Gurgaon shall wait

So as it stands today, I'll have to wait some more time before Gurgaon beckons as by joining in the organisation has been delayed. Till when, don't ask. Because even I don't know. Anyways, what is more important is that the fact that Gurgaon as my potential workplace has made me try and find out more about it. And what I found out was indeed surprising, horrifying, depressing and even amusing.
I'll start with the amusing part first.
Gurgaon, nicknamed "Millennium City", has been portrayed to be the Singapore, downtown Manhattan and what not for India. With its concrete jungle lined with shining glass walls and huge shopping places offering brands one would find only in the West, Gurgaon was a dream destination for the aspiring youth of India who wanted to live life in the top gear. Barely 20 miles away from national capital Delhi and hardly 10 miles from swanky International Airport, Gurgaon should have indeed cemented its place as the place to be for corporates and those CEO's alike.
Sadly, the amusing part ends here.
Fact is, the satellite city has close to 50% power deficiency leading to water deficiency as well. So, no power, no water. With temperatures on the north side of 45 C, it doesn't paint a rosy picture. Combined with utter lack of infrastructure outside those gated communities, one surely wonders where is this all leading to. Power cuts of 8-10 hours are a norm today, with power inverters and genset business flourishing on 100% YoY growth. Water supply is through water tankers by default who charge anything depending on their whims and fancies.
Whats depressing is the fact that there does not seem to be a solution to this. Water table in Gurgaon is plunging about 10cm every year which is much more alarming than the number suggest. Power plants and being commissioned aplenty but almost 2000MW generating capacity is lying idle for the lack of coal and due to mechanical breakdown hardly a month into operation. Couple this with Coal India Limited saying that it can supply only 65% of the coal required by the power plants, only a foolhardy would expect those power plants in Haryana to run full steam anytime soon.

A new journey, a new destination

Come 27 June, I'll leave IIT Bombay and head over to Gurgaon. A place, never visited. A city, I had never bothered to know about. Adding further chaos is the fact that I am a person who have traveled quite less. Being blunt, I have never traveled outside of Maharashtra from my home town of Bhilai; not counting a solitary visit to Lucknow, Bhopal and Jabalpur each.
Months have been spent trying to understand Gurgaon and the current situation there. Frankly, statistics point to a situation grim enough to make me regret going there.
Anyways, this blog will talk about my experience of Gurgaon from the eyes of a total stranger. Having sniffed the web in search of info about Millennium City, I will try and talk about things which I could not find to read.

Wish list of a tech buff...

Its not easy being a tech buff. One has to live the way those corporates decide how life should shape for us. They make us drool over the gadgets to be launched by offering a photo that that reveal nothing more than an edge, two if they are feeling generous. They set our hearts pulsing with web flooding with rumors. Only half of them materialize though. These corporates make big promises. When they don't live up to them, we must go to every tech blog, site and scribble every wall on the virtual world with rants. And when they do, we pack our bags and go camping in front of the store which will open up and bless us.
But since a tech buff has to live through all of this, its time those honchos here us out. So here are my two cents:

To Mr. Steve Jobs - The days of iPhone are over. At least the way you see them. There was a day when OS was probably the last thing on the minds of phone makers. There was Symbian which was good but, lets accept it , would come last in bling list. Palm had an OS, HTC had brew but all that simply didn't cut the ice. You brought iPhone and with it, iOS. That WAS a revolution. In those days, iOS was far ahead of its time. iPhone was what every phone desired to be but could never be.
Times have changed. Android is giving iOS a run for its money. There are many phones in market which offer better hardware than iPhone. They even look better. No longer does iPhone stand out in the crowd. Come on, bring another revolution to make heads turn again.

To HTC - You make the best UI. Period. Your phone's battery life sucks big time. Long period. Once someone puts his hands on an HTC, its hard to let go. The Sense UI just makes one keep playing with the menus and interface. That is fantastic. But whats the use of such a UI if the phone dies on me by the evening? Yes, I did charge it full in the morning. Please put a bigger battery. Please.

