Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
> Why are European countries like Germany, France, UK are developed well? > Just something that happened yesterday that made me think - the Indian tolerance of quality. This is pretty much a cliche, the Indian "chaltha hai" attitude, but I think it is quite important. For the first time in India, I didn't pay for the pizza because it was delivered late. What surprised me is the way the delivery guy took it, giving me a look like I was at fault. And he didn't even apologize for being late, citing that the address was incorrect in their records and that's why it was late, this after the same Dominoes branch had delivered a few days ago (and was late then too, and gave the same reason). I have always thought that both Pizza Hut and Dominoes overcharge for their product. And I also think that the price includes all the free pizzas they have to dish out for their tardiness. Given that, the delivery guy should have just given me the pizza as soon as he was late (the time is printed on the bill) and not made me have to argue the point. This is usually the case in the US where I have gotten a free pizza many times, and in such cases I would usually tip the delivery guy generously. This attitude is prevalent in many aspects - mobile connectivity, internet connectivity, electricity, bad water, when you ask for a replacement for a badly cooked dish or drink at restaurants etc. Perhaps we have to start demanding quality and that is the one of the ways to start businesses as well as the Government to start changing. Because in the end, its all about Quality. Kiran
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
--- On Wed, 13/5/09, Kiran K Karthikeyan wrote: > From: Kiran K Karthikeyan > Subject: Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Date: Wednesday, 13 May, 2009, 3:21 PM > > Why are European countries like > Germany, France, UK are developed well? > > > > Just something that happened yesterday that made me think - > the Indian > tolerance of quality. This is pretty much a cliche, the > Indian "chaltha hai" > attitude, but I think it is quite important. > > For the first time in India, I didn't pay for the pizza > because it was > delivered late. What surprised me is the way the delivery > guy took it, > giving me a look like I was at fault. And he didn't even > apologize for being > late, citing that the address was incorrect in their > records and that's why > it was late, this after the same Dominoes branch had > delivered a few days > ago (and was late then too, and gave the same reason). > > I have always thought that both Pizza Hut and Dominoes > overcharge for their > product. And I also think that the price includes all the > free pizzas they > have to dish out for their tardiness. Given that, the > delivery guy should > have just given me the pizza as soon as he was late (the > time is printed on > the bill) and not made me have to argue the point. This is > usually the case > in the US where I have gotten a free pizza many times, and > in such cases I > would usually tip the delivery guy generously. > > This attitude is prevalent in many aspects - mobile > connectivity, internet > connectivity, electricity, bad water, when you ask for a > replacement for a > badly cooked dish or drink at restaurants etc. > > Perhaps we have to start demanding quality and that is the > one of the ways > to start businesses as well as the Government to start > changing. Because in > the end, its all about Quality. > > Kiran I don't think so. It's to do with accountability. We don't mean what we say in India. It isn't that the pizza guy was being difficult. More likely, there was no process in place to cope with delayed delivery. That was only a verbal benediction, not to be taken literally and sought to be converted to action or tangible results. It applies not just in business but in government as well. That's why we pay road taxes, which are not used to build roads. Education cesses which go every which way but into education. I could go on for a while. Do we need to talk about politics at all? Not in academics. Our curricula are impressive, not intended to be implemented. Most places I know (sure, there are exceptions and every one of us here has his or her favourite exception to this) start compromising on course coverage almost a third of the way through the course. Exams are benedictions, not meant to be taken seriously; well, not too seriously. If they are, there're always grace marks. How come colleges in other places don't need grace marks as part of their standard operating procedure? We need to slap this down to correct things. The sooner the better. It was a good start to turn the guy away for being late. If you can bear the negatives, loss of weight, lower bp, lower cholesterol, all those awful things, not to mention an evening's starving, you might tip the scales. Er, not that way; sociologically. > Cricket on your mind? Visit the ultimate cricket website. Enter http://beta.cricket.yahoo.com
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
> Why? Now I'm intrigued :) I don't think so. It's to do with accountability. > > We don't mean what we say in India. It isn't that the pizza guy was being > difficult. More likely, there was no process in place to cope with delayed > delivery. I doubt this. Dominoes, Pizza Hut, etc. I'm sure have this as part of their standard operating procedure all over the world (though I have personally had pizza delivered only in two countries, what a shame!). Now either the delivery guy did not have that as part of his training (which begs the question why, is it because we Indians have this attitude?), or they almost never have a customer refusing to pay and this was a genuine surprise. Either way, my point is made. Not in academics. Our curricula are impressive, not intended to be > implemented. Yes, they are. But it doesn't make sense to me why somebody has to learn the theory of relativity and rigid body physics in 11th standard. Even if taught correctly in all CBSE schools (which have these subjects in their curriculum, and which I followed all through my schools years in India), I doubt all those who graduate would understand these subjects correctly. And the fact that they are a government body means that they have to ensure a certain percentage passes. But then lets not talk politics... We need to slap this down to correct things. The sooner the better. It was a > good start to turn the guy away for being late. Precisely what I'm advocating. We need to demand it, because I'm sure considering what we pay, we should get it. Kiran
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
