After staying in the sub-urbs of
Also, sub-urban towns of
Monday, December 19, 2011
Living and Working in Stuttgart
Friday, September 30, 2011
European debt crisis could take years to resolve
European debt crisis could take years to resolve
Economic Times - 45 minutes ago
It has happened time and again in recent months as
Thursday, March 31, 2011
10 things to learn from JAPAN, in the wake of the triple disaster that has devasted the island nation
Here are some important lessons to be learnt from the Japanese people in the wake of the triple disaster that has devastated the island nation
10 things to learn from JAPAN
1. THE CALM
Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.
2. THE DIGNITY
Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.
3. THE ABILITY
The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn’t fall.
4. THE GRACE
People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.
5. THE ORDER
No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.
6. THE SACRIFICE
Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?
7. THE TENDERNESS
Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.
8. THE TRAINING
The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.
9. THE MEDIA
They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters. Only calm reportage.
10. THE CONSCIENCE
When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly
Source: Received as a forwarded email from a friend
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE
*DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE*
There was this family with one kid. One day the mother was out and dad was
in charge of the kid, who just turned four.
Someone had given the kid a little 'tea set' as a birthday gift and it was
one of his favorite toys. Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the
evening news when kid brought Daddy a little cup of 'tea', which was just
water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea from
father, kid’s Mom came home.
Dad made her wait in the living room to watch the kid bring him a cup of
tea, because it was 'just the cutest thing!!'
Mom waited, and sure enough, the kid comes down the hall with a cup of tea
for Daddy and she watches him drink it up, then she says to him, 'Did it
ever occur to you that the only place that baby can reach to get water is
the toilet??'
....Mothers know!!
MORAL OF THE STORY:
*Domain knowledge is very important!!!*
There was this family with one kid. One day the mother was out and dad was
in charge of the kid, who just turned four.
Someone had given the kid a little 'tea set' as a birthday gift and it was
one of his favorite toys. Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the
evening news when kid brought Daddy a little cup of 'tea', which was just
water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea from
father, kid’s Mom came home.
Dad made her wait in the living room to watch the kid bring him a cup of
tea, because it was 'just the cutest thing!!'
Mom waited, and sure enough, the kid comes down the hall with a cup of tea
for Daddy and she watches him drink it up, then she says to him, 'Did it
ever occur to you that the only place that baby can reach to get water is
the toilet??'
....Mothers know!!
MORAL OF THE STORY:
*Domain knowledge is very important!!!*
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Two women researchers on MITs India TR35 list - CIOL News Reports
Two women researchers on MITs India TR35 list - CIOL News Reports: "BANGALORE, INDIA: On the eve of the International Women's Day, Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT's Technology Review India edition said that two women researchers – Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan and Alefia Merchant – have found place the prestigious ‘India Technology Review 35’ list for 2011.
The researchers got this recognition for their innovative work done in Bangalore, said a press release.
Bangalore-based Microsoft Researcher Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan came up with a low-cost digital system which lets the users have the convenience of using a normal pen and a plain paper to record data and instantly store it in the digital form.
On the other hand, Alefia Merchant, the second woman on this year’s list, developed a novel method of screening for eye disease in children under the age of five."
The researchers got this recognition for their innovative work done in Bangalore, said a press release.
Bangalore-based Microsoft Researcher Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan came up with a low-cost digital system which lets the users have the convenience of using a normal pen and a plain paper to record data and instantly store it in the digital form.
On the other hand, Alefia Merchant, the second woman on this year’s list, developed a novel method of screening for eye disease in children under the age of five."
Friday, March 4, 2011
Union Budget 2011- Appeal against Service tax on Health care
The government has imposed an additional 5% servive tax on hospital bills. Dr Devi Shetty from Narayana Hrudayalaya Bangalore appeals to the common man to protest against this move.
Corruption and Scams in India - An interesting snap-shot
 |
| Google Search Result - Corruption and Scams in India (MAR-2011) |
Tthe interesting points to be noted here are:
- The graph at the top shows how the number of corruption cases being reported in India, has been rising steadily over the years.
- The peaks can be seen around 2010 - 2011.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Scrap Book of Funny Sights, Signs and Signboards
Here are some really funny pictures of signs and signboards spotted in India. I presume it would be South India since there were pictures of some Kannada signs also in email I received. The origin of these pictures is not known. It was one of those time-pass forwarded mails.
Some bottled water thoughts (and maybe some rants)
The names of places and the facts may be from a US perspective, but the ideas are equally applicable to India. think about it.