To Samsung - See, your phones are great. They are the ultimate media centers. No codec gets past the video player on a Samsung phone. Even your UI is maturing in to a beauty. But why do you have fetish for that plastic?? Its good to see and hold a light phone but no one parts with his hard earned cash to buy a phone that has plastic all around it. And it is your flagship model. Get some metal, plonk it at the back, and see the wonders. There is nothing better than the feel of assurance of that the innards of your phone are wrapped in metal. Get some metal, get it fast. End of discussion.

To Nokia - I don't want that Symbian anymore. And I can't shout any louder. By the way, even you have bid adieu to Symbian but why did it take you so long to realize that you won't be able to get anything worthy out of MeeGo? Are you same people who ruled the world of mobile handsets or is my eyesight bad? At least you woke up in time to partner with Microsoft. But do remember that Windows mobile has been a massive failure in the past. Everyone wants to see a competitive Nokia.

To Sony Ericsson - Give up on your love for proprietary, one size fits all, port. When that port goes kaput, everything goes bonkers. And this happens more often than not. You will never realize the pain of not even being able to charge the phone because there is only one port in it. And why should I be forced to use your proprietary headphones even on a Walkman phone. Give some liberty to your customers.

So there it was, my Wish List. Is anyone listening??

Should I buy that mobile phone now??

Figure this: Samsung Galaxy tab is about 6 months old in the Indian market and guess what, it has lost Rs.13000 off its price. It was launched for Rs.38000 and today retails for Rs.25000. Amazing, isn't it? Of course its good for the consumers but lets see the flip side of the coin. The guy who bought this tab 6 months ago has been, to put bluntly, fooled. You don't buy something only to find it being sold for ridiculously low price less than a year later.
Well, even I have been a victim of this very same phenomenon. The phone is bought lost almost Rs.1500 off its price in just 6 months. The worse thing is, it was launched at a price of Rs.9200, which is about 17% loss in value. And yes, before you guess, it was Samsung as well.
Incidentally, this isn't a one off case. Apple iPad lost almost Rs. 3000 within a month of its launch in India. Its same case everywhere. Almost every electronic good starts shedding its price from the day of its launch.
Lets see why this happens in first place. There are many reason for this slide few of which are:
1. Pressure from the market - That's so common in today's day and age. Samsung Tab comes in at Rs.38000, realises that no one gives a hoot to such ridiculous pricing and starts shedding price. This brings it down to Rs.32000. Same happened with Olivepad. Yes, its a tablet and does sell in Indian market. It was launched at decent enough price but had to bend with the onslaught coming from Apple and Samsung. Same happened to LG Cookie Pep. Fell to the pressure from Samsung and its slew of products.

2. Self realisation - Viewsonic has launched its windows tablet for about Rs.30000. That is for 7-inch tab. When the company realises that no one cares for such pricing, it will lose its price. What better case than the laptop I am keying in this blog post on. This laptop had come into the market at Rs.37000 or so around April 2009. I picked the same thing up in July 2010 for Rs.23000. In fact, I remember checking this out around January 2010 and the price was around Rs.34000. Of course that was almost a year ago and a lot has changed in terms of advancements in technology, yet this hardware is respectable for the price it offers. For those who may ask, its is MSI X-340 I am talking about. To be frank, this laptop should never have been priced at Rs.37000. That was absurd. So, MSI realises the flaw, and now the deal is really sweet.

3. Clearing up the stock for new launch - This is a kind of win-win situation for manufacturer as well as consumers. Apple slashed iPad prices across the globe by $100 to make way for iPad 2. Same is the tactic of Samsung for its Tab. A new tab is on its way next week so makes sense to clear up the supply chain. iPhone 3G lost price to make way for iPhone 4 and this goes on. Older models make way for newer ones.

