Mindless Mind© of Gaurav Vaish - Please don't Mind

Windows Image Acquisition and Windows Portable Devices

2008-05-22T09:00:00.001+05:30

I had been working with WIA (for Windows XP) and WIA 2.0 (for Windows Vista) to design an application to capture images.

WIA for Windows XP works perfectly fine. And WIA 2.0 is supposed to do the same on Vista.

And then, I hit a hurdle - WIA 2.0 always gives me "0 devices" while using EnumDevices method. Finally, I hit yet another set of documents - Windows Portable Devices (WPD) here.

What the heck! Do I need to rewrite the entire application for Windows Vista? What does Microsoft want? Spend all time and money only to rewrite entire code every time a new version is released from their side?

At times, I really hate to develop any application on Windows.

The only good thing, at least at moment as it seems, is .Net Framework. At least, there I need to do minimal work. I wish it was the same case elsewhere also.

Crappy Orkut! Buggy Orkut!

2007-06-08T22:52:00.000+05:30

How I wish I could sue Google - the company behind, though useful, but crappy Orkut!

I created a group and added a 5 people in the group... and when I sent a mail to them, it went to my entire friend list. Now when I went ahead to remove the friends from the list, look what I saw!

Yes, you are correct -- a total of -15 friends in the list! How crappy! Never use Orkut to communicate except for scraps!

A Welcome Move

2007-05-11T00:00:00.000+05:30

If it gets it way, "Reverse Mortgage" will be a welcome move by the finance minister. I know, I am be eligible for an RM but at least those people who have been left behind by their children and need a 'peaceful place', and a 'dream home' can go for one.

And I also hope that unlike with the senior citizen (regular income plan) scheme, there are not *fraud* entries!

A win well deserved

2007-05-10T23:46:00.000+05:30

Althought it happened before the India-Bangladesh cricket match, but I got time to write on it only now.

As what PTI reads, "Bubbling with new-found confidence and determined to continue their brilliant run in the eight-nation event". I must congratulate the Indian hockey team for their hard-work and hard-earned wins.

It is really sad to see the amount of commercialization that has poured into Cricket that is had actually led to demise of almost all other sports (Tennis probably being an exception) until recently at least Football and Hockey revived.

Kudoos to National Football League and Zee Sports for their efforts! Efforts worth appreciating and taking a note of.

And then, Indian Hockey League!

I just hope that days of atheletics are not totally gone!

Some respite for the Indian Cricket Team?

2007-05-10T23:36:00.000+05:30

I would say, "Some respite for the Indian Cricket Team". Bangladesh team made a superb 250 runs in 50 overs, that too on sub-continent pitches. Awesome!

The Indian team managed salvage their 'pride' by escaping away with a 5-wicket win with just 6 balls to spare!

It was good to see Dhoni back in some action... even though it may be on familiar soil. It was sad to see opening pair not doing anything good again. Sadder to see Yuvraj not going further...

... hope things do not remain as bad in next matches to come!

Sachin Tendulkar as next captain?

2007-03-27T11:10:00.000+05:30

Did the BCCI read my article yesterday? Uh! btw, looking for another captain would be and should be right at the top of the list of agenda.

But going to Tendulkar may not be a good idea, also keeping in mind what happened in past. I still find Ganguly a much better choice. I also heard that Dhoni is in the list... chhh! How can it be even thought about!

Anyway... time for me work on *official* work. Whole day I was busy in training... time to catch up for the missed action.

India for a back-door entry to Cricket World Cup Super 8?

2007-03-25T17:43:00.000+05:30

It was disheartening to see India defeated by Bangaldesh. However, it did not come as a surprise, at least to me. If you happen to look at the latest ICC ratings released, India is placed 8th -- just above Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. A tough competition between the two teams was expected.

The saddest part was the way the team approached the game.

And I support Kapil Dev when he says that the team does not deserve to go to Super 8. I add my views to it by saying that Rahul Dravid should not be the captain anymore. Gavaskar does not agree with me (look at the article) since he does not want to sack a captain at 34. But then, Ganguly was also sacked. Though Ganguly may not be peaking a year ago, but I think now he is.

Keeping aside several negatives and other positives, the one positive that Ganguly had was ensuring no-low morale of the team and attacking the game rather than playing defensively in a lull mood.

