Land of body parts : The Buddhists and the Hindus share the idea of the land becoming sacred.

The Buddhists and the Hindus share the idea of the land becoming sacred when it is connected with the body of a holy being. 

Illustration

The Buddhists and the Hindus share the idea of the land becoming sacred when it is connected with the body of a holy being. Let us first hear the Buddhist story.

We are told that when Buddha died, his body was cremated, and after the cremation, his ashes were supposed to go to his birth tribe: the Shakya tribe. However, seven kings of the Gangetic plains attacked the city of Kushinagara, where the cremation took place, demanding a share of the relics. They surrounded the city and threatened a great war until finally a sage known as Drauna divided Buddha’s relics into about eight caskets and distributed them among the kings, who took it to their respective kingdoms and placed it in sacred mounds. This is how stupas originated. Stupas basically contain the relic of the Buddha, either a piece of a bone or teeth or hair or ash.

We are told that at the time of Ashoka, who lived about 200 years after Buddha, he rediscovered these relics and divided them into 84,000 parts and took them to different parts of the world, across the subcontinent and even Southeast Asia. Thus, even today, in different parts of the world, we find Buddha’s relics being located. At the time of Buddhaghosa, who lived around a thousand years after the Buddha, we hear the idea that a monastery or a vihar becomes powerful depending on which or how many relics it possesses. Across Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, China, Japan, Afghanistan, and now even America, we hear stories of the different Buddha relics. The legend has even emerged that many years into the future, the relics will come together and Buddha’s body will reconstitute itself in Bodh Gaya to mark the arrival of the next Buddha, Maitreya.

A similar story is found in Hinduism, but the story was composed much later, one can say roughly 1,000 years after the Buddha story. We are told that Shiva’s wife, Sati, committed suicide in the funeral pyre after her father, Daksha Prajapati, insulted her husband. She could not tolerate the tension between her orthodox father and her heterodox, ascetic-like husband and burnt herself, as she could not reconcile the two ways of thinking. What followed was Shiva’s rage. He beheaded Daksha Prajapati and when his rage subsided, he resurrected Daksh Prajapati and then picked up the charred remains of his beloved wife and wandered the earth, crying.

The sages realized that Shiva’s mourning would destroy the world. In order to restore harmony to the world, they requested Vishnu to cut Sati’s body into tiny pieces, hoping that with Sati’s dead body gone, Shiva’s sanity would return. Accordingly, the body was cut into tiny pieces in different parts, which fell in different parts of India, giving rise to the Shakti pithas, whose numbers vary depending on the text we read: from 51 to 64. So, you have, for example, in Jwalamukhi, in Punjab, her tongue; in Kamakhya, in Assam, her womb; her toe, fingers, navel, breasts, similarly, are in different parts of India.

These are, of course, matters of faith, but one sees the similarity between Buddha’s relics and the different body parts of Shakti, making the land sacred and granting holiness to the land. Were they influenced by each other? That is a matter of speculation.

source: https://www.mid-day.com/news/opinion/article/Devdutt-Pattanaik-Land-of-body-parts-19963190

Huge asteroid 2001 FO32 passed near to Earth

The largest asteroid to pass by Earth this year has made its closest approach, posing no threat of a cataclysmic collision but giving astronomers a rare chance to study a rock formed during the beginning of our solar system.

The asteroid was two million kilometres (1.25 million miles) away at its nearest, according to NASA—more than five times the distance between the Earth and the Moon but still close enough to be classified as a "potentially hazardous asteroid".

NASA tracks and catalogues such objects that could potentially slam into Earth and unleash enormous destruction, like the massive asteroid hit that wiped out 75 percent of life on the planet 66 million years ago.

Asteroid 2001 FO32, discovered 20 years ago, was too far to be that dangerous even as it reached its nearest point to Earth at around 1400 GMT Sunday, according to the Paris Observatory. NASA said it was travelling at about 124,000 kph (77,000 mph).

 

"Oh yes, friends! Do you see this dot of light? This dot of light is the asteroid," exclaimed astrophysicist Gianluca Masi of the Italy-based Virtual Telescope Project, which had trained its lenses on the rock soon after its nearest approach.

"How happy I am, how proud I am, how I excited I am... to bring this to you live," said Masi as he displayed a grainy image of a pale dot during a YouTube broadcast.

Astronomers were hoping to get a better understanding of the composition of the estimated 900-metre (3,000-ft) diameter rock as it zoomed by.