There are many more reasons for this slide but lets not go over all of them. These few give a fair enough idea of the scenario. So, what should you do?
1. Wait and watch - If you want to be guy who is the center of attraction of the crowd with his latest gadget, you'll have to pay price for that. If you want a better deal, wait for a couple of months till the "I am the first" guys have settled down.
2. Be aware of future launch - The internet is abuzz with new launches that are as far as 6 months away. Keep a track of this. If there is a newer model coming, rest assured that the price of current model will fall.
3. Don't buy for future needs - This I feel is the most important. Gone are the days when one would buy a gadgets by making plans for the future. Buy it only when you need it. Don't keep this mindset that lets buy it today because I'll need it 4 months later anyway. If you'll need it four months later, buy it 4 months later. The sale and limited period offers result out of the points listed above. You never know where this landslide will stop!!

RIP Mininova

News : On August 26th 2009, Dutch court of Utrecht ruled that BitTorrent platform Mininova acts unlawful and so, on November 26th 2009, Mininova limited itself to its Content Distribution Service which effectively means that it can host only legal content.
This news does not have big implications practically as such services will continue albeit with a different tag but it is a significant blow metaphorically. In the books of law, sites like this are illegal and should be shut down immediately and in fact corporations go to the lengths of demanding compensation but if this corps demand compensation for infringement of copyright, will they pay to these sites when a fan base is created due to them?
CASE IN POINT: Jal – the band.
Its a quite popular band though its charisma has fallen away fast in recent times but that’s not the point here. The debut album of Jal was a great hit all over and in fact more so in India. This meant that the band, in its heyday, did live performances almost every week and got paid huge sums. But the fact is, at the initial peak of the band popularity in India, its album had not even been released here. No points for guessing how the Indian music lovers got their dose of Jal. Had it not been for this free flowing content over the internet, this band would have probably been a bunch of wannabes trying out their luck.
CASE IN POINT: Slumdog Millionaire
Now we all know about this, but what we don’t realise is that the hype that this movie created in India was primarily at a time when it had not even been officially released here. Had it not been for circulation of those rips, who knows, the movie would not have had the same success. And if you care about it, the movie did pathetic business in theatres.
CASE IN POINT: Microsoft and its bunch of software
Windows in its present form came into existence in 1995. That was when Windows ’95 was launched. Now think of a 26 year old whiz kid (!) setting the spreadsheets of Microsoft, Google and other of Silicon Valley giants on fire. He would have been around 12 year old in 1995 and first introduced to computers probably at school. Again, one can be pretty certain on the status of the operating system on that machine, let alone various softwares he learnt in the following years such as MS Office, FoxPro, and Visual Studio etc. Had it been for those stringent anti-piracy laws, many such kids would have never learnt such wonderful things which would have translated in to absence of Indians in the USA. Now these companies, they do lose a few dollars thanks to the rampant piracy but then their future CEOs are actually learning this way.


So it’s a situation where this free flowing content is actually helping doing some good. Of course, this does not justify the acts but it’s just that side of the coin which often never comes to the light. Sites like Mininova will continue serving their fanbase in one form or the other and will continue doing their bit in popularising music bands, softwares, movies while the books of law and corporations will continue baying for their blood.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my friend Kishan Gupta for lending me his Stunner whose review features below. Also, the fantastic pics of the bike come courtesy of him. I certainly would not have been able to take those brilliant artworks.

Thanks buddy!!!!!

Honda CBF Stunner review

Here is a comprehensive road test of the new Honda CBF Stunner.


Looks :
You could be easily pardoned to think that this bike displaces at least 150cc. Its the styling that speaks here loud and clear. The bike's styling has very clear intentions; give a complex to the bigger siblings. These feelings are more so strengthened when you get astride it. The big fairing staring at you makes you feel like a king. The headlight integrated wih the fairing might divide opinions but the sheer styling unites them. People might find similarities in the Stunner's headlight and that of other bikes but it is nevertheless well executed. Stepped seat adds to the glamour quotient accentuated by the rear panels, yellow rear shocks and tail lights. One can go on and on talking about the looks of this bike, such is pedigree.

