Re: [silk] Grief during a pandemic

[Deepa Mohan]

>
> As I have said elsewhere, when straight Indian men start saying (I have
> multiple data points over the last year) that they miss hugging people, you
> know something serious is going on.
>
> Udhay
>
> Let me start the thread drift too, by saying that the word "straight"
tends to make me uncomfortable, because of the implication of "others"
being crooked. To me, it seems almost as bad as saying "normal".  I wonder
if we could change that (I can't think of a good alternative). Several
words which acquired perjorative meanings have been changed, why not this?

I've hugged my gay friends as well as...umthe majority bracket
(pompous!)  but now, everyone is at  arm's distance. Thank goodness, the
mental distance has not set in.



> --
>

Re: [silk] Grief during a pandemic

[Deepa Mohan]

Thank you Udhay.

One of the things about this list that I felt (this is subjective) has been
the lack of emotion. Topics were coolly and clinically observed and
commented upon. Feelings were almost never referred to. However much I
admired the intelligence, I did miss the emotion. So this post  touches my
heart as well as my brain.

"Keep calm and carry on" only works for some people, but this unwritten
rule seems to become mandatory. We're expected to get over our grief by
hiding it, and always showing a cheerful face. In these unprecedented times
of isolation, when not everyone has a family to touch and hug, it can
aggravate the stress.

I've been lucky that I have lost no one in my immediate family. But
friends, good friends, close friends, have succumbed.

It's not only death. The loss of other things. Many of us identify with our
work, and I have seen several friends lose their jobs. Part of their
paycheck, because of pay cuts. Their time, because of the blurring of work
and leisure hours. There is what I would call "lateral grief", when I see
my friends struggling and trying to keep the smile on their faces,  pasted
on, covering the sadness.

Children are, I think, among the most affected, because of not being able
to be with others of their age, without adult supervision. My
grandchildren  seem to have coped. But the effects on this isolation may
not be known for a long time.

I have coped by trying to turn  loneliness to solitude. To switch from the
external locus of control, to the inner side. My nature walks have truly
been a lifesaver for me. They allow me to both be with other people, and be
contented in myself. The lockdowns have been far easier for me, and I am
very grateful for that. I am grateful for the internet, and to electricity,
which has kept us going. My family was not here through the present
lockdown, but the fact that they were in a relatively safer place was a
comfort.

Is being "comfortably numb" the way to deal with this? I don't know. I am a
gregarious person, but have become more of a solitary one. Is it me, the
ageing process, or the pandemic? I don't know. I was someone who would rush
to hug a friend. Now I have controlled that impulse.

We all need the human touch, both figurative and physically. The lack of
Vitamin T is a serious lack.

Too long, but I will let it stand
 I was writing as much for myself as responding to Udhay.

Deepa.




On Fri, 23 Jul, 2021, 05:00 Udhay Shankar N,  wrote:

> So.
>
> Given the events of the past year and a half, many people are dealing with
> loss and grief. Coupled with the fact that people have been stuck in one
> place for most of this time, they are turning to social media for help in
> dealing with it - either seeking emotional support, or just catharsis.
> Given my filter bubble, I have mostly seen this on Facebook.
>
> Have you folks also seen this? What are your thoughts?
>
> Some of the people who have done this are on this list. If you want to
> speak up, great. If not, that's perfectly fine too. You could mute this
> thread if it is painful for you - but if you want to use this space to seek
> support, I'd be honoured.
>
> Udhay
>
> --
> ((Udhay Shankar N))  ((via phone))
>

Re: [silk] Fwd: "World Turtle Day" - Mon, May 24 at 7:00 pm ET

[Deepa Mohan]

Thank you, this is interesting for me as well!

Cheers, Deepa.

On Sat, May 22, 2021 at 9:54 AM Venkat Mangudi - Silk <
s...@venkatmangudi.com> wrote:

> Thank you, Mark. Interesting to me, for sure.
>
> On Sat, 22 May, 2021, 9:53 am Mark Seiden,  wrote:
>
> > might interest some of you...
> >
> > > Begin forwarded message:
> > >
> > > From: "The Explorers Club" 
> > > Subject: "World Turtle Day" - Mon, May 24 at 7:00 pm ET
> > > Date: May 21, 2021 at 12:30:03 PM PDT
> > > To: "m...@seiden.com" 
> > > Reply-To: reservati...@explorers.org
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > World Turtle Day
> > >
> > >
> > > This program will celebrate World Turtle Day, a day to commemorate the
> > existence of an incredible diversity of both terrestrial and marine
> turtle
> > species and an opportunity to draw attention to threats facing their
> > survival. Although many species have come and gone since their first
> > appearance in the fossil record 300 million years ago, there are
> currently
> > approximately 356 turtle species on planet Earth. Unfortunately, about
> 40%
> > of these species are threatened or endangered with extinction. There are,
> > however, actions we can take to help reverse these declining trends and
> > many people around the world are dedicating their lives to protecting our
> > incredible shelled diversity!
> > >
> > > Our special guests will share information about the turtle species that
> > they study and the lifelong journeys that they are on to protect them.
> > These conservationists are genuine and dedicated spirits, and a testament
> > to what changes #ForNature can result when you combine passion for
> wildlife
> > and a determination to make a difference.
> > >
> > > Streaming live on explorers.org <
> > https://eblast.explorers.org/t/y-l-ojjjddd-iyqjydjkr-r/>, our YouTube
> > Channel , and
> > our Facebook Live <
> https://eblast.explorers.org/t/y-l-ojjjddd-iyqjydjkr-j/>!
> > - Monday, May 24 at 7:00 pm ET
> > >
> > > You’ll have the opportunity to hear from a wide array of these turtle
> > conservationists including:
> > >
> > > Dr. Supraja Dharini is a committed sea turtle conservationist along the
> > Indian east coast since 2002 and an EC50 Honoree. She is exemplary for
> her
> > multi-disciplinary approach. She works with a team of 363 ‘Sea Turtle
> > Protection Force’ (STPF) members from 222 marginalized artisanal fishing
> > villages. Together, under Dr. Dharinis guidance, they cover over 700 kms
> > along Tamil Nadu, Andhra, and Odisha coasts and have protected tens of
> > thousands of olive ridley nests in-situ and also through purpose built
> > hatcheries. Their work and dedication to protecting and preserving life,
> > has resulted in the safe release of millions of hatchlings to the sea.
> STPF
> > members educate other fishers in their villages about the importance of
> > conserving turtles, retrieving ghost nets, reducing pollution, and caring
> > more for their ocean environment in general.
> > >
> > >
> > > Shahriar Caesar Rahman is a co-founder and the CEO of Creative
> > Conservation Alliance, a Bangladesh based conservation organization
> > dedicated to the ecological and cultural conservation of Bangladesh’s
> last
> > wild places. He is also a National Geographic Explorer and serves as a
> > Regional Vice Chair-South Asia of IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle
> > Specialist Group. The Creative Conservation Alliance is a major force for
> > research and Conservation of Bangladesh’s threatened tortoises and
> turtles.
> > The CCA team, led by Caesar, continues to empower indigenous hunters as
> > parabiologists. Caesar and his work with the Creative Conservation
> Alliance
> > has previously had the privilege of receiving both the Whitley Award and
> > Future for Nature Award and is now honored to accept the New Explorer
> > Award. He will be sharing his work with the Asian Giant Tortoise
> (Manouria
> > emys phayrei) and Black Softshell Turtles (Nilssonia nigricans).
> > >
> > >
> > > Scott Trageser is a conservation biologist and photographer who has
> > dedicated his life to protecting species overlooked by others. Interests
> in
> > herpetology, photography, and steaming jungles lead Scott to Bangladesh
> > where he co-founded and serves as Director for the Creative Conservation
> > Alliance. He also endeavors to provide resources and support to similar
> > organizations as the Executive Director and President of The Biodiversity
> > Group, a US-based non-profit. His award-winning works have gained
> > recognition from the Explorer’s Club, International League of
> Conservation
> > Photographers, Royal Geographical Society, IUCN Species Specialist
> > Commission, National Geographic, BBC, and more. He is a frequent speaker
> on
> > conservation and photography topics and has authored and contributed to
> > numerous books, articles, and peer-reviewed journals. There is little he
> > won’t do in his quest to

Re: [silk] Silkmeet on Friday? (21st May, Zoom)

[Deepa Mohan]

Dear Sri Sri Sri Sri Pai,

You reminded me of my all-time favourite cheerer-up (I think the author is
on this list)

https://krishashok.me/2007/12/10/guide-to-designing-indian-political-posters/

Thanks.After a fairly chaotic morning, amongst the oxygen concentrators, I
find that I can smile again!

Deepa.






On Tue, May 18, 2021 at 6:16 PM M.K.Pai  wrote:

> Please count me in too.
> -- Saint Pai
> Hero of Socialist Labour
> People's Commissar for Permanent Revolution
> Supreme Director of Party Enlightenment
> Rootless cosmopolitan bourgeois nationalist
>
>
> On Mon, May 17, 2021 at 5:20 PM Vinit Bhansali  wrote:
> >
> > Dear fellow Silklisters,
> >
> > Udhay, Surabhi and I are hosting a SilkMeet this week.
> >
> > We haven't met in meatspace in years (literally) and thought we should at
> > least catch up over Zoom.
> >
> > We plan on meeting this Friday, (21st May, 7pm IST) and hope it works for
> > most of you.
> >
> > *Requirements:*
> > 1) Your favourite drink in hand
> >
> > I'll create a zoom link and share it with you in a couple of days.
> >
> > +1 away.
> >
> >
> >
> > *_Vinit Bhansali*
> > vinitb [at] gmail
>
>

[silk] Silkmeet on Friday (21st May, Zoom, 7pm)

[Deepa Mohan]

To make it nice and alphabetical (as you can see, I have nothing much to do
right now)

So far

Deepa
Kiran
Jayadevan
Peter
Surabhi
Uday
Venkat
Vinit

Re: [silk] Silkmeet on Friday? (21st May, Zoom)

[Deepa Mohan]

And with a glass of wine in hand would it be Zoom barabar Zoom sharabi?

On Tue, May 18, 2021 at 2:47 PM Kiran K Karthikeyan <
kiran.karthike...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Tue, 18 May 2021 at 11:28 AM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
>
> > So we have so far
> >
> > Vinit
> > Surabhi
> > Udhay
> > Peter
> >
> > who else?
>
>
> +1
>
> Regards,
> Kiran
>

[silk] Silkmeet on Friday? (21st May, Zoom)

[Deepa Mohan]

> Vinit
> Surabhi
> Udhay
> Peter
> Deepa
>

 Is it still at 7pm?

Re: [silk] Hello

[Deepa Mohan]

Any air conditioners you would recommend?

On Tue, Apr 27, 2021 at 2:53 PM  wrote:

> Scrap typically - economically viable, but raw material goes to waste.
>
> Please look at www.airzon.in for BLDC ceiling in place of atomberg
> mentioned below.  We make them at Canfan 😊  (not to be taken as self
> promotion)
>
> Old ceiling fans can be sold for scrap (metal scrap dealer) for which
> you'll get credit.  The aluminium, electrical grade silicon steel, mild
> steel and copper gets back as scrap feed to metal makers through a long
> chain.
>
> Holding on to the old stuff bleeds energy.  The energy savings is enough
> to pay back for a new fan in less than two years, typically - shows the
> quantum  of waste with the old stuff.  Even more so in air conditioners.
>
> Ram
>
>
> -----Original Message-
> From: silklist  On
> Behalf Of Deepa Mohan
> Sent: 27 April 2021 14:47
> To: Intelligent Conversation 
> Subject: Re: [silk] Hello
>
> Good steps, which many of us could follow..what do you do with the old
> (less energy-efficient) refrigerators and air-conditioners? Googling for
> BLDC fans now, to understand what they are.
>
> OK, read this:
>
>
> https://atomberg.com/what-makes-bldc-ceiling-fan-different-from-a-normal-induction-ceiling-fan/
>
> Again...what would I do with the old ceiling fans? Would that not be
> adding to the trash, and would passing them on to someone else not be
> passing the buck as well as the fan?
>
> I am eternally torn between buy-the-new-better-item-and-throw-the-old vs.
> retain-the-old-and-don't-keep-buying-new-stuff. I end up almost always on
> the latter side.
>
> Deepa.
>
> On Tue, Apr 27, 2021 at 2:33 PM  wrote:
>
> > Hi Huda,
> >
> > Thank you, and it's good to hear from you.  A few things I've done:
> >
> > 1.  Replaced all devices at home with the most energy efficient ones
> > available after doing an audit of our electricity consumption -
> > replaced existing fans with BLDC fans, all lights are LED/CFL, and all
> > refrigerators and air conditioners are the most energy efficient.
> > 2.  Made the size of the backup inverter and batteries 50% of what
> > they were earlier - goal is to cut waste.  I redeployed the old
> > inverter and excess batteries to a different location.
> > 3.  Off-grid solar for all electricity consumption other than high
> > power devices like air conditioners, induction stoves and pumps.
> >
> > I want to go on-grid solar for all consumption relating to (2) above.
> > Haven't done it yet because net metering is hard to get here in the
> > state of Tamil Nadu - serious bottlenecks and disincentives for
> > adoption.  I hope to get it down once the lockdowns ease off.
> >
> > The goal is to have all electricity consumption at home from
> > non-fossil sources.
> >
> > For water, we have an elaborate systems of catchment on the roof that
> > lead to rainwater pits which we recirculate back for garden use.  I
> > have a lot more to think about in terms of treatment and reuse of grey
> water ...
> >
> > Best,
> > Ram
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -Original Message-
> > From: silklist  On
> > Behalf Of Huda Masood
> > Sent: 27 April 2021 13:34
> > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net
> > Subject: Re: [silk] Hello
> >
> > Hi Ram!
> >
> > Welcome to silklist! We're happy to have you here and can't wait to
> > hear about how you're incorporating tech and policy.
> >
> > What things have you done to conserve energy and water that we can
> > apply immediately to our routines?
> >
> > Warm regards,
> >
> > Huda M
> >
> >
> > On Mon, 26 Apr 2021, 19:20 ,  wrote:
> >
> > > Hi everyone,
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I joined Silklist today, and I wanted to introduce myself.  I'd like
> > > to thank Sumanth and Udhay for introducing me and adding me to
> Silklist.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > My name is Ram C. Sekar, and I am based in Chennai.  I am the
> > > founder of an early stage company, Canfan Private Limited, that
> > > builds super high efficiency fans (industrial and domestic) under
> > > the Airzon brand (www.airzon.in <http://www.airzon.in> ).  Prior to
> > > this, I spent 14 years with McKinsey in Toronto and Chennai,
> > > associated with the Corporate Finance & Strategy practices serving
> > > clients in Metals &
> > Mining and Electricity.
> > > I've also worked at Tata Steel, ICICI and Covanta Energy in
> > > finance/business development roles.Working on areas at the
> > > intersection of technology and policy is my passion, and I'm
> > > passionate about energy and water conservation.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I live with my wife and son in Chennai.  I play tennis and enjoy all
> > > racquet sports.  I enjoy watching documentaries and reading
> > > non-fiction.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I look forward to learning from this group, and contributing
> > > meaningfully
> > > (hopefully) as well.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Best,
> > >
> > > Ram C. Sekar
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>

Re: [silk] Hello

[Deepa Mohan]

Good steps, which many of us could follow..what do you do with the old
(less energy-efficient) refrigerators and air-conditioners? Googling for
BLDC fans now, to understand what they are.

OK, read this:

https://atomberg.com/what-makes-bldc-ceiling-fan-different-from-a-normal-induction-ceiling-fan/

Again...what would I do with the old ceiling fans? Would that not be adding
to the trash, and would passing them on to someone else not be passing the
buck as well as the fan?

I am eternally torn between buy-the-new-better-item-and-throw-the-old vs.
retain-the-old-and-don't-keep-buying-new-stuff. I end up almost always on
the latter side.

Deepa.

On Tue, Apr 27, 2021 at 2:33 PM  wrote:

> Hi Huda,
>
> Thank you, and it's good to hear from you.  A few things I've done:
>
> 1.  Replaced all devices at home with the most energy efficient ones
> available after doing an audit of our electricity consumption - replaced
> existing fans with BLDC fans, all lights are LED/CFL, and all refrigerators
> and air conditioners are the most energy efficient.
> 2.  Made the size of the backup inverter and batteries 50% of what they
> were earlier - goal is to cut waste.  I redeployed the old inverter and
> excess batteries to a different location.
> 3.  Off-grid solar for all electricity consumption other than high power
> devices like air conditioners, induction stoves and pumps.
>
> I want to go on-grid solar for all consumption relating to (2) above.
> Haven't done it yet because net metering is hard to get here in the state
> of Tamil Nadu - serious bottlenecks and disincentives for adoption.  I hope
> to get it down once the lockdowns ease off.
>
> The goal is to have all electricity consumption at home from non-fossil
> sources.
>
> For water, we have an elaborate systems of catchment on the roof that lead
> to rainwater pits which we recirculate back for garden use.  I have a lot
> more to think about in terms of treatment and reuse of grey water ...
>
> Best,
> Ram
>
>
>
>
> -Original Message-
> From: silklist  On
> Behalf Of Huda Masood
> Sent: 27 April 2021 13:34
> To: silklist@lists.hserus.net
> Subject: Re: [silk] Hello
>
> Hi Ram!
>
> Welcome to silklist! We're happy to have you here and can't wait to hear
> about how you're incorporating tech and policy.
>
> What things have you done to conserve energy and water that we can apply
> immediately to our routines?
>
> Warm regards,
>
> Huda M
>
>
> On Mon, 26 Apr 2021, 19:20 ,  wrote:
>
> > Hi everyone,
> >
> >
> >
> > I joined Silklist today, and I wanted to introduce myself.  I'd like
> > to thank Sumanth and Udhay for introducing me and adding me to Silklist.
> >
> >
> >
> > My name is Ram C. Sekar, and I am based in Chennai.  I am the founder
> > of an early stage company, Canfan Private Limited, that builds super
> > high efficiency fans (industrial and domestic) under the Airzon brand
> > (www.airzon.in  ).  Prior to this, I spent 14
> > years with McKinsey in Toronto and Chennai, associated with the
> > Corporate Finance & Strategy practices serving clients in Metals &
> Mining and Electricity.
> > I've also worked at Tata Steel, ICICI and Covanta Energy in
> > finance/business development roles.Working on areas at the
> > intersection of technology and policy is my passion, and I'm
> > passionate about energy and water conservation.
> >
> >
> >
> > I live with my wife and son in Chennai.  I play tennis and enjoy all
> > racquet sports.  I enjoy watching documentaries and reading
> > non-fiction.
> >
> >
> >
> > I look forward to learning from this group, and contributing
> > meaningfully
> > (hopefully) as well.
> >
> >
> >
> > Best,
> >
> > Ram C. Sekar
> >
> >
>
>
>

Re: [silk] Your most memorable concerts?

[Deepa Mohan]

My most memorable concerts (yes, I am a true TamBram Mami) are either
Carnatic or north Indian classical ones.

Ajay Chakrobotri, and Malavika Kanan (an unforgettable performance when I
was very young, that is deeply embedded in my psyche.) Parveen Sulatana's
rendition of "Bhavani Dayani" in Bhairavi.