"When sunlight hits an asteroid's surface, minerals in the rock absorb some wavelengths while reflecting others," NASA said.

"By studying the spectrum of light reflecting off the surface, astronomers can measure the chemical 'fingerprints of the minerals on the surface of the asteroid."

Because of its elongated orbit, NASA said it "picks up speed like a skateboarder rolling down a halfpipe, and then slows after being flung back out into deep space and swinging back toward the Sun".

The Boudh Vihar found in excavation in Sirpur, Chhattisgarh.

 

The Boudh Vihar, found during excavations, is magnificent and it's the biggest temple complex of the 6th and 7th centuries to be covered so far. For the first time, stone carvings depicting sexual activity among animals have been found-a rarest form of carvings in Indian Archaeology. 

Such carvings are not even seen in Khajurao and Ellora. An important centre for Buddhist studies The region was an important centre for Buddhism from the 6th to 10 century where, archaeologists say, more than 10,000 students used to pursue Buddhist studies. 

The buildings were double-storied. Statues, with features of people from South East Asia, were among the archaeological artefacts found at Sirpur indicating that even students from these parts of the world used to visit the region. Being an important Buddhist centre, Chinese scholar and traveller Hiuen Tsang visited Sirpur in the 7th century and has mentioned the region in his travelogues.

10th century Buddha Vihar discovered in Jharkhand’s Hazaribag

As per the evidence found in Hazaribagh, it appeared that the Buddhist structures were built during the Pala period, said an archaeologist with the ASI. 

The discovery will help understand the impact of Buddhism in Jharkhand. (HT Photo)

A 10th-century structure resembling a small ‘Buddha Vihar’ (Buddhist shrine-cum-monastery) has been discovered during an excavation, being carried out by Archeological Survey of India (ASI), in foothills of Juljul hill at Sadar block of Hazaribagh district, around 110-km from capital Ranchi, ASI officials said on Tuesday.

The ASI identified three mounds in the foothills having links to Buddhism last year. The excavation of the first mound last year led to the discovery of a complete shrine with a central and two subsidiary shrines, just two metres below the surface. However, the excavation work was suspended after two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic triggered lockdowns and some other reasons.

In the second round of excavation, beginning the last week of January this year, the second mound, around 40-meters away from the first mound or central shrine, was excavated and a small Buddha Vihar like structure was discovered.

“We started excavation in the second mound of the area in January last week, where a huge structural mound, similar to a small Buddha Vihar, was found with three cells (rooms). In the west corner of the structure, we found five sculptures of Gautam Buddha in seated position and one sculpture of Tara, which indicates that it might also be a centre of Vajrayana,” said Dr Neeraj Mishra, an assistant archaeologist at ASI.

Spread over a 50-metre long and 50-metre wide area, three cells and hoards of artefacts including statues of Gautam Budha and Tara, the female Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism who appears as a female Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism, were discovered.

“As per the evidence found here, it appeared that the structures had been built during the Pala period. During the excavation, we found an inscription on a stone slab. The paleographic dating of the inscription suggests that it was of 10th century AD, meaning the Pala period,” said Dr Mishra.

It might have been a big religious centre then, as it is located on the side of the old Grand Trunk road, connecting Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh to Bihar, home to historic Bodh Gaya where Buddha attained salvation, he added.

He recalled that a shrine and two subsidiary shrines, spread over 30 metres long and 50 metres wide area, were discovered last year. “It was a single storey temple. An entry gate and stairs were also found there.”

Historians and archaeologists find the discovery of great importance, which will help understand the history and influence of the dynasty in Jharkhand.

Historian Dr DN Ojha, dean, social sciences department at Ranchi University, said ancient history talks about the arrival of Buddhist monks in this area and the extension of Buddhism’s reach here.

"However, there was also a debate on this. The recent discovery in Hazaribag would work as big evidence to support the theory of extension of Buddhism and arrival of monks here," he added.

With GSAT-7A, ISRO launches "Angry Bird" for IAF

 

India successfully launched its latest advanced satellite that will give a big boost to the strategic communication and networking capabilities of the Indian Air Force(IAF).

Dubbed as "Angry Bird", the satellite is expected to enable the force to interlink different ground radar stations, ground airbase and Airborne early warning and control (AWACS) aircraft.

GSAT-7A will also boost drone operations as it will help the force upgrade from existing ground control stations to satellite-control of military UAVs.

The launch has come at an opportune time as India is in the process of acquiring US armed Predator-B or Sea Guardian drones, which are high-altitude and long endurance satellite-controlled UAVs that can fire at enemy targets from long distances.

