After one really hectic week I am back on a saturday blogging about things happened/happening. First things first. I thiunk Richie will be in India this week. With four of us here, it would be a nice December season. Nothing much happening in life. Mysore Tata, I love you and I am grateful to you.
I am expecting major team changes in the beginning of the first quarter in 2008. Let's see how this whole thing goes. Keeping my fingers crossed! Work had quite a bit of a lull this week and me committing a stupid compile break because of a CFLAG. This whole compile-break issue has been bloated and blown out of proportion. Hmm. It is strange that each manager or client has his own philosophy. Some people prefer Timeliness over quality in Software, and some people prefer quality over timeliness. I am good at delivereing first and keeping on adding patches , but I have to get used to the people who want things picture perfect at first shot.Change is constant in life and we have to learn to move on.
Caught up with Om Shanthi Om. Didn't like it so much, because I was aware of almost all the gags. Ruchira has started driving the car around everywhere in the first and second gear. Thats about from me now .... signing off with work increasing exponentially (for sure) the next week ....
:-(
Friday, November 23, 2007
TWTW (The week that was)
Better late than never....
Because of blogger and blogspot being blocked in office, it has become quite a task to blog!!!!
The beginning of this week I had been to three weddings all in and around Shimoga. The beginning of this week , witnessed a lot of different bakshagaLu and tested my gastronomic limits.
The creme-de-la-creme was me having a little bit of tambaaku (with some excruciatingly fiery betel leaves) unknowingly. It was like a shot in the head to say the least.
Last week, Tejaswi, Kumar and me packed our bags to Shivamogga, Nadahalli and the nearby places. I will upload a few photos for your viewing. We had been to Teju's very old house in Nadahalli. (the above one).
Teju had a quiet birthday , most of it was celebrated using phone calls ... :-)
There are a lot of things to say abt the trip, but I gotta go !!!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
State of Higher Education in India
Stumbled on this article on Outlook.
http://outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20071122&fname=harsh&sid=1
Found this piece of cliched quote and stopped reading further
"If we leave aside the IITs, the IIMs, and some other institutions such as the AIIMs, the Indian Institute of Science, and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, we will find a higher education sector that is increasingly unwilling and unable to bear the weight of the rising expectations of an emerging India. "
Agreed IITs and IIMs are institutes of High reputation which have contributed greatly to the Academic circles and the industry, but there are people from other institutes too who have made some kind of contribution. What about the IISc, the RECs(NITs), the UVCEs and RVCEs of different states, the Delhi university, ISBs, SPJAINs, FMSes etc? and the many numerous schools of a decent reputation?
Enough of cliche. The obsession of maintaining exclusivity of IITs and IIMs have really crippled the higher education system, and limited the infrastructure for many talented students. ( I think this is what the author is cribbing about). 2 lakh people for 2000 seats for IIMs? That sucks really. It presumes the 97 percentiles are not worthy enough compared to the 99s. I do not know if it is the lack of infrastructure, or the mentality of maintaining EXCLUSIVITY that is more prevalent or both.
http://outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20071122&fname=harsh&sid=1
Found this piece of cliched quote and stopped reading further
"If we leave aside the IITs, the IIMs, and some other institutions such as the AIIMs, the Indian Institute of Science, and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, we will find a higher education sector that is increasingly unwilling and unable to bear the weight of the rising expectations of an emerging India. "
Agreed IITs and IIMs are institutes of High reputation which have contributed greatly to the Academic circles and the industry, but there are people from other institutes too who have made some kind of contribution. What about the IISc, the RECs(NITs), the UVCEs and RVCEs of different states, the Delhi university, ISBs, SPJAINs, FMSes etc? and the many numerous schools of a decent reputation?
Enough of cliche. The obsession of maintaining exclusivity of IITs and IIMs have really crippled the higher education system, and limited the infrastructure for many talented students. ( I think this is what the author is cribbing about). 2 lakh people for 2000 seats for IIMs? That sucks really. It presumes the 97 percentiles are not worthy enough compared to the 99s. I do not know if it is the lack of infrastructure, or the mentality of maintaining EXCLUSIVITY that is more prevalent or both.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Dont Repeat the Same Mistake..
