Re: [silk] What are the things you splurge on that are worth the money?
-Original Message- From: silklist On Behalf Of Udhay Shankar N Sent: 07 December 2020 04:44 To: Silk List Subject: [silk] What are the things you splurge on that are worth the money? 1. Computer components. I bought 3 28" inch 4k monitors for working at home earlier this year. Those replaced three monitors which were all different sizes and resolutions. I will find it extremely hard to work at a single laptop screen for 8 hours again. 2. Travel and paying more for accommodation. We tend to rent houses as opposed to staying in hotels and take ferries with the car as opposed to flying. Flight upgrades aren't always worth the money, in my opinion, as a cost vs benefit proposition although the length of the flight is a factor. But on an overnight ferry a room upgrade or meal in the less crowded restaurant is definitely worth it. 3. Scuba equipment. I've been diving for ten years now and find myself replacing equipment I bought at the outset. I'm more aware of what I'm buying and am willing to pay extra. I've also found myself upgrading equipment that doesn't need replaced. Rgds - Keith
Re: [silk] Recommended Reading for 2020
Fall; or, Dodge in Hell - Neal Stephenson Rgds - Keith -Original Message- From: silklist On Behalf Of Thaths Sent: 20 November 2020 19:13 To: silklist@lists.hserus.net Subject: [silk] Recommended Reading for 2020 Silk listers, I used to turn to you for book recommendations around this time of the year. But stopped this practice when I stopped seeing engagement. But last year a handful of you said that you missed this annual tradition. So here we go again! What have you read over the last year that has left a mark on you? What are you eagerly looking forward to reading over the coming holidays? How has COVID19 affected your reading? I will share my recommendations later in this thread. Thaths -- Homer: Hey, what does this job pay? Carl: Nuthin'. Homer: D'oh! Carl: Unless you're crooked. Homer: Woo-hoo!
Re: [silk] War on Science?
> > On Feb 21, 2018 6:24 PM, "Biju Chacko" wrote: > > > > On Wed, Feb 21, 2018 at 2:31 PM, Srini RamaKrishnan > wrote: > > > > > > Paying respect to science is good form, but doesn't always mean it's an > > > indication of quality. Neither is questioning science inherently a bad > > > idea. > > > > Erm, there's a hell of a difference between questioning specific > > studies or hypotheses and dismissing established scientific consensus. > > > Science is largely determined by the people doing the science and > their human failings. There's no protection against human nature. > > A good rabbit hole is the Google search term, "half of all science is > wrong", which is a paraphrase of the words of Richard Horton > (www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)60696-1/fulltext), > editor of The Lancet, who admitted rather timidly or bravely > (debateable) in his editorial that "much of the scientific literature, > perhaps half, may simply be untrue." Also in his words, "science has > taken a turn toward darkness." > Most are silent, and the few defenders seem to come out with silly > excuses that would make politicians blush. > > Here's one - > > https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7915-most-scientific-papers-are-probably- > wrong/ > > << But Solomon Snyder, senior editor at the Proceedings of the > National Academy of Sciences, and a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins > Medical School in Baltimore, US, says most working scientists > understand the limitations of published research. I think you misunderstand the scientific process. Scientists may do research and publish a paper detailing their hypothesis, method, results, study numbers etc. and draw their conclusions. But it is not 'established scientific consensus' until it is reproduced by many different groups, many times with outliers in the data accounted for. One scientific paper does not science make. And moreover, the person you quote above makes it clear that most scientists understand that that is how science works. It is the mainstream media and press that latch on to a single research paper and claim it is 'science' that do not understand how science works. A single paper may draw an incomplete or incorrect conclusion due to; study groups being too small, errors in statistical methods, errors in equipment or apparatus, human bias or indeed by outright deceit. But to claim that half of science is false due to human failings is somewhat of a stretch. Of the problem of the mainstream media reporting a single study as 'science' reminds me of what Professor Spiegelhalter [1] said on More or Less this week, that if something is being reported as it is usually contrary to the established view and is therefore extraordinary. And that extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Which is never usually the case of a single research paper. So yes, half of all scientific papers in the last twenty years may not be repeatable but what we can then draw from that is that their conclusions and hypotheses are incorrect. That is the scientific method is it not? And it has worked remarkably well. > > > And in either case, any serious disputation demands support of > > objective evidence. Unless, of course, you're saying the scientific > > method itself is questionable -- in which case I'd humbly ask for your > > alternative way of understanding reality. > > > Heh, why do you go opening that can of worms? That wasn't something I > said, still if one goes there it soon begs a metaphysical question on > the nature of reality itself. I don't think Silk is a medium built for > that kind of debate. However there are some jumping off points for > those interested, > > 1. Quantum events are not deterministic, but probabilistic, which > requires reworking Francis Bacon's assumptions that experiments are > always repeatable. Such debates are currently only being held in > philosophy departments, and not in physics departments. > > Yet makers of still more accurate atomic clocks, random number > generators all run into this sooner or later. > What problems regarding atomic clock accuracy are you referring to? An article in this week's New Scientist mentions an atomic clock that is accurate to one second in a billion billion, it would be out by one second in 32 billion years. [2] The utility of the result in the framework to which it applies matters. An accuracy of an atomic clock that is greater than the age of the universe is probably fine for the uses to which it would be put. Also, consider the radioactive decay of phosphorous-32. It has a half-life of 14.29 days. This is well established and repeatable. We know what will happen to 10kg of the stuff in a period of time. However, the decay of individual atoms is indeed a matter of statistical probability. We are unable to determine which atoms will decay and which ones won't. But in the objective framework of real-world utility, we care not about
Re: [silk] What's your primary computing device?
