In the world of globalization, Information system is such where data are collected, classified and put into process interpreting the result thereon in order to provide an integrated series of information for further communicating and analyzing. In a progressively more spirited worldwide atmosphere, Information System plays the role as ‘enabler and facilitator’, which endows with tactical values to the officialdom and considerable step up to the excellence of administration. ‘An Information System is a particular type of work system that uses information technology to detain, put on the air, store, retrieve, manipulate or display information, thereby partisan one or more other work structure’. In totting up to taking sides assessment making, co-ordination and control, information systems may also help managers and workers investigate problems, envisage complex subjects and generate new merchandise or services.

The criteria of operational  systems and the idata management  systems that support analytically pass through at least four phases: a) Introducing the system  of manipulating the need to promulgate  on going operational Management  system b) development of  the process of acquiring and configuring/installing the necessary hardware, software and other resources c) implementation, the process of making new system operational in the organisation, and d) Operation and maintenance, the process concerned with the operation of the system, correcting any problems that may arise and ensuring that the system is delivering the anticipating benefits. The management of these processes can be achieved and controlled using a series of techniques and management tools which, collectively, tend to be known as Structured Management System. Two important methodologies:  PRINCE (Projects IN a Controlled Environment), and SSADM (Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology),structured by the Central Computing and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA), are used widely in the UK public sector and in some Developing Countries, like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal etc. Prior to comment on the application of these methods in the Developing Countries, it would be pertinent to describe brief outlines of these methodologies.

It is a significant fact that PRINCE is a project management method; not system development, which covers the organisation, management and control of projects. Since its introduction in 1989, PRINCE has become widely used in both the public and private sectors and is now the UK’s de facto standard for project management. Although PRINCE was originally developed for the needs of IT projects, the method has also been used on many non-IT projects. PRINCE requires a dedicated team to be established to manage and carry out each project. It therefore aims to provide a supporting framework between the current state of affairs and the planned future state. PRINCE focuses attention on end-products rather than activities, ensuring that the organisation actually gets what it wants out of the project. Quality is seen as a necessary and integral part of the project and the focus on end-products enables the criteria by which quality is to be judged to be specified at the outset of the project. It requires the development of a viable “business case” for the project at its outset and that the business case needs to be periodically reviewed.

In PRINCE a project is regarded as having the following characteristics:

? defined and unique set of technical products to meet the business needs

? corresponding set of activities to construct those products

? certain amount of resources

? finite lifespan

? organisational structure with defined responsibilities

In such Management Structured System, an approach to planning based on products rather than activities and the use of this approach for the benefits. It also emphasises that projects needs to define the ‘ shape’ or manageable phases of a project to promote sound business control. Stages are characterised by the production of specific products. The PRINCE model for projects is based on two main principles:

The project is a joint responsibility between users, the developers and the organisation for whose benefit the end-product is being developed

In order for projects to succeed, a special structure is demanded to manage the project throughout its life – from conception through build to handover. This structure is distinct from normal line management.

By Using these principles, the model defines three levels of activity:

Overall project management and major decision making

Day-to-day management

Production of end-products

These three levels of activity are assigned respectively to the Project Board, to the Project and Stage Managers, and to the Technical Teams. The latest version of the method, PRINCE 2, is a process-based approach for project management providing an easily tailored, and scaleable method for the management of all types of projects. Each process is defined with its key inputs and outputs together with the specific objectives to be achieved and activities to be carried out. In the following diagram, the process-based approach is shown:

Structured Management  Process Model

Such Standard Method  provides benefits to the organisation, as well as the managers and directors of the project, through the controllable use of resources and the ability to manage business and project risk more effectively. PRINCE enables projects to have:

? a controlled and organised start, middle and end;

? regular reviews of progress against plan and against Business Case;

? flexible decision points;

? automatic management control of any deviations from the plan;

? the involvement of management and stakeholders at the right time and place during the project;

? good communication channels between the project, project management, and the rest of the organisation.

There is no denying the fact that SSADM is a highly structured and rigorous method of systems development ,was originally developed by Learmonth and Burchett Management System (LBMS) following an investigation by the CCTA into adopting a standard Information System (IS) development method for use in UK government projects. It was launched in 1981 and by 1983 became mandatory for all the government IS developments. This gave SSADM a large toehold in the IS structured methods market.

It is a prerequisite for SSADM that user commitment and involvement are agreed right from the start. It provides a top-down approach, where a high level picture is drawn up and subsequently refined into lower levels of detail. One extremely important concept in SSADM is the distinction between logical and physical views of system components.