The launch of the dedicated IAF satellite comes at a time when the defence ministry has cleared a plan to set up a special "Defence Space Agency" - an integrated tri-services unit that will use all space assets for the benefit of the armed forces.

Gsat-7A will be the second communication satellite dedicated to the military. Earlier, Isro had launched Gsat-7 or Rukmini in September 2013 for the Navy. Rukmini has not only helped the naval force monitor the Indian Ocean Region but also provided real-time inputs to warships, submarines and maritime planes.

With the launch of communication satellite GSAT-7A, ISRO has not only provided the IAF with its own 'eye' in the sky but has achieved a milestone by launching three satellites in just 35 days.

The two other satellites launched in over a month were communication satellite Gsat-29 (Nov 14) and hyperspectral imaging satellite HysiS (Nov 29). If the desi heaviest communication satellite Gsat-11 launched from the European spaceport is also counted, then the number of satellites launched in just 35 days comes to four, a big achievement for the Indian space agency.

Isro will usher in next year with lots of space activities as a series of satellites are lined up for launches in the first half of the year. In January itself, three launches are scheduled.

Isro will launch a PSLV mission carrying EMISAT and then its communication satellite Gsat-31 will be launched from French Guiana that will replace INSAT 4CR, whose end of life is expected soon. India's most highly ambitious moon mission 'Chandrayaan-2' is also scheduled to be launched in January, though its launch window is from January 3 to February 13. Isro also plans to launch remote sensing satellite Risat-2B around the same time.

ISRO’s GISAT-1 launch will help India keep an eye on borders real-time

 

It would help in quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic and any short-term events.

India plans to launch on March 28 an earth observation satellite that will provide it near real-time images of its borders and also enable quick monitoring of natural disasters.

GISAT-1 is slated to be lofted into space by GSLV-F10 rocket from Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh's Nellore district, about 100 km north of Chennai.

"We are looking to launch this Geo imaging satellite on March 28, subject to weather conditions", an official of the Bengaluru-headquartered Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) told PTI on Sunday.

The rocket will place the spacecraft in a geosynchronous orbit. It will be subsequently positioned in geostationary orbit, about 36,000 km above earth's equator, using its onboard propulsion system.

The launch of GISAT-1 onboard GSLV-F10 rocket was originally planned for March 5 last year but postponed a day before the blast-off due to technical reasons.

Experts said positioning the state-of-the-art agile earth observation satellite in geostationary orbit has key advantages.

"It's going to be a game-changer in some sense for India", a Department of Space official said.

"With onboard high resolution cameras, the satellite will allow the country to monitor the Indian land mass and the oceans, particularly its borders continuously".

Listing the objectives of the mission, ISRO has earlier said the satellite would provide near real-time imaging of the large area region of interest at frequent intervals.

It would help in quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic and any short-term events.

The third objective is to obtain spectral signatures of agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, disaster warning, cloud properties, snow and glacier and oceanography.

GISAT-1 will facilitate near real-time observation of the Indian sub-continent, under cloud-free condition, at frequent intervals, ISRO said.

The planned launch of GISAT-1, weighing about 2,268 kg, comes close on the heels of the successful February 28 PSLV- C51 mission that orbited Brazil's earth observation satellite Amazonia-1 and 18 co-passengers, including five built by students.

Secretary in the Department of Space and ISRO Chairman K Sivan told PTI last week that the technical issues that led to postponement of GISAT-1 mission have been resolved and the further delay in the launch was due to Covid-19-induced lockdown which affected normal work.

According to sources, GISAT-1 will be followed by the maiden flight of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle, ISRO's compact launcher, likely in April.

SSLV has been designed to meet "launch on demand" requirements in a cost-effective manner for small satellites in a dedicated and ride-share mode.

It is a three-stage all solid vehicle with a capability to launch up to 500 kg satellite mass into 500 km low earth orbit (LEO) and 300 kg into Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO).

By comparison, PSLV -- the workhorse launch vehicle of ISRO -- can take up to 1,750 kg payload into SSO of 600 km altitude.

With lower per kg launch cost, the mini launcher will have multiple satellite mounting options for nano, micro and small satellites.

Sivan had earlier termed the SSLV an innovative vehicle which can be assembled in just 72 hours.

"Instead of 60 days (for building a PSLV), it (SSLV) will be assembled in three days; instead of 600 people (needed to build a PSLV), it (SSLV) will be done by six people", he had said.