For me, it's more of an environment. I have a self-hosted windows domain with the key features being [1] an exchange server and [2] re-directed folders with offline folders on certain devices. When I am in the house I am using a self assembled desktop computer (seven years old) running Win10. This is for when I am sitting down doing 'serious' work or play. A Dell laptop that comes out of the house with me, primarily for work, running Win10. A Surface that goes with me on the sofa, holidays, trips to the in-laws etc. My iPhone for all other times. The iPhone also connects to Exchange for email, contacts, tasks, notes &c. using RPC over HTTP. (I like demonstrating logging in to my OWA instance via a work computer, changing a contacts details and then moments later seeing it updated on my iPhone and vice versa). The ability to have a synchronised 'my documents' and Exchange environment is for me the key. The device is then contextual to where I am. The fact that I am doing it in an environment I host, configure and maintain is quite satisfying. And devices can be replaced when necessary without causing me much inconvenience - such as when my three year old cracked the screen on my surface last year. Rgds - Keith From: silklist on behalf of Udhay Shankar N Sent: 12 September 2017 09:32 To: Silk List Subject: [silk] What's your primary computing device? As in, what do you spend the most time doing serious work/play on? For any definition of 'work' or 'play' that appeals to you? For me, it is still an assembled desktop computer running Windows. Notwithstanding the existence in the house of 3 laptops, sundry tablets, and many, MANY phones. Udhay -- ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com)) This email was scanned by Bitdefender
Re: [silk] What are the books you've gifted?
>My "here, you MUST read this!" books: >Phantoms in the brain - VS Ramachandran I bought this book, gosh, twenty years ago I think. I bought at the same time Complexity by Roger Lewin (which I've read several times). I never got round to reading Phantoms in the Brain but it will now be the next book I read. My books would be - The Story of San Michel by Axel Munthe. I've bought this for many of my friends and family. - Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer. - Ringworld by Larry Niven. - In Search of Schrodinger's Cat by John Gribbin. Keith This email was scanned by Bitdefender
Re: [silk] Not quite your dad's cup of tea
> > On Mon, Dec 14, 2015 at 8:55 AM, Heather Madrone > wrote: > > > One study I read about a dozen years ago showed that a higher rate of > > osteoporosis in people who drank a lot of RO water, even if they took > > calcium supplements. > > > Got a citation? > > (I suspect that South Indians, who tend to consume plenty of calcium via > dairy products such as curd, will have less to worry about in this context > anyway) > > Udhay > -- > > ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com)) > > > This email was scanned by Bitdefender My drinking water is classed as soft with low levels of Ca and Mg. Most of Scotland's drinking water supply is soft as the raw water (before treatment) is surface water which has not percolated through the ground. This is in stark contrast to the south east of England where most of the water is hard as it is groundwater from deep aquifers. There is no public health issue as far as I know in the UK with regards to the difference in mineral quantities and no need for supplements in Scotland. I bought a new coffee machine two weeks ago and the manufacturer attempts to get you to subscribe to regular deliveries of filtration units and descaling products which I don't need and won't be ordering. The machine came with some test paper to test the water and I think it measures the concentration of CaCo3 in the water. My paper changed colour slightly, although whether it was due to it just being wet or registering a chemical reaction I cannot be sure. I did look up the latest sample readings from my supply (Rosebery A) and they were 8.68 mgCa/ l, 1.61 mgMg/ l and 29.05 mg/ l CaCo3. It would be interesting to know the difference in the mineral concentrations between your raw water and RO treated water, Udhay. Perhaps using test papers if you can get a hold of some. Although I am not a tea drinker, I do believe that more reddish colour tea is seen by some as the *true* colour that one should strive for. The darker, more muddy colour is due to the higher levels of Ca and Mg in the water. I know that Yorkshire Tea do a blend specifically for hard water. Regards, Keith ke...@ksadam.net | 07872916264 | 01314549247 This email was scanned by Bitdefender
Re: [silk] The least random number
> > So when did you join silklist, and how did you hear about it? > > Udhay > I think I joined sometime in 1998 or 1999. I had not long been on the internet and was given a little book about the internet and the things you could do on it from my ISP, PIPEX. One of the suggestions was 'email lists'. So I typed that in the prevalent search engine of the time (I think it was Alta Vista) and near the top of the results was silk-list - with the tag about it being a place to have knowledgeable conversations etc. So I subscribed... Although I do not participate much I take great interest in the posts and following the discussions. I have found that the way I personally approach discussions, arguments and logical thought has changed in the fifteen or so years. And I frequently discuss topics raised on Silk with some of my friends. I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed by the collective intellect of the list to post replies. Silk has lead me to discover many authors, Cory and John included; many areas for self-study, technology and sociology; books such as the Illuminatus Trilogy and last week I ordered 'The works: Anatomy of a city'; and... the cultural aspects. (When I saw the listing in the search engine there was nothing to suggest that the majority of the participants in the list were predominantly living in India or part of the Indian diaspora). The cultural aspect gave me an interest in India. And in a way, I found it helped me with the experience