The following purpose are generally fulfilled by such important methods.

? Provide a sound platform for communications between analysts, designers and users;

? Reduce errors and gaps in the specification produced

? Improve the quality of software documentation and the productivity of analysts;

? Reduce potential risks by presenting analysts with a structural framework for the use of techniques, and a standard for documentation end-products;

? Provide techniques for checking completeness and accuracy;

? Improve the maintainability of the new systems;

? Reuse staff and skills on other projects;

? Protect investment in analysis and design, and to allow freedom in implementation techniques.

SSADM consists of three main components:

? The structure or framework of an SSADM project

? A set of standard analysis and design techniques

? The products of each technique

The structure of SSADM might appear a little complex at first, but will make more sense as we began to look at the method
in more detail. Following diagram illustrates the breakdown of the life cycle into a hierarchy of modules, stages, steps and tasks.Each module represents a SSADM phase, and is made up of one or two stages. Where a module contains two stages, one will be an analysis or design and the other will be a project decision stage. Each stages is made up of between two to seven steps, which provide the framework for applying and controlling the development techniques. The tasks to be carried out within each step define how the techniques should be used, and specify the required standard of the products output from the step. Following diagram shows the breakdown of SSADM’s modules and stages.The major analysis techniques mainly used are as follows:

? Business Activity Modelling (BAM) – explicitly describes what goes on that part of the business under investigation. The activities are defined from purely a business rather than on IS perspective. Recommended approach to be used in the construction of a BAM may be Soft System Methodology (SSM), Functional Decomposition or Resource Flow Diagrams.

? Logical Data Modelling (LDM), representing system data, is applied throughout the life cycle to provide the foundation of the new system;

? Work Practice Model (WPM) maps business activities onto the organisation structure defining user roles to the underlying business activities.

The key important thing is the end-product. Each step has number of tasks associated with it, most of which lead to the creation or enhancement of standard SSADM products. At the end of an SSADM project the new system will be described by the sum of these products. Products can be divided into three basic groups: Processing, Data and System-User (or Human-Computer) Interface.

By way of substantiating the Information System in developing countries is a complicated virtual process, specially in the public sector. With the growing needs in the information age, and by the pressure from the international donors , big and ambitious projects has been undertaken by the public sector in developing countries . But due to the lack of standard procedures and methodologies for IS development caused many projects to combat problems in the implementation stage. Many projects failed to attain their business needs, as they were too large and highly ambitious. Basic reasons for the project failure in the developing countries can be characterised as the following:

? Solving wrong problem;

? Technology led, not business;

? Lack of major stakeholder involvement;

? Experts lead, rather than facilitate;

? Lack of commitment and hidden agenda;

? Benefits not identified and quantified at outset.

Nowadays, the developing countries are applying both PRINCE AND SSADM methodologies, the project management development techniques, specially designed for IT projects, that are funded by the UK Department for International development (DFID).

4.2 In Bangladesh , private sectors are advancing with IS development , but it is not the identical situation in the public sector. The reasons behind this may be the poor salary structure in the public service, which never give confidence to the prospective talents and system designers to join the public services. Most of the IT projects are donor funded; domestically financed IT projects rarely experience success like the donor projects.

4.3 However, RIBEC (Reforms in Budgeting and Expenditure Control) project, funded by DFID, has been considered as the most successful project in Bangladesh.

At the early stage of RIBEC project (Phase 2), it was observed that, the project was design to develop and modernise the budgeting and accounting system of the government of Bangladesh. The experts mainly dominated that phase, including lots of things to cover. There was lack of stakeholders’ involvement; problems were not recognised at the initial stage. Only a range of high-grade staff in the relevant field was given a general IT training. There was no follow up; no visible product was seen. Benefits were not identified. No system was developed to automate the budgeting and accounting system. So this phase 2 had experienced a massive failure. Having awful experience, the following phase (2A and 2B), a downsized project with specific output targets came up with analysing user requirements. This phase focused on sustainability and proved successful with sustainable solutions especially in the software development for budgeting and accounting Substantive training had been offered to the users of the systems. Stakeholders have been involved in the software development process and the local vendors who will be easily available in the future, developed the systems. Following PRINCE and SSADM as methods for project management and system development, RIBEC project is now considered as a model for other projects which implies the potential scope for applying these methodologies.Financial Management Project for HMG Nepal has been designed to establish a reliable database to ensure user friendly and reliable financial information and to computerise budgetary system. CCTA guidelines for IS strategy including PRINCE and SSADM were followed in developing the system.  In Pakistan, Lahore WASA project experienced badly as the original proposal was too big and not phased project; no analysis of business needs, solution was technology led, benefits were not identified at outset, high risk strategy, questionable long-term sustainability, lack of training facilities and computing skill within organisation etc. So, 2 years’ costs and effort were wasted.