Concerts by Sanjay Subramaniam, Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, and M L
Vasanthakumari (did you know that two of the great south Indian woman
vocalists took only their mother's name and not their father's?). One
superb concert by D K Jayaraman. Many of these are  languishing on spool
tape somewhere in my parents' unoccupied flat in Chennai.

Deepa.

On Fri, Dec 11, 2020 at 11:40 AM Venkatesh H R 
wrote:

> Thinking on and off about Udhay's 'what do you splurge on' thread, I
> realised I've spent good money to get to concerts. What have been your
> memorable ones?
>
> 2009 - Paul McCartney "Good Evening London" - by far the best concert ever.
> Me and the missus borrowed money from her parents to pay for the tix, we
> were living in Oxford).
> 2019 - U2, Mumbai (travelled from Delhi)
> 2018 - Judas Priest, Mountain View
> 2008 - Ian Anderson, Anoushka Sharma, New Delhi
> 2002 - Deep Purple, Mumbai
> 2002 - Pandit Shiv Shankar Sharma & Ustad Zakir Hussain
>
> Regrets - haven't been to any good Carnatic concerts, missed Mark Knopfler
> and Iron Maiden when they came to Bangalore, gave away tickets I'd won to
> No Doubt in Bangalore 1998 in exchange for a t-shirt. Also came just short
> of going to a Paul Simon at Queen's concert in 2018 (apparently his last
> one).
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> *Get your 'vaccine' from 'fake news', lies, half-truths, manipulated
> truths, propaganda and general B.S. at my media buddhi newsletter
> .*
>
> H R Venkatesh
> Director, Training and Research, BOOM 
> John S. Knight Journalism Fellow 2019
> , Stanford
> University
> Twitter: @hrvenkatesh
>

Re: [silk] What are the things you splurge on that are worth the money?

[Deepa Mohan]

To begin the thread drift... Why name perfumes after colours? Is there any
real association?

Deepa.

On Tue, 8 Dec, 2020, 10:21 Kiran K Karthikeyan, 
wrote:

> On Tue, 8 Dec 2020 at 7:45 AM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
>
> >
> > I assume you mean the version marketed for men. I recommend the original
> > Light Blue, marketed at women, but which I use often. Wonderful
> > apple/citrus fragrance.
> >
>
> Yes. I love the original as well (which they have started marketing to
> men), which is the only reason this caught my attention and I ended up
> trying it.
>
> Kiran
>

Re: [silk] Founder's Day!

[Deepa Mohan]

Indeed it is, thank you Suresh, and I hope you are recovering steadily!

On Fri, Oct 23, 2020 at 10:54 AM Suresh Ramasubramanian 
wrote:

> FB seems to tell me it is your birthday as well Deepa .. happy birthday!
>
> On 23/10/20, 10:46 AM, "silklist on behalf of Deepa Mohan"
>  mohande...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Whether Udhay founded it or foundered on it, this list and his
> Interesting
> Friends have given me quite a lot of great conversation too!
>
> Happy birthday, Vod ka Raja, and may your friends increase.
>
> Cheers, Deepa.
>
>
>
>

[silk] Founder's Day!

[Deepa Mohan]

Whether Udhay founded it or foundered on it, this list and his Interesting
Friends have given me quite a lot of great conversation too!

Happy birthday, Vod ka Raja, and may your friends increase.

Cheers, Deepa.

Re: [silk] Valuing and selling inherited trinkets

[Deepa Mohan]

The reputed auctioneers in Bangalore (Pacheco or some similar spelling was
one, in Langford Town) downed shutters in the early 90's.I wonder if the
famous Chennai auctioneers, Murray and Co, are still working or have closed
too? What wonderful stuff used to pass through their portals! Raghavan
(who, I think, owned Murray's) was extremely knowledgeable, and I used to
say that one sweep of his bespectacled eyes across my apartment was equal
to valuing the artefacts to a T! I used to go on Saturdays in those days
when the Chettiar houses were being dismantled, just to see and sometimes
touch the unaffordable wonders that were going on an unknown journey. I did
get some good stuff by sheer good luck too; an Avalokiteswara sits, to this
day, in my home.

I used to find very knowledgeable people in the antiques field in the
Central Street/Russell Market area, but that, too, is many moons ago, and
it had already started dwindling to only old furniture. Since becoming an
antique myself, I have lost touch completely with this fascinating part of
life. How is the fake-manufacturing trade doing? That had begun thriving by
the time I moved onthose antiques made in Gujrat and Rajasthan

Thank you for the quick peep into the past!

On Sat, Apr 11, 2020 at 6:21 PM Suresh Ramasubramanian 
wrote:

> If there is a reputable auctioneer in bangalore your best bet is to
> auction this collection through them
>
> Are there any books?
>
> On 11/04/20, 6:11 PM, "silklist on behalf of Pooja Sastry"
>  pooja.sas...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Pooja
> >
> > If you have a working cassette and CD player, please let me know.
> >
> > Thanks
> > Lakshmi
> >
>
>  Hi Lakshmi, sorry this comes late, but we do have working cassette
> and CD
> players, will be happy to show you.
>
> I’ve had a very good experience with the antique dealer Ramachandra his
> > number is +91 96866 71615, he has a store (more of godown really) off
> > Commercial Street.
> >
> > Also, in case you find any fountain pens or stationary in there,
> I’ll be
> > happy to pay you for them as I collect fountain pens.
> >
> > If you are fine with it, me and my wife would be happy to come over
> (we
> > are quarantining ourselves until the 31st)  and look at those wooden
> boxes
> > as she loves them as well.
> >
> > —
> > Thank you,
> > Bharath
> >
>
> I'm sorry for the late response, Bharath! Thanks so much for this lead,
> will follow this up after the lockdown. We do have fountain pens, and
> you
> and your wife are welcome to come over to look at them and the wooden
> boxes, except it looks like it will have to be after April now.
>
> Hope you are all safe and well, everyone. Enjoying the thread on
> behaviour
> change post-Coronavirus and thinking about how there's probably no
> "normal
> we can go back to" now.
>
> Pooja
>
>
>
>

Re: [silk] The anti-bucket list

[Deepa Mohan]

It would be ironic if one of the things on my bucket list was making an
anti-bucket list.

Deepa.

On Fri, 3 Jan, 2020, 03:31 Heather Madrone,  wrote:

> +1
>
> Charles Haynes wrote on 1/2/20 9:47 AM January 2, 2020:
> > The idea of an “anti-bucket list” is antithetical to my approach to
> life. I
> > can easily understand why someone would have a list of things they want
> to
> > do, but what’s the point of having a list of things you absolutely refuse
> > to consider ever doing?
>
> I think many of us make declarations of the form "If I never do X
> [again], it will be too soon."
>
> I have even told my family "If I ever take up quilting, shoot me."
>
> I don't know why I would want to build a thought-horde of experiences I
> would hate, though.
>
> Is there some pleasurable aspect here that I'm missing?
>
> --hmm
>
>

[silk] Founder's Day!

[Deepa Mohan]

Here's wishing Udhay the very best for the years ahead!

Deepa.

[silk] Archiving Entire E-group Posts...

[Deepa Mohan]

On another egroup I belong to, the following was suggested/ followed ( I
don't pretend to understand a thing about it).

>
> So, is this legal and within the terms of reference? .. That's what a
> member of the egroup has asked, and what I am asking, too.
>
> "Apologies for cross-posting - I think this would be of interest to certain
> "members of the forum - the below method was tested successfully by GX and
> You & we have an mbox of all posts available offline.
> "
> "It came out of a question by one of the group members on what will happen
> "to old posts if Yahoo shuts down the service Message Archive
> "
> "
> "
> "This is what we had to do:
> "
> "*Install yahoo2mbox*
> "On my ubuntu12.10, all I had to do was *apt-get install yahoo2mbox*. This
> "will work for all debian OS (ubuntu/mint/debian variants). If you are
> using
> "any other OS, including Windows, you have to manually download the perl
> "script from here: http://www.tt-solutions.com/en/portfolio/yahoo2mbox
> "
> "*Run the script for the first time*
> "*yahoo2mbox yahoogroup_name --user=your_usename --pass=your_password
> "*Or, if you are a windows user, *perl yahoo2mbox.pl yahoogroup_name
> "--user=your_usename --pass=your_password*
> "This will start downloading all the messages to a file by the same name as
> "our yahoogroup. But after about 800 messages, yahoo will figure out
> "something fishy is happening and block your IP. There are ways to get
> "around this by adding a delay between downloads, and using another valid
> "yahoo id, but I later figured out, the easiest option is just to wait..
> "Yahoo will unblock your IP in a couple of hours and we can continue where
> "we left off.
> "
> "*Running the script from the second time*
> "After your IP is unblocked, run the script with --retry option.
> (*yahoo2mbox
> "yahoogroup_name --retry --user=your_usename --pass=your_password)*. This
> "will check if the downloaded file has some broken half-messages and
> "complete it.
> "After this, to continue downloading, run the script with --resume
> "option (*yahoo2mbox
> "yahoogroup_name --resume --user=your_usename --pass=your_password*). This
> "also will stop after another 800 or so messages. But if we continue these
> "steps, very soon (in keralabirder's case, restarting 2 times a day for 5
> "days) you will get till the latest message. The unzipped file was 40MB in
> "our case. The key is not to manually alter the file which the script
> "downloads. As long as this file is present in your system intact, you can
> "come back later any time in the future, and continue updating the file
> "easily.
> "
> "*Using the mbox file*
> "You need to have a mail client like Thunderbird or Evolution (should work
> "in Microsoft Exchange too). Thunderbird users will have to install
> "https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/importexporttools
> addon.
> "After this *Tools>ImportExportTools>Import mbox file* and select the file
> "which got downloaded. Also, to see the messages in the right order in
> which
> "they were posted, you will have to sort the messages using *View->Sort
> "by->Order receive*
> "
> "Feel free to fwd this if it is going to be useful in any other similar
> "group.
>
> --
> Reply via web post
> 
> • Reply to sender
> 
> • Reply to group
> 
> • Start a New Topic
> 
> • Messages in this topic
> 
> (3)
> BNGBIRDS started 1998
> Visit Your Group
> 
>
>
> [image: Yahoo! Groups]
> 
> • Privacy  •
> Unsubscribe  • Terms
> of Use 
>
> .
>
> __,_._,___
>

Re: [silk] Random thought of the day

[Deepa Mohan]

If not every post of Vod ka Raja, at least every alternate post has me
reaching for Google.And why is the dilemma named after Warnock, who was he?

On Sat, May 25, 2019 at 7:00 PM Udhay Shankar N  wrote:

> Inspired by one of the random discussions in the F2F meet yesterday.
>
> Silklist is a great place to ponder Warnock's Dilemma [1].
>
> Discuss.
>
> Udhay
>
> [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warnock%27s_dilemma
>
> --
>
> ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
>

Re: [silk] Flamebait of the week

[Deepa Mohan]

I think you should get the reaction to this from the owners of an erstwhile
hertiage building (eg, Cash Pharmacy on St Mark's/Residency Road in
Bangalore).

My daughter, an architect now, was 10 when, after a visit to Delhi, she
remarked that in that city, the dead had far better accommodation than the
living.

And I would also ask Pooja to respond to this!

Deepa.

On Mon, May 6, 2019 at 2:41 PM Thejaswi Udupa 
wrote:

> On Mon, May 6, 2019 at 1:43 PM Alok Prasanna Kumar 
> wrote:
>
> > Here's some flame-bait that's been rattling around in my head for a while
> > now:
> >
> > Laws that protect "heritage buildings" owned by non-public entities (any
> > form of private property) in cities are a bane on equitable urban
> > development, entrench privilege and prevent social-mobility. They are a
> > form of expropriation of private property by the state without
> > compensation.
> >
> >
> >
> My current employers in Chennai would love this viewpoint.
>

[silk] Affordable Housing

[Deepa Mohan]

https://youtu.be/hLrFyjGZ9NU

I suddenly find my little apartment quite huge and luxurious!

Deepa.

Re: [silk] New member Intro: Jitendra (Jiten) Vaidya

[Deepa Mohan]

Welcome, many-faceted Jiten!

On Sun, Feb 24, 2019 at 1:30 AM Jitendra Vaidya 
wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> Geetanjali's intro email reminded me that I have not sent mine, and so here
> is a quick email about me.
>
> I grew up in Aurangabad (Maharashtra), went to college in Bombay and moved
> to the San Francisco bay area in early nineties. I am married, have two
> kids and a pet cat.
>
> For most of my career I have been a backend infrastructure engineer and
> manager. But fun fact: I have also written an Android app that saw over
> 100,000 downloads. I also did a short stint at the USDS (United States
> Digital Service) in Washington DC. I am now the CEO of PlanetScale (
> http://planetscale.com), a company I founded in early 2018. Our goal is to
> build a scalable multi-cloud transactional database-as-a-service based on
> the open source project Vitess (http://vitess.io).
>
> I love to read. My all-time favorite prose author is probably Milan
> Kundera. I also end up reading a lot of science fiction: in the last year I
> have read Cory Doctorow, Liu Cixin and Neal Stephenson. Vernor Vinge is an
> all-time favorite.
>
> I also like to cook and make cocktails. The current cookbook I am browsing
> and trying out recipes from is Asma Said Khan's "Asma's Indian Kitchen:
> Home-cooked food brought to you by Darjeeling Express". The cocktail I like
> to make and serve the most is Vesper Martini which I make with Gin, Vodka,
> Dolin's Dry Vermouth and Cocchi Americano.
>
> Thank you Udhay for inviting me and look forward to stimulating
> discussions.
>
> -Jiten
>

Re: [silk] Hi, I’m Geetanjali

[Deepa Mohan]

Welcome! As per your behest, I am indeed having a great Saturday!

Deepa.

On Sat, Feb 23, 2019 at 12:27 PM Geetanjali Chitnis <
g...@geetanjalichitnis.com> wrote:

> Hello!
>
> Udhay, thank you for inviting me to the last Silklist meet-up and for
> adding me to the list! I’m excited to be here. I’ve known a few list
> members for pretty much all my life, and I look forward to meeting
> more of you soon.
>
> I’m Geetanjali Chitnis from Bangalore. I did my schooling at Mallya
> Aditi International School and then got an undergraduate degree in
> Communication Studies, Psychology and English Literature from Mount
> Carmel College.
>
> I began my career as a trainee content writer at a marketing
> communications agency in 2011, where I primarily developed content for
> IT clients. I moved into the account management & client servicing
> space before quitting my full-time job a few years ago. I currently
> head branding and communications (as a consultant) for Geist - a local
> craft beer brand which also happens to be South India’s first
> distribution craft brewery. The transition has been fascinating, to
> say the least :)
>
> I love biryani, romance novels, cats, makeup, movies and Bangalore weather.
>
> Have a great Saturday, everyone!
>
> Best,
> Geetanjali
>
>

Re: [silk] What do you do when you get to know that you have been pwned?

[Deepa Mohan]

I must say that "use 'forgot password'!" is advice I get very often from my
bank. I think it is an absurd solution that works!

On Fri, Feb 22, 2019 at 8:53 PM Ra Jesh  wrote:

> Hahaha. Neat!!!
>
> On Fri, Feb 22, 2019, 20:51 Ashim D'Silva 
> wrote:
>
> > For sites I don’t use too often, I was always tempted to reuse passwords
> > which is a pretty bad practice, so I started just using the forgot
> password
> > feature more often. So I have a ridiculous entirely random password that
> I
> > don’t know, and then just say forgot password when I want to log in.
> >
> > It’s could also be a good way to go about changing all your passwords—and
> > side effect is it confirms your backup email.
> >
> > Cheerio,
> >
> > Ashim
> > Design & Build
> >
> > The Random Lines
> > www.therandomlines.com
> >
> >
> > On Fri, 22 Feb 2019 at 16:55, Thaths  wrote:
> >
> > > On Fri, Feb 22, 2019 at 2:42 AM Udhay Shankar N 
> wrote:
> > >
> > > > On Fri, Feb 22, 2019 at 2:04 PM Udhay Shankar N 
> > wrote:
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > 1. Log out all gmail/facebook/other social sessions (Most providers
> > > give
> > > > > you the option to "log out all current sessions")
> > > > > 2. Change all the passwords of pwned email addresses
> > > > > 3. Enable 2FA EVERYWHERE that supports it. Ideally, with a hardware
> > > token
> > > > > such as a yubikey.
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > > Additionally, I'd also suggest you log in to your various
> (potentially)
> > > > compromised accounts, check under security setting to see if the
> backup
> > > > email address (where password reset notifications are sent) and
> backup
> > > > phone number have been tampered with.
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > In addition to all of those steps, I also recommend using unique
> > passwords
> > > in all the sites. It is not going to be possible for you to remember
> that
> > > many unique passwords (especially if you choose strong passwords). I
> > > recommend you choose strong passwords that you memorize for one or two
> of
> > > your key accounts (Google, Facebook). And use a password management (I
> > > personally use keepass) to generate and store strong unique passwords
> for
> > > your other sites.
> > >
> > > Thaths
> > >
> > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > >
> > > > ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Homer: Hey, what does this job pay?
> > > Carl:  Nuthin'.
> > > Homer: D'oh!
> > > Carl:  Unless you're crooked.
> > > Homer: Woo-hoo!
> > >
> >
>

Re: [silk] Huda Masood

[Deepa Mohan]

Welcome, O many-hatted Huda!

On Thu, Feb 21, 2019 at 10:09 PM Huda Masood  wrote:

> Hi !
>
> I'm Huda and I'm honoured to be part of the Silklist group. Udhay mentioned
> that I need to introduce myself so here's a little bit about myself.
>
> I live in Bangalore but I'm Hyderabadi. Here, in Bangalore, I run a company
> called The Huda Bar - we manufacture organic energy bars.
>
> I've an grad degree in dental surgery and a post graduate degree in
> Regenerative medicine - I worked with stem cells for a while before
> regulatory issues narrowed the scope of human stem cell research.
>
> I've worn a lot of hats and worked even more jobs, too many to list off the
> top of my head. My current hobby is to try and destroy my motorcycle on off
> road jaunts, while asking myself why I do this to myself.
>
> I've met a few Silklist folks over the last couple of years and I look
> forward to our conversations!
>
> That's it for now, see you guys soon!
>
> Huda
>

Re: [silk] Silkmeet in Bangalore 18 Feb 2019

[Deepa Mohan]

Does this mean you will be standing in the doorway with your talking and
hearing parts (that sounds better than saying "head") inside the room?

On Tue, Feb 12, 2019 at 5:04 PM Amitha Singh  wrote:

> I'm mostly in. +1
>

Re: [silk] Legal adulthood

[Deepa Mohan]

Hmm. Wonder why my name doesn't figure after I'd said I was on? It's true
that after 8.30pm or so my Intelligent Conversation level dips to
near-zero...