of India when I had the privilege of spending eleven months there with work in 2006 (I had an apartment in Pune May - December as well as spending time in Delhi and Mumbai). Being able to give salutations in Hindi is a great icebreaker with new colleagues that I meet. [It is with reverence, some amusement and I hope respect from Indian colleagues I have worked with that I include in joint implementation plans an activity to break a coconut on the evening prior to any cutover to live]. My email archive has been maintained since 2001 and I enjoy re-reading posts; some of my favourites being 'buffer overruns from 2002 and Adam Rifkin's 'I wake up, and once again it's December 9' from 2003. [I have a draft in my head of my take - 'I wake up and once again it's April 12' and I may share one day]. During the past fifteen years, my life and career has changed in many ways. From being a bingo hall manager at the beginning to now enjoying a career as a consultant business analyst. My personal life has changed as well. From raising one fabulous son out of the ruins of one (and so far only) marriage to meeting the love of my life and the happy birth of my second son last year. In the middle I have gone through depression and a shambolic personal life to hopefully coming out of it a better person. I no longer drink alcohol and have not done so in three years and eight months. It took me while to discover why driver-ji called me sarabi gora. Udhay's post has made me think about what silklist has meant to me. I was not invited, I did not know anyone 'in real life' and I had no noteworthy achievements that would solicit my 'collection' in to the list. To my great shame I have not met any of the dear participants - even when I was in the vicinity. I am not an active silklister. But, Silk has been and is a thread with some meaning and fondness through life's web so far. I hope you forgive my indulgence in this post. Keith
Re: [silk] A woman's reaction to England's world cup knock-out
-Original Message- From: silklist [mailto:silklist-bounces+keith=ksadam@lists.hserus.net] On Behalf Of Deepa Mohan Sent: 01 July 2014 10:24 To: Intelligent Conversation Subject: Re: [silk] A woman's reaction to England's world cup knock-out On Tue, Jul 1, 2014 at 2:49 PM, SS wrote: > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbISE9IM5Sk There is no explanation of how that statistic, 38% rise in domestic violence...women being knocked about as a direct result of England being knocked out, was arrived at. I am getting warier and warier of internet statistics and datathe net seems to be our modern equivalent of the vedas...ask not any question, but accept unhesitatingly... Deepa. The video itself doesn't cite sources for the statistics but it was covered extensively in the GB press. http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/08/police-fear-rise-domestic-violence-world-cup http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2671696/Clip-woman-anxiously-watching-football-reveals-domestic-violence-rises-England-exit-World-Cup.html Most articles cite the University of Lancaster study that looked at correlations in police reports from 2002, 2006 and 2010. http://www.research.lancs.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/can-the-fifa-world-cup-football-soccer-tournament-be-associated-with-an-increase-in-domestic-abuse(c773c37b-8f97-48a8-8238-9d6f6c381b35).html Abstract This study aims to establish whether empirical evidence exists to support the anecdotal view that the FIFA world cup football (soccer) tournament can be associated with a rise in reported domestic abuse incidents, when viewed remotely via television. Methods A quantitative analysis, using Poisson and negative binomial regression models looked at monthly and daily domestic abuse incidents reported to a police force in the North West of England across three separate tournaments (2002, 2006, 2010). Results The study found two statistically significant trends. A match day trend showed the risk of domestic abuse rose by 26% when the English national team won or drew, and a 38% increase when the national team lost. Secondly a tournament trend was apparent, as reported domestic abuse incidents increased in frequency with each new tournament. Conclusions Although this is a relatively small study it has significant ramifications due to the global nature of televised football (soccer) tournaments. If replicated it presents significant opportunities to identify and reduce incidents of domestic abuse associated with televised soccer games. Rgds, Keith
Re: [silk] JT Edsons
> >My current favorite mindless thriller writers: > > > >1. James Rollins. > > add lee child's jack reacher books. > > but you can only read so many books about a strong silent highly > trained > killer type who always gets to make love to a woman he's met for maybe > a > few hours, and finally kills the psycho sadist killer and his cronies > as > bloodily as possible > My guilty pleasure is Dennis Wheatley - especially the Gregory Sallust series. This email was scanned by BitDefender.
Re: [silk] What is the greatest human invention?
> > > > Strange world. > > > > shiv > > > A few years ago I was in California on business. My wife was in the > hospital in Massachusetts, two of my three (adult) children were very > seriously ill, and I had a million other worries, personal and > financial. It was in this context that I found one morning that my bank > balance was zero and that I had been frozen out of the account. There's an anecdote in Whoops! Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay [1] where an Icelandic student in the UK was unable to access her Icelandic bank account for three weeks at the onset of the financial crisis in 2008. This was due to her government freezing the outflow of cash from Iceland. Possibly the invention of some of the more esoteric financial instruments of the past ten years surely have to be amongst the *worst* human inventions. Keith [1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/7157126/Whoops-Why-Everyone-Owes-Ever yone-and-NoOne-Can-Pay-by-John-Lanchester-review.html This email was scanned by BitDefender.
