Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
internalizing green
of late, i find a lot of space in the media devoted to going green.
there are also many books and even major corporations that talk of going green - getting carbon credits etc.
and a lot of talk of sustainable architecture.
when i saw this on the road yesterday, while waiting for the traffic light to turn green - i was wondering..
the picture may not be very clear, but what i saw was this.
the driver of the car ahead of me was smoking. I guess a car is not a public place and hence the new no-smoking rules may not apply..
what he did was what triggered this thought:
he put his hand out [with the cigarette] and was dumping the ashen tip on the plants growing on the divider!
i am not sure if it is the bangalore traffic that makes one behave differently on the road or is all this talk just another fad being promoted by the media?
how do we bring about the concern for the environment to where the rubber meets the road - where it can make a significant difference?
there are also many books and even major corporations that talk of going green - getting carbon credits etc.
and a lot of talk of sustainable architecture.
when i saw this on the road yesterday, while waiting for the traffic light to turn green - i was wondering..
the driver of the car ahead of me was smoking. I guess a car is not a public place and hence the new no-smoking rules may not apply..
what he did was what triggered this thought:
he put his hand out [with the cigarette] and was dumping the ashen tip on the plants growing on the divider!
i am not sure if it is the bangalore traffic that makes one behave differently on the road or is all this talk just another fad being promoted by the media?
how do we bring about the concern for the environment to where the rubber meets the road - where it can make a significant difference?
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Quizzing again
after many many years, i participated in a Quiz competition.
organized by a bookstore, it was more of an impulsive decision, as a third member of a three member team - the other two being my niece and son.
waitlisted 30, after the organizers stopped confirmed entries after 400 - yes, 400! we were not sure if we would even get an opportunity to participate in the prelims.
we did get in, to a packed house at the chowdiah hall.
we debated some of the questions as to whose guess would be right and chose one.
some were very clear answers and some were tricky.
there were many 'professional' quizzers participating as well as school children, some of who were very very serious about quizzing.
having gone that far, we wanted to take our chance anyway.
though we did not stay back for the prelim results to be announced, it was a very refreshing experience.
brought back memories of college days - particularly the IISc days - and the quiz club.
quizzing is a simple but effective way to get people participate and also learn collectively.
in case you were wondering - we made 15 out of 40.
could have got a few more right - but after a quick discussion, we chose the wrong answer :-(
organized by a bookstore, it was more of an impulsive decision, as a third member of a three member team - the other two being my niece and son.
waitlisted 30, after the organizers stopped confirmed entries after 400 - yes, 400! we were not sure if we would even get an opportunity to participate in the prelims.
we did get in, to a packed house at the chowdiah hall.
we debated some of the questions as to whose guess would be right and chose one.
some were very clear answers and some were tricky.
there were many 'professional' quizzers participating as well as school children, some of who were very very serious about quizzing.
having gone that far, we wanted to take our chance anyway.
though we did not stay back for the prelim results to be announced, it was a very refreshing experience.
brought back memories of college days - particularly the IISc days - and the quiz club.
quizzing is a simple but effective way to get people participate and also learn collectively.
in case you were wondering - we made 15 out of 40.
could have got a few more right - but after a quick discussion, we chose the wrong answer :-(
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Deepavali thoughts
it is deepavali time.
this time, the mood seems somewhat subdued.
partly the rains and partly, i guess, the drain on the stock markets.
today's paper talks about the reduced cracker sales.
increased cost and weather are considered the reasons.
but, some persons i spoke to - including some youngsters, who otherwise would have loved to burst crackers - were not that keen.
is it because the fireworks we see on TV and movies - which are grander and more vicarious. whether it is violence in the news and movies or the well orchestrated displays that precede or are part of concluding sessions of major events.
the small 'bijlees' or 'sparrows' or 'lakshmi's or even the 'atom' or 'hydrogen' bombs feel very pale in comparison.
i also noiticed this time, that the campaigns on going green [avoiding noise and air pollution] or the ones that say do something instead..
