cause and effect

October 27th, 2008

This is not good news on a festive day.

The story, as I can see, is:

Rahul Raj came to Mumbai from Patna on 24th October, for a job interview. On 27th October, he took a BEST bus hostage. He asked for (among other things) a cell phone, saying he wanted to relay a message to Raj Thackeray. The police arrived on scene and asked him to surrender. He open fire, injuring one passenger. The police retaliated, hitting him in the chest and head, which proved to be fatal.

The media, being what it is, is having a field day. The most amusing display was put on by Star – Star News took a pro-victim stance while Star Mazha took a pro-police stance. Incredible.

Most of the news channels were fed by Nitish Kumar, Bihar’s Chief Minister.

Mumbai Police shot at a chicken with a cannon ball.

Excuse them, Mr. Kumar. The chicken had a gun and more than twenty hostages. Nitish Kumar has no right to judge the actions of Mumbai Police based on highly selective TV footage. Instead, he should be focussing on controlling the anti-Raj riots that are, ironically, damaging Bihari property in Bihar.  Oh, and also ceate jobs there, so that the youth of Bihar don’t have to come to Mumbai.

Yes, it is a free country. We can go anywhere we want. But, what part of “THERE IS NO SPACE LEFT IN MUMBAI FOR A LIVING A LIFE OF GOOD QUALITY”, do you people don’t understand?

Another thing, Mr. Chief Minister. It is well and good that you are asking the DGP of Police, Bihar, to get “information” from his Maharashtra counterpart. How about you do that each time a Bihari breaks the law in Mumbai, eludes arrest and flees to his “hometown”.

Rahul’s relatives, predictably, are claiming he is innocent, has been misled, etc. etc. Please spare us. Gentlemen, we have live footage of the act. No matter how he was till yesterday, as of today, Rahul was capable of hijacking a bus. And yes, it can be done without the support of a “large group” and without a “lot of planning”.

Mumbai Police have taken a beating, for all their efforts. Except Star Mazha, all other channels are parroting Nitish Kumar’s line of excessive force. The other day, Vidyadhar was seemingly amused when I bemoaned the absence of forces like SWAT and FBI in India.

A well-aimed shot by a sniper could have disarmed Rahul. A well-trained riot control officer could have shot a tear-gas canister into the bus and a team of officers in gas-masks could have easily over-powered Rahul. A three step plan. But we just don’t think like that, do we? Our police still carry .303 rifles and sten guns.

So who is responsible for this event? What was the most immediate provocation ?

We all know, don’t we?

Who’s turn is it to react? Whose life will be lost next?

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Another M is good for N!

October 7th, 2008

The Nano finally has a home in Gujarat.

Industrial powerhouses like Tatas and Mahindras are known for fulfilling their corporate responsibility, both towards society and ecology. It is conscionable that Ratan Tata refused to run a factory in an antagonistic environment. He is in the business of setting up industrial complexes, not forts.

What Bengal has missed (blame whomsoever you want) is “an agriculture and marine biology research centre in the state” and “an ITI near the Nano plant for training workers”. Gujarat just had 10,000 less unemployed youth. The Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation has kicked off a genral development program around Sanand to balance and enhance the factory complex that Tata Motors would be setting up. A railway hub is coming up nearby and rest assured it will figure on the roadway network too.

Meanwhile, Yechury of the communists has sopken a brialliant one-liner.

You cannot go into an area and say I will build my house only if everyone gives the assurance that it will not be burgled.

I was left breathless – is that how the communists have ruled Bengal for more than thirty years? Yechury says the Bengal Government promised security to the Tatas. We know how good that secuirty is: ask the thousands of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants who come to Mumbai every year via a Dhaka-Mumbai flight.

Meanwhile, here’s wishing  Mamata and her farmers good luck as they fill (at least) Bengal’s grain silos with rice, now that they have their land back.

updated on 18/10/2008, 9:15 PM

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Google Chrome

September 3rd, 2008

IE, Firefox, Safari and Opera. Now, Chrome.

Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier.

Google itself has a very interesting “handout” on Chrome. Please read it – its very interesting and informative, even for non-techies.