The only grouse is the lack of tacho on the the two pod console which, though well designed, misses out this, now standard, accessory. Also, the choke lever position is very odd.

Performance :
Step on the bike and adjusting yourself in a sporty riding position, you just get a feeling that this bike will blow you off. Twitch the starter motor and the engine comes alive in a sedate fashion without any drama albeit with a disappointment. From a bike looking this good, you'd want some noises but like Unicorn and Shine, exhaust note muffled well. Its good for an ordinary bike but then this isn't an ordinary bike, is it? Clicking into 1st through a toe shifter, you can't help but appreciate the gear shift quality. Give the throttle enough feed from here on while going click, click, click on a 1-down 4-up box, you'd expect the bike to start flying. And here is the biggest problem. It is not an out and out performance bike. Not sluggish but doesn't live upto the expectations created by the visual delight.


Ride :
Ride is comfortable as your would expect. Not like other commuter bikes but good for a bike that has sporty intent. Seats are firm and bent riding position means that you would get some pains on a long stint on the trot. The pegs have been set in a thoughtful manner so that you really feel like you are riding something special. For the pillion though, high seat can be a bit troublesome. Its sporty and well designed but not all will be equally comfortable with it. The bike boasts of tubless tyres that offer good amount of grip and lend confidence. The riding position, that may not be very comfortable, is so very perfect that you can go into the turns effortlessly. Braking power is good considering the drums and the bike never loses its composure even under hard braking which is good.


Living with it :
This point is pretty important. You see, since this bike does not have high performance spirit, it would have to spend it life on the traffic infested concrete jungle. Its here that the visually appealing dimensions turn inot a bane. The big fairing gives you no clue of the road ahead and its so big that in tight spaces, it leaves you gasping. The gear ratios are well sorted for city driving but all that material in front of you robs the bike of its nimbleness. Similarly, stepped seat, however appealing isn't all very practical, being too high.

Overall, there aren't really any issues with the bike. It runs well, has no problems, returns a good mileage, and offers decent performance and to top it off, has such an impounding presence that shadows even the 150cc bikes. This is bike on which you'll never go unnoticed, such is its aura.

Summing it up :
Having spent time with the bike, you are not about the role this bike intends to play in the real world. It has a sporty setup all round but grunt to complement it. And then in city, the engine responds well but the dimensions give you heavy sweat.Its certainly not a bad package overall, with one on the best styling but the engine and lack of basics like a tacho leaves one wanting. Then there is the price. At around Rs.58000 for drum version, it won't win awards for value.
If you looking for pose value, look no further as this bike has loads of it and you'll never run out of attention. But this comes at the cost of performance as a compromise. But then, you can't have your piece of cake and eat it too.

There are rumors of a CBF 150, which should sort out the chinks in its armour and make it a perfect bike. A case of having your cake and eating it too!! I am waiting!!!

XCD 135 DTS-Si Review

The much awaited bike from the Bajaj stable is finally and I finally got an opportunity to lay hands on it. Here is a review of the bike based on a short test I took.

LOOKS :

On the first glance, you realize that this bike is special. It looks well sorted and the design seems to gel together rather than feeling like a mindless assembly of various parts like the previous XCD. Looking closely, the front scoops are nicely designed and the front indicators mounted right beside the handlebar are innovative. The front is also good enough and the headlight mounting does not give the impression of a low bike like XCD 125.

The most noticable feature is at the rear in form of the rear taillight cluster. It is way better than earlier and is surely eyecatching.


Tidbits like plastic inserts on fuel tank, flush fitting fuel filler cap, low set front registration plate and a toe heel shifter complete the package which feels lively with nicely done decals and good attention to details.

The console gets an analog tacho with digital speedo, odo, tripmeter and fuel guage. The design of console will certainly win it some brownie points.


RIDE :
The ride felt plush for the small test drive that was performed. The seats felt a bit soft as compared to other bikes giving an indication of the path this bike want to trod. On astride it, you immediately get a feeling that this is supposed to be a commuter bike rather than a performance junkie. This feeling is strengthened by the positioning of handle bar. It is high and though seating position felt comfortable, it somehow never felt sporty enough.

