Re: [silk] Anil Kumar

[Vinay Rao]

I'm so sorry to hear of his passing. This is very sad news.
My thoughts are with you and his dear ones.

:: Vinay Rao


On Sun, Oct 18, 2020 at 8:07 AM Udhay Shankar N  wrote:

> For those of you who knew him, I have sad news. Silklister Anil Kumar
> passed away of a cardiac arrest a few days ago.
>
> We were friends for ~30 years. That involved many many shared experiences,
> including youthful indiscretions, late night conversations, and using each
> others' residences as crash pads with zero notice.
>
> I used to like introducing him as "possibly the only normal person I know"
> - but he was so much more than that.
>
> He was a warm, thoughtful and unfailingly helpful person. He enriched my
> life greatly, and I'll miss him terribly.
>
> Udhay
>
> --
>
> ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
>

Re: [silk] Fwd: A book launch in Bangalore

[Vinay Rao]

Champaca is a lovely space.
I'm traveling 12th night though. And will have to miss it.

On Mon, 2 Dec 2019, 15:50 Suresh Ramasubramanian,  wrote:

> Ah need coffee. Friday evening shall we say? After a thursday evening book
> launch doesn’t sound quite like what the doctor ordered when it comes to a
> late night with conversation and alcohol
> --srs
>
>
>
> On Mon, Dec 2, 2019 at 3:43 PM +0530, "Udhay Shankar N" 
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Dec 2, 2019 at 2:22 PM Suresh Ramasubramanian
> wrote:
>
>
> > Can we please combine the two?
>
>
> Isn't that exactly what is being proposed?
>
>
>
>
>
>

[silk] Tokyo October

[Vinay Rao]

I'm going to be in Tokyo Oct 10-14, with some time to look around and meet
people on 13th and 14th (Friday and Saturday). I would love to catch up
with any Silklisters in the city (Once I decode the railway + subway puzzle)

I'll be staying in the old Tsukishima area. Any tips on offbeat
experiences, or even touristy ones, are welcome. Above all, If you know a
friend or a local who can lend or rent me a road bicycle in the area, for a
couple of days, I'd have much to thank you for.


:: Vinay Rao

Re: [silk] What's your primary computing device?

[Vinay Rao]

Much of work - reading online, emails, writing, making and editing
documents, image editing, CAD viewing - on a 5+yo 13.3" MacBook Pro with a
RAM upgrade. A lot of my work uses paper - doodles, sketches, notes - with
pen and markers.

I do most purchases/ transactions on the Mac too. My iPhone 6s is mostly
for phone calls, cab bookings, UPI payments to milkman/ bakery (yes!),
reading emails on the move, some music, and tracking the odd run or cycle
ride.

As for play, I have iPad(s)2,3 and Mini. Mostly use the Mini for iBooks and
Kindle, and the browser for going down a wormhole opened by something I
read. I recently watched all the series of Game of Thrones (for the first
time) one episode a day, on a new Asus Windows 10 superfast notebook.

I'd like to move to "ONE" device. Perhaps a 6.4" phone with a pressure
sensitive stylus, and enough horsepower to edit videos. And a mode to
switch from work to play :).

:: Vinay Rao

On Tue, Sep 12, 2017 at 2:02 PM, Udhay Shankar N <ud...@pobox.com> wrote:

> 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))
>

Re: [silk] Silkmeet on June 28 - bangalore

[Vinay Rao]

It truly was wonderful. Thanks Vineet, Surabhi, and Vyomkesh, for playing 
hosts; and Udhay for putting it together. 

