caused such a fuss and a rapid fingerprint scanner on the face of the device. Beware, though, this is still a mid-range device. Which means not to stellar battery life and a slightly below par performance. Also, given its mid-range status, HTC has bizarrely priced the A9 exceptionally high. HTC One M9+ Price: (Unavailable in US) Display: 5.2 inch 1440 x 2560 pixels (565 ppi) quad-HD Battery size: 2840 mAh Camera: 20MP (Rear) 4MP (Front) Platform: Android + Sense Home Features: Ultra pixel front-facing camera and rear camera with secondary depth sensor, fingerprint scanner which supports AliPay The M9+ from HTC is not only a bigger and better version of its predecessor, the M9, but also more exclusive: it’s currently only available in China. Whilst the M9+ has the same 2840 mAh battery and 3GB of RAM as the M9, there are some key differences: a larger 5.2 inch display, with a better quad-HD resolution; a 20MP camera with secondary depth sensor; an ultrapixel front-facing camera; and a fingerprint scanner like the A9, which supports the Chinese mobile payment system AliPay. Honor 7 Image credit: Jay McGregor Price: from $430 Display: 5.2 inch 1080 x 1920 pixels (424 ppi) Battery size: 3100 mAh Camera: 20 MP (Rear), 8 MP (Front) Platform: Android Features: dual-sim card, microSD slot, fingerprint scanner,and voice control Another underdog in the running for this year’s best smartphone. Despite its pricetag, the Honor 7 is a solid competitor. Highlights include the slim all-metal design, 1080p display, the (in-house developed) HiSilicon Kirin 64-bit chipset, which, with 3GB of RAM, means the device is pretty much on par with the LG G4 in terms of performance. The device also has some quirky features that make it stand out: you can take a screenshot by double-tapping the display with your knuckle, while screen re-sizing is easily done by swiping left to right. There’s also the touch-based fingerprint scanner which worked nicely, aside from when in my pocket. There are, however, some features that do verge on gimmicky: the device’s camera is inundated with modes such as ‘Good Food’ and ‘Beauty Shot’, when more time should’ve been spent developing the camera itself. But, if you’re into taking selfies and pictures of your avocado on toast for Instagram, this may not be a problem- the camera is still decent. BlackBerry Priv Image credit: Gordon Kelly Price: $699 Display: 5.4 inch 1440 x 2560 pixels (540 ppi) Battery size: 3410 mAh Camera: 18MP (Rear), 2MP (Front) Platform: Android with Blackberry UI Features: fast battery charging, optional wireless charging, physical and digital keyboard, and microSD Who’d have thought we’d be mentioning a Blackberry as one of the best smartphones in 2015. But, the beleaguered company’s work on the Priv cannot be ignored. A nicely crafted design, with a well-concealed keyboard, makes the Priv a pleasure to use. But the best bits happen in the OS. Blackberry has beautifully dovetailed Android with smart features like the Blackberry Productivity Tab, Hotfix and enterprise-managed updates. But watch out for that laggy performance and erratic battery life. LG V10 Image credit: Ian Morris Price: from $599.99 Display: 5.7 inch 1440 x 2560 pixels (515 ppi) quad-HD IPS primary display, plus secondary 2.1 inch 160 x 1040 pixels display Battery size: Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery Camera: 16MP (Rear) 5MP (Dual Front) Platform: Android with LG UI Features: second screen, dual-front camera for wider selfies, 4GB RAM, MicroSD and 4K video The headline news is that the LG V10 has two displays, one for notifications and one as the main screen. The dual-screen concept works surprisingly well because your movie watching or gaming isn’t interrupted – perhaps this is a feature we’ll see in LG’s 2016 flagship line. But, with that extra screen, comes the extra cost. The V10 is one of the more expensive devices on the list at $599. LG has a penchant for the weird and wonderful. Its most recent stab at flipping everything on its head? the dual-screen LG V10. With its DuraSkin, the V10 is slip-resistant and drop-resistant. Good thing too, considering the V10 has a lot to smash, with a primary 5.7 inch IPS display, and a secondary 2.1 inch display on top (for pinning shortcuts, status notifications, and personalisation). The idea is that when you’re using the device, notifications will pop up on the second screen, keeping the main display clear. Which is really useful for when you’re watching videos or playing games. As we’ve come to expect from LG, the display itself if typically sharp and bright. The multifaceted nature of the V10 also extends into the camera: there’s a dual front-facing set of lenses, ideal for the selfie fiends amongst you. At the rear is a 16MP camera with laser auto-focus, optical image stabilization and an LED flash, which provides some pretty sharp snaps. An expensive, but arguably the most unique, offering from 2015. OnePlus X Image credit: Jay McGregor Price: $249 Display: 5 inch 1920 x 1080 pixels (441 ppi) AMOLED Battery size: 2525 mAh Camera: 13MP (Rear), 8MP (Front) Platform: Android with OxygenOS Features: MicroSD, OxygenOS Another mega-cheap handset with reasonably impressive specs from OnePlus. A phone for the budget-conscious, who aren’t troubled by its slightly sluggish performance, or the lack of NFC and fingerprint sensor. But, for $249, you’re getting a very nicely designed iPhone 4-like smartphone that’s more than capable. Nexus 5X Nexus 5X. Image credit: Jay McGregor Price: starts from $379 Display: 5.2 inch 1080 x 1920 pixels (423 ppi) IPS LCD Battery size: 2700 mAh Camera: 12.3MP (Rear), 5MP (Front) Platform: Android 6.0 Marshmallow Features: 4K Video, fingerprint scanner, USB Type-C port The smaller and more affordable choice of Google’s latest offerings. At 5.2 inches, the Nexus 5X is another budget-friendly powerhouse. The Nexus 5X isn’t simply a decent phone for its price-range: its 12.3 MP camera (the same snapper in the more expensive Nexus 6P) is one of the best on the market and performs exceptionally in low-light. It’s also super-light, runs stock Android Marshmallow, has USB-C and a rapid fingerprint scanner. Google’s knows the secret formula for making a near-perfect cheap smartphone. But, as with the Nexus 6P, the lack of wireless charging and inclusion of USB-C means you’ll have to be clever about when and where you charge-up until USB-C is more widely adopted.