Kiran K Karthikeyan [13/05/09 17:08 +0530]: Yes, they are. But it doesn't make sense to me why somebody has to learn the theory of relativity and rigid body physics in 11th standard. Even if taught correctly in all CBSE schools (which have these subjects in their curriculum, and which I followed all through my schools years in India), I doubt all those who graduate would understand these subjects correctly. me, i was glad enough to throw my maths and physics textbooks into the trash and/or sell them to a raddiwala after passing. some others - a significant percentage of every class, who were on the IIT / BITS etc kick, were like 'this is too easy, bring on the resnick and halliday, nelkon and parker, irodov, etc etc'
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
On 13-May-09, at 5:16 PM, Suresh Ramasubramanian wrote: some others - a significant percentage of every class, who were on the IIT / BITS etc kick, were like 'this is too easy, bring on the resnick and halliday, nelkon and parker, irodov, etc etc' It's funny you mentioned resnick and halliday - when I got to Australia after my 12th I was amazed when I found that I would be using many of the same books we read for our 12th boards. First year engg physics and maths was such a cakewalk. Second year was a bit of an attitude adjustment. -Taj.
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
--- On Wed, 13/5/09, Kiran K Karthikeyan wrote: > From: Kiran K Karthikeyan > Subject: Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Date: Wednesday, 13 May, 2009, 5:08 PM > > is somewhere far away> > > > Why? Now I'm intrigued :) NEVER MIND. > > I don't think so. It's to do with accountability. > > > > We don't mean what we say in India. It isn't that the > pizza guy was being > > difficult. More likely, there was no process in place > to cope with delayed > > delivery. > > > I doubt this. Dominoes, Pizza Hut, etc. I'm sure have this > as part of their > standard operating procedure all over the world (though I > have personally > had pizza delivered only in two countries, what a shame!). > Now either the > delivery guy did not have that as part of his training > (which begs the > question why, is it because we Indians have this > attitude?), or they almost > never have a customer refusing to pay and this was a > genuine surprise. > Either way, my point is made. Your point, mine, who cares? The point that really is made is that this is not a rule to be implemented, it's a rule to tick off for your ISO9000 certification. > Not in academics. Our curricula are impressive, not > intended to be > > implemented. > > > Yes, they are. But it doesn't make sense to me why somebody > has to learn the > theory of relativity and rigid body physics in 11th > standard. Even if taught > correctly in all CBSE schools (which have these subjects in > their > curriculum, and which I followed all through my schools > years in India), I > doubt all those who graduate would understand these > subjects correctly. > > And the fact that they are a government body means that > they have to ensure > a certain percentage passes. But then lets not talk > politics... > > We need to slap this down to correct things. The sooner the > better. It was a > > good start to turn the guy away for being late. > > > Precisely what I'm advocating. We need to demand it, > because I'm sure > considering what we pay, we should get it. > > Kiran Explore and discover exciting holidays and getaways with Yahoo! India Travel http://in.travel.yahoo.com/
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
>>It's funny you mentioned resnick and halliday - when I got to Australia after my 12th I was amazed when I found that I would be using many of the same books we read for our 12th boards. did you also read the orange and black edition of resnick halliday? -abhishek On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 6:36 PM, Sirtaj Singh Kang wrote: > > On 13-May-09, at 5:16 PM, Suresh Ramasubramanian wrote: > > some others - a significant percentage of every class, who were on the IIT >> / BITS etc kick, were like 'this is too easy, bring on the resnick and >> halliday, nelkon and parker, irodov, etc etc' >> > > It's funny you mentioned resnick and halliday - when I got to Australia > after my 12th I was amazed when I found that I would be using many of the > same books we read for our 12th boards. First year engg physics and maths > was such a cakewalk. > > Second year was a bit of an attitude adjustment. > > -Taj. > > -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - does the frog know it has a latin name? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
> > bring on the resnick and halliday, nelkon and parker, irodov, etc etc' Thanks for reminding me...should bring on some interesting nightmares for a few weeks :) Kiran
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
> did you also read the orange and black edition of resnick halliday? Yep. Should be gathering dust in the corner of some bookshelf (or maybe the attic) with my school and engineering textbooks. None of those books have seen the light of day after both me and my brother graduated. Kiran
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
> > > Why are European countries like Germany, France, UK are developed well > ? Because they were imperialistic or because of good governance after > hitler rule in Germany and imperalistic rules in other places ? What > is causing Bulgaria to develop well ? Poland which was under communist > rule is developed country ? If these are developing rapidly why is it > so ? Because of lesser conflicts compared to India ? > I think it would be obvious? Look how fair their skin is! If there's one thing they seem to be communicating in the obnoxious commercials from Nivea and Unilever, it's that whiter is better. Low populations, female equality, courteous driving, and the assult of science over religion (The so-called Age of Reason when Europe rediscovered Ancient Greece and Rome) maybe helped. Also they got very good at killing and conquering because of the frequent state of warfare that followed the fall of Rome up until WW II. If a monkey messes with your stuff in America, it gets caged and relocated or shot. No one would put but with the Jaipur crap because they think these are Hanuman's soldiers. But keep in mind this is all about the time in which we live. For most of Europe's history they were backwards. We just happen to live now instead of the time of Ashoka or Harrapa or Xanadu. We shouldn't take it so personally. The West seems to be doing themselves in quite finely at the moment. Even we Americans know that, hence the vociferous electoral expulsion of the Republican party from government.
