A Long Shot

I was under the impression that nuclear power was mature enough to be considered safe. unfortunately, I was wrong like many other advocates of what was thought to be a clean source of energy. The on going Japanese disaster should make countries think twice before expanding their civilian nuclear capabilities.

Fossil fuels cause steady damage to the environment. We perhaps have a tendency to let the next generation take care of their problems. It cannot be so when there is a disaster at a nuclear plant. It causes immediate and sustained damage to thousands. Even if we evacuate nearby populations, what about lives of the hundreds of thousands of animals, at times like these especially, we don't care about? I needn't recall the damage we did to marine life during the Gulf Oil disaster last year. It is wrong to treat the earth like a business in dilution.

If there is a time people in powerful positions, keeping aside their selfish ambitions just for a little while, should consider investing in forms of energy which do not affect our environment, it is now. Solar and wind are excellent examples of clean energy. Manufacturing and installing solar panels and wind turbines is a one time cost which is insignificant compared to the pollution they can not cause. In hot countries, heat from the sun could be concentrated to boil water and run turbines.

One of the biggest reasons for pollution is that we travel and move goods. It is for us that oil companies have gone to the extent of digging up ocean floors. The cost of fuel when we include the damage it causes (yes some people have tried to calculate it), is about 5 times what we pay currently. We need a better transportation infrastructure. Battery technologies have to improve. Charging stations need to gradually replace gas stations. Moving stored electricity needs to be made cheaper than moving dirty fuel and an inefficient engine. Electric vehicles should dominate our streets.

Electric vehicles are useless if they use electricity generated using fossil fuels. That may work out to be even more inefficient. This movement must start with our generation (yes, pun intended :-))

I cannot stop thinking that a good kickstart would be a weapon that is powered by solar or wind energy. Governments will invest billions to run ahead of each other in getting better. In the end they will all decide to restrict use for only civilian purposes.

Then there will be world peace.

Electrical Engineering and us

Was watching a program on Discovery about creation of low and high tides. Moon's gravitational 'field' pulls surface water up as it rotates. Rotating field; something moving; and lag between the two: that's SO MUCH like a synchronous motor!
The next step is to compare the torque equations....gr...won't get to that.



We Indians in the US are like diodes. We stick by the golden rule of (try to) 'be an American in America'. (I know the actual rule is 'be a Roman in Rome' - heck, I just changed it). When we are on a visit to our wonderful homeland we forget we should be 'Indians in India'. We still (perhaps more so) compare things to things American!


Given a set of parallel resistances, electric current proportionally flows more through the smaller ones. If we increase the resistance to states of mind we don't prefer (anger, tension, jealousy etc) we can ease through the preferred path of least resistance known as happiness :-)

Hardware OR Software please

What's with these people who buy expensive digital slrs, take ordinary pictures, modify them in photoshop and boast all around!

Either buy an ordinary camera and use the softwares, or buy a good camera and take good pictures!

of shopping carts, mirrors, phone, coffee, ears and birthdays...

Men push around shopping carts like how they want to drive a car. Sudden brakes, spot u-turns and turns so sharp the wheels almost lift off - everything they don't want to (can't) with a real one :)

I am a little narcissistic. Don't ask when left alone with a mirror - best time to check out the smiles, the blushes and the teeth.

Things change when I see a mirror in public. Coming down that escalator in the shopping mall - mirrors all around - I know I want to check my smile but end up with an emotionless face (damn the people around who ALL are waiting to see what I do).

A neat little trick: I talk on the cellphone, or atleast listen to voicemails. Smile, laugh or whatever - I just make sure the phone is on the ear. People now wouldn't think I am crazy guy smiling at myself. (What! No one actually looks at me? And I am not the only one this happens with? Phew!)

Engaged tone, voicemail box we don't want to speak into, dropped call or simply getting hung up on. Why do we end up looking at the handset quizzically before hanging up, as if it has got something to do with it? :-)

Coffee never tastes the same.

Brains interpretation of coffee's taste = f(mood, level of tiredness,

temperature, coffee's actual taste).

Imagine having a very small stage - say size of a match box. Take tiny singers (with really loud voices) and miniature instruments (again really loud) and place them on the stage. Now, take this stage and place it right inside the center of your head and ask the musicians to perform.

