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December 31, 2008
December 30, 2008
India’s energy security
I could not stop laughing after reading this line
China stole a natural gas deal from right under India’s noses. It signed a 30-year natural gas supply agreement from a field in Myanmar in which India has a 25.5% stake.
Similarly Swaminathan wrote a wonderful editorial explaining why a gas line from Iran is also infeasible.
So if India continues to mess up with the neighbors, is not able to import gas… I wonder what the energy future is for us? BTW India has the worst quality coal in the world. Most of which has over 50% ash (sillica) content which makes it unsuitable for most purposes except power plants. And newer and stricter environmental guidelines would stop us even from that purpose.
December 28, 2008
Manac (Management accounting) in Restaurant
First, I went to this fast food joint and ordered for some Dosas to be packed. The guy promptly charged me parcelling charges to cover for the packaging and the additional labor involved.
Then I went to a wonderful pastry outlet. Since there was an empty table, I requested the waiter to serve me there. However he warned me that the listed prices are for take-aways and eat-ins have a seperate (read higher) pricelist. His logic was that rentals are expensive and it makes more economic sense to encourage take aways than to serve them.
What both guys said made perfect logical sense, yet were totally contradictory. I have spend 2 terms at my MBA school trying to learn Management Accounting (Manac), but only after today’s restaurant trip did I appreciate it sufficiently enough.
December 26, 2008
It has been often said that a guy can forget a birthday only once in his entire lifetime. (because the girl will make an example out of you and make sure that this unpardonable crime is never repeated)
However, whoever said those words has actually never met me. I have been on Orkut for quite some time and have primarily used it for birthday reminders.
I am a member of another networking website Linkedin, but I have never taken the trouble to find out its benefits. All I knew was that when I had a steady job, I was bombarded with all the emails from headhunters trying to place me, when I really did not need their help. And last month, when I tried to use it to get myself a good summer placement job, all I ended up was dead-ends.
Recently, I was invited to join Facebook. Although I am not new to networking sites, but I found this very intrusive. One the homepage, people can actually see what you are upto. That means not only your profile (the view you want to show to others), but also what your friends say about you and what you have said to others. Basically the entire facebook looked to me as one organism which keeps tracks of all your activities.
In the real life, we all meet a certain percentage of jerks. Since we usually share common friends, schools/colleges/offices with these people, these networking sites sites would always put you in the list of people you might know off. Hence encouraging these people to again pry into your life.
In old days, screen name was a perfect cover. You could always pick up a screen name and conviniently seperate your real life from online life. However with picture and video sharing, it has become increasingly hard.
Question: In the era of networking sites, where people can come to know about you from not only what you say and write, but also what other write/share about you, how do you maintain your privacy?
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
This star studded lengthy movie is quite an accurate dramatization of the 1944 attempt by the British troops to capture a series of dutch bridges leading to Berlin by Bernard Montgomery. The tank and paradropping in this movie are actual shots and not computer generated animated.
Most battle enthusiastics believe that the only way to win a war is by outwitting and/or outnumbering the enemy. However in this movie (which is quite an accurate dramatization) there is a second way… be so foolish that the enemy gets confused. The movie is shot from allied point of view and shows the lack of regard for planning and coordination amongst the British troops. Although Montgomery termed the invasion to be 90% successful, the movie clearly answers why Churchill could not afford more of Montgomery successes.
A must watch movie for WW-II enthusiasts
December 25, 2008
Hindi Soaps and Serials
This week, I got an unprecedented chance to have a close look at the various serials and soaps that my mom is addicted to. What I could not stop wondering are:
1. how come most of the serials have a 25 year old calling another 25 year old as his/her Mom. I wonder how much our biotechnology and cloning has advanced.
2. Why has all the slaps and harsh words need to be repeated 3 times. That too complete with all the sound effects.
3. Why do ladies have to dress up with full makeup when the entire scene is shot at home.
4. Have you noticed that the 3 minute recap can capture each and every dialogue, and the entire story.