like donating for the needy or other social causes instead of spending on crackers.
a couple of years ago, it was a campaign against child labor, that used to be rampant in the fireworks industry.
it is good to see the spread of the spirit of sharing and caring.
like most occasions these days, this is also an opportunity for the retailers to gram a share of the wallets.
giving is redefined as buying.
one's affection and caring is measured by the price of the gifts to be given out.
newspapers carry full page ads; more implicit or not so subtle are placed articles on the goodness of giving.
yesterday's issue of Mint - a paper that i started liking - carried a special article on 100 options for giving.
while these provide opportunities for one to cleanse some felings of guilt, more tolerance and consideration for others is needed to make every day a deepavali celebration.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
the business of education
recently, i had an opportunity to visit a couple of educational institutions in a tier 2 city in tamilnadu.
one of the visits was for an assessment for business excellence and the other was more of a courtesy visit.
it was a good revelation on the business of education.
i was pleasantly surprised by the number of highly qualified persons who have taken to teaching and continue their research interests.
i had been under the impression that research was only at the IITs, IISc and IIMs.
the topics of research were also very contemporary and relevant to the present times.
the investments made by some of the institutions in infrastructure - with hig end technical equipment etc., was also very good to see.
over informal interactions, also came to know how many private institutions have come to the education field, with the intention of making fast money.
with minimal facilities, mostly part time staff etc - they collect a lot of cash with minimal investments,
i have seen the products of all kinds of institutions, as they get into the working world. and had wondered how come there is so much variation in the quality of the output.
these few days gave me more insight into the business of education.
how the ratings / rankings games are played, how the positioning with the campus recruitment teams is well planned etc.
these revelations only reinforced by belief that we need to do something in a large scale at the primary eduction level to bring about a consistent change in the attitudes in our children's view of the world.
with things like the current economic crisis raising basic questions on the soundness of the decisions of the 'adults', i get some simple questions that have no clear answers.
the children should not lose faith in the human systems.
let us start with primary education.
one of the visits was for an assessment for business excellence and the other was more of a courtesy visit.
it was a good revelation on the business of education.
i was pleasantly surprised by the number of highly qualified persons who have taken to teaching and continue their research interests.
i had been under the impression that research was only at the IITs, IISc and IIMs.
the topics of research were also very contemporary and relevant to the present times.
the investments made by some of the institutions in infrastructure - with hig end technical equipment etc., was also very good to see.
over informal interactions, also came to know how many private institutions have come to the education field, with the intention of making fast money.
with minimal facilities, mostly part time staff etc - they collect a lot of cash with minimal investments,
i have seen the products of all kinds of institutions, as they get into the working world. and had wondered how come there is so much variation in the quality of the output.
these few days gave me more insight into the business of education.
how the ratings / rankings games are played, how the positioning with the campus recruitment teams is well planned etc.
these revelations only reinforced by belief that we need to do something in a large scale at the primary eduction level to bring about a consistent change in the attitudes in our children's view of the world.
with things like the current economic crisis raising basic questions on the soundness of the decisions of the 'adults', i get some simple questions that have no clear answers.
the children should not lose faith in the human systems.
let us start with primary education.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
The Third Olive
After many years I had an opportunity [!] to travel by local flights in the US.
in the recent years, it has been more of landing directly at one of the international airports and spending my time near that location, or travel by surface.
the pressures that airlines are under was very evident.
the no free baggage allowance - with charges of $15-$25 going upto $100 for checked in baggages was a surprise - having been used the 2 PCs free allowance.
talking to some others, i came across some of the innovative cost cutting measures that airlines seem to have adopted.
one canadian airline - that flew cross country, all over land - except for a brief stretch over lake michigan - apparently decided to do away with the flotation devices, as they were not flying over water. the saved weight, in turn, helped them improve the fuel efficiency [or maybe let them carry more baggage / cargo, to get more revenue].
