Series-II
This is the second in the series on growing social obsessions in Kerala. Gold and Alcohol are the late entrants into the mallu psyche. If all others are vices of materialistic nature, there is one virtue that no other Indian possesses. The gift of comedy. Humour comes easily to a malayalee. How and why? read on
Comedy: Mallu comedy actors take a bow!. Over 50% of malayalam movie actors are comedians.
This blog is going to make the Innocents [a funny name for a naughty comedian], Jayarams [one time mimicry artist turned super star], Dilip, and Lals [again a mimic turned director] proud. Every malayalee loves a hearty laugh, whether it comes from the slapstick comic movie scenes, or double entendre "skits" and "mimics parades". Make no mistake; mallu's are very particular about good comedy. Ask the all time favorite comedian of Malayalam cinema "Jagathi Sreekumar"[ His actual name is Sreekumar, Jagathi is the name of his home town, mallus have a special affection for place names, but all that in a later blog]. If you say this is common to all Indian cinemas, Kerala comedy has more to offer. Keralites love mimicking any TDH, including themselves. Mimicry artists have a special penchant to mock actors and politicians. Some superstar actors and politicians admit that some artists who mimic their mannerisms are better than themselves. A "mimics parade" [there is no march past, this parade is just a two hour program when various artists parade before the audience showcasing their vocal magic and funny histrionics] is a hit be it in birthday parties to Gulf entertainment shows. There was even a call to ban mimicing leaders and personalities which never found any takers in Kerala [Gulf Today, January 14 2004]. Some "mimics videos" [of Kalabhavan, Cochin variety] will find place with many a blockbuster Malayalam movie. The Malayalam film industry owes a lot to this comedy factory, though of late mimicry is loosing the spontaneity and situational comedy, made a cult classic by Jayaram, Late Sainudeen, and Harisri Asokan. Probe further, you will find numerous television shows that rake in TRP ratings by just showing a collage of comedy scenes from malaylam movies [Asianet Cinemala, Comedy time, Jagapoga]. These shows have TRP ratings at par with the weepy feminine soaps. Now, to beat the TV soaps loaded with sentiments is no mean achievement and that shows how popular humor is in mallu land. If you think director Priyadarsan is a genius, you are wrong. He was one. Today, all comedy movies made by him in Hindi and all blockbusters are frame by frame copies of hit malayalam comedy movies from the 80's and 90's.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Tsunami Relief-Contribute
Please contribute generously for relief of Tsunami victims. Contribute to the Indian Prime Minister's Relief Fund [See Details].
People who want to help may send bank drafts/cheques in the name Indian Red Cross Society, New Delhi. One may also deposit cash or relief material at the Delhi office.
The society is accepting everything except perishable items and used clothes.
Address: Indian Red Cross Society, 1, Red Cross Road, New Delhi - 110001 Phone: (011) 23716441, 23716234
Source: http://tsunamihelp.blogspot.com/
People who want to help may send bank drafts/cheques in the name Indian Red Cross Society, New Delhi. One may also deposit cash or relief material at the Delhi office.
The society is accepting everything except perishable items and used clothes.
Address: Indian Red Cross Society, 1, Red Cross Road, New Delhi - 110001 Phone: (011) 23716441, 23716234
Source: http://tsunamihelp.blogspot.com/
The Goa-Kerala Mix-I
Goa and Kerala claim to have similar tastes of natural goodies with Sea, fish, churches, and of course coconut palms that sway with tsunamistic abandon along vast stretches of beaches. Unfortunately, the similarities end more or less with these. An exception being both states have their natives as Non-residents [The Gulf variety!]. The two states boast of dinars, riyals, and dollars stached as NRI fixed deposits contribute to our overflowing foriegn reserves[$130 billion as on 17 December 2004]. It is interesting to note why the states are so similar but people far apart.
The common obsessions of Kerala and Goa: Chaya and Cha [A cuppa tea anytime, anywhere, everywhere], Sunday morining mass at the church, Mackerel ['Chaala' in Mallu speak] fish is a hit, grated coconut is a must if it is chicken curry in Kerala or Chicken Xacuti in Goa. Unfortunately, Kerala despite having good beaches and tropical clime looses to Goa because of a narrow mindset, lack of trust, and social one-up man ship.
Series 1 starts with Kerala vices, the twin obsessions, Alcohol, and Gold
Alcohol: Though not in alphabetic order, Alcohol will undisputedly figure as a topper in Kerala. It is said if a mallu has a newspaper in his left hand, he holds a drink with his left hand. The drink used to be the piping hot Kannan Devan Chaya [Tea]. Lately, that has been replaced by strong spirits. Every marriage has to be preceded by a bachelor's party with "Teachers" to "Oldmonks" blessing all the young men of the village or town. It is today claimed as a right of every mallu male to get invited for the party. Social networks they say, are built around the brand of drink he holds. It is also very necessary that one lets the whole world know that he is drunk by venturing into the streets, and finally pouring out his "voes". From "anamayakki" to "100 pipers", Kerala boasts of a record per capita consumption of 8.3 liters of spirited juice[1].
Gold, Gold and more Gold...
Getting that precious yellow metal is a keralites obsession. Every keralite lady knows the number 24 worth the gold and that a karat is not same as a carrot. Now, with diamonds shining they have replaced the k with a C for Carat. Every small town in Kerala boasts of a Gold souk, or a Jewel Junction. Alappat, Alukkas, Bhima, Josco have become household names. Marriages become auspicious when the brides father commits in multi-soverigns to the question"Ethra swarnam ittu?" [How much gold did you put?]. A malayalee's worth in kerala is measured in the weight of gold bars, ornaments his wife posseses in the bank locker. The jewel junction in Cochin alone boasts of more jewellery shops than in Goa. Probably, the metal has god in it 'GO-l-D'
Next Blog...will look at the keralite obsessions of Comedy, Sex, and Gulf
Goa and Kerala claim to have similar tastes of natural goodies with Sea, fish, churches, and of course coconut palms that sway with tsunamistic abandon along vast stretches of beaches. Unfortunately, the similarities end more or less with these. An exception being both states have their natives as Non-residents [The Gulf variety!]. The two states boast of dinars, riyals, and dollars stached as NRI fixed deposits contribute to our overflowing foriegn reserves[$130 billion as on 17 December 2004]. It is interesting to note why the states are so similar but people far apart.
The common obsessions of Kerala and Goa: Chaya and Cha [A cuppa tea anytime, anywhere, everywhere], Sunday morining mass at the church, Mackerel ['Chaala' in Mallu speak] fish is a hit, grated coconut is a must if it is chicken curry in Kerala or Chicken Xacuti in Goa. Unfortunately, Kerala despite having good beaches and tropical clime looses to Goa because of a narrow mindset, lack of trust, and social one-up man ship.
