tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-330161572024-03-06T03:13:44.751+05:30Eccentricity Three Dot ZeroA not-so-humble effort to change the worldVikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-10438044321014148892010-10-17T01:42:00.007+05:302010-10-17T02:44:26.541+05:30Aussies-Deadlines-Ponnappa-ToI. Change.Australians, notwithstanding the unrelated fact that they are <a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/news/shame-on-you-aussies/697970/"><span class="Apple-style-span" >bad losers</span></a>, have implemented the two-innings-in-a-limited-overs-match format, the advertisement for which proclaimed the beaten-to-death cliche of "the only constant is change". <div><br /></div><div>Ofcourse, things change. For starters, I am writing again. I am not 22M anymore, as the badge on my blog currently claims. I am 23M and firmly on track to hit 24M soon. I don't even stay in Chennai, fortunately or unfortunately. I stay in Bombay now, fortunately. I am not reachable on Facebook, as I was for most of the last year or two in college. My roommates have changed. I am earning - that is a welcome change. I am not my own boss anymore - I have a real boss, one with flesh and blood. The deadlines are not flexible, infact, they are as good as engraved in stone. Most of my clothes are clean as are my utensils. Oh, I have utensils too. Women around me cannot be referred to as chicks, females or girls anymore. They have to be referred to as women - sometimes out of compulsive polity and other times due to the organisational policies. Bunking the 8 'o clock classes is not an option because there are NO 8'o clock classes anymore, there are only 8'o clock reviews, the kind your boss would not appreciate if you miss. On another note, 8 AM in India is not just 8 AM in India anymore - it is 10.30 AM in Singapore and 3.30 AM in London. And it is 15 minutes away from the first daily submission routine, at 8.15 AM.</div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>Apologies are now apols, presentations are now presos, "dude" has now become "mate", and "Fuck you" has now become "Sure, Sir". Change can be good and intoxicating. This change, from the wilderness of a student life to the almost artificial, perhaps farticifial, and forced-discipline of corporate life has been good and intoxicating, both, and promises to be better. </div><div><br /></div><div>That India could get 101 medals in any sporting event is a change that is hard to believe. Much like the fact that they let someone like a Kalmadi take charge, in the first place. And when at it, Lalit Bhanot, too. [Lalit Bhanot and Kalmadi warrant an entire blog, not just blogpost, on them - they are a writer's dream]. The Games did much good. The opening ceremony, the unprecedented medals tally, performances in track and field, young sportsmen from the lesser known places of the country, the amazing victory in 4X400m women's relay, Saina Nehwal and Ashwini Ponnappa, the closing ceremony - indicate a welcome and a long, long overdue change.</div><div><br /></div><div>One thing, though, has not changed and that is the ever-so abysmal quality of reporting by M/s Times of India. That their headline article could actually say "<a href="http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDEwLzEwLzAxI0FyMDAxMDA=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom"><span class="Apple-style-span" >2 parts to Hindus, 1 part to Muslims</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" >"</span> - in big bold letters on a day that could have left the nation torn just goes to show that someone very high up in that organisation is either deranged or just plainly incapable of being at the helm of the mouthpiece of a progressive nation. Somethings, after all, never change.</div><div><br /></div><div>A post on the blog after such a long break warrants an explanation on the underlying motivation. Much thanks to Archana for pepping me all the time, to mom for candidly admitting that she missed my blog, to sister for blatantly admitting that she missed my blog and to a few others who did mail and "facebook-message" me prompting me to write. What tipped it off, though, was a rather unexpected fan mail (Fan mail!!) from Divish, from IITD. Thanks, Divish. :-)</div>Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-22267140040586989122010-03-27T03:00:00.004+05:302010-03-27T03:25:09.481+05:30Wiki - the super tripperOn this Friday night at exactly 3AM when I was incessantly clicking the 'random article' link on Wikipedia, I realised the immense trip value embedded in it. <div><br /></div><div>I started off with the Kardashev Scale - </div><div><br /></div><div>"<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">T</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">he </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Kardashev scale</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is a method of measuring a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization" title="Civilization" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 43, 184); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">civilization's</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> level of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology" title="Technology" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 43, 184); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">technological</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> advancement... The scale has three designated categories called </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Type I</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">II</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">III</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. These are based on the amount of usable </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy" title="Energy" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 43, 184); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">energy</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> a civilization has at its disposal, and the degree of space colonization. In general terms, a Type I civilization has achieved mastery of the resources of its home planet, Type II of its solar system, and Type III of its galaxy.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Then came Mr. Arthur C Clarke, with his three laws of prediction:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><ol style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.3em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 3.2em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-image: none; "><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; ">When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; ">The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; ">Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.</li></ol></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;" > And his fourth law:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >For every expert there is an equal and opposite expert.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;">Parallel to this is Gibson's law:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">For every PhD there is an equal and opposite PhD.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In between somewhere, I jumped to "Star-lifting":</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><b>Star lifting</b> is any of several hypothetical processes by which a highly advanced civilization (at least <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale" title="Kardashev scale" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 43, 184); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Kardashev-II</a>) could remove a substantial portion of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star" title="Star" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 43, 184); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">star's</a> matter in a controlled manner for other uses. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Finagle's law:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><i>Anything that can go wrong, will—at the worst possible moment</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px;font-size:13px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div>Remember Mr. Murphy?</div><div><br /></div><div>Hanlon's Law: </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sturgeon's law (and without meaning disrespect, infact as a matter of offering my respects, I think Mr. Sturgeon was a seasoned stoner): </span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px;font-size:12px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">The first is: "Nothing is always absolutely so".</p><p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">The second, and more famous, of these adages is: "Ninety percent of everything is crud." (The last word is typically misquoted as "crap".)</p><p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Occam's Razor, now famous thanks to Dr. Gregory House: entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity.... Occam's razor may be alternatively phrased as <i>pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate</i> ("plurality should not be posited without necessity")<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 10px;font-size:11px;">.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 10px;font-size:11px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hofstader's law (he could probably be the only guy who beats Sturgeon): </span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 10px;font-size:11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; font-size:12px;"></span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><div>Hofstadter's Law: </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofstadter%27s_Law" title="Hofstadter's Law" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 43, 184); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hofstadter's Law</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"></span><p></p><p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 10px;">And to end this post, the Drake's equation: </span></p><p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 10px;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 10px;">"It<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; font-size: 13px; "> is an equation to organize our guesses about the potential number of extraterrestrial civilizations in our <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy" title="Galaxy" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 43, 184); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">galaxy</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_Way" title="Milky Way" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 43, 184); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Milky Way</a>. It is used in the fields of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exobiology" title="Exobiology" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 43, 184); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">exobiology</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI" title="SETI" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 43, 184); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">search for extraterrestrial intelligence</a> (SETI).<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 10px; font-size: medium; ">"</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 10px; font-size: medium; "><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 10px; font-size: medium; ">And well, just as a reassurance, the Mediocrity principle:</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 10px; font-size: medium; "><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 10px; font-size: medium; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; font-size: 13px; ">The <b>assumptions of mediocrity</b> principle is the notion in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_science" title="Philosophy of science" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 43, 184); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">philosophy of science</a> that there is nothing special about humans or the Earth.