On Sat, Dec 15, 2018 at 5:46 PM Udhay Shankar N  wrote:

> On Fri, Dec 14, 2018 at 10:13 AM Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
>
> Next week, silklist will be 21 years old. Whee!
> >
> > Folks in Bangalore, meetup? Thursday 20 Dec seems most workable at this
> > point (I am traveling starting Friday 21 Dec). Vinit and Surabhi have
> > kindly offered to host at their place, which has seen many memorable
> > silkmeets in the past, including the first silklist baby. :)
> >
> > Show of hands for Thursday 20 Dec meetup?
> >
>
> Here is the current show of hands. Others?
>
> Yes:
>
> Surabhi Tomar
> Vinit Bhansali
> Udhay Shankar
> Suresh Ramasubramanian
> Naresh Narasimhan
> Jayadevan PK
> Julian Philips
> Zeenath Hassan
> Bharat Shetty
> Lahar Appaiah
> Shrabonti Bagchi
> Rashmi Vallabhajosyula
> Sharat Satyanarayana
> Jessica Prabhakar
>
> Maybe:
>
> Ashwin Kumar
> Anjana Mohan
> Kavita Choudary
> Madhu Menon
> Amitha Singh
>

Re: [silk] Legal adulthood

[Deepa Mohan]

On Fri, Dec 14, 2018 at 9:50 PM Radhika, Y.  wrote:

> Johnny-come -lately, Deepa?
>

Janaki-come-lately. I could add the appropriate Rajanikanth dialogue
here...

Re: [silk] Legal adulthood

[Deepa Mohan]

Er, until now we were all illegal adults?

Also would like to know the "original crew members" who are "still around".
Also...how many people have left the list over the years?

Re: [silk] Legal adulthood

[Deepa Mohan]

Is there a word for a Late Joiner ( opp of Early Adapter)? I have no idea
when I joined (or was joined, if there is a passive voice like that.)   I
am in too. Can't miss too many meets and have admin kick me outnot to
mention having Surabhi and Vinit going "katti" on me...

Deepa.

On Fri, Dec 14, 2018 at 3:07 PM Suresh Ramasubramanian 
wrote:

> I'm in.  And I think I only joined in around 2000 or so.
>
> On 14/12/18, 2:59 PM, "silklist on behalf of Bharath Chari"
>  ch...@arachnis.com> wrote:
>
> On 12/14/18 6:43 AM, Udhay Shankar N wrote:
> > Next week, silklist will be 21 years old. Whee!
> >
> > Folks in Bangalore, meetup? Thursday 20 Dec seems most workable at
> this
> > point (I am traveling starting Friday 21 Dec). Vinit and Surabhi have
> > kindly offered to host at their place, which has seen many memorable
> > silkmeets in the past, including the first silklist baby. :)
> >
> > Show of hands for Thursday 20 Dec meetup?
> >
> > Udhay
> >
> Wow! Didn't realize that. Yeah, December 1997. How many of the original
> crew are still around here?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Re: [silk] My thoughts on old age

[Deepa Mohan]

I think I will savour this message, read it several times, and then
respond. Happy Deepavali to you, too, my very dearyou are right, why
hang labels on you? I count myself very fortunate to know you and I do
learn a lot from  you.

On Tue, Nov 6, 2018 at 10:39 AM Srini RamaKrishnan  wrote:

> Dear Deepa,
>
> I am young enough to be your son, so I cannot speak on old age, but I can
> speak a little on vulnerability.
>
> I know a little of - what it is to experience a chronic illness, be the
> sole care taker for old and infirm family members, experience a rapid
> deceleration in income and physical freedom among other things.
>
> When life changes under us our life understanding requires modification.
>
> We have all been utterly vulnerable as babies, dependent on others for
> nearly everything - but there's not a single case of mental trauma from
> being born vulnerable, babies have the most blissful smiles when their
> basic needs are met. So we all know how to be vulnerable and yet blissful
> in our core, needing only the most basic things. It's the layers of cruft
> that we add on during the process of living that causes any suffering.
>
> Thanks to technology and innovation at least some people today have some
> kind of pension or passive income to keep them financially stable in old
> age, and there are advanced medical interventions for when diseases
> threaten life.
>
> This wasn't always the case, and so, for this we must be thankful, old age
> isn't as daunting as it once was.
>
> The inner experience of old age is then what I find threatens next - to be
> robbed of the sense pleasures for one. When the hearing isn't good enough
> for music or conversation, when the digestive system cannot tolerate one's
> favorite foods, when the eyes want to remain closed longer than they want
> to be open, when the brain is no longer sharp enough to enjoy sense inputs
> etc. Of course this doesn't happen all at once, or at all for some - but
> for many if they live into their 80s, this is what life becomes.
>
> Losing a life purpose is another - it's rather hard to keep chewing on the
> sugarcane when one doesn't know what more one can extract from it. Rather
> than have bleeding gums we stop chewing on the sugarcane - as in the case
> of your relative. Though some people may face this dilemma even on
> retirement from a career or bereavement.
>
> If I may rephrase your question "When does old age begin?" as "when does
> vulnerability and change begin?", then, was there ever a time when it
> wasn't so?
>
> To begin with the obvious, we are living on a piece of rock spinning and
> hurtling through space at an astonishing pace. We simply tune out the chaos
> and uncertainty of it, and imagine a life on our terms. Life is never on
> anyone's terms - ever  - it's merely a dance - we don't set the tune, but
> we can learn to move gracefully with the music. There's always music, even
> in what may sound like cacophony - we only need to learn to move with it.
> Old age is just a new tempo to the tune.
>
> We must prepare for being vulnerable even if we are confident in our plans
> to secure the future. Not just in old age, but at any moment our life
> circumstances can be altered totally.
>
> If we can enjoy life only as long as things are under our control, we are
> usually in for trouble. We do significantly better if we hold life loose,
> not being attached to or identified with any job or passion or interest or
> person or health or wealth such that its disappearance wouldn't threaten.
>
> An individual identity is a bit like adding salt to food, a little goes a
> long way. Too much investment in a limited identity or preference will
> diminish life and dull intelligence. If our whole life is spent in
> acquiring labels - identities of father, son, boss, rich man, public
> intellectual, sports person etc. then when the labels are taken away
> there's often great suffering.
>
> This is what the wisdom teachings of this culture say, seek self
> realization - find who we are beyond the labels, beyond the limited
> identities.
>
> Happy Deepavali!
>

Re: [silk] My thoughts on old age

[Deepa Mohan]

Enjoyed every word of your response. No need to apologize!

On Sat, Oct 27, 2018 at 9:23 PM  >
> > -- Charles
>
> On November 17, assuming I make it 'til then, I'll turn 66.



> So that was
> how I became a firefighter at age 55

With apologies for the length of this ramble,
>
> jrs
>
>

Re: [silk] My thoughts on old age

[Deepa Mohan]

Good wishes have no time-bound expiry and birthday wishes are for the
future! Thank you, Ingrid.

On Thu, Oct 25, 2018 at 9:27 AM Ingrid Srinath 
wrote:

>
>
> > On 25 Oct 2018, at 07:15, Deepa Mohan  wrote:
> >
> > Obviously, the musing went on longer than the blogpost:
> >
> > https://deponti.livejournal.com/1215542.html
> >
> > I wonder how many people on this list are in their sixties?
> >
> > Deepa.
>
> Belated birthday greetings, Deepa.
>
>

[silk] A question for bloggers

[Deepa Mohan]

Which blog do you use, and why?

I was a complete tech ignoramus when I began blogging in 2005 or 2006; and
since most of my friends, and my daughter (Anjana, also on this list) were
on LiveJournal ( LJ), and it was a fairly vibrant community in Bangalore
then, I too joined it.

The DDOS attacks, and several tech problems meant that most of my friends
moved out of LJ not much longer after that.  I too started blogs on Blogger
and WordPress (WP).  In some undefined way, Blogger did not seem to suit me
and though I still use my Blogger id to comment on other posts, I don't use
it. However, I started backing up my LJ posts to WP.

I see that LJ is moribund, now , and I have, perhaps, 3 readers for my
posts (I don't usually see how many people read my posts, on either blogs
or on FaceBook.)  However, I still find that LJ  seems to have several
features like  cut-text, an easily available setting where the post can be
seen only by me, and so on, that even more tech-oriented blogs like GitHub
don't have.

When I started, I did not use a camera. Over the years, photography
featured more and more in my posts. But just lately, I tend to make my
photo posts on FB and use the blog more for my thoughts and
observations...though I still do use  photos too.

So...what is your blog site preference, and why?

Deepa.

[silk] My thoughts on old age

[Deepa Mohan]

Obviously, the musing went on longer than the blogpost:

https://deponti.livejournal.com/1215542.html

I wonder how many people on this list are in their sixties?

Deepa.

[silk] My thoughts on old age...what it is, and when it begins

[Deepa Mohan]

https://deponti.livejournal.com/1215542.html

I would like to know others' thoughts, too.

Deepa.

Re: [silk] Organizing files/ folders on one's laptop

[Deepa Mohan]

Tickled to see that housekeeping is housekeeping, with sustained work, no
matter what it is for!

On Tue, Oct 23, 2018 at 8:28 AM Udhay Shankar N  wrote:

> On Tue, Oct 23, 2018 at 8:14 AM Prashant P Kothari 
> wrote:
>
> A question for the hive mind: do you have any tips for how to organize
> > files/ folders on one's computer.
> > My challenge: after multiple laptops/ desktops/ hard rives and
> transferring
> > data and files from one to the other, I have a mishmash of folders on my
> > current laptop - and lots of duplicates
> >
>
> There is a certain amount of up-front hard work that is required, and a
> certain amount of ongoing discipline.
>
> 1. Start with organizing in VERY high level directory structure. (e.g WORK
> and PLAY at the highest level)
> 2. PLAY could then possibly have subdirectories like READ, WATCH, LISTEN,
> PICTURES and so on...
> 3. The subdirectory names should get more and more specific as you drill
> down (e.g there is a directory called "Jaipur2010Oct" under PICTURES, which
> might contain another subfolder called "RedFort")
> 4. Don't worry about filling up the directories just yet, but do put new
> stuff in specific directories as they get created.
> 5. Over time, as you use more files on your computer, get into the habit of
> moving it to a specifically named directory.
> 6. Copy this entire directory structure to a cloud service like dropbox,
> box, or google drive (two caveats: if you are truly paranoid, consider
> encrypting it first; and you may not want to bother with music/movies). You
> can automate this process by using a tool like Synctoy for Windows. This
> will give you a copy accessible from any other computer.
> 7. Depending on how much stuff you have, this will, over time, come to
> resemble a well-organised and structured computer. :)
>
> Udhay
>

Re: [silk] The Mother [was: Capitalism and Climate Change]

[Deepa Mohan]

Enjoyed this account very much!

I find that I unconsciously judge people on the basis of things like
prominent streaks of vibhuti or sandal paste, astrologically significant
rings, flowing matted locks, and other external accoutrements. I  find that
this is my mental conditioning due to the "dressing up" of many
quackreligious people...but since I should not judge thus, I am schooling
myself not to do so.

Still, it is hard to not to equate things like large quantities of
rudraksha malas with the kind of people who are right now providing
amazingly entertaining videos while sitting, smiling beatifically, on
silver thrones, with silver sceptres in their hands...

Cheeni is, in many ways, my guru. There is not a single conversation with
him which does not lead me to re-examine many of my ideas and beliefs...and
sometimes see that I am as ignorant, or prejudiced as those whom I hold to
be so.  He allows me to throw light into my own mind...and to me, that is
what a guru is.

Deepa.

On Thu, Oct 11, 2018 at 10:00 AM Suresh Ramasubramanian 
wrote:

>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Well that was remarkably philosophical - and sincerely felt. More
> power to you.
> The one thing I remember about the Aurobindo Ashram after being an on
> again off again visitor over the past two decades (my wife's family are
> believers and I'm normally elected to drive them across)..
> This was around 2005 or so, we were at the ashram and this six foot tall
> man with a magnificent mustache, ostentatiously dressed in simple looking
> but designer khadi, his fingers festooned with navaratna rings (with nine
> gemstones, supposedly very astrologically significant) came in, sat in
> front of the Samadhi in a rigid yogic meditation type pose and proceed to
> meditate, to the general admiration of all.
> A couple of minutes into this grand performance and the man let out a
> loud, long, thundering fart, (which sounded even louder because silence is
> requested and adhered to in the ashram premises), looked around him with a
> suddenly embarrassed face and beat a hasty retreat to, presumably, the
> nearest restroom.
> I always wondered after that incident whether the mother - or more likely
> Aurobindo, who being a bengali before becoming a saint, was doubtless well
> acquainted with rich feasts and a wide range of digestive medication (and
> this is something that is proverbial among the bengalis and depicted in
> movies and popular culture) was having a gentle joke at the expense of that
> ostentatious 'devotee'.
>
>
>
>
> --srs
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Oct 11, 2018 at 9:28 AM +0530, "Srini RamaKrishnan" <
> che...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Oct 10, 2018 at 9:05 PM Manu Bhardwaj  wrote:
> [...]
> > Your Google logo is of The Mother (
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirra_Alfassa)! Are you also an alumnus of
> > Sri Aurobindo Memorial School, Bangalore? I remember/realised that Udhay
> is
> > one too, so this list might have many more.
>
> I was not a student there, I connected with The Mother about 11 or 12 years
> ago when I visited her Samadhi in Pondicherry, though obviously I had heard
> of her before, as many have, at least in this region of India.
>
> As to why I added her photo to my DP, that was merely an act of intuition,
> or inspiration. For many years now most of my life isn't led with thought
> or logic, if I feel inspired to do something I do it.
>
> If I had to supply a post-hoc logic to it, it would go something like this.
>
> I generally don't have any photo on my profile. While messing around with
> my Google profile settings the other day a thought occurred that rather
> than having that space remain empty there might be a way to make it useful.
> I looked around in my device and found The Mother's picture, which I
> promptly added.
>
> In every photograph or creative work of a person, something of the
> consciousness of the person is present. This may not be immediately
> apparent, but this is often why humans pay millions for some paintings that
> look like a disaster. Something stirs deep inside when we look at powerful
> images, hear powerful sounds, experience powerful vibrations, and this
> photo of The Mother can do that.
>
> Many Saints carry such an aura, Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi
>
> for example, is another image I could have used. I didn't want an image
> that triggered religious or sectarian pre-conceptions. We lose our
> innocence when we approach things with a preconception of what it is. Those
> unfamiliar with The Mother I hoped would be able to look at the image with
> a curiosity, maybe they'd assume she's my grand mother? In that moment of
> innocence something remarkable can happen.
>
> When I didn't know as much about these things, I would be struck by some
> experiences, unable to explain them logically. Many years ago I was in
> Amsterdam, and I used to spend hours in front of a single painting by Van
> Gogh, and mere minutes in front of the works of Rembrandt. I couldn't te

Re: [silk] Hi there!

[Deepa Mohan]

Welcome, Jose! That was an interesting comment of yours about mailing
lists... would like to hear a little more.

Deepa

On Thu, Sep 6, 2018, 04:05 José María Mateos  wrote:

> Hi everybody,
>
> I'm José María (Chema) Mateos, a Spaniard that emigrated to Montreal a
> few years ago to pursue a career in academia and that quit, bored to
> death, to reincarnate as a Data Scientist, where things seems to be more
> fun.
>
> I used to have Twitter / Facebook accounts but social media burned me
> out. From time to time I hunt for mailing lists that seem to have
> interesting conversations (mailing lists tend to be smaller, have a
> certain friction to join and develop very interesting folklores
> long-term). I came across Silk scanning old Liberationtech posts and
> Udhay was kind enough to approve my subscription. I hope to contribute
> at some point, but for now I am enjoying the reading.
>
> See you around,
>
> --
> José María (Chema) Mateos
> https://rinzewind.org/blog-es || https://rinzewind.org/blog-en
>
>

Re: [silk] How much time do you spend cooking?

[Deepa Mohan]

What is this "thickened black sauce" you are talking about? Sounds like my
cooking when I've forgotten things...

On Tue, Sep 4, 2018 at 10:59 AM Suresh Ramasubramanian 
wrote:

> And depends on what you cook.  Meat generally takes a lot more preparation
> time as well as cooking time than vegetables do.  Simple dishes that can be
> cooked in a single pot take far less time than more complex ones involving
> thickened black sauces. [etc]
>
> So anywhere between 45 minutes to 3+ hours depending on what's cooking.
>
> And those 45 minutes are if you multitask.  Eg: Put the pressure cooker on
> to boil rice, and start chopping vegetables, heating the tamarind extract +
> salt + sambar powder just in time for the cooker to finish + the steam
> inside to dissipate enough for you to open it .. when you add the steamed
> vegetables and then the dal that are in the cooker along with the rice.
>
> Then again there are those dishes where you can just set them to cook and
> go off, do your own thing for half an hour plus while they gently simmer on
> the stove.
>
> On 04/09/18, 10:55 AM, "silklist on behalf of Alok Prasanna Kumar"
>  kautilya...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I work outside home and I usually cook every alternate day or so given
> that
> I live alone and cook only for myself.
>
> So I guess I cook about 3-4 hours a week tops (not including re-heating
> leftovers).
>
> On Tue, Sep 4, 2018 at 10:50 AM Ra Jesh  wrote:
>
> > I would expand the question to "How much time do you spend managing
> the
> > food ecosystem in your household?" I guess this is what earlier
> generations
> > in India included in "running the household".
> >
> > E.g. Last week I cooked a fried fish in a thickened black sauce and
> made a
> > prawn curry (3-4 hours on that day) but the process also involved
> > purchasing the fish (I don't do home delivery of groceries) and
> prawns, and
> > gutting 2 kg of prawns. Now the fish dish needed boneless chunks,
> but I
> > bought the whole fish (because smaller fishmongers can't discard the
> rest
> > of the carcass profitably and I prefer buying from smaller local
> sellers).
> > The rest of the fish carcass can best be used to make a fish broth,
> which
> > took another 90 min, but 2 days later. This broth is now in the
> freezer but
> > will become a soup sometime next week or so.
> >
> > So, from picking and buying an adequate variety but appropriate
> quantity of
> > vegetables, fruits, grains, fats, and meats, to orchestrating what
> gets
> > cooked when to maximize freshness of each item, to keeping track of
> what's
> > been eaten and how much is leftover in the fridge, to cooking some
> of the
> > families meals myself, to cleaning up and disposing of kitchen waste
> > appropriately, I'd say it takes about 12-15 hours a week.
> >
> > On Sep 4, 2018 10:29, "Karen Fernandes"  wrote:
> >
> > I work from home. I live with my mother who does most of the
> cooking. I
> > make my own breakfast though, for which I spend 30-40 minutes per day
> > cooking.
> >
> >
> >
> > Karen.
> >
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Sep 4, 2018 at 8:35 AM Udhay Shankar N 
> wrote:
> >
> > > Something I am curious about.
> > >
> > > How much time here do people spend actually cooking the food they
> eat? To
> > > make the data more useful, calculate the time you spent over the
> past
> > week
> > > in total.
> > >
> > > Also, please mention whether you work outside home or primarily
> within
> > home
> > > (as a homemaker or a long distance worker)
> > >
> > > Udhay
> > > --
> > >
> > > --
> > > ((Udhay Shankar N))  ((via phone))
> > >
> >
>
>
> --
> Alok Prasanna Kumar
> Advocate
> Ph: +919560065577
>
>
>
>
>

Re: [silk] How much time do you spend cooking?

[Deepa Mohan]

Ah.As my mother said, "Cooking is the time from a clean kitchen to a clean
kitchen again." Perceptive post, Rajesh, thank you!