Series 1 starts with Kerala vices, the twin obsessions, Alcohol, and Gold
Alcohol: Though not in alphabetic order, Alcohol will undisputedly figure as a topper in Kerala. It is said if a mallu has a newspaper in his left hand, he holds a drink with his left hand. The drink used to be the piping hot Kannan Devan Chaya [Tea]. Lately, that has been replaced by strong spirits. Every marriage has to be preceded by a bachelor's party with "Teachers" to "Oldmonks" blessing all the young men of the village or town. It is today claimed as a right of every mallu male to get invited for the party. Social networks they say, are built around the brand of drink he holds. It is also very necessary that one lets the whole world know that he is drunk by venturing into the streets, and finally pouring out his "voes". From "anamayakki" to "100 pipers", Kerala boasts of a record per capita consumption of 8.3 liters of spirited juice[1].
Gold, Gold and more Gold...
Getting that precious yellow metal is a keralites obsession. Every keralite lady knows the number 24 worth the gold and that a karat is not same as a carrot. Now, with diamonds shining they have replaced the k with a C for Carat. Every small town in Kerala boasts of a Gold souk, or a Jewel Junction. Alappat, Alukkas, Bhima, Josco have become household names. Marriages become auspicious when the brides father commits in multi-soverigns to the question"Ethra swarnam ittu?" [How much gold did you put?]. A malayalee's worth in kerala is measured in the weight of gold bars, ornaments his wife posseses in the bank locker. The jewel junction in Cochin alone boasts of more jewellery shops than in Goa. Probably, the metal has god in it 'GO-l-D'
Next Blog...will look at the keralite obsessions of Comedy, Sex, and Gulf
Monday, December 27, 2004
Kerala Mix-III
Kerala Mix-III
After delving into the three Amigos in Contemporary Kerala -Alchohol, Gold, and Comedy [My previous blogs]. We look at the most repulsive yet omnipresent word in Mallu land "SEX". I donot want to sound like another of those "oh! this is a dangerous trend" conservatists. Read the following article titled "Sex and the Mallu" [pun intended!] which appeared in The Week Magazine [November 24-28, 2004] issue. Sex was always bottled up in the psyche, but what does one do when the bottle is transparent for all to see? Some pointers to the trends;
1. At any point in time, there are atleast 5 sex scandals/crimes in Kerala
2. One out of three Indian Adult films is a Keralites work of art [From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, that sleazy "Pyasi Jawani" or "Raat ki Raani" poster you saw on the Mumbai bylanes or along the Guntur road is a dubbed Mallu porn movie].
3. An established mallu movie sex siren is more popular than a malayalam superstar in India[ Ask 10 Indians in India whether they know Shakeela and Dilip?, chances are 8 out of 10 will say they know Shakeela].
last point...
4. If you know who Shakeela is without my blog link, it proves why Sex in God's own Country is a hit.
After delving into the three Amigos in Contemporary Kerala -Alchohol, Gold, and Comedy [My previous blogs]. We look at the most repulsive yet omnipresent word in Mallu land "SEX". I donot want to sound like another of those "oh! this is a dangerous trend" conservatists. Read the following article titled "Sex and the Mallu" [pun intended!] which appeared in The Week Magazine [November 24-28, 2004] issue. Sex was always bottled up in the psyche, but what does one do when the bottle is transparent for all to see? Some pointers to the trends;
1. At any point in time, there are atleast 5 sex scandals/crimes in Kerala
2. One out of three Indian Adult films is a Keralites work of art [From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, that sleazy "Pyasi Jawani" or "Raat ki Raani" poster you saw on the Mumbai bylanes or along the Guntur road is a dubbed Mallu porn movie].
3. An established mallu movie sex siren is more popular than a malayalam superstar in India[ Ask 10 Indians in India whether they know Shakeela and Dilip?, chances are 8 out of 10 will say they know Shakeela].
last point...
4. If you know who Shakeela is without my blog link, it proves why Sex in God's own Country is a hit.
Blogging and the Semantic Web
The Association of Computing Machinery has dedicated the December 2004 issue of Communications of ACM [CACM] for Blogs [Weblogs, Blogosphere]. Articles and survey research on the evolution, creation, and the reasons of blogging activity are documented. This holds great significance to understand the social networks in virtual reality, virtual communications, psychology of virtual behavior, demographic and social factors behind blogging. Blogging as a knowledge management tool has great potential. It is not too far when all the knowledge of Internet is captured using semantic tags, xml feeds, and syndication. The question is can we semantically map all the information from the internet into knowledge? The idea is to create a self-organising internet that is autonomous in nature. An internet powered by itself can capture, and deliver content without facing hardware and software technology hurdles. A blog can be a warehouse of agents [blog agents] that communicate with other blog agents. The blog agents will conspire to accomplish a desired user goal without any intervention. Say, you are blogging from Rajasthan [India], and you blog that you are lost and cannot find a way back. Your blog agent signals the internet. This trigger unleashes a series of agents that communicate with other travel blog agents residing in other travel blogs. They find precision maps, weather information, travel agents, and even book tickets. Blogs have been regarded as personal diary and journals, but why not a personal secretary or assistant that can accomplish tasks? It makes more sense than a diary.
Saturday, December 11, 2004
Rayachem-Bandar
The history of Goa and Ribandar.
Ribander and Raibander [originates from "Rayachem Bandar" meaning the Port of Rayas 14th century Vijayanagara Kings], Goa, the abode of Goan artists has an envious history. The Vijayanagara kings fought the Bahmani sultans in this place, then called Raichur Doab. V. S. Naipal called the Vijayanagara empire the last frontier bastion of Hindu civilisation. In 1510 Goa went on to the hands of the Portuguese, who went on to make it another Lisbon in the south. They say that he who has seen Goa need not see Lisbon [I donot know how far it is true today!].
Historical places of Ribander-
The Old Goa-Panjim Cause way "Ponte de Linhares"- Built in 1633 by Portuguese Viceroy, Conde de Linhares
Our Lady of Ajuda Church- Built in 1565, today known as the Church of Ribander. The ship carrying the body of St. Francis Xavier was welcomed with canon salute [you can see some canons in the church premises] at this church on the night of 14th March, 1554. You will not be surprised to see the architectural shape of the church. It is built like a Ship, beside the Mandovi river.
Finally, Santa Casa De Misericordia [The Royal Portuguese Hospital]: Today it houses one of the finest Management schools in India-Goa Institute of Management. It is a heritage structure and has been left unchanged despite the pressures of housing a college.
Just some snippets I gathered from some internet research, though it was not easy to get anything on Ribander. Good night
Ribander and Raibander [originates from "Rayachem Bandar" meaning the Port of Rayas 14th century Vijayanagara Kings], Goa, the abode of Goan artists has an envious history. The Vijayanagara kings fought the Bahmani sultans in this place, then called Raichur Doab. V. S. Naipal called the Vijayanagara empire the last frontier bastion of Hindu civilisation. In 1510 Goa went on to the hands of the Portuguese, who went on to make it another Lisbon in the south. They say that he who has seen Goa need not see Lisbon [I donot know how far it is true today!].
Historical places of Ribander-
The Old Goa-Panjim Cause way "Ponte de Linhares"- Built in 1633 by Portuguese Viceroy, Conde de Linhares
Our Lady of Ajuda Church- Built in 1565, today known as the Church of Ribander. The ship carrying the body of St. Francis Xavier was welcomed with canon salute [you can see some canons in the church premises] at this church on the night of 14th March, 1554. You will not be surprised to see the architectural shape of the church. It is built like a Ship, beside the Mandovi river.