Re: [silk] Can the Hottest Peppers In the World Kill You?
BBC news story on the event... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-15183070 > -Original Message- > From: silklist-bounces+keith.adam0=blueyonder.co...@lists.hserus.net > [mailto:silklist-bounces+keith.adam0=blueyonder.co...@lists.hserus.net] > On Behalf Of Eugen Leitl > Sent: 17 October 2011 17:15 > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Subject: [silk] Can the Hottest Peppers In the World Kill You? > > > http://science.slashdot.org/story/11/10/17/1358244/can-the-hottest- > peppers-in-the-world-kill-you > > Hugh Pickens writes writes "Katharine Gammon writes that last week, the > Kismot Indian restaurant in Edinburgh, Scotland, held a competition to > eat > the extra-hot Kismot Killer curry and several ambulances were called > after > some of the competitive eaters were left writhing on the floor in > agony, > vomiting and fainting. Paul Bosland, professor of horticulture at New > Mexico > State University and director of the Chile Pepper Institute, says that > chili > peppers can indeed cause death — but most people's bodies would falter > long > before they reached that point. "Theoretically, one could eat enough > really > hot chiles to kill you," says Bosland adding that a research study in > 1980 > calculated that three pounds of the hottest peppers in the world — > something > like the Bhut Jolokia — eaten all at once could kill a 150-pound > person. > Chili peppers cause the eater's insides to rev up activating the > sympathetic > nervous system — which helps control most of the body's internal organs > — to > expend more energy, so the body burns more calories when the same food > is > eaten with chili peppers. But tissue inflammation could explain why the > contestants in the Killer Curry contest said they felt like chainsaws > were > ripping through their insides. As for the contest, restaurant owner > Abdul Ali > admitted the fiery dish may have been too spicy after the Scottish > Ambulance > Service warned him to review his event. 'I think we'll tone it down, > but > we'll definitely do it next year.'" > > > > > > This email was scanned by BitDefender. This email was scanned by BitDefender.
Re: [silk] Plus by Google
On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 2:23 PM, gabin kattukaran wrote: Please to consider as and when invites become available. Can I get an invite too, please? I wonder whatever happened to Diaspora. There was a large Silklist presence there, but no activity after the first week or so. Oh well. C Please may I also be considered for an invite when they become available. Kind rgds, Keith
Re: [silk] The future of learning?
> > This list contains a large number of self-taught programmers. How did > you get started, and how did you get to a moderate level of skill? (If > you want to talk about what happened after that, great, but I am more > interested in the first two stages) > > Udhay > -- I taught myself BASIC on a Sinclair ZX81 from age 9. It was an unexpected Christmas present. My mother used to buy me magazines each fortnight that were full of pages of code. Within a few months, I was resusing and amending blocks of code to string together my own programs. As time went on I had a commodore 16 and 128. In high school the computing classes turned me off so much that I never took any serious classes. I never pursued a computing career to begin with and instead turned to catering management and spent some time as a bingo hall manager. However, at home, I had graduated to a PC and Visual Basic, HTML etc. I wrote bits of code to do things that interest me. I wrote a program and database to record my girlfriends weight watchers points. I sold a program to my mother's school to record pupils drug schedules (she's a special needs teacher). My home network has grown to stupid proportions (a domain is probably overkill for home use). Functionality is only added if it has spawned from a need that me, my son or partner has asked for. Eventually, eleven years ago I did get in to the IT industry and now spend my time as a contract business analyst designing the applications. I work in the utilities sector. A good BA always takes the customer on a winding thought experiment that helps them arrive at what they *need* and not what they *want*. Sort of like a process of self discovery :) Every now and then though, the customer will ask for something belatedly which cannot be delivered in time or the change carries too much cost. That's when I get to code and spend a week or two usually teaching myself something new in the process. This usually drives the developers and config management guys to distraction. I guess to get to a moderate level of skill, it's always by having an idea of what I want to achieve, record financial transactions for instance, and then trying things until it works. Starter blocks of code which I can amend have now moved from my dead tree repository to the electronic repository of the internet. Although I am mostly aware of new technology being released I only ever implement it if I have a need for it. Keith
Re: [silk] What's the strangest thing you've eaten?
