Reading is my passion...
Monday, March 10, 2014
Monday, December 3, 2012
RedBull Soap Box Race, 1st Time in India - I was part of it!!!
The Event and Post event round up...
I have documented and uploaded many photographs on our official team page on Facebook, link is here... http://www.facebook.com/TheGoldRushSoapboxRace
The Team was gathered on the venue at 5pm on Saturday, 1st Dec. The Car we made was inspected,
Weight : 77.3 Kg [Limit 80 Kgs]
Ground Clearance : 8.2 Inches [Minimum should be 7 Inches]
Driver Safety : Seat Belt provided
dimensions: 6FeetLength by 4.2 Feet Wide by 4Feet height [within limits]
Brakes Provided : Yes
Streeing Provided : Yes
I have documented and uploaded many photographs on our official team page on Facebook, link is here... http://www.facebook.com/TheGoldRushSoapboxRace
The Team was gathered on the venue at 5pm on Saturday, 1st Dec. The Car we made was inspected,
Weight : 77.3 Kg [Limit 80 Kgs]
Ground Clearance : 8.2 Inches [Minimum should be 7 Inches]
Driver Safety : Seat Belt provided
dimensions: 6FeetLength by 4.2 Feet Wide by 4Feet height [within limits]
Brakes Provided : Yes
Streeing Provided : Yes
Our Team Cleared the INspection Round. Now we leave the car on the venue with a TRIG Security provided Bouncer [ ;) ] till we race next day. We were taken to a Pre-event briefing meet, where there was a lot of RedBull Flowing...
Next day, our team reaches the venue at 7.30AM, and adds some more finishing touches to the car. Family and friends join us for a close-up view, and lotsa photosessions... we even have our own team head crowns, made by Parul Thakkar Patankar, which are worn by all of our supporters.
Before the race begins, there is a lot of nautanki, like, a carnival with jugglers, tall-walkers, African acrobats, uni-cyclers, power-puff girls, followed by Imran Khan promo of a film with Gulabo the Cow Celebrity Soap Box taking off...
Then the promoters have their own soap boxes, History Channel had its own, Hindustan Times had its own soap box in shape of the Worli Sea Link...
The race track had three turns, one with a Curved Ramp, and a speed bumper each with some bonus points.
We were gonna be scored for
1. Creativity of the car
2. Presentation of a Skit pre-launch [20 sec]
3. Time it takes to finish the race
And yes, the above are scored only if one completes the race with 60% of the car intact, and within 3 minutes...
Last moment cancellations, and inspection failures finally have 56 Soap Boxes racing for the prize...
Our theme of a Gold Nuggets carrying Mine cart, was with all the team members dressed up like gold miners, we added some moustaches for additional effects...
we also had submitted a theme song, made by us, to the organisers, which was supposed to be played at the time we launch - however, our track was lost by them and we had to impromptu modify our skit performance to a different sound-track...
Our Car launched off at a high speed, cleared both the first turns without crashing into the side hay-stacks, and also took the third turn-ramp without any mishap, and crossed the speedbump, all within 1.35 minutes... We finished the race without any loss of body parts, took all the obstacles gracefully and ended with our driver with no injuries.
The Race video is available on Youtube here... http://youtu.be/qYKy9WmIiu4
We could not make it to the top 3 slots, and returned home without any prizes.
However, we are proud that we finished the race without any crash, in a very short time, without any injuries to the team.
We enjoyed the event, got a lot of curious spectators, countless photographs taken, were celebrities for some days...have proud families who enjoyed every moment [we were on the project for past 4 weeks]
For two of our team members, this was a first time on a project, and they learned quite about many aspects. The other two learned, to respect each other, and take on roles which help take the project further...
To all our friends, and supporters, we are glad we got your undying support.
To the Team of Veer Engineering, who helped us with all the assembly and chassis engineering, heres a huge THANKS to you...
To the team at Siddhakesh Printers, who helped us finish the outer Body Art, we appreciate the timely completion of the jobs.
Our special thanks go to Mr. Ali and Miss. Richa who compiled a nice interview with Jose Covaco and final airing on History Channel.
This event for us would have been in-complete without the support, advise and criticism of so many people.
For anyone who I have missed out mentioning, please comment and bring to my notice, i will be glad to accept my mistakes and give due credit...
on behalf of TEAM THE GOLD RUSH, Suresh Shenghani, Rushi Shenghani, Vinay Panchal & Paresh Thakkar, signing off, Paresh Thakkar -
Next day, our team reaches the venue at 7.30AM, and adds some more finishing touches to the car. Family and friends join us for a close-up view, and lotsa photosessions... we even have our own team head crowns, made by Parul Thakkar Patankar, which are worn by all of our supporters.