Finally, Santa Casa De Misericordia [The Royal Portuguese Hospital]: Today it houses one of the finest Management schools in India-Goa Institute of Management. It is a heritage structure and has been left unchanged despite the pressures of housing a college.
Just some snippets I gathered from some internet research, though it was not easy to get anything on Ribander. Good night
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Google Scholar
Another google gem. This one is especially for researchers and piled higher and deeper fellows like me. Google has come up with a beta version of a scholarly database search and retrieval engine that makes searching those peer reviewed papers, dissertations, theses a lot more easier. It is called Google Scholar There is no advance search option and even the search results are not that great. But knowing Google, I think it is just a matter of time before all functions come into place.
Saturday, November 06, 2004
MBA and Re-engineering
Most Banal Administration? Over 1000 institutes offering the famed PGDM certifications, the regulatory/accreditation bodies range from AIU, AICTE, NBA, NAAC [But, We talk of the single window system]. Hope majority donot turn into finishing schools.
Currently I am working on IBM products. DB2 Warehouse Manager, OLAP Kit and Visual Age for Java. Incidentally, IBM has withdrawn support for Visual Age and now is asking us to migrate to Web sphere. Is IBM Rational Rose and UML kit a genuine Reverse Engineering Tool? Talking about Re-engineering.
One question always props up, why do humans design systems with valueless processes. The otherday I was in desperate need of cash while travelling on a Sunday. I rushed to the ATM, and to my dismay I had just the bare minimum balance of Rs.5058.90. Now the ATM does not give me Rs.50 or even Rs. 10. All those talk of Customer Relationship management [CRM] came tumbling down. I could always go to the local bank branch and withdraw even the last rupee. The teller will oblige with a smile. Now, the moronic machine was [mocking!] flashing a Cadbury Chocolate advertisement. You neither get a rupee nor the chocolate. When will our banks realize that ATMs have to be designed for the customer and not the banker? I should be able to withdraw even a rupee if I have some money left. It is my right to do what I want with my money. If the bank feels that it is not a cost effective option then forget the customer. Is banking technology so averse to re-engineering its process. All it takes is value engineering. The Japanese did it with customisation of technology.
Currently I am working on IBM products. DB2 Warehouse Manager, OLAP Kit and Visual Age for Java. Incidentally, IBM has withdrawn support for Visual Age and now is asking us to migrate to Web sphere. Is IBM Rational Rose and UML kit a genuine Reverse Engineering Tool? Talking about Re-engineering.
One question always props up, why do humans design systems with valueless processes. The otherday I was in desperate need of cash while travelling on a Sunday. I rushed to the ATM, and to my dismay I had just the bare minimum balance of Rs.5058.90. Now the ATM does not give me Rs.50 or even Rs. 10. All those talk of Customer Relationship management [CRM] came tumbling down. I could always go to the local bank branch and withdraw even the last rupee. The teller will oblige with a smile. Now, the moronic machine was [mocking!] flashing a Cadbury Chocolate advertisement. You neither get a rupee nor the chocolate. When will our banks realize that ATMs have to be designed for the customer and not the banker? I should be able to withdraw even a rupee if I have some money left. It is my right to do what I want with my money. If the bank feels that it is not a cost effective option then forget the customer. Is banking technology so averse to re-engineering its process. All it takes is value engineering. The Japanese did it with customisation of technology.
Get ready to pay more for software- The Economic Times
Get ready to pay more for software- The Economic Times
Software Taxation: Does Indian Software industry come under the product or a service sector. Commercial off the shelf software [COTS] products of TCS, Infosys, Iflex will be charged with sales tax. This will increase the cost of COTS. My question is will this move be succesful considering the fact that many products are customised into services by software companies. Software firms will use this loop hole. This will adversely affect the growth of an industry which is struggling for long to break into the global product league. The Supreme court judgement will not encourage software industry to become product centric. This ruling will add to the debate on Intellectual Property Taxation. Indian software industry will now move towards sunshine services sector. But they can run but not hide!
Software Taxation: Does Indian Software industry come under the product or a service sector. Commercial off the shelf software [COTS] products of TCS, Infosys, Iflex will be charged with sales tax. This will increase the cost of COTS. My question is will this move be succesful considering the fact that many products are customised into services by software companies. Software firms will use this loop hole. This will adversely affect the growth of an industry which is struggling for long to break into the global product league. The Supreme court judgement will not encourage software industry to become product centric. This ruling will add to the debate on Intellectual Property Taxation. Indian software industry will now move towards sunshine services sector. But they can run but not hide!
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Is US becoming more Indian?
The US presidential elections throws up some interesting que into the fact that America is today moving towards a moralistic, conservative society. Bush's victory was largely because of the case of his religious conservativism. Today America[the majority of its population are middle aged and old] wants to be secure. The "secure moms" want their children to grow up in environments unlike in their teenage days. The middle aged and older Americans became increasingly insecure about its future generation. It is this generationthat voted for thwart the threats. The 80's Americanism was about gun culture, drug pushers in school, materialistic, the just donot care attitude right through the 1990's. This younger generation [Gen Y-1981-1995, 57million] never cared about what happened outside the US. Remember, In 1998 even President Bush never got his geography right [I doubt whether he still has]. The threat of terrorism at their doorstep shook the American from the comfort zone. America realised that White House is a very dangerous place from which to view the world. The younger generation preferred Kerry to Bush. Kerry advocated for a liberal society that recognised gay culture, and loose moral values. This did appeal to the imagination of the younger generation in US. The US went through the trials and tribulations of capitalistic free market economy. It cared less for conservatism and restrictions. Today, it wants to become conservative to preserve what is still left of America and put restrictions on any element that makes them insecure.
While America wants to be moralistic, India seems to be caught in the reverse mode. India is becoming more like the America of the 60's and 70's where the younger generation[25-40] age group dominate the social fabric. The carefree attitude, materialism, and making a fast buck is the trend seen in many India cities. India is emulating the 1970-80's American culture. Terrorism is not a big threat, everyday an India lives and dies a thousand times. The death defying life that he lives on the streets and workplace putting up with a highly terrorised system sums up the fact that war and terrorists are insignificant. The young feel that it is better to live one good life than struggling to fight the terrorised system. The famous cartoonist R. K. Laxman's Common Man" no more represents the Indian. He represents the average Indian Grandfather who is helpless. Indians want to build an America that makes them enjoy the quality of life. Ultimately it will come full circle. Fast forward to 2020, when the the social needs of an Indian are met and become a prosperous arrogant society. The present young generation would have aged seeing the degradation of the age old value system. They will remeber the good old days of Indian cultural values. It will then vote like America Votes 2004! The conservative-liberal-conservative cycle will continue.