> > Ask for vegetarian food in South Korea without an interpreter's help, > and I guarantee that you will see some very strange 'food'. > > For a couple of days back in 2003, I had breakfast in Seoul by > wandering > around the streets and pointing at stuff in the carts. I had no way of > knowing what it was or if I got the right change back, but it was fun > nevertheless. I guess it's different as we're not used to it. When I was first in India and knew no Hindi or Marathi I used to point at stuff in the stalls and hope for the best handing over my money and letting the guy take whatever he wanted from my hand. One time in Pune I had bought something from a stall on one of my wanderings and then a few days later watched as the wallah washed the pots and pans in a dirty brown puddle. It didn't stop me going back... My colleagues thought me quite mad. I used to go to The Ship in Pune every Sunday and order steak. This became a regular occurrence over many months. When I mentioned this was one of the places I could get beef he said 'Oh no sar, it's not beef'... I never did find out what it was. There was little place I used to go to and have sheep's brains. The spices overwhelmed any taste I was getting from the brain though. And of course, being Scottish I eat haggis every January. Keith
[silk] Scheme to 'pull electricity from the air' sparks debate
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11100528 Does anyone know if this was the same method that Nikola Tesla allegedly used? Rgds, Keith
Re: [silk] Ten toughest books to read
> > Looks like this is only fiction. If not, Stephen Hawking's "A Brief > History of Time" would qualify. > > Venky > I've tried several times to read 'The End of Time'. I start to lose it just after the author tries to explain 'triangle world'. http://www.amazon.co.uk/End-Time-Revolution-Understanding-Universe/dp/07 53810204/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276595152&sr=8-1 Keith
Re: [silk] Party Animals
> -Original Message- > From: silklist-bounces+keith.adam0=blueyonder.co...@lists.hserus.net > [mailto:silklist-bounces+keith.adam0=blueyonder.co...@lists.hserus.net] > On Behalf Of Udhay Shankar N > Sent: 25 June 2009 15:26 > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Subject: [silk] Party Animals > And of course, reading the subject line, I was expecting http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8118257.stm Rgds, Keith
Re: [silk] Best Science book you would recommend to a friend ?
> -Original Message- > From: silklist-bounces+keith.adam0=blueyonder.co...@lists.hserus.net > [mailto:silklist-bounces+keith.adam0=blueyonder.co...@lists.hserus.net] > On Behalf Of Dave Long > Sent: 07 May 2009 14:11 > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Subject: Re: [silk] Best Science book you would recommend to a friend ? > > In a related but different vein, I'm interested in finding more books > like _QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter_ or _Naive set > theory_. > > Any suggestions for science books which actually manage to hit that > elusive median, where the calculations are neither too daunting for > novices nor simply handwaved away? > > -Dave I would recommend 'In Search of Schrodinger's Cat' and 'Schrodinger's Kittens' by John Gribbin. Good balance between science, maths and diagrams. He also manages to come up with some pretty good analogies without diluting the science. In the second book, quite some time is spent in discussion of QED. It also reminded me of one of the footnotes mentioning Feynman... '...when a colleague of mine, Marcus Chown, was a student at CalTech he asked Feynman to explain to his (Chown's) mother why physics was important. Feynman wrote to her to put things in perspective. He told her not to worry about what her son's work was all about. "Physics is not important," said Feynman in that letter, "love is"'. Keith No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.325 / Virus Database: 270.12.22/2105 - Release Date: 05/08/09 11:43:00
[silk] India moustaches 'face the chop'
Hi, On a frivolous tone... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7806039.stm How many of our august patrons are facing a moustache identity crisis? How many... A. have moustaches? B. have shaved them in 2008? Of those that have kept them, what were your reasons why? Of those that have shaved them, what were your reasons why? Personally, I have never maintained more than a weeks facial hair growth (I am 33). My girlfriend would never put up with allowing me a moustache. And dear ladies, what are your opinion to facial hair? Happy New Year all! Keith
Re: [silk] Conviction for attempted suicide
> > "Keith Adam" writes: > > I asked my girlfriend's father who is a policeman in the UK > the reason > > for the criminality here... > > > > He believes it is because someone commiting suicide may put someone > > else's life in danger e.g. car on a railway line. > > Since the history of suicide being a criminal act goes back > at least 1000 years, that is not a reasonable explanation. In > any case, the charge of reckless endangerment (or the > equivalent) is available for such cases. I doubt that a > policeman is well acquainted with the entire history of the > legal system in any case. > > Perry > -- Oh, I wasn't trying to justify it historically. I was trying to make an observation (badly) that a statue may remain extant for reasons other than it was originally promulgated. For instance, suicide may have been a criminal act for religious reasons and then when attempted to repeal it, it may have been kept for other reasons. The current reasoning being endangerment to others. I have done some more searching, and discovered, that in the UK, it has now been abrogated as a criminal offence. Since 1961, so I am badly out of date. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1961/cukpga_19610060_en_1 However, the focus, in the UK is now on assisted suicide and whether it should be treated as manslaughter (or equivalent). http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7770641.stm As another subject, I have experience of police in the UK, India and Portugal. While they are expected to uphold the law as it stands, we spend a lot of time trying to decide whether those laws are *just*. Should not our ire be directed at the lawmakers rather than the law enforcers? Rgds, Keith
Re: [silk] Conviction for attempted suicide
> rus.net] On Behalf Of Perry E. Metzger > Sent: 05 December 2008 18:41 > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Subject: Re: [silk] Conviction for attempted suicide > > > "lukhman_khan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > It helps people who owe money to the person attempting suicide. If > > suicide can be shown to be criminal activity, you can then go on an > > argue that insurance money or medical support need not be payable. > > There is no need for suicide to be a criminal act to permit > insurers to avoid paying out -- contracts can simply exclude > payout in case of suicide. As it happens, insurance contracts > already generally exclude suicide (at least in their early > years of operation -- there are some exceptions). > > Perry I asked my girlfriend's father who is a policeman in the UK the reason for the criminality here... He believes it is because someone commiting suicide may put someone else's life in danger e.g. car on a railway line. Therefore, if one survives one's attempt to end one's life, others may be put at risk. And therefore, if one was to survive, youu face a criminal prosecution for your attempt based upon the harm that you placed upon your felloow (presumably happier) fellows. Rgds, Keith
Re: [silk] Crazy English in China
> > We are entering the realms of philosophy here. Is Shakespeare > knowledge? It certainly is by my definition, and therefore > the music and drama and fiction that are published (or not > published) in non-English languages are knowledge too. Folk Absolutely. Scotland's own William MacGonagall certainly abused the English language as much as many non-native speakers... http://www.mcgonagall-online.org.uk/
Re: [silk] Young Saudis ask, 'Where is the love?'
