Topics

16

Science Discussion Forum / How Does a Nuclear Reactor Work?

« on: March 09, 2022, 01:39:06 AM »

Nuclear reactors are the heart of a nuclear power plant.
They contain and control nuclear chain reactions that produce heat through a physical process called fission. That heat is used to make steam that spins a turbine to create electricity.
The main job of a reactor is to house and control nuclear fission—a process where atoms split and release energy.
Reactors use uranium for nuclear fuel. The uranium is processed into small ceramic pellets and stacked together into sealed metal tubes called fuel rods. Typically more than 200 of these rods are bundled together to form a fuel assembly. A reactor core is typically made up of a couple hundred assemblies, depending on power level.
Inside the reactor vessel, the fuel rods are immersed in water which acts as both a coolant and moderator. The moderator helps slow down the neutrons produced by fission to sustain the chain reaction.
Control rods can then be inserted into the reactor core to reduce the reaction rate or withdrawn to increase it.
The heat created by fission turns the water into steam, which spins a turbine to produce carbon-free electricity.

17

Science Discussion Forum / What caused the Chernobyl accident?

« on: March 09, 2022, 01:30:27 AM »

On April 26, 1986, the Number Four RBMK reactor at the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl, Ukraine, went out of control during a test at low-power, leading to an explosion and fire that demolished the reactor building and released large amounts of radiation into the atmosphere. Safety measures were ignored, the uranium fuel in the reactor overheated and melted through the protective barriers. RBMK reactors do not have what is known as a containment structure, a concrete and steel dome over the reactor itself designed to keep radiation inside the plant in the event of such an accident. Consequently, radioactive elements including plutonium, iodine, strontium and caesium were scattered over a wide area. In addition, the graphite blocks used as a moderating material in the RBMK caught fire at high temperature as air entered the reactor core, which contributed to emission of radioactive materials into the environment.

18

Astronomy / How Stars are formed?

« on: March 09, 2022, 01:14:55 AM »

Stars are the most widely recognized astronomical objects, and represent the most fundamental building blocks of galaxies. Stars are born within the clouds of dust and scattered throughout most galaxies. A familiar example of such as a dust cloud is the Orion Nebula. Turbulence deep within these clouds gives rise to knots with sufficient mass that the gas and dust can begin to collapse under its own gravitational attraction. As the cloud collapses, the material at the center begins to heat up. Known as a protostar, it is this hot core at the heart of the collapsing cloud that will one day become a star. Three-dimensional computer models of star formation predict that the spinning clouds of collapsing gas and dust may break up into two or three blobs; this would explain why the majority the stars in the Milky Way are paired or in groups of multiple stars. As the cloud collapses, a dense, hot core forms and begins gathering dust and gas. Not all of this material ends up as part of a star — the remaining dust can become planets, asteroids, or comets or may remain as dust.

19

Health Tips / Sleep recommendations

« on: August 08, 2021, 11:26:33 PM »

Sleep needs vary from person to person, depending on their age. As a person ages, they typically require less sleep to function properly.

According to the CDC , the breakdown is as follows:
Newborns (0–3 months): 14–17 hours
Infants (4–12 months): 12–16 hours
Toddler (1–2 years): 11–14 hours
Preschool (3–5 years): 10–13 hours
School age (6–12 years): 9–12 hours
Teen (13–18 years): 8–10 hours
Adult (18–60 years): 7-plus hours
Adult (61–64 years): 7–9 hours
Adult (65+ years): 7–8 hours

As well as the number of hours, the quality of sleep is also important. Signs of poor sleep quality include:
Waking in the middle of the night.
Still not feeling rested after an adequate number of hours sleep.

Some things a person can do to improve sleep quality are:
Avoiding sleeping in when you have had enough sleep.
Going to bed around the same time each night.
Spending more time outside and being more active during the day.
Reducing stress through exercise, therapy, or other means.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325353#sleep-recommendations

20

Health Tips / Sleeping Disorder

« on: August 08, 2021, 10:06:11 PM »

Sleep disorders (or sleep-wake disorders) involve problems with the quality, timing, and amount of sleep, which result in daytime distress and impairment in functioning. Sleep-wake disorders often occur along with medical conditions or other mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or cognitive disorders. There are several different types of sleep-wake disorders, of which insomnia is the most common. Other sleep-wake disorders include obstructive sleep apnea, parasomnias, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome.
Sleep difficulties are linked to both physical and emotional problems. Sleep problems can both contribute to or exacerbate mental health conditions and can be a symptom of other mental health conditions.
About one-third of adults report insomnia symptoms and 6-10 percent meet the criteria for insomnia disorder.
Sleep helps your brain function properly. Not getting enough sleep or poor quality sleep has many potential consequences. The most obvious concerns are fatigue and decreased energy, irritability and problems focusing. The ability to make decisions and your mood can also be affected. Sleep problems often coexist with symptoms of depression or anxiety. Sleep problems can exacerbate depression or anxiety, and depression or anxiety can lead to sleep problems.
Lack of sleep and too much sleep are linked to many chronic health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes. Sleep disturbances can also be a warning sign for medical and neurological problems, such as congestive heart failure, osteoarthritis and Parkinson’s disease.
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/sleep-disorders/what-are-sleep-disorders

21

ICT / Some Web Browsing Tricks

« on: March 15, 2020, 07:02:26 PM »

Web Browsing Tricks

Jump to address bar, There are a number of ways to jump right to the address bar from anywhere in browser. Pressing Ctrl + L, F6, and Alt + D all accomplish this goal.

Automatically add www. and .com to a URL, You can shave off a couple of seconds typing in a URL by simply click Ctrl + Enter after you type the name of the site. Need .net instead of .com? Press Ctrl + Shift + Enter instead.

Cycle through open tabs Pressing Ctrl + Tab while in a browser will flip between each one (Ctrl + Shift + Tab to go backwards). This can be much faster than moving the mouse and clicking on a tab. Ctrl + Num (1, 2, 3, 4, n..) will also take you to certain tab in that numeric order. Ctrl + 9 always brings you to the very last tab, even if it's beyond the ninth one.

Scroll through pages with the spacebar Tapping the spacebar on a website will scroll down in full page chunks and hitting shift + space will take you back up.

Instant image search (Chrome only) If you hold down the "S" key and right click on an image, it will open an image search on a new tab.

Use private browsing The uses for not having cookies and history saved are obvious for certain activities, you know, like shopping for gifts on a shared computer (of course!). Pressing Ctrl + Shift + N will launch a new private in Chrome, Ctrl + Shift + P will do it in Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Convert your browser into a notepad Type this into the address bar and you can write notes. Alternatively, while not as fast. Use Google Keep or Gmail's compose mail to write notes and have those saved on the cloud as you type and go.

