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I don't know how many astrologers read this newsletter, but I would like to offer to anyone reading this a special discount of an extra $20 off on any astrology software order of $250 of more. This offer is good for one purchase per reader until November 15, 2003. This discount is in addition to (i.e. on top of) the great software discounts I already offer. Thank you for reading this newsletter. Note: this is the only place on my website that this offer is posted, and please mention it so that you do receive the discount. (If enough people respond to this gift, I may keep offering additional gifts to readers!) Ernst & Srishti Wilhelm have been hard at work adding many valuable new features to Kala. The latest version now includes a powerful new Muhurta module. For those new to Vedic astrology, Muhurta is what Western astrologers call Electional astrology, i.e. finding the best time to initiate an activity, event, or endeavor. Kala's new Muhurta screen shows a large birth chart and a navamsa chart, a fatal degree table, a planetary table (with exact degree positions, nakshatras, dignities, padas, nakshatra lord and sublord, and more), and a large table with information on Ayana/Rita, Masa/Paksha, Tithi, Karana, Yoga, Nakshatra, Avastha, Muhurta, Hora, Nadika, Vela, Upagraha, Panchaka, Tara, and VTN Yogas. The navamsa and fatal degree charts can changed to any varga by right clicking and selecting it from the standard menu. (See the image that follows.) Since Muhurta selection requires the ability to shift to earlier and later times, good software will provide different time shifting tools. In addition to the ability, mentioned below, to change months, the Kala Muhurta module allows you to easily step forward or backwards by Vara, Tithi, Nakshatra, Karana, Lagna, Navamsa, Hora, Muhurta, Nadi, or minutes of clock time. Wonderful! This screen also has a unique and very powerful Timeline on the bottom portion of the screen, that shows, for a period of a month, the positive or negative status of the Nakshatra, Tara, Tithi, Nitya yoga, and VTN yogas. This timeline makes it very easy to see the best days of the month (and it's easy to switch to earlier or later months too). The Timeline changes with the type of event you are working on, and you can choose from over 170 events in great detail, like for travel in any of the 8 directions, or for building a house, etc. Finally, you can also examine Doshas and Neutralizations, Special Considerations, and Muhurta Guidelines. This will be a very valuable tool for many Vedic astrologers and a great addition to Kala.  As if this great new module weren't enough, Kala also now offers a wonderful monthly transit calendar, with a bar graph at the top of the page showing positive and negative transits for every day of the month, and then a monthly calendar with significant events marked for each day. In addition, more yogas are now calculated and interpreted, including Spiritual yogas (e.g. yogas of wisdom and of spiritual tendencies). Kala has become an incredibly powerful and valuable Vedic astrology program. I recently talked to Matrix Software and discovered that they are hard at work on an astrological calendar program. This program will show both mundane events (e.g. aspects between transiting planets) and transits to a person's natal chart. It will offer both weekly and monthly calendar formats, with many, many options. I have wanted a solid transit calendar for many years, and look forward, with hope, that this one will be great. I discovered a great link to free astrological source code for programmers of various computer languages at http://astrosources.online.fr/indexeng.htm. On this website, you will find links to many different types of astrological computer source code, a link to a tutorial on planetary calculations, and the ability to purchase the AstroSources CD for only $20, which contains source codes, demo programs, and more. What great resources for the computer programmer/astrologer! I also located this website: http://jove.prohosting.com/~delphi29/, which offers a free astrology program called Delphi for the Palm handheld computers, and astrolib 1.3, with code to calculate the positions of Sun through Pluto (including the Moon). HAM-W is a tool for those who would like to do dial work, harmonic analysis, and midpoint work and who use the freeware program Astrolog. You can read about it and download it by clicking here. HAM-W is extremely useful for the dial work. It takes midpoint data files created by Astrolog 5.2 and above using 'ma' & 'm' switches (go through the Manual). HAM-W is Windows based extension of HAM for Dos developed and distributed as freeware by Rajeev Upadhye HAM-W is Windows based and works well with version 3.x and WIN 95, RAM 4 MB. Among its features are: - New and improved graphical user interface - Wittes' formuale : A+B-C - Hits to by todays planetary positions sensitive points - Midpoints triggerd by aspects in transiting planets - Birth dates hit by transiting planets - Hits by transiting planets to natal midpoints - Hits by transiting midpoints to natal planets - Report on hits by all the planets - Creation of planetary pictures - Keep all relevant ephemeris data, aspect data, new moon/full moon data handy to analyze harmonic groupings, midpoint hits etc. - Scroll the zodiac - Rotate the dial - Find hits by the transiting midpoints to the natal planets - Quickly search a particular midpoint - Find the dates when a transiting planet is hits a particular midpoint - Generate clues for the interpretation from the keywords - Clean the scratch-pad I have not investigated this program myself, but did want to introduce it to readers of this column. If you have read my published reviews, or this column recently, you already know that I purchased a Pocket PC handheld computer, and have found it a priceless tool for doing astrology when in the field. These pocket-sized computers are incredibly powerful, and great resources. Last month, I received an excellent astronomy program for the Pocket PC called TheSky Pocket Edition. This $49 piece of software has the ability to show you everything from a lunar phases calendar:  To accurate star maps for any location:  TheSky Pocket edition can show the positions of planets, minor planets, moons, stars, galaxies, nebulas, comets, open clusters, globular clusters, and planetary nebulas. It can label planets, stars, etc., show constellation lines and/or boundaries, zoom in or out to many levels, show stars in any direction, and step backward and forward in time by a selected time increment. This powerful software can show the sky for any date between 4713 B.C. and 10,000 A.D. When you press on any part of a sky map, you can see the right ascension, azimuth, and rise, transit, and set times for the place you pressed. It can also show tables for any planet indicating rising, transiting, and setting times, phase, magnitude, coordinates, apparent diameter, etc. For those watching the night sky, the program can show you what portion of the sky can be seen by the naked eye, by binoculars, and by a telescope. You can also search for any sky object and TheSkyPE will find it and show it on a star map. Even more powerful is the ability of TheSkyPE to actually control a telescope, pointing it towards any object that you wish to follow, as well as showing a sky map for the portion of space that the telescope is pointed at! Anyone who wants to watch the night sky, and to learn more about the dance of the heavens, will be delighted with this excellently executed piece of software. You can learn more about TheSky Pocket Edition or order it by clicking here. Discounts on Software Software discounts starting September 2003: When you purchase astrology software through me, you will get: 1. My free expert guidance in choosing the right program. 2. The best pricing distributors are allowed to offer. 3. Free U.S. shipping (and for some programs, free Express shipping Worldwide). 4. Additional benefits. E.g. I offer a free transit report program for purchasers of Sirius, over 60 beautiful extra artistic wheels for Solar Fire Gold, etc. 5. You are supporting my website, allowing me to continue posting astrology tutorials, software reviews, and much more. 6. Your software is fully registered to you and shipped to you directly from the manufacturer, with their full customer support as well as mine. You can support SoftStar News by: Telling others about our website. Sending us your insights and feedback on astrology software, Alerting us to new programs and astrological resources, Linking your website to ours, and by purchasing your astrological software through this site. Click to Return to Send e-mail to Hank Friedman Copyright © 2003 Hank Friedman |