While America wants to be moralistic, India seems to be caught in the reverse mode. India is becoming more like the America of the 60's and 70's where the younger generation[25-40] age group dominate the social fabric. The carefree attitude, materialism, and making a fast buck is the trend seen in many India cities. India is emulating the 1970-80's American culture. Terrorism is not a big threat, everyday an India lives and dies a thousand times. The death defying life that he lives on the streets and workplace putting up with a highly terrorised system sums up the fact that war and terrorists are insignificant. The young feel that it is better to live one good life than struggling to fight the terrorised system. The famous cartoonist R. K. Laxman's Common Man" no more represents the Indian. He represents the average Indian Grandfather who is helpless. Indians want to build an America that makes them enjoy the quality of life. Ultimately it will come full circle. Fast forward to 2020, when the the social needs of an Indian are met and become a prosperous arrogant society. The present young generation would have aged seeing the degradation of the age old value system. They will remeber the good old days of Indian cultural values. It will then vote like America Votes 2004! The conservative-liberal-conservative cycle will continue.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Some ideas to ponder, even if they donot have Nobel Prize calibre, they will certainly be counted for IgNobel awards [See the 2004 award winners http://www.improb.com/ig/ig-top.html and you will be surprised to find our contribution in getting IgNobel in economics for “outsourcing church prayers to Kerala”].
Desalination Plant at Kochi- Dubai alumni can help MACEians know about the same in Dubai.
A Kasargod-Trivandrum Sea Link
A resuable building material which gets stronger after each use.
An energy exchange[like the electronic stock exchange], where companies and households can trade energy stocks[buy and sell electricity, auction surplus energy resources].
A liquid based RFID [Radio Frequency Identification] material [crystalline gel] that can emit signals: This is particularly useful for petroleum industry, water resource management.
Wireless electricity transmission [possible? I like to know some thing about this.].
An inland-waterway public transportation vehicle- I remember some seniors in MACE[1994 mechanical batch, I persume] have made an amphibious vehicle.
A tablet PC for school students with malayalam software, that costs less than a PC.
A writing material made from anything other than bamboo [solid waste, biological waste].
“Audio” electricity [sound as an energy source]: This is interesting if we can think of converting the huge decibels of sound in rock shows, city junctions into some form of energy. It will be great if we can convert our voices into energy[all politicians, people with gift of back, and microphone addicts are potential sources].
Desalination Plant at Kochi- Dubai alumni can help MACEians know about the same in Dubai.
A Kasargod-Trivandrum Sea Link
A resuable building material which gets stronger after each use.
An energy exchange[like the electronic stock exchange], where companies and households can trade energy stocks[buy and sell electricity, auction surplus energy resources].
A liquid based RFID [Radio Frequency Identification] material [crystalline gel] that can emit signals: This is particularly useful for petroleum industry, water resource management.
Wireless electricity transmission [possible? I like to know some thing about this.].
An inland-waterway public transportation vehicle- I remember some seniors in MACE[1994 mechanical batch, I persume] have made an amphibious vehicle.
A tablet PC for school students with malayalam software, that costs less than a PC.
A writing material made from anything other than bamboo [solid waste, biological waste].
“Audio” electricity [sound as an energy source]: This is interesting if we can think of converting the huge decibels of sound in rock shows, city junctions into some form of energy. It will be great if we can convert our voices into energy[all politicians, people with gift of back, and microphone addicts are potential sources].
The 2004 Ig Nobel Prize Winners
Well, more than the Nobel prize (genuine!), I like the NOBEL. The 2004 IgNobel has been announced and of particular mention are the following:
PUBLIC HEALTH: A Five second rule for eating food dropped on the floor Research questions: How long is it safe for the food dropped on the floor to remain on the floor before you pick it up again to eat it? Answer: 5 seconds (according to High-school student Jillian Clarke) Other findings: Women are more likely than men to eat food thats been floored. Cookies and Candy are the most picked up floored food items.
ENGINEERING:Baldness concealer: How to hide baldness using a series of methodological steps to cover the bald areas with exsting hair. A new Hair styling technique to conceal partial baldness. The explanation is given in wonderful detail with diagrams. My description will be of no consequence before this detail.
LITERATURE: Preserving the Nude Pictures and Heritage (American Nudist Research Library [ANRL] ): This is my pick..http://www.anrl.org/ does an enviable job in preserving nudist literature, photographs, and archives for future generations. Imagine year 2500, If ANRL survives the alien invasion all Playboy magazines will be national treasures? See their wonderful collection in case you want to see it ;-)
ECONOMICS: Vatican Bishops and Roman Catholic Clergy for Outsourcing Church Prayer mass to India [Kerala]. The Kochi diocese gets 350 requests monthly for thanks giving and special prayer mass. A prayer that costs $20 in the US costs roughly $0.45 in India. Even before that, Insourcing is done by Non-resident Indians in USA for doing a pooja for Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh India. talk about reverse sourcing! They can perform the pooja virtually through Internet and collaborative technologies. The time is not far when your mouse will sprinkle some vibhuthi (sacred ash) in your hand, and you can smell the camphor, flowers, and incense fumes through the virtual reality system. All for $1 sitting in your studio apartment in California.This was predicted...finally the Indian Outsourcing boom is getting recognised.
PEACE: [This is a Nobel contender]KAROAKE [Invented by Daisuke Inoue]: The invention of Karoake is a break through considering the fact that it maintains the peaceful equilibrium in a community because people become tolerant by listening to their own singing. This is a wonderful mental tolerance building method. So if you are intolerant and short tempered start a daily exercise...switch on the most difficult song to sing in Karoake mode and then sing...You will have to tolerate the most intollerable audio ever heard.
BIOLOGY: Well..the Nobel prize for Medicine went for "Odor recognition" [see my previos blog]. what about the finding that the Herring fish that makes mysterious sounds in the night is actually communicating with its fellow Herrings. The "hearing" of the Herring is sharp...but the discovery is that the mysterious sounds are emanated when they fart. farting communication skills anyone?? Humans too have distinct fart sounds..I donot know whether they actually use it for communication?
CHEMISTRY: COCA COLA COMPANY, UK for claimed that they used high technology NASA spacecraft water purification process to come out with a new bottled mineral water "Dasani", which was nothing but tap water from Thames river that underwent the basic reverse Osmosis treatment. It became a great marketing and PR disaster when, chemical tests revealed that it was contaminated with bromate- a carcinogen. In case you bought a bottle of "Dasani" water call freephone 0800 227711, Coke will refund you. To Malayalees, a question..Does "Dasani" ring a bell? "Dahasamini" is a great thirst quenching ayurvedic additive that Malayalees add to their drinking water. Nothing can beat this ayurvedic sophisticated technology from India.
Well, more than the Nobel prize (genuine!), I like the NOBEL. The 2004 IgNobel has been announced and of particular mention are the following:
PUBLIC HEALTH: A Five second rule for eating food dropped on the floor Research questions: How long is it safe for the food dropped on the floor to remain on the floor before you pick it up again to eat it? Answer: 5 seconds (according to High-school student Jillian Clarke) Other findings: Women are more likely than men to eat food thats been floored. Cookies and Candy are the most picked up floored food items.
ENGINEERING:Baldness concealer: How to hide baldness using a series of methodological steps to cover the bald areas with exsting hair. A new Hair styling technique to conceal partial baldness. The explanation is given in wonderful detail with diagrams. My description will be of no consequence before this detail.