Icon-only bookmarks on your toolbar You can delete the name of your bookmarks leaving only the icon so they take up less space on the toolbar. In Chrome: right click the bookmark > edit > delete the name and save.

Use the scroll wheel Put your middle mouse button to use by clicking on links to automatically open them in a new tab/window. Also if you use the scroll wheel button on a tab, it will close it.

Copy links quicker Right click the link like usual but tap E on your keyboard to copy the link.

Make content editable Bring up the console on Chrome or Firefox (right click, Inspect). On the console enter the command document.designMode = "on" that will let you edit any text on the screen.

Zoom In, Reset Zoom Use the browser magnifier to adjust a website for more comfortable reading. Ctrl/Cmd + (plus/minus sign) does the trick. To reset to the default zoom level use Ctrl + 0.

22

ICT / Some Smartphone Hacks

« on: March 15, 2020, 06:51:18 PM »

1. Double up the Charging speed
Although some latest smartphones have fast charging feature pre-installed on it, there are still some users for whom, mobile charging is a pain. Most of us know that charging a smartphone while in switched off condition speeds up the battery charging process.

However, you can keep your device on and still get double charging speeds. Simply turn your smartphone into Airplane mode. It will stop the network access of your device and boost the charging speed.


2. Get a Recycle Bin on your Android mobile
Unlike the desktop computers and laptops, once you delete a file on a smartphone, it’s gone forever. You might need a special data recovery program to recover the lost files. But not anymore.

You can activate a Recycle Bin similar as the one we use on Windows PC or laptop on your Android mobile. Simply download an app called Dumpster which is competent to safeguard the process of file deletion in case of mistake or hurry. All the files get stored in the app which you can later delete or recover as per your convenience.

Undoubtedly, it is advised to keep your phone’s storage clean to accelerate the phone’s performance. You can delete the unwanted files from Dumpster and save the valuable storage and speed up your Android phone.


3. Use Smartphone camera as Spectacles
For a person having myopia, forgetting glasses at home is certainly a crisis. Without spectacles, he/she will not be able to see anything clearly in long distance range. As a result of which, he/she will have to take help of others especially while commuting.

In such cases, you can use your Smartphone’s camera and see things beyond your visible area. Just use the zoom feature of your smartphone camera and get an in-focus image of the surroundings.


4. Magical night lamp
Frequent power/electricity cuts are still a major issue in developing countries. Thanks to our smartphone, we don’t have to search candles and emergency lights in such incidents as we have built-in flashlight. Still, the light produced from flashlight is usually intense and focused which could damage your eyes.

To avoid this, you can put a bottle full of water on to the Smartphone’s flashlight. And you are insured. Your magical night lamp is ready.


5. Check your remote controllers
Ever got frustrated when your remote controller doesn’t work? You are not alone. The remote controllers often malfunction when dropped from a height or the cell is drained out.

You can use your smartphone camera to detect the infrared signals of the remote controller. Point the remote controller’s end at the camera lens and press keys on the remote control. If the controller is working, it will transmit infrared light which will visible on the Smartphone’s screen.


6. Get 5x zoom camera
Most of the smartphones available in the market come with macro lens these days. Still, the zoom effect on smartphone cameras is not as good as the one with DSLRs or digital cameras.

Although there are various mobile camera accessories in the market to improve the zoom capabilities, you can get 5x zoom function at home for free. Just drop a single drop of water on the lens of your smartphone camera (Refer the image) and you will instantly get 5x zoom.


7. Hack to Save chords from damages
Disconnection in chords is a common problem faced by most of the smartphone users. Headphones, power chords, data cables, OTG cables, and other chords are likely to get damaged while usage.

Most of the time, the loose contact in the wires of the cable is at the end part. You can protect the ends by rolling out a spring at the end of the cables.


These were few tricks using which you can use your smartphone in an unusual way. Hope the hacks I mentioned here will help you in your day-to-day life.

23

Inspiring Quotes / Motivational Quotes for students

« on: March 15, 2020, 04:30:53 PM »

Believing in yourself
1. Believe you can and you’re halfway there.

2. You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.

3. It always seems impossible until it’s done.

4. Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. – John Wooden

Cultivating a success mindset
5. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. – Arthur Ashe

6. Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential. – John Maxwell

7. The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well. – John D. Rockefeller

8. Good things come to people who wait, but better things come to those who go out and get them.

9. Strive for progress, not perfection.

10. I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have. – Thomas Jefferson

11. Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. – Robert Collier

12. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better. – Jim Rohn

13. I don’t regret the things I’ve done. I regret the things I didn’t do when I had the chance.

14. There are two kinds of people in this world: those who want to get things done and those who don’t want to make mistakes. – John Maxwell

Overcoming procrastination
15. The secret to getting ahead is getting started.

16. You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

17. The expert in everything was once a beginner.

Hard work
18. There are no shortcuts to any place worth going. – Beverly Sills

19. Push yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you.

20. Some people dream of accomplishing great things. Others stay awake and make it happen.

21. There is no substitute for hard work. – Thomas Edison

22. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little “extra.”

23. You don’t always get what you wish for; you get what you work for.

24. It’s not about how bad you want it. It’s about how hard you’re willing to work for it.

25. The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. – Vidal Sassoon

26. There are no traffic jams on the extra mile. – Zig Ziglar

27. If people only knew how hard I’ve worked to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all. – Michelangelo

Not making excuses
28. If it’s important to you, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.

29. Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. – H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Perseverance
30. Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. – Joshua J. Marine

31. Life has two rules: 1) Never quit. 2) Always remember Rule #1.

32. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. – Michael Jordan

33. I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs, but how high he bounces when he hits the bottom. – George S. Patton

34. If you’re going through hell, keep going. – Winston Churchill

35. Don’t let your victories go to your head, or your failures go to your heart.

36. Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. – Henry Ford

37. You don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there. – Ed Cole

38. The difference between a stumbling block and a stepping-stone is how high you raise your foot.

39. The pain you feel today is the strength you will feel tomorrow. For every challenge encountered there is opportunity for growth.

40. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be worth it.

24

Employability Skills / Soft Skills To Develop Your Career

« on: March 02, 2020, 04:07:01 PM »

What are soft skills?

Unlike hard skills, which can be proven and measured, soft skills are intangible and difficult to quantify. Some examples of soft skills include analytical thinking, verbal and written communication, and leadership.
Research from the Society for Human Resource Management found that employers actually care more about soft skills than they do technical abilities like reading comprehension and mathematics.
One reason soft skills are so revered is that they help facilitate human connections. “Soft skills are key to building relationships, gaining visibility, and creating more opportunities for advancement,” says Kathy Robinson, founder of Boston career-coaching firm TurningPoint.
Basically, you can be the best at what you do, but if your soft skills aren’t cutting it, you’re limiting your chances of career success. Read on to learn which soft skills are critical to have firmly under your belt and what steps you can take to acquire them.