That's how it feels when we listen to music on headphones. Coming out right from the center of the head. That's not how things are supposed to sound. Ears are so wonderfully designed, we have this ability to sense where the sound is originating from. Its, for me, equivalent to having three dimensional vision because of two eyes. I prefer actual speakers. They don't fool my brain to think someone is sitting inside my most critical organ.

Why don't people sing the Happy Birthday song as soon as a baby is born? Isn't that the real happy Birthday? :)

How we try to be the boss

People like to feel empowered. They want to order things around. On the job, at home...well everywhere. Ofcourse, leading such a lifestyle will probably take away the chance to lead such a lifestyle! (Read: no job; old and single).

Here is where the poor remote control comes to rescue.

We all like to stretch our arms out while operating this piece of magic. I think it subconsiouly makes us feel we are ordering somebody around ('Hey TV, I don't like this. Now show me something else' and there you press the button). Or it simply means we are dumb to not know that it works equally fine sitting on our lap.

Did you just forget your favorite show? Never worry. Quickly grab that remote and press the button fast and hard. Every millisecond saved is worth it! Though, invariably its an ad they show.

Sometimes we discover it works even when pointed to the other direction. Time to play! How about if I do this? Okay....This? Wow, and try this everyday.

And sometimes the TV doesn't respond to its master's command (no one likes to listen always). Gently flick the remote or tap on it a few times and it works like wonder. The obvious analogy is beating your kid!

Lazy and tired and just sat on your 'slave'? Stay put...you know it can withstand. The best form of relaxation for an officegoer is getting back home to sit on that couch and control that tv! Or atleast thats what is on mind when we think about taking a break.

There are these latest remotes which light up if you hold them. The makers wanted to create a sycophant version and there you have it. But I wonder if the 'universal remote controllers' really sell. When we can so much with one RC, imagine having one for the dvd player and one more for the set top box. Isn't that a mini-fantasy coming true?!

Jai Ho!

Have never felt happier seeing someone win an award. AR Rahman! I salute you!

April

Day 3:
It was during my interview with Toshiba in Houston, TX last year. My phone kept ringing every now and then. Though I didn't recognize the number I was sure where the calls were from.
It’s a 100 mile drive from College Station to Houston. Just before setting off all dressed up to meet the people in Toshiba I sent this email to the head of a small but upcoming company in Chicago:
"My professor wants me to work on my thesis during the summer as there are some deadlines to be met. That, very unfortunately, makes me unavailable for the internship. Sorry about conveying this so late as I myself got a clear picture only today. I will call you up tomorrow to discuss this."

Day 2:
It was one of the happier days in my worst year ever. I got offers to intern from 2 companies (one being Intersil, the other an Austin, TX based company).
I pondered, "Tomorrow is the interview with Toshiba. The day after, I have to fly to Chicago for this other interview. Two days after that I have a paper submission deadline." No bad news here but I knew I was still going to get screwed.
I pondered more, "Do I really have to go all the way to Chicago? Can't I work on the paper instead? What do I tell him? The truth? No way. That will sound rude." I was running out of time and had to come up with something.

Day 1:
I get e-tickets to fly to Chicago for a short interview. Free flights are always fun. Just like free food.

Day 3:
After the Toshiba interview got over, I called back. Of course didn't have a pleasant conversation. He demanded I pay him for the ticket. He threatened to file a complaint with the Career Center at Texas A&M Univ! He was also going to speak to my prof!
“What’s going on! What have I gotten myself into!”
I rushed from Houston to College Station and met with the career center people just before closing time. Sent this later in the evening and didn't hear back:
"Sorry that the events had to turn out this way. Here's what really happened:
I got an offer from another company yesterday and I most probably will accept that. I was ignorant of the American system where I learnt (after talking to the Career Center at Texas A&M today) it’s perfectly okay to tell another employer of my offers from other companies. It certainly won't work that way in India and I was stuck to that mentality. Hence I cooked up a story that I will be unavailable for the summer as my professor had work for me.
It would have been very easy for me to come all the way to Chicago to attend the interview and then say no once/if I get an offer. I chose to call you to cancel the interview only with the intention to save your money and time.
I am copying the mail to my professor and the Career Center. I profusely apologize for the confusion and inconvenience."
Sorry India!