</span></span></span></span></p></span></div>Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-90561337921025919202010-02-27T00:30:00.011+05:302010-02-27T04:53:46.075+05:30That one blemish in Sachin's career<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">At the very outset, I wish to reassert my loyalties towards the country. Although, I would not mind Rahul Gandhi becoming the Prime Minster of India in the near future and would like to see Pakistani players being included in IPL, I am NOT a </span></span><a href="http://www.deccanherald.com/content/51156/sena-calls-shahrukh-khan-traitor.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">traitor</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. In fact, although I cannot remember very clearly what was my opinion on the Sonia-Gandhi-was-not-a-born-Indian-but-wants-to-be-PM issue, I think I would not really have opposed it tooth and nail.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But I am not a traitor and neither should my opinions in this post be used to judge my patriotic feelings.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">That being said, let us talk about Sachin Tendulkar. Undoubtedly, he is the man of the moment. He is the favorite son of the nation and has successfully and deservedly captured the imagination of a billion minds. What he could do at 36 is a testimony to the character of the human being within Sachin. Never the one to be involved in a controversy (unless it's the Shiv Sena, which harps on dragging celebrities into controversies) nor the one who's commitment and love towards the game can be doubted, Sachin's knock of 200* at Gwalior is a stamping of his supremacy on the game. This knock has most certainly taken Sachin into a league of his own, perhaps a league into which even the all time great Sir Don Bradman </span></span><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/sachin-tendulkar-immortal-at-200/Tendulkar-better-than-even-Bradman-Nasser-Hussain/articleshow/5615151.cms"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">would have struggled</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> to make it.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The only milestone I'd love to see Sachin conquer is a triple ton in Test matches. In about a year, he'll be playing his last World Cup and a player of his calibre and a man of his virtues does deserve a share in the highest cricketing honour. As rightly pointed by Harsha Bhogle in <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/449959.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">this article</span></a>, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">he could plan for it but he doesn't hold the key to a win in a team sport. It must happen, he cannot make it happen.</span></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 19px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So, we can only hope that his 36-year-old body and his teammates ably support him in this endeavour. I'd also love to see Sachin leave a un-erasable mark as a match winner. Sachin is still not in the same club as the likes of Steve Waugh and Brian Lara. Steve Waugh, who is not as gifted as Sachin, has won matches for his country and at times single-handedly. It probably helped that he had a team which could ably play around him. Lara, a genius by himself, has certainly taken the West Indian cricket to new heights. Given his talent, combined with his deadly aggression, he has batte(re)d innumerable oppositions out of the match. Lara did not have the same cushion of a talented team as Waugh. Lara, in my humble opinion, is the greatest match-winner of the past decade.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://tillahwillah.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/brian_lara_spe_20050110.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 634px;" src="http://tillahwillah.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/brian_lara_spe_20050110.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sachin, on the other hand has come dangerously close but never made it there. During the period which was till now being referred to as his prime - the '99 Sharjah innings against Australia - two back-to-back centuries that helped India clinch that series, Sachin was at his best ever. My memory of Sachin as a match-winner deserts me there. Perhaps, his performance in the 2003 World Cup is worth a mention, where he hit the likes of </span></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPguR7QoWIk"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Shoaib Akhtar </span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">and </span></span><a href="http://videos.ibibo.com/video/395152/sachin-six-on-caddick"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Andy Caddick</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> for towering sixes. Sachin getting the better of Shane Warne during the home series of 2001 is also a showcase batting performance of the era.</span></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freewebs.com/sachinrameshtendulkar/photo121.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 331px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.freewebs.com/sachinrameshtendulkar/photo121.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">That said, Sachin has got India mindboggingly close to epic victories: The '99 Chennai test against Pakistan where we lost by 13 runs after a heroic knock of 136 by Sachin. He had gotten India close to victory, where there was none to be seen. He got out with India needing 18 runs and 4 wickets in hand. We lost. Another instance is the recent 175 against Australia at Hyderabad. The whole nation was on its knees reeling under the brilliance of that knock. Chasing 351, he got us there, almost. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Gwalior innings and his performance over the past year has certainly made people rethink. Sachin is one of the greatest ever sportsmen in this era. I would love to see him end his career as a match-winner too. I wish in the next few months upto and including the World Cup, Sachin erases that one blemish I see in his career. He can certainly do it - one billion people can't be wrong!</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">----</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There is an interesting discussion on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/vikas.shenoy?v=feed&story_fbid=327199064582"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">my Facebook profile</span></a> (oh yes, Facebook can be used for constructive discussions too!) - on whether Anwar's knock of 194 at Gwalior was better than Sachin's 200 at Gwalior. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The facts of the case are:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">1. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Anwar had a runner through-out the innings </span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">2. Sachin had 20 overs of power play which Anwar did not. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">3. Anwar had just returned to ODIs after a 4-month injury break. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">4. Anwar scored it at Chennai in May,</span></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">which is much more testing at 40C than Gwalior at 29C. </span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">5. Anwar scored it on foreign soil.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">6. Sachin scored it at the age of 36, while Anwar did it at 29.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">7. Anwar's bowling attack had Kumble & Prasad, Sachin had Steyn and Parnell.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">8. Anwar's opposition had a weaker fielding attack than South Africa.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">9. Gwalior ground was smaller compared to Chennai.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">10. Pitches during Anwar's times were not designed for ultra-high scores. Gwalior was. </span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(With inputs from </span></span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1177149626"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Archana</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and </span></span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/shankarsastry"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Shankar</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My personal opinion is that Anwar's innings ranks higher than Sachin's. What do you think?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Like I said at the beginning of the post,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I am not a traitor and neither should my opinions in this post be used to judge my patriotic feelings. :-) I love Sachin as much as you all do!</span></span></div>Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-89226769800851971582010-02-26T03:16:00.009+05:302010-02-26T04:37:55.547+05:30How 'engineers' get to screw the nation and notes on IIT degree as an 'investment'It is 3:15 AM. I just got back from an energetic and engaging discussion with a bunch of friends. That discussion has prompted me to write about the most-favourite topic of mine. The IITs. The discussion was more general in nature, talking about the education system as a whole.<div><br /></div><div>Let me start with a brief incident that I encountered on a Sleeper Class coach when I was travelling from Pune to Bangalore. </div><div><br /></div><div>Two railway employees were talking about their kids. One of them mentioned that both his sons got into IITs this year. The younger one ("<i>woh bade wale se zyada hoshiyaar tha</i>") joined IIT Bombay and the elder one joined IIT BHU (sic). (The whole discussion on whether BHU is an IIT at all, is something I have already ranted about <a href="http://alaktus.blogspot.com/2009/02/iit-bhu-without-typo.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">here</span></a>). He went on to explain how much he spent on the studies of the two kids and it obviously ran into lakhs. </div><div><br /></div><div>He seemed to extremely pleased with his 'investment'. Paraphrasing that gentleman's comment, the gist of what he said is this - "<i>If I had invested the same amount of money in a plot of land, it would have given me certain returns after a few years. Instead of that, I have invested that in my kids and since they have gotten into IITs, my investment is worth every penny and the returns that I expect are much more than the returns I'd have gotten on the plot of land.</i>"</div><div><br /></div><div>This gentleman had just put words to the feelings of lakhs of middleclass Indians. Thinking about it, it makes perfect business sense. For a middle-class Indian, it is a gamble. 'Invest' in your kid's JEE coaching and hope to reap benefits of the investment. It is, without doubt, a high-risk-high-return game. 2% of investors get the desired returns. 98% are forced to write-off the investment as non-performing asset(s). </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, strictly speaking, of the 2% who ultimately make it to the IITs, a considerable fraction don't end up being 'high performing assets'. Indeed, of the 98% too, a considerable fraction turn out to be 'high performing assets'. That's their good fortune and hard work. But what irks me is the fact that an entire generation of 'Engineers' are being misled into Engineering and Technology courses, primarily driven by peer pressure and false information. The premier newspapers of the nation leave no stone unturned in this regard. The much-hyped, but utterly sub-standard Times of India comes out with articles that are factually incorrect and ones that are meant purely to capture the imagination of the populace. Many a articles distort the information in a manner that will ensure that the copies sell, compromising heavily on the fundamental spirit of journalism. <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/jobs/Deutsche-sets-the-pace-offers-record-Rs-144-cr-plus-package-at-IIM-A/articleshow/5601067.cms"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">This</span></a> article in the Economic Times is a stand-out example. An IIM degree <i>might</i> fetch you a 1.5 crore job. But is that the point of the MBA degree?</div><div><br /></div><div>To the Indian middle-class bystander, such articles fuel his desires to be rich. They force him to rethink the path that he had set out for himself. In that article, he sees himself as the protagonist. He'd do a quick cost-benefit analysis - <i>If I spend a year preparing for CAT and then another two years at IIM, at the end of it, I'll be earning 1.5 crores an annum. Tax deducted, I will still be able to earn about 8-9 Lakhs a month. Oh, that is sweet. Let me chuck whatever I am doing, let me prepare for CAT!