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
> > > Low populations, female equality, courteous driving, and the assult of > science over religion (The so-called Age of Reason when Europe rediscovered > Ancient Greece and Rome) maybe helped. > In fact I think I made the point that the way people drive here is a metaphor for the problem. No one gives a shit about anyone else -- everyone tries to get ahead -- and the fastest anyone can go is 40KPH. Even on a very crowded highway in the US, I drive 100-120KPH. Because if I drove like they drive here, I'd be arrested -- most likely due to some other driver calling the police and the police showing up. Here's a thought experiment: Imagine you've got 2 groups 50 people each. Group A is blindfolded. Group B is charged with leading them though a maze. In Trial 1, you tell Group A that 10% of Group B has been told to mislead them, and the rest are supposed to take them though right. When those in Group A think they're being misled, they should stop and take off their blindfold. No one takes off their blindfold. Then in Trial 2, you tell Group A that 50% of Group B has been told to mislead them, and the rest are supposed to take them through correctly. Same deal. Everyone takes off their blindfold. Even the perception of corruption and the undermining of meritocracy is enough to stall progress. I try to wait in a line here, and people try to drift past me like I'm blind. No one does that in Stockholm -- they would be mortified. Q.E.D.
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
> > > I try to wait in a line here, and people try to drift past me like I'm > blind. No one does that in Stockholm -- they would be mortified. Q.E.D. > Keeping in mind that most everyone on this list is enlightened. I'm talking about the masses.
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 7:20 PM, Ravi Bellur wrote: > >> I try to wait in a line here, and people try to drift past me like I'm >> blind. No one does that in Stockholm -- they would be mortified. Q.E.D. >> > > Keeping in mind that most everyone on this list is enlightened. I'm talking > about the masses. And keep in mind that the most sexist and least traffic law abiding countries in Europe are the least successful in terms of per-capital productivity and median quality of life.
Re: [silk] Bangalore Meetup on May 16?
When do they shut down the alcohol purveyors? thanks.
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
2009/5/13 Ravi Bellur > In fact I think I made the point that the way people drive here is a > metaphor for the problem. No one gives a shit about anyone else -- everyone > tries to get ahead -- and the fastest anyone can go is 40KPH. > > Even on a very crowded highway in the US, I drive 100-120KPH. Because if I > drove like they drive here, I'd be arrested -- most likely due to some other > driver calling the police and the police showing up. Not debating you point, but you should try driving in Boston or NY. Not that it comes close to the Bangalore situation, but if the road infrastructure was as bad as it is here, you would see pretty much the same. Seattle is over-polite, I feel suffocated there with people being so nice to each other :) However, for an even better experience you should go to Hyderabad. I have seen things that have made me stop and really think to arrive at the reasoning behind what some people do on the road. It goes beyond just not caring about others and wanting to get ahead, its a total breakdown of logic and reason. Kiran
Re: [silk] Bangalore Meetup on May 16?
2009/5/13 Ravi Bellur > When do they shut down the alcohol purveyors? thanks. The usual time is 6 pm the day before, but you're likely to see a mad rush to the shops during the evening. I would buy in the morning. Kiran
Re: [silk] Bangalore Meetup on May 16?