Ok, definitely some rants.
On Sunday afternoon, Mr. FG and I watched Tapped, a documentary about bottled water.
I have never been a fan of bottled water, and so I expected to be in agreement with the message of the documentary. I did not expect to be so completely and utterly disgusted by the production practices, and I didn't expect to feel so depressed.
I've always known that bottled water is insanely expensive (I think the mark-up is something like 1900 times).
I've known for quite a while now that a lot of bottled water is merely filtered tap water (Aquafina and Dasani are two such products).
And I've thought for quite some time that the amount of plastic produced by the bottled water industry is unnecessary and excessive.
But I never really thought before about where bottled water comes from. Tapped showed how a Nestle company, Poland Springs, scouts out areas where water laws aren't very well thought out (like in Maine), quietly buys up land, and trucks the water out.
And they showed how bottled water plants in Georgia and North Carolina pump millions of gallons of water out of the public supply in the midst of a drought. People are on water restrictions, public reservoirs are drying up, and the local bottled water plants just keep on chugging along, bottling water, packaging it, and shipping it off to places where people already have access to water.
Seeing that practically made me want to cry.
Also, I have always assumed that though bottled water is unnecessary, expensive, and wasteful, it is at least pure.
Not so. Bottled water is very loosely regulated (the equivalent of half a person at the FDA is in charge of the whole bottled water industry), the bottled water companies are responsible for their own testing, and they don't make the results of their tests public.
In contrast, tap water has to be tested between 300 and 400 times per MONTH, depending on the population of the area, and the test results are made public.
The makers of Tapped sent several different brands of water off to two independent test labs and the results were read by someone independent of those two labs. The bottled water contained stuff like styrene and phthlates.
Pure? Not so much.
And the tests they did on bottled water that had sat in a car trunk for a week were even worse (the plastic bottles that are supposed to be so safe appear not to be).
And then there is the matter of the production/waste of those plastic bottles. I was so disheartened to hear about how few plastic bottles get recycled (people drink water on the go and don't want to bring the bottle home to recycle it.). So they just throw it away, and an amazing number of these bottles end up in the Pacific Ocean.
Plastic bottle deposit programs (I'm a little confused about how they work, but I know they end up costing the manufacturer in some way) increase the recycling rate to something like 97%, but bottled water companies steadfastly resist this idea, and instead say they support curbside recycling (which isn't very effective since people drink bottled water on the go, not at home).
Of course they support curbside recycling. Because that program is paid for by taxes, and it doesn't cut into their almighty bottom line.
Bottled water bottles are obviously made from oil, and Tapped showed an oil refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas. The health problems experienced by the people who live near the ever-growing refinery broke my heart. Often we think of pollution just in terms of what it does to the environment, but this documentary reminded me of the impact it has on people (as an example, the cancer rate in that county is 80% higher than elsewhere in Texas).
I know that the bottled water industry is not the only one that uses oil or that uses water, but what makes me so frustrated about it is that it is almost completely and utterly unnecessary.
Here in the U.S., we have a tap water system available to us that is tested rigorously, that costs almost nothing, and that produces no plastic.
Bottled water is expensive.
Bottled water requires plastic bottles, many of which are not recycled, and even the ones that are still use energy (recycling plants have to have energy to run).
And a lot of bottled water is just TAP WATER anyway!
So, why in the world are we spending more than 100 billion a year on bottled water??
I think we've been duped by the bottled water industry's clever marketing. They want us to think that tap water is dirty and gross and unsafe, and that the only way to get pure water is to buy their product (a higher-up in a bottled water company said plain and simply that tap water is the enemy).
Also, I think we are a culture of convenience. We like to have water with us but we don't want to bother to actually fill it up, carry it with us, carry it back home with us, and wash it.
But, we consumers hold an enormous amount of power here because if we don't buy the water, the manufacturers will not produce it.
Would you consider helping to dry up the bottled water market?
I know that a number of you will comment and share that your water tastes bad or is unsafe.
But, for every person that truly does have bad water (and after watching Tapped, I'm not at all sure bottled water is going to be any safer for you!), I'm positive that there are many more whose tap water is perfectly potable.
If your water tastes icky, buy a filter. When Mr. FG and I rented our basement apartment, we thought the water had a weird taste. One Brita pitcher later, we were happily drinking the tap water. Our Brita Pitcher
costs $22.99 on Amazon, and even with the continued cost of new filters, you're going to recoup your cost in no time if you quit drinking bottled water.
