081127 020910index-htm2
To Stop Train -- Pull Chain!*
Here
is a collection of articles that promise to give good start for the day.
Whenever -- I am stung by a bee, or bitten by a dog, or feeling sad -- I
simply remember a few of my favorite things -- as listed below -- and I
don't feel let down any more. Then I go & have my drink
How to
become smart? It is easy -- surprisingly. A fund of ideas is thrown
in this lead article -- for free
While
everybody else prospers, the poor Government servants are left in the lurch and
are expected to take care of themselves. What are their vulnerabilities,
errors, commissions and omissions? A case is made in their defense and is
guaranteed to be valid until
you call Tehelka
When
you are drowned -- it is immaterial whether you are six feet or sixty feet
down. But not so with the outlaws -- they say. There are honest thieves and
dishonest crooks. Click here to recognize the fine distinction.
Occasionally
one is required to blow own
trumpet. If you resist others will not know of your ambitions
The
epics are full of side stories that are often more absorbing than the main
theme. The Rakshas
who came in for the parleys -- is one such story. Read the narration
-- you will be surprised to suddenly discovver that life has hardly ever changed
from the days of Bhim and Arjun
Disaster
Management is now prescribed as curriculum for many programs. When
it was first inducted Basak (and myself) had different understanding -- a funny
one at that
The
nice things in life are fast disappearing. For example the hire bikes. Where
have they all gone? They have been lost to those who are in quest
of a fast buck
Add
one part of cement to four parts of sand. No, this was not a recipe for a new
dish -- but a prescription as to how to assemble a mix that can help close an
inland envelope. That was also a provocation to motivate others in following
instructions. Like the simple one --
to stop
train -- pull chain*
all
of them are based on real life experience. Pity! still no method is available
to open a specially custom-packed vial of achar without spilling the oil
out on your shirt.
M
Premkumar wrote recently on the legacy of the FR & SR. Many may not be
aware that the FR & SR (they are always taken together like for example -- Laila
- Majnu, Shanker - Jaikishen et al) spell Holy Bible to many. What
are they? Feel free to ask Konkoje
The
tram drivers were not permitted to sit down while on duty. Why? We may never
know. Read Luz-Alone
for this and other revelations
Where
are you from? From para four -- said the stranger. Characters walking
out of real life occur not only in the Operation
Moonlanding, but also in other texts in this collection
Many
of us deserve to be emperors -- if only they agree to crown each one of us aik din ka Raja.
If UP can have two Chief Ministers -- one for the summer and the other for the
winter, the suggested scheme is indeed feasible -- you will agree
What
is the difference between past perfect and past imperfect? As
much as minding your business and minding others' business. Acharya analyses
with his sanity
-- not lost yet
It
is another absorbing tale from Rajnandgaon. About a friend of mine who is keeping
snakes as pets. Why? Because snakes are more loyal than dogs or iguanas.
Tie one on yourself -- you will know
Long
ago there was a courier system that was superfast and robustly reliable. It was
also gratis. Want to know more about it? All the details at mutual benefit
Aside : The travails of a developing nation to the constantly
changing telecom and therefore the I-T scenario are particularly intriguing
Are the tracks doubled and electrified? A peek through the
side window would have revealed. But not for Suresh and Ramesh. For them the
Discovery of the Bay of Bengal occurs only on the atlas. Pity, the
obvious is invisible to many of us, educated lot
It
is similarly difficult to distinguish between meaningful data and raw dump.
When we are directing
the inquiries, we seem oblivious to what shows stark naked in front but we
still demand processed thruput. Not only Damodar at the next door but others as
well are prone to this syndrome
Technologists
want us believe that all knowledge can be capsuled into data bases. If this is
indeed true, then all Interactive Response Systems are a success. How is that
then those systems do not have the answers for my questions? I do not
believe on the yellow pages or on the
technology of pushing buttons. For me life is not abstract but concrete.