Whatever we have today in Brahminism is a twisted history of Buddha’s work

To investigate the Buddhist past is to supplant both Hindu (Brahminic) and Islamic history, for they contributed to the erasure of Buddhist richness from the land.

The pre-Islamic story of India received a similar fate at the hands of Brahminic rulers who devised strategies to ignore and eventually destroy the memory of Buddha’s kingdom.

During a recent excavation in Bihar, ‘Krimila’, a religious and administrative centre, was unearthed. A comprehensive report by this newspaper tells the story of the history of the region and its influence on the world through its Buddhist records.

The 2020 Ayodhya verdict brought binary reactions. Incidentally, the supporters of both the Hindu and Muslim narrative looked straight past another version of history — the tolerant Buddhist past. To investigate the Buddhist past is to supplant both Hindu (Brahminic) and Islamic history, for they contributed to the erasure of Buddhist richness from the land.

Buddha’s messenger Ashoka had done a great service to his Dhamma. It was perhaps the only faith in the subcontinent to grant respect to variant beliefs, unlike the invaders who had razed precious intellectual sites to destroy idolatry. The invaders made no difference between Brahminic or Buddhist sites. For them, monotheism was the only message.

As a result, among others, Nalanda University received a mortal blow from Turkish leader Bakhtiyar Khalji who served Qutb al-Din Aibak, referred to as ‘jahansoz’, which roughly translates to ‘world burner’. The Sultan razed the generous past of the Buddhist cosmology. Bakhtiyar is said to have asked his men to enquire if Nalanda carried a copy of the Holy Quran. Reportedly upon finding that it did not, he ordered the destruction of the Great Monastery.

Thus, a centre of high learning and scientific scholarship was turned into ashes in 1193-34. It is reported that the three-storey university and its nearby areas burnt for several months, ejecting dark smoke. Bakhtiyar was also instrumental in the burning down of Somapura, Jagaddala, Vikramashila, and Odantapuri monasteries.

However, in the 14th Century, Firoz Shah preserved Hindu pillars for their sheer magnanimity and beauty. These pillars, known as Lath, were Ashoka’s pillars and were venerated by Hindus.

Pre-Islamic story of India received a similar fate at the hands of Brahminic rulers who devised strategies to ignore and eventually destroy the memory of Buddha’s kingdom. That is why it is no accident that Samrat Ashoka’s legacy remains not fully known. The great king was actually the unifier of India who ruled for 40 years. His messages carried forward Buddha’s Dhamma. It had laws and regulations meant to protect and redirect resources for what we today call the Welfare State.

The ‘welfarism for all’ was subverted by Brahmin general Pushyamitra who founded the Shunga dynasty through his anti-Buddhist regicide. It laid the foundation for destruction of Buddhist shrines, monasteries, icons and history.

Brahmin colonisation of Buddhism was continued by Adi Shankaracharya in the 9th century. He made Hinduism accessible to all and not only to the esoteric and non-quotidians. Babasaheb Ambedkar also pointed out this limitation of ascetic Buddhism, which divorced itself from Buddha’s gospel of serving society beyond personal practices.

One of the best ways to identify how history is twisted and reproduced to serve the purpose of dominant savarna castes is to go to the base of the architectural structures of sacred sites. The most famous temples in India, Pakistan, and Nepal originally used to be Buddhist places of learning and worship.

This colonisation of Buddhist heritage is evident in the inaccessibility to the sanctum sanctorum of temples. Dr K Jamnadas evocatively argued for a Buddhist story of Tirumala Balaji shrine. The enormous amount of gold and other ornaments hide the face and body of Balaji, he said. Why would a stone sculpture of god need any decoration when statues are usually covered in clothes, like that of the Buddha?

This was partly the reason why invaders attacked temples, for their wealth and capital. Jyotirao Phule exemplifies this contradiction in The Farmer’s Whipcord showing how Brahmins enjoy the loot of the ignorant farmer.

Whatever we have today in Brahminism is a twisted history of Buddha’s work. Even the sacred location Bodh Gaya has been morphed. Ashoka recorded the name of the place as ‘Sambodhi’.

Revisiting Buddha’s past is to pay a tribute to our ancestors who were tied to the Dhamma.