LITERATURE: Preserving the Nude Pictures and Heritage (American Nudist Research Library [ANRL] ): This is my pick..http://www.anrl.org/ does an enviable job in preserving nudist literature, photographs, and archives for future generations. Imagine year 2500, If ANRL survives the alien invasion all Playboy magazines will be national treasures? See their wonderful collection in case you want to see it ;-)
ECONOMICS: Vatican Bishops and Roman Catholic Clergy for Outsourcing Church Prayer mass to India [Kerala]. The Kochi diocese gets 350 requests monthly for thanks giving and special prayer mass. A prayer that costs $20 in the US costs roughly $0.45 in India. Even before that, Insourcing is done by Non-resident Indians in USA for doing a pooja for Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh India. talk about reverse sourcing! They can perform the pooja virtually through Internet and collaborative technologies. The time is not far when your mouse will sprinkle some vibhuthi (sacred ash) in your hand, and you can smell the camphor, flowers, and incense fumes through the virtual reality system. All for $1 sitting in your studio apartment in California.This was predicted...finally the Indian Outsourcing boom is getting recognised.
PEACE: [This is a Nobel contender]KAROAKE [Invented by Daisuke Inoue]: The invention of Karoake is a break through considering the fact that it maintains the peaceful equilibrium in a community because people become tolerant by listening to their own singing. This is a wonderful mental tolerance building method. So if you are intolerant and short tempered start a daily exercise...switch on the most difficult song to sing in Karoake mode and then sing...You will have to tolerate the most intollerable audio ever heard.
BIOLOGY: Well..the Nobel prize for Medicine went for "Odor recognition" [see my previos blog]. what about the finding that the Herring fish that makes mysterious sounds in the night is actually communicating with its fellow Herrings. The "hearing" of the Herring is sharp...but the discovery is that the mysterious sounds are emanated when they fart. farting communication skills anyone?? Humans too have distinct fart sounds..I donot know whether they actually use it for communication?
CHEMISTRY: COCA COLA COMPANY, UK for claimed that they used high technology NASA spacecraft water purification process to come out with a new bottled mineral water "Dasani", which was nothing but tap water from Thames river that underwent the basic reverse Osmosis treatment. It became a great marketing and PR disaster when, chemical tests revealed that it was contaminated with bromate- a carcinogen. In case you bought a bottle of "Dasani" water call freephone 0800 227711, Coke will refund you. To Malayalees, a question..Does "Dasani" ring a bell? "Dahasamini" is a great thirst quenching ayurvedic additive that Malayalees add to their drinking water. Nothing can beat this ayurvedic sophisticated technology from India.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
The Scent of Life
The Nobel prize for Medicine-2004 is given to two scientists for their effiot in decoding the mystery of the most exotic human sense of smell. The scientists, Dr. Richard Axel, and Linda B. Buck from Seattle USA discovered how neurons send information about odours and pheromones to our brain that helps us to memorize and recall most of the odours. It is interesting that many a times we have felt a sense of 'deja vu' when we smell an odour. They used a molecular-genetic toolbox to analyze the olfactory system based on its information storage mechanism. Neural circuits and biologocal architecture of the information flow network was studied. The most revealing aspect of the study is that the information about odour triggers emotional and psychological behaviors that create distinct perceptions for each of the odours. This is significant considering the fact that our brain can remember each of over 10000 odours, that too very uniquely.
DEJA VU SMELLS
Paint [water color]: I can clearly remember the first time I painted.
Paint [Emulsion]: Hmmm, I really like the smell of fresh paint...remember when my father got our old scooter painted.
Petrol: Another of those 'I get hooked on to' smell. All the wait standing in front of the scooter when the petrol tank in the petrol bunk was open was worth the wait.
Diesel: This is nauseating, because I never enjoyed sitting near the engine and gear lever of the bus.
Ash: The Shiva temple vibhuthi(ash) has a special smell
Sandal paste: The Guruvayur temple (Kerala) sandal paste is unique.
Mustard oil: Oh..the fried Puri Bhajji that I ate at Agra railway station during my trip to New Delhi in 1994.
Some of my friends have some aversions to some smell..like one of them threw up when he smelt anything that smells close to jasmine flower. same with the smell of oil.
Ig Nobel awards for "smell" any one??
and of course...the smell of those distinct farts.Well such a career option is available[Worlds Worst Job as a Dysentery Stool-Sample Analyzer]..some very pungent, some fruity..I will not be surprised to know people can identify with what they ate with the smell of their farts. Which fart made them smell bad? or which fart gave them a pleasant experience? Though it is a very unpleasant experience for the ones around you
Its so wonderful to learn how our senses are more important to our survival. Ask a person who survived the Bhopal gas tragedy or a bombing attack.
References: research abstract
The Nobel prize for Medicine-2004 is given to two scientists for their effiot in decoding the mystery of the most exotic human sense of smell. The scientists, Dr. Richard Axel, and Linda B. Buck from Seattle USA discovered how neurons send information about odours and pheromones to our brain that helps us to memorize and recall most of the odours. It is interesting that many a times we have felt a sense of 'deja vu' when we smell an odour. They used a molecular-genetic toolbox to analyze the olfactory system based on its information storage mechanism. Neural circuits and biologocal architecture of the information flow network was studied. The most revealing aspect of the study is that the information about odour triggers emotional and psychological behaviors that create distinct perceptions for each of the odours. This is significant considering the fact that our brain can remember each of over 10000 odours, that too very uniquely.
DEJA VU SMELLS
Paint [water color]: I can clearly remember the first time I painted.
Paint [Emulsion]: Hmmm, I really like the smell of fresh paint...remember when my father got our old scooter painted.
Petrol: Another of those 'I get hooked on to' smell. All the wait standing in front of the scooter when the petrol tank in the petrol bunk was open was worth the wait.
Diesel: This is nauseating, because I never enjoyed sitting near the engine and gear lever of the bus.
Ash: The Shiva temple vibhuthi(ash) has a special smell
Sandal paste: The Guruvayur temple (Kerala) sandal paste is unique.
Mustard oil: Oh..the fried Puri Bhajji that I ate at Agra railway station during my trip to New Delhi in 1994.
Some of my friends have some aversions to some smell..like one of them threw up when he smelt anything that smells close to jasmine flower. same with the smell of oil.
Ig Nobel awards for "smell" any one??
and of course...the smell of those distinct farts.Well such a career option is available[Worlds Worst Job as a Dysentery Stool-Sample Analyzer]..some very pungent, some fruity..I will not be surprised to know people can identify with what they ate with the smell of their farts. Which fart made them smell bad? or which fart gave them a pleasant experience? Though it is a very unpleasant experience for the ones around you
Its so wonderful to learn how our senses are more important to our survival. Ask a person who survived the Bhopal gas tragedy or a bombing attack.
References: research abstract
Are Indians really dumb?
Are Indians really dumb?
Are Indians really dumb? This seems to be a good topic to debate. Is India a desert when it comes to innovation and creativity?
Poverty in the mind and spirit is the reason for the lacklusture approach of we Indians. I am really appalled by some of the superficial knowledge of Indian students. The quality of work is so shoddy that there seems to be a loss of ingenuity.
JARGON USAGE
Lately, I see a lot of MBA students using the cliqued jargons in every situation.
BOTTOM LINE: The impact on the bottom line is significant. I understand when the tell "bottomline" when many of them wear their brains below the belt. In India, bottom line is the best metaphor for growth(forgive the pun)!. Growth for us is always sideways..increasing the girth. Who says "elephants cannot dance" when you have such a great "bottomline" growth.