Vinay Rao 

> On 29-Jun-2017, at 10:00 AM, Lakshmi Pratury <laks...@inktalks.com> wrote:
> 
> Was at my first ever Silkmeet last evening and had a wonderful time.
> Special thanks to Vinit, Surabhi and Udhay
> 
> On Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 5:55 PM, Vinit Bhansali <vi...@bhansalimail.com>
> wrote:
> 
>> ᐧ
>> 
>>> On 27 June 2017 at 22:19, Deepa Mohan <mohande...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> 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.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Her birthday is tomorrow.
>> Silkmeet always T-1 day to Sara's birthday.
>> Long story, happy to explain over drinks
>> 
>> - Vinit
>> 
>> 
>>> 
>>> On Tue, Jun 27, 2017 at 9:13 PM, Udhay Shankar N <ud...@pobox.com>
>> wrote:
>>>> On Tue, Jun 27, 2017 at 7:24 PM, Udhay Shankar N <ud...@pobox.com>
>>> 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))
>>> 
>>> 
>> ᐧ
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> *Lakshmi Pratury*
> Host and Curator
> +91 99456 56864
> *inktalks.com <http://www.theinkconference.com/> | twitter
> <https://twitter.com/#!/inktalks> | facebook
> <http://www.facebook.com/INKtalks> | INK blog <http://inktalks.com/blog>*
> 
> 
> *INKtalks for you
> <http://www.inktalks.com/discover/289/anu-vaidyanathan-india-s-first-triathlete>*

Re: [silk] Disposing off film SLRs in Bangalore / Bay Area

[Vinay Rao]

I have a 1979 Canon AE-1, with a couple of lenses, a Minolta from the 80s,
both bequeathed to me when I had time for photography. I once also had a
1997 Zenit bought 'new' at Delhi's Chandni Chowk, though I suspect it was
older than the revolutions of '89.

I'm not planning to let go of the AE-1. Will open it up someday. Just for
the thrill of industrial history.

:: Vinay Rao

On Sat, Jun 24, 2017 at 6:36 PM, Sriram Karra <karra@gmail.com> wrote:

> Gaurav, They are a Nikon N80, and a Canon Rebel 2K, both purchased in the
> US ~15-17 years old. They were in working condition ~5 years ago, when
> their batteries ran out and they have been untouched since. My guess is
> they should be OK, but it's only a guess.
>
> Thaths, I did not anticipate anyone will actually pay for these film
> cameras! But I am happy to give them away to anyone who will actually use
> them as they were intended.
>
> Udhay, yes I joined Google as a PM late last year. I keep shuttling between
> our Hyderabad and Bangalore offices.
>
> -Karra
>
> On Sat, Jun 24, 2017 at 11:59 AM, Gaurav Vaz <m...@gauravvaz.com> wrote:
>
> > Are these cameras in working condition? And what cameras are these?
> >
> > On Sat, Jun 24, 2017 at 2:27 AM, Sriram Karra <karra@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > > I have two Film SLRs that I'd like to give away or dispose off in some
> > > other way. I am looking for ideas on how to responsibly get rid of them
> > in
> > > Bangalore. I *could* carry them with me on a work trip to the Bay Area
> if
> > > there are significantly better ("greener") options available there...
> > >
> > > Any recommendations from first or second hand experiences?
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice!
> >
> > Gaurav Vaz | m...@gauravvaz.com | +91 99005 16145 | http://gauravvaz.com
> >
>

Re: [silk] Silkmeet on June 28 - bangalore

[Vinay Rao]

+1 I'll be over this evening but will leave early.
Look forward to seeing all of you.

:: Vinay Rao

On Sat, Jun 24, 2017 at 7:31 AM, Udhay Shankar N <ud...@pobox.com> 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] Article: Can The World's Worst Traffic Problem Be Solved?

[Vinay Rao]

I haven't been to Manila but from the pictures, I'm hazarding a guess that
its population density isn't very different from Bangalore. If the median
age is <25, that's a whole mess of people who are fit enough to be
longboarding or cycling to school, college, and work, for several years to
come.

Cheaper. Faster. More Flexible. More fun.