HISTORY OF SRILANKA

History of Sri Lanka

R.DUSHANTHAN

A teardrop-shaped island cast adrift in the Indian Ocean, Sri lanka is filled with cultural and natural treasures. Indians, Portuguese, Dutch and British have all left their marks here, making for a delightful mix of ancient cities, monuments and grand colonial architecture.

At the same time, palm-fringed beaches are never far away and lush mountainous greenery beckons further inland. It’s clear why Marco Polo proclaimed Sri Lanka as one of the best islands in the world.

Sri Lanka is one of those places where history seems to fade into the realm of legend. Sri Lanka’s second highest mountain, Adam’s Peak is said to be the very place where Adam set foot on earth, having been banished from heaven. Meanwhile buddhists claim it is Lord Buddha’s footprint itself on Sri Pada which was placed in his final visit to the island. And isn’t Adam’s Bridge (the chain of islands linking Sri Lanka to India) the very series of stepping stones laid by the monkey god Hanuman in his mission to rescue Sita from the clutches of Rawana, the demon King of Lanka, in the epic Ramayana?

History of Sri Lanka

The first entries in the Mahavamsa or Great History date back to 543BC, which coincides with the arrival of Prince Vijaya in Sri Lanka. Some 300 years later, commenced the early Anuradhapura Period, with King Devanampiya Tissa as the first ruler.

The late Anuradhapura Period, which began in the year 459, saw the tyrannical reign of King Kasyapa, and the construction of Sigiriya. The Polonnaruwa period, witnessed the transfer of the capital from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa and, in 1505, the Portuguese landed, and occupied the island’s coastal regions.

Create by-R.Dushanthan

History of Highlights

Introduction To Historical Records

Sri Lanka is a country with a unique and a proud historical record of a great civilization, a culture of achievements, spanning over a period of several centu-ries before and after the birth of Christ, which by comparison cannot be second to any contemporary civilization that existed in the world.