On Tue, May 12, 2009 at 5:01 PM, Kiran K Karthikeyan wrote: >> So, Madhu confirms that Saturday *is* a dry day. Let's just meet up at >> Crossword and drift towards Venky's place after that. Venky has kindly >> offered to stash some liquor and comestibles there, and we can all pitch >> in to cover costs for food and drink. > > > I'm in too...and do let me know if I need to bring anything. There is a > liquor shop right opposite my house and I can usually manage to get stuff on > a dry day albeit with a markup. Let me know early enough and I can avoid the > markup. > > The liquor shop opposite my house is a peculiar case of the universe > conspiring. There has been one within a stone's throw of every house I've > lived in since I moved out from my parent's house. This particular one is > even more special as it seems to be the located at the focal point of all > tipplers in my area - they have customers even at 9.00 AM on a working > day!!! > > If you want to see a 40+ year old woman down a pint of cheap rum in one swig > before noon, this is THE place. > > Kiran When I lived in Indira Nagar in 2000, I was struck by the fact that people would just buy a peg or two and swig it right there. That never happens in Bombay or Delhi so this struck me as a peculiar oddity. Venky
Re: [silk] Bangalore Meetup on May 16?
2009/5/13 Venkatesh Hariharan > When I lived in Indira Nagar in 2000, I was struck by the fact that > people would just buy a peg or two and swig it right there. That never > happens in Bombay or Delhi so this struck me as a peculiar oddity. > Not sure, but maybe its due to the fact that the state laws make a distinction between selling alcohol and serving alcohol. All the southern states have liquor stores doubling up as the poor man's bar, with the exception of Kerala. Speaking of Kerala, the government there declared the 1st of every month a dry day due to people blowing their pay on liquor as soon as they get it :) Oh the stories I could tell you Kiran
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
--- On Wed, 13/5/09, Kiran K Karthikeyan wrote: > From: Kiran K Karthikeyan > Subject: Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Date: Wednesday, 13 May, 2009, 7:58 PM > 2009/5/13 Ravi Bellur > > > In fact I think I made the point that the way people > drive here is a > > metaphor for the problem. No one gives a shit about > anyone else -- everyone > > tries to get ahead -- and the fastest anyone can go is > 40KPH. > > > > Even on a very crowded highway in the US, I drive > 100-120KPH. Because if I > > drove like they drive here, I'd be arrested -- most > likely due to some other > > driver calling the police and the police showing up. > > > Not debating you point, but you should try driving in > Boston or NY. Not that > it comes close to the Bangalore situation, but if the road > infrastructure > was as bad as it is here, you would see pretty much the > same. Seattle is > over-polite, I feel suffocated there with people being so > nice to each other > :) Hah! You want over-polite, you are going to Inglistan, pliss. British pipples are crazy, even flashing headlights meaning you come only Sir, I go later. So they are going France, France pipples smashing them on every crossroad. > However, for an even better experience you should go to > Hyderabad. I have > seen things that have made me stop and really think to > arrive at the > reasoning behind what some people do on the road. It goes > beyond just not > caring about others and wanting to get ahead, its a total > breakdown of logic > and reason. > > Kiran > Now surf faster and smarter ! Check out the new Firefox 3 - Yahoo! Edition http://downloads.yahoo.com/in/firefox/?fr=om_email_firefox
Re: [silk] Bangalore Meetup on May 16?
On Wed, 13 May 2009 20:13:08 +0530, Venkatesh Hariharan wrote: > . > When I lived in Indira Nagar in 2000, I was struck by the fact that people > would just buy a peg or two and swig it right there. That never happens in > Bombay or Delhi so this struck me as a peculiar oddity. > > Venky > Oh, very much prevalent in Delhi [surprisingly, even in peak of summer-time]; check parking lot near any theka [booze retailing outlet] after dark and there'll be full-on binge sessions in progress; music playing from cars, snack vendors [sometimes with chicken and fish-fry too] doing business, a paan-walla doubling as stockist of cold-drink, ice-cubes, chilled mineral water and disposable glasses. Sastha tikau, like the delhite says. Anil KUMAR
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
Abhishek Hazra [13/05/09 18:45 +0530]: It's funny you mentioned resnick and halliday - when I got to Australia after my 12th I was amazed when I found that I would be using many of the same books we read for our 12th boards. did you also read the orange and black edition of resnick halliday? I categorically refused to touch that. Stuck to louis l'amour
[silk] Sounds of silence
Sounds (sorry) impractical. Udhay http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227075.700-cone-of-silence-keeps-conversations-secret.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news 'Cone of silence' keeps conversations secret * 09 May 2009 by Paul Marks IN Get Smart, the 1960s TV spy comedy, secret agents wanting a private conversation would deploy the "cone of silence", a clear plastic contraption lowered over the agents' heads. It never worked - they couldn't hear each other, while eavesdroppers could pick up every word. Now a modern cone of silence that we are assured will work is being patented by engineers Joe Paradiso and Yasuhiro Ono of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Their idea, revealed in US patent application 2009/0097671 on 16 April, is to make confidential conversations possible in open-plan offices and canteens. It will even let a conversing group move around a room and still remain in a secure sound bubble. "In increasingly common open-plan offices, the violation of employees' privacy