This article first appeared in the print edition on February 7, 2021, under the title “Revisiting India’s Buddhist past”. Suraj Yengde, author of Caste Matters, curates the fortnightly ‘Dalitality’ column

Top 9 Crowdfunding Sites In India For Small(Retail) Investor

 

Crowdfunding sites in India are helping innovators launch ideas, social entrepreneurs bring social change and startups raise funds. Most startups, small enterprises, and individuals avoid complex methods of raising funds. Raising money through bank loans, venture capital, and angel investors involve complicated procedures.

Moreover, before raising money, startups have to take into account the different funding stages to decide the mode of raising funds. Crowdfunding is a far easy and less complex model. And for retail investor crowdfunding is another way of investing their money directly into company rather than from stock brokers or stock broker website. Big investor can buy huge chunk of share from big company directly without broker need, but small investor(retail) can not do this. Then small investor can invest only in small company. For such small investor who want to invest directly into company crowdfunding is best way.

Here are 9 crowdfunding sites in India small(retail) investor can use:

1. Kickstarter

Kickstarter is one of the first crowdfunding sites in India. The platform is most known for creative projects. Films, books, research, and innovation are some of the kinds of campaigns that are often seen on this platform.

From edible cutlery to a photographic series on Indian deities, to wearable health tech for social impact, Kickstarter supports myriad initiatives. The campaigners are also expected to offer different rewards for different categories of funds to the donors.

Some of the successful campaigns on Kickstarter: The Sweet Requiem campaign – a film that narrates the story of a Tibetan woman living in India and her traumatic escape from Tibet – saw 296 backers with a pledge of $ 33,889.

Another project, Edible Cutlery: The Future of Eco-Friendly Utensils had more than 9000 backers who pledged $ 278,874.

Focus areas: creativity and merchandising

Purpose/mission: to bring creative projects to life

2. Wishberry

For those looking to fund creative projects, Wishberry is the platform to go to. The website is strictly for creative projects only. Art, comics, publishing, theatre, music and dance, the platform supports all projects, creative.

It also helps campaigners with consulting and marketing services. Like Kickstarter, Wishberry is also a rewards-based platform. Funders and donors receive rewards from the projects that they fund.

Focus area: creative projects

Purpose/mission: to bring creative and innovative ideas to life and build a community of patrons for creative ideas in India.

3. Indiegogo

Indiegogo is more than a crowdfunding site. It is funding and a marketplace platform. Here, raising funds is the first step. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, campaigners can take their idea to the next level to continue raising funds.

Next, the campaigners can sell their products directly to the Indiegogo network of consumers. The platform focuses on actual physical products, as compared to other platforms that fund initiatives and ideas.

Focus area: product innovation, bring innovative ideas to life

Purpose/mission: to be a launchpad for entrepreneurial ideas

4. FuelADream

A rewards-based crowdfunding platform, FuelADream gives campaigners the choice of AON (All Or Nothing) and KWYG (Keep What You Get). It is a platform that believes in “quality more than quantity”, as stated on its website.

A number of crowdfunding platforms face the issue of authenticity and genuineness of the campaigns posted on the platform. FuelADream keeps the number of projects less, in order to tackle this issue. A section called ‘Crowd Favourite’ lists the most-liked and most-funded campaigns.

Focus area: creative ideas, causes, charities, events, and community-led activities

Purpose/mission: to change the traditional methods and simplify raising fund

5. Fundable

One of the few crowdfunding sites in India that completely focuses on small businesses and enterprises, Fundable features campaigns across business sectors in India. The platform features campaigns across business sectors.

From raising funds for affordable clinical diagnoses to intellectual travel experiences within India, entrepreneurs and businesses across sectors have used the platform. Among other sectors are banking, travel, food, and beverage, and fitness. A section ‘New and Noteworthy’ ensures that people who want to support can browse through the newest and most engaging campaigns.

Focus area: small businesses

Purpose/mission: to help get businesses funded

6. Ketto

With a wide range of focus, Ketto is among the well-known crowdfunding sites in India. The platform features campaigns for health care, education, personal campaigns, animal welfare, sports, children and women empowerment. To make it easier for donors, Ketto has sections such as ‘Urgently Fund Required’ and campaigns that can provide ‘Tax Benefit’ to donors.

Some of the successfully funded campaigns on the platform include those for the Kerala Floods and a project titled, ‘Two Wheels of Hope’, which provided cycles for schoolgirls, among other campaigns.

Focus area: creative, entrepreneurial, NGOs, personal causes, education

Purpose/mission: bring social change, raise awareness, raise funds

7. Catapooolt

From startups, films, music, and technology, Catapooolt is a platform for funding personal projects or enterprises and businesses. It is more than a crowdfunding platform as it offers options for campaigners to partner within their network of investors, incubators, accelerators, mentors, and for marketing, distribution and sales and community endorsements. This makes the platform, as it claims, a comprehensive ecosystem for crowdfunding.