:: Vinay Rao

On Fri, May 13, 2016 at 8:13 AM, Suresh Ramasubramanian <sur...@hserus.net>
wrote:

> Overhauling jeepneys? But they’re underfoot all the time in metro manila.
> What’s new here?
>
> > On 12-May-2016, at 9:06 PM, Udhay Shankar N <ud...@pobox.com> wrote:
> >
> > Interesting, especially in the context of a recent thread.
> >
> > Udhay
> > 
> >
> > Overcrowded and highly polluted Metro Manila just might fix its wildly
> > expensive traffic jam by overhauling a World War II relic found nowhere
> > else in the world: the jeepney. You might think twice about boarding a
> bus
> > named "If Tomorrow Never Comes," with the phrase spray-painted in green
> > above t...
>
>
>

Re: [silk] The Need for Guaranteed Basic Income or why Kiran is worried sick

[Vinay Rao]

Few of many 'Future of Work' articles that is centred around creating a
universal basic income. Considering that 70% [Unsure of source, but I have
read this somewhere] of 'workforce' anywhere are 'disengaged' (bored, for
one. Tired, for another) or 'actively disengaged' (walk in to a government
office :)), maybe it is time bots and smart contracts put them out of their
disengagement misery.

Is it erroneous to think that people cannot be 're-purposed' to life and
 perform in the modus of their time, to participate in their contemporary
world, having been released from antiquated tasks, and monotony and the
meaningless? Once we're removed from mundanities, will the future of work
be derived from our barely tapped wells of creativity? At the same time we
would still need super-specialist developers to create and maintain the
(march to) technological singularity, and several more to regulate and
sustain life in the eco/bio/sphere.

The concept of a Universal Comfortable Life (as an inference from Universal
Basic Income) is interesting. I'm reminded after long, of this - now old -
initially dystopian, and then hopeful story from Marshall Brain.
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm





:: Vinay Rao

On Tue, Mar 22, 2016 at 2:02 AM, Kiran K Karthikeyan <
kiran.karthike...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Posting this [1] on the only place I know where there are better minds than
> mine who can tell me not to worry so I can sleep better at night.
>
> Kiran
>
> [1]
>
> https://medium.com/basic-income/deep-learning-is-going-to-teach-us-all-the-lesson-of-our-lives-jobs-are-for-machines-7c6442e37a49#.4mn452rn9
>
> --
> Regards,
> Kiran
>

Re: [silk] Bangalore meet in September

[Vinay Rao]

I'm.
CBD/ Koramangala/south work for me.

Cheers,
Vinay

> On 06-Sep-2015, at 6:25 pm, Venkat Mangudi - Silk  
> wrote:
>
> CBD might be a little more preferred, speaking selfishly. ☺
>> On Sep 6, 2015 6:23 PM, "Udhay Shankar N"  wrote:
>>
>> On 9/6/2015 2:43 PM, Venkat Mangudi - Silk wrote:
>>
>> I can, depending on the venue. Have to leave early though.
>>> On Sep 6, 2015 12:33 PM, "Naresh"  wrote:
>>>
>>> Yes I can
>> So far, the headcount is:
>>
>> Naresh
>> Venkat Mangudi
>> Gabin
>> Biju
>> Jessie
>> Udhay
>>
>> The location that seems to be the best compromise is somewhere in
>> Koramangala. Any suggestions?
>>
>> Udhay
>> --
>>
>> ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
>>
>>

Re: [silk] aqvavit

[Vinay Rao]

Have always thought that Reverse Osmosis plants were the Cup of
Jamshid, as far as water purification goes. And also small and low
power enough that a system in a cargo container can be air dropped,
and run off solar cells, in a disaster zone.

If Kamen's invention is much better, why aren't we seeing more of them
in a CSR Blitzkrieg in India?