can often become an issue, as third parties overhear their conversations intentionally or unintentionally," the inventors say in their patent. Their aim is to relieve people of that concern. In open-plan offices, the violation of employees' privacy can often become an issue Instead of plastic domes, they use a sensor network to work out where potential eavesdroppers are, and speakers to generate a subtle masking sound at just the right level. It sounds simple, but it needs quite a bit of infrastructure. The walls of the room must be peppered with light-switch-sized units that include a microphone, a speaker, an infrared location sensor and networking circuitry connected to a server. When somebody wants to activate what the MIT researchers call the "sound shield", they do so on their desktop computer. Knowing the position of the computer, the sensors identify the person and map out the locations of people around them. Software assesses who is so close that they must be participants in the conversation, and who might be a potential eavesdropper. The array of speakers then aims a mix of white noise and randomised office hubbub at the eavesdroppers. The subtle, confusing sound makes the conversation unintelligible. The ideas are not completely new - but what has gone before has big limitations, says Paradiso. "Current systems put sound out from one source. The sound isn't generally placed optimally between potential listeners and the people in conversation so there can often be too much or too little masking noise." For instance, the Babble, from Sonare Technologies, is a radio-sized machine with two speakers that emits white noise from your desk to mask what you are saying on the phone. But it is over-noisy, say the MIT team, and also fixed in place, whereas their system's sensors can track people as they move around, and shift the masking noise accordingly. If they decide to press ahead and exploit the idea, the system will also advise users whether there are other people too close by for it to assure secrecy. "With people often working in large open-plan spaces now, the time has come for ideas like this," says Paradiso. Klaus Moeller, founder of sound-masking systems maker Logison of Oakville, Ontario, Canada, is impressed with MIT's ambition but doubts its practicality. Logison uses a proprietary technology called Accumask that masks only speech frequencies to deaden voice transmission in offices - and it needs few fittings. "I wish MIT the best of luck with their idea," says Moeller. "It sounds very expensive and not very practical in an office environment." He thinks architects may object to the many wall or ceiling-mounted devices the system needs to follow people around the office. -- ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
Re: [silk] Bangalore Meetup on May 16?
Ravi Bellur wrote: > When do they shut down the alcohol purveyors? I've seen notices at two of my regular haunts that they will be closed _all_ of the 16th and 17th. YMMV, of course. Happily, booze doesn't expire. -- Alok All seems condemned in the long run to approximate a state akin to Gaussian noise. -- James Martin
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
> Not debating you point, but you should try driving in Boston or NY. Not > that > it comes close to the Bangalore situation, but if the road infrastructure > was as bad as it is here, you would see pretty much the same. Seattle is > over-polite, I feel suffocated there with people being so nice to each > other > :) > True about the east coast of US. But those two cities are known as the worst places to drive. How about this underly-thought out point: The more nudity and pre-marital sex and sexually liberated women -- the more successful the median person in the country (because Saudi is pretty successful as God decided to put all our oil under them, as they joke on American TV) -- e.g. Scandinavia, Germany, France, etc. I suppose I"m just being an agent provacateur, but why should Bonobashi have all the fun? :-)
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
--- On Wed, 13/5/09, Ravi Bellur wrote: > From: Ravi Bellur > Subject: Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Date: Wednesday, 13 May, 2009, 11:59 PM > > Not debating you point, but you > should try driving in Boston or NY. Not > > that > > it comes close to the Bangalore situation, but if the > road infrastructure > > was as bad as it is here, you would see pretty much > the same. Seattle is > > over-polite, I feel suffocated there with people being > so nice to each > > other > > :) > > > > True about the east coast of US. But those two cities are > known as the worst > places to drive. > > How about this underly-thought out point: The more nudity > and pre-marital > sex and sexually liberated women -- the more successful the > median person in > the country (because Saudi is pretty successful as God > decided to put all > our oil under them, as they joke on American TV) -- e.g. > Scandinavia, > Germany, France, etc. > > I suppose I"m just being an agent provacateur, but why > should Bonobashi have > all the fun? :-) Nudity? Pre-marital sex? Sexually liberated women? Bonobashi? WTF? > Now surf faster and smarter ! Check out the new Firefox 3 - Yahoo! Edition http://downloads.yahoo.com/in/firefox/?fr=om_email_firefox
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
> > > > WTF? > > > > To be frank: TF. :-)
Re: [silk] Sounds of silence