On Tue, Sep 4, 2018 at 10:50 AM Ra Jesh  wrote:

> I would expand the question to "How much time do you spend managing the
> food ecosystem in your household?" I guess this is what earlier generations
> in India included in "running the household".
>
> E.g. Last week I cooked a fried fish in a thickened black sauce and made a
> prawn curry (3-4 hours on that day) but the process also involved
> purchasing the fish (I don't do home delivery of groceries) and prawns, and
> gutting 2 kg of prawns. Now the fish dish needed boneless chunks, but I
> bought the whole fish (because smaller fishmongers can't discard the rest
> of the carcass profitably and I prefer buying from smaller local sellers).
> The rest of the fish carcass can best be used to make a fish broth, which
> took another 90 min, but 2 days later. This broth is now in the freezer but
> will become a soup sometime next week or so.
>
> So, from picking and buying an adequate variety but appropriate quantity of
> vegetables, fruits, grains, fats, and meats, to orchestrating what gets
> cooked when to maximize freshness of each item, to keeping track of what's
> been eaten and how much is leftover in the fridge, to cooking some of the
> families meals myself, to cleaning up and disposing of kitchen waste
> appropriately, I'd say it takes about 12-15 hours a week.
>
> On Sep 4, 2018 10:29, "Karen Fernandes"  wrote:
>
> I work from home. I live with my mother who does most of the cooking. I
> make my own breakfast though, for which I spend 30-40 minutes per day
> cooking.
>
>
>
> Karen.
>
>
>
> On Tue, Sep 4, 2018 at 8:35 AM Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
>
> > Something I am curious about.
> >
> > How much time here do people spend actually cooking the food they eat? To
> > make the data more useful, calculate the time you spent over the past
> week
> > in total.
> >
> > Also, please mention whether you work outside home or primarily within
> home
> > (as a homemaker or a long distance worker)
> >
> > Udhay
> > --
> >
> > --
> > ((Udhay Shankar N))  ((via phone))
> >
>

Re: [silk] How much time do you spend cooking?

[Deepa Mohan]

I cook in both my home and my daughter's...it averages to about 40 min a
day...more when I have forgotten what I left on the stove and carbonized
it

On Tue, Sep 4, 2018 at 9:03 AM Udhay Shankar N  wrote:

> On Tue, Sep 4, 2018 at 8:52 AM Deepa Mohan  wrote:
>
>
> > One would think that when starting a thread like this, you would share
> your
> > own data, Udhay!
> >
>
> I mostly offer prep services to my wife, who is the main cook - except on
> weekends, when I generally make things like frittatas. So perhaps an
> average of 20 minutes/day.
>
> Since I live alone, though, the time I spend cooking varies a lot.
> >
>
> How much has it been over the last week? (I picked that time period because
> I am skeptical that people will recall the time they spent in the kitchen
> for longer than a week)
>
> Udhay
>

Re: [silk] How much time do you spend cooking?

[Deepa Mohan]

One would think that when starting a thread like this, you would share your
own data, Udhay!

I work both "outside the home, on my outings, and from home when I am
posting photographs and writing about them. I tend to cook most of the
cooked food that I eat, except my post-nature-walks breakfasts/brunches at
darshinis near the places I visit, which also have freshly cooked food.The
uncooked food part forms a major part of my diet...vegetable salads and
fruits. Since I live alone, though, the time I spend cooking varies a lot.

Deepa.

On Tue, Sep 4, 2018 at 8:35 AM Udhay Shankar N  wrote:

> Something I am curious about.
>
> How much time here do people spend actually cooking the food they eat? To
> make the data more useful, calculate the time you spent over the past week
> in total.
>
> Also, please mention whether you work outside home or primarily within home
> (as a homemaker or a long distance worker)
>
> Udhay
> --
>
> --
> ((Udhay Shankar N))  ((via phone))
>

Re: [silk] Slow thinking

[Deepa Mohan]

Until now I felt that my ability to come up with a cogent (and sometimes
extremely witty) response several hours later was an example of my being
"slow on the uptake" (in the derogatory sense that this phrase is
used).Glad that it is being validated now...as is my general inability to
"multitask" without making a hash of all those tasks.

The eclipse of "dumbness" is turning into the light of "mindfulness" and
"slow thinking"...and I am very happy about this!

I am looking forward to my erratic memory also becoming a sign of Something
Good.

Deepa.

On Thu, Aug 9, 2018 at 4:27 PM, Peter Griffin 
wrote:

> Point is: When you’re less impulsive and more deliberate like this, it can
> > be a little inconvenient for other people, but that’s OK.
> >
> > Someone asks you a question. You don’t need to answer. You can say, “I
> > don’t know,” and take your time to answer after thinking.
> >
> > Things happen. Someone expects you to respond. But you can say, “We’ll
> > see.”
> >
> > And maybe, through example, you can show them that they can do the same.
> >
>
> Please. This is dangerous talk. I have a living to make.
>

Re: [silk] Hello

[Deepa Mohan]

Or, "on seeing the enemy drawing their swords, the warriors druthers."

On Wed, May 23, 2018 at 2:47 PM, Lahar Appaiah  wrote:

> Like, "Gun Fanatics are Druthers in Arms".
>
>1.
>2. On Wed, May 23, 2018, 2:37 PM Deepa Mohan 
>wrot
>
> > Googling for "druthers" now.
> >




> if I had my druthers, I'd rather be bike riding through the back country
>


> > > Rahul
> > >
> >
>

Re: [silk] Hello

[Deepa Mohan]

Welcome to all the Interesting People Udhay has added.

Googling for "druthers" now.

Deepa.

On Wed, May 23, 2018 at 2:23 PM, Hariharan Rahul  wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> This is Rahul. Thanks, Udhay, for inviting me to this list. I know Udhay
> from the online world, through another mailing list with allusions to
> sheer, soft textiles.
>
> I'm a computer scientist/engineer based in Boston/Cambridge. I work on a
> broad swath of systems ranging from wired and wireless networks up from the
> signal layer to server side and distributed systems. I've been orbiting
> academia for years as a graduate student, and working on startups based on
> my academic work. After all, what's entrepreneurship but a $10 word saying
> that you can't find anybody willing to employ you?
>
> Work tends to be all consuming most days - yeah, I'm boring, I know - but
> if I had my druthers, I'd rather be bike riding through the back country or
> hiking up in New Hampshire.
>
> Look forward to listening to all you people here on the list, and hope I
> can contribute!
>
> Rahul
>

Re: [silk] Bangladesh, Nepal, and the UN

[Deepa Mohan]

Profound and wise words from Cheeni, as always. I enjoy every conversation
I have with him.

Deepa.

On Thu, Apr 26, 2018 at 9:50 AM, Srini RamaKrishnan 
wrote:

> On Thu, Apr 26, 2018, 3:38 AM Vani Murarka  wrote:
>
> >
> > ---2---
> >
> > The media cannot resist tapping into our fear instinct. It is such an
> easy
> > way to grab our attention. In fact the biggest stories are often those
> that
> > trigger more than one type of fear. Kidnappings and plane crashes, for
> > example, each combine the fear of harm and the fear of captivity.
> > Earthquake victims trapped under collapsed buildings are both hurt and
> > trapped, and get more attention than regular earthquake victims. The
> drama
> > is so much stronger when multiple fears are triggered. Yet here’s the
> > paradox: the image of a dangerous world has never been broadcast more
> > effectively than it is now, while the world has never been less violent
> and
> > more safe.
> >
>
>
> Entertainment preys on an evolutionary reward mechanism that boosts happy
> chemicals when an imminent danger is avoided, or at the very least keeps
> one riveted to whatever is going on. Fear and lust are the best ways to
> grab attention, even nature TV channels sprinkle gratuitous shots of snakes
> with this intention. This is such a reptilian, amygdala pre-brain thing,
> that this age is in danger of seriously retarding or regressing human
> evolution.
>
> The human brain needs to be rewired to survive this age, or many will soon
> check out on drugs and other short cuts to stupor. Trump's election and the
> resultant endless news cycle shot cannabis sales through the roof in the
> US. The day is not far when one in two will use drugs at least periodically
> to deal with the world. I foresee more and more drugs becoming socially
> acceptable recreational pursuits.
>
> No grabbing plot line can exist without some conflict, so the violence has
> gone from battlefields and famines into our minds as we consume fear and
> inadequacy all day long. The net suffering remains the same, it's just at
> this abstract level, where everyone struggles to be happy. Happiness is
> considered some Holy Grail of the times, like a full stomach was in British
> Raj era India. Whereas happiness should be the normal condition of the
> human. The US even settled for the pursuit of happiness, as if it's always
> only available tomorrow. The pursuit of happiness is much the same as the
> pursuit of a full stomach, little else can be done in life without it, but
> unlike a full stomach it's not easily attained. Go about it in the wrong
> ways, and one harms oneself and others.
>
> Yogic practices involve a lot of austerities and penance, because it
> rewires the brain to appreciate there's true pleasure in pain, and very
> real pain in illusory pleasures.
>
> Anyone who's run a marathon or even a 10k can tell you it's not madness
> that makes them nearly kill themselves, it's a quest for some inner calm.
>
> The calm comes from learning to appreciate the battles of life as necessary
> and energizing.
>
> In the near future, or even today, in some parts of the world, the only
> people who can be truly happy will be those who are prepared to work for
> it. Who've overcome their reptilian instincts and exhibit greater will
> power.
>
> The time for hard work has never been greater than today when we have
> leisure.
>
> >
>

Re: [silk] Mental Illness, Relationships, and Awareness

[Deepa Mohan]

>
>
>
> Yes, this was essentially a reaching out. Feel like writing about some
> things related to all this on my blog but refrain from doing so because my
> brother and other family members will likely not like it.
>
> Some of the reasons people do not like to share the news of illness,
physical or mental:

1. One is bombarded by questions about how, when, where, and often why...at
times, one is just not up to answering and indeed, it can feel like a
tape-recording

2.Such situations are often quite fluid and can change overnight, it's
difficult to update even well-wishers about what's happening right now,

3.  One is bombarded by well-meaning advice, most of which one cannot take.

4. One has to listen to a lot of insensitive and thoughtless comments..as
Vani says, one cannot always digest it all.
'
5.  One has to listen to irrelevant accounts of others' sufferings,
sometimes.

6. I often find that even close friends hear something quite different from
what I think I am telling them.

With a close friend, I can say, "Reach out to me if you need me." With an
acquaintance, I might not be able to help at all, except perhaps in
listening (and that, too, I might not be reaching out at the other person's
time of need.)

Vani, I still use that old moribund blog called LiveJournal. It has a "my
eyes only" setting. I  get rid of the perilous stuff that weighs on my
soul, this way, once in a while. I don't know if other blogs (I do use WP
but have never tested it...and I know that blogs on github are only-public)
have the same feature.

Deepa.

Re: [silk] Filter bubbles as weapons

[Deepa Mohan]

Woohoo..the wordsmiths are coming out of the woodwork!

I have no clue about the publication of written workhow is it done
these days?

Cheers, Amitha. It can't be an easy route.

Deepa.

On Fri, Jan 12, 2018 at 10:05 AM, Amitha Singh 
wrote:

> Hi Radhika,
>
> Could you please invite me too to the poetry group. I've been writing
> poetry for over a decade now and await the release of my first book of
> poems titled "A Simple World, A Simple Rule" soon.
>
> Regards,
> Amitha
>
> On 11 Jan 2018 11:38 pm, "Radhika, Y."  wrote:
>
> > Deepa and Vani,
> > You might be interested in Tisha shrivastava' s Poettery group on FB. Are
> > you on FB? I can invite you.
> > Radhika
> >
>

Re: [silk] Poetry

[Deepa Mohan]

Yes  please. I am the only Deepa Mohan on FB who's 103 years old.

On Fri, Jan 12, 2018 at 7:30 AM, Vani Murarka 
wrote:

> On 11-Jan-2018 11:38 pm, "Radhika, Y."  wrote:
>
> Deepa and Vani,
> You might be interested in Tisha shrivastava' s Poettery group on FB. Are
> you on FB? I can invite you.
> Radhika
>
>
> Thanks Radhika. I am a part of Tisha's groups.
>

Re: [silk] Filter bubbles as weapons

[Deepa Mohan]

Found your response very interesting. Ironically, both of us, if we were to
meet, might be so comfortable in our bubbles that our minds might not reach
out to each other!

Looking at your links. Haven't read contemporary Hindi poetry in a  long
while. Not all the totrure of Hindi as a "subject" up to my degree level
could prevent me from liking the language a lot.

Thanks, Deepa.

On Thu, Jan 11, 2018 at 10:13 AM, Vani Murarka 
wrote:

> In the online world, I have heavily unfollowed people who
> 1. Are very toxic - irrespective of their position on any ideology spectrum
> 2. Post only their personal party pictures and such
>
> This is because dissipation of mental energy directly impacts my health,
> productivity and happiness now. I am actively trying to re-create the
> internet of the 90s for myself, a place that can enhance my creativity and
> expand my horizons, without giving up the things that have developed on the
> internet in the meanwhile.
>
> Two exceptions in the context of unfollowing people that I find
> interesting:
> 1. I have unfollowed a good friend and CS professor, even though I admire
> him and he does not vouch for any bubble. Reason: Though his posts have the
> garb of deep reason, abstraction etc., it still is heavily tension laden
> with the acute need to educate the world. Occasionally I go to his timeline
> and see what he has posted and read the ones I want to read.
> 2. There is a lady who is extremely caustic and yes, toxic, who writes in
> Hindi -- I have not unfollowed her. I mostly skim over her posts, sometimes
> read them, sometimes I read the comments on her posts. Somehow, despite she
> being so cutting in all of her posts (and she posts frequently), I have not
> felt the need to unfollow her. Her presence in my newsfeed does not create
> an acidic distaste in me.
>
> In the offline world, I used to live in a rather isolated bubble, in my
> intellectual world fascinated with science, philosophy, art. I am
> increasingly trying to step out of the bubble, while not doing disservice
> to my inherent introvert personality. This means now I go, without a sense
> of distaste, and with an open mind, to gatherings where people may be
> largely talking only of stuff that I have zero interest in (clothes, maids,
> financial markets for example). I am still not interested in those topics,
> but I am interested in the energy space of people. In whatever setting that
> I may meet people offline, at home or outside, I try to connect to the
> energy space of the person and the gathering. This has made a tremendous
> difference in my interaction with the world -- I have learnt much and feel
> more satisfied with my interactions. In the offline world, there is a lot
> to be heard, observed, seen in people -- apart from the explicit words they
> are saying. This is the way I try to remain open and not in filter bubbles
> as much as I can.
>
> The political scenario, which is essentially the same locally or globally,
> mostly does not disturb me. I see it as a naturally consequence of
> evolution and the rapid recent changes in the world -- changes that are
> bewildering and scary for most people, even if they do not consciously
> realize that. It is making inherent fears and festers that have been
> simmering underneath, come out. That is good. It is an opportunity for
> healing via greater awareness (and consequent action). It does not matter
> what ideology a person holds. If she is upset, it means she is scared. Yes,
> things can, and most probably will, get uglier, because fear makes us do
> ridiculous things and fear is highly contagious. If we can navigate it with
> awareness, agility and compassion maybe we will be able to make it to
> post-upheaval, directly or by empowering those that come after us.
>
> I mostly do not feel a need to educate anyone, fix the world or anyone's
> way of thinking -- that is why I rarely feel the need to engage in debates.
> I do feel a desire to express myself, which I do via my writings --
> whatever anyone might want to pick up or infer from there.
>
>
> --
>
> Vani Murarka
>
> * vani expressions - blog writings  expressions/>
> * काव्यालय (Kaavyaalaya: House of Hindi Poetry) 
> * गीत गतिरूप - कवि का अनोखा साथी 
>

Re: [silk] Filter bubbles as weapons

[Deepa Mohan]

Hi Bruce,


First of allI don't know you, and may not recognize you if I see you in
person. But I have followed you on this list.  The email you've written is
sad in tone, and I'd just like to offer an unconditional hug for the way
things are with you right now. There is no self-pity in facing the fact
that life can be very hard while battling depression and caring for another
ill person at the same time.

Second...I am not really sure if one needs to get out of one's bubble. What
satisifies me, without hurting anyone else is, to me, a good way of living
life. I have, indeed, decided to filter out some things...for example, I
was trying all genres of music, until I decided that I would stick with
what I like, and not try to like what gave me discomfort.

We each have only one life...and to some extent, we like to have our
thoughts shaped, and honed, by other points of view. But how far, and how
long, we want to go is up to us.

As Anno Domini and ill health catch up, I think one may  want to keep the
bubble intact!

And since I already belong "in the bubble"...I really can't offer the name
of anyone outside it.  To me ,too, at 63, it's increasingly exhausting to
try and get past prejudice, pre-conception and personal attacks to get at a
different point of view. I am aware that I, too, probably have all these
quirks and set-in-cement views. I do try to hear the other voices...but am
not always successful.

Can you hear the creak of old bones in what I've written? I do! The only
point where I tend to diverge from other opinions here seems to be that I
feel I must listen to "stupid" and "intotlerant" views as they seem to be
gaining ground, and if they are, there are enough people thinking that way,
that it matters. However...listening is one thing, and understanding is
quite another.

Deepa.

On Thu, Jan 11, 2018 at 6:49 AM, Bruce A. Metcalf 
wrote:

> On Tue, Jan 9, 2018 at 1:44 PM Udhay Shankar N  wrote
> about filter bubbles and such:
>
> I am aware, sometimes sharply aware, that I occupy just such a
> filterbubble. I'm not happy about it, and it worries me. OTOH, the stupid
> hurts so much!
>
> Much as I dislike Facebook, it brings me into contact with a broader range
> of opinions than other fora. There's a lot of content there that comes from
> outside my personal bubble. The challenge is that once I ban those who make
> ad hominum attacks on others, there's not a lot left. Perhaps I need to
> "friend" more people I fundamentally disagree with.
>
> This has been a particularly challenging year for an American who thinks.
> I see many in our government making a bad decision when they have to choose
> between Truth and Loyalty. And this includes some on "my" side of the
> debates. It all has a very Orwellian stink to it.
>
> For that matter, it smells much like Nixon, who I remember clearly, even
> without the upcoming feature film.
>
> The antidote to bubbles, according to many, is to engage constructively
> with the opposition. I have found this difficult, as few of them are
> willing to have a discussion, much less a debate. I also find that once
> they claim unquestioning adherence to something that science or simple
> observation shows is simply untrue, my enthusiasm drains from me like snow
> from a hot tin roof.
>
> "Get involved" is another cry I hear, and while tempting, I'm turning 64
> tomorrow, my wife is needing steadily increasing amounts of care, and in
> many way's I'm burned out. Not sure how much credit goes to my intermittent
> depression and how much the depression is caused by all else. I aspire to
> help make phone calls on election day to encourage participation, but I
> notice I have yet to do so.
>
> So yes, it's mostly comfortable here in my bubble (and thank you all for
> being inside it), but one can see what's going on outside without
> understanding it (except as deviant psychology). No, I'm not saying that
> those who disagree with me are crazy, though some are. It's that so many
> simply do not respect reality, and I don't know how to handle people like
> that, much less a society composed of them.
>
> But I'll keep reading here, as the foundational level of sanity and
> abundant love are things I feel a deep need of at present. But if you know
> someone on the outside who can endure a conversation, please give them my
> email.
>
> Cheers,
> / Bruce /
>
>

Re: [silk] Introduction about myself

[Deepa Mohan]

Ramakrishna Reddy  did post pics on FB.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/silklist/?fref=gs&dti=5083012209&hc_location=group_dialog

(Is this a valid link?)