Cheers,
Vinay

 On 22-Jun-2014, at 9:38 am, Udhay Shankar N ud...@pobox.com wrote:

 On Wed, Mar 5, 2014 at 5:29 PM, Udhay Shankar N ud...@pobox.com wrote:
 http://www.fastcoexist.com/1682625/turn-your-waterbottle-into-a-brita-with-this-coconut-filter


  Turn Your Waterbottle Into A Brita With This Coconut Filter

 And another:

 http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0089934

 Some more in this vein, although the best news in this is the
 partnership with Coca Cola, which, as the article says, is  arguably
 the largest, most sophisticated distribution system in the world.
 That’s important because the scale of the water crisis the world faces
 is unprecedented.

 http://www.popsci.com/article/science/pure-genius-how-dean-kamens-invention-could-bring-clean-water-millions

 Pure Genius: How Dean Kamen's Invention Could Bring Clean Water To Millions

 He just needs to get it to them.

 By
 Tom Foster
 Posted 06.16.2014 at 11:48 am

 At first glance, the bright red shipping container that sits by the
 side of the road in a slum outside Johannesburg doesn’t look like
 something that could transform hundreds of lives. Two sliding doors
 open to reveal a small shop counter, behind which sit rows of canned
 food, toilet paper, cooking oil, and first-aid supplies. Solar panels
 on the roof power wireless Internet and a television, for the
 occasional soccer game. And two faucets dispense free purified
 drinking water to anyone who wants it.

 Created primarily by Coca-Cola and Deka Research and Development, the
 New Hampshire company founded by inventor Dean Kamen, the container is
 meant to be a kind of “downtown in a box”: a web-connected
 bodega-cum-community center that can be dropped into underdeveloped
 villages all over the world. Coke calls it an Ekocenter. It’s a pithy
 name, but it masks the transformative technology hidden within the
 container.

 Inside the big red box sits a smaller one, about the size of a dorm
 fridge, called a Slingshot. It was developed by Kamen, the mastermind
 behind dozens of medical-equipment inventions and, most famously, the
 Segway personal transportation device. Kamen is the closest thing to a
 modern-day Thomas Edison. He holds hundreds of patents, and his
 creations have improved countless lives. His current projects include
 a robotic prosthetic arm for DARPA and a Stirling engine that
 generates affordable electricity by using “anything that burns” for
 fuel. The Slingshot, more than 10 years in the making, could have a
 bigger impact than all of his other inventions combined.

 Kamen’s company, Deka, inhabits three refurbished 19th-century
 textile-mill buildings in Manchester, New Hampshire.
 Photograph by JJ Sulin

 Using a process called vapor compression distillation, a single
 Slingshot can purify more than 250,000 liters of water per year,
 enough to satisfy the needs of about 300 people. And it can do so with
 any water source—sewage, seawater, chemical waste—no matter how dirty.

 For communities that lack clean water, the benefit is obvious, but to
 realize that potential, the Slingshot needs to reach them first. Which
 is where Coke comes in: The company is not just a soft-drink peddler;
 it is arguably the largest, most sophisticated distribution system in
 the world. That’s important because the scale of the water crisis the
 world faces is unprecedented.

 Water seems so abundant it’s easy to forget how many people don’t have
 a clean source of it. According to the World Health Organization,
 nearly a billion people lack ready access to safe drinking water, and
 hundreds of thousands die every year as a result. Many more fall
 terribly ill.

 Plenty of water-purification tools exist, of course—chlorine tablets,
 reverse-osmosis plants—but they all have drawbacks. Either they’re not
 adequately portable; they require replacement parts that can be hard
 to come by; or, most vexing of all, they remove only certain kinds of
 impurities, leaving others to poison the unwitting.

 Kamen calls the global water crisis a “Goliath” of a problem, which
 suggests that he is David. He offers a quick refresher on biblical
 lore: David, it bears remembering, defeated Goliath with a slingshot.