PERFORMANCE :
Press the electric start button and all your thoughts of this being a boring bike fade away into a sweet, assuring exhaust note. Its not too loud but sufficient to make you want to twist the throttle. Shift into 1st of an all-down five speed gearbox and slight wringing of throttle takes you off the block. And just when you start flying on cloud Nine, things come crashing when you realise that gearbox is all-down. The standard 1-down 4-up would have been great but then.....Meanwhile the gear shift is well sorted out, gears falling to place with assuring click.
Now, whatever the stats may say about this bike, it never felt underpowered on that short run, easily getting above 60 in a somewhat dense traffic and providing enough grunt to take on the fellow commuters effortlessly. But the handlebar always felt awkward whenever spirits went sporty. The braking was adequate with the drum brakes and the optional discs should improve braking performance considerably.


SUMMING IT UP :
To sum it up, XCD 135 is well laid out bike in the commuter class category with enough sporty intent to win many traffic signal battles. It not a dull bike by any stretch but isn't a full blown speedster as well. At around 48,000/- OTR for the electric start, drum brake version, its a steal given the features it offers and hence should be able to perform better than its predecessor, XCD 125.

Symmetrical Components

This is a good paper giving nice explanation to the symmetrical components. It can be found here.

Overvoltage and Single phasing protection

This is a text regarding overvoltage and single phasing protection. It can be found here

So easy to bring a nation to its knees

In the wake of the present "artificial " oil crisis, thanks to fortune earning officials claiming a further pay hike, the image above brings some ironical smile to me and maybe to all those people running from pillar to post to gas station for a drop of fuel.
It happened today that I heard a man proclaiming proudly that he can live without his wife for a couple of days but wants fuel now, with his "better half" giving a healthy laughter behind. Made me think this.
Its alright that this fossil fuel is essential for us but a lack of it for a few days actually brings everything to complete halt is worrying. The officials at these PSUs came together and were actually able to hijack the nation and bring it down to knees. Being so much dependent on something is not a good sign considering the fact that our neighbours are not "friendly" by any sense of the word. I shall refrain from drawing any conclusions for this may seem a mountain out of mole hill to many.
And for the closing words, while I was discussing this current situation and the stern stand of PSU officials, we realised that the Armymen and Policemen receive a paltry salary when compared but never go on strike demanding a pay hike.
What if they decide to make such demands???

Online courses

These are a few online courses available on Electrical engineering :

Courses by various IITs can be found here

Courses by MIT can be found here

SAVE THE FUEL!!!

This is a bit of Maths. Lets ring some disappointments to all those greenheads who think that bicycling to work daily will save this earth.

Case in point : Formula 1

Average fuel consumption by one car on raceday : 200 litres
Number of cars running the full race : 16
Total fuel consumed on raceday : 3200 litres
Total fuel consumed over complete race weekend : 4000 litres ( being too optimistic)

Case in point : Average 2 wheeled commuter

Daily distance traveled : 20 Km
Distance traveled in a month : 25 x 20 = 500 Km
Mileage returned by humble 2 wheeler : 50 Kmpl
Fuel consumption in a month : 10 litres
Annual fuel consumption : 12 x 10 = 120 litres
4000 litres consumed in : 33.33 years

Conclusion : The fuel an average commuter would burn in 33 years is smoked up over a weekend by a bunch of motoring enthusiasts cheered up by millions of fans.
Now go ahead and sweat it out for a day on bicycle and proclaim that you saved your dear earth!!!

Nissan GT-R

This car is amazing. The Nissan GT-R. And the USP of this car is that it laps the Nurburgring Nordschliefe in 7 minutes 32 seconds. This is 3 seconds faster than the Porsche 911. Good. But what's the point?? Will anyone go out and buy a car that does a fast lap on some track; whose name isn't that easy to spell? Fact is; YES they will. 'Cause the track is mother of all tracks and every manufacturer tunes its car to go faster than others around here.
The icing is that GT-R is about half the price of 911. Now which set of wheels would you choose? Decisions decisions.......