Is an advice almost provided by everyone, but rarely followed. If rumors were to be true, Yahoo really paid a high price by doing it
First before 1997, the founders of Google went to Yahoo for a seed money for the search technology. Yahoo did not believe there is a market for information searching, as they were overwhelmed by banner ads. - Well this is part of history Google boasts on its website
Second time, Yahoo had an option to buy Google for $1billion in 2003 before the high-profile Google IPO. Rumors has it Yahoo dint acknowledge Google was worth it and some bankers were behind the deal being withered out
Hmm.. same mistake baby (well almost)
First before 1997, the founders of Google went to Yahoo for a seed money for the search technology. Yahoo did not believe there is a market for information searching, as they were overwhelmed by banner ads. - Well this is part of history Google boasts on its website
Second time, Yahoo had an option to buy Google for $1billion in 2003 before the high-profile Google IPO. Rumors has it Yahoo dint acknowledge Google was worth it and some bankers were behind the deal being withered out
Hmm.. same mistake baby (well almost)
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sustainable prod development - REally funny
TOday we had a class on Sustainable product development. The professor presented some envelopes made up of papers from used magazines and commended on the creatitivy of the person who did this. She was so amazed of this massive reusability, recycling whatever she coined it and passed the envelopes around the class to have a deep look into it :-).
I found it really funny. This is a huge industry in India Damnit :D
I found it really funny. This is a huge industry in India Damnit :D
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Read This Please :-)
Think it is a good post in response to Consumerism :-)
THOMAS L FRIEDMAN
Two dates — two numbers. Read them and weep for what could have, and should have, been. On Sept 11, 2001, the OPEC basket oil price was $25.50 a barrel. On Nov 13, 2007, the OPEC basket price was around $90 a barrel.
In the wake of 9/11, some of us pleaded for a ‘‘patriot tax’’ on gasoline of $1 or more a gallon to diminish the transfers of wealth we were making to the very countries who were indirectly financing the ideologies of intolerance that were killing Americans and in order to spur innovation in energy efficiency by US manufacturers.
But no, George Bush and Dick Cheney had a better idea. And the Democrats went along for the ride. You’d think that one person, just one, running for Congress or the Senate would take a flier and say: ‘‘Oh, what the heck. I’m going to lose anyway. Why not tell the truth? I’ll support a gasoline tax.’’
Not one. Everyone just runs away from the ‘T-word’ and watches our wealth run away to Russia, Venezuela and Iran. I can’t believe that someone could not win the following debate: Republican Candidate: ‘‘My Democratic opponent, true to form, wants to raise your taxes. Yes, now he wants to raise your taxes at the gasoline pump by $1 a gallon. Another tax-and-spend liberal who wants to get into your pocket.’’ Democratic Candidate: ‘‘Yes, my opponent is right. I do favour a gasoline tax phased in over 12 months. But let’s get one thing straight: My opponent and i are both for a tax. I just prefer that my taxes go to the US Treasury, and he’s ready to see his go to the Russian, Venezuelan, Saudi and Iranian treasuries. His tax finances people who hate us. Mine would offset some of our payroll taxes, pay down our deficit, strengthen our dollar, stimulate energy efficiency and shore up Social Security. It’s called win-winwin-win-win for America. My opponent’s strategy is sit back, let the market work and watch America lose-lose-lose-lose-lose.’’ If you can’t win that debate, you don’t belong in politics.
‘‘Think about it,’’ says Phil Verleger, an energy economist. ‘‘We could have replaced the current payroll tax with a gasoline tax. Middle-class consumers would have seen increased take-home pay of 6-9%, they would have had to pay more at the pump. A stronger foundation for future economic growth would have been laid by keeping more oil revenue home, and we might not now be facing a recession.’’
As a higher gas tax discouraged oil consumption, the Harvard University economist and former Bush adviser N Gregory Mankiw has argued: ‘‘the price of oil would fall in world markets. As a result, the price of gas to (US) consumers would rise by less than the increase in the tax. Some of the tax would in effect be paid by Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.’’
But US consumers would have known that, with a higher gasoline tax locked in for good, pump prices would never be going back to the old days, adds Verleger, so they would have a much stronger incentive to switch to more fuelefficient vehicles and Detroit would have had to make more hybrids to survive. This would have put Detroit five years ahead of where it is now.
We simply cannot go on being as dumb as we wanna be. If you hate the war in Iraq, then you want a gasoline tax so you can argue that we can pull out of there without remaining dependent on an even more unstable region.
If you want to see America thrive by becoming the most energy productive economy in the world — a title that now belongs to Japan, which doesn’t have a drop of oil in its soil — you want a gasoline tax, which will only spur US innovation in energy efficiency.