the real cone of silence sounds boring compared to the very fallible cone of silence in Get Smart-hilarious! On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 9:35 AM, Udhay Shankar N wrote: > Sounds (sorry) impractical. > > Udhay > > > http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227075.700-cone-of-silence-keeps-conversations-secret.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news > > 'Cone of silence' keeps conversations secret > >* 09 May 2009 by Paul Marks > > > IN Get Smart, the 1960s TV spy comedy, secret agents wanting a private > conversation would deploy the "cone of silence", a clear plastic > contraption lowered over the agents' heads. It never worked - they > couldn't hear each other, while eavesdroppers could pick up every word. > Now a modern cone of silence that we are assured will work is being > patented by engineers Joe Paradiso and Yasuhiro Ono of the Massachusetts > Institute of Technology. > > Their idea, revealed in US patent application 2009/0097671 on 16 April, > is to make confidential conversations possible in open-plan offices and > canteens. It will even let a conversing group move around a room and > still remain in a secure sound bubble. > > "In increasingly common open-plan offices, the violation of employees' > privacy can often become an issue, as third parties overhear their > conversations intentionally or unintentionally," the inventors say in > their patent. Their aim is to relieve people of that concern. > In open-plan offices, the violation of employees' privacy can often > become an issue > > Instead of plastic domes, they use a sensor network to work out where > potential eavesdroppers are, and speakers to generate a subtle masking > sound at just the right level. > > It sounds simple, but it needs quite a bit of infrastructure. The walls > of the room must be peppered with light-switch-sized units that include > a microphone, a speaker, an infrared location sensor and networking > circuitry connected to a server. When somebody wants to activate what > the MIT researchers call the "sound shield", they do so on their desktop > computer. Knowing the position of the computer, the sensors identify the > person and map out the locations of people around them. Software > assesses who is so close that they must be participants in the > conversation, and who might be a potential eavesdropper. > > The array of speakers then aims a mix of white noise and randomised > office hubbub at the eavesdroppers. The subtle, confusing sound makes > the conversation unintelligible. > > The ideas are not completely new - but what has gone before has big > limitations, says Paradiso. "Current systems put sound out from one > source. The sound isn't generally placed optimally between potential > listeners and the people in conversation so there can often be too much > or too little masking noise." > > For instance, the Babble, from Sonare Technologies, is a radio-sized > machine with two speakers that emits white noise from your desk to mask > what you are saying on the phone. But it is over-noisy, say the MIT > team, and also fixed in place, whereas their system's sensors can track > people as they move around, and shift the masking noise accordingly. > > If they decide to press ahead and exploit the idea, the system will also > advise users whether there are other people too close by for it to > assure secrecy. "With people often working in large open-plan spaces > now, the time has come for ideas like this," says Paradiso. > > Klaus Moeller, founder of sound-masking systems maker Logison of > Oakville, Ontario, Canada, is impressed with MIT's ambition but doubts > its practicality. Logison uses a proprietary technology called Accumask > that masks only speech frequencies to deaden voice transmission in > offices - and it needs few fittings. > > "I wish MIT the best of luck with their idea," says Moeller. "It sounds > very expensive and not very practical in an office environment." He > thinks architects may object to the many wall or ceiling-mounted devices > the system needs to follow people around the office. > > > -- > ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com)) > >
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 4:46 PM, Bonobashi wrote: > We don't mean what we say in India. It isn't that the pizza guy was being > difficult. More likely, > there was no process in place to cope with delayed delivery. That was only a > verbal benediction, > not to be taken literally and sought to be converted to action or tangible > results. ...and the not-to-be-missed North-South communication[0] gaps. A friend's mother would say "beta, ghar aajao, ...khana khake jao" [Son, come home, ... leave after having lunch/dinner]. One of course recognized courtesy and knew better than to actually visit except for an exception(al) south-indian guy, who would dutifully spend each weekend at their home much to her annoyance :) [0] cant think of a better word to describe a cultural difference. -- .
Re: [silk] Bangalore Meetup on May 16?
> states have liquor stores doubling up as the poor > man's bar, with the exception of Kerala. > Speaking of Kerala, the government there > declared the 1st of every month a > dry day due to people blowing their pay > on liquor as soon as they get it :) Obviously the person will have so little remaining on second day of the month, the govt need not worry about the rest of the month. Lukhman
Re: [silk] Bangalore Meetup on May 16?
On Thu, May 14, 2009 at 9:11 AM, lukhman_khan wrote: >> states have liquor stores doubling up as the poor >> man's bar, with the exception of Kerala. >> Speaking of Kerala, the government there >> declared the 1st of every month a >> dry day due to people blowing their pay >> on liquor as soon as they get it :) > > Obviously the person will have so little remaining on second day of the > month, the govt need not worry about the rest of the month. I once attended the Pooram temple festival in Thrissur [1], a truly unforgettable experience. One thing I remember about a conversation I had there was the claim that ~50% of the entire annual sale of liquor happens during the festival (all 36 hours of it, plus a day before and after) Not sure what purpose this anecdote serves in the discussion, but there you have it. :) Udhay [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrissur_Pooram -- ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
Re: [silk] Booze in Kerala (was: Bangalore Meetup on May 16?)