Alas, he was not one of the 5 people there (Udhay, Vinit, Surabhi,  Meera,
Savitha) I know face to face...I asked him to provide namesbut perhaps
in the interest of privacy (on FaceBook?)...it hasn't happened yet.

Cheers,Deepa.



On Tue, Dec 19, 2017 at 6:45 PM, Preetha Chari-Srinivas 
wrote:

> Hi Deepa,
> Thank you for your feedback, and I hope to meet you some time soon, as
> well.
> Btw, Udhay and Vinit - the pictures of the Silk party? :)
> Have a great week ahead, folks.
> Regards,
> -pcs.
>
>
>
> On Fri, Dec 15, 2017 at 7:40 PM, Deepa Mohan  wrote:
>
> > Very impressive, PCS! I hope to meet you face-to-face sometime...
> >
> > I too am unable to make it for the silken birthdayhere's wishing all
> of
> > you a great evening! Vinit and Surabhi, I feel even sorrier because you
> are
> > hosting it. No excuses, as I was very much looking forward to it...but I
> > was awake at 3.30am  to see off Derek, Anjana and their children (going
> to
> > Maine for Christmas) , and then I had a nature walk to conduct. I know
> that
> > if I come over, I will yawn my way  through, and miss all the Intelligent
> > Conversation (much of which passes overhead anyway!)
> >
> > I like the way everyone who lurks (and unlurks) here compliments all of
> us!
> >
> > Cheers, Deepa.
> >
> > On Fri, Dec 15, 2017 at 5:18 PM, Preetha Chari-Srinivas <
> > bling...@gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > This feels like a count-down to the ball being dropped in Times Square
> on
> > > the New Year eve here...
> > >
> > > As I had promised Udhay, here goes my introductory mail..although I
> have
> > > been a member of the group for a while (not sure when I joined it, but
> > > thanks to my friend Bharat Shetty Barkur - I get to lurk in the
> > background,
> > > admiring the geeks and non-geeks of this group from afar).
> > > I happen to be hard of hearing, but I strictly communicate orally and
> am
> > an
> > > excellent lip-reader. I consider myself to be a jack of all trades and
> a
> > > master of none - with a long athletic/competitive tennis career (did
> > dabble
> > > as a tennis coach for a while, to make ends meet), which I had to
> abandon
> > > in order to pursue my higher studies (a must for our middle-class
> family,
> > > where 'education is wealth' - which I do not fully agree with, since
> > there
> > > are instances of people doing equally well without any fancy degrees
> > under
> > > their belt). I strongly believe that a sporting career helps develop
> the
> > > confidence, drive and independence in any individual, come what may.
> Some
> > > people are naturally gifted, while others make it to the top with sheer
> > > hard work, blood, sweat and tears, the latter category of which I fall
> > > into! I did dabble in poetry and painting, plus competitive yoga when I
> > was
> > > in my teens, but had to weed them all out, to focus solely on my tennis
> > > career. I am better known as a tennis player, although I consider
> myself
> > to
> > > be a decent athlete. I have a passion for travel, for it helps widen my
> > > horizons, and I do enjoy going on long drives. I get to be in my
> elements
> > > on the road as well as on the courts.
> > > In any case, I have a background in Civil Engineering and a double
> > masters
> > > in Environmental Engineering and Science/Computer Science. I do not
> fall
> > > into any of the above, for I have never really gotten around to work in
> > > either the civil or environmental fields. Worked briefly in the IT
> > sector,
> > > before I realized it was not my cuppa joe.
> > > So, I am now back to square one, not to mention being broke, and
> > clueless,
> > > but still trying to chase my lofty dreams. I did be more than happy to
> > list
> > > them all out here, but would spare you the drudgery for another day :)
> To
> > > give you a brief glimpse into one of my goals, one of them is to make a
> > > foray into modeling, at such an advanced age!
> > > I am an ardent admirer of Jack Ma and J.K. Rowling and strongly believe
> > > that when you have the drive to do something, it is bound to work, no
> > > matter what. I do admire women who break the glass ceiling in their
> > > respective spheres

Re: [silk] Introduction about myself

[Deepa Mohan]

Very impressive, PCS! I hope to meet you face-to-face sometime...

I too am unable to make it for the silken birthdayhere's wishing all of
you a great evening! Vinit and Surabhi, I feel even sorrier because you are
hosting it. No excuses, as I was very much looking forward to it...but I
was awake at 3.30am  to see off Derek, Anjana and their children (going to
Maine for Christmas) , and then I had a nature walk to conduct. I know that
if I come over, I will yawn my way  through, and miss all the Intelligent
Conversation (much of which passes overhead anyway!)

I like the way everyone who lurks (and unlurks) here compliments all of us!

Cheers, Deepa.

On Fri, Dec 15, 2017 at 5:18 PM, Preetha Chari-Srinivas 
wrote:

> This feels like a count-down to the ball being dropped in Times Square on
> the New Year eve here...
>
> As I had promised Udhay, here goes my introductory mail..although I have
> been a member of the group for a while (not sure when I joined it, but
> thanks to my friend Bharat Shetty Barkur - I get to lurk in the background,
> admiring the geeks and non-geeks of this group from afar).
> I happen to be hard of hearing, but I strictly communicate orally and am an
> excellent lip-reader. I consider myself to be a jack of all trades and a
> master of none - with a long athletic/competitive tennis career (did dabble
> as a tennis coach for a while, to make ends meet), which I had to abandon
> in order to pursue my higher studies (a must for our middle-class family,
> where 'education is wealth' - which I do not fully agree with, since there
> are instances of people doing equally well without any fancy degrees under
> their belt). I strongly believe that a sporting career helps develop the
> confidence, drive and independence in any individual, come what may. Some
> people are naturally gifted, while others make it to the top with sheer
> hard work, blood, sweat and tears, the latter category of which I fall
> into! I did dabble in poetry and painting, plus competitive yoga when I was
> in my teens, but had to weed them all out, to focus solely on my tennis
> career. I am better known as a tennis player, although I consider myself to
> be a decent athlete. I have a passion for travel, for it helps widen my
> horizons, and I do enjoy going on long drives. I get to be in my elements
> on the road as well as on the courts.
> In any case, I have a background in Civil Engineering and a double masters
> in Environmental Engineering and Science/Computer Science. I do not fall
> into any of the above, for I have never really gotten around to work in
> either the civil or environmental fields. Worked briefly in the IT sector,
> before I realized it was not my cuppa joe.
> So, I am now back to square one, not to mention being broke, and clueless,
> but still trying to chase my lofty dreams. I did be more than happy to list
> them all out here, but would spare you the drudgery for another day :) To
> give you a brief glimpse into one of my goals, one of them is to make a
> foray into modeling, at such an advanced age!
> I am an ardent admirer of Jack Ma and J.K. Rowling and strongly believe
> that when you have the drive to do something, it is bound to work, no
> matter what. I do admire women who break the glass ceiling in their
> respective spheres
> As the fastest woman on two wheels once said"If someone is interested
> in something, they don't have to start off with a whole lot of money to be
> successful at something they love. They just have to pursue it, and make it
> happen".
> In closing, I would like to mention two of my favorite quotes by Johann von
> Goethe:
> - *Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to
> become what they are capable of being.*
> *- Plunge into the thick of life*
>
> I would give an arm and leg to be there for the 20th reunion of Silk List
> this evening, but unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances have played havoc
> on my plans...
>
> Hopefully, I will get to see you folks during my travels, or at the silver
> jubilee and golden jubilee celebrations, if it ever takes place, either in
> India or anywhere else around the world. It helps to get some perspective
> from well-read folks like you all...
>
> Regards,
> - pcs.
>

Re: [silk] Introducing myself

[Deepa Mohan]

Hi, Hari!

I have no clue about many of the things you talk about ...but it will be
nice to meet you!

Deepa.

On Sun, Nov 26, 2017 at 2:58 PM, Hari Selvarajan 
wrote:

> Hello Silklist,
>
> I've lurked on here for a while and finally, after several gentle prods
> from a patient Udhay to introduce myself, here goes nothing. Delighted to
> “meet" you all - my name is Hari. I work in the tech business as somewhat
> of a chief cook and bottle-washer, and outside of work I'm interested in
> far too many things for my own productivity. At the moment those “far too
> many things" include electronic music, cryptography, and old computer games
> from my childhood (I was an early geek).
>
> I’m also playing a lot of Rez, a cult computer game that integrates
> electronic music composition into a traditional rail-based shooter, and
> explores the concept of synesthesia. I’m spending about an equal amount of
> time worrying about the amount of state-sponsored surveillance we're being
> subjected to and the ongoing debate about the right to privacy, and its
> erosion, in India.
>
> I read the threads on the list with much interest and now, with an
> impending sabbatical leading into what I hope will be semi-retirement, I'm
> hoping to be less of a lurker. I hope to meet some of you at the Silkmeet
> in December.
>
> Cheers,
>
> -- Hari
>
>
>
>
>

Re: [silk] The end of the teens

[Deepa Mohan]

Agree about Friday being better than Saturday. Weekends are my "working"
days and I can't do late nights, generally, if I am doing a bird/nature
walk early the next morning.

Deepa.

On Sat, Nov 25, 2017 at 1:51 PM, gabin kattukaran 
wrote:

> On 25 November 2017 at 13:19, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
> > On Sat, Nov 25, 2017 at 12:48 PM, Biju Chacko 
> wrote:
> >
> > I prefer weekdays -- generally weekends are for the family.
> >>
> >
> > Others?
>
> +1 for a weekday. Friday evening is best.
>
> -gabin
>
> --
>
> Don't confuse me with facts. My mind is made up.
>
>

Re: [silk] The end of the teens

[Deepa Mohan]

I am onetative, too, depending on the final date.

I have not met many of you and would like to do so.

The Inveterate Top-poster.

On Thu, Nov 23, 2017 at 6:41 PM, Amitha Singh  wrote:

> I'm in tentative + 1
>
>
>
> On 23 Nov 2017 6:32 pm, "Rajesh Mehar"  wrote:
>
> > Tentative +1 (attendance will depend on childcare options falling in
> place
> > for the date of the meetup)
> >
> > On Thu, Nov 23, 2017, 18:26 Venkat  wrote:
> >
> > > +1 for 17th. I'm out on 15th and 16th.
> > >
> > > On 23/11/17 4:55 PM, Suresh Ramasubramanian wrote:
> > > > +1
> > > >
> > > > On 23/11/17, 3:29 PM, "silklist on behalf of Biju Chacko"
> > >  > > biju.cha...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > >  On Thu, Nov 23, 2017 at 7:40 AM, Udhay Shankar N <
> ud...@pobox.com
> > >
> > > wrote:
> > > >  > Sounds good. I will be traveling from the 21st onwards, so
> > > perhaps the
> > > >  > previous weekend? Anytime between 15-17 Dec 2017. Show of
> hands?
> > > >
> > > >  *raises hand*
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > Cheers,
> > > Venkat
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>

Re: [silk] Bangalore Help Needed

[Deepa Mohan]

The Alternative Law Forum on Infantry Road  http://altlawforum.org

and my friend Vinay Baindur, (yaniv...@gmail.com)

who works there, and whom I know as a fellow (and very active)  volunteer
on the citizen's group, Hasiru Usiru, is one name that occurs to me; you
could ask him for any leads he may have.


Cheers, I hope you get that space, Deepa.




On Sat, Nov 18, 2017 at 7:41 PM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:

> On Sat, Nov 18, 2017 at 7:34 PM, Rajesh Mehar 
> wrote:
>
> Thanks gaurav and Ashwin,
> >
> > Co-working space won't work because the work of a law practice requires a
> > significant amount of drawer space for storing many case files and
> > bookshelves for law books which need regular reference. It's just not
> > conducive.
> >
>
> ​As Ashwin mentioned, Vidhi [1] which is a team of lawyers, is in Weworks.
> I believe they have significant amounts of dedicated drawer space in the
> basement. I can introduce you if you like.
>
> Udhay
>
> [1] https://vidhilegalpolicy.in/​
>

Re: [silk] The end of the teens

[Deepa Mohan]

The only (strangely )opaque thing about the list is not being able to know
how many we are, and where, across the globe (or the solar system) we are
scattered.

On Fri, Nov 17, 2017 at 5:50 PM, John Sundman  wrote:

> Only 20? And yet already world-famous ten years ago.
>
> Silklist is certainly a precocious youngster; a child star, if you will,
> like a prodigy of chess or violin.
>
> How many Silklisters are we? And is there a way that I could have found
> that out myself without asking y’all?
>
> Regards,
>
> jrs
>
>
> > On Nov 17, 2017, at 1:52 AM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
> >
> > Folks:
> >
> > Silklist will turn 20 years old on Dec 19, 2017. Any ideas for things to
> do
> > to celebrate? :)
> >
> > ​Udhay​
> >
> > --
> >
> > ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
>
>
>

Re: [silk] The end of the teens

[Deepa Mohan]

20 million what?

On Fri, Nov 17, 2017 at 12:39 PM, Mohit  wrote:

>  On Fri, Nov 17, 2017 at 12:35 PM, Peter Griffin 
> wrote:
>
> > On Fri, Nov 17, 2017 at 12:22 PM, Udhay Shankar N 
> wrote:
> >
> > > Folks:
> > >
> > > Silklist will turn 20 years old on Dec 19, 2017. Any ideas for things
> to
> > do
> > > to celebrate? :)
> > >
> >
> > 20 million disbursed to members?
> >
> ​
> you mean 20 million each, don't you?
>
> Regards,
> Mohit
>
> ​
>

Re: [silk] When was the last time you changed your opinion on something?

[Deepa Mohan]

On Thu, Nov 16, 2017 at 12:05 PM, Venkatesh Hariharan 
wrote:

> For me a big shift has been on defocusing from external markers of success
> to focusing on what makes me happy. I used to think that name and fame
> would make me happy, but I find that I can be quite content and happy
> without any of these external markers.
>

Venky...I think you have, indeed, found the secret of happiness. I too
think that many external events within, and beyond our control, happen to
us, but it's our perception of them and our responses that result in how we
feel.I have a friend whose home is called "Atma santulan". That phrase, to
me, is the key to happiness. I am not talking about pleasure or joy, which
may be transient...but happiness that resides within us. Only my opinion
ofkose!

Deepa.

Re: [silk] When was the last time you changed your opinion on something?

[Deepa Mohan]

I am finding, as I age, that I have few hard-and-fast opinions. One opinion
I firmly have is that I cannot apply blanket rules for holding an opinion,
Situations, and their causes and effects, change so much. Morality changes.
What I read, and how it is presented, has changed so much. I have a bottle
of salt nearby to take a pinch of, with today's frenetic headlines!

Appa and Ammalogy for top posting. I'm typing, and doing most other things,
single-handedly and that's changed some of my opinions,too. (on
ambidexterity, whether children should be taught this or not, and how the
adult brain adjusts to using the "wrong" hand).

On Tue, Nov 14, 2017 at 6:05 PM, Nima Srinivasan 
wrote:

> Since my areas of interest (and work) have been people and how FB operates,
> the bubbles weren't really a surprise. It's something we've known since at
> least 2007. I've always tried to make sure that whatever information I get,
> I review for its leaning and lenses. To me, it's less about what I think
> and feel and more about why people who think X, think X. Then I seek out
> the opposite view. For every Shehla Rashid, I'll follow a Shefali Vaidya. I
> also try to get sensible people in the middle. That way I've anchored both
> ends and tries to assess the middle of the curve on that issue.
>
> To me, it's less about me changing my opinion because I give my own stand
> far less weight. What I think about caste is less important to me than what
> caste is as a construct. Which again means I need to make sure that I cover
> all points of view from caste-centric groups with a massive persecution
> complex all the way to caste-bashers/haters in pro Ambedkar/Periyar/Adivasi
> groups and also reading first hand accounts by people who grew up in the
> eye of that storm. I see that spectrum of why it is so as getting richer
> rather than me coming to a final position.
>
> And when I do firmly lean one way - which I do say in the case of abortion
> - I like to be clear as to why I feel that way but make sure I know
> precisely why there are those who firmly oppose it. I also rarely ever try
> to convert anyone's point of view - that's neither relevant nor interesting
> to me. Unless I'm collecting insights for a brand and getting paid to do it
> - in which case I'll make sure I know how to change a person's position on
> something. On social media - I prefer that all the diversity and extremes
> exist as they do. I just wish people would be a little nicer to each other.
> Which is my John Lennon self talking.
>
> On Tue, Nov 14, 2017 at 5:29 PM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
>
> > I've been thinking about the whole issue of 'filter bubbles' and their
> > various effects, including the death of serendipity, the inability to see
> > things (like e.g Trump) until they hit you in the face and, more
> > philosophically, cutting oneself off from many potentially interesting
> > people and ideas.
> >
> > How do people here deal with this? As a start point, when was teh last
> time
> > you changed your opinion on something non-trivial, and how did that come
> > about?
> >
> > ​Udhay​
> >
> > --
> >
> > ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
> >
>

Re: [silk] What are you optimising for?

[Deepa Mohan]

Being 63 helps a lot! My main "tasks" are done, and I am lucky in being in
good,health. Very satisfactory (and lucky)state of affairs.

On Wed, Nov 8, 2017 at 3:42 PM, Cory Doctorow 
wrote:

> I think there's an obvious but not very useful way to address this,
> which is to simply advise that one should preserve some empty space in
> one's diary each day and then see what comes up to fill it.
>
> The reality is that such a space is virtually impossible to maintain and
> is, at the least, very antagonistic toward the process by which one
> prioritizes those things that pay the most dividends across the most
> domains in one's life.
>
> That's because, inevitably, there are more things than can be done than
> there is time to do. If all the things that are left undone are things
> that advance multiple projects in meaningful ways, it's always going to
> be hard-to-impossible to choose to leave those undone while an empty
> slot sits in one's diary against some speculative gain that may arise
> from leaving it there.
>
> Cory
>
> On 11/08/2017 03:45 AM, Udhay Shankar N wrote:
> > Interesting article by Cory. This is something I've been thinking about
> as
> > well: the need to engineer some some *slack* into everyting you do, as
> > over-optimising (which is usually optimising the wrong variable, or
> > possibly prematurely optimising the right one) can have various adverse
> > effects in various domains:
> >
> > - Financial: e.g not leaving any cash in the bank account as it is all in
> > various investments can be bothersome when you have sudden need. Today
> is a
> > particularly interesting date to be talking about such a situation, for
> > folks in India at least. :)
> >
> > - "Productivity" e.g filling your day with busy work or even "important"
> > work back to back.
> >
> > - "Leisure" e.g feeling the need to fill every minute of your weekend or
> > holiday
> >
> > - Childraising e.g "classes" tuitions, camps &c &c
> >
> > All of which is another way of restating one of my favourite phrases:
> What
> > are you optimising for?
> >
> > Thoughts?
> >
> > Udhay
> >
> > http://locusmag.com/2017/11/cory-doctorow-how-to-do-
> everything-lifehacking-considered-harmful/
> >
> > Cory Doctorow: How to Do Everything (Lifehacking Considered Harmful)
> >  November 6, 2017
> >
> > I was there when “lifehacking” was born. It was the 11th of February,
> 2004,
> > at the O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference, held in a giant
> conference
> > hotel in San Diego. I was on the committee for ETech (as we called it)
> and
> > I had lobbied hard for the inclusion of a talk called “Life Hacks: Tech
> > Secrets of Overprolific Alpha Geeks” by Danny O’Brien, a technology
> > columnist and former standup comedian who is also a good friend (I am now
> > godfather to his daughter, Ada). I’d watched Danny compiling his research
> > for the talk and I knew it would be a great one.
> >
> > I liveblogged his presentation, because this was before lifehacking, but
> > after liveblogging (if only barely). Danny described a research project
> in
> > which he interviewed “overprolific” tech workers who had a reputation for
> > doing a lot of things at once, and reported on their commonalities. My
> > notes on the talk are still live at  lifehacksetcon04.txt>,
> > but the long and short of them was that all of these super-nerds were
> > re­ally good at one or two flexible tools (ranging from Excel
> spreadsheets
> > to the programming language Python), and they used those tools to
> automate
> > many of the processes in their life. They also all used some kind of
> > master, monster to-do list and file-of-useful-pasted-snippets.
> >
> > I recognized some of my own working habits in the description, and, more
> > importantly, acquired some useful tips. After all, I was one of those
> > really techie people who did a lot of different things at the same time:
> > writing novels, working for an activist group, editing a blog, sometimes
> > even having a life. One intriguing takeaway from the talk was a
> > recommendation to read David Allen’s 2001 book Getting Things Done, an
> > instant classic in the “personal productivity” genre (this was after the
> > productivity genre, but still before lifehacking).
> >
> > Allen’s book is a fantastic and inspiring read. The core of his
> philosophy
> > is to recognize that there are more things in the world that you want to
> do
> > than you could do, and that, in the absence of a deliberate approach to
> > this conundrum, you are likely to default to doing things that are easy
> to
> > scratch off your to-do list, which are also the most trivial. After a
> > lifetime of this, you’ll have accomplished a lot of very little.
> >
> > Allen counsels deliberate, mindful prioritization of this list,
> jettisoning
> > things on the basis that they are less satisfying or important than the
> > other things you’d like to do – even if those other things are harder,
> more
> > time consuming and less likely to re

Re: [silk] What are you optimising for?