> from car windows" then it progressed to swimming pools and > restaurants and now, of course, it's malls. Alas, I have > picked up so many pieces of paper but never have they had > phone number written on themI once picked up a very, very > life-like twenty-dollar bill on the New York subway which had > a fairly witty promotional message by a professional (oldest > one) lady. But no amateur communications in the Arab world > > Does anyone have first-hand information about this? > Not first hand, but www.found.com has interesting found pieces of paper mainly in the US. Entertaining nonetheless...
Re: [silk] Productivity ideas
> > On Wednesday 27 Dec 2006 4:35 pm, Srini Ramakrishnan wrote: > > Like for example, when you get stuck in an airport / traffic jam, when > > someone is supposed to show up for a meeting and doesn't, when you are > > supposed to be working on the computer but your broadband / > > electricity won't work, when you really want to sleep, but sleep won't > > come. > > > I think you are trying to find the formula to get all sorts of stress > disorders, a divorce (or severely strained marriage) and regrets that you > never really spent time with your kids while they were growing up > using the > excuse that they were all part of "productivity" > > But then again - I may have misunderstood the intent of your first post. > > Frankly and with no malice intended - I am tempted to rip apart > your first > post line by line and say why I have said what I said above. > Instead I will > merely mention that well known story about time management which > speaks of > putting the "big rocks in first" > > http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadtime.html > > shiv "LEISURE" What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows. No time to see, when woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. No time to see, in broad daylight, Streams full of stars, like skies at night. No time to turn at Beauty's glance, And watch her feet, how they can dance. No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began. A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. By Wm. Henry Davies.
Re: [silk] ToI on "Bloggers' Rubbish"
I forgot to do this from the bottom of the post > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Behalf Of Abhijit Menon-Sen > Sent: 09 November 2006 03:19 > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Subject: Re: [silk] ToI on "Bloggers' Rubbish" > > > At 2006-11-09 03:03:26 -, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > especially as my windoze laptop takes 30~45 mins to initialise with my > > work network on VPN over internet. > > 30-45 [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > I have ToI delivered to my apartment but can someone suggest an > > alternative? > > The Hindu, Indian Express, Asian Age. > > -- ams > > We have a really tedious login script on W2K OS that at best takes 10 mins in the office. Over the VPN from India it takes the time stated above. As i tell my operaional colleagues that I support - 'Even I cannae change the laws of physics!' It helps that I have a Scottish accent. On the 4.5K miles trip there and back, network wise, that's how I explain the slight latency on VMWARE. You'd be surprised how well that quote works when explaining to the operation the slow down they see. The Hindustan Times has come up in 3 posts now... I shall give it a try. How does the Express compare? Many thanks, Keith
Re: [silk] ToI on "Bloggers' Rubbish"
I like to read print in India.. especially as my windoze laptop takes 30~45 mins to initialise with my work network on VPN over internet. I have ToI delivered to my apartment but can someone suggest an alternative? I'm afraid it needs to be in English as my I have no reading skills in Hindi (or Marathi or Kennada - apart from asking for a beer and counting to ten). Cheers, Keith > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Behalf Of Vinayak Hegde > Sent: 04 October 2006 14:11 > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Subject: Re: [silk] ToI on "Bloggers' Rubbish" > > > On 10/4/06, sastry <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Barring a few exceptions journalists are morons who grow up to be > > self-opinionated morons who thrive on the power that publishing > allows them. > > There is zero accounatbility and even less connection with reality. > > I have no axe to grind against "Times of India" but they have been known > to write sponsored articles. There were caught in a "sting operation" > sometime back taking money for publishing favourable articles. To > me this is no different than spam websites which exist on the web > (and figure prominently in searches) just to attaract surfers into > clicking (mostly) google ads. > > BTW I have liked content on the BBC, Wired and The Economist. > So good journalism is not dead :-) > > -- Vinayak > > >
Re: [silk] security and choosing sides