If you don't trust a Brita filter, consider one that fits onto your tap, or one that's a little more involved. Over time, even the more expensive systems will pay for themselves.
Also, consider buying a good water bottle, like a Klean Kanteen
. We own six Klean Kanteens, one for each of us, and we love them. Klean Kanteens don't come cheap, but I actually think that's a good thing. If you've forked over $15 for a stainless steel bottle, you'll value it enough to keep track of it and reuse it.
I know some of the ideas I share on my blog take time to implement, and I know they won't work for everyone. But I really think that everyone on the planet has time to run their water through a filter (if they feel it's necessary) and fill up a water bottle. It just doesn't take THAT long. If you don't have time to do it, you probably don't have time to read my blog (and I'd be thrilled if you gave up reading my blog in order to have time to give up bottled water!).
And if you don't buy bottled water, you won't have to lug cases of it to your car, out of your car, and into your house, so you might even save time by giving it up.
Give it a try, won't you? Tap water is a win, win, win, win situation in almost every case, and I strongly urge you to join me in making it your beverage of choice.
via The Frugal Girl by Kristen on 3/1/11
Ok, definitely some rants.
On Sunday afternoon, Mr. FG and I watched Tapped, a documentary about bottled water.
I have never been a fan of bottled water, and so I expected to be in agreement with the message of the documentary. I did not expect to be so completely and utterly disgusted by the production practices, and I didn't expect to feel so depressed.
I've always known that bottled water is insanely expensive (I think the mark-up is something like 1900 times).
I've known for quite a while now that a lot of bottled water is merely filtered tap water (Aquafina and Dasani are two such products).
And I've thought for quite some time that the amount of plastic produced by the bottled water industry is unnecessary and excessive.
But I never really thought before about where bottled water comes from. Tapped showed how a Nestle company, Poland Springs, scouts out areas where water laws aren't very well thought out (like in Maine), quietly buys up land, and trucks the water out.
And they showed how bottled water plants in Georgia and North Carolina pump millions of gallons of water out of the public supply in the midst of a drought. People are on water restrictions, public reservoirs are drying up, and the local bottled water plants just keep on chugging along, bottling water, packaging it, and shipping it off to places where people already have access to water.
Seeing that practically made me want to cry.
Also, I have always assumed that though bottled water is unnecessary, expensive, and wasteful, it is at least pure.
Not so. Bottled water is very loosely regulated (the equivalent of half a person at the FDA is in charge of the whole bottled water industry), the bottled water companies are responsible for their own testing, and they don't make the results of their tests public.
In contrast, tap water has to be tested between 300 and 400 times per MONTH, depending on the population of the area, and the test results are made public.
The makers of Tapped sent several different brands of water off to two independent test labs and the results were read by someone independent of those two labs. The bottled water contained stuff like styrene and phthlates.
Pure? Not so much.
And the tests they did on bottled water that had sat in a car trunk for a week were even worse (the plastic bottles that are supposed to be so safe appear not to be).
And then there is the matter of the production/waste of those plastic bottles. I was so disheartened to hear about how few plastic bottles get recycled (people drink water on the go and don't want to bring the bottle home to recycle it.). So they just throw it away, and an amazing number of these bottles end up in the Pacific Ocean.
Plastic bottle deposit programs (I'm a little confused about how they work, but I know they end up costing the manufacturer in some way) increase the recycling rate to something like 97%, but bottled water companies steadfastly resist this idea, and instead say they support curbside recycling (which isn't very effective since people drink bottled water on the go, not at home).
Of course they support curbside recycling. Because that program is paid for by taxes, and it doesn't cut into their almighty bottom line.
Bottled water bottles are obviously made from oil, and Tapped showed an oil refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas. The health problems experienced by the people who live near the ever-growing refinery broke my heart. Often we think of pollution just in terms of what it does to the environment, but this documentary reminded me of the impact it has on people (as an example, the cancer rate in that county is 80% higher than elsewhere in Texas).
I know that the bottled water industry is not the only one that uses oil or that uses water, but what makes me so frustrated about it is that it is almost completely and utterly unnecessary.
Here in the U.S., we have a tap water system available to us that is tested rigorously, that costs almost nothing, and that produces no plastic.
Bottled water is expensive.
Bottled water requires plastic bottles, many of which are not recycled, and even the ones that are still use energy (recycling plants have to have energy to run).
And a lot of bottled water is just TAP WATER anyway!