Life cannot be equated to records of fields. Each one of us is astonishingly unique
and cannot be defined in terms of some predefined discrete quantities
For
me my computer is always active and kicking. It breathes normally as we do. It
has emotions. It is hurt when you abuse. It wags when you do show appreciation.
From
Qwerty with love -- is an ode to the community called computers
There
is a recognizable conflict between what is technology capable of and what it needs
to do. The contrast is striking amongst the third world. They understand
technology in terms of what it can do for them. Seven is heaven
sets the tone to underscore this gap
When
we are trying to live up the next door Jones, there are occupational hiccups.
The sign of
times throws some solutions -- in a lighter vein
Somebody
asked if pros and cons are opposite, is progress opposed to congress?
I guess they are the two sides of the same coin. The induction of any
technology has a price like traveling up
through a down esclator
Have
you noticed the wrong numbers are completely eliminated -- now? Correction. The
right
wrong numbers continue -- but wrong - wrong numbers have been
dispensed with. What is the difference between the two? Find out for yourself!
Half
way through the filling of a form, the boiler plate called for an empty floppy
disc, the social security number and the maiden name of the wife of the mayor
of the town where the great grand- ma lived. Asked -- why is the wicket gate so
tough to push, Archimedes replied -- it will be so, for every turn of yours I
get a bucket of water lifted out of the well. Have you ever wondered why they
make form filling so complex? Do you know much of the so called complex
software is developed, not by experts but by computer illiterates like you? CKD Coffee unravels
the mystery -- between the vanilla fare and the designer version
While
an aircraft ten kilometres away can be spotted, an ant twenty feet away is not
located. This gets de-mystified in Geodesic
Surfing -- a sport that is as interesting as the customary net
surfing
Why
was there so much noise on the Voices
from the Cyberspace? And why has that been suddenly silenced? How is that
VoI-P is so inexpensive? Ramanujan explains straight from a Maths text
Post-Script-1
-- 10 Sep 2002 Tue :
Want to ever know why
is the fire engine red? Because a fire truck has six wheels. But I learnt
the hard way -- after an encounter with a mechanic
I
wanted to become a software expert so one day I may go live in NJ. The dream
evaporated when suddenly there was an old
curiosity flop -- which the Sysop has not forgiven
I
promptly took a different trade and this time sermonized a homily for
Carlos
That
was when I discovered I could choose a
language to write with the pen. The additional privileges you so obtain are
now revealed for the first time
The
Editor asked me which is the one invention
that has the most significant impact in the twentieth century. Here is my
report
NEW today 03 December 2004 Friday 1600 Hours
041129ClimbAllMountains
CLIMB ALL MOUNTAINS
In
the late fifties the TRC [Telecom Research Centre, the asli fore-runner
of the C-DoT] had only two instruments in the Switching Lab. Both of
them were much larger than conventional avometers - hardly portable. They were
intended for measuring time -- very small slices of it. They had names besides
-- one was called Chronotron and the other Trinitron [this was many many years
before Sony would introduce a TV model by that appellation]. Trini had a linear
scale and necessarily the preferred choice by everybody. Chrono had a
non-linear scale annoyingly cramped at the lower end. But the good thing was it
was functional while Trini was handicapped and dysfunctional since long. That
was the scene when I arrived at the TRC [and that was the year 1965]
The
instruments were deployed for measuring the operate and the release lags of
mechanical relays. The relay was the reigning technology of the switching
systems of those days. Its design was classical and every parameter can be
controlled. In today's terms it may cost about Rs 500/== for producing a
conventional Strowger relay, it was relatively so expensive also in those days
when 10nP and 20np coins were still in circulation and respected as good legal
tender. Since the relays were dear, all tricks were put into action to keep
their count minimum in any application. Knocking off a relay or two was mostly
managed by maneuvering the operate and release characteristics -- indirectly
discernible through the operate and or release lags of the relays themselves.