For the purpose of this publication, the History of Sri Lanka, spanning a period of over twenty five centuries, is divided into the following periods

Different Periods Of The History Of Sri Lanka

The Pre-Historic Period Beyond 1000 Bc

Pre Anuradhapura Period

Period of Rule from Vijaya 483 BC to Tissa 377 BC (Second son of Panduvasdeva)

Anuradhapura Period

Period of Rule from King Pandukhabaya 337 BC to King Kassapa VII 1055 AD

Polonnaruwa Period

Period of rule from Vijayabahu 1-1055 AD to MaghaKalinga A Prince of Kalinga 1232 AD

Dambadeniya Period

Period of rule from King Vijayabahu III 1232 AD to Parakrambahu III 1293 AD

Kurunegala Period

Period of rule from Buvanekabahu II 1293 AD to Vijayabahu V 1341 AD

Gampola Period

Period of rule from BuvanekaBahu IV 1341 AD to BuvanekaBahu V 1408 AD

Kotte Period

Period of Rule from Vijayabahu 1408 AD to Don Juan Dharmapala 1597 AD

Kandy Period

Period of Rule from Senasammatha Viraparakramabahu 1469 AD to Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe 1815 AD

The Colonial Period

1506 to 1658 AD -The period during which the Portuguese ruled the maritime Provinces of Sri Lanka, except the Kandyan Provinces

1658 to 1796 AD – The period during which the Dutch ruled the maritime Provinces of Sri Lanka, except the Kandyan Provinces

1796 to 1815 AD -The period during which the British ruled the maritime Provinces of Sri Lanka except the Kandyan Provinces

1815 to 4th February 1948 – AD The period during which the British ruled the whole of Sri Lanka after capturing the Kandyan Provinces in 1815

The Sources Of Sri Lankan History

Until recent times very little information was available regarding Sri Lanka’s Prehistoric period. It is due to the excavations, research and studies undertaken by Wilhelm G Solheim II, S. Deraniyagala and several other archaeologists from about the early 1970s that new information is being published. .

The Sources Of The Period Since 500 Bc

The most important sources of the period since 500 BC are the literary sources such as the great chronicle Mahavamsa together with its commentary Vamsatthappakasini, and its continuation the Chulavamsa. It is said that Sri Lanka is unique in the possession of a historical record so ancient, continuous and trustworthy, beginning with the occupation of the island by civilized men in the 5th century B.C. and continuing the story, under each successive King, for twenty two centuries. The Mahavamsa is primarily a dynamic and religious history as well, but it describes the main political events, such as invasions, conquests, civil wars and succession, disputes, and it throws light on social history as well. It is a poem written in elegant PALI Language and it was compiled initially in the sixth century AD by two learned Buddhist monks named Mahanama and Dhammakitti.

Other Historical Sources

In addition to the Mahawamsa there are a large number of inscriptions in Sri Lanka; the total number already discovered exceeds 2500. It is believed that many more lithic records would be found in the country.

The earliest inscriptions are contemporary with the introduction of Buddhism in the 3rd century B.C. Well over 1000 epigraphs, mostly inscribed on caves, belong to the third, second and first centuries B.C. and they exist in every part of the dry zone, as well as in the old cave temples of the Colombo, Kegalla and Kandy districts.

The Prehistoric Period

It is intended to provide a detailed account of the prehistoric period of Sri Lanka as the historical information basedon archaeological research and studies in respect of this period were not available. Hence not much publicity was given to this Historical period.However, consequent to the excavations and the research studies undertaken by Dr. S.U. Deraniyagala, he was able to reveal valuable information in respect of this period.

According to pioneer archaeological investigations of Wilhelm G Solheim II that commenced in the nineteen seventies and several other archaeologists, much information is being dug out from South-East Asian countries that shows strong evidence of Pre-historic cultures that influenced the east as well as the west. Sri Lanka was on the ancient sea route from east to the west and as such became a subject of serious investigations by those experts for connections to South East Asian pre historical cultures.

According to Dr. Deraniyagala’s findings, thirty feet below the ground in the an¬cient city of Anuradhapura lie the remnants of Sri Lanka’s ancient civilization dating back to 900-800 B.C.

Deraniyagala also discovered several specimens of writing dating back at least to the 6th and 5th centuries before Christ(BC). These writings are in the form of early Brahmi script.