So, why in the world are we spending more than 100 billion a year on bottled water??
I think we've been duped by the bottled water industry's clever marketing. They want us to think that tap water is dirty and gross and unsafe, and that the only way to get pure water is to buy their product (a higher-up in a bottled water company said plain and simply that tap water is the enemy).
Also, I think we are a culture of convenience. We like to have water with us but we don't want to bother to actually fill it up, carry it with us, carry it back home with us, and wash it.
Alternatives
I feel quite convinced that the bottled water industry is a money-making machine that doesn't care about the environment or even about our health. I'm not in a place where I can make laws against them or do something big, though, and you probably aren't either.But, we consumers hold an enormous amount of power here because if we don't buy the water, the manufacturers will not produce it.
Would you consider helping to dry up the bottled water market?
I know that a number of you will comment and share that your water tastes bad or is unsafe.
But, for every person that truly does have bad water (and after watching Tapped, I'm not at all sure bottled water is going to be any safer for you!), I'm positive that there are many more whose tap water is perfectly potable.
If your water tastes icky, buy a filter. When Mr. FG and I rented our basement apartment, we thought the water had a weird taste. One Brita pitcher later, we were happily drinking the tap water. Our Brita Pitcher
costs $22.99 on Amazon, and even with the continued cost of new filters, you're going to recoup your cost in no time if you quit drinking bottled water.If you don't trust a Brita filter, consider one that fits onto your tap, or one that's a little more involved. Over time, even the more expensive systems will pay for themselves.
Also, consider buying a good water bottle, like a Klean Kanteen
. We own six Klean Kanteens, one for each of us, and we love them. Klean Kanteens don't come cheap, but I actually think that's a good thing. If you've forked over $15 for a stainless steel bottle, you'll value it enough to keep track of it and reuse it.I know some of the ideas I share on my blog take time to implement, and I know they won't work for everyone. But I really think that everyone on the planet has time to run their water through a filter (if they feel it's necessary) and fill up a water bottle. It just doesn't take THAT long. If you don't have time to do it, you probably don't have time to read my blog (and I'd be thrilled if you gave up reading my blog in order to have time to give up bottled water!).
And if you don't buy bottled water, you won't have to lug cases of it to your car, out of your car, and into your house, so you might even save time by giving it up.
Give it a try, won't you? Tap water is a win, win, win, win situation in almost every case, and I strongly urge you to join me in making it your beverage of choice.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
IIT Engineer turns Comedian - Colossal waste of precious resource
This is a classic example of a thoroughly confused student who was forced by parental or peer pressure into pursuing engineering. What a colossal waste of precious and scarce resource - each seat in the prestigious IITs are sought after by thousands of candidates. This guy got that opportunity and what does he do with it? Ridiculous ! He becomes a comedian. Why the heck didn't he take up arts instead of wasting a precious IIT seat. Some other deserving candidate could have got that seat.
via www.humorbeings.in on 3/2/11
Nitin Gupta ( Rivaldo): (FOUNDER & CEO: Chief Entertainment Officer)
Nitin Gupta is a B. TECH from IIT Bombay. He is a Chemical Engineer by Education and an Amusement Engineer by Passion. In his own words he explains, " I just happened to choose Comedy over Entropy :)".He holds the distinction of being the only Stand Up Comic in India to have been invited to the Prestigious TED Talks. TEDx VNIT Nagpur , TEDx Trichy.
At 25, he is not only one of the youngest, but also probably the only Stand Up Comic in India,who can perform in both English and Hindi, with equal Panache. He also created a play "Love in December" which is extremely famous across colleges in India.Presently he is performing touring the country with his Stand Up Comedy Concerts and you could also catch him performing at Comedy Store Mumbai.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Unrest in the Middle East and Africa -- country by country - CNN.com
Unrest in the Middle East and Africa -- country by country - CNN.com: "Unrest in the Middle East and Africa -- country by country
By the CNN Wire Staff"
CNN gives the key data on each nation experiencing unrest with updates on what's happening where...
Demonstrations have spread across parts of the Middle East and Africa. Here are the latest developments, including the roots of the unrest:
By the CNN Wire Staff"
CNN gives the key data on each nation experiencing unrest with updates on what's happening where...