SACROSSANCT sacrosanct. \Sac"ro*sanct\, a. [L. sucrosanctus.]: not capable of being violated or infringed. When you are not sure of a thing..tell that "there is nothing sacrossanct in this. Telling that you can be flexible in the most inflexible manner! Well the usage of this word in your ppt is not sacrossanct ;-)
For the time being, some like leveraging on core competence, adding up the value chain are taking a back seat. Ultimately it is those words that impact your "bottom line" that matters, is it not?
Are Indians really dumb? This seems to be a good topic to debate. Is India a desert when it comes to innovation and creativity?
Poverty in the mind and spirit is the reason for the lacklusture approach of we Indians. I am really appalled by some of the superficial knowledge of Indian students. The quality of work is so shoddy that there seems to be a loss of ingenuity.
JARGON USAGE
Lately, I see a lot of MBA students using the cliqued jargons in every situation.
BOTTOM LINE: The impact on the bottom line is significant. I understand when the tell "bottomline" when many of them wear their brains below the belt. In India, bottom line is the best metaphor for growth(forgive the pun)!. Growth for us is always sideways..increasing the girth. Who says "elephants cannot dance" when you have such a great "bottomline" growth.
SACROSSANCT sacrosanct. \Sac"ro*sanct\, a. [L. sucrosanctus.]: not capable of being violated or infringed. When you are not sure of a thing..tell that "there is nothing sacrossanct in this. Telling that you can be flexible in the most inflexible manner! Well the usage of this word in your ppt is not sacrossanct ;-)
For the time being, some like leveraging on core competence, adding up the value chain are taking a back seat. Ultimately it is those words that impact your "bottom line" that matters, is it not?
Monday, October 04, 2004
How Google Works? I read a wonderful article in the Economist Technology Quarterly September 2004, explaining the Pagerank technology behind the Google search engine It is a fine example of entrepreneurship of two Stanford graduates Mr Sergey Brin and Lawrence Page. In 1998, Mr. Brin and Page approach Mr. Andy Bechtolsheim, founder of Sun Microsystems who immediately wrote a cheque for $100,000 in favor of Google Inc.- an imaginary company at that time. Mr. Brin and Page thus started Google. This is a fine engine. No wonder students (espacially from Management studies) swear by google, their CUT-COPY-PASTE ENGINE. The only trouble is for professors like us who inturn use Google to pick out plagiarism. Google is thus an anti-plagiarism software too! While agree that Google is a plagiarism enhancer, all credit for it for making it a quick and easy to use research retrieval tool.
Saturday, October 02, 2004
FLOSS and Python
Free/Libre and Open Source Software [FLOSS] offers some good opensource educational software. It will be good if we can start using it in schools. A list of Linux educational software's for schools is available at http://wikiwikiweb.de/FlossInSchools
Lately, I am getting to become a great fan of Python definitely not the reptilian kind!). I am currently a novice, but will be using it a lot in my Object Oriented Design course.
Lately, I am getting to become a great fan of Python definitely not the reptilian kind!). I am currently a novice, but will be using it a lot in my Object Oriented Design course.
Thursday, September 30, 2004
GOAN FISH
GOAN FOOD
My tastebuds have triggered my imagination on a goan fish blog. What is it so unique of Goan seafood? If you are a great fan of mackerel, then go for the Bangda fry (Mackerel stuffed with a hot and spicy reacheado masala and shallow fried). Never ever use North Indian Masalas or packaged masalas. You can make the paste at home. Soak red chillies, cinnamon, pepper, cummin seeds, garlic pods in some vinegar. Grind the ingredients into a paste. Add salt and sugar to give that sweet, hot and sour taste. Slit the fish from the side and generously stuff the masala and marinate overnight. Shallow fry in oil on low flame. Voila!... Banda fry
I recommend you have the wide variety of Goan seafood dishes at Star Bar and restaurant near Old Goa. The joint might look shady and lacklusture but if you want to be in a riverside rural bar setting with the sky as the roof, then this is the right place. Enjoy crab soups, mussel fry, Kingfish fry, and Chicken Cafreal as you watch the waves lapping the shores of Mandovi river.
My tastebuds have triggered my imagination on a goan fish blog. What is it so unique of Goan seafood? If you are a great fan of mackerel, then go for the Bangda fry (Mackerel stuffed with a hot and spicy reacheado masala and shallow fried). Never ever use North Indian Masalas or packaged masalas. You can make the paste at home. Soak red chillies, cinnamon, pepper, cummin seeds, garlic pods in some vinegar. Grind the ingredients into a paste. Add salt and sugar to give that sweet, hot and sour taste. Slit the fish from the side and generously stuff the masala and marinate overnight. Shallow fry in oil on low flame. Voila!... Banda fry
I recommend you have the wide variety of Goan seafood dishes at Star Bar and restaurant near Old Goa. The joint might look shady and lacklusture but if you want to be in a riverside rural bar setting with the sky as the roof, then this is the right place. Enjoy crab soups, mussel fry, Kingfish fry, and Chicken Cafreal as you watch the waves lapping the shores of Mandovi river.
Monday, September 27, 2004
IT is ethical - Issue dtd : 23th August 2004 By Madan
Software Engineers are bound by a professional code of conduct [IEEE-CS/ACM Software Engineering Ethics]. A software engineer is equally responsible to the society as a doctor or a lawyer. Software professionals have a social responsibility while developong life critical systems designed in medical, transportation, and banking domains.
Sky Bus Mishap: A case in point is the Failure of the Sky Bus technology during its trial run [ ]. A 26 year old software engineer is held responsible for the mishap during the trial run, which resulted in the death of two engineers [The Navhind Times, Goa 27 September 2004]. The engineer had programmed the auto-driving device that failed to control the speed limit of the sky bus coach at a crucial turn. The software engineer is charged with a criminal case for "negligent and rash driving causing accidental death and injury". Unfortunately, the software engineer is battling for his life as he was in the coach during the trial run. Sky Bus Metro project is touted as a big revolution in urban transport.
There are some questions regarding the feasibility and usage of Sky bus technology. Are the officials trying to find a scapegoat in the software engineer? The whole technology defies the logic that anything that is left dangling is not safe. How can it be stable when a strong force of gravity is acting on it? Why is it not possible to ply the coaches on top of the elevated sky way? It can be safely operated like an elevated railway. Kochi and Goa are the two cities that have given consent for deploying Sky bus metro system. This mishap will definitely pose more questions than answers to Konkan railway corporation.
Software Engineers are bound by a professional code of conduct [IEEE-CS/ACM Software Engineering Ethics]. A software engineer is equally responsible to the society as a doctor or a lawyer. Software professionals have a social responsibility while developong life critical systems designed in medical, transportation, and banking domains.
Sky Bus Mishap: A case in point is the Failure of the Sky Bus technology during its trial run [ ]. A 26 year old software engineer is held responsible for the mishap during the trial run, which resulted in the death of two engineers [The Navhind Times, Goa 27 September 2004]. The engineer had programmed the auto-driving device that failed to control the speed limit of the sky bus coach at a crucial turn. The software engineer is charged with a criminal case for "negligent and rash driving causing accidental death and injury". Unfortunately, the software engineer is battling for his life as he was in the coach during the trial run. Sky Bus Metro project is touted as a big revolution in urban transport.