[Deepa Mohan]

Having suffered from "time tension" (I am sure the experts have a better
term for it), I tend to build some slack into my activities. Perhaps this
has resulted in my achieving far less, but it's helped me retain my sanity.
But...different solutions work for different people, I suppose.

On Wed, Nov 8, 2017 at 9:15 AM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:

> Interesting article by Cory. This is something I've been thinking about as
> well: the need to engineer some some *slack* into everyting you do, as
> over-optimising (which is usually optimising the wrong variable, or
> possibly prematurely optimising the right one) can have various adverse
> effects in various domains:
>
> - Financial: e.g not leaving any cash in the bank account as it is all in
> various investments can be bothersome when you have sudden need. Today is a
> particularly interesting date to be talking about such a situation, for
> folks in India at least. :)
>
> - "Productivity" e.g filling your day with busy work or even "important"
> work back to back.
>
> - "Leisure" e.g feeling the need to fill every minute of your weekend or
> holiday
>
> - Childraising e.g "classes" tuitions, camps &c &c
>
> All of which is another way of restating one of my favourite phrases: What
> are you optimising for?
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Udhay
>
> http://locusmag.com/2017/11/cory-doctorow-how-to-do-
> everything-lifehacking-considered-harmful/
>
> Cory Doctorow: How to Do Everything (Lifehacking Considered Harmful)
>  November 6, 2017
>
> I was there when “lifehacking” was born. It was the 11th of February, 2004,
> at the O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference, held in a giant conference
> hotel in San Diego. I was on the committee for ETech (as we called it) and
> I had lobbied hard for the inclusion of a talk called “Life Hacks: Tech
> Secrets of Overprolific Alpha Geeks” by Danny O’Brien, a technology
> columnist and former standup comedian who is also a good friend (I am now
> godfather to his daughter, Ada). I’d watched Danny compiling his research
> for the talk and I knew it would be a great one.
>
> I liveblogged his presentation, because this was before lifehacking, but
> after liveblogging (if only barely). Danny described a research project in
> which he interviewed “overprolific” tech workers who had a reputation for
> doing a lot of things at once, and reported on their commonalities. My
> notes on the talk are still live at  lifehacksetcon04.txt>,
> but the long and short of them was that all of these super-nerds were
> re­ally good at one or two flexible tools (ranging from Excel spreadsheets
> to the programming language Python), and they used those tools to automate
> many of the processes in their life. They also all used some kind of
> master, monster to-do list and file-of-useful-pasted-snippets.
>
> I recognized some of my own working habits in the description, and, more
> importantly, acquired some useful tips. After all, I was one of those
> really techie people who did a lot of different things at the same time:
> writing novels, working for an activist group, editing a blog, sometimes
> even having a life. One intriguing takeaway from the talk was a
> recommendation to read David Allen’s 2001 book Getting Things Done, an
> instant classic in the “personal productivity” genre (this was after the
> productivity genre, but still before lifehacking).
>
> Allen’s book is a fantastic and inspiring read. The core of his philosophy
> is to recognize that there are more things in the world that you want to do
> than you could do, and that, in the absence of a deliberate approach to
> this conundrum, you are likely to default to doing things that are easy to
> scratch off your to-do list, which are also the most trivial. After a
> lifetime of this, you’ll have accomplished a lot of very little.
>
> Allen counsels deliberate, mindful prioritization of this list, jettisoning
> things on the basis that they are less satisfying or important than the
> other things you’d like to do – even if those other things are harder, more
> time consuming and less likely to result in a satisfying chance to scratch
> an item off the list.
>
> This resonated with me and, by 2004, I’d bought and given away half a dozen
> copies of Getting Things Done and put its method in place. I even had a
> chance to sit down with Allen in 2007 and talk about how the web fit into
> his method.
>
> It’s been more than a decade since I took up Allen’s method and started
> lifehacking (as the kids say), and I have a report from the field.
>
> The past 14 years have regularly featured junctures where I had to get rid
> of something I liked doing so I could do something I liked doing more. Some
> of that was low-hanging fruit (I haven’t watched TV regularly in more than
> a decade), but after getting rid of the empty calories in my activity diet,
> I had to start making hard choices.
>
> In retrospect, I observe that the biggest predictor of whether an activity
> surviving winnowing is whether i

Re: [silk] Firefighting/Twitter story

[Deepa Mohan]

i belong to a generation when children were routinely sent sor shorthand
and typing classes (it was,indeed, as Salman Rushdie would have put it,
called shorthandtyping). I am still not comfortable typing on a mobile
phone. We had tests to rate our speed in both. I don't think I stuck at the
lessons long enough to even get to the numerals row..I quit after the quick
brown fox started jumping over the lazy dog. But yes,,unlike my algebra,
geometry and trigonometry, this was one learning that has been very useful.

Deepa.


On Sat, Nov 4, 2017 at 1:01 PM, Anil Kumar 
wrote:

> On Sat, Nov 4, 2017 at 8:49 AM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
>
> > On Sat, Nov 4, 2017 at 7:51 AM, Anil Kumar 
> > wrote:
> >
> > I have trained on a manual typewriter
> > > many years ago (that is, took formal training for a full year at a
> > *typing
> > > institute* in Bangalore during my 9th standard; was not allowed to take
> > up
> > > the typewriting exam).
> >
> >
> > ​Say more about this?​
> >
> > ​Udhay​
> >
> >
> The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board conducts typewriting
> and shorthand examinations after a student is trained by a registered
> *commerce
> institute*.  The eligibility criteria for taking the exam is passing the
> 10th standard exams.  Some commerce institutes admitted students like
> myself earlier than in the 10th standard or those that had not passed the
> 10th standard exam only to train as a typist but could not take the
> exam conducted by the Board.  The training certainly helped in later years
> when typing on a computer keyboard became a daily requirement.  Folks at
> home got us to type formal letters occasionally.  The carbon tapes used on
> the manual typewriter were available in uni-color (black) and dual colors
> (black and red) where the red color was used to highlight certain text.
> The typewriters were serviced periodically to keep them working well.  The
> letter fonts had to be cleaned regularly using some fuel for clearly typed
> letters and the levers had to be oiled regularly.
>
> Anil
>
>
> --
> >
> > ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
> >
>

Re: [silk] On Lit fests

[Deepa Mohan]

I loved "Trying to Grow" by Firdaus Kanga, a semi-autobiographical novel,
when I read it. Haven't re-read it lately, but it was the first account I'd
read of how a 'physically challenged' person feels...with a lot of humour.

Deepa.

On Tue, Oct 24, 2017 at 11:56 PM, Shrabonti Bagchi 
wrote:

> I haven’t read Shantaram (something about the excessive hype put me off a
> little bit) so can’t comment, but most people seem to love it. They also
> love The Kite Runner though, so what do you know...
>
> The Hungry Tide is good, but Ghosh’s earlier works are better. The Shadow
> Lines and The Calcutta Chromosome are brilliant. A few other suggestions:
>
> The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (really obvious one)
> A Suitable Boy (even more obvious)
> Anything by Jhumpa Lahiri
> Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra
>
> Younger authors:
>
> Or The Day Seizes You by Rajorshi Chakraborti
> Tokyo Cancelled by Rana Dasgupta
> Turbulence by Samit Basu (this is SF)
> The Heat and Dust Project by Devapriya Roy and Saurav Jha
>
> Hope this helps!
>
>
>
> Connect:
>
> Twitter: @shrabonti
> Instagram: @shrabonti
> Phone: +91-9880536562
>
> On Tue, 24 Oct 2017 at 5:33 PM John Sundman < John Sundman ( John Sundman <
> j...@wetmachine.com> ) > wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > >
> >
> > On Oct 24, 2017, at 3:43 AM, Shrabonti Bagchi < shrabont...@gmail.com >
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Having said that, I also think that the Indian literary novel in
> English
> > is going through a very low phase, and most IWE novels are either written
> > with the college crowd in mind and are of iffy quality or are genre works
> > (and genre writers do feature prominently at most events)
> >
> > As an American I confess to a profound ignorance of the Indian literary
> > novel in English, but I did this year read The Hungry Tide, by Amitav
> > Ghosh.
> >
> > I quite enjoyed it, although I thought the ending was much too contrived.
> >
> > I would appreciate suggestions on other books in this category that I can
> > read to fill this lamentable hole in my education.
> >
> > Also, I wonder what, if anything, Silklisters think of “Shantaram,” by
> > Gregory David Roberts, which has been an enormous worldwide hit in the
> > Anglo world; I don’t know how it has fared in India. It’s a literary
> novel
> > set in India, but it’s by an Austrailian (who lived in India for a long
> > time & is evidently fluent in 2 or more Indian languages.) I thought that
> > book was a decidedly mixed bag. The great parts were really great and the
> > awful parts were really awful. As it turns out, Joe Regal, the author’s
> > American literary agent, who shaped the book and was instrumental in its
> > success, is a close friend of mine.
> >
> > jrs
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>

Re: [silk] Happy Founder's Day

[Deepa Mohan]

*Biju*, any particular reason to use the word 'staggering'?

On Mon, Oct 23, 2017 at 3:18 PM, Biju Chacko  wrote:

> On Mon, Oct 23, 2017 at 2:19 PM, Venkatesh H R 
> wrote:
> > Happy Birthday Udhay!
> > 20 years is staggering.
>
> Gee, you don't 20. Cramming that much aging into 20 years is indeed
> staggering.
>
> -- b
>
>

Re: [silk] Happy Founder's Day

[Deepa Mohan]

Wishing Vod ka Raja the best of health and happiness in the years ahead!

Cheers, Deepa.

On Mon, Oct 23, 2017 at 1:36 PM, Rajesh Mehar  wrote:

> It's Udhay's birthday today! Happy birthday Udhay. I think this is an
> appropriate forum to demand a Speech! Speech! Speech!
>
> Tell us three interesting things you're thinking about today.
>

Re: [silk] Hello silklist

[Deepa Mohan]

er, yes, I don't know Peter Griffin, so he did need an introduction. I am a
defnite ignorantosaurus.

Deepa.

On Thu, Oct 12, 2017 at 5:07 PM, Mohit  wrote:

> some people, i tell you...
>
> as if Peter Griffin needs an introduction!
>
> Regards,
> ​(Just) ​
> Mohit
>
>
> On Thu, Oct 12, 2017 at 4:22 PM, Peter Griffin 
> wrote:
>
> > Hi All
> >
> > (This feels like the first day of school)
> >
> > Thanks for inviting me in, Udhay.
> >
> > I intend to be mostly a quiet reader and observer until I get a feel
> > of the etiquette of the list.
> >
> > Meanwhile, the quick About Me:
> >
> > I'm very fortunate with my friends. And thanks to the work I have done
> > and my own limitations, I know a little about lots of things, but not
> > very much about any single thing,
> >
> > The longer version:
> >
> > I've mostly earned my living as a writer of some kind, mainly in
> > advertising, content creation, and journalism. I currently work with a
> > newspaper, where I edit and commission more than write. Unpaid writing
> > includes blogging and poetry.
> >
> > I have been a literary curator, and am an informal student of online
> > culture and collaboration (and have been fortunate to be part of some
> > cool collectives). I co-founded the writing forum Caferati and
> > moderate its various web presences. And I advise a couple of
> > non-profits and help others when I can.
> >
> > I recently got back to dabbling in sculpture (chalk, and now clay); if
> > you know me on social media, I am likely to bore you to tears with
> > lots of pictures of those or, even more likely, to send you off
> > groaning with awful puns.I solemnly promise not to do the former here.
> >
> > best
> >
> > ~peter
> >
> >
>

Re: [silk] Hello silklist

[Deepa Mohan]

Welcome, Peter. You definitely fit Udhay's criterion of being an Interestng
Person!

Could we have some photos of your chalk and clay work? Chalk is such a
difficult medium (I think)!

And...what is TGP? I used to visit St.Louis, Mo., for many years, and there
it stood for Tower Grove Park :D

Cheers, Deepa.

On Thu, Oct 12, 2017 at 4:22 PM, Peter Griffin 
wrote:

> Hi All
>
> (This feels like the first day of school)
>
> Thanks for inviting me in, Udhay.
>
> I intend to be mostly a quiet reader and observer until I get a feel
> of the etiquette of the list.
>
> Meanwhile, the quick About Me:
>
> I'm very fortunate with my friends. And thanks to the work I have done
> and my own limitations, I know a little about lots of things, but not
> very much about any single thing,
>
> The longer version:
>
> I've mostly earned my living as a writer of some kind, mainly in
> advertising, content creation, and journalism. I currently work with a
> newspaper, where I edit and commission more than write. Unpaid writing
> includes blogging and poetry.
>
> I have been a literary curator, and am an informal student of online
> culture and collaboration (and have been fortunate to be part of some
> cool collectives). I co-founded the writing forum Caferati and
> moderate its various web presences. And I advise a couple of
> non-profits and help others when I can.
>
> I recently got back to dabbling in sculpture (chalk, and now clay); if
> you know me on social media, I am likely to bore you to tears with
> lots of pictures of those or, even more likely, to send you off
> groaning with awful puns.I solemnly promise not to do the former here.
>
> best
>
> ~peter
>
>

Re: [silk] Introduction

[Deepa Mohan]

Whoops, sorry "Soumya"got changed to "Sowmya" ...Sorry about that!

On Sep 24, 2017 12:17, "Deepa Mohan"  wrote:

Welcome, Sowmya!

On Sep 23, 2017 20:19, "Soumya Kanti Datta" 
wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> My name is Soumya Kanti Datta, I am a new subscriber to this list. I work
> as a research engineer in EURECOM, France and recently I kicked start a
> company "Future Tech Lab" to work on IoT. I like tech news, Barcelona in La
> Liga and traveling. Hope to have fun conversations with the rest of you on
> tech, culture and more.
>
> Thanks to Udhay for adding me.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Soumya
>
> --
> Research Engineer, EURECOM, France | @skdatta2010 |
> http://iot.eurecom.fr
>
>
>

Re: [silk] Introduction

[Deepa Mohan]

Welcome, Sowmya!

On Sep 23, 2017 20:19, "Soumya Kanti Datta" 
wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> My name is Soumya Kanti Datta, I am a new subscriber to this list. I work
> as a research engineer in EURECOM, France and recently I kicked start a
> company "Future Tech Lab" to work on IoT. I like tech news, Barcelona in La
> Liga and traveling. Hope to have fun conversations with the rest of you on
> tech, culture and more.
>
> Thanks to Udhay for adding me.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Soumya
>
> --
> Research Engineer, EURECOM, France | @skdatta2010 |
> http://iot.eurecom.fr
>
>
>

Re: [silk] An introduction

[Deepa Mohan]

Welcome, Harnidh.

Are there any young fogies on this list?

Deepa.

On Fri, Aug 4, 2017 at 11:24 AM, Suresh Ramasubramanian 
wrote:

> Welcome to the mostly old fogies club
>
> It is rather quiet here these days, I’m sure you’ll change that
>
> --srs
>
> > On 04-Aug-2017, at 10:11 AM, Harnidh Kaur  wrote:
> >
> > I've been called 'obnoxiously enthusiastic', 'disgustingly excited', and
> > 'alarmingly energetic.'
>
>
>

Re: [silk] When to quit

[Deepa Mohan]

On Thu, Jul 27, 2017 at 8:30 AM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:

> I occasionally listen to the Tim Ferris podcast, and I found last week's
> episode [1] particularly fascinating. It's a panel of people giving their
> take on the question "how does one decide when to quit and when to
> persist". I recommend listening to the episode, but my intention in posting
> here is to ask the community the same thing.
>
> How do *you* decide when to quit and when to persist?
>
> Udhay
>
> [1] https://tim.blog/2017/07/23/when-to-quit/



To float the thread out a bit, this has been on my mind lately in the
context of treating major illness. When does someone (or that someone's
caregiver) decide to quit the treatment? Is medical treatment of an illness
a process that must be done to the point where the ill person is suffering
terribly?

The question is further complicated by human equations and judgements. It's
all right if I myself make the decision to quit going to the doctors and
hospitals; but what if it's my family member who has to make the call, and
is considered to be cruel or uncaring in doing so?

I have a friend whose mother has refused  further treatment,but is
suffering immense pain. My friend and her family members are facing a lot
of criticism for "allowing" this...even when it's clear that it was the
mother who made the decisionand they are unable to be clear about
whether they are right in supporting the lady, or not. It's leading to
intense friction and trauma in the family relationships.

Deepa.

>
> --
>
> --
> ((Udhay Shankar N))  ((via phone))
>

Re: [silk] Silkmeet on June 28 - bangalore

[Deepa Mohan]

Sorry to say that Derek just got home after a very rough day at
work...and I feel that a late night is not what he is looking for
right now! Sorry, Vinit, I tried to call you...I guess you are busy
with the others...the RoY...Rest of You...have fun on our behalf!

I was looking forward to meeting a lot of people after a long
time...but vottudu!

Cheers, Deepa.