IITians are helping India

2006-12-29T08:09:00.000+05:30

This is a response to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam who says, "IITians are not helping India". For those who are not interested to read the complete posting, the sweet and show summary is:

IITians are infact helping India in ways more than one - including from getting foreign exchange to root level work. Please do not pressurize only IITians. I question - what have graduates from other places like RECs, NITs etc have done for India. They have only been confined to their jobs. Is it not that they are also given subsidies? Why blame only us?

Read my comment completely to appreciate what I have seen happening around me.

There are tree eras, as I would say, during the complete life of IITs.

In pre-1991 era, when everything was controlled by government, IITians left the country since there was no recognition of the talented people. There was no infrastructure for research. There was no system for rewards. I ask government (all Congress govts, I think till that time) why the scientists were not rewarded (apart from petty salary) for their hard work? We have seen politics and corruption even in Padmabhusan, Padmavibhusan medals etc. Would you be motivated to work if your work is never appreciated?

In post-1991 but pre-2001, the economony slowly opened up although govts have been very cautious (except during BJP rule that really fuelled the growth) and there arose the concept of PIO (People of Indian Origin) as opposed to NRI, reverse brain drain, donating back to India (and not just to their families in India) etc.

In post-2001, when several people were laid off and there was a big slump in economony, few of my seniors had no options but to come back. However, several of us came back simply as a matter of choice since what started in mid/late-90's was not showing a result.

Several companies had already started their India operations and it is because of the participation of the private companies (no, govt had absolutely no role to play except for policy to setup the infrastructure) that people chose to come back.

Simultaneously, internet broke the time and distance barriers.

I know that at least 25% of IITians from my batch have started of their own and creating jobs. This includes me as well. Several others have joined Indian companies or Indian operations of foreign companies. A section has joined higher studies at IIT, TIFR, IISc, ISI etc. Remaining section (less than 30% as I would assume) would in US.

Indians at their Best

2006-08-20T21:44:00.000+05:30

I was proud to read about Ramanujna School of Mathematics (Patna, Bihar, India), brain child of Anand Kumar and Abhayanand in Business Week.

The point of contention is not its appearance in Business Week but that the people really taking a note of the needy and workings towards a better future.

Operating into the domain of education for over last 2yrs and with a passion in education for last 15 years at least (Yes, I've been dreaming of my village to be 100% literate since I was about 10yrs old), I know what it takes to dream of educated people, their growth -- and more importantly the joy of seeing one educated.

[Quoted]:
The school, named after a famous Indian mathematician, is even more intense than the IITs themselves. Located in Patna, the capital of Bihar, one of India's least developed states, the Ramanujan School trains just 30 students a year to take the IIT exam. Anand Kumar, 33, a local mathematician, and Abhayanand, 52, Patna's deputy director general of police and a lover of physics, founded the school in 2003 to help promising locals get ahead in the caste-based society.

Do these quizzes really mean anything to masterGaurav?

2006-06-02T14:49:00.000+05:30

My last couple of entries are nothing but results of some quizzes on the net. Did I mention, 'silly' and 'time pass'?

But do these quizzes mean anything to Gaurav? May be, may be not. Good items for relieve some time off consulting work. I'm anyway lost in my database design (which I think would come out better than ever).

Anyway, the point is -- do they really tell something true? May be, may be not? But looking at these two results - "Gaurav is 28% evil" and month says "masterGaurav is Trustworthy and highly Ethical"... one may be tempted to believe in them.

And am I...

What Does masterGaurav's Birth Month Mean?

2006-06-01T14:45:00.000+05:30

Your Birth Month is April

You are trustworthy and highly ethical in all facets of life. Helpful and steady, you are able to solve any problem. Your soul reflects: Bliss, playfulness, and curiosity Your gemstone: Diamond Your flower: Sweet Pea Your colors: Yellow and red

What Does Your Birth Month Mean?

How evil is Gaurav Vaish?

2006-05-31T14:44:00.000+05:30

You Are 28% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well. In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

How Evil Are You?

What is masterGaurav doing these days?

2006-05-29T22:57:00.000+05:30

Well, frankly speaking, as ever - I also don't know.

