I Love Dilbert

I Love Dilbert

All Iz Well

Some days start with a good note and continue to be the same till you eventually go to sleep . today was one such day . The reason for that. Will let you know soon…

It happens only in India!!!

Are you a foreign national staying in Mumbai for more than twelve years, then you are eligible for an Indian Passport but not for a cab drivers license in Maharashtra even if you are an Indian by birth. This is according to the recent ruling by Maharashtra government that specifies that “new taxi driver licenses to be given to only those persons who are well versed in Marathi and have resided in the state for at least 15 years”. While speak Marathi and familiarity with local language seems a valid concern, 15 years domicile is absurd.

Ironically, I read about Kasab speaking in Marathi in the recent court proceedings. No wonder if you see him as a cab driver in the years to come. Eligibility proof:

Domicile 15 years: Yes
His trial would (hopefully) be over by 14 years, which will make him eligible to be both an Indian citizen and domicile of 15 years

Speak Marathi: Yes and in some more time the sharp person(says Mr.Ujjwal Nikkam, Kasab’s Special prosecutor) that he is, will soon also learn to read and write in Marathi.

Familiar with the territory: You bet

And the least important of all:
Driving skills: LeT certified
Attended a rigorous training camp in Pakistan

Local Address: Arthur Jail, Mumbai

I am confused what to say “It happens only in India!!!” or “Yeh hai Mumbai Meri Jaan!!!”

Article on Cricinfo

Just came across this article in Cricinfo. Good one. Go through it once.

Google Goggles

First of all, Wish you all a very Happy and fun filled New Year. May all your dreams come true this year. 2010 is hailed as the year of hope

And today it happens to be Isaac Newtons birthday. Today’s Google Doodle shows an apple actually falling from an apple tree in an animated doodle.

Google Doodle

. Happy Birthday Newton !!!

In one of my previous posts I had commented how nice it would be to have an image search With the current pace of innovation it wasn’t too far and such a feature has been brought out by none other than Search Giant Google called Google Goggles (Youtube video). But right now it is only available for mobile phones running Android 1.6+. Lets hope very soon we can see one for web as well…After all we have just bid adieu to a decade of innovation…

Rituals

I was reading this post on questioning religious rituals and ended up writing this whole new post:
I have always been an agnostic though unconsciously in the beginning and have always defied rituals and traditions even as a kid. I still do not follow and also not support following a majority of religious rituals simply because most of them are absurd and defy common sense.

But I realised the importance of rituals the day I stepped out of my house. I realised those moments of Arti during Diwali or pooja and decoration before any festival brought immense joy. They created a bonding within the members of the house, provided an occasion for celebration, provided avenues for team work, innovation, creativity and all those things the modern day HR personnel talk about for keeping their human resources happy. I missed all those moments away from house.

The camaraderie between seniors and juniors was difficult to miss after the freshers party. These rituals and traditions followed in the college really helped the newcomers feel more at home and get to know the each other better.

A solemnly conducted ritual prepares the ground, creates the atmosphere, suggests the mood for the occasion. Rituals give a concrete shape to the abstract spiritual ideals.It is only when the rituals are separated from the faith and assume an independent existence that they become mechanical and lifeless.

According to Wikipedia “The purposes of rituals are varied; they include compliance with religious obligations or ideals, satisfaction of spiritual or emotional needs of the practitioners, strengthening of social bonds, social and moral education, demonstration of respect or submission, stating one’s affiliation, obtaining social acceptance or approval for some event or, sometimes, just for the pleasure of the ritual itself.”

Even Robin Sharma stressed the importance of rituals in his book “The Greatness Guide”.
Even Swami Vivekananda said “The greatest men I have seen in my life, the most wonderfully developed in spirituality, have all come through the discipline of the rituals.”

A thousand rupee note is nothing but a paper but it is the value that we attach it to the paper that makes it different from the other scraps of paper. Worshiping the formless reality by unthought thought is the best kind of worship. But that may not be possible by everybody. So we conceive the presence of God in a stone. A stone without those feelings is still a stone.

I do not support following all rituals blindly but just wanted to say that all rituals are not completely useless.

The 3-D Experience

I remember the day when I watched my first 3-D movie “Chota Chetan”. That was a time when 3-D movies were a rarity. The excitement was also partly because of the glasses which were required to watch the movie. As kids we really enjoyed the movie and the chasma experience. The quality of these Kala Chasma( Black goggles) determine your 3-D experience. Fortunately, mine was a good one. and I loved watching Chota Chetan in action.