By taking into consideration the UK approach of project management, Lahore WASA claim to be successor and benefits are realised especially in the billing from bimonthly billing to daily billing and reduction in bill production cycle. The main project management approach in the new proposal includes: redefinition of purpose, identify business benefits, prioritise outputs, involvement of stakeholders, DIFID played the role as the facilitator not doer, ownership of solution by stakeholders, use of local consultant etc, phased development, distributed system.

In view of the above it is evident that ‘Information technology and Information systems for what they really are – powerful and valuable tools, but not magic. When applied thoughtfully, these tools can bring important benefits for individuals, organisations, and customers. When misapplied, they can waste tremendous amounts of time, effort, and money’.The USA, a Progressed and well structured country that is economically and technologically advanced, designed PRINCE AND SSADM, to meet their own requirements. It cannot be expected that these structured methodologies would equally suit the resource scarce developing countries. But the above discussions surmise that there is potential scope and rationale for applying PRINCE AND SSADM that would facilitate the developing countries for better project management and system development. But again, these methodologies need not be considered as the “ final conclusive critics”, rather these structural criteria should be used thoughtfully, tailored to manage projects efficiently and to develop effective information systems to cope with the challenge of change Management virtually.

Computer troubled with the Vista blue screen? It is also appropriately called the Vista blue screen of death (BSOD). If you have ever had the unfortunate pleasure of having to deal with it you know why it has that name. Your computer suddenly freezes up displaying a windows blue screen with a bunch of computer language on it. Then your CPU reboots while you lose whatever you were working on or doing at the time. The problem can be a huge pain in the neck. But how do we fix this dreaded Vista blue screen of death? Well first we have to figure out what is causing it. It is usually one of two things:

You were running too many programs at once. This is perhaps the most common and easiest symptom to deal with. The solution is simple. Run less programs or add additional RAM to your computers physical memory.

The other cause is a little more complicated to fix but there are easy solutions if you have the right software.

You have errors in your Windows Vista registry. The registry is the lifeblood of your system. It contains data to run all software and hardware on your computer. So obviously when things go wrong with the registry it can cause major problems.

Unfortunately Windows Vista does not have any internal mechanism to fix corrupt registry errors. The Vista blue screen errors will simply get worse and worse until something is done to clean up registry problems.

Fortunately I have found a program that can fix the Windows Vista blue screen error quite easily. I actually consider it the best registry cleaner for Vista. Not only can it fix the Vista blue screen of death, it also has an optimization feature to speed up your computer tremendously. Scan your computer for free and see if there are any errors you need fixed.

The Fourfold Yoga – Part III

Union via Psychic Control ( Raja Yoga )

Union via Psychic Control is known as Raja Yoga. Raja means King and this Yoga is defined as the Regal Yoga or the king of all the yogas.

Raja Yoga has eight limbs called Ashtanga Yoga.

The Eightfold Raja Yoga

Yama – Observance of Right Conduct ( Non-violence, Truth, Non- covetousness, continence, not receiving donations )

Niyama – Meditation, Self-Study, contentment, purity internal & external, & reverence for the Lord

Asanas – Physical exercises that relax and tone up our muscles

Pranayama – Breath control exercises that slows our breathing and regulates the flow of Prana

Pratyahara – Withdrawal from the outer world or disconnecting the mind from the sensory world.

Dharana Concentration

Dhyana – Meditation

Samadhi – Achievement of Cosmic Consiousness.

Without control of the mind, nothing spiritual can be achieved. Mind binds, mind liberates.Mind is the cause of all bondage.

Controlling mind is the most difficult thing in the world. You may be able to control everything but never the mind.

Mind is subtle matter,according to Indian Philosophy. ( Indian Philsophy is a humiliating term given to the twelve positive sciences in the Vedas ).

There are many definitions of mind. One definition is that Mind is finer matter in vibration. Another definition is that Mind is a steady stream of thoughts. We can say that, like a river flowing, continous thought flow is Mind.

Mind has been compared to a monkey. It jumps from one thing to another. Controlling this monkey is very difficult due to its jumping nature.