</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>There! thanks to some <i>masala-journalism</i>, you have a miserable victim. Now, multiply that by about 3 Lakh people, and you have the state of today's management aspirants. Please be careful to note that nowhere in his thought process did the bystander include anything about becoming a good manager, which is what the MBA is supposed to do, I think. </div><div><br /></div><div>As it turns out, that front-page news article on ET was false as per <a href="http://insideiima.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/clarification-regarding-article-in-economic-times-dated-22-2-2010/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">this blog post</span></a> by IIM Ahmedabad.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pan across to the undergraduate engineering scenario: You have 9 Lakh such engineering-aspirants, who are being misled into pursuing engineering degrees (as opposed to becoming 'Engineers') simply because at the end of the dark tunnel, after enduring 4 years of whatever they throw at you, you <i>will</i> land a job in an MNC. Oh, and congratulations, you are an engineer too! </div><div><br /></div><div>When I take a step back, I realise that an entire generation of people has no idea of why they are doing what they are doing. 9 Lakh people X 4 years = 36 Lakh man years. Discount that by about 10% - I'd like to believe that atleast 10% of the people are doing what they are doing because they WANT to do it - you still have about 32 Lakh man years being utilised sub-optimally, that translates to 8 Lakh man years being utilised sub-optimally every year in a country like India, that prides itself on being young and resourceful. You do not need to be Paul Krugman to identify that should these 8 Lakh man years be put to 'better' use, the overall efficiency would drastically increase and the country can actually benefit immensely from being 'young'. </div><div><br /></div><div>The media has a major role to play in how a country shapes up. Everybody joins the IITs assuming they have hit a jackpot. <i>At the end of four years, irrespective of what you are and what you do, you'll have a heavy wallet. If you are lucky, you will end up with that 1-crore job, about which your news daily had reported just days back</i>. Is this not what they think?</div><div><br /></div><div>And that has as much basis in reality as Avatar! Reality is vastly different. But reality is boring. And hence, reality doesn't sell. Consequently, reality is hard to find. As long as the Indian thought process and decision making is based on fables and wishful thinking, our populace will never take a moment to THINK. They will instead race with the other rats of their generation towards the jackpot which, I suspect, is just an illusion. Twenty five years hence, when we realise this, I can only wish it would not be too late. </div>Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-74791844718566417742010-02-23T11:27:00.003+05:302010-02-23T11:56:12.020+05:30A post for the times when I did not postI must admit I have not been too busy. On the contrary, time has been rather generous on me. Blogging, I realised, is just like my dual degree project - DDP - (it is a year-long project that one needs to finish in order to graduate and redeem the times spent during college) - when you start your DDP, there is a lot of motivation to keep working every day and finish it bit-by-bit. After a fortnight, it is "there is always a next week". <div><br /></div><div>Nonetheless, I am thankful to three specific people for rekindling the blogging energies in me - Archana, who for reasons beyond my conscious understanding, likes my blog. Laddoo, who had the time and inclination to remind me, from halfway across the world, that my blog "needs attention". And my Mommy dear for diligently following my blogs without any attempts to 'censor' them to make it suitable for all ages. The tipping point, though, was <a href="http://deshvaasi.wordpress.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">this</span></a> blog - one of my faculty member's blog. If a professor can find time to write a blog, so can I! For those who have read my previous posts, the same professor has been referred to, in a couple of previous posts too, albeit not in the most recommended manner - atleast not for a final year student with an incomplete DDP. </div><div><br /></div><div>To be blogging on a Tuesday afternoon is sure sign of atleast one of the two things: an uncontrollable desire to write OR an outlet to kill time. I suspect it is a holy combination of both. My guess is that it'll stay this way for the better part of this semester - until May, or until I finish my DDP, whichever is later. </div>Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-27610845250852624922009-09-29T21:41:00.005+05:302009-09-29T23:41:52.924+05:30Why PPTs are important to attendThe resume and the interview process form a very integral part of the corporate recruitment process. No wonder, then, that you'll find every Harry and his kin writing books on self-improvement, developing communication skills, resume-writing and even interview-dressing. End of the day, it is about marketing yourself. Ofcourse, some may debate that it is about <i>selling</i> yourself. I believe <i>marketing</i> would be more apt.<div><br /></div><div>The best form of learning is hands-on. Is that not why they say you need to have industry exposure before you do an MBA? In case of a resume-submission process, there might not be much room for error but there definitely are opportunities to learn from your immediate surroundings on how best to market yourself and how best not to.</div><div><br /></div><div>Take, for example, the Pre-Placement Talks (PPTs) that are currently happening on campus. The idea is that each company will speak to final-year students and market themselves with the objective of luring students to join them. It's an exercise to impress (of which, another form is the recruitment process of resume-GD-interview). </div><div><br /></div><div>The students read about the company and it's <i>karma</i> on their website and if the company is particular good or particularly bad, they read about it in the newspapers as well. So, when a company comes on campus to talk to the students, they have an hour or two to impress the panel - which in this case, consists of the students. The standard trick is to get a few recent graduates and ask them to talk about the company, get a hot-ish HR chick to run through the "what we are looking for" slide and get a couple of guys, who can talk. And talk in a manner that can save their lives if it comes to that. </div><div><br /></div><div>And when you sit through these presentations every other day, bartering a considerable amount of sleep, it is hard not to make a mental note of best practices and worst practices, which is why I love attending these PPTs.</div><div><br /></div><div>A few things that a company just MUZN'T do are:</div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li>Paraphrase the sentence "We are the most awesome company in the world and we kick ass!" and repeat it every other minute. The rationale is: If you are so awesome, it is likely that we know it and anyway, saying it a trillion times doesn't make you more awesome, it just gets onto the nerves of people. [Resume tip to self: Do not SAY you are confident, smart and a team-worker; SHOW it through activities]</li><li>Open the presentation with a guy who has no clue of how to keep an audience engaged. And worse, one who reads out his slides and carries a heavy Indian accent. It is like GMAT or GRE, your "level" is determined by the first few questions you answer and then it gets progressively difficult if you do well. [Resume tip to self: Highlight your best on the front page. By the time the resume-reader reaches second page, he would have already decided]</li><li>Start at 5.30 PM and go on till 8.00 PM. What's that statistic about attention-span of human beings - 20 minutes at the most or the like. So, two and a half hours is 8 times of that! We hardly manage to pull through our 50-minute classes, how are we expected to sit through for over two hours and not loathe the speaker(s). [Resume tip to self: Keep the resume short and sweet. If you don't have anything to say, then don't.]</li></ul><div>On a somewhat unconnected note, it reminds me of a quote by the marketing guru, Seth Godin "You can't fool all the people, not even most of the time. And people, once unfooled, talk about the experience".</div></div>Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-60501626001119525022009-09-28T00:54:00.005+05:302009-09-28T02:00:21.700+05:30The 9th Sem and the protestsIt's been quite a while since the last update. It is possibly because of the "9th semester syndrome."<div><br /></div><div>Perhaps, it is that time of life when you reimburse your time and energy spent in the IIT system. Those who think IIT is a "necessarily evil between JEE and GRE" have started being nice to their profs to ensure a couple more adjectives in their reco letters. While the ones who use their IIT-degree as an envelope to mail their cover letter in to a company have started reading The Economist and the Economic Times. Then there is the parallel race for the IIT-IIM tag which involves sitting in a classroom and learning basics of grammar. There is also the segment which values the IIT degree at 15 crore during dowry negotiations who are beaming with a million-dollar-smile. Three million, to be precise. True or not - it makes for good blog content!</div><div><br /></div><div>Lately, we have been in the news for reasons not particularly pleasant. Why'd you want to get up in the morning to the news of your teachers fasting in protest? On the other hand, it is pleasurable to wake up to news of mass-casual-leave protests. It is not often that your professor mails you saying "tomorrow's class stands cancelled" and wears a black band as a mark of protest. As a sidenote, the day the 9-to-9 fasting was held, the running joke in the insti was: "Aaj main apne do profs se milne gaya, dono ne bola ki lunch ke liye jaa rahe hain, baad mein aao.. ha ha".</div><div><br /></div><div>The protesters argue that without quality pay, it is difficult to attract quality talent that is crucial for the IITs to sustain their edge. I find it a rather hollow argument because academia will never be able to match the salaries of the corporate world. Clearly, non-monetary incentives are what are needed. </div><div><br /></div><div>A start would be to attract quality masters and doctorate students. It doesn't give me much hope when I see a PhD student googling for "how to find centre of mass of a thin plate" or when a faculty member tells me, what translates to: "In India, if you have a masters and you can write well, you are God". So, Mr. Sibal and the faculty association might want to try and address more fundamental issues than pay-hike. The faculty is also involved a plethora of consultancy projects, which from whatever little I know about consultancy, should be paying them in multiples of their salary.</div><div><br /></div><div>Somehow, the administration (be it at the national level or the institute level) always tries to get rid of the syptoms than the disease itself. Why? Because it is far more easier: It is easier for the institute to kick people out of hostels for "ragging" than make a conscious effort to talk to the senior students, year after year. Because it is easier for the institute to increase minimum attendance requirement to 85% (which I must tell you is ridiculous and almost statistically impossible to adhere to - definitely not in the final year) than make the whole teaching experience in class better by investing in faculty training. Because it is easier to blame the poor communication skills of students than introducing compulsory "pesonality development" courses in the curriculum. Because, the administration has no freaking clue of what to do when the water reaches their nose.