Soft skills for your career:

1. Communication
Why you need it: Both written and verbal communication skills are of utmost importance in the workplace because they set the tone for how people perceive you. They also improve your chances of building relationships with co-workers. Communication skills boost your performance because they help you to extract clear expectations from your manager so that you can deliver excellent work.

Why employers look for it: Workers are more productive when they know how to communicate with their peers, says Robinson. If you can clearly express the who, what, when, where, why, and how of a project, you’ll be a hot ticket.

How to gain it: One way to hone your communication and presentation skills is to join Toastmasters, a national organization that offers public speaking workshops.

2. Teamwork
Why you need it: A company’s success is rarely dependent on one person doing something all by him/herself. Success is the result of many people working toward a common goal. When employees can synthesize their varied talents, everyone wins. (Bonus: Having friends at work can also boost your job satisfaction, a Gallup poll found.)

Why employers look for it: Employers look to team players to help build a friendly office culture, which helps retain employees and, in turn attracts top talent. Furthermore, being able to collaborate well with your co-workers strengthens the quality of your work.

How to gain it: To generate goodwill, lend a hand when you see a co-worker in need. (“Hey, I know you have a ton on your plate. How can I help?”) Another way to build rapport is to cover for a colleague while she’s on vacation, says business etiquette and career coach Karen Litzinger.

3. Adaptability
Why you need it: Things don’t always go as planned, and instead of digging in your heels, you need to be able to pivot and find alternate solutions. “Successful leaders are the ones who know how to be flexible when problems arise,” says Robinson.

Why employers look for it: “The speed of change in any given workplace is so rapid,” says Joel Garfinkle, executive coach and author of Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level. Consequently, employers need workers who can adapt to industry shifts and keep the company current.

How to gain it: Push yourself to be an early adopter of change. “For example, adapting to technology without mourning what used to be true yesterday is crucial for people to be seen as someone who is capable of meeting new challenges,” says Garfinkle. Inquire about training sessions and offer to teach your co-workers what you learn.

4. Problem solving
Why you need it: When something goes wrong, you can either complain or take action. Tip: It’s the latter that will get you noticed. Knowing how to think on your feet can make you indispensable to an employer.

Why employers look for it: Nothing is a given. Companies rely on problem solvers—a.k.a. their top performers—to navigate unexpected challenges.

How to gain it: “Always approach your boss with a solution, not a problem,” says Robinson. So when an issue crops up, sit down and think through how you’re going to address it before bringing it to your boss’ attention.

5. Critical observation
Why you need it: Data doesn’t mean much if you don’t know how to interpret it. Is there a pattern emerging? What else should you be looking for? Being a critical observer can help make you a better worker all around.

Why employers look for it: Companies need critical thinkers—people who bring a fresh perspective and offer intuitive solutions and ideas to help the company get a leg up on the competition or improve internal processes.

How to gain it: To be a critical observer, you need to be able to analyze information and put it to use. One tactic is to try to identify patterns of behavior at work.  For example, does your boss actually read the weekly sales reports? What was her reaction to bad news in the staff meeting? What’s the best time of day to approach your manager with a question? By observing how people respond to the constant flow of information you can better understand the critical aspects of improving business operations.

6. Conflict resolution
Why you need it: “Any time you put more than one person into an organization, there is going to be conflict,” says Robinson. “It’s human nature.” Therefore, being able to resolve issues with co-workers will help you maintain relationships with peers and work more effectively.

Why employers want it: Being able to constructively work through disagreements with people is a sure indicator of maturity—as well as leadership potential. Someone like this helps to promote a healthy, collaborative workplace.

How to gain it: The best way to resolve disagreements between co-workers is to address issues directly but delicately. So, when stepping in as a mediator, let both parties air their grievances in a judgment-free environment and then work together to find a solution.

7. Leadership
Why you need it: Having confidence and a clear vision can help influence your co-workers and get them on board with your ideas now and in the future. Displaying such leadership skills helps you gain visibility within an organization, which can lead to more opportunities for promotions or salary bumps.

Why employers want it: Bosses and managers are always looking for employees with leadership potential because those workers will one day be taking over the reins and building on the company’s legacy.

How to gain it: Being a leader isn’t merely about getting people to do what you want. Leadership means inspiring and helping others reach their full potential. One way to do that is to become the internship supervisor, which gives you the opportunity to manage people, learn how to motivate a team, and take on more responsibility. 

25

Business / Some Business and Finance terms we need to know

« on: March 02, 2020, 02:03:14 PM »

1. Accounts Payable
Accounts payable is a business finance 101 term. This represents your small business’s obligations to pay debts owed to lenders, suppliers, and creditors. Sometimes referred to as A/P or AP for short, accounts payable can be short or long term depending upon the type of credit provided to the business by the lender.

2. Accounts Receivable
Also known as A/R (or AR, good guess), accounts receivables is another business finance 101 term that means the money owed to your small business by others for goods or services rendered. These accounts are labeled as assets because they represent a legal obligation for the customer to pay you cash for their short-term debt.

3. Accrual Basis
The accrual basis of accounting is an accounting method of recording income when it’s actually earned and expenses when they actually occur. Accrual basis accounting is the most common approach used by larger businesses to record and maintain financial transactions.

4. Accruals
A business finance term and definition referring to expenses that have been incurred but haven’t yet been recorded in the business books. Wages and payroll taxes are common examples.

5. Asset
This business finance key term is anything that has value—whether tangible or intangible—and is owned by the business is considered an asset. Typical items listed as business assets are cash on hand, accounts receivable, buildings, equipment, inventory, and anything else that can be turned into cash.

6. Balance Sheet
Along with three other reports relating to the financial health of your small business, the balance sheet is essential information that gives a “snapshot” of the company’s net worth at any given time. The report is a summary of the business assets and liabilities.

7. Bookkeeping
A method of accounting that involves the timely recording of all financial transactions for the business.

8. Capital
Refers to the overall wealth of a business as demonstrated by its cash accounts, assets, and investments. Often called “fixed capital,” it refers to the long-term worth of the business. Capital can be tangible, like durable goods, buildings, and equipment, or intangible such as intellectual property.

9. Working Capital
Not to be confused with fixed capital, working capital is another business finance 101 term. It consists of the financial resources necessary for maintaining the day-to-day operation of the business. Working capital, by definition, is the business’s cash on hand or instruments that you can convert to cash quickly.

10. Cash Flow
Every business needs cash to operate. The business finance term and definition cash flow refers to the amount of operating cash that “flows” through the business and affects the business’s liquidity. Cash flow reports reflect activity for a specified period of time, usually one accounting period or one month. Maintaining tight control of cash flow is especially important if your small business is new, since ready cash can be limited until the business begins to grow and produce more working capital.