Last time I went through Mumbai International I forgot... - I had several boxes of matches in my rucksack I took on as hand luggage ... needs another scan - along with 3 lighters ... needs another scan - 2 laptops ... needs another scan - scissors (part of a first aid kit) ... needs another scan but they never found the scalpels (also part of the first aid kit) Boy was I watched the rest of the night at the gate by the CISF I think I would have had harsher treatment were it not for the Salman Khan CDs I was smuggling out and was found with much to the delight of the attentive security official. Keith > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Behalf Of Srini RamaKrishnan > Sent: 06 September 2006 07:18 > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Subject: Re: [silk] security and choosing sides > > > Biju Chacko wrote: > [...] > > > OK, time for a quick, unscientific, politically-incorrect poll: How > > many brown people on this list have been hassled at security? How many > > white people on this list have been hassled at security? Those of you > > who can't fit yourself into one category or other: please go back to > > which ever planet you came from, we don't need no furriners here. > > Are you trying to find out if racism exists? In my personal experience, > it certainly does. What you get at an airport is a double whammy of > racism conflated with xenophobia. > > I've been searched a few times in the US even as rough looking white > trash walked by unchecked. I've also seen white trash being given more > than a cursory wand wave at Indian airports. I've been asked to produce > my wallet full of US Dollars before I could shop in a store in Hong > Kong. I've been told that I come from an uncivilized land by a US > Immigration Officer. I've had a Taiwanese friend tell me she hates > blacks. I've had a corn-fed blonde manager correct my > grammatically-correct English because I am an 'Indian'(*). > > Cheeni > > (*) Needless to say I didn't linger long in that organization > > >
Re: [silk] security and choosing sides
Catching up on these slowly... One of the BPO vendors I work with in Pune, work to UK holidays, not Indian ones. However, I was struck with the way that the management made 'noises in our ears' to allow staff time off during Diwali (against our contract) but made no special provision for Ramzan. I'm not trying to inflame an already dead thread, but merely relating an honest observation. Rgds, Keith PS - Incidentally, I had a great time that week with my friends and their families of Hindu and Muslim religions and being invited to observe and celebrate with them in genuine friendship and exchange was great! Truly a week that I won't forget! > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Behalf Of Ramakrishnan Sundaram > Sent: 06 September 2006 17:10 > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Subject: Re: [silk] security and choosing sides > > > On 9/6/06, sastry <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > staff. Nevertheless Christmas is celebrated in the workplace > with the same > > festive cheer and genuine goodwill that it is in any other part of the > > country. > > As is Onam in Kerala, by all communities, and that is not my point. > > > I write this to make the point that Hindus at your workplace in India > > celebrating Hindu festivals while in a Muslim majority area per > se does not > > mean anything much or can be taken to mean a big deal depending > on what one > > wants to make of the fact. > > On office expense. A company owned by a secular government. In which > case it should either celebrate all festivals equally (and therefore > have no time for work) or celebrate no festivals at all (which I > personally prefer). > > Ram > > >
Re: [silk] FoU Camp - Part II - final countdown
I flew Kingfisher, Delhi to Pune. Nice clean, modern aircraft. The staff were fantastic from inside the terminal right through to the cabin crew on the aircraft. You get a nice little pack from them and it seemed to be like BA in the UK where all seats receive the same in flight service. I actually preferred it to business class in Air India. The cabin crew were prettier and friendlier too :-) Keith -Original Message-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of VaibhaV SharmaSent: 06 November 2006 22:29To: silklist@lists.hserus.netSubject: Re: [silk] FoU Camp - Part II - final countdown On Nov 6, 2006, at 5:16 PM, Manar Hussain wrote: Rather enamoured by the idea of catching people so would like to try and make it though it's tight. If I make my way to Bombay, any advice on how I get to Bangalore / FoU from there? Apologies - my upcoming trip to India will be my first. Lots of direct flights from mumbai to bengaluru. Personally, I prefer Jet Airways but have heard good about Kingfisher. -- VaibhaV Sharma http://vsharma.net
Re: [silk] Geographic spread
Hi Sujai, Sure no problem... send me an email and ask away. I'll answer what I can and help you find out what I can't answer off the top of my head. Same goes for anyone else... Cheers, Keith > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Behalf Of Sujai > Sent: 04 August 2006 14:32 > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Subject: Re: [silk] Geographic spread > > > Home is currently Delhi (right next to the Metro stop for Mayur Vihar > Extension, which will hopefully be ready by 2009 :-)). But home will > be Scotland for a year starting September 1, studying complex systems > at the Department of Informatics of the University of Edinburgh. > > Hi, Keith! Can I contact you offlist for tips about your city? > > -- > Sujai Kumar . www.ylog.org/sujai . +91 9312065118 > > > > Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2006 10:33:28 +0100 > > From: "Keith Adam" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Subject: Re: [silk] Geographic spread > > To: > > Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > > > Hi All, > > > > Home is in Edinburgh, Scotland. I have spent most of this year in Pune, > > India with frequent trips to Mumbai. I returned on 28th July > and am going > > back out 21st August for the rest of the year. > > > > Cheers, > > Keith > > >
Re: [silk] Geographic spread
> > On Sat August 5 2006 10:07 am, Ramakrishnan Sundaram wrote: > > Was that the ABBA musical? I've read terrible reviews of it. > > Screw the reviews and go and watch it. You won't regret it. It is > absolutely > gripping form beginning to end. > > shiv Absolutely, go see it. Saw it myself, but down in London. Hope you enjoyed Edinburgh. What was the highlight of the city in your opinion?