Udhay Shankar N wrote: I once attended the Pooram temple festival in Thrissur [1], a truly unforgettable experience. One thing I remember about a conversation I had there was the claim that ~50% of the entire annual sale of liquor happens during the festival (all 36 hours of it, plus a day before and after) Since we're talking about my state, The Country God Gave Up On (tm), it might interest you to know that the annual liquor licence fee there is Rs. 2.2 million (22 Lakhs.) Bars there can't obviously charge the markup you see in places like Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, etc. and despite that, lots of them manage to stay in business. My dad's cousin, who owns two bars there, gets sent on holidays to Australia, US, etc. every year thanks to the sales volumes he delivers. (I think UB did it for selling 5 cases of Kingfisher.) That should give you an idea of how much Mallus love their booze. -- <<< * >>> Madhu Menon Shiok Far-eastern Cuisine | Moss Cocktail Lounge 96, Amar Jyoti Layout, Inner Ring Road, Bangalore @ http://shiokfood.com & http://mosslounge.com Join the Moss group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39295417270
[silk] Ted Translations project
Hi *, http://www.ted.com/index.php/OpenTranslationProject Very Impressive. This is heartening for hearing impaired people like me who wish all pod-casts, videos, music etc on internet was captioned with subtitles. What adds to the sheer brilliance and usefulness of this project is they are doing it in multiple languages too. More power to Captioning, exploitation of technologies to help society and to a world which slowly becomes accessible despite various languages, disabilities etc. -- Bharat | http://twitter.com/shettyb
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
On Monday 11 May 2009 6:08:34 pm Bharat Shetty wrote: > Hello all, > > I've not read History regarding the transformations of countries very > much. But there is doubt that lingers in my head during recent > discussions I've had. Is it true that the internal conflicts > transcending over various factors like religions, caste coupled with > bad governance, mismanagement didn't help India to develop after > Independence ? > > Why are European countries like Germany, France, UK are developed well > ? Because they were imperialistic or because of good governance after > hitler rule in Germany and imperalistic rules in other places ? What > is causing Bulgaria to develop well ? Poland which was under communist > rule is developed country ? If these are developing rapidly why is it > so ? Because of lesser conflicts compared to India ? Let me give you a wacko reason. These countries were initially ruled by the Church which punished offenders severely and taught people to live by the rule book. The same people overthrew the Church and wrote rule books for themselves, which they continue to follow like they used to when the Church imposed its rule by force. In India a man threw some seed by the riverbank and grain and flowers grew out of them. He ate some grain, which was mixed with some pot and devloped a liberatian philosophy in which government could always be questioned. Hence we have India. The reason people do not stand in single file queues in India is because some moron idiotically defined "queue" as a single file line with a strict order of who comes forst and who came later. This is unantural. Watch a herd of cows at a gate and you will se that they form a pyramidal queue in whcih hierarchy is mainatined approximately, but not in a rigid, dictatorial, Swedish style. Indians, in true "natural" style herd up like cows in the true, natural definition of "queue" shiv
Re: [silk] Ted Translations project
On Thu, May 14, 2009 at 10:13 AM, Bharat Shetty wrote: > Hi *, > > http://www.ted.com/index.php/OpenTranslationProject > > Very Impressive. This is heartening for hearing impaired people like > me who wish all pod-casts, videos, music etc on internet was captioned > with subtitles. What adds to the sheer brilliance and usefulness of > this project is they are doing it in multiple languages too. More > power to Captioning, exploitation of technologies to help society and > to a world which slowly becomes accessible despite various languages, > disabilities etc. I completely agree with you, Bharat. How often I have wished that so many programs (even on Discovery or NatGeo) were sub-titled! Deepa.
Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries
--- On Thu, 14/5/09, ss wrote: > From: ss > Subject: Re: [silk] Imperialistic countries > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Date: Thursday, 14 May, 2009, 10:18 AM > On Monday 11 May 2009 6:08:34 pm > Bharat Shetty wrote: > > Hello all, > > > > I've not read History regarding the transformations of > countries very > > much. But there is doubt that lingers in my head > during recent > > discussions I've had. Is it true that the internal > conflicts > > transcending over various factors like religions, > caste coupled with > > bad governance, mismanagement didn't help India to > develop after > > Independence ? > > > > Why are European countries like Germany, France, UK > are developed well > > ? Because they were imperialistic or because of good > governance after > > hitler rule in Germany and imperalistic rules in other > places ? What > > is causing Bulgaria to develop well ? Poland which was > under communist > > rule is developed country ? If these are developing > rapidly why is it > > so ? Because of lesser conflicts compared to India ? > > > Let me give you a wacko reason. > > These countries were initially ruled by the Church which > punished offenders > severely and taught people to live by the rule book. > > The same people overthrew the Church and wrote rule books > for themselves, > which they continue to follow like they used to when the > Church imposed its > rule by force. > > In India a man threw some seed by the riverbank and grain > and flowers grew out > of them. He ate some grain, which was mixed with some pot > and devloped a > liberatian philosophy in which government could always be > questioned. > > Hence we have India. > > The reason people do not stand in single file queues in > India is because some > moron idiotically defined "queue" as a single file line > with a strict order > of who comes forst and who came later. This is unantural. > Watch a herd of > cows at a gate and you will se that they form a pyramidal > queue in whcih > hierarchy is mainatined approximately, but not in a rigid, > dictatorial, > Swedish style. Indians, in true "natural" style herd up > like cows in the > true, natural definition of "queue" > > > shiv There was nothing wacko about this post except its first line. Two points. The way he has put it, people will actually read it and laugh about it, and therefore, it may be hoped, remember it. In different phraseology, it might be said that most countries cited by Bharat were Westphalian democracies where one religious order ruled, and smacked down those who didn't belong. The others went wherever they found a welcome. That's why you find some Admirals of Nelson with French names, battling the French, and famous French Marshals who were obviously Scots, or eminent Frenchmen with German surnames. Those are not countries which have a plethora of identities to contend with. Those are also not countries where the accepted Established ideology, in this case, the religious theology adopted by the ruler, could be flouted lightly, likewise, the rules set under the uniform dispensation also could not be flouted lightly. So you called it a queue, and lined up in an I, just because the state said that a Q was an I. The contrary of what the two of them together are. Second point: what Shiv fails to point out, exercising his old world tact towards guests, hospitality and charm - you have to remember that when we refer to old world in his case, we are talking millennia, not years - is that Indian cows and Indians recognise exactly what a Q looks like, and do queue up, in that literal shape. We, unlike vodka-besotted Scandinavians, can sort out our Ps from our Qs, and our Is from both of them. It is important to see these things straight. Given Shiv's chosen vocation, I am very, very thankful that he can indeed see straight. This is a blessing and a benediction. Now surf faster and smarter ! Check out the new Firefox 3 - Yahoo! Edition http://downloads.yahoo.com/in/firefox/?fr=om_email_firefox
Re: [silk] Bangalore Meetup on May 16?
Alok G. Singh wrote: Ravi Bellur wrote: When do they shut down the alcohol purveyors? I've seen notices at two of my regular haunts that they will be closed _all_ of the 16th and 17th. YMMV, of course. Happily, booze doesn't expire. As things stand now, our excise range office has informed us only to close on 16th, but that might well be stretched to Sunday, knowing those fuckers. Actually, technically we're supposed to only refrain from serving alcohol during polling and vote counting days. And till two years ago, the excise department would just seal the bar and we could still sell food. (Heck, for people like us, they didn't even bother with the sealing and just told us not to sell.) But then some doofus in the department thought it would be less work for them to just ask all booze-serving outlets to completely shut down. Heck, we're the only ones losing money after all. Bah! Yes, I'm bitter. 3 days last month and 2 weekend days this months is a lot of lost money. -- <<< * >>> Madhu Menon Shiok Far-eastern Cuisine | Moss Cocktail Lounge 96, Amar Jyoti Layout, Inner Ring Road, Bangalore @ http://shiokfood.com & http://mosslounge.com Join the Moss group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39295417270
Re: [silk] Ted Translations project
2009/5/14 Deepa Mohan > I completely agree with you, Bharat. How often I have wished that so > many programs (even on Discovery or NatGeo) were sub-titled! Don't the DTH networks like Tata Sky, Dish etc. offer sub-titles? Or is this only for the English movie channels? Kiran
Re: [silk] Bangalore Meetup on May 16?
2009/5/13 Anil Kumar > Sastha tikau, like the delhite says. I thought the acronym SST expanded to Sastha Sundar Tikau. You've ignored the aesthetic element :) Kiran
Re: [silk] Bangalore Meetup on May 16?
2009/5/14 lukhman_khan > Obviously the person will have so little remaining on second day of the > month, the govt need not worry about the rest of the month. This was actually an effort to appease the female voters (Kerala being the only state in India with more women than men[1]) who have been complaining of alcoholism related domestic violence for some time now, and this was not their first attempt. They even tried prohibition of local liquor once. Funny anecdote from those times is a woman complaining that earlier she got beaten only for 50 rupees, but now gets beaten for several hundred rupees worth (the cost of IMFL) :) [1] http://www.mapsofindia.com/census2001/sexratio/sexratio-kerala.htm Kiran