On Sat, Jun 24, 2017 at 7:31 AM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
> Here's the show of hands thus far (not counting maybes and +1s)
>
> Vinit Bhansali
> Surabhi Tomar
> Suresh Ramasubramanian
> Jayadevan PK
> Samanth Subramanian
> Sharat Satyanarayana
> Shyam Sunder
> Kavita Chaudhry
> Naresh Narasimhan
> Advaith Mohan
> Rajesh Mehar
> Venkat Mangudi
> Amitha Singh
> Thejaswi Udupa
> Rashmi V
> Raj Subramanian
> Zeenath Hassan
> Mekin Maheshwari
> Kingsley Joseph
> Sree Sivanandan
> Saritha Rai

Re: [silk] Silkmeet on June 28 - bangalore

[Deepa Mohan]

On Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 5:56 PM, Venkat  wrote:
> THere's drinking involved? :-o
>
> --Venkat

But Venkat, you have the option not to eat...or talk. And Vinit, after
a few of the aforementioned drinks, no explanations are needed.

Re: [silk] Silkmeet on June 28 - bangalore

[Deepa Mohan]

It's Vinit and Surabhi's daughter Sara's birthday, too, on
Wednesday...if my memory serves me right (it doesn't, always).

Hoping to make it there with Derek Shaffer.

Deepa.

On Tue, Jun 27, 2017 at 9:13 PM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
> On Tue, Jun 27, 2017 at 7:24 PM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
>
>> On Sun, Jun 25, 2017 at 12:21 AM, Deepak Shenoy <
>> deepakshe...@capitalmind.in> wrote:
>>
>> Cool stuff - I will try and make it so I'm a maybe, will confirm on Tue.
>>>
>>
>> See you all tomorrow!
>>
>
> Since I just got messaged asking this question:
>
> The venue:
>
> apt #703/704, Garden Apartments, Vittal Mallya Road, Bangalore? (opposite
> UB City.) 7PM onwards.
>
>
> BYOB - whatever you're having and some to share.
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))

Re: [silk] Silkmeet on June 28 - bangalore

[Deepa Mohan]

Probably Derek Shaffer and I will be coming along, too. Attending a
silk meet after approximately 400 years.

Deepa.

On Sat, Jun 24, 2017 at 7:31 AM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
> Here's the show of hands thus far (not counting maybes and +1s)
>
> Vinit Bhansali
> Surabhi Tomar
> Suresh Ramasubramanian
> Jayadevan PK
> Samanth Subramanian
> Sharat Satyanarayana
> Shyam Sunder
> Kavita Chaudhry
> Naresh Narasimhan
> Advaith Mohan
> Rajesh Mehar
> Venkat Mangudi
> Amitha Singh
> Thejaswi Udupa
> Rashmi V
> Raj Subramanian
> Zeenath Hassan
> Mekin Maheshwari
> Kingsley Joseph
> Sree Sivanandan
> Saritha Rai

Re: [silk] Books about the Bhakti movement?

[Deepa Mohan]

How beautifully written, Cheeni. Thank you. I am still pondering over
division and unison as seemingly-irreconcilable concepts, with regard
to taxonomy...You often crystallize my amorphous, hard-to-pen
thoughts.

Only, I am not sure I agree with "division is violence"let me
think about that.

Deepa.

On Wed, Jun 21, 2017 at 3:14 PM, Srini RamaKrishnan  wrote:
> On Jun 21, 2017 12:13 PM, "Thaths"  wrote:
>
> This book seems to be the one I am looking for:
>
> A Storm of Songs: India and the Idea of the Bhakti Movement
>  by John Stratton Hawley.
>
>
> I'm glad you found a book to your looking.
>
> Judging by the Amazon "product description", I suspect this is the kind of
> book I was trying to not recommend. Religion pertains to men, and
> spirituality to the spirit. No doubt the Bhakti movement can be dubbed a
> twentieth century religion as this book does, and located within the
> egotistical world of man, his politics, aspirations and ambitions, but the
> spiritual foundations of Bhakti harken back to the beginning of time. This
> is why I led with a recommendation for the book, The Spiritual heritage of
> India. It charts the course of the same essential idea being moulded and
> remoulded to fit the times.
>
> The Rig Veda famously affirms the idea of unity with "ekam sad vipra
> bahudha vadanti agnim yamam matariswanam ahuh" (meaning Truth is one, but
> the learned refer to it in different names like agni, yama, matariswan).
>
> The idea even back then was as old as time itself, not merely because the
> Vedas as a disparate set of ideas that has existed for a few thousand years
> already.
>
> Shamanic and animistic values had called for unity with nature and all
> things since time began.
>
> This is how it has always been. Yoga literally and ideologically means
> unity. Unity lies at the heart of any spiritual tradition.
>
> Division is violence and the way of the spirit is non violence.
>
> Whenever one sincerely enquires into the way of the spirit, the same
> original ideas come forth, almost as if they are born in a space in the
> knowing before the intellect. These ideas sound radically different when
> translated through the individual intellect, but they are really the same.
>
> The mystics like to say, "Listen to the space between the words, for there
> is the truth."

Re: [silk] Introducing myself

[Deepa Mohan]

Welcome Cindy! Going through your links, including the lungi dance
one. I'd always assumed that all sex videos are (with the exception of
sex education ones) porn, so this is something new to me.  Even on the
net, any searching for topics relating to sex results in viruses
(virii?) or worse, so I quickly gave it up.

I find that my friends are completely unwilling to discuss sex; we
seem unable to be objective about it. Completely agree with Suresh's
words, that a frank discussion quickly degenerates into prurience and
then a strained, embarrassed silence, and the subject is conveniently
brushed under the carpet.

Have there been any discussions on sex on this list?

I'd love to hear about your experiences while setting this up.

Cheers, Deepa.

On Mon, Apr 3, 2017 at 8:40 PM, Cindy Gallop  wrote:
> Dear Silklisters -
>
> I'm honored and delighted that Udhay kindly invited me to join you.
>
> If I may introduce myself - I'm Cindy Gallop, founder and CEO of social sex
> videosharing sextech startup MakeLoveNotPorn, which began as a little
> public service site I launched at TED 2009 with this talk:
>
> http://blog.ted.com/cindy_gallop_ma/
>
> and which received a huge global response that drove me to turn it into a
> business designed to both make money and do good:
>
> https://techcrunch.com/2015/04/04/porn-sex-tech-and-cindy-gallop/
>
> We're building a new category online - social sex - in order to make it
> easier for the world to talk about sex. Because operating a startup in this
> area is extremely challenging:
>
> https://www.fastcompany.com/3065232/startup-report/when-
> prude-investors-cockblock-sex-tech-no-one-gets-off
>
> I have been defining, pioneering and championing my own category, sextech,
> in order to open up the tech and business world's minds to what has the
> potential to be the next trillion dollar sector:
>
> https://www.hottopics.ht/14192/what-is-sextech-and-why-
> is-everyone-ignoring-it/
>
> and am raising the world's first and only sextech fund, AllTheSky Holdings:
>
> http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/24/technology/tech-versus-taboos-cindy-gallop/
>
> I had the enormous pleasure of meeting Udhay in Bangalore last week - MLNP
> gets a lot of traffic and emails from India, especially Indian millennials,
> and I am actively seeking investors to launch MakeLoveNotPorn India in
> order to help promote and educate on good sexual values and good sexual
> behavior - as FactorDaily outlines here:
>
> http://factordaily.com/sex-tech-startup-funding-pornography/
>
> #makeindianlovenotporn!
>
> I'm very much looking forward to the discourse here on SilkList.
>
> And I thought I'd entertain you by including a link to of one of my most
> favorite Indian experiences - learning the Lungi Dance from the master
> himself ☺
>
> https://www.facebook.com/cindy.gallop/videos/10153697237373313/
>
> I love India and hope very much to have business reasons to return soon.
>
> Many thanks -
>
> All the best,
> Cindy
>
>
> --
>
>
> Please help crowdfund my startup on iFundWomen:
> https://ifundwomen.com/projects/makelovenotporn
>
> Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cindygallop
>
> Book me to speak:
> http://www.robinsonspeakers.com/cindy-gallop-speaker-speakers-bureau
>
> Hire me to consult: http://adage.com/article/news/cindi-gallop/305457/

Re: [silk] SilkList

[Deepa Mohan]

Welcome to the "new admissions"! I am amazed at how many facets each person has.

It suddenly occurred to mehow many professional sportspersons do
we have on this list?

Deepa.

On Fri, Feb 24, 2017 at 1:20 AM, Nani  wrote:
> Thanks Udhay, for adding me to this group.
>
> Hello Silk Listers! My name is Narayanan. Most friends know me as Nani. I'm
> co-founder at Milestone42, a Cloud services startup based in Chennai,
> Tamilnadu where the coffee is strong, the accents are thick, and the talent
> pool so deep that you'll find one of us in most boardrooms. ;)
>
> I also help out at JustBooks Anna Nagar, a library franchise that my wife
> runs. Passionate about Cricket; discovered too late that I was better at
> Squash... operative word being "was". These days I am content to watch
> streaming video of American college football (Roll Tide!)...
>
> Some of you may know me already from a previous avatar at Yahoo!, where I
> used to be Director of PMO for Emerging Markets and Global Marketplaces.
> Look forward to connecting with the rest of the folks here.
>
> Here's to stimulating conversations on Silk List.
>
> Cheers,
> Nani

Re: [silk] Travels with the fish

[Deepa Mohan]

Reading this thread, it struck me...what better immortality than to be
remembered so affectionately!

Deepa.

On Sat, Jan 21, 2017 at 10:16 AM, Shyam Sunder
 wrote:
> ... and magazines! Including some (Ahem!) gentlemen's magazines, that were a 
> voyage of discovery for a teenager.
>
> -Original Message-
> From: silklist 
> [mailto:silklist-bounces+shyam.sunder=peakalpha@lists.hserus.net] On 
> Behalf Of Udhay Shankar N
> Sent: 20 January 2017 17:31
> To: Silk List 
> Subject: Re: [silk] Travels with the fish
>
> On Fri, Jan 20, 2017 at 4:25 PM, Shyam Sunder 
> wrote:
>
> Gopi and Ramu are my cousins, Ramu's passing was a real shock. Pleasant
>> surprise to see Travels with the fish remembered fondly here!
>
>
> Not just _Travels with the fish_. I remember fondly Ramu's awesome collection 
> of second hand books.
>
> Udhay
> --
>
> ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))

Re: [silk] Intro

[Deepa Mohan]

Well, Nagi, you certainly have a name famous in Indian movie
circles...welcome :D

Deepa.

On Fri, Jan 20, 2017 at 8:27 PM, Venkatesh H R  wrote:
> Hi Nagi,
> Welcome!
> I'm a Bangalorean in Delhi. Sort of like the Englishman in New York...a
> legal alien in my own country :)
> Venkatesh
>
> On Fri, Jan 20, 2017 at 6:00 PM Nagi Reddy  wrote:
>
>> Hello All,
>>
>> I've just joined the list - thanks Udhay!
>>
>> I am a strategy/finance guy by profession, sports enthusiast & a dreamer by
>> choice. I like badminton, tennis, movies & am lazy beyond repair. Love
>> single malts and good conversations.
>>
>> I live in hyderabad after having wandered around a bit. My alumni listing
>> has National Institute of Technology Warangal and Indian School of Business
>> Hyderabad.
>>
>> Looking forward to some great conversations.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Nagi Reddy
>>

Re: [silk] Request - Recommended reading list / songs for a 5-month old baby girl

[Deepa Mohan]

Yeuggh. Bookleaze sounds too close to Booksleaze!

What is the process by which  people come up with names for their
entrepreneurial efforts? I had a similar query in the old days of Live
Journal (a blogging site which barely exists now) and the answers were
varied and very...Interesting!

I don't find the lending library scene very attractive in Bangalore.
There was actually a mobile van from the Seshadri Iyer Memorial
(Central) Library  which did the rounds  each week, and it went from
adequate to pathetic, and ulitmately stopped altogether. However, we
still pay Library Cess as part of our income tax!

Deepa.

On Fri, Dec 30, 2016 at 11:40 AM, Charles Haynes
 wrote:
> Oh that's much better than my search. For some reason "lending library"
> only returned Eloor and Bookleaze for me.
>
> Thanks!
> -- Charles
>
> On Fri, 30 Dec 2016 at 16:39 Deepa Mohan  wrote:
>
>> Google amma gave me this:
>>
>>
>> https://www.google.co.in/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=lending%20libraries%20in%20bangalore&tbs=ls:-1,lf_od:-1,lf_oh:-1,lf:1,lf_ui:3,lf_pqs:EAE&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=12950140,77638673,5288&tbm=lcl&rldimm=7502844426495328141
>>
>> Deepa.
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Dec 30, 2016 at 11:03 AM, Charles Haynes
>>  wrote:
>> > Yeah, that's the one we found - we lived across the street from it. Are
>> > there others? Any that are public (i.e. paid for by the government?)
>> >
>> > -- Charles
>> >
>> > On Fri, 30 Dec 2016 at 15:51 Suresh Ramasubramanian 
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> >> Eloor behind Safina plaza on Infantry Road has been around for 30+ years
>> >> unless they closed down, I haven't borrowed anything from them recently
>> so
>> >> I hope they're still there
>> >>
>> >> Google + a website says yes they are
>> >>
>> >> --srs
>> >>
>> >> > On 30-Dec-2016, at 9:59 AM, Charles Haynes 
>> >> wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> > Suresh,
>> >> >
>> >> > For future reference, could you please share the lending libraries of
>> >> > Bangalore? That was one of the things we (especially Debbie) missed
>> the
>> >> > most about our time there - we were used to easily findable and
>> >> accessible
>> >> > public libraries, and couldn't find such in Bangalore.
>> >> >
>> >> > -- Charles
>> >> >
>> >> > On Fri, 30 Dec 2016 at 05:04 Suresh Ramasubramanian <
>> sur...@hserus.net>
>> >> > wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >> Which city are you in?
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Plenty I know of in Chennai.  Bangalore has its fair share + second
>> hand
>> >> >> book stores like Blossoms.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> And there’s always the kindle / ipad and such.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> On 29/12/16, 9:59 AM, "silklist on behalf of Preetha Chari-Srinivas"
>> >> >> > >> >> bling...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> >>
>> >> >>Howdy folks,
>> >> >>I would like to seek your suggestions on the recommended reading
>> >> >>list/songs/nursery rhymes etc. for a 5-month old baby girl. Is
>> there
>> >> a
>> >> >>lending library where we can get children's books from - just
>> >> >> wondering for
>> >> >>I haven't seen one in India, so far. Could be mistaken, though.
>> >> >>
>> >> >>Cheers,
>> >> >>Preetha.
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>>
>>

Re: [silk] Request - Recommended reading list / songs for a 5-month old baby girl

[Deepa Mohan]

Google amma gave me this:

https://www.google.co.in/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=lending%20libraries%20in%20bangalore&tbs=ls:-1,lf_od:-1,lf_oh:-1,lf:1,lf_ui:3,lf_pqs:EAE&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=12950140,77638673,5288&tbm=lcl&rldimm=7502844426495328141

Deepa.


On Fri, Dec 30, 2016 at 11:03 AM, Charles Haynes
 wrote:
> Yeah, that's the one we found - we lived across the street from it. Are
> there others? Any that are public (i.e. paid for by the government?)
>
> -- Charles
>
> On Fri, 30 Dec 2016 at 15:51 Suresh Ramasubramanian 
> wrote:
>
>> Eloor behind Safina plaza on Infantry Road has been around for 30+ years
>> unless they closed down, I haven't borrowed anything from them recently so
>> I hope they're still there
>>
>> Google + a website says yes they are
>>
>> --srs
>>
>> > On 30-Dec-2016, at 9:59 AM, Charles Haynes 
>> wrote:
>> >
>> > Suresh,
>> >
>> > For future reference, could you please share the lending libraries of
>> > Bangalore? That was one of the things we (especially Debbie) missed the
>> > most about our time there - we were used to easily findable and
>> accessible
>> > public libraries, and couldn't find such in Bangalore.
>> >
>> > -- Charles
>> >
>> > On Fri, 30 Dec 2016 at 05:04 Suresh Ramasubramanian 
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> >> Which city are you in?
>> >>
>> >> Plenty I know of in Chennai.  Bangalore has its fair share + second hand
>> >> book stores like Blossoms.
>> >>
>> >> And there’s always the kindle / ipad and such.
>> >>
>> >> On 29/12/16, 9:59 AM, "silklist on behalf of Preetha Chari-Srinivas"
>> >> > >> bling...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>Howdy folks,
>> >>I would like to seek your suggestions on the recommended reading
>> >>list/songs/nursery rhymes etc. for a 5-month old baby girl. Is there
>> a
>> >>lending library where we can get children's books from - just
>> >> wondering for
>> >>I haven't seen one in India, so far. Could be mistaken, though.
>> >>
>> >>Cheers,
>> >>Preetha.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>>
>>
>>

Re: [silk] what have you produced during enforced downtime?

[Deepa Mohan]

I wonder how many of us come to Shakespeare other than through school
syllabi? And how many of the present young adults enjoy the Bard?



On Thu, Dec 29, 2016 at 10:40 AM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
> I got reminded of this message [1] from an earlier conversation recently.
> To quote Ramu from then (are you still reading silk, Ramu?)
>
> 
> I read voluminously, but my most vivid reading experience was during a
> summer vacation at my family's Kottayam (Kerala) rubber plantation,
> surrounded by bucolic country cousins whom I couldn't talk to, and didn't
> want to. The only thing to read in the house was a tattered volume of
> Shakespeare. It had 'Twelfth Night', 'All's Well That Ends Well' and 'The
> Taming Of The Shrew'. With illustrations. I was ten. I read that damned
> book for all it was worth. Over those two miserable months, I wore it down
> to a shadow. It was my only escape from a place I wanted to flee. I milked
> it dry, made Shakespearan mega-movies in my head; can still spout entire
> passages. Nothing that I've read since has been as rich and hallucinatory.
> It wasn't the book so much as what my imagination desperately did with it
> (I might have squeezed as much out of the Kottayam telephone directory).
> That mildewed book supplied my entire vacation.
> 
>
> I got reminded of this watching my daughter write during a few days spent
> mostly offline, when she didn't have TV or the net to distract her.
>
> Any stories the list can share about similar things happening during
> enforced downtime?
>
> Udhay
>
> [1]
> https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/silk-list/conversations/messages/3455
>
> --
>
> ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))

Re: [silk] Nineteen!

[Deepa Mohan]

You mean Udhay added you on without ever meeting you, Preetha?

On Mon, Dec 12, 2016 at 6:29 PM, Preetha Chari-Srinivas
 wrote:
> Yahoo! Hippee hooray.haven't met a Silk member to date, but hope to do
> so, one day :-)
> Looking forward to the silver jubilee of this amazing group!
> Cheers,
> Preetha.
>
> On Dec 12, 2016 5:25 PM, "Udhay Shankar N"  wrote:
>
>> Tomorrow is the 19th birthday of silk. Raise a glass, and feel free to
>> party. I know I will! :)
>>
>> Udhay
>> --
>>
>> ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
>>

Re: [silk] Nineteen!

[Deepa Mohan]

The list seems to have survived a lot of change...both members and
technology...so let's all head to the bar to take silk, at the
nineteenth hole, to mix as many metaphors as drinks.

Thank you, Vod Ka Raja, for the many VIP's (Very Interesting People)
I've met here.

Has anyone ever actively left this group? Been thrown out? (TamBram
Mami Gossip gene kicking in.)

Cheers, Deepa.



On Mon, Dec 12, 2016 at 5:52 PM, Amit Varma  wrote:
> On Mon, Dec 12, 2016 at 5:45 PM, Venkat Mangudi - Silk <
> s...@venkatmangudi.com> wrote:
>
>> Pictures or it didn’t happen.
>
>
> Be careful what you wish for!
>
>
> --
> Amit Varma
> http://www.indiauncut.com
> http://www.twitter.com/amitvarma

Re: [silk] What are the books you've gifted?