 “In my life, nothing is ever simple or easy,” Kamen says. “I didn’t
 wake up one day and say, ‘Wow, there’s a global water problem. I think
 I’ll work on that.’ ” He’s sitting in his office in an old brick mill
 building by the Merrimack River in Manchester, New Hampshire. A
 life-size cardboard Darth Vader leans against one wall, and a wooden
 chair painted to resemble a seated Albert Einstein sits among a 

Re: [silk] Meet up.

[Vinay Rao]

  Current confirmed attendees:
 
  Rashmi
  Naresh
  Andy Deemer (+1?)
  Udhay
 Amitha Singh
 Vandana Abraham
 Meera K

+1 Vinay Rao


 Maybe:
 Chandrachoodan
 Venkat Mangudi
 Deepak Misra
 Lahar Appaiah
 Shoba Narayan
 Saritha Rai
 Sunil Abraham


 Vinay

Re: [silk] Migrant workers and bank accounts

[Vinay Rao]

 Do they have bank accounts?

Between the extensions in my family, I've had two maids from Punjab (not
the same pair all along) working in Bangalore for a few years now. My
experience from this small sample set is that their parents, or an uncle,
or a neighbour, has a bank account. Typically someone with a seemingly
bonafide job, such as a security guard at a school, has a bank account.


 Problems faced by them in opening bank accounts esp on KYC front

Without a permanent address or a 'Sanaaksh' (something like that - I think
it means 'identification') card, banks make it  to open accounts. The
bigger issue I think is the distance to a bank, or source of income. A new
source of income in Punjab villages is textile industries, but this
involves long hours of work from including travel from the village, 6 days
a week, and many are barely able to keep up. If they have no steady source,
the need for a personal bank account diminishes.


 How do they send money home?

In our case, we would 'drop' a  cheque at the local SBI bank branch in
Bangalore, with a teller, with written instructions. And then wait close to
20days to confirm with the maids' contacts, AND our local bank branch, that
the money has been transferred.


 Do they have banks in their villages?

 typically have a bigger village or district HQ where a bank exists.


 Do they get any loans there?

I have never asked my maids but I doubt it. They depend on more informal,
and possibly more dangerous, ways of getting loans


 Do they need micro insurance?

Yes. I don't think they know insurance of any form exists. Their biggest
concerns are when a family member needs an operation or such medical
assistance.


 Do they need any micro saving products?

Not sure I understand what a micro-saving product is, but teaching them how
to manage and save their money is a challenge.


Are you aware of this organisation http://www.alittleworld.com/ ?
Off-list, I can connect you to one of the founders. It could be difficult
to get a response from him, but I can't think of anyone else with more
experience in this area.


:: Vinay Rao

Re: [silk] Bangalore Meet, Food Drinks

[Vinay Rao]

 Can I get a show of hands for Bangalore Silk Meet on next Thursday at
 Naresh's amazing rooftop patio in Richmond Town?

 Thursday, April 18th @ ~ 7pm


+1/ Will be there
:: Vinay Rao

Re: [silk] Silkmeet Bangalore?

[Vinay Rao]

On Thu, Jan 10, 2013 at 12:06 PM, Deepa Mohan mohande...@gmail.com wrote:
 On Thu, Jan 10, 2013 at 11:21 AM,  thew...@gmail.com wrote:
 More details? Where, when, and for how long?

 I also want more details...what area...how long...


This is the one on Mysore Road? *raises hand*. I'm in.

Vinay

Re: [silk] Fifteen

[Vinay Rao]

If there be room
+1
:: Vinay Rao


On Fri, Dec 7, 2012 at 12:56 PM, Madhu Menon m...@madhumenon.com wrote:
 On 5 December 2012 18:02, Udhay Shankar N ud...@pobox.com wrote:
 Udupa
 Udhay
 Nikhil Mehra
 Badri (?)
 Vinit B
 Deepak S
 Venkat M

 +1

 --
 Madhu Menon
 Food Photography: http://madhumenonphoto.com
 Restaurant Consulting: http://mcorphospitality.com
 Twitter: http://twitter.com/madmanweb