On the serious note, I am doing a lot of work. Besides working on my venture into education, I participated in SecurityShootout and got into the final round. So, I am "one of the top 100 most secure people in India", at least on Microsoft .Net platform.

Other than that, I thought about participating in Microsoft Office 2007 Beta evaluation. I have always loved experimented with non-stable products and somehow finding ways to crash them. Hoping that the tradition continues. Of course, network activities would be under heavy surveilence.

I have already converted my apartment a WiFi station. With 4 laptops and an O2 Xda on WiFi, I can just run around and still remain connected. Ok... there are two more desktops still on Cat5 cable: One on Windows - mainly running downloads at scheduled time and the other on Linux - LinServ - acting as the server to many applications, specifically SubVersion and my SFTP Repsitory Server.

A couple of months back I got a fresh 160GB hard-disk. Now, my next target is 1TB hard-disk or at least 500GB. Let me first fill up this hard disk. The immediate downloads are the Beta programs from Microsoft and Fedora Core 5.

Ok, I agree - I have been really late in downloading Fedora. Well, technically speaking -- a little lazy and a lot more busy . But enough is enough. In short duration from now, I should have Fedora Core 5 with me.

The last thing that I am doing is playing with Windows CE 5.0 and Windows Mobile 5.0 using Visual C++ and C# 2.0 (.Net Compact Framework). Luckily, I was able to download Visual Studio 2005 and all related items before my MSDN license expired .

And at the moment... listening to the "Taxi No 9211" song - "Meter Down".

Am I Anti-Reservation? Yes

2006-05-27T16:10:00.000+05:30

Yes, I am anti-reservation. I am anti only against the current form in which it is to be implemented.

As I say -- what is in the name? Shakespeare may have said, "It's all in the name". But for reservations, I think he would also have echoed my voice.

If the reservations are solely on the basis of merit-cum-means or ok.. only on the basis of means, I'd accept it whole-heartedly. But no. Never in the current form -- on the basis of caste.

I can't see my country stand divided.

Reservation in India

2006-05-27T15:52:00.000+05:30

With all debate going on whether or not to have reservation, my only question is - what is in the name? How can only a name entitle somebody to special status?

The reservation should be solely on the basis of economic status. Only when we are serious about the upliftment of the society and not mindlessly working on selfish needs is that the true essence of reservation would be fulfilled.

The link provided in the title is "Why We Are Opposed to Communal Reservations" by Lal Krishna Advani (L.K. Advani). No, it is not my finding, but of Varun (thanks, Varun!)

Excerpts:

In a letter addressed to all Chief Ministers on June 27, 1961, Nehru said, "…I have referred above to efficiency and to our getting out of our traditional ruts. This necessitates our getting out of the old habit of reservations and particular privileges being given to this caste or that group…I dislike any kind of reservation, more particularly in services. I react strongly against anything which leads to inefficiency and second-rate standards….If we go in for reservations on communal and caste basis, we swamp the bright and able people and remain second-rate or third-rate. I want my country to be a first class country in everything. The moment we encourage the second-rate, we are lost. I am grieved to learn how far this business of reservation has gone based on communal considerations... This way lies not only folly but disaster." (emphasis added).

Let us now see what Rajiv Gandhi said about reservations, when they are introduced primarily for considerations of partisan politics and electoral benefit. His was one of the most passionate - also one of the longest -- speeches ever delivered in Indian Parliament, and it was on the subject of reservations. In the debate on Mandal Commission recommendations, the then Leader of Opposition made a marathon speech on September 6, 1990, lasting two-and-a-half hours, and accused the then Prime Minister Shri V.P. Singh, of threatening the unity and integrity of India. "You have ignited caste violence all over the country," Rajiv Gandhi charged V.P. Singh (emphasis added).

Just because some Mandal Commission has said the reservation should be implemented doesn't mean that it be blindly followed. If it were to be the case, what about several other commissions?

With these efforts of the government, I can guaranttee only the thing: "The distance between the so-called-upper-caste and so-called-lower-caste will only increase. The difference between haves and have-nots will increase astronomically if the reservations are implemented on the basis of caste."

A Professional in India - Is that so difficult?

2005-09-23T18:27:00.000+05:30

Is finding a truly prossional Indian in India so difficult? Is professionalism hard to find? Well... not exactly. I know I am wrong. But the question is why the people in limelight create scenes?

