Thursday, November 29, 2012

Backside of the Diary

Ten inspiring quotes/sayings/dialogues I scribbled on the backside of some random diaries I keep. Not at all the 'ten best ones' or even the 'assorted ones' but they make sense, each one of them.

#What you and I think of big money is loose change for them.
(Vinod Mehta, newslaundry on Mukesh Ambani)

#Its not what enters the man's mouth that is evil, its what goes out of it.
(Probably, Mahatma Gandhi)

#We call ourselves civilized but behave no less than barbarians when it comes to our self interests.
(Very common, isn't it?)

#Don't disturb the club. \m/
(Ah! Ever have a chance of saying it? Exclusivity isn't that common)

#You can buy a painting but you cannot say you painted it.
(Chetan Bhagat, money can't buy everything, stop flaunting!)

#Denials and Bans don't work in this country.
(I think its mostly for India) :(

#Don't hit 50 and still have the same friends you had in school/college.
(Exploring strangeness is not wrong, right?)

#Sometimes its more important to stop looking at Forests and start looking at tress.
(On importance of "Micro")

#If you don't stop being ordinary, you would never be extraordinary.
_me

#Even a brand has to act like an Individual.
(Mostly from 'Built to last')

and lastly an extra one,

Companions of contemplation. :)
#There is a thin line between 'principles' and 'prejudices'.
_me (Think! how much principled/prejudiced we really are :-| )

I thought let me jot all these together, what better way than a blog post. :)

Sunday, April 15, 2012

"Bookoholics: The meet-up"


Books have always been close to my heart (closer than sports, politics and computer gaming).
PS: “Bookoholics” is a door-delivery book library which has now evolved into a community club for intellects and book lovers, based at Surat.
A friend of mine, who had been to the group’s previous meets, introduced me to the concept and I got added to the group’s Facebook group. Here, everyone shared what they were reading (not formally giving book reviews though) and seek general info about reading-lists and interests. I definitely saw it more than just a library.
Well today was my first meet. Getting up to meet almost familiar people (through FB discussions) was rather comfortable. It was a varied mix of Teachers, Lawyers, Computer engineers and students from Politics to Biotechnology. The meet started off with a Lindau-meet returned Professor who shared his experiences of the meet and rather unusual comparison of Human values of The West with India. While the talks were going on, freshly prepared barbeques were served which added tastes to our senses. Later, there was talk on to Morality, which actually went on to become the central theme of later discussions. Lastly, a student talked about Politics, his anecdotal style playing pivotal role in his speech.
The mic then when astray with all members taking chance of introducing themselves and giving brief views about the meet’s central agendas.
Bookoholics, even it its present structure is a wonderful concept. A club that meets monthly and asks its fond members to take time out of their regular schedule for discussions on true consciousness and not just about moments that pass by. I am sure Surat isn’t in dearth of people who can turn up for such things, its only that we need them to know us.
#lookingforward

Friday, February 10, 2012

Aakash or AahKaash :-/


How real are the things at consumer level.Lets take a look at some recent moves and whats in it for us.

I have been following up the Aakash issue since its inception as an idea. The recent move to bring up an all-in-one cheap I-Pad, by Govt. backed by its present manufacturerData-Wind, UK has now be blown up out of proportion in its reach and possibleoutcomes. The design has been tested for more than 2 years now with far less changes inits evolution. How can and How much can you innovate in a 3000 Rs Tablet? You have to compromise! You have use cheaper things! You need to break down the no.of products while assembling.
Until recently everything was going fine, we at NIT were asked for final consent for buying Aakash. Now everything is clung on a thin stick. The Govt. has taken up almost everything into its hand and is now planning to distribute it entirely free to all students across various Universities (…Heard?). The order no. is as high as 15,00,000 and is expected to double up in next phase.
Now the concern is, Why should all this money be paid by TaxPayer, unnecessarily, when a student can easily afford it? and anyways,Its not a must! not everybody requires it.
In my batch strength of 700 students, hardly 5% don't have a laptop and I am sure the no. will be higher in lower batches. This last moment decision is mere procrastination on our Govt.’s part and seemingly touted by Govt.’s Secretaries who fail to understand the gadget’s real requirement by targeting IITs and NITs as priority.
The gadget should be distributed for free in our Primary Education sector and not here. It can be sold under subsidy at Premier Institutions (Alrite Govt. definitely can afford that much). Also there are various gadgets already available, which targets basic education, I recently came across one(www.edutor.in) which provided much better and much needed technical advancement for our basic education needs. The Govt. has also taken entire matter into its own hands and the manufacturer has almost no say in the next and said-to-be the final version of the Tablet. Oh common! They(DW) came to you(Govt.) with this idea, let themhave their say!
As such I am not criticizing the Technical Buildup ofAakash. Its pretty awesome at the price tag it comes up. But the lacklasidalapproach of the govt. towards the bringing it up needs timely criticism by thetech-people.

Hope this rings up some bells and the sound reaches theJanpath.

-Parker

Monday, January 30, 2012

The Path and the Purpose

"We all have a purpose, the purpose is to find out who we really are."

My involvements with Physics and NIT have been a lesson worth sharing, something which generally people do not consider as their cup of tea. Well, its not a cup of tea for me either. Physics isn’t all about learning how the universe works. Its actually miles different from that queerer statement. To give an idea, we have mapped only about 2% of the real mathematical universe (and we thought making it to NASA was the biggest achievement of our lives) plus our understanding of a “Subatomic Model” is still unclear (and we though making it to CERN was the biggest a….)
                        "Physics isn’t a professional entity, it’s a bit religious." -Neeraj Pandey
It ultimately takes the shape of either abstract mathematics or philosophy. It requires a dedication of an at-a-stretch involvement with huge physical sacrifices, something quite similar with religious people.
               There are two ways you can serve the world. One, by continuously walking up the path of “Research” hoping, someday you’ll have your own Eureka moment. Second, stay simple! Take your tools and get into the world, meaning, consider the fact that the world can as well be made a better place with the present state of available technologies and resources. Use them and make a difference. The latter is a sense of realization not merely a thought, which came to my mind only after venturing into the former. I find the world pretty simple. It has very simple needs, very simple problems and requires very simple solutions. All our scientific ordeals (however small in reality they are) take us one step closer to those simple issues.
With this in mind, I hope, I will take the path more taken.