</div><div><br /></div><div>What we really is need is a bunch of dedicated staff who can disentangle the threads and repair the system, which reminds me of the McKinsey partner who (in the pre-placement talk) said that they are working with IITB to improve the management of the institution. THAT is a good start. Late, yet, good. </div>Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-70734822499047079822009-08-04T07:28:00.003+05:302009-08-04T07:55:24.977+05:30What is a Writer's block anyway?**Hiatus** is a word that comes to my mind. **Long** is an adjective that I may add to make it sound more attractive. **Writer's block** is a term that puts a nice cloak around my sudden loss of enthusiasm towards blogging and makes it presentable.<br /><br />But, 10 days later, I am back on my blog. :-P<br /><br />Oh, and a "define: hiatus" in your Google search window throws this up: "suspension: an interruption in the intensity or amount of something" - which, makes sense. Also, <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/">James Wales</a> gives me a beautiful explanation of Writer's block. He/It says<br /><br /><b></b><blockquote><b>Writer's block</b> is a condition, associated with writing as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profession" title="Profession">profession</a>, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task in hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked" writers have been unable to work for years on end, and some have even abandoned their careers.</blockquote>So, the next time you are looking for a reason, use the above one.<br /><br />To move over the inertia, I wanted something motivating to get me back to blogging. And it is here. The new batch of kids are here on campus. Anxious, nerdy, proud and day-1-arrogant freshers.<br /><br />And here's a (new?) hypothesis I float: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Freshies, by nature of their being freshies, are DUMB. </span><br /><br />I wake up at 7 AM and drag myself to the bathroom to brush my teeth, and I find a guy happily staring into the mirror with a toothbrush in his mouth, while the water tap underneath is open and flowing. And at a volume flow rate good enough to force me to blog! This is not a one-off. Hopefully, the freshies will not disappoint me and provide enough evidence over the next couple of weeks to prove my hypothesis. Shall update here.<br /><br />PS: Hypothesis: a tentative insight into the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena; "a scientific hypothesis that survives experimental testing becomes a scientific theory";Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-48658522891237587862009-07-24T08:50:00.004+05:302009-07-24T09:33:10.899+05:30Dangerous political fantasies, and the whore called educationI can't help but cry foul over the setting up of so many new IITs. Yes, again.<br /><br />Check out what today's edition of Economic Times has to say under the title "<a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" onclick="pageTracker._trackEvent('etHead', 'select', 'Head3_Main');" href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Losing-sheen-Over-500-students-say-no-to-IIT/articleshow/4814088.cms"><span class="lineup"><stname>Losing sheen: Over 500 students say no to IIT</stname></span></a>"<br /><br />Very recently, IT-BHU was in the fray to be an IIT. If you are a supporter of that move, you would not want to check <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://alaktus.blogspot.com/2009/02/iit-bhu-without-typo.html">this</a>. A few days back, I read about a new IITB that is coming up! Hold your breath, it is not an abroad campus of IIT Bombay (which could be <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Services/Education/Govt-may-allow-IITs-IIMs-to-open-campus-abroad/articleshow/4802963.cms">reality</a> in a few years time), but a new <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://trunc.it/10fov">proposal</a> for an IIT at Belgaum, Karnataka.<br /><br />What could be the reason? Karnataka, as opposed to many other states in the country has no IITs. Hence, setup an IIT there! Then, there is a demand from Kerala also to setup an IIT there for a similar reason. A very deplorable situation - the fundamentals of the education system of a country are compromised for mere political mileage. I suspect, Arjun Singh can take the entire blame and Kapil Sibal can consider himself equally guilty.<br /><br />So, what does the ET article say?<br /><span style=""></span><blockquote><span style="">As many as 505 students, who got an opportunity to study in these premier technological institutes, did the unthinkable this year; they refused to study in an IIT. </span><br /><br /><span style=""> The reasons varied from ‘‘not having confidence in the new IITs’ ’ to ‘‘ getting allotments in not-so-popular streams’’, IIT officials said, adding that this experience might force HRD minister Kapil Sibal to do a rethink on his expansion plans for the IITs. </span></blockquote><span style=""></span>Does it take anything more than common sense to foresee this situation? I will not involve myself in the same <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://alaktus.blogspot.com/2008/07/un-iit-of-real-and-virtual-iits.html">old</a> conversation again. The most frequently used rebuttal for the argument against, and quoted by ET in the article, is:<br /><span style=""></span><blockquote><span style="">‘‘There were several parents who were not comfortable sending their kids to an IIT without a campus currently; few realised that all the old IITs, too, started from temporary campuses,’’ the head of one of the new IITs said. </span></blockquote>In 1950s when the IITs were setup in temporary campuses, there were hardly ANY engineering institutions in India and there definitely were not 400,000 people taking the JEE. Now, there are. In India, "engineering" has ceased to be a discipline, it has become an obsession with students and parents alike. The reason - IITs. In such a sensitive scenario, screwing around with the system will leave irrepairable scars in the fabric of education.<br /><br />Two decades hence, when the "engineers" - thousands from the IITs and lakhs from other engineering institutions - take up the mantle of powering the economy, the repercussions might be severe. For, we will have a whole generation that had forayed into a career, just to live someone else's dreams and follow someone else's footsteps.<br /><br />The parliament of India, meanwhile is busy creating an uproar over the body-frisking of a former President. The power of democracy. The voice of the people. Whatever.Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-4829608165721841932009-07-14T03:05:00.006+05:302009-07-14T04:10:08.427+05:30How stoichiometry problems expose the Indian education system:The past couple of days I've been at home and have been teaching my sister some of her class XI science and mathematics. So, while I juggle among molarity, molality, dimensional analysis, significant figures (?!) and the likes, she keeps barraging me with random questions - most of which I could answer thanks to my JEE preparation. Whether she does this out of curiosity OR whether to verify my JEE rank credentials - I don't know.<br /><br />Anyway, at one point, she asked me a seemingly trivial question in chemistry and she was surprised at the ease of the solution. She later told me that her teacher told her that this is "high-level" and she cannot solve it. I am surprised because all that the question demanded was an understanding of the mole concept. A few other anecdotes from her and my own experience of the Indian education system lead me to a disturbing conclusion: The system is decaying, and it is decaying fast, and we are running out of time, and it won't fix itself, and they are not really bothered!<br /><br />My sister has a good theory about why the senior secondary teachers suck at their job. Let me paraphrase her:<br /><br /><blockquote>Most of the class XI/XII syllabus is "irritating" and requires sound fundamentals to grasp the subject. Most teachers prefer to teach class X-and-below because it is "very easy" in comparison to senior classes and students hardly <span style="font-style: italic;">ask</span> (or <span style="font-style: italic;">are encouraged to ask</span>) "difficult" questions.<br /><br />The few who actually manage to master the syllabus never return to teaching because there are greener pastures for such people. So, there is a void created and this void gets filled with sub-standard (or, as she said, "bekar") teachers.</blockquote><br />To think of it, she makes perfect sense.<br /><br />Going through her NCERT books, I realised that class XI/XII is indeed demanding (and rightly so!). To teach the thousands of these students, we need teachers of the very best calibre and it seems not forthcoming. You know that the system is rotting when your teachers advise the parents to arrange for "coaching", even for basic school syllabi; when the school lets a professional coaching institute "counsel" the students and for all their queries, there seems to only one answer - Jay E Eee. (After the counselling session, the coaching institute offered the students a discount on their JEE-coaching program.)<br /><br />While Pranab Mukherjee is busy alloting thousands of crores towards education, I hope he realises that there are serious problems with the Indian education system that cannot be solved by pumping-in cash. Perhaps, we need a revamped pedagogy - one which understands the changing needs of the students while still able to deliver quality input.<br /><br />The IITs face a somewhat similar crunch - 20-30% shortage of faculty. But thankfully, they are not appointing <span style="font-style: italic;">bekar</span> professors (or so I'd like to believe). There was/is an attempt, though, to bring in reservations in the faculty, which would undoubtedly lead to a compromise of merit. Last I heard, the IITs managed to deflect the issue for the time being but Sibal was vociferous in claiming that "IITs should learn to live with faculty reservation". Pure bullshit.<br /><br />So, Pranab dada giving the IITs 2000-odd crores is great news but it will hardly solve any of the fundamental problems that plague the IITs - and there are enough and more. (If you a new joinee to IIT - too bad I am squashing your dreams so soon :-) some of my other posts might offer solace!)<br /><br />I leave you with a question that often bewilders me:<br /><br />Why does India not have a network of world-class government high schools which attract and train the best minds in the country? And how come we have the <span style="font-style: italic;">world-class</span> IITs and IIMs without a sound higher-edu foundation in the system?Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-25064416173642174882009-07-04T01:50:00.008+05:302009-07-04T02:41:40.771+05:30Reliance Fellowship for Stanford MBA | Summer Awesomeness!I think summers are a great time. Infact, summers are friggin' awesome times. I remember thinking <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://alaktus.blogspot.com/2008/07/roller-coaster-may-june.html">last summer</a> that things cannot get more awesome than they already were. This summer is slowly standing up to beat it!<br /><br />A kick-ass coincidence is this: Three of us (I will qualify 'us' soon) had applied for a really amazing scholarship being offered by Reliance Industries called Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship. It is an all-expenses covered scholarship to pursue the two-year MBA at Stanford University. It is not restricted to college students, infact most of the guys who apply are people with extensive professional experience.<br /><br />So, of the 1500-odd applications (as of last year), Reliance selects about 50 fellows and then finally Stanford selects the 5 who will be offered the scholarship. So, that's a cool 80-odd lakh scholarship for two years!<br /><br />The information page can be accessed <a href="http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/financial_aid/reliance-p.html"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">here</span></a>.<br />The list of fellows of last year is <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://www.zibb.com/article/5210296/Stanford+Business+School+Selects+First+Reliance+Dhirubhai+Fellows+to+Receive+Full+Financial+Support+for+MBA+Study">here</a>.<br /><br />Anyway, the coincidence part is this: Two of my friends...<br /><br />- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gaurav Sapra</span> - BITS Goa, just finished college this year - He is one of those 'childhood friends' that they talk about in stories and movies.