11. Cash Flow Projections
Future business decisions will depend on your educated cash flow projections. To plan ahead for upcoming expenditures and working capital, you need to depend on previous cash flow patterns. These patterns will give you a comprehensive look at how and when you receive and spend your cash. This info is the key to unlock informed, accurate cash flow projections.

12. Depreciation
The value of any asset can be said to depreciate when it loses some of that value in increments over time. Depreciation occurs due to wear and tear. Various methods of depreciation are used by businesses to decrease the recorded value of assets.

13. Fixed Asset
A tangible, long-term asset used for the business and not expected to be sold or otherwise converted into cash during the current or upcoming fiscal year is called a fixed asset. Fixed assets are items like furniture, computer equipment, equipment, and real estate.

14. Gross Profit
This business finance term and definition can be calculated as total sales (income) less the costs (expenses) directly related to those sales. Raw materials, manufacturing expenses, labor costs, marketing, and transportation of goods are all included in expenses.

15. Income Statement
Here is one of the four most important reports lenders and investors want to see when evaluating the viability of your small business. It is also called a profit and loss statement, and it addresses the business’s bottom line, reporting how much the business has earned and spent over a given period of time. The result will be either a net gain or a net loss.

16. Intangible Asset
A business asset that is non-physical is considered intangible. These assets can be items like patents, goodwill, and intellectual property.

17. Liability
This business finance key term is a legal obligation to repay or otherwise settle a debt. Liabilities are considered either current (payable within one year or less) or long-term (payable after one year) and are listed on a business’s balance sheet. A business’s accounts payable, wages, taxes, and accrued expenses are all considered liabilities.

18. Liquidity
Liquidity is an indicator of how quickly an asset can be turned into cash for full market value. The more liquid your assets, the more financial flexibility you have.

19. Profit & Loss Statement
See “Income Statement” above.

20. Statement of Cash Flow
One of the important documents required by lenders and investors that shows a summary of the actual collection of revenue and payment of expenses for your business. The statement of cash flow should reflect activity in the areas of operating, investing, and financing and should be an integral part of your financial statement package.

21. Statement of Shareholders’ Equity
If you have chosen to fund your small business with equity financing and you have established shares and shareholders as part of the controlling interests, you are obligated to provide a financial report that shows changes in the equity section of your balance sheet.

22. Annual Percentage Rate
The business finance term and definition APR represents the yearly real cost of a loan including all interest and fees. The total amount of interest to be paid is based on the original amount loaned, or the principal, and is represented in percentage form. When shopping for the right loan for your small business, you should know the APR for the loan in question. This figure can be very helpful in comparing one financial tool with another since it represents the actual cost of borrowing.

23. Appraisal
Just like your real estate appraisal when buying a house, an appraisal is a professional opinion of market value. When closing a loan for your small business, you will probably need one or more of the three types of appraisals: real estate, equipment, and business value.

24. Balloon Loan
A loan that is structured so that the small business owner makes regular repayments on a predetermined schedule and one much larger payment, or balloon payment, at the end. These can be attractive to new businesses because the payments are smaller at the outset when the business is more likely to be facing strict financial constraints. However, be sure that your business will be capable of making that last balloon payment since it will be a large one.

25. Bankruptcy
This federal law is used as a tool for businesses or individuals who are having severe financial challenges. It provides a plan for reduction and repayment of debts over time or an opportunity to completely eliminate the majority of the outstanding debts. Turning to bankruptcy should be given careful thought because it will have a negative effect on the business credit score.

26. Bootstrapping
Using your own money to finance the start-up and growth of your small business. Think of it as being your own investor. Once the business is up and running successfully, the business finance term and definition bootstrapping refers to the use of profits earned to reinvest in the business.

27. Business Credit Report
Just like you have a personal credit report that lenders look at to determine risk factors for making personal loans, businesses also generate credit reports. These are maintained by credit bureaus that record information about a business’s financial history.

Items like how large the company is, how long has it been in business, amount and type of credit issued to the business, how credit has been managed, and any legal filings (i.e., bankruptcy) are all questions addressed by the business credit report. Lenders, investors, and insurance companies use these reports to evaluate risk exposure and financial health of a business.

28. Business Credit Score
A business credit score is calculated based on the information found in the business credit report. Using a specialized algorithm, business credit scoring companies take into account all the information found on your credit report and give your small business a credit score. Also called a commercial credit score, this number is used by various lenders and suppliers to evaluate your creditworthiness.

29. Collateral
Any asset that you pledge as security for a loan instrument is called collateral. Lenders often require collateral as a way to make sure they won’t lose money if your business defaults on the loan. When you pledge an asset for collateral, it becomes subject to seizure by the lender if you fail to meet the requirements of the loan documents.

30. Credit Limit
When a lender offers a business line of credit it usually comes with a credit limit, or a maximum amount that you can use at any given time. It is said that you reach your credit limit or “max out” your credit when you borrow up to or exceed that number. A business line of credit can be especially useful if your business is seasonal or if the income is extremely unpredictable. It is one of the fastest ways to access cash for emergencies.

31. Debt Consolidation
If your small business has several loans with various payments, you might want to consider a business debt consolidation loan. It is a process that lets you combine multiple loans into a single loan. The advantages are possibly reducing the interest rates on the borrowed funds as well as lowering the total amount you repay each month. Businesses use this tool to help improve cash flow.

32. Debt Service Coverage Ratio
The business finance term and definition debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) is the ratio of cash your small business has available for paying or servicing its debt. Debt payments include making principal and interest payments on the loan you are requesting. Generally speaking, if your DSCR is above 1, your business has enough income to meet its debt requirements.

33. Debt Financing
When you borrow money from a lender and agree to repay the principal with interest in regular payments for a specified period of time, you’re using debt financing. Traditionally, it has been the most common form of funding for small businesses.

Debt financing can include borrowing from banks, business credit cards, lines of credit, personal loans, merchant cash advances, and invoice financing. This method creates a debt that must be repaid but lets you maintain sole control of your business.

34. Equity Financing
The act of using investor funds in exchange for a piece or ”share” of your business is another way to raise capital. These funds can come from friends, family, angel investors, or venture capitalists.

Before deciding to use equity financing to raise the cash necessary for your business, decide how much control you are willing to share when it comes to decision-making and philosophy. Some investors will also want voting rights.

35. FICO Score
A FICO score is another type of credit score used by potential lenders for evaluating the wisdom of entering a contract with you and your business. FICO scores comprise a substantial part of the credit report that lenders use to assess credit risk. It was created by the Fair Isaac Corporation, hence the name FICO.