Re: [silk] Meet meet - Bangalore
Hi, had to go to Ruby hall in Pune in May when I broke my ribs... very sore. Recipe for such; - begin with one beer filled Keith - mix with non - tobacco smoke agents - add lots of boyish bravado - invite some random girl to sit on you (bodyslam is a more honest description) The notoriety of the event spread, and on the bright side I had my whole apartment block look after me for the 2 days incapacitated and for weeks after that. Rgds, Keith > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Behalf Of Biju Chacko > Sent: 24 April 2006 15:20 > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Subject: Re: [silk] Meet meet - Bangalore > > > On 24/04/06, Madhu Menon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Biju Chacko wrote: > > > Hi, > > > > > > A small suggestion: it might be a good idea to have separate bills for > > > booze and food. There are a fair number of non-tipplers (me included), > > > and it kinda skews things when a combined bill is split ... > > > > True, true. The division must be equitable. > > > > But I give separate food and booze bills to all customers, so > do not despair. > > I know that -- we just need to remember how to do the calculation > on the day. > > > > I may not come, since I've managed to hurt my back in what seems to be > > > a non-trivial way [1]. > > Just toodled down to see the Doc who lives at the end of my street and > all my hopes of shamelessly milking the situation for sympathy have > been dashed. :-( > > Apparently, it *is* trivial. Blast. > > > How? > Stress induced, I'm told, aggravated by changing a tire today. On the > plus side, my computer chair is the most comfortable spot in the > house, so sitting in front of the computer has been officially > sanctioned as part of the rest I am supposed to take. :-) > > >
Re: [silk] Geographic spread
Hi All, Home is in Edinburgh, Scotland. I have spent most of this year in Pune, India with frequent trips to Mumbai. I returned on 28th July and am going back out 21st August for the rest of the year. Cheers, Keith
Re: [silk] Silk Mumbai Meet?
Only just read this today... I was in Mumbai yesterday (Thursday 4th May). I really need to sort out my internet access while I'm over here (can't read personal webmail at work). I'm back in the UK now but will be passing through Mumbai again on the 18th and 19th and then I'm based in Pune, with trips to Mumbai as well, for 6 weeks. I'd love to catch up with some of you guys when I'm next over again. That was my third trip over in as many months - and I seem to end up staying longer each time :-) Keith > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Behalf Of Yazad Jal > Sent: 25 April 2006 10:38 > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net > Subject: [silk] Silk Mumbai Meet? > > > I wonder how many silklisters are in Mumbai. Enough for a meet? > > -yazad > > >
Re: [silk] Indian history spat hits US
> > > > It is precisely for that reason that my company is > > outsourcing a hefty > > portion of it's work to India. > > I am not sure how this is confirming the impression > that Indian companies are more interested in getting > people with foreign languages on board, given that > English is hardly considered a foreign language in > India. > > As long as I dont see European students who have > studied languages like Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, > Cantonese, Korean or Thai getting jobs, I foresee no > change in the hidebound and backward attitudes of most > European corporations. > > -Frank > Hi, Yes, you are quite right. I often underestimate how widespread the use of English is - probably from being an English speaker myself ;-) However, with regards to European students learning the languages you name above, I am quite sure that they are being studied and they are getting jobs. Albeit, they are probably in such low numbers that they probably end up in 'niche' jobs such as translators or tutors for the next generation. But if I was to turn the clock back 12 years and become a prospective student again, for what possible economic reason would I want to learn one of those languages for? How would that gain an advantage for me in the British/ European workplace? As a European, I find English quite agreeable for global commerce. Of course, I may want to take up Mandarin soon. To compete and operate in the so called up and coming BRIC markets I find no reason as a mainstream worker to learn any of their languages as they can speak mine. With regards to the call centres that my company operates, foreign language speakers are the first to be kept hold of in any budget crunch. Our application form for the call centre also asks for language capability and will readily employ as many different language speakers that it can and look after them. Ok - they're not paid as much of lawyers Cheers, Keith
Re: [silk] Indian history spat hits US
> > Frank Pohlmann wrote: [ on 03:56 PM 1/30/2006 ] > > >As long as speaking foreign languages is regarded as a > >liability in the job market and for long-term career > >development, nothing will change. > > It is certainly not a liability in the Indian job market, especially > the flourishing outsourcing industry. Knowing a few European/Asian > languages is a swift ticket "up the value chain", as the beloved > phrase goes. > > Udhay > Hello, It is precisely for that reason that my company is outsourcing a hefty portion of it's work to India. I currently work for British Gas (Centrica not BG PLC) and we are moving our non-customer facing work to various locations in India. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4686219.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4643470.stm I shall be in Noida, New Delhi from the 13th - 23rd of next month with visits to Pune and Noida in March and April. It is my first visit to India and I am very much looking forward to it. It has been a while since I have de-lurked and should explain that for the last 5 and a half years I have been employed in British Gas' IT department as a business analyst. I spend my time trying to help the company discover what it needs and not what it (some crazy manager) wants. ;-) Previously, I was a bingo hall manager. Cheers, Keith