By the time Pentaconta came in vogue, the relay count was no more significant,
we ceased to be bothered by their space guzzle or their power consumption --
not because relays became inexpensive but because we matured in the use of
technology and had ushered common control by then [extracting lot more juice
out of them relays]
When
I landed at the TRC, the institution was housed at the Dak Tar Bhawan. A year
or so later we would shift to Khurhidlal Bhawan, where it continues to function
even today. Shifting to the new premises was a great event. All work was
suspended for a month to enable the shift. I was in charge of the make shift
arrangement for tea brewing and distribution at the new building. Many projects
could not be located or traced for a long time and thus there was no activity
for almost a year. It was at this stage I determined to discover some work for
myself
Trini
was sitting pretty on a monstrous lab desk unfunctional. It could not be
condemned because you need to declare first it was unserviceable. It may not be
declared unserviceable because it was only two years old, since its import from
UK [to whom we always looked up for anything novel at that time]. It had twenty
three years of life left and nobody would be in a position to explain to the
audit query as to why it had become unserviceable in just two years. Well, mum
is the word and everybody was happy. Anyway we had the other machine Chrono --
which was still working though not preferred. Then suddenly it dawned that we
may not prefer to make measurements at all [PentaConta having arrived. But PC
had other problems, but that is a different story]
When
I opened the Trini, I discovered a regulated power supply inside. Today it is
common place but in those days regulated power supplies were meant for only
special applications say for example inside an operating theater, maybe. The
regulation was managed by a 90Volts neon bulb. There was also a capacitor that was
charged by an ingenious constant current source. The voltage across the
capacitor, thus became a direct measure of the time elapsed while charging it.
The charge of the capacitor was controlled by the events themselves through the
contacts of the relays whose characteristics were being observed
Very
soon I figured the capacitor was not getting its charge. A search in the market
[all shops in front of the Red Fort] showed that such a low leak capacitor
would not be available in Delhi. I didn’t take the import route for two reasons
-- one was that my diagnosis may not be finnal, there could be more bugs in the
machine and the second was that the import would take such a long gestation
that I might retire by the time the import arrived!
Well,
to make a long story short, happily, the mounting of the capacitor was seen
leaky. Some cleaning and refurbishing thereafter, the capacitor decided to
behave. The machine started working though it had no application forthcoming by
now. It was like Veerappan having a natural demise and nobody could make claim
for the prize money promised
The
story should have ended there -- with no excitement or suspense elements. It
was to unfold further several years later when Nandy would apprise me of the
following
While
at the Dak Tar Bhawan still, several experts were called in to repair the
Trini. But all efforts failed. Then many locals tried their hands -- in vain.
It was the only other instrument in the whole lab and its non-function
would force at least half the lab to be closed. The then Chief, Taskar
suspended all the activities for one full week so that everybody on board could
concentrate on the recovery of a valuable tool. That also predictably failed
SK
Das would, much later, admire at my unlimited source of courage, in braving to
open the machine, particularly with no documentation of any kind around. The
machine was already not working and had I failed I would not be contributing to
anything worse. That was the advantage my unsolicited effort carried. For me it
was a challenge. It was a peak and decided to climb. That was the story of my
beginning to climb all the mountains, thereafter
Dear
Reader! Did you enjoy browsing through this stuff? What did you like? And what
you didn't?? Write
a short note then
* To stop train -- pull chain is
an instruction found on top every window of a train. It says (1) there is a
train and (2) if you intend to stop it -- just pull the plug. The
instruction is so simple and it works!! It is a free-for-all and anybody can
stop. It is really Democracy at Work. Great -- don't you agree??? This
collection is dedicated to those unfortunate few who get to pull only chains
and not wires!!!
Update
: 26 Nov 2008 Thu 1300 10 Sep 2002 Tue 1634
Hrs,03 Sep 2002 Tue 0237 Hours