Focus area: individual projects, startups, enterprises

Purpose/mission: provide an ecosystem for crowdfunding

8. Milaap – crowdfunding for personal and social causes

Most preferred for raising funds for personal and social causes, Milaap is a platform for individuals, NGOs and social entrepreneurs to raise funds for causes. The platform offers micro-loans to people in rural and underserved regions in the country to support projects related to education, water, sanitation, health, and energy.

Focus area: low-income borrowers, small funds for social causes and enterprises

Purpose/mission: to offer micro-loans to rural India

9. Crowdera

Perhaps lesser known in comparison to other names among the crowdfunding sites in India, Crowdera is a completely free global crowdfunding platform that launched in India in 2016. Being free, the platform does not charge any commission from those who start campaigns and raise funds.

It is privately funded by the founders. Moreover, this crowdfunding site allows a wide bracket of campaign fund targets ranging from a minimum goal of Rs 500 and a maximum goal of Rs 99,999,999.

Focus areas: social, individual causes and enterprises

Purpose/mission: to build a ‘Giving Economy’

Samsung introduces 76-inch MicroLED TV, TikTok app and a shelf for The Frame

 The announcements on Tuesday augment the company's 2021 TV lineup.

Samsung's My Shelf is an accessory designed for The Frame art-centric TVs.

Samsung is the biggest TV-maker in the world and it had a very successful 2020 as people stayed home and invested heavily in home entertainment. Its follow-up for 2021 is a TV lineup heavy with "lifestyle"-centric screens, expensive image quality innovations and, yes, a shelf. 

The company's Unbox and Discover virtual event on Tuesday covered home entertainment products already announced at CES -- including the Neo QLED TVs, a slimmer version of The Frame art TV, a solar-powered remote, a game status screen, an AI-based personal trainer and new soundbars -- but Samsung made a few new announcements, too. Here's a roundup of the TV news Samsung unveiled Tuesday:

• A new size of MicroLED TV, 76 inches, will debut in the future. It's the smallest size yet, undercutting the 88-, 99- and 110-inch dimensions already announced. MicroLED is Samsung's highest-end, most expensive television, promising superior image quality with prices aimed squarely at millionaires. The company didn't announce pricing yet, but says that will happen closer to April, when its 110-inch MicroLED goes on sale in the US. To give you a preview, that TV sells for the equivalent of $156,000 in Korea.

• A new TikTok app for all of its smart TVs. The dedicated app is already available in the UK and coming to the US soon. On most TVs, TikTok's vertical (portrait mode) video will be displayed with fill-in bars to either side, but The Sero, which can rotate between landscape and portrait modes using a built-in motor, can display it without bars. The same goes for 32- and 43-inch versions of The Frame, which can be set up in portrait mode, too.

• A new AirPlay integration for The Sero that enables iPhones to automatically rotate it between portrait mode and landscape when you flip your phone. The feature was already available for Android phones.

• A new accessory for The Frame, Samsung's TV designed to mimic wall art, called My Shelf. It's a custom, well, shelf, designed specifically for the TV, with customizable panels to fit the wall space. It's available in beige, white, brown and black and works with the 55-, 65- and 75-inch sizes. The company also revealed that internal storage on The Frame 2021 will be 6GB, "allowing for storage of ~1,200 ultra hi-res images." Earlier versions had 500MB.

• A new "full sun" 75-inch version of The Terrace outdoor TV, coming this summer. Details weren't available by press time, but it's safe to assume it will be brighter and/or employ improved antiglare screen material.

• The availability of AMD FreeSync Premium Pro on Q70A and higher TVs as well as The Frame. This gaming extra, compatible with both PCs and next-generation consoles, adds high dynamic range performance metrics to variable refresh rate. Samsung says current games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War support it.

• The company refreshed its Odyssey G9 gaming monitor from last June, changing the backlight to Mini-LED. That should greatly increase its control over local contrast to deliver better detail in highlights and shadows.

• Samsung's Smart Monitor, a work-and-play model which it announced in November, is now available. Its smarts include built-in connectivity so you can work or attend school from the cloud without the need for a separate PC, as well as TV features so you can seamlessly move into the entertainment portion of your day.

Most of Samsung's 2021 TVs, including its Neo QLED and The Frame models, are available for preorder now.