Columbus Did Not Discover America And Neither Did The Other Guy!

I thought this was interesting enough to require a post of its own. I was initially going to group it under the misconceptions post, but then came to the conclusion that this one required a bit more of an explanation.

Any way, the question is this, girls and boys - who discovered America?

Now, the somewhat older and now tremendously out of fashion answer is that it was Christopher Columbus. Incidentally, it is just as well because it happens to be wrong too. He did not land in mainland North America, for one, and more importantly he wasn't the first person from Europe to get to those parts. The Vikings from the Scandinavian regions are believed to have made the journey across the Atlantic to North America many times before Columbus.

Paintings of Christopher Columbus and his ship

Now, it is not like Columbus did nothing. Certainly he did. He landed in the island of Bahamas first, then went on to visit Cuba, Dominican Republic and Haiti etc, before also landing in South America (Venezuela to be exact). In each of these cases he claimed the land for the monarchs of Spain. See now, this is because though Columbus was of Italian origin, being a Genoan citizen, his expeditions were funded by the monarchy of Spain.

In any case, he thus opened up the route for the European colonization of the Americas.

But he did make a small mistake. When he landed in the islands of the Caribbean, he thought he had actually found the eastern islands of Asia.

Columbus made his journey or the rather the first expedition in 1492. He was celebrated as the man who discovered the Americas or the New World as it was called then. But as centuries passed, new information came to light. And a new name popped up in the popular understanding of this historical time.

Amerigo Vespucci.

Amerigo Vespucci was another Italian explorer who made journeys to the New World almost immediately after Columbus. Vespucci's travels to the New World were in 1499 - 1502.

Amerigo Vespucci

It was kind of decided in the nineteenth and twentieth century by the historical experts that it was in fact Vespucci who discovered the mainland of the Americas and also proved that they were NOT the eastern out skirts of Asia, as Columbus had claimed to the colonial powers in Europe.

The name America, it is believed now, comes from the name Amerigo, which was Vespucci's first name.

And so till date, most of us kind of accept this as true and have not questioned this knowledge much further than that.

I am here to tell you  a THIRD name is also in the mix here.


Richard Ameryk, Richard Amerike or Richard ap Meryk.

He was a rich merchant and explorer from Britain, specifically the Bristol area. There was a proposed theory that the name America comes from his name, not Vespucci's. Here are some reasons why this is actually a reasonable claim.


1. He was also part of, or at least funded and financed expeditions to the New World during the same time period.

2. Ameryk was his LAST NAME, while it was Vespucci's first name (Amerigo or Americus). This is a very important clue. You see, the theory that it was Vespucci who was the namesake of the Americas came about mostly because of the early maps which were then found of the routes across the Atlantic and bits of the New World. Historians had assumed the newly discovered land was named America in the maps to honour Vespucci, the explorer. This sounds okay at first, until you hear the other argument. It was not acceptable then to name things after somebody's FIRST NAME. Had the land in the explorers' maps been named so for Vespucci - it should have been named VESPUCCIA. Richard Ameryk, on the other hand, financed some such expeditions. So when they landed or if they landed anywhere new, it would make sense that they would name the land (in the maps) as "Ameryk's land" or, you guessed it -  America.


So folks, while we all like to think we know to some extent this piece of historical fact, the truth is that in the end it's all just theorizing. I wonder, how different would our history be if these legends had been afforded the technology and opportunity to blog.

Hmm.. let us not make the same mistake. Signing off now. I will keep up this good fight for generations to come.

Ten False Facts You Might Have Thought True

How many of these things do you  already know? Please comment and share!

1. The Ouija Board is a trademarked product of the American toy company Hasbro Inc. Though the word 'Ouija' is now used to refer to any board that is used to "talk to the spirits", it is actually a legally protected and owned product released as a 'game' by this company. Oh, by the way, they also own G.I. Joe, Monopoly, Transformers, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit and My Little Pony among other things. So, the next time you feel like contacting the dead and demonic entities of the netherworld, maybe you could use the Scrabble Board instead. You know... better spelling and more points?

2. Frankenstein is NOT the name of the monster created by Mary Shelley. It's the name of the doctor who makes the monster. Victor Frankenstein. The name of the monster is Adam. So this Halloween, dress proudly as the horrifying legend... Adam. Ignore the mockery, and focus on the fact that you're right and they are wrong.

3. People outside India should know this for future reference. There is NO language called 'Indian'. India has dozens of languages. And when I say dozens of languages, I am not talking about subtle variations of one language. Nope. I am talking about languages so different that if you speak just the one language, you wouldn't be able to comprehend someone from even the states near you. Oh, and the world and Indians should know that a similar concept applies to China. There is no language called Chinese. The main two languages are Mandarin and Cantonese. Then there are many smaller ones and subdivisions of these two main ones.