According to Deraniyagala, Stone Age researches cover the period from 700,000 BC to 1000 BC and he has observed the interaction of man and environment during that period.
Sri Lanka’s past climatic fluctuations for about 500,000 years have been delineated on the basis of those investigations and co-related with the evolution of Sri Lanka’s Stone Age. In his research, cultures have been studied in terms of stone tool technology, subsistence practices, settlement patterns, burial practices and physical anthropology. These studies have pioneered climatologist studies in South Asia and in the Tropics in general. It seems that for the first time it is securely established that humans of the old Stone Age have inhabited Sri Lanka as early as 125,000 years ago and possibly 500,000 or more.

Much of the details in Deraniyagala’s findings commence from the excavations in several caves in the Sabaragamuwa Province which have exhibited stone tools displaying a high degree of sophistication in their design, which first came into prominence in Sri Lanka as early as 30,000 years ago. They preceded their first appearance in Europe by some 20,000 years.

Physical anthropology of Sri Lankan humans from 29,000 BC onwards has been studied in detail in collaboration with specialists from the Cornel University U.S.A. Based on these results Deraniyagala has expressed the view that one group of findings represent the earliest evidence of anatomically modern man to be discovered in South Asia so far. Moreover, it has been observed that there has been an unbroken line of descent from humans found at

around 14,000 BC right down to the descendants of the Sri Lankan aborigines – the Veddhas.

Several assemblages of human remains from 14,000 BC down to the recent times have been studied in detail leading up to those conclusions. The methods and technology used for the researches are considered to be very up to date and in many ways have been applied for the first time in Asia.

Chronological Table Of The Monarchs Of Sri Lanka

Compiling an accurate chronological table of the monorchs of Sri Lanka spanning a period of approximately 2500 years, has been a perennial problem that scholars of Sri Lankan History have faced. The periods that troubled the scholars most were the Pre Anuradhapura period and the latter part of Kurunegala, Yapahuwa Gampola period and Kotte periods. After consulting many authoritative sources the author preferred to adopt the Chronology given in Walpola Rahula’s Book “History of Buddhism in Sri Lanka”, which is based on Geiger’s List of Kings up to Kassapa V (913-923 AD). From Dappula 111 (923 – 924 AD) the Chronological dates are based on that provided in Vol. I Pa/rt 11 “University of Ceylon History of Ceylon “, Book pp 843 – 847. The dates up to Sena 1(833 – 853 AD) are only approximate.

The Traditional history of Sri Lanka begins about the 5th century B.C. with the first settlement in this land of a people named Simhala an Indo Aryan group who came from North India. About 70% of the people still inhabiting the island are known by that name. After considering all historical as well as traditional sources available several renowned- scholars have come to the conclusion that ancestors of the Sinhalese migrated to Sri Lanka first from the Indus river region in North India, where a group of people called KAMBOJAS also lived, in close proximity to them. It is also accepted by historians that there was a later immigration by Indo-Aryans in the Bengal Orissa region of the North East of India.

Mahavamsa the chronicle of the Sinhalese is considered to be one of the oldest in the world where a continuing history of the nation is being recorded from about the 550 B C. The original authorships are ascribed to Thera Mahanama (First Part) who was resident at Dighasandasenapti Pirivena (A Buddhist seat of learning for lay persons and the clergy) at Anuradhapura and Dharmakitti Thera (Second Part) in Polonnaruwa.

Period of rule of Vijaya 483 – 445 BC

The chronicle Mahavamsa has recorded that Vijaya arrived in Sri Lanka by ship with 700 turbulent followers who were banished by the King of Vanga in India. They grasped the soil on the land with their hands which became copper coloured. Thereupon they named the place Thambapanni (which later became Taprobane to the Greeks)

Vijaya is said to have landed in Sri Lanka on the very day of Buddha’s Parinirvana (Passing away). He and his followers learnt that the place at which they have arrived was called SIRISAVATTHU inhabited by Yaksas (A tribe of local inhabitants said to have been of a ferocious nature). Later Vijaya and his men came into the power of Kuveni the daughter of the Yaksa King. At that stage Kuveni offered her hand to Vijaya and he accepted her as his consort

On Kuveni’s advice Vijaya rid the island of Yaksas and built the THAMBAPANNI NAGARA at the place of his landing.

Having established themselves firmly in a new land Vjaya’s followers wished to consecrate their leader as King, but Vijaya declined to do so until he had a bride from the Ksatriya clan to be his queen.

Envoys were sent to the Pandu King of Madura in India, requesting the hand of his daughter,to which proposal the Pandu King agreed and sent not only his daughter but seven hundred maids as well, as brides for his followers.