36. Financial Statements
An integral part of the loan application process is furnishing information that shows your business is a good credit risk. The standard financial statement packet includes four main reports: the income statement, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flow, and the statement of shareholders’ equity, if you have shareholders.

Lenders and investors want to see that your business is well-balanced with assets and liabilities, has positive cash flow, and will have capital to make expected repayments.

37. Fixed Interest Rate
The interest rate on a loan that is established in the beginning and does not change for the lifetime of the loan is said to be fixed. Loans with fixed interest rates are appealing to small business owners because the repayment amounts are consistent and easier to budget for in the future.

38. Floating Interest Rate
In contrast to the business finance term and definition fixed rate, the floating interest rate will change with market fluctuations. Also referred to as variable rates or adjustable rates, these amounts may often start out lower than the fixed rate percentages. This makes them more appealing in the short term if the market is trending down.

39. Guarantor
When starting a new small business, lenders might want you to provide a guarantor. This is an individual who guarantees to cover the balance owed on a debt if you or your business cannot meet the repayment obligation.

40. Interest Rate
All loans and other lending instruments are assigned the business finance key term interest rates. This is a percentage of the principal amount charged by the lender for the use of its money. Interest rates represent the current cost of borrowing.

41. Invoice Factoring or Financing
If your business has a significant amount of open invoices outstanding, you may contact a factoring company and have them purchase the invoices at a discount. By raising capital this way, there is no debt, and the factoring company assumes the financial responsibility for collecting the invoice debts.

42. Lien
This business finance term and definition is a creditor’s legal claim to the collateral pledged as security for a loan is called a lien.

43. Line of Credit
A lender may offer you an unsecured amount of funds available for your business to draw on when capital is needed. This line of credit is considered a short-term funding option, with a maximum amount available. This pre-approved pool of money is appealing because it gives you quick access to the cash.

44. Loan-to-Value
The LTV comparison is a ratio of the fair-market value of an asset compared to the amount of the loan that will fund it. This is another important number for lenders who need to know if the value of the asset will cover the loan repayment if your business defaults and fails to pay.

45. Long-Term Debt
Any loan product with a total repayment schedule lasting longer than one year is considered a long-term debt.

46. Merchant Cash Advance
A merchant may offer a funding method through a loan based on the business’s monthly sales volume. Repayment is made with a percentage of the daily or weekly sales. These tend to be short-term loans and are one of the costliest ways to fund your small business.

47. Microloan
Microloans are loans made through nonprofit, community-based organizations and they are most often for amounts under $50,000.

48. Personal Guarantee
If you’re seeking financing for a very new business and don’t have a high value asset to offer as collateral, you may be asked by the lender to sign a statement of  personal guarantee. In effect, this statement affirms that you as an individual will act as guarantor for the business’s debt, making you personally liable for the balance of the loan even in the event that your business fails.

49. Principal
Any loan instrument is made of three parts—the principal, the interest, and the fees. The principal is a business finance key term and is the original amount that is borrowed or the outstanding balance to be repaid less interest. It is used to calculate the total interest and fees charged.

50. Revolving Line of Credit
This business finance term and definition is a funding option is similar to a standard line of credit. However, the agreement is to lend a specific amount of money, and once that sum is repaid, it can be borrowed again.

51. Secured Loan
Many lenders will require some form of security when loaning money. When this happens, this business finance term and definition is a secured loan. The asset being used as collateral for the loan is said to be “securing” the loan. In the event that your small business defaults on the loan, the lender can then claim the collateral and use its fair-market value to offset the unpaid balance.

52. Term Loan
These are debt financing tools used to raise needed funds for your small business. Term loans provide the business with a lump sum of cash up front in exchange for a promise to repay the principal and interest at specified intervals over a set period of time. These are typically longer term, one-time loans for start-up expenses or costs for established business expansion.

53. Unsecured Loans
Loans that are not backed by collateral are called unsecured loans. These types of loans represent a higher risk for the lender, so you can expect to pay higher interest rates and have shorter repayment time frames. Credit cards are an excellent example of unsecured loans that are a good option for small business funding when combined with other financing options.

54. Articles of Incorporation
This is legal documentation of the business’s creation, including name, type of business, and type of business structure or incorporation. This paperwork is one of the first tasks you will complete when you officially start your business. Once submitted, your articles of incorporation are kept on file with the appropriate governmental agencies.

55. Business Plan
Here is your tool for demonstrating how you want to establish your small business and how you plan to grow it into good financial health. When writing a business plan, it should include financial, operational, and marketing goals as well as how you plan to get there. The more specific you are with your business plan, the better prepared you will be in the long run.

56. Employer Identification Number (EIN) Certificate
In order to be more easily identified by the Internal Revenue Service, every business entity is assigned a unique number called an EIN. When you start your small business, an EIN will be assigned and mailed to the business address. This number never changes, and you will be asked to furnish it for many reasons.

57. Franchise Agreement
For a small business entrepreneur, entering into a franchise agreement with a larger company can be a way to enter the marketplace. The agreement made between you and the larger company gives you the right to operate as a satellite of the larger company in a certain territory for a given period of time. This lets you, the business owner, take advantage of a brand name that’s already familiar in the marketplace and a process or operation that has already been tested.

58. Net Worth
This business finance term and definition is an expression of your business’s total value, as determined by your total current assets less the total liabilities currently owed by the business. With your business’s most recent balance sheet in hand, you can calculate the net worth using a simple formula: Assets – Liabilities = Net Worth.

59. Retained Earnings
Just like it sounds, this term represents any profits earned that are retained in the business. This can also be referred to as bootstrapping.

60. Tax Lien
If your business fails to pay taxes owed to the designated government entity, namely the IRS, you may find your assets seized by the claim of a tax lien. The government can not only seize your assets for liquidation to resolve the tax debt, but they can also charge you penalties on the amount you owe.