About a year ago, there was a rift among Ambani brothers - the sons of the makers the largest private business house in India. I still remember there used to float a mail that read something like this:

What did a high school pass worker at a petrol pump do? Create the giant of Reliance Industries. What did MBAs from Wharton and Harvard Business Schools do? Break apart the empire into pieces.

What a shame to the country!

And now, the episode of cricket. If there are any differences between the captain and the coach.. boss, sit down. Have a cup of tea. Take two samosas and discuss. Why take the discussion to the public and try to get their symphathy?

Guys! When will learn to act and behave as professionals and not cats and dogs?

Google Blog Search and Me

2005-09-23T13:24:00.000+05:30

Google launched its blogsearch -- with a lot of people eyeing on it. And I thought, let me also see what does it do to me.

Here are a few searches assocaited with my name and my work:

Gaurav Vaish - My name
Vaish - My surname. Look at the entry in the related blogs
IIT JEE - Wow! Listed in the related blogs

Some Sher

2005-09-23T11:15:00.000+05:30

After a really long time I came across those silly "Babbar Sher" that we used to bore others with.

Warning: Only for those who can read and understand Hindi.

Asmaan mein ud rahen hain kabootar
Aasmaan mein ud rahen hain kabootar
Flutter Flutter, Flutter Flutter

Tum har raat mere khwabon mein aao,
Tum har raat mujhe yuunhi satao,
Melody khao khud jaan jao...

Dharti so rahi hai, Aasman so raha hai
Dharti so rahi hai,Aasman so raha hai
Nonsense! yeh sab kya ho raha hai?

Main hu yahan, tu hai wahan
Main hu yahan, tu hai wahan
Lifebouy hai jahan, tandurusti hai wahan

kabootar ke do par
(wah wah)
kabootar ke do par....
ek idhar ek udhar

Ai husn ki mallika aur baharon ki shaan
Jai jawan jai kisan !!!!

Joron ki baarish makes me wonder
Is this what they call, Taste the thunder?

Yeh aankhen hain ya neeli jheel?
Yeh aankhen hain ya neeli jheel?
So? What's the big deal?

Dharti, taarey, pahaad, patthar
Dharti, taarey, pahaad, patthar........
Ekhathar, bahathar, chauhathar !
(tihathar is on leave)

Jab tak tu apne dil ki baat mujhe samjhayegi
Jab tak tu apne dil ki baat mujhe samjhayegi
meri shaadi kahin aur ho jayegi

Humne bhi pyar kiya tha zindagi mein, badi joshh ke sath !
Humne bhi pyar kiya tha zindagi mein, badi shhor ke sath !
Aab hum pyar karenge badi soch ke sath !
Kyon ki usey kal shamko dekha kisi aur ke sath !

Bakri chadi pahad pe
Bakri chadi pahad pe
Ghaas khake utar gayi.... !!

Tu chand mange, main chand de du
Tu raat mange, main raat de du
tu dil mange main dil de du
tu jaan mange ......
bas yaar bhikh mangne ki bhi hadd hoti hai..

Aansu tere nikle to ankhen meri ho
Dil tera dhadke to dhadkan meri ho
Khuda kare ki dosti hamari itni gahri ho
Ki naukri tu kare aur pagar meri ho

Hawa ka jhonka aya to tum yaad aaye
Badal jo chaye to tum yaad aye
Barsaat ki boonden jo giri to tum yaad aye
arrrrrrrrreeee ab to meri chatri lauta do pleeaseeee

Yeh chand bhi kya hasin sitam dhata hai
Bachpan main mama aur jawani main sanam nazar aata hai
(Chanda mama door ke)

Door se dekha ganje uchhal rahe they
Door se dekha ganje uchhal rahe they
Paas jaakar dekha, ande ubal rahe they...

Door se dekha ganna pada tha
Door se dekha ganna pada tha
Paas jaakar dekha rajesh khanna khada tha...

Door se dekha baarish ho rahi thee
Door se dekha baarish ho rahi thee
Paas gaya to bhee gaya...

Oil prices slips below $64 a barrel

2005-09-18T07:03:00.000+05:30

What news can be more heartening for the middle class than the drop in oil prices.