Once upon a time, there was a monkey ( Mind ). Someone gave it alcohol and it became intoxicated. Later a scorpion called Avarice bit him. Later,it was bitten by the sting of Jealousy.Then all of a sudden an evil spirit by the name of Pride possessed him. Just imagine how difficut it is to control such a mind!

The Unified Vital Energy , the Cosmic Prana

“The Unified Field is the only Reality ” said Einstein. “This Unified Field is the Brahman of the Vedists and the Tao of the Chinese ” averrs Dr Fritjof Capra in his book ” The Tao of Physics “.

All the four basic forces in the Universe – weak nuclear force, strong nuclear force, electricity & magnetism – are but different manifestations of that Unified Power which the Vedists call Prana.

As per Raja Yoga, there are only two powerful forces in the Universe- Akasha ( Ether-principle ) and the Cosmic Energy, Prana.

All that we see around us, taste, touch and feel is simply one of the many manifestation of this Akasha. This all pervasive energy manifests as the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth etc. The other elements – Vayu ( air ), Agni ( Fire ), Apa ( water ) & Prithvi ( earth ) are only its grosser manifestations.

Our bodies belong to the Ocean of gross matter & our minds belong to the Ocean of subtle matter ( mind ). So long as Prana is active, there is life; when Prana goes to sleep, as it were, life ceases to be.

Self- purification, the process of Raja Yoga.

If we can find a method of returning gross matter to its origin, we will be amazed to observe that it vanishes leaving only subtle matter behind. and if we can still return this subtle matter to its Cause, we shall observe that it disappears, leaving only the Self behind.

This method of Self-purification is what is called the “returning process”. My body will vanish when it becomes pure. Vanish ? Not literally but figuratively which means I will live as if my body were not there. My body wont assert its demands and I wont feel its weight.

This “returning process”, if applied to the mind ( The word Religion is derived from the Latin Relegaire – ” to go back” ) can make it invisible: it wont boss me, drag me hither and thither and I wont feel trapped in it. This process of self- purification will reveal to us ” finer and finer dimensions of our being “, until we reach the finest ” The Self or the

Divine “, or the Ocean of Consciousness.

I am the Silence which is more than sound!

If therewithin Thou lose thee, Thou art found!

The Nameless shoreless Ocean which is “I”

Thou cannot breathe, but in its bosom drowned! ( Tennyson )

More information about Transcendental Philosophy & Yoga can be had from http://www.astrologiavedica.com/html/yogamain.htm

Look at the Oceans of Matter, Mind & Consciousness

As waves what we should do is to look at the Ocean of the Triune Being- Matter, Mind and Consciousness. We, as waves, belong to the Ocean.

The Absolute is like an infinite Ocean. In order to merge in the Absolute we can meditate like this

Above, it is full of me; below, it is full of me; in the middle it is full of me. I am in all beings, and all beings are in me. Om Tat Sat, I am It. I am existence above mind. I am the One Spirit of the Universe. I am neither pleasure nor pain.

The body eats,drinks and so on. I am not the body. I am not the mind…. I am Consciousness, Knowledge. Bliss.

I am the essence and the nectar of Knowledge. Through Eternity, I change not. I am calm, resplendent and unchanging.

I am That, whereof Being is the likeness

Mine, the Amrit is;

And immortality is Mine

And Mine perfect felicity ! ( The Song Celestial )

The Invisible Channels ( Nadis )

Raja Yoga postulates that the human body has invisible channels called Nadis. The major left Nadi is called the Ida and the major right Nadi, the Pingala. The Sepentine coiled Energy called Kundalini, lies coiled in the base Root Chakra ( Muladhara ). Through another invisible channel called the Sushumna, the Kundalini, the Serpent Power, rises in its ascent towards the Crown Chakra ( Sahasrara ). By Pranayama, this mighty corresponding microcosmic power of the Cosmic Shakthi, which is latent in all beings, can be evoked.

A Power to call Eternity into Time

And make the body’s joy as vivid as the soul’s ( Aurobindo )

It is this Power-aspect of the Consciousness which India has represented as the Divine Mother – Prakriti in Sankhya, Maya in Vedanta & Shakti in Tantra.

Pranayama

Many think Pranayama is the control of breath. This is far from true. Pranayama means to know & control the Vital energy or Prana. Control of this mighty energy gives us infinite power. If a man can know & control Prana, where power is there not in him ?

He can control everything from microcosm to macrocosm, the whole universe comes under his control.