26

Economy / Econmoy of Bangladesh since Independence

« on: March 02, 2020, 01:50:36 PM »

After its independence from Pakistan, Bangladesh followed a socialist economy by nationalising all industries, proving to be a critical blunder undertaken by the Awami League government. Some of the same factors that had made East Bengal a prosperous region became disadvantages during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As life expectancy increased, the limitations of land and the annual floods increasingly became constraints on economic growth. Traditional agricultural methods became obstacles to the modernisation of agriculture. Geography severely limited the development and maintenance of a modern transportation and communications system.
The partition of British India and the emergence of India and Pakistan in 1947 severely disrupted the economic system. The united government of Pakistan expanded the cultivated area and some irrigation facilities, but the rural population generally became poorer between 1947 and 1971 because improvements did not keep pace with rural population increase. Pakistan's five-year plans opted for a development strategy based on industrialisation, but the major share of the development budget went to West Pakistan, that is, contemporary Pakistan. The lack of natural resources meant that East Pakistan was heavily dependent on imports, creating a balance of payments problem. Without a substantial industrialisation programme or adequate agrarian expansion, the economy of East Pakistan steadily declined. Blame was placed by various observers, but especially those in East Pakistan, on the West Pakistani leaders who not only dominated the government but also most of the fledgling industries in East Pakistan.
Since Bangladesh followed a socialist economy by nationalising all industries after its independence, it underwent a slow growth of producing experienced entrepreneurs, managers, administrators, engineers, and technicians. There were critical shortages of essential food grains and other staples because of wartime disruptions. External markets for jute had been lost because of the instability of supply and the increasing popularity of synthetic substitutes. Foreign exchange resources were minuscule, and the banking and monetary systems were unreliable. Although Bangladesh had a large work force, the vast reserves of under trained and underpaid workers were largely illiterate, unskilled, and underemployed. Commercially exploitable industrial resources, except for natural gas, were lacking. Inflation, especially for essential consumer goods, ran between 300 and 400 percent. The war of independence had crippled the transportation system. Hundreds of road and railroad bridges had been destroyed or damaged, and rolling stock was inadequate and in poor repair. The new country was still recovering from a severe cyclone that hit the area in 1970 and caused 250,000 deaths. India came forward immediately with critically measured economic assistance in the first months after Bangladesh achieved independence from Pakistan. Between December 1971 and January 1972, India committed US$232 million in aid to Bangladesh from the politico-economic aid India received from the US and USSR. Official amount of disbursement yet undisclosed.
After 1975, Bangladeshi leaders began to turn their attention to developing new industrial capacity and rehabilitating its economy. The static economic model adopted by these early leaders, however—including the nationalisation of much of the industrial sector—resulted in inefficiency and economic stagnation. Beginning in late 1975, the government gradually gave greater scope to private sector participation in the economy, a pattern that has continued. Many state-owned enterprises have been privatised, like banking, telecommunication, aviation, media, and jute. Inefficiency in the public sector has been rising however at a gradual pace; external resistance to developing the country's richest natural resources is mounting; and power sectors including infrastructure have all contributed to slowing economic growth.
In the mid-1980s, there were encouraging signs of progress. Economic policies aimed at encouraging private enterprise and investment, privatising public industries, reinstating budgetary discipline, and liberalising the import regime were accelerated. From 1991 to 1993, the government successfully followed an enhanced structural adjustment facility (ESAF) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but failed to follow through on reforms in large part because of preoccupation with the government's domestic political troubles. In the late 1990s the government's economic policies became more entrenched, and some gains were lost, which was highlighted by a precipitous drop in foreign direct investment in 2000 and 2001. In June 2003 the IMF approved 3-year, $490-million plan as part of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) for Bangladesh that aimed to support the government's economic reform programme up to 2006. Seventy million dollars was made available immediately. In the same vein the World Bank approved $536 million in interest-free loans. The economy saw continuous real GDP growth of at least 5% since 2003. In 2010, Government of India extended a line of credit worth $1 billion to counterbalance China's close relationship with Bangladesh.
Bangladesh historically has run a large trade deficit, financed largely through aid receipts and remittances from workers overseas. Foreign reserves dropped markedly in 2001 but stabilised in the US$3 to US$4 billion range (or about 3 months' import cover). In January 2007, reserves stood at $3.74 billion, and then increased to $5.8 billion by January 2008, in November 2009 it surpassed $10.0 billion, and as of April 2011 it surpassed the US$12 billion according to the Bank of Bangladesh, the central bank. The dependence on foreign aid and imports has also decreased gradually since the early 1990s. According to Bangladesh bank the reserve is $30 billion in August 2016.
In last decade, poverty dropped by around one third with significant improvement in human development index, literacy, life expectancy and per capita food consumption. With economy growing close to 6% per year, more than 15 million people have moved out of poverty since 1992.

27

Postgraduate Diploma / PGD in IT

« on: March 02, 2020, 01:34:45 PM »

The Post Graduate Diploma in Information Technology (PGDIT) is a one-year program for graduates in any discipline on the principles and practice of Information Technology. The PGDIT program is offered mainly to the graduates who are willing to work in ICT domain or the graduates whose current or future career could be accelerated through advanced knowledge in ICT. The minimum requirement for the degree is 36 credit hours. There shall be two categories of students, namely, full-time students and part-time students. Students serving in different organizations may be admitted as part-time students with a written consent of the employer. A part-time student may be assigned a maximum of 9 credit hours of courses in any term. Full-time students must register for a minimum of 12 credit hours and a maximum of 15 credit hours per term. A full-time student shall not be allowed to be in the employment of any organization (even as part-time employee). However, they may be employed as Teaching/ Research Assistant at the University.

28

Reduce Fat /Weight Loss / Reducing abdominal fat

« on: May 05, 2019, 02:52:36 PM »

Currently the biggest tension among people is probably abdominal fat. It’s one of the most difficult types of fat to get rid of. Make a drink with the following items and take this drink every night before going to bed because it will act while you’re relaxing at night and your body isn’t stressed.

"Half a glass of water
A branch of parsley or coriander
A cucumber
A spoonful of honey
A spoonful of lemon juice
A spoonful of aloe vera gel
A spoonful of ground ginger"

29

Smartphone / Smartphone tips and tricks

« on: June 04, 2018, 03:51:56 PM »

There's more to your smartphone than you might think: underneath its user-friendly, simple surface there are all kinds of hidden features and shortcuts you can take advantage of doing more with your handset of choice.

Okay, okay - maybe your friends won't be that impressed unless you make your phone vanish into thin air.

But these are all handy little tips you can use to get more out of your mobile, and maybe raise an eyebrow or two along the way.

1. DIGITISE YOUR DOCUMENTS
Thanks to the increasing quality of smartphone cameras, you no longer need a scanner to get all of your paper files up into the cloud. Evernote, Google Drive, and CamScanner are three of several apps that can do the job.

2. IDENTIFY SONGS IN AN INSTANT
You can use apps such as Shazam or SoundHound to work out what you're listening to, but you don't have to: Google Now, Siri and Cortana can all respond to the voice command "what song is this?".

3. PUT YOUR CONTACT DETAILS ON YOUR LOCK SCREEN
If someone else finds your phone, will they be able to get it back to you? Put your details on the lock screen to make sure: the option is in Settings on Android, Health on iOS and on Windows Phone you'll have to edit the wallpaper.

4. GET AUTOMATIC WEATHER ALERTS WITH IFTTT (ANDROID AND IOS)
Set up a recipe on IFTTT (or the accompanying mobile apps) and you can get alerts sent straight to your phone if the weather's looking bad - handy if rain or snow means you'll need to leave for work earlier.