while going from san jose to dallas, with a stopover in phoenix - for about 20 minutes, we were asked to keep the shutters down, to reduce the heating inside the cabin - that would help reduce the air conditioning load! i think that is a good idea anyway - of going, thinking green!
i was also told of canceled flights due to low occupancy. there was a time - when the southwest airlines model of keeping their aircraft as much as possible on the air, with very quick turnaround times on the ground - meant additional revenue!
back home, on my favourite carrier - jet airways, i noticed something strange on my way to delhi. the meal did not include a salad! there used to be some lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber - and an optional lemon slice or a chilli. the doubt was confirmed on my return flight - when, again, the salad was missing.
was it weight cutting? or cost cutting? or an attempt to be more conscious of waste? like the third olive.. the title of this post.
one americal airline had analyzed the consumption patterns of their passengers. they found that they normally served their drinks with three olives. and invariably, the third olive was not consumed. so, they figured that by reducing the number of olives served to two, they would save a significant number of olives - just multiply the # drinks per flight into the number of flights per year - and consequently, cost!
in times of trouble - that we seem to be in now, particularly after the wall street crashes, any creatuive way to reduce waste is most welcome.
in the recent years, it has been more of landing directly at one of the international airports and spending my time near that location, or travel by surface.
the pressures that airlines are under was very evident.
the no free baggage allowance - with charges of $15-$25 going upto $100 for checked in baggages was a surprise - having been used the 2 PCs free allowance.
talking to some others, i came across some of the innovative cost cutting measures that airlines seem to have adopted.
one canadian airline - that flew cross country, all over land - except for a brief stretch over lake michigan - apparently decided to do away with the flotation devices, as they were not flying over water. the saved weight, in turn, helped them improve the fuel efficiency [or maybe let them carry more baggage / cargo, to get more revenue].
while going from san jose to dallas, with a stopover in phoenix - for about 20 minutes, we were asked to keep the shutters down, to reduce the heating inside the cabin - that would help reduce the air conditioning load! i think that is a good idea anyway - of going, thinking green!
i was also told of canceled flights due to low occupancy. there was a time - when the southwest airlines model of keeping their aircraft as much as possible on the air, with very quick turnaround times on the ground - meant additional revenue!
back home, on my favourite carrier - jet airways, i noticed something strange on my way to delhi. the meal did not include a salad! there used to be some lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber - and an optional lemon slice or a chilli. the doubt was confirmed on my return flight - when, again, the salad was missing.
was it weight cutting? or cost cutting? or an attempt to be more conscious of waste? like the third olive.. the title of this post.
one americal airline had analyzed the consumption patterns of their passengers. they found that they normally served their drinks with three olives. and invariably, the third olive was not consumed. so, they figured that by reducing the number of olives served to two, they would save a significant number of olives - just multiply the # drinks per flight into the number of flights per year - and consequently, cost!
in times of trouble - that we seem to be in now, particularly after the wall street crashes, any creatuive way to reduce waste is most welcome.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
immersed in radio waves
It feels strange that i should have written about the radio just a few days ago.
now, one more thought related to radio..
i was at a user conference in the silicon valley area.
this area has always been very high in terms of technology.
this time, i was impressed by a technology called nTAG.
a device that was given to every participant, it could recognize other participants, detect your presence in a particular session, enable exchange of calling card information, participate in live polls, surveys etc and also manage one's schedule of visiting various sessions.
all this over RF technology.
pretty neat!
the scary though is: someone can and probably is - constantly watching you, as you move around, meet with others etc.
now, one more thought related to radio..
i was at a user conference in the silicon valley area.
this area has always been very high in terms of technology.
this time, i was impressed by a technology called nTAG.
a device that was given to every participant, it could recognize other participants, detect your presence in a particular session, enable exchange of calling card information, participate in live polls, surveys etc and also manage one's schedule of visiting various sessions.
all this over RF technology.
pretty neat!
the scary though is: someone can and probably is - constantly watching you, as you move around, meet with others etc.
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