Demonstrations have spread across parts of the Middle East and Africa. Here are the latest developments, including the roots of the unrest:
Friday, February 25, 2011
EV Cup electric car racing to get the electrons flowing this year
via Autoblog Green by Jonas Dalidd on 2/23/11
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Th!nk (Think), Racing
EV Cup, the world's first racing series dedicated solely to zero emission vehicles, starts this August with a debut race in the UK, followed by events in Spain, Portugal, and the U.S. Drivers will compete in three categories: the City EV class, which will feature the tiny Think vehicles; the Sports EV class, with drivers racing in Westfield iRACERs; and the Prototype EV class, wherein non-production EVs (with very little limitations) will go head-to-head in time trials.
Entering in the Sports EV class is Drayson Racing, headed by Lord Paul Drayson, former British Government Minister of Science who quit his job to get into green racing (at the time, a bio-ethanol car in Le Mans). Drayson had good things to say about the EV Cup in a prepared statement:
The team at EVCUP have taken a bold step forward to create the world's first electric racing series. As one of the world's leading green motorsport teams, we want to be a part of it and we want to win it!If you're an auto racing enthusiast who is also concerned about the environment, make sure to check this series out. To get all the details, the full press release is available after the jump.
[Source: EV Cup / Drayson Racing]
Continue reading EV Cup electric car racing to get the electrons flowing this year
EV Cup electric car racing to get the electrons flowing this year originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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10 Creative Uses Of The New Facebook Profile Page
Sent to you by Sugandh via Google Reader:
via MakeUseOf.com by Jeffry Thurana on 2/24/11
If you want to create your own, below are several examples that could inspire you. Please note that due to the nature of Facebook profile pages, which some people change as often as changing clothes, the linked Facebook page might already display a different series of images when you visit them. That's why some of these page profile artists recorded their creations and saved them somewhere else.
Tools Of The Trade
Before we go through the examples, let's see some of the tools that you can use to customize your Facebook Profile Page. We discussed several of them in 3+ Ways To Customise Your Facebook Profile Picture and How To Reface Your Facebook Profile Using FB Photo Magic. There are also other similar tools that you could try, such as :
- Profile Pimp
- Facebook Profile Picture Generator
- Profile Maker
- MyPeex
- Your New Profile
- Cut My Face (in French)
Armed with these tools, you are ready to go. You only need some inspiration to spice up your own design, inspiration you could perhaps get from some of the following profile pages. The list is in no particular order – except for the first.
Alexandre Oudin
The first spot is reserved for Mr Oudin to honor him as the person who triggered the trend. He creatively used a close-up picture of himself to compile his profile page. Looking at how many profile page creation tools are available today, it's amazing how he – being the first of the pack – did his profile page manually, with the help of Photoshop and a lot of patience.
Jon Yang
I have only one word for this one: amazing. Mr Yang used the profile page layout to perfectly put the emphasize on the action.
John Robert-Nicoud
Whose heart wouldn't melt after looking at this cute picture? Mr Robert-Nicoud divided the images into two parts and so enhanced the focus on each one. The cute hand and the small flower connected the two parts and gave soul to the whole.
Thibaut Le Brasseur
Who said that Facebook profile page hacks have to be built only from photos? This example shows a playful twist to the page hacking process.
Jack Smith
This is what we call going all the way. Mr Smith didn't stop at utilizing the profile page and photo streams, but also the other lines of images. I don't know whether this one was done manually or by using one of the available tools, but you surely need lots and lots of patience to do it the manual way.
Cynthia Lay
Even with the help of the Facebook profile page builder, this profile page is not an easy one to create (at least not for me). Aside from the well-thought out composition, adjusting the position of the butterflies to fit the page hack layout is not something that ordinary people could do in one go.
Claudio Nader
While I personally think that this one is not as good looking as the other examples, Mr Nader creatively uses the space that he has to promote himself. He shows us that the Facebook profile page hack can also be used to literally show your profile.
Taylor Kwek
This is an example of how a limitation can be turned into an advantage. Mr Kwek utilizes the edges of the profile picture and photo streams as a virtual wall to give the illusion that he is peeking from behind the wall.
Dave Keffer
This profile page hack literally bends the concept of linear edges. The curved photos give the feeling of depth, as if there's a room behind the page.
Serentonin Boogie
Scrapbook fans will love this one. Instead of using just one photo like the majority of profile page artists, Mr Boogié tastefully composed and stitched several images into one, making the result a true work of art.
These ten are just a tiny proportion of the total number of Facebook profile page hacks. There are lots more examples out there, and it's impossible to show them all. If you have a favourite or if you'd like your creations to be featured here, please share them using the comments below.
Image credit: thurana
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