There are some questions regarding the feasibility and usage of Sky bus technology. Are the officials trying to find a scapegoat in the software engineer? The whole technology defies the logic that anything that is left dangling is not safe. How can it be stable when a strong force of gravity is acting on it? Why is it not possible to ply the coaches on top of the elevated sky way? It can be safely operated like an elevated railway. Kochi and Goa are the two cities that have given consent for deploying Sky bus metro system. This mishap will definitely pose more questions than answers to Konkan railway corporation.
The 2004 Ig Nobel Prize Winners
Well, more than the Nobel prize (genuine!), I like the IgNOBEL prize (here the prize is for humour in science. The prize goes to a cranky idea that has a laughing gas effect. Definitely, there is more originality and creativity in IgNOBEL than NOBEL. The 2004 IgNobel has been announced and of particular mention are the following:
PUBLIC HEALTH: A Five second rule for eating food dropped on the floor
Research questions: How long is it safe for the food dropped on the floor to remain on the floor before you pick it up again to eat it? Answer: 5 seconds (according to High-school student Jillian Clarke)
Other findings: Women are more likely than men to eat food thats been floored.
Cookies and Candy are the most picked up floored food items.
ENGINEERING:Baldness concealer: How to hide baldness using a series of methodological steps to cover the bald areas with exsting hair. A new Hair styling technique to conceal partial baldness. The explanation is given in wonderful detail with diagrams. My description will be of no consequence before this detail.
LITERATURE: Preserving the Nude Pictures and Heritage (American Nudist Research Library [ANRL] ): This is my pick..http://www.anrl.org/ does an enviable job in preserving nudist literature, photographs, and archives for future generations. Imagine year 2500, If ANRL survives the alien invasion all Playboy magazines will be national treasures? See their wonderful collection in case you want to see it ;-)
ECONOMICS: Vatican Bishops and Roman Catholic Clergy for Outsourcing Church Prayer mass to India [Kerala]. The Kochi diocese gets 350 requests monthly for thanks giving and special prayer mass. A prayer that costs $20 in the US costs roughly $0.45 in India. Even before that, Insourcing is done by Non-resident Indians in USA for doing a pooja for Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh India. talk about reverse sourcing! They can perform the pooja virtually through Internet and collaborative technologies. The time is not far when your mouse will sprinkle some vibhuthi (sacred ash) in your hand, and you can smell the camphor, flowers, and incense fumes through the virtual reality system. All for $1 sitting in your studio apartment in California.This was predicted...finally the Indian Outsourcing boom is getting recognised.
PEACE: [This is a Nobel contender]KAROAKE [Invented by Daisuke Inoue]: The invention of Karoake is a break through considering the fact that it maintains the peaceful equilibrium in a community because people become tolerant by listening to their own singing. This is a wonderful mental tolerance building method. So if you are intolerant and short tempered start a daily exercise...switch on the most difficult song to sing in Karoake mode and then sing...You will have to tolerate the most intollerable audio ever heard.
BIOLOGY: Well..the Nobel prize for Medicine went for "Odor recognition" [see my previos blog]. what about the finding that the Herring fish that makes mysterious sounds in the night is actually communicating with its fellow Herrings. The "hearing" of the Herring is sharp...but the discovery is that the mysterious sounds are emanated when they fart. farting communication skills anyone?? Humans too have distinct fart sounds..I donot know whether they actually use it for communication?
CHEMISTRY: COCA COLA COMPANY, UK for claimed that they used high technology NASA spacecraft water purification process to come out with a new bottled mineral water "Dasani", which was nothing but tap water from Thames river that underwent the basic reverse Osmosis treatment. It became a great marketing and PR disaster when, chemical tests revealed that it was contaminated with bromate- a carcinogen. In case you bought a bottle of "Dasani" water call freephone 0800 227711, Coke will refund you. To Malayalees, a question..Does "Dasani" ring a bell? "Dahasamini" is a great thirst quenching ayurvedic additive that Malayalees add to their drinking water. Nothing can beat this ayurvedic sophisticated technology from India.
Well, more than the Nobel prize (genuine!), I like the IgNOBEL prize (here the prize is for humour in science. The prize goes to a cranky idea that has a laughing gas effect. Definitely, there is more originality and creativity in IgNOBEL than NOBEL. The 2004 IgNobel has been announced and of particular mention are the following:
PUBLIC HEALTH: A Five second rule for eating food dropped on the floor
Research questions: How long is it safe for the food dropped on the floor to remain on the floor before you pick it up again to eat it? Answer: 5 seconds (according to High-school student Jillian Clarke)
Other findings: Women are more likely than men to eat food thats been floored.
Cookies and Candy are the most picked up floored food items.
ENGINEERING:Baldness concealer: How to hide baldness using a series of methodological steps to cover the bald areas with exsting hair. A new Hair styling technique to conceal partial baldness. The explanation is given in wonderful detail with diagrams. My description will be of no consequence before this detail.
LITERATURE: Preserving the Nude Pictures and Heritage (American Nudist Research Library [ANRL] ): This is my pick..http://www.anrl.org/ does an enviable job in preserving nudist literature, photographs, and archives for future generations. Imagine year 2500, If ANRL survives the alien invasion all Playboy magazines will be national treasures? See their wonderful collection in case you want to see it ;-)
ECONOMICS: Vatican Bishops and Roman Catholic Clergy for Outsourcing Church Prayer mass to India [Kerala]. The Kochi diocese gets 350 requests monthly for thanks giving and special prayer mass. A prayer that costs $20 in the US costs roughly $0.45 in India. Even before that, Insourcing is done by Non-resident Indians in USA for doing a pooja for Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh India. talk about reverse sourcing! They can perform the pooja virtually through Internet and collaborative technologies. The time is not far when your mouse will sprinkle some vibhuthi (sacred ash) in your hand, and you can smell the camphor, flowers, and incense fumes through the virtual reality system. All for $1 sitting in your studio apartment in California.This was predicted...finally the Indian Outsourcing boom is getting recognised.
PEACE: [This is a Nobel contender]KAROAKE [Invented by Daisuke Inoue]: The invention of Karoake is a break through considering the fact that it maintains the peaceful equilibrium in a community because people become tolerant by listening to their own singing. This is a wonderful mental tolerance building method. So if you are intolerant and short tempered start a daily exercise...switch on the most difficult song to sing in Karoake mode and then sing...You will have to tolerate the most intollerable audio ever heard.
BIOLOGY: Well..the Nobel prize for Medicine went for "Odor recognition" [see my previos blog]. what about the finding that the Herring fish that makes mysterious sounds in the night is actually communicating with its fellow Herrings. The "hearing" of the Herring is sharp...but the discovery is that the mysterious sounds are emanated when they fart. farting communication skills anyone?? Humans too have distinct fart sounds..I donot know whether they actually use it for communication?
