October 24, 2005
Simpler Gadgets
All around, companies are trying to push on us services, products or substances we don't really need. They create a market if one doesnt already exist for their product. As a producer - that may very well be what you want to be doing - creating new markets to overcome stagnancy in old ones. But as a consumer, I have to figure out what I actually need and will use or like, instead of what is being hyped as being cool or even essential.
I know I don't need a PSP, as I hardly if ever play computer games these days. Nor do I need a pre-paid tank of gas when I rent a car. Similarly I don't need a cell phone with Bluetooth or even Internet access. I don't want to chat online with people using instant messenger from my cell phone - I do it all day at work and home. This has been a major issue with me. The only things I want and demand from my cell phone are these -
* Excellent signal reception
* Excellent battery life
* Alarm
* Simple, intuitive interface
* Good capacity phone book
Thats it. I don't even really want a colour screen as it consumes more battery. Make it simple, make it effective. I find these basic issues are sidelined while trivial functions and features are highlighted these days.
So this article rung true. As the service providers dictate the actual phones used in the US, I doubt these kind of simple phones will easily become popular here.
October 18, 2005
Tagged?
While, I would generally beware of getting tagged as it means thinking about things and reflecting upon one's taste .. and I don't really taste that well .. or so I have been made believe.
Okay, seriously, reading your own opinions from an year or two back always gives you ample chance to measure the change within your own thought process. So anyways .. before I spoil this fully timepass tag with more fundas (alas, its too late) .. lets go on ahead with it shall we?
So I am supposed to publish the 5th sentence of my 23rd post.
Aha .. we have a nice little puzzle here. My *actual* 23rd post and the 23rd post as shown by the movabletype archives are different. Strangely my movabletype archives start with the number 5 instead of 1. So anyways .. before I totally spoil the fun part of this tag (as if any remains, still) ..
5th sentence of 23rd post as per movabletype archives --
General elections in India are always interesting.
5th sentence of actual 23rd post --
A decade ago .. Ranbaxy dared to dream .. to achieve the impossible.. to become a billion dollar company by 2004.
October 08, 2005
NPR
Just the other day I was telling a friend how I adored 3 things about America -
So today, as I was going to office (yes thats my life) around 1:40pm, I started up my car and was backing up out of my the garage and switched on the radio - its by default tuned into the local NPR station and I heard -
Chaahe jiyenge, marenge, Hum naa kisee se darenge
Hum ko naa roke jamaanaa, Jo chaahenge hum karenge
If it was possible to fall out of a seatbelted car seat, I would have done that.
I double checked to see that it was indeed NPR and not some old CD of mine, looked up to see that another second too late and I would have backed up bang into the tree behind me. Braked hard, put the car in neutral and heard out the rest of the song. Apparently they were into discussing various types of movies on 'Weekend America' and I had just caught the last of the segment on Bollywood. Whew, how a song can almost cause an accident.
So, NPR totally rocks. In a land where it is almost impossible to get anything other than the local news, NPR gives me the god of news - the BBC. It gives me humourous observations on life, controversial car repair talk shows, and heated arguments on world politics. It gives me the latest on science and medicine as well as its social repurcussions. On NPR I can listen to slow jazz and classical concerts in session and learn about the 'Powers of 10 Day'. To sum it up, NPR is the only radio station that makes me want to stay in the car and listen to it till the end of the current program. Thats something isn't it?
October 05, 2005
WB: India to face water shortages
Telling us what we all have been yelling about for so long, the World Bank has warned that India is very likely to face severe water shortage and conflicts as rivers dry up, groundwater is depleted and canals are polluted. The water situation has been worsening for a long time now. With almost all cities expanding rapidly, with people leaning towards more western lifestyles (which consume way more water in every respect) and with absolute no intelligent water planning by successful governments, we are headed towards severe water scarcity soon.
With falling water tables, there is only so much longer farmers can rely on ground water for irrigation. Water conservation is not very difficult and can be practised at the small scale. Proper implementation and awareness can avoid this imminent water scarcity with our active participation.