<br /><br />- <a href="http://aniketpangarkar.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Aniket</span> 'Uss' Pangarkar</a>- Insti fellow, going into final year now - He is my mentor, guide, chuddy-buddy etc. etc. He is also my partner in most, if not all, crimes in the insti. (They say gay-partner, but that's not true, trust me).<br /><br />... and I had applied for this fellowship. And to our respective utter disbeliefs, all the three got through to the top 50!<br /><br />So, while we reel under the sheer awesomeness (yes, indeed flicked from Kung-fu Panda) of the coincidence, those two have started preparing for their GMAT (provided free of cost by Reliance to the finalists) and I, having already taken my GMAT last month, am planning to write a book on how awesome summers, even summers like the ones in Chennai, can get! :-)Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-20974796103956235852009-07-02T13:16:00.004+05:302009-07-02T22:20:37.659+05:30MotherA n amazing song by Pink Floyd called "Mother".<br /><br />Captures the mother-son relationship in a very beautiful manner:<br /><br /><br />Mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb?<br />Mother, do you think they'll like this song?<br />Mother, do you think they'll try to break my balls?<br />Mother, should I build the wall?<br />Mother, should I run for President?<br />Mother, should I trust the government?<br />Mother, will they put me in the firing line?<br />Is it just a waste of time?<br /><br />Hush now baby, baby, don't you cry<br />Momma's gonna make all of your nightmares come true<br />Momma's gonna put all of her fears into you<br />Momma's gonna keep you right here under her wing<br />She won't let you fly, but she might let you sing<br />Momma's will keep Baby cozy and warm<br />Oooo Babe<br />Oooo Babe<br />Ooo Babe, of course Momma's gonna help build the wall<br /><br />Mother, do you think she's good enough<br />For me?<br />Mother, do you think she's dangerous<br />To me?<br />Mother will she tear your little boy apart?<br />Mother, will she break my heart?<br /><br />Hush now baby, baby, don't you cry<br />Momma's gonna check out all your girlfriends for you<br />Momma won't let anyone dirty get through<br />Momma's gonna wait up until you get in<br />Momma will always find out where you've been<br />Momma's gonna keep Baby healthy and clean<br />Oooo Babe<br />Oooo Babe<br />Ooo Babe, you'll always be Baby to me<br /><br />Mother, did it need to be so high?<br /><br />Lyrics courtesy: <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://www.lyrics007.com/Pink%20Floyd%20Lyrics/Mother%20Lyrics.html">Lyrics007</a><br /><br />On a related note, a stunning Gtalk status message of one of my friends some days back:<br /><blockquote>"If evolution is true, how come mothers still have only two hands?"</blockquote>Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-74203555782169045462009-06-27T18:48:00.015+05:302009-06-27T23:26:05.108+05:30Of the woods and deer and why monkeys don't feature<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0g_S2N6g8FRFKvWcfTfP4KLAYhSdrdlM-CuF-ynkwVtWlARVV4UpQpMvpJne682u7cc57vyn8eqGgf0V4obfYVEbeWMwZ6FxmDLT_R7GYwO64ep1s529nEPFrIv2pqt0pOng-3g/s1600-h/IMG_0534.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0g_S2N6g8FRFKvWcfTfP4KLAYhSdrdlM-CuF-ynkwVtWlARVV4UpQpMvpJne682u7cc57vyn8eqGgf0V4obfYVEbeWMwZ6FxmDLT_R7GYwO64ep1s529nEPFrIv2pqt0pOng-3g/s400/IMG_0534.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352002669645654418" border="0" /></a><br />I am not a nature guy. Neither am I a photography guy. But, this post _might_ smell of those elements. Ignore such thoughts.<br /><br />Of the many things that contribute in making IIT Madras "IIT Madras", one big factor is the <span id=":3c8"><s>deers </s></span>deer and one relatively lesser but more prestigious is the blackbucks.<br /><br />When I came here four years ago, I remember someone with the mike saying that there are 11 blackbucks on campus: 7 male and 4 female. I remember thinking then, that it pays more to be a male blackbuck in the insti than a male student. Damn you JEE! Anyway, the count of the <span id=":3c8"><s>deers</s></span> deer, if I remember right was put at 40.<br /><br />One fact that was said then but somehow gets lost in the woods often is that IIT Madras is the only university in the world to be in a reserved forest. (No, this post is not about IIT Madras and it's glory. Patience.)<br /><br />Past month, staying here, I noticed there were many more blackbucks (and one whitebuck - too :P ) and <span id=":3c8"><s>deers </s></span>deer than I had ever seen. It was a comforting sight because these animals were said to be on the brink on extinction and that insti is not a viable enough eco-sytstem for them. Armed with my phone - I did snap a few pictures. There is only as much you can shoot with a 2 MP camera embedded in your SMS-device! And while I was capturing the pictures, my friends found it to be 'amusing' and 'gay' that I, after staying here for four years, was taking pics of <span id=":3c8"><s>deers </s></span>deer.<br /><br />The following are the different pics I took at different times on different days. FYI, <span id=":3c8"><s>deers </s></span>deer are the ones with the spots. Blackbucks are the ones without. Unfortunately, my photography has lead to spots on both.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhNkaOkcPe94RTHl7XdADOpDAinaHLWluXIQq6b8_b0RiNTywsJEA9YnSIqnRoTdu7GaIGhV2rtb092ijPiETBHs9pxEbrzFrSNO9tnVkBH6VikF_f5RJ6YdgsBI_tm1gFFqR9w/s1600-h/IMG_0529.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhNkaOkcPe94RTHl7XdADOpDAinaHLWluXIQq6b8_b0RiNTywsJEA9YnSIqnRoTdu7GaIGhV2rtb092ijPiETBHs9pxEbrzFrSNO9tnVkBH6VikF_f5RJ6YdgsBI_tm1gFFqR9w/s400/IMG_0529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352002546013703170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsGDvRaPFrswI6myN8EFmlzULW8_wETnGcjcIvYOi36a3fJE8OFo_iPUCVFXhM32WM9LJwYZ9Kbc-nPOZtZvHrZcwszGhS5eUeGzh1001t3yflH3Ubp5HCUFr3fE9yjaddZogMA/s1600-h/IMG_0524.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsGDvRaPFrswI6myN8EFmlzULW8_wETnGcjcIvYOi36a3fJE8OFo_iPUCVFXhM32WM9LJwYZ9Kbc-nPOZtZvHrZcwszGhS5eUeGzh1001t3yflH3Ubp5HCUFr3fE9yjaddZogMA/s400/IMG_0524.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352002449787353394" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHI6B2roXc1M0xwYywUL08BlpT2uk-Oek0l61W6ja0tAI1Gau8vnErb7lW5cN91IKRfefPzj7a76uYY5VwOQKYxoS5hDIfUvbH_amQ_ZXbfq_WelYlH42194m7gyGPVGJwRfXuQ/s1600-h/IMG_0523.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHI6B2roXc1M0xwYywUL08BlpT2uk-Oek0l61W6ja0tAI1Gau8vnErb7lW5cN91IKRfefPzj7a76uYY5VwOQKYxoS5hDIfUvbH_amQ_ZXbfq_WelYlH42194m7gyGPVGJwRfXuQ/s400/IMG_0523.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352002340769053522" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYjQMx4R8V2tbqOqiPAmrX9DLv4Nb_2cqJrc-YCEQdkEtexRHSzKwEXtA5X_3E0YrNBVmMVnGmVX8hOzXfC6oYxogqTD7ohxm0UiDD8ldmQqSg5_FcPkW-VxZ0VivXdegSsdTVQ/s1600-h/IMG_0522.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYjQMx4R8V2tbqOqiPAmrX9DLv4Nb_2cqJrc-YCEQdkEtexRHSzKwEXtA5X_3E0YrNBVmMVnGmVX8hOzXfC6oYxogqTD7ohxm0UiDD8ldmQqSg5_FcPkW-VxZ0VivXdegSsdTVQ/s400/IMG_0522.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352002142045362226" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqx6xHWy9OUplkQZtmUTEnAFuOgRkW2NIU5pR7MJihTnsKOhy66-2R4SLMBDZh0CBEryEp4M_HujC153uJUNJcY5N_xFJToDzfG3_qylahVPZwLZ0PPbvc8cQsDDIOjE2cQXNN_g/s1600-h/IMG_0520.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqx6xHWy9OUplkQZtmUTEnAFuOgRkW2NIU5pR7MJihTnsKOhy66-2R4SLMBDZh0CBEryEp4M_HujC153uJUNJcY5N_xFJToDzfG3_qylahVPZwLZ0PPbvc8cQsDDIOjE2cQXNN_g/s400/IMG_0520.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352001908436032866" border="0" /></a><br />IIT Madras has often benefitted from the legacy of the forest:<br /><br />All our Shaastra, Saarang articles begin with "It is that time of the year when the woods are buzzing with [Insert Shaastra-ish or Saarang-ish word]". Most of our brochures, howsoever small the number may be, would mention "sprawling 650-acre campus set in the forests". The Director could make jokes about the monkeys - the ones living inside the room and ones on the trees. Our nature-conscious GATE-clearing students get to complain of dogs attacking<span id=":3c8"><s> deers </s></span>deer in a mail addressed to all the 5000-odd people on campus.<br /><br />Monkeys are not featured in this article. I am thoroughly pissed with them because they broke a wash-basin in the bog. It is a totally different issue that there has hardly been any water in the one that has managed to survive:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQ6OLY0-n1BObwOCYxAGzT3YRMfW-oJ2u_Jo6HfTCPpppwHxOvwusq4Lit9WlXTGbMrfJ7L9EUqjkyWdhIYiIxllHspleWU2HGI2lrjrm771Ar7msPOyArd8ht9gW7AjHAZqlEw/s1600-h/IMG_0536.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQ6OLY0-n1BObwOCYxAGzT3YRMfW-oJ2u_Jo6HfTCPpppwHxOvwusq4Lit9WlXTGbMrfJ7L9EUqjkyWdhIYiIxllHspleWU2HGI2lrjrm771Ar7msPOyArd8ht9gW7AjHAZqlEw/s400/IMG_0536.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352005583872049346" border="0" /></a>Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-5008698373652437982009-06-24T22:53:00.007+05:302009-06-25T09:44:48.200+05:30Quotable Quotes from my VivaProf. A: "You know what? Vikas was supposed to get a Nobel prize for his ppt, but last minute he got pipped." (Prof. A to Prof. B, with all his sarcasm in the world, when I just entered the Viva room.)<br />Me: Sir... Err.. Umm.. Err.. Okk.. Sir<br /><br />Prof A: "Ya ya, Vikas will make a good ppt. So be very careful!", throwing caution to everyone in the room, for no real reason.<br />Me: Sir... Err.. Umm.. Err.. Okk.. Sir<br /><br />"Vikas, I don't want a sales pitch. Better show me some meat." Prof. C after looking at my first slide.<br />Me: Sir... Err.. Umm.. Err.. Okk.. Sir<br /><br />"So, you are basically saying that if we decrease usage of vehicles, we can save energy. Thats all?" Prof. A after I had explained for over half-an-hour on how we can save energy in the transportation sector.<br />Me: Sir... Err.. Umm.. Err.. No.... Sir<br /><br />Me: "<span style="font-style: italic;">Sir, there are two sides to the climate debate....</span>"<br />Prof. A : "That everybody knows. Tell me what you have done." (It's unfair! It's not common sense!)<br />Me: Sir... Err.. Umm.. Err.. Okk.. Sir<br /><br />Prof. A."You went and worked with economists and became one yourself. I wanted you to convert them to technologists!"<br />Me: Sir... Err.. Umm.. Err.. Okk.. Sir<br /><br />Prof. C. : "What you said over the last 20 minutes is just common sense. Show me some mathematical models"<br />Firstly, it was NOT common sense. I swear by god. Secondly, and I quote myself "But Sir, my company did not want me to develop mathematical models, they just wanted a framework."<br />Prof A. : "But that is what I want you to do: change the way they work!"<br />Me: Sir... Err.. Umm.. Err.. Okk.. Sir<br /><br />Prof. A.: "Just because you are thanking me, don't think that I will give you extra marks", when I was at the <span style="font-style: italic;">Acknowledgements</span> slide.<br />Me: Sir... Err.. Umm.. Err.. Okk.. Sir<br /><br />Prof. B : "You should put the source of data in every slide, unless ofcourse you deliberately want to confuse us.."<br />Prof. A : ".. which he is very capable of."<br />Me: Sir... Err.. Umm.. Err.. Okk.. Sir<br /><br />***************<br />Well.. you win some, you lose some.<br /><br />It won't be a herculean task to figure out who was the BOSS today in the viva committee. And who was looking like a big big loser.<br /><br />Well.. you win some, you lose some.<br /><br />PS: Fellow mates can add their quotes in the comment section, or let me know so that I can add an _update here. :-)<br /><br />PS2: An old post on quotable quotes from Inter-IIT Sports Meet 2007 can be accessed <a href="http://alaktus.blogspot.com/2007/02/my-fascination-with-inter-iit-meet.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">here</span></a>Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-83992955961472734172009-06-22T05:55:00.007+05:302009-06-22T06:10:35.796+05:30Getting the professors to meetIt's 5:55 AM on my watch. And I am thinking about the following:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If two professors (generic term) A and B, and a student have to meet, how do they decide on a venue?</span><br /><br />In my specific case, the details are as follows:<br /><br /><ul><li>A and B are not from the same department<br /></li><li>A is a senior-ish Prof., B is an Asst. Prof.