The ancient Seers sought Truth within themselves and asked the perennial question ” What is it, when known, everything is known ? “

Since it is impossible to study all sciences in a lifetime ( each science being an infinite ocean) , the ancient Seers were after the mighty Secret, some special knowledge of Substance, which when known, everything is known!

All principles have a Unitary principle as the base. If that is comprehended, then everything is comprehended. All powers are but manifestations of that Cosmic Energy, Prana. He who has controlled Prana has controlled all the minds in the universe; all the bodies of the Universe: for Prana is the base of all Manifestation !

How to control Prana is the aim of Pranayama.

The sum total energy in the Universe is an absolute constant: Universal Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; hence it is indestructible. It has two aspects, unmanifest and manifest. This power is Prana & its

control is Pranayama.

The main aim or Pranayama is to arouse the Kundalini. In ordinary mortals the base of the Sushumna will not be open. To open it is the function of Pranayama.

In Sanskrit, Kundalini means the coiled Energy. The base of all mental impulses is the Root Chakra and the Consciousne
ss – Force power is this coiled energy. When we concentrate deeply or meditate intensely, we find that this place of the Root Chakra is heated up. When we do Raja Yoga, we experience a subtle warmth. This coiled Serpentine energy rises via the Sushumna and when it hits the different Chakras, it creates tremendous reactions.

Practice of Pranayama – The Three techniques

First technique

We have to breathe in deeply ( as deeply as possible ) through both the nostrils and then breathe out slowly. We have to do this initially to prepare ourselves for the practice of Pranayama. Here the time taken for exhalation and inhalation should be equal. Normally instead of counting one, two, three, in the Orient, mantras are chanted. Om is the usual mantra chanted.

Second Technique

Inhalation is known as Pooraka

Retention is known as Kumbhaka

Exhalation is known as Rechaka

First inhale, then retain breath & then exhale.

If inhalation is 4 seconds, retention of breath should be 16 seconds and exhalation 8 seconds. During this process, one should meditate upon the triangular Root Chakra ( Muladhara ). Mind should concentrate on this Chakra.

Third Technique

In this technique, first do Pooraka ( inhalation ). Then immediately do Rechaka ( exhalation ). Then do Retention ( Kumbhaka )

If you do the first technique, your voice will become beautiful. Your face will appear peaceful. The more you practise this technique, the more peace you will get.

Once the Golden Serpent rises, your thinking will change.Your perceptions will change. Then you need not rely on books. Then your mind will become your book. This wonderful phenomenon called the mind is a repository of endless knowledge. Once the Kundalini via the Sushumna rises, we reach a transcendental plane. The main aim of the Yogi is to open the Sushumna. On the path of the Sushmna are the Chakras, dynamoes of cosmic energy in man.

She sports as Universal Power in the Macrocosm; and in the microcosm as the coiled Serpent Power!

Infinite Power of the Absolute art Thou!

The Cause of the Universe as Maya

The entire Creation is Thy Play

Thy blessing is Bliss Absolute !

The essence of all sciences art Thou

All women Thy manifestations !

The visible Universe Thou art

And the dormant Serpentine Power !

The Scientific basis for observing continence

Semen and the mind are interrelated. That is why Continence has been prescribed for controlling the mind. Dhanwantri, the Father of Ayurveda told his disciples that the panacea for all ills is Brahmacharya ( Continence).

The basic principle of Raja Yoga is that seminal energy has properties of Vidyut ( electricity ) Ojas ( light ) & Tapas ( heat ). This energy when preserved is converted to spiritual energy and stored in the brain. This process is called sublimation. Havelock Ellis, in his Psychology of Sex, opines that the sublimation of the seminal energy can give skills, artistic and scientific. He only proved what Raja Yoga proclaimed thousand of years ago.

This seminal energy ( Urdhwa Retas ) is stored by the Raja Yogi in the body by observing Brahmacharya. Raja Yoga advocates the preservation of the seminal energy for 12 years for the yogic faculties to blossom. Once sublimated, this energy goes by the name of Ojas ( Effulgence ) and is stored in the brain !

Article by G Kumar, astrologer, writer and programmer of http://www.eastrovedica.com. . Highly experienced with many correct predictions to his credit, he does professional natal charts http://www.astrologiavedica.com/html/vedichoroscope.htm To subscribe to his Free highly informative ezine, Z Files,click here.mailto:info@eastrovedica.com?subject=subscribeZF An integrator of East & West, his Astro blog is up at http://zodiacastrology.blogspot.com & his Philosophy blog at http://transcendentalphilosophy.blogspot.com