NYT NEWS SERVICE
FLAT WORLD
America needs a ‘patriot tax’ on gasoline
THOMAS L FRIEDMAN
Two dates — two numbers. Read them and weep for what could have, and should have, been. On Sept 11, 2001, the OPEC basket oil price was $25.50 a barrel. On Nov 13, 2007, the OPEC basket price was around $90 a barrel.
In the wake of 9/11, some of us pleaded for a ‘‘patriot tax’’ on gasoline of $1 or more a gallon to diminish the transfers of wealth we were making to the very countries who were indirectly financing the ideologies of intolerance that were killing Americans and in order to spur innovation in energy efficiency by US manufacturers.
But no, George Bush and Dick Cheney had a better idea. And the Democrats went along for the ride. You’d think that one person, just one, running for Congress or the Senate would take a flier and say: ‘‘Oh, what the heck. I’m going to lose anyway. Why not tell the truth? I’ll support a gasoline tax.’’
Not one. Everyone just runs away from the ‘T-word’ and watches our wealth run away to Russia, Venezuela and Iran. I can’t believe that someone could not win the following debate: Republican Candidate: ‘‘My Democratic opponent, true to form, wants to raise your taxes. Yes, now he wants to raise your taxes at the gasoline pump by $1 a gallon. Another tax-and-spend liberal who wants to get into your pocket.’’ Democratic Candidate: ‘‘Yes, my opponent is right. I do favour a gasoline tax phased in over 12 months. But let’s get one thing straight: My opponent and i are both for a tax. I just prefer that my taxes go to the US Treasury, and he’s ready to see his go to the Russian, Venezuelan, Saudi and Iranian treasuries. His tax finances people who hate us. Mine would offset some of our payroll taxes, pay down our deficit, strengthen our dollar, stimulate energy efficiency and shore up Social Security. It’s called win-winwin-win-win for America. My opponent’s strategy is sit back, let the market work and watch America lose-lose-lose-lose-lose.’’ If you can’t win that debate, you don’t belong in politics.
‘‘Think about it,’’ says Phil Verleger, an energy economist. ‘‘We could have replaced the current payroll tax with a gasoline tax. Middle-class consumers would have seen increased take-home pay of 6-9%, they would have had to pay more at the pump. A stronger foundation for future economic growth would have been laid by keeping more oil revenue home, and we might not now be facing a recession.’’
As a higher gas tax discouraged oil consumption, the Harvard University economist and former Bush adviser N Gregory Mankiw has argued: ‘‘the price of oil would fall in world markets. As a result, the price of gas to (US) consumers would rise by less than the increase in the tax. Some of the tax would in effect be paid by Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.’’
But US consumers would have known that, with a higher gasoline tax locked in for good, pump prices would never be going back to the old days, adds Verleger, so they would have a much stronger incentive to switch to more fuelefficient vehicles and Detroit would have had to make more hybrids to survive. This would have put Detroit five years ahead of where it is now.
We simply cannot go on being as dumb as we wanna be. If you hate the war in Iraq, then you want a gasoline tax so you can argue that we can pull out of there without remaining dependent on an even more unstable region.
If you want to see America thrive by becoming the most energy productive economy in the world — a title that now belongs to Japan, which doesn’t have a drop of oil in its soil — you want a gasoline tax, which will only spur US innovation in energy efficiency.
NYT NEWS SERVICE
Friday, November 16, 2007
Consumerism
I am writing this out of sheer desperation of doing something different for the day, apart from browsing, refreshing inboxes, and surfing channels. It has really been killing :D
The fear is officially declared. Americans are spending less due to various things credit turmoil and rising oil costs being at the forefront. There is no dreadful event as this one - Americans spending less. Worldwide companies, governments, and now a days even ordinary people are worried about this phenomenon and this clearly sucks.
Here is a sect of people who are over draft on their credit, and enjoying a quality of life better than majority of people across the world. And the people supplying Americans are worried, working hard, in order to give these people a over decent life. (much more than they deserve)
With almost no savings and drawing heavy personal debts on undervalued assets, the life enjoyed by the people here is unrivaled. Their consumption cannot be satisfied. They never have heard of conservation, efficiency and similar words. This leaves the whole burden on the companies to innovate incessantly to produce products which can be suited to this consuming behavior and indeed achieve sustainability too.
Lets talk about the energy crisis. With crude kissing $100/barrel, what should be the focus ?
The Energy efficiency bill has so much hurdles getting approved. Everyone blames the Auto and Oil companies for this. But I think deep under its the attitude of American consumers which drivers the Auto/Oil companies not to think of Efficiency.