</li><li>A and B do not know each other</li><li>The student (me!) has to set-up the meeting</li></ul>I am dumbfounded on how to decide the venue. I wonder how these things work.<br /><br />By the way, it's 6:01 now.<br /><br />PS: If it sounds trivial, I'd suggest wearing my shoes for a while and walking a few hundred meters.Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-56833920535591998612009-06-20T21:20:00.005+05:302009-06-24T23:56:18.697+05:30Father's Day: To the CEO of my lifeTo my Dad, who has given me much much more than a middle name, here's wishing a Very Happy Father's Day and a lifetime of health and happiness!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5i6cKZv_3BxAz02-M6l_Ef99scR7yTV1RKqm97-I6r8L1fN43NkFnGjSzaloAL0Z2aXQ729QyONlWwgM-FYuRueY9TWupxvHuxVa0QA1Yay6QuzNvqtN-bYtO2CT6G0L7yozEg/s1600-h/fathers+day.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5i6cKZv_3BxAz02-M6l_Ef99scR7yTV1RKqm97-I6r8L1fN43NkFnGjSzaloAL0Z2aXQ729QyONlWwgM-FYuRueY9TWupxvHuxVa0QA1Yay6QuzNvqtN-bYtO2CT6G0L7yozEg/s400/fathers+day.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349452881908145506" border="0" /></a>To the CEO of my life, here's acknowledging his contribution in making me, me.<br /><br />PS: I don't think I can ever pen my thoughts about my dad - it is just too pure, and yet too complex a relationship to be expressed through the mere medium of words.Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-69880410144721232022009-06-18T21:41:00.007+05:302009-06-18T22:01:39.034+05:30Guns N' Cigars at Insti!Two photographs.<br /><br />One. I was walking from SAC to ICSR after attending some <a href="http://alaktus.blogspot.com/2009/06/jee-2009-counselling-i.html">counselling</a> intro talk for JEE. There was this dude (to be on the safer side, let me call him uncle) who was showing off a *pistol* tucked in his trouser. You don't see such things often in the insti. I don't think you are meant to.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr88kK9MwezdeyBjVu8ZAIjO-Z5MgHs6Pw1SPwCE4ZeqNBhTjxA3Dz4KEmWvtdetsQiZZU8X3c-uH_eSoOrb4ohVyrGpfBZymhOTvQEVrq3U9f5tfukE2Kuwa0x6CMagwTZfNQ8w/s1600-h/IMG_0505.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr88kK9MwezdeyBjVu8ZAIjO-Z5MgHs6Pw1SPwCE4ZeqNBhTjxA3Dz4KEmWvtdetsQiZZU8X3c-uH_eSoOrb4ohVyrGpfBZymhOTvQEVrq3U9f5tfukE2Kuwa0x6CMagwTZfNQ8w/s400/IMG_0505.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348703853992973266" border="0" /></a>I reckon he was a parent who had come down for counselling of his ward. But, it was evident that he had no intentions of hiding his little equipment. Anyway, after a momentary shock, I thought I should take a pic and upload it here! :-) And so I did.<br /><br />Two. No prizes for guessing where this second pic is from. Though, you may warrant a guess as to whose hand it is in the picture. And which new brand of cigarette has just entered the market. Looking at the pic, I could have written another article titled 'How cigarette is clogging our system', but I think I am about 40 years away from that. For now, it just amused me!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_E3kT3IGSme9xMDgo5f3_dT8y-fvktnGwI59qKJVakESiwvw-3q6i10KZBYLzOLbLfAnSJv5DXZWN28cFGrULz-6U-RjX_eQ4ALZ2_mTwjsYXKx8TbKaG6Wevgv7CJ0KD_xJD8w/s1600-h/IMG_0512.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_E3kT3IGSme9xMDgo5f3_dT8y-fvktnGwI59qKJVakESiwvw-3q6i10KZBYLzOLbLfAnSJv5DXZWN28cFGrULz-6U-RjX_eQ4ALZ2_mTwjsYXKx8TbKaG6Wevgv7CJ0KD_xJD8w/s400/IMG_0512.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348703633945035490" border="0" /></a><br />I think it is an amazing marketing strategy to sell black-coloured cigarettes. It is an instant differentiator. Perhaps, if it was not black - I would not have remembered it and the guy/girl in the pic who bought it would not have bought it in the first place. Will we soon see pink and yellow coloured cigarettes also? Or do we already have them in circulation?<br /><br />PS: I am also wondering if I will be getting anonymous commenters giving me gyaan on how IITians are addicted to cigarettes and all that. And how we are plundering tax-payers' money. And how we are a burden on the nation. :-P<br /><br />Ok, anonymous, CHILL. I am just kidding. .And no, ofcourse not, we are not arrogant and pompous. :-)Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-41149900836612262882009-06-17T18:13:00.003+05:302009-06-17T18:23:46.582+05:30Climate Change Policy for Dummies: A primer on COP-15Following is an article I authored for the Energy Bulletin of IIT Madras. It is a beginner's guide to understanding the hype and the ballyhoo of climate change and green energy.
<br />
<br />My previous article titled 'At The Crossroads: India's Energy Demands' can be accessed <a href="http://alaktus.blogspot.com/2009/01/at-crossroads-indias-energy-demands.html">here</a>.
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{size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">More than 10,000 people from about 200 countries of the world will meet later this year at Copenhagen, Denmark in what has been touted to be the most important meeting ever to address the growing issue of global warming. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Convention of Parties (COP) – 15, as it is called, is a forum where leaders and policymakers from all over the globe will meet and decide the future course of action on the impending doom of climate change. Kyoto protocol, although a significant legislation, never could satisfy the environmentalists and they complained of political ill-will towards climate change mitigation. The United States which is the largest contributor of greenhouse gases in the world, was never party to the Kyoto protocol. This fact is often used by critics to undermine the effectiveness of Kyoto protocol. China, the second largest emitter was not bound by Kyoto protocol to reduce its emissions. The Kyoto protocol covered countries responsible for only 29 pc of global emissions, leaving out countries like US, China and India. The very scale at which the treaty operates made tracking and verifying governmental actions and claims impractical.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="">The 2 degree Celsius barrier</b>: </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The academia is unanimous in its opinion that a more than 2 C rise in global temperature from 1990 to 2050 will have adverse effects on human population. Some scientists warn that CO2 levels must be kept below 350 ppm (or about 1.5 C increase in temperature) to avoid serious impacts. Current levels are around 386 ppm, growing at an annual rate of 2.1 ppm. <span style=""> </span>450 ppm levels offer a 50 pc chance to keep the temperature change below 2 C and scientists argue that a 50 pc chance is not good enough when dealing with climate because the effects could be catastrophic.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="">The current scenario: developing v/s developed nations<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Optimists are betting their money on COP 15 to evolve a new consensus among the nations of the world. They are hoping that the Obama administration, along with the other leaders of the world, takes strong and concrete steps. But there are already signs of discord. Developing countries like India and China demand that the rich countries decrease their emissions levels 40 pc below 1990 levels by 2020. The rich countries, which benefitted from an earlier industrial revolution, should take more drastic steps than developing countries which maintain that strong climate change sanctions could hamper their economic progress.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=""> </span>Japan, a leading emitter or GHG recently announced that it intends to reduce its emission levels by 15 % in 2020 as compared to 2005 levels. <span style=""> </span>Critics argue that this is not enough and such shallow commitments by rich countries will not drive countries like India and China towards stronger action. Japanese government, on the other hand, defends their decision by arguing that Japan is already a very carbon-efficient economy and any further increase in efficiency will be unrealistic. Japan emits less relative to other major economies. Though it has the second largest economy, behind the US, it ranks fifth in global emissions, behind US, China, Russia and India. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The European Union has committed to 20 pc reduction by 2020 as compared to 1990 levels and by 30 pc if other rich countries follow suit. The congressional panel in US recently cleared a bill that aims at a 6 pc reduction in CO2 levels from 1990 to 2020. Overall, the developed nations have offered to reduce their emissions by about 8pc to 14 pc, whilst a reduction of 40 pc by them is required to carry any real hope of mitigating the change. Clearly, the developing world is at loggerheads with the developed nations.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="">FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS</b>:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Another important consensus that needs to evolve at COP 15 is the architecture of financial instruments needed to curb climate change. The Kyoto protocol adapted a cap-and-trade mechanism. Cap-and-trade mechanisms put a ceiling (<i style="">cap</i>) on consumption/production of a commodity and then the involved parties can trade the sanctions. Kyoto protocol imposed upper limits on carbon emissions for about 37 developed countries (called Annex-I countries). The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) was the preferred cap-and-trade mechanism adopted at Kyoto which allowed Annex-I countries to trade Carbon Emission Reductions (CERs) with developing countries (called non-Annex I countries).<span style=""> </span>A CER is a carbon credit which is equivalent to a reduction of 1 ton of carbon dioxide. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="">The Clean Development Mechanism and why it is not the solution:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The intentions of the CDM were noble – impose continually stricter sanctions on rich countries so that they shift towards a greener economy and in the process, the developing nations benefit from the green investments. In order to earn carbon credits, the rich countries would invest in developing countries, thereby enabling technology transfer. All the nations of the world therefore had economic incentives to reduce carbon emissions.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">However, recent research suggests that CDM has been very ineffective in reducing carbon emissions. The market architecture of CDM stresses on carbon credits as a tool for mitigation. The private players in the carbon credit market have suitably taken up “low-hanging” projects to generate carbon credits – projects that are easy and cheap to execute but which do not significantly aid sustainable development. It has been reported that of the CER production, 51 % are from HFC destruction and N2O capture that do not deliver any sustainability benefits.<span style=""> </span>Also, when developing countries themselves would have sanctions in the future, all the cheap abatement options would already have been exploited by the rich countries, leaving them at a disadvantage.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Interestingly, the carbon market is predicted to be the largest commodity market in the near future, slated to rise to $400 billion by 2012 -2015 from about $ 11 billion in 2005. Critics describe this as a “market for hot air” and accuse legislators of creating an artificial scarcity when none existed. With such a huge financial value attached to the market, industry lobbyists are working hard to retain the CDM. The CDM is particularly prone to manipulation by politicians and polluters. Also, given the advanced stage to which countries have committed themselves towards the CDM, it is highly unlikely that the COP 15 will see any major changes in the architecture of CDM. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p>A Carbon Tax regime: advantages and bottlenecks<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The cap-and-trade is a quantity-based approach. A large fraction of economists and environmentalists advocate the use of price-based mechanisms. Experts suggest the use of a “carbon tax”, as a pigovian pollution tax for a global public good. There will no country emissions quota, no trading and no reference period. It will be a tax on services and goods that will increase every year at a rate commensurate with desired abatement of emissions. Although the intricacies of this system are complex and need substantial discussion to be agreeable across the countries, it offers many benefits. Al Gore says “tax what you burn and not what you earn” – he advocates the implementation of carbon tax, while reducing other taxes so that the consumer has a disincentive when buying a gas-guzzling car or coal-produced electricity as against a hybrid vehicle or hydel/wind power. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There are two major roadblocks for the carbon tax. Most of the arguments against it have come from a “it’s a tax and therefore it is bad” crowd. Taxes have never been welcomed by politicians for a fear of backlash from the public. Secondly, it is the unwillingness of a consumer to pay a higher price for a product although it translates to an overall saving over years.<span style=""> </span>Consider the incandescent light bulb v/s CFLs debate. Although the CFL offers a longer lifespan and consumes significantly less energy than a light bulb, people tend to choose the incandescent light bulb because of its cost, which is a fraction of that of CFL. It has been estimated that the average US household might need to pay about $ 1500 per annum in 2020 if the government imposes such legislations. The average consumer responds only to economic incentives. Governments, therefore, have a strong role to ensure that there are adequate economic incentives for the consumer to switch to cleaner and greener products. </p> <div style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 1pt 4pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;">India, for one, has fared very poorly in this respect. Reva, the revolutionary electric car from a Bangalore-based company emits about 60 pc less carbon per kilometer as compared to other cars in the market. It costs about Rs. 4 Lakh against a Maruti which costs about 2.5- 3 Lakh and the new Nano which’ll be around 1.2 Lakh. In spite of the lower cost per km and lower emissions per km, Reva has managed to sell only about 1000 cars in India. Interestingly, Reva has sold about 2000 cars abroad in countries, many of which offer incentives for such environment-friendly products. </p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="">Cheap GHG emission reduction possibilities:</b> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">McKinsey & Co. in a recent report has identified developing Asian countries to possess about 60 pc of the world’s cheap GHG abatement potentials. These measures do not require any substantial investment and can be met with existing technologies. Measures like improving vehicle efficiency, better building design and greener power account for about 70 pc of low-cost abatement options. These measures require involve very little technology (like those in forestry or agriculture) or mature existing technologies like nuclear power and energy-efficient lighting. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Continuing on the same lines, a substantial public investment by governments (as opposed to private investments through CDM) will intensify the action to implement clean energy technologies. Past examples in the US - the JFK Apollo program in the 60’s, Carter Energy program in the late 70’s and lately the investment in security after 9/11 have accelerated the developments in those sectors. Governments across the world have to invest massively in clean energy technologies because no effort to achieve emission reductions will be possible without adopting cleaner energy over fossil-fuel based energy and currently low-carbon energy is significantly costlier.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="">Conclusion:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The COP-15 should develop a robust institutional framework for mitigation and adaptation, with enthusiastic participation from countries willing to take bold steps and embrace ambitious commitments. The stretch from here to Copenhagen is difficult and uncertain. It is imperative that the leaders and policymakers evolve consensus on mitigation practices and policies. Countries like the US need to own-up for their previous actions and lead the world in climate change efforts, while countries like India and China has a major role to play in deciding the future course of action. Copenhagen, in all probability, offers the last chance for the world to design a greener tomorrow and in these designs lay the fates of millions of poor people who are the most vulnerable to adverse climate change effects. </p> *******
<br />The ticker on the side panel called 'Countdown to Copenhagen' is about COP 15. Should you need references, I'd be happy to share.
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<br />Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-36451607912755224652009-06-13T21:55:00.005+05:302009-06-13T22:07:17.305+05:30Mommy's hintMy mom mailed me this couple of days back:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtbqxP6crw-XmG5D46A4RFJsTHmP1j6hKZ_3RR57KkHwYpsZntsvTFlz6Hcq7qxOomCRmgJ1gbPRS_nTTNujauFUuIsbHIzFLdLmL1qU7cCS3FuQvxiPeUZ_3OXFjDRooKdO4pw/s1600-h/no+caption+needed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtbqxP6crw-XmG5D46A4RFJsTHmP1j6hKZ_3RR57KkHwYpsZntsvTFlz6Hcq7qxOomCRmgJ1gbPRS_nTTNujauFUuIsbHIzFLdLmL1qU7cCS3FuQvxiPeUZ_3OXFjDRooKdO4pw/s400/no+caption+needed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346850245184645746" border="0" /></a>I think I should take her hint.Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-6097190551342087302009-06-11T21:47:00.005+05:302009-06-11T23:46:16.580+05:30JEE 2009 Counselling - IOf the few things that IIT Madras did not let me do in the past four years here, one was to let me interact with prospective students. But life came a full circle today. I am part of the JEE 2009 counselling here at the campus as a student counsellor - it is a true honour. And what an experience it has been!<br /><br />So, there they were - hoardes of anxious students with the JEE counselling brochure.<br /><br />What really struck me today was a fact that I had always known - the Indian higher education system, though extremely competitive and rigorous, does not equip you with decision-making tools. I could identify two very clear reasons. Firstly, parents are too protective of their children and essentially take all the decisions for their 'kids' even when they are 16, including important decisions pertaining to their careers. Secondly, the education environment does not encourage risk-taking, which implies that I would hesitate to take up an unchartered path.<br /><br />Ofcourse, the students are not to be blamed. Atleast, not entirely. It has been going on for a good two decades that I have been orbitting the sun. Specifically, talking of the JEE - the system has been treated to be such a big monster to tame that once you clear JEE, most people think of it as an end. I did too, in all probability. Now here comes what I have believed to be the biggest drawback of the current JEE phenomenon:<br /><br />The students slog their days away in their coaching institutes and burn the proverbial oil during the nights. For two long years. At 16, what you should really be doing is explore the world, meet new people, have newer experiences, learn the shortcuts of overcoming the vicissitudes, read books, play cricket, watch porn, ATTEND HIGH SCHOOL... these experiences equip you with tools to decide what your life holds out for you. They put you in a much better position to gauge yourself and take that extra step in the direction that your dad (and your neighbour and your distant cousin) would never approve of.<br /><br />Unfortunately, we spend those precious two years - when our personalities shape up and our true character is formed - mugging derivations and solving the JEE 2001 10-mark questions. And that does manifest in rather unfortunate ways: your social behaviour patters tend to become obscure and in reality, you are ill-equipped to face the true world, outside IIT. (Ofcourse, the four years at IIT does offer umpteen opportunities to make amends).<br /><br />Another striking realisation, rather re-realisation that happened today: there just is not enough information out there for people to take informed decisions. It is a very peculiar situation: you have to take probably the most important decision of your life and there just is not a guy you can speak to about it at length. Yes, the counselling is meant to dislodge this information asymmetry, but as a parent told me today "We have never heard of anything apart from Computer Science, Electrical and Mechanical, how can we then decide between Metallurgy and Naval Architecture." And ten minutes of talk with a prof or a student is just not enough! This leads to making the best of the situation - look at last year's rankings and decide. And because you hardly explore options, you fail to ask the right questions. Most questions tend to be: "Which is better, Mechanical or Electrical?" "What is the pay package?" and so on.<br /><br />But. That is the stark reality. I do not see the status-quo changing any soon. So, while it is still possible, let me trip a little bit:<br /><br />Highlights of the day:<br /><ul><li>A parent hinting to me if it is possible to get a seat 'through other means' - on the day of admission, if someone does not join, can you help me to get that seat.</li><li>A boy pops out from the blue with the Question of the Day: "Is Aerospace Nice?" Speechless at the amazing depth of the question, I stumble to my senses and ask "Nice? As in?".. then, he breaks all rules of logical argument and beats his own Question of the Day: "Is it easy?"<br /></li><li>"Is IIT safe.. I mean.. security is good?" This was the point when my heart said "Ofcourse not, there are landmines all over the place; I just saw three people dying when I was coming from the hostel. And Al-qaeda is recruiting from IITM this year." but I ended up saying "Ofcourse Sir, not to worry" with a polite, plastic smile.</li><li>Most asked question of the day "New IITs or NITs?". Perhaps, the most difficult question to answer and I really do feel for the students - IT IS a tough one. I think they should give it as part of JEE. Too much choice has really spoilt the meal for these new guys. I posed the same question to a faculty member from IIT Madras who was representing IIT Hyderabad, his answer was "In four-five years, everything will become old".</li></ul>In conclusion, (which is how GMAT expects you finish an essay) the experience was amazing - meeting new people, answering their queries and partaking in their decision-making process. But, saddened at the extremely passive behaviour of most students and because of which anxious parents take all the decisions for them - not a healthy sign. Nope.<br /><br />PS: Saturday is the first day of counselling for General Category students and I am really looking forward to hard-sell IIT Madras! Will post soon.Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-78413582542198655322009-06-06T14:08:00.002+05:302009-06-06T14:10:10.692+05:30Bengaluru v/s Chennai<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_Z4pOX5iSWIrVqBpyGybcCVp__vcJIfapCT2BFigLkcQLUrsXN2D7rRSOpcRxmaWvZG8CHodIuqktyn7UedRFD3ofFBOC8d-wt_m4KyAnKj5ce7vh2N4890pvB5l2Y3RxZl0rA/s1600-h/Picture1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_Z4pOX5iSWIrVqBpyGybcCVp__vcJIfapCT2BFigLkcQLUrsXN2D7rRSOpcRxmaWvZG8CHodIuqktyn7UedRFD3ofFBOC8d-wt_m4KyAnKj5ce7vh2N4890pvB5l2Y3RxZl0rA/s400/Picture1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344131303636428818" border="0" /></a>Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-18310721906757025982009-05-29T14:00:00.004+05:302009-05-29T14:38:03.215+05:30Manmohan's teamThe events unfolding in Delhi are very assuring. There is a lot of positivity emanating from this new government at the centre.<br /><br />The biggest complaint that the Indian citizen had against national politics was that illiterate and corrupt people rule the roost whereas educated, honest and talented individuals are always biased against. The new cabinet, for starters, dispels this myth. I think there is a significantly high percentage of well educated ministers handling important portfolios. Let's have a quick look:<br /><br />1. Manmohan Singh - The Man!