After touching $70 and hovering at more than $65, it retreated to $64. For me, it brings a two fold joy.

Well, the first has nothing to do with people in India because the recent hike (around 7-8%) imposed will not be taken back. But definitely, people elsewhere would be relieved.

And the second one is related to the oil companies in India - like ONGC, IOCL etc. The burden of subsidies on them would be lessened now. The losses should be less. It will be great if they can post some profit -- I want them to become world class giants to reckon the world.

Making news!

2005-09-17T00:32:00.000+05:30

After myself having a date with the death, an initiative with some of my colleagues is making news.

Targeted towards JEE aspirants, this group provides mentoring to those who want. The mentoring is provided by IIT alumni -- those who've already belled the cat.

Full story is covered here

A Date with Death

2005-07-31T10:36:00.000+05:30

No, it's no title of any movie or upcoming novel. It's my real-life experience that I lately had in Mumbai, India.

I have to go to bank right now... will write on it in the evening. Do wait for it - the first person experience of facing death. When I was carried away in huge gush of water, with all body sunk with only a hand above water and I don't know how do swim!

Chanakya - Some quotes to follow

2005-06-22T08:30:00.000+05:30

Sometime back, V B Singh posted to the WhistleBlowers group a great collection of some quotes from Chanakya (चाणक्य)

A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first.
Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous.
The biggest guru-mantra is: Never share your secrets with anybody. It will destroy you.
There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth.
Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead.
As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it. [If we go by this, then more than half the govt. will not be there!]
The world's biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman.
Once you start a working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest.
The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction.
Whores don't live in company of poor men, citizens never support a weak company and birds don't build nests on a tree that doesn't bear fruits.
God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your God. The soul is your temple.
A man is great by deeds, not by birth.
Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness.
Treat your kid like a darling for the first five years. For the next five years, scold them. By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend. Your grown up children are your best friends.
Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person.
Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth.

Lucknow in News for wrong reasons

2005-06-21T13:44:00.000+05:30

Once again, my hometown has made it to the national news. This time for wrong reasons.

Well, to be precise, the news is from a place called Bijnor which would be more than a 100km away from Lucknow but still, the news is "from Lucknow" (reporters).

Simple and harmless pleasures like visiting friends, a trip to the market or tuning in to their favourite soap could be denied to Muslim women in a minority-dominated town in Bijnor.

Local clerics have decided to impose a strict ban on "potential corrupting influence on female minds that threaten to violate Islamic tenets".

Read the full article in TOI (click the title).

After US House of Representatives, I have visitor from NASA

2005-06-16T20:54:00.000+05:30

After being visited by US House of Representatives, my diary has been visited by people from NASA. EuroYank said, "Maybe they want to shut the internet down now to protect the homeland." :D

Visual Studio .Net 2003 - A big loss

2005-06-16T00:20:00.000+05:30

I had burnt Visual Studio .Net 2003^* DVD. After a reinstall of Windows XP SP2^*, I noticed that the DVD is now giving a CRC-failure error. The DVD is gone for ever. :((

I am, yet again, downloading VS.Net 2003 from MSDN Subscriptions. the MS File Transfer Agent reads - "9hrs 35 minutes / 14.7 KB/sec".

Though the first may be looking sad but the second part gives some relief. 14.7 KB/sec translates to 117.6 kbps. That's decent speed with one thread on 256 kbps line. I am downloading more (something else) at around 90-100 kbps.

^*: Don't go by my Indian origin where more than 70% of the software runs pirated (China leads the pack with more than 90%, I read somewhere). These copies are my genuine copies with MS offering me complimentary MSDN subscription!! :D

Got exploded thru BlogExplosion

2005-06-16T00:00:00.000+05:30

I just got exploded thru .

I won 25 credits and immediately distributed evenly to my two blogs. 12 credits should translate to at least 24 visits. That's not bad at all.

In anycase, NedStat stats reveal that today's (or rather 15th was) my all time high of 179 visits, cumulative for my two blogs. Not bad at all.

