TRAVEL TALES of ranaruby

The Lost Kingdom—Khmer Empire Unveiling Angkor Wat: Siem Reap Travelogue, Heritage Temples & Local Culture 9 th Century AD. Angkor was the largest city in the world. For the next 500 years, it was the capital of the Khmer Empire. The city witnessed the construction of hundreds of world-famous temples built by the Khmer rulers. This sprawling complex of Angkorian ruins lies north of a safe, friendly, and pleasant town of Siem Reap on the shores of Tonle Sap Lake. Siem Reap earned its name after the Khmer Empire defeated and took over the Thai kingdom in the 17 th century. It literally means ‘Siamese defeated’. Because of its proximity to Angkor Archaeological Park, it has become one of the liveliest and most touristy cities in Cambodia over the last decade. We stayed at Hotel Visoth Boutique, which is very conveniently located in Siem Reap. It is truly a boutique hotel. Homely with a warm and hospitable staff.  Dawn at Angkor Wat: A Divine Encounter We...

Blue Light Hazards The Science Behind the Screen The optical pathway in the human eye connects to the visual cortex (the part of the brain that mediates the sense of sight) via the nervous system. The nervous system comprises photoreceptors of two types: 1) Rods; 2) Cones (named based on the shapes of these nerve receptors). These photoreceptors, in turn, contribute to three types of vision with image-forming functions and are important for normal daily functioning and quality of life. Scotopic (Rod) Vision When the field luminances lie between 10⁻⁶ cd/sq. m and 10⁻² cd/sq. m.  This is a vision in the darkness. The world is grey, and there is no sensation of colour. Mesopic Vision Most important vision from a lighting designer's point of view. This occurs when the field luminance is raised upwards from 10⁻² cd/sq m  to 10⁻¹  cd/sq m.   As the luminance moves, the luminosity of red increases upward more strongly than that of th...

Kerala Travelogue: Exploring Kanyakumari, Alleppey, and Trivandrum The Journey Begins: Sunrise at Kanyakumari How green is my country? Most of it is. In varying degrees and shades. But when we travelled from Trivandrum to Kanyakumari on a train, the green opened up. Something different from what I have hitherto seen. Enthralling. Soothingly caressed our visual system throughout the journey. We were struck by the abundant creation of nature as our train glided through the green corridor. Lined up on both sides by coconut trees, some short and some very tall. Interspersed with fleeting views of giant banana trees, some dark green, some light green, some heavy and thick in foliage, they are only to be broken by sporadic patches of bright green meadows. This continued till our train reached the land’s end. We put up at Vivekananda Kendra, not far from Kanyakumari station. A serene campus that induces an aura of meditativeness. So comfortable that we longed to prolong ...