4. No apple fell on the head of Isaac Newton prompting the epiphany of gravity in him. That's just a story that became popular later on.

5. People in the middle ages did NOT believe the earth was flat. Columbus apparently thought it was pear shaped. Seriously, even ancient Greeks knew the earth was round. Not just that, evidence actually suggests that many ancient cultures - including Greek and Indian - may have calculated the actual dimensions of the earth itself.

6. Darth Vader does NOT say "Luke, I'm your father." I'm not kidding. Look it up.

7. You CANNOT see the Great Wall of China from the moon. You can barely make out countries, let alone the wall. No matter how 'great' it is, it's still too far away.

8. Human beings did NOT evolve from 'apes'. Great Apes are the species of primates like Gorilla, Chimpanzee and Orangutan. Technically, we are also a great ape. But we did not COME FROM apes. The apes of today and us, the human beings, come from a common ancestor who we don't know much about.

9. Jesus Christ was NOT born in a manger surrounded by barn animals. Blew your mind? What... you don't believe me? The Bible, the oldest versions of it, never mention a manger or a stable or anything like that. There was a word that could have been interpreted as 'manger' during the early translations but that is it. The story we have now with the animals and the nativity play scene - all that started hundreds of years after Christianity was formed.

10. And while we are at it, you should also know that they (or we) pretty much made up the 'Three Wise Men' bit. I mean, there are the Magi who come to see the baby Jesus in the Bible. But Magi stood for, or meant, the Zoroastrian priests. Nowhere does it say in the Bible - the early, original versions - that there were three of them, or that they were wise OR that they were men. Three gifts are given on that occasion, and maybe that caused the confusion which made people think there were three of the Magi.


So yeah. That's the ten popular misconceptions for right now. Stay tuned for more posts, and stay open minded, folks. The truth is out there.

The Punisher is here! Watch the latest Daredevil Trailer!

The Punisher is here and he looks... complicated? Hmm. This is a surprise. Could they finally be doing - dare I say it - a decent portrayal of my favourite Marvel character?

We are talking about the latest incarnation of that most badass of Marvel's heroes or anti-heroes, in the Netflix Original Series quite simply titled Daredevil.

Damn, why couldn't they have made a straight up Punisher series! Forget it. I am just glad that Frank Castle is finally getting some justice. From Hollywood, that is.

The first season Daredevil was released all at once on Netflix last year, and it was mind blowing. Nobody expected it to be that good I think, and within no time it had a massive fan following. The world of this small screen adaptation of Daredevil was populated with interesting characters,  some of them very layered indeed.

Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin

The fans of the show may beg to differ, but to me the best character on screen was Wilson Fisk a.k.a Kingpin, played by Vincent D'Onofrio. I had some marginal knowledge of this Marvel baddie and so when I started watching the first season, I was really not expecting much. A few good fight scenes and some goose bump moments were all I was looking forward to, and I was socked in the jaw with awesomeness.

If they show that same dedication and love to the Punisher character, I am one happy nerd.

Jon Bernthal on the Daredevil set

Jon Bernthal looks amazing as the Punisher a.k.a Frank Castle. He has that deadly and damaged killing machine vibe going in this trailer. But that is not what surprised me. I was surprised by the flickering few glimpses of vulnerability in his portrayal. A fans of the character would know, depending on the version of the comic book/ graphic novel you read and the time line factor, the Punisher can vary a bit in the subtle traits that make him. He can be the stoic, cold, calculating force of destruction and death and just that or he can be the personification of inner pain and turmoil. He is a force to be reckoned with either way, but as readers you are given access to some of what makes him really tick.

This version of the Punisher on Netflix seems to be going for the more human aspects of the character. And that is definitely a good sign for us loyal fans.

They are really doing a good job with this show. And the final shot puts Elektra also in this mix. Thank you writers.

Marvel's Jessica Jones

With their Jessica Jones show also taking off quite well, Netflix seems to be merging the worlds of these heroes and villains just like in the comic books. This is going to get very interesting, folks.

Now we wait patiently for part two of the trailer. Hurry up all ready!

Four Android Tips To Make Your Phone More Awesome!

Got an android phone? Do you love it, cherish it and pamper it? At least for now, until you throw it away and get the next model? Well, speak no more! I have information you need. 

Four Simple Things You Can Do To Make Your Phone Awesome!

A Confusion Free List!

You may be asking what makes me so qualified in this matter. It’s no mystery. I had a shit load of time on my hands, and so I actually researched and did this stuff and then came to my own conclusions.

In any case that’s what prompted me to write this post. Or maybe posts… haven’t decided yet.

So ‘nuff talking! Let us get to it, huh?


1.  ROOT YOUR ANDROID. BE A SAFE REBEL.

This is step one before we start anything else. After much studying on the internet and personal experience as well, I have found that this is a GOOD THING TO DO. Many tech masters will tell you that this step is ‘essential’ – that the whole life and future of phones and android kind depend on this. They are being dramatic. It is not ‘necessary’ that you do this, but your phone will work better and you will get rid of some clutter that slows your phone down.