Damn! What the heck is Y!Q

2005-06-15T23:50:00.000+05:30

Just visit my News from India blog entry (click title or click here) and check out the Y!Q's "Related Search Info"

Don't know what Y!Q is giving you, but to me it gave the following top 3 search results:

Knoppix STD, Security Tools Distribution - Link
i-STD.com: Information about Sexually... - Link
STD Index - Link

Did you notice the top 2 results -- absolutely no correlation with the content and context. What do Secuity Tools and Sexually Transmitted Diseases have to do with Standard Trunk Dialing?

It is exactly what I wrote about here. Y!Q will mostly be of no use unless it is extended and we are able to push more content, dynamically. It would be very painful to make well-formatted content for each and every blog entry.

What's your take?

Women's Hair Trends for 2005

2005-06-15T12:38:00.000+05:30

All you girls out there... looking for some trendy hair-styles for 2005? Check out at the SunsilkNaturals.com. Here's the short and sweet summary.

Poker-straight, ironed-to-death hair has gone flat internationally. Today, hair that moves, bounces or curls leads the fashion pack. This style shift is all about setting your hair free and having more of a free-spirited attitude.

In other words, it's time to let our hair down!

I am editing this posting after I got this entry from the Y!Q for this article.

15 Top Blog Marketing Tips

2005-06-14T13:29:00.000+05:30

I got this from the ezinesandbox Yahoo! Group where Ally posted it from RSSUniverse. I searched RSSUniverse and got it here, by Chris Taylor. I have modified to suit my flavour.

Place all your feeds on the following website and the directories listed on this page.
For fast inclusion into yahoo, get yourself a "my yahoo" page - http://my.yahoo.com/ and place your rss feed on that page.
Have a link which allows other people to put your rss feed on their own "my yahoo" page. See "my yahoo" for details.
For fast inclusion to msn, also open a "my msn" account and add your rss feed to that page.
Place your blog on all the major search engines.
Join and add your blog (free)
Ping your blog after every post at Ping-O-Matic.
Place a blogroll on your blog.
Make a blog post at least every day or less. Why? If you don't think you can write enough content on a daily basis, there are many free articles out there you can use.
Invite other editors/writers or webmasters to write on your blog as co-editors. Make sure you allow them to include their "resource box" at the bottom of each post and set up an "about our editors" page.
Place a link and description to your blog on all your websites, out going emails and any autoresponder courses you have set up.
Announce your blog at forums you currently use/participate in.
Place informative responses in the "comments" box of other highly trafficked blogs in your field of business.
Once you have 10 to 15 posts on your blog, announce it with a press release.
Download this free rss marketing ebook by top Rss expert, Rok Hrastnik.

Y!Q with the Mindless Mind

2005-05-25T13:24:00.000+05:30

I came across Y!Q and straight-away included it in my blogs.

One immediate problem that I see is the hidden field context. How can I effectively use it in blogs? Well... the answer is: I haven't been able to figure it out.

If I use it with the blog content, the content may have quotation-marks and the html will be ill-formatted. If I use the posting-title, it may be just too short.

In contrast, I would recommend that they have another field, say, blogMark where the value should be the permanent-link to the entry. It is then, the responsibiilty of the Yahoo! Engine to grab the contents of the entry and valuate.

An example would be as follows:

Once Again -- Lucknow in News

2005-05-20T14:33:00.001+05:30

It's so heartening to see my hometown Lucknow in national news yet again, and for good reasons.

Times of India (May 05, 2005) reports that:
Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, (IIT-K) and King George's Medical University (KGMU) on Thursday joined hands to promote biomedical engineering research.
Coming together of the two pioneer institutes is likely to make path-breaking developments, including anti-cancer vaccine, replacement of diseased tissue with healthy ones, production of organ substitutes in labs, creation of artificial red blood cells, incision-less surgery and tissue glues instead of sutures, a possibility in the state.

Detailed news is available here

Coca Cola and Kerala HC -- A major Controversy

2005-05-11T15:27:00.000+05:30

Boycott Coca Cola!!. Reasons given below.

At Mayilamma's well in Vijayanagar Colony, the water is a deep, mysterious brown. It smells like a mixture of stale toddy and adulterated kerosene.