CHEMISTRY: COCA COLA COMPANY, UK for claimed that they used high technology NASA spacecraft water purification process to come out with a new bottled mineral water "Dasani", which was nothing but tap water from Thames river that underwent the basic reverse Osmosis treatment. It became a great marketing and PR disaster when, chemical tests revealed that it was contaminated with bromate- a carcinogen. In case you bought a bottle of "Dasani" water call freephone 0800 227711, Coke will refund you. To Malayalees, a question..Does "Dasani" ring a bell? "Dahasamini" is a great thirst quenching ayurvedic additive that Malayalees add to their drinking water. Nothing can beat this ayurvedic sophisticated technology from India.
The 2004 Ig Nobel Prize Winners
Well, more than the Nobel prize (genuine!), I like the NOBEL. The 2004 IgNobel has been announced and of particular mention are the following:
PUBLIC HEALTH: A Five second rule for eating food dropped on the floor
Research questions: How long is it safe for the food dropped on the floor to remain on the floor before you pick it up again to eat it? Answer: 5 seconds (according to High-school student Jillian Clarke)
Other findings: Women are more likely than men to eat food thats been floored.
Cookies and Candy are the most picked up floored food items.
ENGINEERING:Baldness concealer: How to hide baldness using a series of methodological steps to cover the bald areas with exsting hair. A new Hair styling technique to conceal partial baldness. The explanation is given in wonderful detail with diagrams. My description will be of no consequence before this detail.
LITERATURE: Preserving the Nude Pictures and Heritage (American Nudist Research Library [ANRL] ): This is my pick..http://www.anrl.org/ does an enviable job in preserving nudist literature, photographs, and archives for future generations. Imagine year 2500, If ANRL survives the alien invasion all Playboy magazines will be national treasures? See their wonderful collection in case you want to see it ;-)
ECONOMICS: Vatican Bishops and Roman Catholic Clergy for Outsourcing Church Prayer mass to India [Kerala]. The Kochi diocese gets 350 requests monthly for thanks giving and special prayer mass. A prayer that costs $20 in the US costs roughly $0.45 in India. Even before that, Insourcing is done by Non-resident Indians in USA for doing a pooja for Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh India. talk about reverse sourcing! They can perform the pooja virtually through Internet and collaborative technologies. The time is not far when your mouse will sprinkle some vibhuthi (sacred ash) in your hand, and you can smell the camphor, flowers, and incense fumes through the virtual reality system. All for $1 sitting in your studio apartment in California.This was predicted...finally the Indian Outsourcing boom is getting recognised.
PEACE: [This is a Nobel contender]KAROAKE [Invented by Daisuke Inoue]: The invention of Karoake is a break through considering the fact that it maintains the peaceful equilibrium in a community because people become tolerant by listening to their own singing. This is a wonderful mental tolerance building method. So if you are intolerant and short tempered start a daily exercise...switch on the most difficult song to sing in Karoake mode and then sing...You will have to tolerate the most intollerable audio ever heard.
BIOLOGY: Well..the Nobel prize for Medicine went for "Odor recognition" [see my previos blog]. what about the finding that the Herring fish that makes mysterious sounds in the night is actually communicating with its fellow Herrings. The "hearing" of the Herring is sharp...but the discovery is that the mysterious sounds are emanated when they fart. farting communication skills anyone?? Humans too have distinct fart sounds..I donot know whether they actually use it for communication?
CHEMISTRY: COCA COLA COMPANY, UK for claimed that they used high technology NASA spacecraft water purification process to come out with a new bottled mineral water "Dasani", which was nothing but tap water from Thames river that underwent the basic reverse Osmosis treatment. It became a great marketing and PR disaster when, chemical tests revealed that it was contaminated with bromate- a carcinogen. In case you bought a bottle of "Dasani" water call freephone 0800 227711, Coke will refund you. To Malayalees, a question..Does "Dasani" ring a bell? "Dahasamini" is a great thirst quenching ayurvedic additive that Malayalees add to their drinking water. Nothing can beat this ayurvedic sophisticated technology from India.
Well, more than the Nobel prize (genuine!), I like the NOBEL. The 2004 IgNobel has been announced and of particular mention are the following:
PUBLIC HEALTH: A Five second rule for eating food dropped on the floor
Research questions: How long is it safe for the food dropped on the floor to remain on the floor before you pick it up again to eat it? Answer: 5 seconds (according to High-school student Jillian Clarke)
Other findings: Women are more likely than men to eat food thats been floored.
Cookies and Candy are the most picked up floored food items.
ENGINEERING:Baldness concealer: How to hide baldness using a series of methodological steps to cover the bald areas with exsting hair. A new Hair styling technique to conceal partial baldness. The explanation is given in wonderful detail with diagrams. My description will be of no consequence before this detail.
LITERATURE: Preserving the Nude Pictures and Heritage (American Nudist Research Library [ANRL] ): This is my pick..http://www.anrl.org/ does an enviable job in preserving nudist literature, photographs, and archives for future generations. Imagine year 2500, If ANRL survives the alien invasion all Playboy magazines will be national treasures? See their wonderful collection in case you want to see it ;-)
ECONOMICS: Vatican Bishops and Roman Catholic Clergy for Outsourcing Church Prayer mass to India [Kerala]. The Kochi diocese gets 350 requests monthly for thanks giving and special prayer mass. A prayer that costs $20 in the US costs roughly $0.45 in India. Even before that, Insourcing is done by Non-resident Indians in USA for doing a pooja for Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh India. talk about reverse sourcing! They can perform the pooja virtually through Internet and collaborative technologies. The time is not far when your mouse will sprinkle some vibhuthi (sacred ash) in your hand, and you can smell the camphor, flowers, and incense fumes through the virtual reality system. All for $1 sitting in your studio apartment in California.This was predicted...finally the Indian Outsourcing boom is getting recognised.
PEACE: [This is a Nobel contender]KAROAKE [Invented by Daisuke Inoue]: The invention of Karoake is a break through considering the fact that it maintains the peaceful equilibrium in a community because people become tolerant by listening to their own singing. This is a wonderful mental tolerance building method. So if you are intolerant and short tempered start a daily exercise...switch on the most difficult song to sing in Karoake mode and then sing...You will have to tolerate the most intollerable audio ever heard.
BIOLOGY: Well..the Nobel prize for Medicine went for "Odor recognition" [see my previos blog]. what about the finding that the Herring fish that makes mysterious sounds in the night is actually communicating with its fellow Herrings. The "hearing" of the Herring is sharp...but the discovery is that the mysterious sounds are emanated when they fart. farting communication skills anyone?? Humans too have distinct fart sounds..I donot know whether they actually use it for communication?
CHEMISTRY: COCA COLA COMPANY, UK for claimed that they used high technology NASA spacecraft water purification process to come out with a new bottled mineral water "Dasani", which was nothing but tap water from Thames river that underwent the basic reverse Osmosis treatment. It became a great marketing and PR disaster when, chemical tests revealed that it was contaminated with bromate- a carcinogen. In case you bought a bottle of "Dasani" water call freephone 0800 227711, Coke will refund you. To Malayalees, a question..Does "Dasani" ring a bell? "Dahasamini" is a great thirst quenching ayurvedic additive that Malayalees add to their drinking water. Nothing can beat this ayurvedic sophisticated technology from India.
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