Now 3-D has become a norm, atleast for the animation movies. James Cameroon took the experince altogether to a different level. Avatar is a MUST-WATCH. Amazing imagination and a visual treat. Nothing could have been better but the experience is totally spoilt if you happen to get the wrong glasses. It takes you atleast an hour or so to just used to the glasses. This is esp. true of one of the best( and also one of the costliest) 3-D screens of Mumbai, IMAX Wadala. The glasses are too big and uncomfortable. The 3-D glasses are more uncomfortable than watching the blurred version of movie with bare eyes. I always wondered how do people with glasses for eyesight watch the movie without them unless you wear contact lenses or the 3-D glasses are really intelligent. I thought I was the only one but after reading a article in Mumbai Mirror I found out I am not the only one .Lots of other people detest the 3-D glasses and haven’t had a very good experience.

I hope with the evolution of 3-D movies they come up with a better way to enjoy the movie than wear those hideous glasses.

The Reflection

Just found this some time back. Thought it is worth sharing

                The Reflection

            The good you find in others is in you too.
        The faults you find in others, are your faults as well.
    After all, to recognise something you must know it well.
           The possibilities you see for others are for you as well.
        The beauty you see around, is your beauty.
    The world around you is a reflection,
        a mirror showing the person you are.
            What you see in others shows you to yourself.
        See the best in others, and you will be your best.
    Give to others, and give to yourself.
        Show your best face to the mirror, and you’ll
            be happy with face looking back at you.

Ek cutting Chai

Undoubtedly, Tea has been the favorite beverage of India. The ads featuring Zakir Hussain saying Wah Taj! are still fresh in my mind. Taaza ki taazgi, Red Label ke antioxidants, Society, Tata Tea Jaago Re. There is also a tea and coffee exhibition going on in Mumbai. Tea is a great refresher. Like so many others I am also an addict. I drink tea at least twice( that is only the lower limit) everyday. No matter what the conflicting researches worldwide have to say.

Mom-made tea @5:30 am before going to the tuitions. And then “ek cutting chai” reminds us of the days in college and all the late night preparations for the exams. All the days esp.evenings in rainy season and chilly winters when we sat in the balcony and sipped hot tea. Empire ki adrak wali chai(This one is near my office). Wow so many hot…sorry I mean warm memories. Tea breaks are an essential part of our routine. It is a common Indian habit to wash down our lunch/dinner/snacks or whatever we eat with tea.

But the last couple of times I asked for a tea after lunch in some of the popular joints near our office, the answer was either “We don’t serve tea or not at this time ” Some waiters looked at me as if I was an alien who just landed on earth. They offered me a range of other drinks from Coke, Pepsi, Red Bull to Flavored milk. But all that I wanted was plain, simple tea. The reason why they don’t offer tea is simple “Nobody orders for tea at this time”. WT…. I am not against Pepsi or anything but have the people forgotten beverages like tea and coffee or is it that the hoteliers find it easier to offer frozen drinks as compared to the preparing and serving hot tea. All I know is I am launching the “Chai Bachao Andolan” now. I hope I am not creating storm in a tea-cup!!! .

Security Paranoia

Mordac, the information preventer

No, this is not another Dilbert comic strip that I am copy pasting.  I just used it to convey the message how paranoid we are getting about security. Understandably so. Coz most of the work that we do these days is online.  Our bank account passwords, credit card numbers and all important personal information is at risk . Insisting on strong passwords, firewalls, multi-layer security are some of the necessary evils.

But there are times some measures sound just ridiculous.  A lot of times Usability takes precedence over security.  While I understand that it is for our own safety, the only way to be perfectly safe is to lock your data in a locker and bury it six feet underground in a location known only to yourself. Even that is susceptible to accidental discovery or satellite discovery.  Some amount of trust is essential to keep things going. We need to strike a balance between security and usability.

Even in everyday life, we trust somebody or the other for our existence.
You trust the DBA that your account is not tampered
You trust your doctor to give the right medicines
You trust your lawyer for the legal advice
You trust the local beautician for your grooming

and the list goes on…

It is difficult to decide: How much security is enough and how to strike that balance. But the problem seems to be that nobody is interested in striking the balance. Everybody seems to be interested in increasing security and playing it safe and rather than trusting fellow humans. Is the world getting increasing paranoid about security?