Smelling it can make a person retch. So, Mayilamma cannot understand why, on April 7, the Kerala High Court's division bench said that Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Ltd (HCCB) — which, The Lab Report From Sargam Metals till a year ago, rolled out 85 lorry-loads of soft-drinks daily — should be allowed to extract 5 lakh litres of water daily from its 34-acre plant in Plachimada in Kerala's Palakkad district

The water from Mayilamma's well had a pH value of 3.53 (against the permissible 6.5-8.5 at 25 degree C), making it "highly acidic". Says Raman: "If consumed, it will burn up your insides." Such water cannot be used for cooking, washing or agriculture. "Clothes could tear if washed in such water, food will rot, crops will wither," warns Raman.

Dramatic Response

2005-04-20T11:22:00.000+05:30

NM has invoked controversy(ies). There was an objection letter in ET. Now there's a response to it...

Here it is! Read it. And enjoy it to the fullest.

What a Pity!

2005-04-18T09:34:00.000+05:30

What a pity that the chief mentor of Infosys, one of the most respected and leading companies in India, Mr Nayanmurthy says, "I don't understand stock markets. I do not invest in them".

There can be two things, one - he does not understand his responsibility towards the corporate India, and two - he does not give a damn to others' wealth, he's only worried about his which he has in plenty.

What can be more shocking than this statement from him after the Sensex plunged by around 200 points when Infosys reported a flat growth for the Q1-FY06.

I know that my voice will never be heard from this blog but I was glad to see a response directly in the Economic Times - here.

I just hope that he tells the truth. Because if he never understood the stocks, then why did Infosys go public. Why did it have and ADR? Why did the company was registered as "Private Limited" with equities rather than "Partnership".

I'll post up these questions on my IIT forums... let's see if I get any response.

Lucknow in News

2005-04-09T01:33:00.000+05:30

Researchers at the IIT-Kharagpur, have developed a molecule that can induce temporary sterility, making contraception simpler, safer and cheaper for men. This molecule would also prove to be a viable alternative to vasectomy or condoms.

Sources at the Indian Council of Medical Research said the drug is in the last phase of testing at the Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow.

Full news is available here.

Oops! We did it again

2005-04-08T12:16:00.000+05:30

And we've done it once again. Our company is making new waves and reaching greater heights.

CXO Today reports: Sun Extends Alliance With Transversal E-networks. Full news may is available via this link.

In short, Sun and TeN have joined hands. Well, we're already a long enough journey of working together.

Here are some more links:

CIOL - Cyber India Online
India Infoline

Reflections of Life

2005-04-07T12:41:00.000+05:30

Here are some reflections of life...

If you're too open minded, your brains will fall out.
Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he'll be a mile away - and barefoot.
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
A closed mouth gathers no feet.
If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before.
My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
Always yield to temptation, because it may not pass your way again.
Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.
Eat well. Stay fit. Die anyway.
Men are from earth. Women are from earth, Deal with it.

Weather Forecast and HR Department at TeN

2005-04-05T13:35:00.000+05:30

Are these three related? Yes. Infact, very closely.

I can predict whether there will be a shower or not by monitoring what's happening in HR department. Don't get me wrong... they don't monitor the weather.

This Thursday when I came here to Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala, India), it was damn hot. On Friday morning, I did a forecast that it will rain heavily on Sunday. It did.

Till Saturday afternoon, it was very hot. Umm... very very hot. I went to ATM (in morning), half a minute I was outside ATM waiting for the guy to come it and I was sweating. Come evening and it started pouring. Sunday morning I woke up to see a heavy rain all around.

And I was successful in prediction for at least 6th consecutive time since I first came here in July, 2004.

How do I do it? Should I make it public...? Well, I think, not right now. If you need to know, ask me. :-D

JEE Coaching is Up and Rocking

2005-03-31T12:23:00.000+05:30

Free JEE coaching and mentoring is up and rocking. There's a dedicated Yahoo! Group which is highly, yes I must emphasize again, highly active.

February saw 38 messages while March has seen 138 messages so far with 9 new members (total 55 member strong group) and 30 new messages in last week considering that we celebrated Holi to the fullest in the week.

Thanks to Rambo who started with the idea of discussion on providing affordable solutions to JEE aspirants... resulting in an offshoot from the previous group to the one dedicated to JEE aspirants. We don't discuss strategies to make JEE-coaching affordable but actually provide it.

I wish to provide a few testimonials soon. But just to mention, I was overwhelmed with a query from a student in Andaman Nicobar islands where no national level coaching for JEE has reach.