5. FIX THE GOOGLE CALENDAR TIME ZONE (ANDROID AND IOS)
Google Calendar


Delve into the Google Calendar app settings and it's possible to fix the time zone (rather than have it update every time you travel somewhere). That way, you'll always know when something's happening at home.

6. TURN WI-FI OFF WITH YOUR VOICE
The future is here: Siri, Google Now and Cortana let you turn off Wi-Fi with your voice. Just launch your app of choice and say "turn off Wi-Fi" to achieve the desired result. It works with Bluetooth as well).


7. EMAIL HUGE FILES FROM YOUR IPHONE (IOS)
iOS 9.2 added Mail Drop to iPhones, so when you email a large file from your phone you'll get a prompt to use it. Instead of attaching the file, Mail uploads it to iCloud, with the download link valid for 30 days.

8. CONTROL YOUR COMPUTER WITH YOUR PHONE
A host of apps, from Spotify to YouTube, have some kind of remote control functionality built in. If you want overall control of your laptop or desktop, take a look at the likes of Unified Remote and Alfred.

9. CHANGE THE KEYBOARD (ANDROID AND IOS)
Both Android and iOS now support the use of third-party keyboards, which can do everything from adding extra emojis to apply some neural network processing power to your phone's autocorrect feature.

10. FIND OUT WHERE ALL YOUR BATTERY POWER IS GOING
Android battery


All the major smartphone OSes now have detailed readouts of which apps are using up most of your battery juice, so have a root through the Settings app to find the worst offenders and uninstall them if necessary.

11. USE AEROPLANE MODE TO SPEED UP CHARGING
Just like everyone else you probably want your phone to charge up as quickly as possible (even more so if you're in a rush). Put it in aeroplane mode and it will use much less battery life and thus charge more quickly.

12. KEEP YOUR KIDS OR FRIENDS INSIDE ONE APP (ANDROID)
On Android Marshmallow, go to Settings, Security and Screen pinning - when activated, you can 'pin' apps from the multitasking screen, so the app can't be left without a PIN. Handy for lending your handset to other people.

13. USE YOUR IPHONE'S LED FLASH FOR NOTIFICATIONS (IOS)
You can have your iPhone's LED light flash whenever a notification comes in as an extra way of alerting you to new activity: from Settings, choose General then Accessibility and then toggle LED Flash for Alerts to the on position.

14. ACCESS ANDROID'S HIDDEN SAFE MODE (ANDROID)
Android has a hidden safe mode (like Windows) where third-party apps are disabled, which is useful for troubleshooting. On stock Android, Bring up the Power off menu with the power button then long press on it.

15. QUICKLY FLUSH THE RAM ON YOUR IPHONE (IOS)
iPhone 6S

iOS doesn't have a safe mode, but you can quickly clear out the memory and speed everything up again - press and hold the power button, then when you see the "slide" message, press and hold the home button.

16. UNLOCK THE SYSTEM UI TUNER (ANDROID)
Android Marshmallow includes a hidden System UI tuner for playing around with the Quick Settings pane (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc). To enable it, press and hold the cog icon at the top of Quick Settings, then find it in the Settings app.

17. TURN THE KEYBOARD INTO A TRACKPAD (IOS)
If you're running iOS 9 or above on an iPad, an iPhone 6S or an iPhone 6S, press and hold two fingers on the keyboard to turn it into a makeshift trackpad. Unfortunately the feature doesn't work on older iPhones.

18. GO HOME WITH ONE BUTTON TAP (ANDROID)
Google Maps for Android offers a one-icon widget that instantly directs you to the address of your choosing - that means you can create a home screen shortcut that takes you home from anywhere with one finger tap.

19. FALL ASLEEP TO YOUR MUSIC (IOS)
If you go into the Clock app on your iPhone you can set a countdown timer - easy enough - but you can then choose to Stop Playing as the option from the When Timer Ends menu to shut off all your music after the allotted period.

20. SET YOUR ALARM TO GET LOUDER AND LOUDER (ANDROID)
Android alarm

Here's a tip for the Android Clock app: delve into the menu (three vertical dots) from the main alarms page then find the option that says Gradually increase volume. It gives you that extra impetus to get out of bed.

21. SNAP PHOTOS WITH A HARDWARE BUTTON
Sometimes you can't beat the feeling of a real physical button when taking your snaps - well, good news, because on Android, iOS and Windows Phone you can take photos using the volume buttons whilst in the Camera app.

22. RECORD SCREENCASTS ON YOUR PHONE (ANDROID AND IOS)
You can record phone screencasts pretty easily: either via the YouTube Gaming app on Android, or by plugging your iOS device into a Mac computer and selecting it as the recording input source in QuickTime.

23. SEARCH FOR SETTINGS (ANDROID AND IOS)
If you need to get at a phone setting but you don't know where it is, just search for it - the Settings apps on both Android and iOS have search options at the top that you can use to look for obscure options.

30

Quran / The Quran and Modern Science

« on: June 04, 2018, 03:41:37 PM »

Fourteen hundred years ago, when the world was shrouded in darkness, the Quran mentioned that the Universe is expanding – وَالسَّمَاءَ بَنَيْنَاهَا بِأَيْدٍ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ “AND IT IS We who have built the Universe with [Our creative] power; and, verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it.” (51:47).

Human beings have been given the power to control the forces of Nature:

أَلَمْ تَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَأَسْبَغَ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعَمَهُ ظَاهِرَةً وَبَاطِنَةً وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُجَادِلُ فِي اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَلَا هُدًى وَلَا كِتَابٍ مُّنِيرٍ

ARE YOU NOT aware that God has made subservient to you all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, and has lavished upon you His blessings, both outward and inward? And yet, among humans, there is many a one that argues about God without having any knowledge [of Him], without any guidance, and without any light-giving revelation. (31:20)

Definition of knowledge

•      The word “Science” is derived from the Latin word “Scientia” which means “knowledge”

•      Knowledge is a familiarity, awareness, or understanding of someone or something, such as facts, information, descriptions, or skills, which is acquired through experience or education by perceiving, discovering, or learning [Wikipedia].

Quran describes three kinds of Knowledge

•      عِلْمَ الْيَقِينِ (102:5) – Knowledge that is born of certainty.

•      عَيْنَ الْيَقِينِ (102:7) – Knowledge that is the visual certainty

•      حَقُّ الْيَقِينِ (56:95) – Knowledge that is the certain truth

•      It is duty for  believers to acquire knowledge: خَلَقَ اللَّـهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ (29:44) – God has created the heavens and the earth in accordance with truth: for, behold, in this there is a message indeed for all who believe.

Some facts about the Universe and the human body

•         There are about 300,000 x 1018 stars within our observable universe.