<br /><br />The highest educated PM of India ever. He has been the Finance Minister and Governor of RBI. He, along with Montek Singh (unfortunately missed out the Finance portfolio) is the one who initiated the '91 reforms under PVNR .<br /><br />He holds a PhD from Oxford Univ, and is one of the most respected economists around the world.<br /><br />2. P Chidambaram - Home. Harvard MBA.<br /><br />3. Jairam Ramesh - MoEF. IIT Bombay Mech Engg, Carnegie Mellon, MIT.<br /><br />4. S M Krishna - External Affairs, George Washington Univ, Fulbright Scholar.<br /><br />5. Shashi Tharoor - MoS, EXt. Affairs. St. Stephen's, PhD from Tufts Univ.<br /><br /><a href="http://bg-101.blogspot.com/">Shatajit</a> points out that he completed his PhD at the age of 22. It was unprecedented - a Fletcher record. He was also UN under-secretary general in 2002.<br /><br />(Look at us, at 22.. struggling to get a B.Tech :-P )<br /><br />6. Sachin Pilot - MoS, IT/Commn. Wharton MBA.<br /><br />7. Jyotiraditya Scindia - MoS, Commerce/Industry. Stanford MBA.<br /><br />8. Agatha Sangma - MoS, Rural Dev, Nottingham Univ MA. She's only 26!!!<br /><br />I am sure this list is not exhaustive. The IITs could have done with a little more representation though.<br /><br />Aside, Indian politicians on twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/shashitharoor">Shashi Tharoor</a> (@ShashiTharoor), <a href="http://www.twitter.com/RGAmethi">Rahul Gandhi</a> (@RGAmethi) and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/SMKrishnaCong">SM Krishna</a> (@SMKrishnaCong)<br /><br />I am liking this!<br /><br />PS: I would have loved to write a more detailed post on this topic, but am heavily cramped for time. Will try and post a more insightful and worthy article sometime soon.<br /><br />PS2: Do let me know if I missed any more big names or any other folks on twitter.<br /><br />Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/vikas_shenoyVikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-13380626461776974542009-05-26T09:31:00.005+05:302009-05-26T10:08:37.052+05:30Happy to lose to _my_ CBSE topper!For once in my life, I am conceding defeat with a grin from ear-to-ear.<br /><br />Beginning today, I handover the tag of the 'smartest kid in the family' to my worthy opponent and fierce competitor, my sister for her amazing feat in CBSE class X. She has gone miles ahead of me by scoring a mammoth 94.2 % in her tenth.<br /><br /><a href="http://alaktus.blogspot.com/2009/01/archive-from-era-of-board-exams.html">My (paltry) 86 %</a> is now put to shame - my days of glory are over :P<br /><br />(And she seems to have better friends than I do. Most of her friends seem to be 90+, with one particular girl scoring a holy-cow 98.8 % aggregate.)<br /><br />So, all <a href="http://alaktus.blogspot.com/2009/02/bhaiyya-solve-question-number-11-what.html">my efforts</a> (let me take some credit!) are worth it.<br /><br />Here's to my sis: Take a bow honey! I am so so proud of you.<br /><br />PS: Her Social studies score at 96 brings me to tears. <a href="http://alaktus.blogspot.com/2009/01/archive-from-era-of-board-exams.html">How on this earth</a> can someone get 96 in SSt!!Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-25303686610166894162009-05-22T06:55:00.006+05:302009-05-22T07:54:28.311+05:30The new whiz-kid on the block! ISC Topper:<span style="font-weight: bold;">"City boy tops ISC with 99.25 %"</span> screams a <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/City-boy-tops-ISC-with-9925/articleshow/4557828.cms">TOI article</a>. It turns out the city is Kolkata.<br /><br />Disclaimer: You may stop liking me if you are one of those people who don't think evil people should exist on this planet. On the other hand, if you are one of my ex-es or their friends, you anyway don't like me, this post will give you one more reason.<br /><br />Excerpts from the post:<br /><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>Subhajit had succeeded in beating over 50,000 students to the top spot. With cent per cent marks in maths and computer science, the St Joseph's College student notched up 99 in physics, 94 in chemistry and 97 in environmental studies. He scored 98% in English and 92% in Bengali.</blockquote>Surprisingly, the first look at the marks he obtained don't suggest they'll result in 99.25%. Indeed, (100 +100+99+94+97+98+92)*100/700 = 97.14 %.<br /><br />Now, I wonder what's wrong. Am I missing something? Is there another subject in which Subhajit scored 114 out of 100 (which probably is not a feat considered worthy of a mention by TOI) so that the percentage makes sense? OR is it another of those TOI articles where they fabricate details/title to sensationalise the article? If it is latter, TOI needs to fire their chief sensationaliser. Notwithstanding that fact, 97.14 (or 99.25 as the case may be) is an amazing feat.<br /><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Subhajit Ghosh isn't the average nerdish topper. "He paid a lot of attention to what he studied, rather than how much. He spent time on solving question papers and also went through the study material other than his prescribed books. He only took tuitions in English and Bengali, the rest he prepared by himself," said father Subhashis. </div></blockquote>OK, let me be mean. (Yes, you are welcome to leave those anonymous comments! :-P ) No one would come on national newspaper and accept that he is a nerdish topper. I was not, and I am sure neither were you! AND we all paid a lot of attention to what we studied, rather than how much. We all spent time on solving question papers and also went through the study material other than our prescribed books.<br /><br />Tuitions! HAH. I did not take any tuitions, not even for English and definitely not for Bangla. Did you?<br /><br />But here is the clincher:<br /><blockquote>The Kolkata boy is now looking forward to testing his academic mettle at the finest engineering institutes in the country. "I am looking at either studying aerospace engineering at IIT-Kanpur or mechanical engineering at BITS, Pilani. I've given the competitive entrance exams and I'm expecting to rank between 500-600 in the IIT-JEE," said Subhajit confidently. </blockquote>This, IMHO, is the cue when we should all pray "Bhagwan iss ladke ko satbuddhi dena." If some dude (with a 99.25 TOI %) is getting a rank between 500-600 in the JEE, WHY, in this whole white world would he take Aerospace engg. There are no god-damn jobs in that department. And no Subhajit, you will not be working on Airplanes and satellites and shit like that. You won't even be recruited by Boeing or Airbus. I know you want to join NASA and emulate Rakesh Sharma but I doubt even if ISRO trusts an Aero engineer from an IIT. Next, Mechanical engineering from BITS Pilani? - IMNSHO - It will be a disaster dear topper. I am told their dream job is with John Deere. I'll leave the smart readers to figure out the rest.<br /><br />And I almost missed this point: How can he so confidently suggest that he is getting a rank between 500-600 in the JEE. I am sure the JEE chairman himself may not be in a position to make such comments. Anyone who has written JEE can vouch for this fact. I think this is a result of all the fake ranks that the FIITJEEs and likes dole out on their website. But then, this guy is a whiz-kid, with a 99.25 TOI %.<br /><br />Here's the wicked part of my post: (skip it to spare yourself the BP rise. If you are a faculty member in the anti-ragging department of IITM, you are prohibited.)<br /><br />Here's my wish: I hope this dude comes out with flying colors and joins IITM and he gets Alak and he is in 357, (which will be empty next semester; I'll stay in 358) so that I can send him to Minar at 1.30 in the night to fetch Egg Biriyani! And r@g him till he breaks down.<br />MUHAHAHAHA. Worst case, if he joins IITK, I'll hunt him down in December during the inter-IIT and send him to their Minar!<br /><br />[I used r@g because I don't want to end up in jail 'chakki-peesing' for ragging. What if the goons at MHRD have a Google alert for 'rag'?]Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33016157.post-11613045436215808642009-05-21T10:22:00.003+05:302009-05-21T12:39:59.602+05:30A letter to Shashi Tharoor (updated with his reply)<div style="text-align: justify;">SUB: <span style="font-size:100%;"><span id=":3ug" class="hP">Hearty congratula<wbr>tions Dr. Tharoor, kindly spare a few moments</span></span><br /><br />Dear Dr. Tharoor,<br /><br />Heartiest congratulations on being elected from Thiruvananthapuram. This is truly a remarkable moment in the history of India.<br /><br />I am an undergraduate student from IIT Madras. I would like to just take a few minutes of your time and voice my thoughts to you, for I believe that you truly represent the changing times that I am part of. I realise you'd be very busy and will try to keep it to the point.<br /><br />The amazing run of the sensex today is a true testimony of the country's expectations from this new government. After decades of coalition politics, which takes one step forward and two back, we finally seem to have broken the shackles. For an uber-optimistic youngster like me, this is a moment of reckoning. I have always, in the past 22 years of my life, believed that Indian policymakers have the capacity to deliver good corruption-free governance and a poverty-free society. But, somehow somewhere we seem to get lost on this path.<br /><br />But Dr. Tharoor, you represent the new dawn. You and your being elected as an MP is the tipping point of our nation's growth. It seems surreal that someone of your calibre, charisma and capability is 'elected ' in India. But I have firm belief after Saturday's result that this surreality is the new reality in India. My knowledge about you is purely through popular literature and you are one of the finest that India has to offer. You give me a hope that you will finally get India to realise its true potential. While you may not be able to make significant impacts on the lives of the countrymen, but please trust me if I tell you today that the youngsters of the country look upto people like you. Your case gives us hope and lights a fire in us to join the otherwise-cynical and forgotten case of nation-building.<br /><br />Sir, kindly do not misunderstand my letter to you. A 22-year-old college kid is no comparison to your stature and achievements. BUT, treat me like a young Indian citizen who has finally found a representative who truly represents him and to whom he can dare to pen his thoughts down. Sir, you have an enormous responsibility towards the youth of the country. You are our last straw of hope as a change-maker. If you too falter and follow the scores who've been in your position earlier, India will never ever be able to recoup. Please remember every moment that 40 crore of us are looking upto you as a role model to emulate.<br /><br />That said, I wish you a very enjoyable time over the next five years. Hearty hearty congratulations again.<br /><br />Thanks for reading through the long mail, I thank you for your time.<br /><br />With warm regards,<br />Vikas Shenoy<br /><br /><br />Shashi Tharoor's reply (on 21st May):<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Thank you for your support. I am truly humbled by the extraordinary level of trust the voters of Thiruvananthapuram have placed in me, and I am conscious that now is when the real work begins...</span></div> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />With gratitude for your good wishes and support, and hoping it will continue to sustain me over the next five years!</span></div> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /> <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Shashi Tharoor</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span>PS: I had mailed Dr. Tharoor on Monday, the 18th of May and he replied in three days time. That is pretty good response, considering the fact that his inbox would be at the peak of its activity now.<br /><br />While I am elated that he chose to reply, I am disappointed by the standard copy-paste reply. But nonetheless, one step at a time - our MPs are now accessible. That's a first.<br /><br />PS2: I am not personally in favour of publicising a conversation between two individuals, but I thought posting his reply would just let the readers know of the changing reality. Cheers to a new India.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /></div>Vikas Shenoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10447337524954468990noreply@blogger.com12