The new Mercedes E-class 2010

So here it is. The new Mercedes E-class slated for 2010 launch. And what does it look like??? To me, a bit like CLS. And my personal feelings?? You see, E-class is a step above the entry level and this feels to outspoken for that. I would prefer the current E-class. Thank you please.

Active and reactive power

I have found nice paper that explains the difference between active and reactive power.
You can get it here

Whats the cost of a human life?

I know, the answer to the question above will be priceless. But still, people laugh when they are asked to shell out a 1000 bucks for their life. Confused?
This is what happened when I tried to convince a friend of mine to buy a helmet. He rides a bike worth Rs. 50000 and drives like he has inherited the soul of Rossi but does not want to spend 1 percent of the cost of his bike for something that can actually save his life.
Oh yes, people are intelligent and do not need to be taught but how can wake a person who acting to be asleep?

Bikes going bigger.....but are our brains???

Recently, I came across a kid who was so tiny he could barely get his foot on the ground from his Scooty Pep and was racing a similar kid, on a Pleasure. He entered a blind turn at......you won't believe......50kmph.
This is sight not too uncommon. A boy, 16 years old, I heard crashed his new bike; a 225cc; on an SUV at 60kmph and rest is too gory to tell.
Where is this taking us? Bikes that are as fast as anywhere in the world are landing in India but one can still get driving license without showing their face to the authorities and worse still, nobody cares if you have license or not. We want bikes as big as the ones abroad but can we learn even half skills of those drivers? Till then, many such reckless riders, and worse still, the fellow riders who by their ill fate fall prey to these killer machines will fill up the hospitals, queue up the insurance agencies and put precious human lives to waste.

India Rising: Despite politics

'Same Language Subtitling', a brainchild of Dr Brij Kothari, a social entrepreneur and an IIM Ahmedabad professor, is a simple but powerful idea which is proven to improve literacy among adults and children. Here, the lyrics are subtitled on film songs, and words appear in sync with the actor's voice. Between 1997 and 2002, he made countless attempts to persuade Doordarshan allow him to subtitle film songs on TV. Each time he was thrown out of their offices. In 1999, a new director at the Ahmedabad Kendra agreed to experiment with subtitles on four episodes of the Gujarati programme, Chitrageet. It created such a sensation that they had to continue it for a year. Now it has become a regular on the Chitrahaar and Rangoli, telecast every morning on Doordarshan. This he funded with $250,000 global innovation prize from the World Bank.
A Nielsen-ORG study, conducted in 2002 and 2007 to assess the impact of subtitling, showed that only 25% school children could read a simple paragraph in Hindi after five years of schooling. However, this jumped to 56% if they were also exposed to subtitling for 30 minutes a week on Rangoli. Equally dramatic results were found among adults.
Hats off to these true Indians!!!!

The Great Indian IPL Tamasha

It has begun, it has picked up the pace and it has become much more than cricket.
IPL; Indian Premier League; is not just about cricket. In fact, some have gone to distances to say that it has nothing to with cricket. Laughable.....But here's a pick :-
1. How important are those cheerleaders in raising the standard of cricket?
2. Can't the people and players alike survive without Strobe lights?
3. What do you say when spectators are glued to the sights of celebs than cricketers?
4. The way players were "sold", it looks as if they are goats. But the goats are sold by some benchmarks and these Stars were sold by eh.......benchmarks?? Laxman; a splendid player and skipper of a team; was actually playing the only player in the team playing his "debut" match.....
5. You find stars performing stunts before match and that makes headlines........
6. Two cricketers are caught in skirmish. One says: "He slapped me"....
Other: "I didn't".....
Is this a "Saas-Bahu" melodrama??
These are very few observations that I have made. Is this what cricket fans expect? No doubt there are great matches as well but are these things necessary to pull an average cricket fan???