In brief, Chrome uses Webkit for rendering, has the new V8 JavaScript engine, uses the interesting idea of isolating user activities into separate processes and sandboxes, among others. Plus a few other innovative UI tricks that have caught my eye – like its default home page, which shows the nine most popular websites (based on your browsing history) in a 3×3 thumbnail format.

A few questions:

  • When will I get plugins like NoScript, Ad-Block Plus, Web Developer toolbar and Firebug?
  • (Not that this is likely since it uses WebKit) Will I have to check webpages (for layout and JS) on a FIFTH browser?
  • Google is betting its all on web apps. Will Chrome somehow be preferential to JS frameworks used by Google applications, to the detriment of others?

Google does have its job cut out. That the worst browser of the current lot has 80% of the market share shows how difficult it is to take on an entrenched segment leader.

If anyone could do it, I ‘d say it would be Google.

I would most likely have to wait and see when it comes into my Ubuntu repository. Or may be I’ll try plopping it into /opt.

Thite has already tried it out!

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Survey for Web Professionals

July 30th, 2008

From A List Apart:

Calling all designers, developers, information architects, project managers, writers, editors, marketers, and everyone else who makes websites. It is time once again to pool our information so as to begin sketching a true picture of the way our profession is practiced worldwide.

Go – do your part!

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stairwell

July 25th, 2008

What the hell!? Where am I? What is this place?

Looks like a stairwell to me. What did you think it was?

Gee, thanks! I can see that. But, a stairwell going where? And why do I feel like I would meet some people here? People I want to be with, who would want to be with me.

Take a look around. Do you think you are in a place where you can meet anyone (forget being together)?

I… I guess not. Everyone’s hurrying upstairs. What’s the big rush? And how many levels do we have to go up anyways? My legs feel like jelly.

You can stop whenever you want to. Wherever you stop, its the highest level for you.

Oh…

Of course, the level where you stop will never be the one where you will find someone to be with; for each level can fit one person only.

What is that supposed to mean?

Just that you have your level of achievement and your friends, their own. It would be foolish to bring all of them to your level just for their company. Unfair to all of them, and to you, too.

Are you telling me that I have just rushed into a different version of a rat race? That I will still be a rat, no matter what? That I’m losing?

Hardly. In a rat race, the objective is an equal opportunity for all the rats. The winner get the cheese, the rest, nothing. Whether you finish the race or not, you are still on the same level, and yes, you are still a rat. And if you decide to drop out and step aside, its OK – you just stumble onto the ground. On the other hand… look up…

Its blue…

It is the second stage.

The… second stage?

Yes! The first stage was where you proved you were ready to live your life. You live your life on the second stage.

…

This is not a race. This is not a struggle. This is a not quest. What this is, is a climb up to that stage in the blue, where you will find the one you want to be. All climb these stairs. Few reach the stage. Fewer still can match the person they meet there. Even fewer are those who take the challenge and become the person they have always wanted to be.

What if I don’t want to go up there?

Are you afraid? Of failure, perhaps? Of loneliness? It sure is lonely at the top.

What? Shut the hell up! I just want to know my options!

There is only one way to go down…

I get it! Turn around and walk away downstairs.

You can’t.

I… can’t?

Try it.

… Mother of God! What have you done? Why can’t I go nowhere but uphill, damn it!?

You are not paying attention. Watch closely… watch your step… fatigue is making you careless…

… Shit!! There are no banisters on these stairs!

People who fail, who tire, wander away towards the edge of these stairs. Sometimes not even the the physical barrier of a banister will stop them… from quitting.

… Quitting!? You bastard!

I’m not responsible for the failures of the weak. My job is to get the strong up to their level… their second stage.

By giving them a one way ticket to test their beliefs!?

I only bring them to the test. To take it or not is their choice. To succeed, they only need their own strength.

All this and just to be lonely at the top, eh?

Lonely? Maybe so. Since you reach there by yourself. But if you are true to your self and to your dreams, you may find some people coming to you. Someone whose belief in you mirrors your own.

Yeah, yeah… enough of the talk. Lets get going already! I think its a long climb.

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