Now this has given some explosive growth to alternative energy systems in the US, ranging from Solar to biofuels. Somewhere it is wrong economics and somewhere else its rattling the food markets. But who cares of millions of hunger stomachs across the world, compared to vrooming SUVs across the roads of the US. Even people like Mr. Vinod Khosla is pitching so hard for Bio-fuels ignoring the fact that Bio fuels like oil is a global market and will disrupt food markets across the world. Well who cares? When bio-fuel is pitched it is all about energy security, farmers in the US, Green House Gases etc. Who cares what happens to other parts of the world.
Americans are overdrafted and its high-time they spend less and concentrate on savings, efficiency, preserving etc etc etc as there is not enough money to lend more for bad assets.
Spending without having money is stupid, but this country is currently having a gala time.
The fear is officially declared. Americans are spending less due to various things credit turmoil and rising oil costs being at the forefront. There is no dreadful event as this one - Americans spending less. Worldwide companies, governments, and now a days even ordinary people are worried about this phenomenon and this clearly sucks.
Here is a sect of people who are over draft on their credit, and enjoying a quality of life better than majority of people across the world. And the people supplying Americans are worried, working hard, in order to give these people a over decent life. (much more than they deserve)
With almost no savings and drawing heavy personal debts on undervalued assets, the life enjoyed by the people here is unrivaled. Their consumption cannot be satisfied. They never have heard of conservation, efficiency and similar words. This leaves the whole burden on the companies to innovate incessantly to produce products which can be suited to this consuming behavior and indeed achieve sustainability too.
Lets talk about the energy crisis. With crude kissing $100/barrel, what should be the focus ?
The Energy efficiency bill has so much hurdles getting approved. Everyone blames the Auto and Oil companies for this. But I think deep under its the attitude of American consumers which drivers the Auto/Oil companies not to think of Efficiency.
Now this has given some explosive growth to alternative energy systems in the US, ranging from Solar to biofuels. Somewhere it is wrong economics and somewhere else its rattling the food markets. But who cares of millions of hunger stomachs across the world, compared to vrooming SUVs across the roads of the US. Even people like Mr. Vinod Khosla is pitching so hard for Bio-fuels ignoring the fact that Bio fuels like oil is a global market and will disrupt food markets across the world. Well who cares? When bio-fuel is pitched it is all about energy security, farmers in the US, Green House Gases etc. Who cares what happens to other parts of the world.
Americans are overdrafted and its high-time they spend less and concentrate on savings, efficiency, preserving etc etc etc as there is not enough money to lend more for bad assets.
Spending without having money is stupid, but this country is currently having a gala time.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Diwali
Happy Diwali guys!!!It was a great 3 day fun starting from Thursday and I had a gala time. Super oota for three days but very loud and noisy diwali everywhere here in Bangalore.
For me, it was the first diwali and it was fun and nice too. Two weeks ago I drove to Hosur, bought MANY crackers at 95% discount and also got a taste of Electronic City traffic. The elevated highway is a huuuuge project (it is more than 8kms, I guess) and the government has done a wise thing by splitting the project by giving it to 4 different contractors. There will be mutual competition and nobody can give a silly reason and escape.
Also, as I have seen many diwalis in my life, I notice that the crackers are getting more innovative every year. Nowadays, Diwali is not just about flower-pot, sur-sur bhatthi and lakshmi pataaki. There are much more innovative stuff. The Standard Fireworks factory has tied up with Chinese firecracker companies and have started crackers which launch something and there is an aerial display of color.
But of course, there is a lot of noise and smoke. I feel very bad about the pollution levels in the city. There are assurances that the noise levels are not more than some prescribed limit of decibels and there are prints saying that no child labor has been exploited. But something has to be done about the smoke. Or I guess, we should start using less fireworks ?
And this weekend, managed to catch the movie "Wag the Dog" on DVD. It's been quite a while since I watched an English movie and enjoyed it. If you find it , it's worth watching.Today there's Teja's wedding. Hope Kummi's Electra 5s has arrived. I am looking forward to see Kummi on it.
Small notes for memory's sake! :-
Next week we have booked a rail ticket for Shimoga, in view of Avinash, Harsha Ramangagoudr's wedding. And hoping to enjoy some Nadahalli food also.
- Chola Batoora - Day0 with kalsdanna for Dinner
- Bisibelebaath, Holige and champaakali - Day1 (Naraka Chaturdashi)
- Veg Ravioli Tomato Sauce and Banana Walnut Cake - Day 3 (At Herbs and Spices, Indiranagar)
- Gobi Mutter and Chapathi - Day 3 (Bali padya)
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