Being a Shamelss Self-Promoter (™ of Debbie Allen), I am proud to say that the group has its reach to farthest point of connectivity. If you have a internet connection, you have the mentoring group.

Thanks to all mentors in the group, specially Venkat (from first IIT batch, viola!), Rambo, Barun, Moin, Atif and yours sincerely in keeping the group alive and kicking with great solutions, innovative appoaches and superb insights to approaches.

Why I like Oxford Dictionary...

2005-02-22T08:36:00.000+05:30

... and why I like English language and more importantly, those who have been updating English language.

You must have seen :-) ;-) :-* :*! etc. And you must have read the words like atb, gtg, cul8r etc.

Do they make any sense to you? Do they sound familiar? Yes... you got it right! They are smileys and acronyms. But what do they have to do with the Oxford Dictionary?

These gibberish-looking-symbols have found place in the Oxford dictionary. What more, they are a part of even Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Times of India reports that all this and much more in electronic messaging and telephoning have been included in the dictionary and its editor Sally Wehmeier says "people like to know how to send out an email, whether it is ok to use informal language, whether it is acceptible to start with hello, etc".

"While I must admit that the only ones that peroanlly use regularly are btw and fyi, I often see others used, also emoticons. These words and abbreviations have been included in other dictionaries", he adds.

My personal comments - I use a lot of emoticons in my mail. My each informal mail would have at least one emoticons. Try hunting for my postings on several mailing lists and newsgroups on the web and you'd find them with emoticons.

And I would not like to comment on linguists for other languages.

Totally Superb!

2005-02-21T16:12:00.000+05:30

My blogs of "Tips and Tricks for JEE" may not have done any wonders. But they have given me some satisfaction. I got a mail from one of the JEE aspirants:

I am indeed overwhelmed with the kind of help you are giving to aspirants like me.....Free Jee Tricks and they are too good. Thanks a ton for it

I am feeling a sense of achievement in this. Ok ok... let me not fill a lot of air. Time to get to work... it's still office hours.

End of the Weekend or...

2005-02-20T23:30:00.000+05:30

... or start of a 100% rest day?

After running around like hell to purchase a flat, I finally decided not to go for it right now trying to make Sunday a holiday, formally. But it did not happen as I wanted.

I got up at early as around 8 o'clock (!!) and had to go to Forum to meet Gijo for some unofficially official work at 9:30am.

Back from there, I was at home till in the evening. No no. Not sleeping, but doing more research on Workflow and the newly got keywords - BPEL.

At around 8 o'clock, Umakant's relatives visited the residence (didn't I tell you that I'm still staying with him) which was followed by dinner.

And then.. it's late night now and I must go to sleep.

Being a day of rest, I did not work on any new idea that might have come to my mind at any time during the day. Let it rest in peace.

Start of Weekend

2005-02-19T23:46:00.000+05:30

My weekend stars on Friday itself. Well, mostly. This time also. I was in my T-Shirt making others feel that it is Saturday.

I was supposed to go to see some places - arey yaar! purchasing house / flat, what else? But at the end of the day, it turned out that my full day got wasted into nothing.

But ok.. I did a couple of things - I wrote more about Workflow Engines and did a more thorough research on how things are being done today.

Now, I would be looking into how work is done in a recruitment company. I have some contacts but not initiated discussions with them. Hope to do this task in the coming week.

Home Hunting

2005-02-18T23:42:00.000+05:30

My home hunting is still not over. It's a big investment and one can't take chances. One has to be very sure about where the money is being put.

Today, I was supposed to go out to see some more houses but nothing has happened yet. And I am sweating in front of the laptop. Didn't I tell you that the temperature has increased suddenly and I've still not switched on the fan. Cooler and A/C were never a part of Bangalore but it seems they'll soon may way into home.

A wrap of today - life and thoughts will follow in next entry.

Personally Speaking...

2005-02-17T19:50:00.000+05:30

Ok... after creating so many blogs for general purpose, I've finally made up my mind to start writing my diarly online.

Well, this is not the first time that I am writing my account publically. I did start off on DiaryLand.com a couple of years ago. I have some entries also, like this one and some others also.

However because of lack of interest and myself feeling comfortable in writing offline, it did not continue for long. I hope to continue on this one for a longer period of time.