Thereupon Vijaya forced Kuveni to leave him with her two children by him. Kuveni went to her people and they slew her probably for bringing shame to the clan by co-habiting with a man of a foreign country. But the two children were spared.

They grew up and said to have become the ancestors of the Pulindas – the Veddas, descendants of the ancient inhabitants of today, as the story goes.

Vijaya and the Pandu Princess were married and duly consecrated as the first King and Queen of Sri Lanka.

Vijaya did not have a son and he died without an heir.

He was said to have reigned with perfect justice for thirty eight years.

Upatissa 445 To 444 BC

He was the Chief Minister of Vijaya and succeeded the latter as regent as Vijaya died without an heir. He governed for one year until the arrival of Panduvasdeva the younger son of Vijaya’s brother Sumitta.

Panduvasdeva 444 – 414 BC

Prince Panduvasdeva arrived with 32 noble men. Bhadda Kacchana, daughter of King of Pandu, also arrived with 32 female attendants. Panduvasadeva and Bhadda Kacchana were married and duly consecrated as the second King and Queen of Sri Lanka.

The King had 10 sons and one daughter Unmada Chitta. It was predicted that the son to be born to Unmada Citta would destroy his uncles and under the King’s orders she was kept in solitary confinement.

She later married Dighamini and gave birth to a baby boy. The boy was brought up in hiding and was named Pandukabhaya.

King died after a peaceful reign of 30 years. His seat of reign was Vijithapura. The reservoir Abeya-wewa was built during his reign. This is considered to be the world’s first man made reservoir. ABHAYA 414 – 394 BC

Tissa 394 – 377 BC

ABHAYA the eldest son of King Panduvasdeva succeeded. He was deposed and Tissa was appointed regent. Tissa was slain in battle by Pandukhabaya who ascended the throne.

The Portuguese Period

In 1505 the Portuguese, under Lorennco de Almeida established friendly relations with the king of Kotte and gained, for Portugal, a monopoly in the spice and cinnamon trade, which soon became of enormous importance in Europe. Attempts by Kotte to utilize the strength and protection of the Portuguese only resulted in Portugal taking over and ruling not only their regions, but the rest of the islandas well, apart form the central highlands around Kandy.

Because the highlands were remote and inaccessible, the kings of Kandy were always able to defeat the attempts by the Portuguese to annex them, and on a number of occasions drove the Portuguese right back down to the coast.

The Portuguese Period

The Dutch Period

Attempts by Kandy to enlist Dutch help in expelling the Portuguese only resulted in the substitution of one European power for another. By 1658, 153 years after the first Portuguese contact, the Dutch took control over the costal areas of the Island.

During their 140-year-rule the Dutch, like Portuguese, were involved in repeated unsuccessful attempts to bring Kandy under their control. The Dutch were much more interested in trade and profits than the Portuguese, who spent a lot of efforts spreading their religion and extending their physical control.

The Dutch Period

The British Period

The French revolution resulted in a major shake-up among the European powers and in 1796 the Dutch were easily supplanted by the British, who in 1815 also won the control of the kingdom of Kandy, becoming the first European power to rule the whole island. But in 1802, Sri Lanka became a Crown Colony and in 1818 a unified administration for the island was set up.

Soon the country was dotted with coffee, cinnamon and coconut plantations and a network of roads and Railways were built to handle this new economic activity. English became the official language, and is still widely spoken.

Coffee was the main crop and the backbone of the colonial economy, but the occurence of a leaf blight virtually wiped it out in the 1870s and the plantations quickly switched over to tea or rubber.

Today Sri Lanka is the world’s second largest tea exporter. The British were unable to persuade the Sinhalese to work cheaply and willingly on the plantations, so they imported large number of South Indian labourers from South India. Sinhalese peasants in the hill country lost land to the estates.

The British Period

Independence

Between WW I and WW II, political stirrings started to push Sri Lanka towards eventual independence from Britain but in a considerably more peaceful and low-key manner than in India. At the end of WW II it was evident that independence would come very soon, in the wake of independence for Sri Lanka’s neighbour. In February 1948 Sri Lanka, or Ceylon as it was still known, became an independent member of the British Commonwealth.

Independence Square

                                                             R.Dushanthan

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