•         It is estimated that there are between 1078 to 1082 atoms in the known, observable universe.

•         There are at least 10 x 1018 planetary systems in the known universe. Earth would be “1” of those.

•         The Earth has roughly 7.5 x 1018 grains of sand.

•         If you took 10 drops of water and counted the number of water molecules in those drops, you would get a number equal to all the stars in the universe.

•         The surface of the earth at the equator moves at a speed of roughly 1,000 miles per hour.

•         The earth is moving about our sun at 67,000 miles per hour.

•         Our solar Earth and all--whirls around the center of our galaxy at 490,000 miles per hour.

•         The galaxies in our neighborhood are also rushing at a speed of nearly 2.3 million miles per hour towards a structure called the Great Attractor.

•         For a typical human of 70 kg, there are almost 7x1027 atoms (that's a 7 followed by 27 zeros!) Another way of saying this is "seven billion billion billion." Of this, almost 2/3 is hydrogen, 1/4 is oxygen, and about 1/10 is carbon. These three atoms add up to 99% of the total.

Importance of acquiring knowledge

وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ ۚ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَـٰئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولًا – And never concern yourself with anything of which you have no knowledge: verily, [your] hearing and sight and heart - all of them - will be called to account for it [on Judgment Day]! (17:36)

وَلِيَعْلَمَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ فَيُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ فَتُخْبِتَ لَهُ قُلُوبُهُمْ        – And so that they who are endowed    with knowledge might know that this [divine writ] is the truth from your Sustainer, and that they aught to believe in it, and that their hearts might humbly submit unto Him. (22:54)

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَالْفُلْكِ الَّتِي تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ النَّاسَ وَمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِن مَّاءٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحِ وَالسَّحَابِ الْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ  – Verily, in the creation of the heavens and of the earth, and the succession of night and day: and in the ships that speed through the sea with what is useful to humankind: and in the waters which God sends down from the sky, giving life thereby to the earth after it had, been lifeless, and causing all manner of living creatures to multiply thereon: and in the change of the winds, and the clouds that run their appointed courses between sky and earth: [in all this] there are messages indeed for people who use their reason. (2:164)

هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ ۚ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّـهُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ ۚ يُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٥﴾ إِنَّ فِي اخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَمَا خَلَقَ اللَّـهُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَّقُونَ  – He it is who has made the sun a radiant light and the moon a reflected light, and has  determined for it phases so that you might know how to compute the years and to measure [time]. None of this has God created without truth. Clearly does He spell out these messages unto people of knowledge: for, verily, in the alternating of night and day, and in all that God has created in the heavens and on earth there are messages indeed for people who are conscious of Him [Muttaqi]! (10:5-6)

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Quran’s miraculous description of Earth 1400 years ago

(43:10): الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ مَهْدًا  - He it is who has made the earth a cradle for you. (مَهْد) Mahd means cradle that is in motion.

Regarding earth’s motion, the Quran says in verse (31:10):

خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا ۖ وَأَلْقَىٰ فِي الْأَرْضِ رَوَاسِيَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ

If you want to estimate His powers and the wisdom behind all His flawless planning, just have a look at the universe and observe how wonderfully He has placed huge celestial bodies in the outer space without any visible columns (by invisible gravitational pull). Furthermore, he has set huge mountains on earth, in spite of which it continues to rotate at its speed and you abide therein with comfort.

Another verse (16:15) says:

وَأَلْقَىٰ فِي الْأَرْضِ رَوَاسِيَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَأَنْهَارًا وَسُبُلًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

Allah has formed the earth in such a way that you may sit on it firmly while it revolves. He has also created mountains and rivers and land tracks so that you may reach your destination.

إِنَّ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَآيَاتٍ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ  ; وَفِي خَلْقِكُمْ وَمَا يَبُثُّ مِن دَابَّةٍ آيَاتٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ  ﴿٤﴾ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِن رِّزْقٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحِ آيَاتٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ – Behold, in the heavens as well as on earth there are indeed messages for all who believe. And in your own nature, and in all the animals which He scatters [over the earth] there are messages for people who are endowed with inner certainty. And in the succession of night and day, and in the means of subsistence which God sends down from the skies, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless, and in the change of the winds: [in all this] there are messages for people who use their reason. (45:3-5)

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِّأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ ; الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّـهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَـٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ   – Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the succession of night and day, there are indeed messages for all who are endowed with insight, [and] who remember God when they stand, and when they sit, and when they lie down to sleep, and [thus] reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: "O our Sustainer! Thou hast not created [aught of] this without meaning and purpose. Limitless art Thou in Thy glory! Keep us safe, then, from suffering through fire! (3:190-191)

Growing in Knowledge

فَتَعَالَى اللَّـهُ الْمَلِكُ الْحَقُّ ۗ وَلَا تَعْجَلْ بِالْقُرْآنِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يُقْضَىٰ إِلَيْكَ وَحْيُهُ ۖ وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا – God is sublimely exalted. The Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth and do not approach the Qur'an in haste, ere it has been revealed unto thee in full, but say: "O my Sustainer, cause me to grow in knowledge!” (20:114)

Dr. Mohammad Iqbal in his lecture “Knowledge and Religious Experience” says: The search for rational foundations in Islam may be regarded to have begun with the Prophet himself. His constant prayer was: Allahumma arinal ashya'a kama hiya: “God! Grant me knowledge of the ultimate nature of things!”

Iqbal further says: “The spirit of the Quran sees in the humble bee a recipient of Divine inspiration and constantly calls upon the reader to observe the perpetual change of the winds, the alternation of day and night, the clouds, the starry heavens and the planets swimming through infinite space! ….. [The Quran] regards hearing and sight as the most valuable Divine gifts and declares them to be accountable to God for their activity in this world.”

سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ ۗ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ – In time We shall make them fully understand Our messages [through what they perceive] in the utmost horizons [of the universe] and within them­selves, so that it will become clear unto them that this [revelation] is indeed the truth. [Still,] is it not enough [for them to know] that thy Sustainer is a witness unto everything? (41:53)

إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُواْ مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ – Verily, God does not change nation's condition unless they change their inner selves (13:11)

Conclusion

It is our sacred duty to acquire knowledge of the Universe. According to the above verse (13:11), no external change can occur in a nation’s condition unless there is, first, a change in its inner self, in its inner personality, in its psychology, in its mentality and disposition.  Therefore, our mental energy, our emotional energy, our psychological energy, and our spiritual (divine) energy – which have become misaligned and unbalanced – all these need to be realigned, restored, and balanced in our inner selves first, before our large-scale suffering, our common misery, our pathetic condition in the world could transform us into a universal brotherhood of holistic and consilience community.