[Deepa Mohan]

Funny how we give children books to implant some ideas in their heads,
and they come away from the reading with something completely
different. I gave my daughter some reading to introduce her to the
fact that two of her great-grandfathers had been given the Order of
the British Empire...and she was full of "your family were slaves of
the British" afterwards! It made me take another look at my family,
with a new perspective.

On Tue, Dec 6, 2016 at 9:01 PM, Bhaskar Dasgupta  wrote:
> After loads of consultations, got this set for my eldest cost centre's 18th 
> birthday
>
> http://dailysalty.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/so-what-do-you-give-boy-on-his-18th.html?m=1
>
>
>
>> On 6 Dec 2016, at 3:03 pm, Rajeev Chakravarthi  
>> wrote:
>>
>> I try not to gift books to people unless I know what they like to read.
>>
>> However, for kids' birthdays, I go with one of the following -
>> 1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
>> 2. The Magic Faraway Tree
>> 3. The Wind in the Willows
>> 4. Anything from the Paddington Bear series
>> 5. Anything from the Geronimo Stilton series (seems wildly popular with 
>> children)
>>
>> I have noticed that parents are also grateful for Amar Chitra Katha titles 
>> as presents - more so than the kids themselves.
>>
>>
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> Rajeev
>>
>>> On Dec 6, 2016, at 19:37, Namitha Jagadeesh  wrote:
>>>
>>> My "here, you MUST read this!" books:
>>>
>>> Phantoms in the brain - VS Ramachandran
>>> Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me - Ellen Forney
>>> Ocean at the end of the lane - Neil Gaiman
>>> The thrilling adventures of Lovelace and Babbage - Sydney Padua
>>>
>>>
>>>
 On Tue, Dec 6, 2016 at 11:06 AM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:

 On Tue, Dec 6, 2016 at 3:03 PM, Thaths  wrote:

 How about your list, Udhay?
>

 I was looking for the "here, you MUST read this!" kind of book.

 An incomplete list from my perspective:

 Godel, Escher, Bach (multiple times)
 Infinity and the Mind
 Jonathan Livingstone Seagull (including to my then-fiancee-now-wife)
 Kamala Subramanian's Mahabharatha



 --

 ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))

>>

Re: [silk] What are the books you've gifted?

[Deepa Mohan]

I suppose it would not be cool to say that I simply love the William
books by Richmal Crompton...and lke Kate Fenton says about Georgette
Heyer (another of my favourites) "have read (the books) to tattered
shreds". (I have the set given to my aunt as a school prize to prove
this statement.

To let the thread drift, I love the illustrations by Thomas Henry. Any
other illustrators who have become illustrious...like Tenniel, or in
my local ambit,  "Jay" (Jayaraj) and "Gopaludu" for Tamil magazines?

On Tue, Dec 6, 2016 at 7:37 PM, Namitha Jagadeesh  wrote:
> My "here, you MUST read this!" books:
>
> Phantoms in the brain - VS Ramachandran
> Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me - Ellen Forney
> Ocean at the end of the lane - Neil Gaiman
> The thrilling adventures of Lovelace and Babbage - Sydney Padua
>
>
>
> On Tue, Dec 6, 2016 at 11:06 AM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
>
>> On Tue, Dec 6, 2016 at 3:03 PM, Thaths  wrote:
>>
>> How about your list, Udhay?
>> >
>>
>> I was looking for the "here, you MUST read this!" kind of book.
>>
>> An incomplete list from my perspective:
>>
>> Godel, Escher, Bach (multiple times)
>> Infinity and the Mind
>> Jonathan Livingstone Seagull (including to my then-fiancee-now-wife)
>> Kamala Subramanian's Mahabharatha
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
>>

Re: [silk] Things that are worth the money

[Deepa Mohan]

Charles and Debbie...you are, to my mind...extremely unusual people. I
am slowly coming to realize just how attached I am to material goods.
It's time,for example, for me to give my collection of Asterix and
Tintin to my grandchildren. But I have dilly-dallied on this for a
month!

And...regarding those pre-cut vegetablesthey are pointless IF we
have the time to process the vegetables ourselves, and delight in
doing so. There are times, however ("Oh, hi, we've just landed, and we
are coming over for lunch...I know you won't mind if we bring 3
friends along.")  when pre-cut is very convenient! I am frankly more
worried about getting some food on the table than about essential
nutrients and oils :D

I agree...one of the most interesting threads I've read. It shows me,
too, how different we can be in our approach to purchases. Eg.For
international travel,  I would (being only 5 feet tall,and not very
wide) travel in cattle class and spend the saved money on travel in
the destination.

On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 10:39 AM, Charles Haynes
 wrote:
> My partner Debbie and I have 30kg of stuff. Each. That's it. (Ok, right
> this minute we're actually living in a house! With housemates! So we've
> bought a few more "things" that we will leave behind when we leave, but the
> general rule remains.)
>
> So every single thing we own must satisfy one or both of the criteria:
>
>1. It's beautiful
>2. You love it
>
> When you only own one of a thing, or you can only have one of the ten
> things you think you want the cost becomes less important and the beauty
> and lasting love for it becomes much more significant. For the last ten
> years I've carried around a ten-inch chef's knife that I love, but I think
> it's time to leave it behind. I can't imagine buying pre-cut vegetables -
> the joy I get from picking out the perfect eggplant, cutting it just so
> with the perfect tool, and cooking it just the way I like it versus saving
> a few minutes in preparing food is just not worth it to me.
>
> Oh - I bought a new 13" MacBook Pro. :)
>
> -- Charles
>
> On Tue, 29 Nov 2016 at 15:49 Vinayak Hegde  wrote:
>
>> On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 9:38 AM, Amitha Singh 
>> wrote:
>> > On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 8:26 AM, Udhay Shankar N 
>> wrote:
>> >
>> >> I saw a post by Ramit Sethi [1] that got me thinking.
>> >>
>> >> What, to you, are the things that are worth the extra that you might
>> pay?
>> >>
>> >> My incomplete list:
>> >>
>> >> Shoes, computers, fragrance.
>> >>
>> >> Udhay
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> [1] http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/5-things-that-are-worth-
>> >> the-money
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
>> >>
>> >> Coming out of the woodwork for this! :)
>> >
>> > I have been trying to follow the concept of simplistic living over the
>> past
>> > 7 years. Buy only what you need, buy only on cash and not credit, give
>> away
>> > things you haven't used for 9-12 months (barring sarees ;)) and so on...
>> Of
>> > course my 14-year old daughter hates it because according to her she is
>> in
>> > the "want" stage of life and doesn't like to be content with just "needs"
>> >
>> > Having said that, over these years that I have chosen this path, I've
>> > realized there are three things I absolutely cannot resist splurging on -
>> > books, travel and sports goods (Decathlon has been my Waterloo for years
>> > now)
>> > So I have made sure these three go in to my "need for the soul" list!
>> (Note
>> > how I've convinced myself these are still "needs" and not "wants"!)
>>
>> I think this article is pertinent to this thread. I often found that I
>> use this "mental accounting" both to spend and justify it as well.
>>
>>
>> http://qz.com/825006/this-classic-thought-experiment-explains-the-weird-decisions-we-make-about-spending-money/
>>
>> -- Vinayak
>>
>>

Re: [silk] Things that are worth the money

[Deepa Mohan]

Reminds me of the one about the optometrist who was training his new
assistant. "When you deliver the glasses," he said, "You keep adding."

"How?" asked the assistant.

"Keep watching the customer's face, and as long as you can, keep
adding!" said the master. "Here's how it goes:

" ' That will be Rs.5000.'

'for the frame. The lenses will be Rs.8000.'

'...each. The anti-glare coating will be Rs.2000.'

' ...and here is your customized spectacle case for Rs. 3000.'

'taxes will be another Rs.1000.'

" You can stop when you see the expression of utter dismay on the
customer's face."

On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 9:13 AM, Deepa Mohan  wrote:
> On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 8:26 AM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
>
>>
>> Shoes, computers, fragrance.
> -that-are-worth-
>> [1] http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/5-thingsthe-money
>
> Carefully bottom-posting (yeugh!) this time.
>
> Of the three above...fragrance seems, to me, the most unquantifiable.
> Can someone tell me how fragrances are priced, and often priced so
> very high? I could understand when the components, like frankincense
> or vettiver, are difficult to procure. But in general, the pricing of
> fragrances remains an opaque area.
>
> Another item where pricing seems to be very opaque: spectacle frames.
> Any idea why this is so?

Re: [silk] Things that are worth the money

[Deepa Mohan]

AlsoI will know if the product is worth the extra amount I have
paid for it, only after a certain length of time...and when I go to
buy it again, and again. This retrospective knowledge does not help me
the first time I am buying something

Most of us, I think, have the concept of "buy the best that one can
afford". The line between buying the best, and overpaying for
something, seems thin. How often do we say, "It was a little
expensive, but"

On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 9:13 AM, Deepa Mohan  wrote:
> On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 8:26 AM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:
>
>>
>> Shoes, computers, fragrance.
> -that-are-worth-
>> [1] http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/5-thingsthe-money
>
> Carefully bottom-posting (yeugh!) this time.
>
> Of the three above...fragrance seems, to me, the most unquantifiable.
> Can someone tell me how fragrances are priced, and often priced so
> very high? I could understand when the components, like frankincense
> or vettiver, are difficult to procure. But in general, the pricing of
> fragrances remains an opaque area.
>
> Another item where pricing seems to be very opaque: spectacle frames.
> Any idea why this is so?

Re: [silk] Things that are worth the money

[Deepa Mohan]

On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 8:26 AM, Udhay Shankar N  wrote:

>
> Shoes, computers, fragrance.
-that-are-worth-
> [1] http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/5-thingsthe-money

Carefully bottom-posting (yeugh!) this time.

Of the three above...fragrance seems, to me, the most unquantifiable.
Can someone tell me how fragrances are priced, and often priced so
very high? I could understand when the components, like frankincense
or vettiver, are difficult to procure. But in general, the pricing of
fragrances remains an opaque area.

Another item where pricing seems to be very opaque: spectacle frames.
Any idea why this is so?

Re: [silk] ... Chennai, Silk, Satin, Top Posting

[Deepa Mohan]

This list always gives me words I didn't know before, Thank you Dave.
Intercalated" is now (by me) properly considered and accepted.





On Tue, Nov 8, 2016 at 2:10 PM, Dave Long  wrote:
>> Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Silk, Satin, Top Posting.
>
>
> (with apologies to Stan Kelly-Bootle)
> Should posted replies be "above" or "below"?  My compromise of
> "intercalated" was rejected without, I thought, proper consideration.
>
>> This is like a bad cover version of We Didn't Start The Fire.
>
>
>

Re: [silk] Delhi meetup?

[Deepa Mohan]

How about "unBaching", "unBeethovening" etc?

Lahar, caught me in just the right silly mood!

On Tue, Nov 8, 2016 at 2:03 PM, Lahar Appaiah  wrote:
> Since it's Silk, perhaps we should call it "unraveling"?
>
> Or, Un-Bolero-ing.
>
> Or, De-XUV-ing.
>
> Like, "Stop DeXuving the thread".
>
> On 8 Nov 2016 2:00 p.m., "Venkat Mangudi - Silk" 
> wrote:
>
>> If not thread drift, what’s the fun in Silk? :P
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Venkat
>>
>>
>>
>> > On 08-Nov-2016, at 3:13 AM, Priyanka Sachar  wrote:
>> >
>> > In all this hullabaloo did people forget to outrage about quoting "above"
>> > the previous mail? 😂😁😛 :p
>> >
>> > On 8 Nov 2016 09:26, "Preetha Chari-Srinivas" 
>> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Bangalore has never been addressed as such, since the namma wave has
>> >> caught  on, in Chennai only :-)
>> >> Cheers,
>> >> Preetha.
>> >>
>> >> On Nov 8, 2016 8:35 AM, "Venkat Mangudi - Silk" > >
>> >> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>> Namma Chennai? Like Namma Bangalore? :)
>> >>>
>> >>> Cheers,
>> >>> Venkat
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>>  On 07-Nov-2016, at 9:52 PM, Preetha Chari-Srinivas <
>> bling...@gmail.com
>> >>>
>> >>> wrote:
>> 
>>  Howdy folks,
>>  What about poor ol' Namma Chennai - there never seems to be a Silk
>> >>> meet-up
>>  in my neck of the woods :-)
>>  Cheers,
>>  Preetha.
>> 
>>  On Oct 28, 2016 8:48 PM, "Udhay Shankar N"  wrote:
>> 
>> > Hello folks:
>> >
>> > I'm in Delhi between 5th - 12th November. my evenings are booked on
>> >> 10th
>> > -12th, but any other day should work for a silkmeet. Where and when?
>> >
>> > Udhay
>> >
>> > --
>> >
>> > ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
>> >
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>
>>
>>

Re: [silk] Delhi meetup?

[Deepa Mohan]

I think we have got *above* the
where-the-response-email-should-be-situated controversy. Gmail has
decided it for me, at least.

By the way...I've been hearing "Namma Bengalooru" for quite a while now.

Deepa.

On Tue, Nov 8, 2016 at 2:00 PM, Venkat Mangudi - Silk
 wrote:
> If not thread drift, what’s the fun in Silk? :P
>
> Cheers,
> Venkat
>
>
>
>> On 08-Nov-2016, at 3:13 AM, Priyanka Sachar  wrote:
>>
>> In all this hullabaloo did people forget to outrage about quoting "above"
>> the previous mail? 😂😁😛 :p
>>
>> On 8 Nov 2016 09:26, "Preetha Chari-Srinivas"  wrote:
>>
>>> Bangalore has never been addressed as such, since the namma wave has
>>> caught  on, in Chennai only :-)
>>> Cheers,
>>> Preetha.
>>>
>>> On Nov 8, 2016 8:35 AM, "Venkat Mangudi - Silk" 
>>> wrote:
>>>
 Namma Chennai? Like Namma Bangalore? :)

 Cheers,
 Venkat



> On 07-Nov-2016, at 9:52 PM, Preetha Chari-Srinivas >>>
 wrote:
>
> Howdy folks,
> What about poor ol' Namma Chennai - there never seems to be a Silk
 meet-up
> in my neck of the woods :-)
> Cheers,
> Preetha.
>
> On Oct 28, 2016 8:48 PM, "Udhay Shankar N"  wrote:
>
>> Hello folks:
>>
>> I'm in Delhi between 5th - 12th November. my evenings are booked on
>>> 10th
>> -12th, but any other day should work for a silkmeet. Where and when?
>>
>> Udhay
>>
>> --
>>
>> ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
>>


>>>
>

Re: [silk] Intro - Aanjhan

[Deepa Mohan]

Ah. Now I know what GPS spoofing is! Thanks Cheeni.

On Thu, Sep 29, 2016 at 8:09 PM, Srini RamaKrishnan  wrote:
> Welcome Aanjhan :-)
>
> Happy to see you delurk. I recently read about a scam that some Ola cab
> drivers pulled on Ola to the tune of several lakhs per month for several
> months in falsified rides using GPS spoofing software and a thousand sim
> cards.
>
> Impressive that this was done by your average cabbie who's not a hacker.
> The spoofing CD sells for ₹40k among cabbies.
>
> How easy would it be to divert a plane with this sort of spoofing? I assume
> one would need a fast plane, like a drone, some long range antennae and
> intent. Quite realistic in the modern battlefield I suppose.
>
> Do you think of yourself as a cyber weapons manufacturer? :-)

Re: [silk] Intro - Aanjhan

[Deepa Mohan]

Welcome Aanjhanmy first question being, what does your name mean?

I suppose the GPS spoofing video would be perfectly clear to many
others in this list, but I didn't understand it. I suppose I need it
explained in monosyllabic words.

But yes, I do like board games too, but prefer ones that finish fast,
and don't need the use of strategies, eg

http://www.setgame.com/

Cheers, Deepa.

On Thu, Sep 29, 2016 at 12:07 PM, Aanjhan Ranganathan  wrote:
> Hello folks,
>
> After lurking on this list for more than 3 years, I am finally picking
> myself up to write this intro email.
>
> I am based in Switzerland working at ETH Zurich (a university) as a senior
> researcher. I finished my PhD (may be i waited to have that Dr. title
> before writing this email) also from the same place. Most of my research
> revolves around security of wireless systems (more specifically at the
> physical layer security of GPS, proximity based access control systems,
> anti-jamming techniques etc). I have also dabbled around with processor
> architecture, electronic control units for various automobile manufacturers
> such as Volkswagen, Audi etc. in the past. I am now moving towards security
> of autonomous systems.
>
> I love to play the harmonica, board games and whenever possible try to find
> answers to puzzling questions such as "why we love some animals and eat
> some". It has been a pleasure to be on this list and I would like to thank
> both Srini (Cheeni) and Sankarshan for recommending me here.
>
> A fun video of a GPS spoofing demo (without any modification to the phone
> software) I give as part of a security of wireless networks course here at
> ETH Zurich for the interested.
>
> https://youtu.be/y4pr5_ea5hw
>
> Cheers,
> Aanjhan

Re: [silk] Safe in Bangalore?

[Deepa Mohan]

On Mon, Sep 12, 2016 at 7:27 PM, Srini RamaKrishnan  wrote:
> My prayers for everyone in Bangalore to stay safe and well.

Well, except for any freak involvement in nearby violence, I guess we
(the privileged class) have had enough warning to keep to our homes.
That said...I felt very angry at the fear that seems to prevail, and
took a 2 km walk to my daughter's place...and back a couple of hours
later. I was not accosted, nor did I see any violence; but then, I am
in south Bangalore, not near the Mysore Road area, where there has
been violence.
>
> We must realize the real culprit in this and other water wars that are sure
> to follow in the coming years is global warming and climate change due to
> the collective error of human industrialization.
>
> It isn't Tamil vs Kannada or man vs man. It is man vs man's errors.

Cheeni, I would differ on this. I cannot deny the anguish of the
farmers in the Kaveri belt of Karnataka...but there is a very strong
politically-fomented factor in this entire issue, which has been
fanned to life every now and then, for years.
>
> The inaction of the governments and hateful genocidal rhetoric from all
> sides shows the collective ignorance or worse, spiteful opportunism.

Hmm...Yes, I'd agree with your words. But increasingly, we have what
is neatly referred to as the "disaffected element" which seems to be
waiting for such issues to flare up and who go around threatening,
offering violence and looting, without fear of accountability.

Perhaps, being one Madras Presidency was better than being Tamil and
Kannada and Malyalam and Telugu, and having our politicians set us one
against the other instead of the earlier common enemy, the Brits.

Deepa.

Re: [silk] Fantastic to get onboard

[Deepa Mohan]

Welcome Sreejith.!

On Fri, Sep 9, 2016 at 10:15 AM, Sreejith sivanandan
 wrote:
> Fantastic to get onboard this esteem group.

Whether Esteem or Alto, it's just as possible to be underwhelmed by
this group (eg Tech-ignorantosaurii like me) as overwhelmed. The
intellectual altitude varies from the snows of  the Himalaya to the
mud of the Gangetic plains...

*Insert "I am joking, I like this list" smiley here*

Cheers, Deepa.