Know this though – chances are…

ROOTING YOUR PHONE WILL DEVOID YOUR PHONE’S WARRANTY.

This is because you’re messing with the pre-installed apps and settings on the phone. I would suggest you do it anyway… show them you’re your own boss! Grrr.

But you know… make a decision depending on your situation.

IT TAKES LESS THAN 5 MINUTES TO DO IT AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CLICK A COUPLE OF OPTIONS.

If you decide to do it, here’s what you do.

First check and confirm that your phone is NOT rooted already. Or you’ll feel like an idiot for trying later.

Get this app called Root Check from Google Playstore. Get it HERE.

Install it. Use it. It will tell you in one tap, whether your device is rooted or not. If it is, YAY for you. 

If it tells you your phone is not rooted, we move on to the next step.

Technically, there are two ways in which you can root your device.

The app you need is called Kingo Root.

You can use your device to get an android version of the app on your phone and then use it that way – which is easier but has a higher failure rate - or you can do it the way I did it.

Don’t get me wrong. I tried the easier method but it failed for me with my device. Besides, the Kingo Root people will tell you that the second way is more stable and has a better success rate.

Here’s the process.
       
a.    Get the app FOR YOUR COMPUTER by clicking HERE.

Now makes sure your phone is good to go by shutting down all unnecessary apps for the moment. You need to make sure that your phone does not switch off or get used for anything else while it is being rooted. This is important, okay? Make sure you do this.

b.      Get your android’s USB cable and connect your phone to the computer.

c.       Open the Kingo Root Desktop App.

d.      Root your device by clicking the option in the app.

e.      Stay the hell away from your phone and makes sure your family doesn’t interfere.

f.        Your phone should be rooted in under 5 minutes. Congrats. You are a tech genius now. Go celebrate. Have a fruit juice.

      2.     ACCESS THE DEVELOPER OPTIONS. BE A PRETEND HACKER.

All phones think of you as useless consumers and don’t want you to become ‘developers’. True story. But, you can outsmart them by doing this.  You know… take charge of your own destiny.

Go to the settings on your phone. Select ‘About Phone’. You will see an option called ‘Build No’. Tap on that option 5-7 times (depends on the phone).

And the sneaky phone will act like it wanted you to do this all along and congratulate you for now being a freakin’ developer.

Yeah, nice try phone. Pfft!

Now that you have developer options, you can do a couple of things. First things first though.

DO NOT GO AROUND PLAYING WITH ALL THOSE NEW DEVELOPER OPTIONS.

Not unless you know exactly what you’re doing. You mess around too much and you might just damage the software on the phone. You know how temperamental Androids can be, right?                   

 3.  BE A DEVELOPER. FEEL COOL. BUT DON’T OVER DO IT.

There are some graphical options in there like hardware acceleration etc. Now these are best left untouched UNLESS you have a top of the line phone with a great graphics system. You know – the kind that can play those demanding, high end newer RPG and FPS games.

The kind, which I say, people with common sense would play on a large screen using a console or a computer. Seriously. Show some respect to gaming, and don’t play that crap on your tiny phone. Waste your time being a combat laser bird demon. But do it with some sense and class.

Sorry, I digress.

Here’s what you do as a developer.

 a.   Go to the animation options. There should be three of them with the selected option being ‘1x’. That’s the speed of animation on your phone right now – how fast the apps transition, and pages flip etc.

b.      Change the animation speed to ‘0.5x’ and your phone is now two times faster than before. I myself selected the 0X or no animation setting for all three of those options. Got to say guys, my phone works a hell of a lot smoother since then. Just saying.


c.       Go to the section of the Developer options that deal with background processes. There is this option for Limiting the Number of Background Processes. I’m sure must have cracked that code by now. It limits the number of background processes that run while your phone is on. Now, if you have a medium level android device like I do, I would suggest keeping this setting at 3 or 4. As in, limit the number of processes to that. Less than 3 might make your phone lifeless. DO NOT LIMIT IT TO ZERO. Unless you want a landline that looks like a smartphone. You might as well use your phone as a paperweight.

4.     CHARGE YOUR DEVICE USING A WALL SOCKET. FOR REAL.

Now, I know that most of us already charge our phones at a wall socket. BUT THERE ARE SOME WHO DO IT USING A LAPTOP. Or anything else that gets the job done.

Here’s the problem. It takes longer for your phone to charge from anywhere else other than a battery pack, or wall socket.

That’s the list of four things you can do to make your Android device run smoother. Hope you guys liked it. If you did, make sure you click the G+ button and share this post. Let me know if this was useful, and I will put up more posts for Android stuff with links. Peace out!