Before the race begins, there is a lot of nautanki, like, a carnival with jugglers, tall-walkers, African acrobats, uni-cyclers, power-puff girls, followed by Imran Khan promo of a film with Gulabo the Cow Celebrity Soap Box taking off...
Then the promoters have their own soap boxes, History Channel had its own, Hindustan Times had its own soap box in shape of the Worli Sea Link...
The race track had three turns, one with a Curved Ramp, and a speed bumper each with some bonus points.
We were gonna be scored for
1. Creativity of the car
2. Presentation of a Skit pre-launch [20 sec]
3. Time it takes to finish the race
And yes, the above are scored only if one completes the race with 60% of the car intact, and within 3 minutes...
Last moment cancellations, and inspection failures finally have 56 Soap Boxes racing for the prize...
Our theme of a Gold Nuggets carrying Mine cart, was with all the team members dressed up like gold miners, we added some moustaches for additional effects...
we also had submitted a theme song, made by us, to the organisers, which was supposed to be played at the time we launch - however, our track was lost by them and we had to impromptu modify our skit performance to a different sound-track...
Our Car launched off at a high speed, cleared both the first turns without crashing into the side hay-stacks, and also took the third turn-ramp without any mishap, and crossed the speedbump, all within 1.35 minutes... We finished the race without any loss of body parts, took all the obstacles gracefully and ended with our driver with no injuries.
The Race video is available on Youtube here... http://youtu.be/qYKy9WmIiu4
We could not make it to the top 3 slots, and returned home without any prizes.
However, we are proud that we finished the race without any crash, in a very short time, without any injuries to the team.
We enjoyed the event, got a lot of curious spectators, countless photographs taken, were celebrities for some days...have proud families who enjoyed every moment [we were on the project for past 4 weeks]
For two of our team members, this was a first time on a project, and they learned quite about many aspects. The other two learned, to respect each other, and take on roles which help take the project further...
To all our friends, and supporters, we are glad we got your undying support.
To the Team of Veer Engineering, who helped us with all the assembly and chassis engineering, heres a huge THANKS to you...
To the team at Siddhakesh Printers, who helped us finish the outer Body Art, we appreciate the timely completion of the jobs.
Our special thanks go to Mr. Ali and Miss. Richa who compiled a nice interview with Jose Covaco and final airing on History Channel.
This event for us would have been in-complete without the support, advise and criticism of so many people.
For anyone who I have missed out mentioning, please comment and bring to my notice, i will be glad to accept my mistakes and give due credit...
on behalf of TEAM THE GOLD RUSH, Suresh Shenghani, Rushi Shenghani, Vinay Panchal & Paresh Thakkar, signing off, Paresh Thakkar -
Friday, August 3, 2012
Free Passes to TEDxGateway - too good to be true...
Yesterday, came across this tweet about free passes to TEDxGateway. On clicking on the leading link, was taken to a page that wanted me to signup with my facebook account, twitter account, email ID, and then wants me to answer why i like TED, who is my favourite TED speaker, and make a blog entry about the giveaway...
And this has to be done on almost daily basis, wondering if this is just another ploy/scam/spam or a genuine offer,
trying wont harm, so doing just that...
And this has to be done on almost daily basis, wondering if this is just another ploy/scam/spam or a genuine offer,
trying wont harm, so doing just that...
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
World's first 128Gb 20nm NAND flash could pack 2TB into a 2.5" SSD
http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2011/12/worlds-first-128gb-20nm-nand-flash-could-pack-25tb-into-a-25-ssd.ars?&utm_source=google%20gmail&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=addtoany
Intel and Micron have announced the creation of a 128 gigabit flash die. An SSD built from such parts could pack 2 TB into a 2.5" drive. They probably won't hit the market until 2013, though, as the new dies also sport a new interface and internal structure.
Intel and Micron have announced the creation of a 128 gigabit flash die. An SSD built from such parts could pack 2 TB into a 2.5" drive. They probably won't hit the market until 2013, though, as the new dies also sport a new interface and internal structure.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Nano revolution!!!
Current trends in mass consumerism has led vendors to roll out affordable and efficient products that are consumed enmasse...
From mobile phones to personal music players, increasing disk space on pen drives and personal storage devices, digital quality to HD to 3D satellite set-top boxes, all screaming on the top of their voices to have you look at them...
What was purely physics technology related rat race to out-perform each other, has now also spilled over to the biology department too...
Kerela agricultural university (KAU) @ Thrissur district has put in its latest claim-to-fame, the world's shortest cow!!! Yep, you read it right, a nano cow revolution is gaining ground in Kerala, India, where farmers from various parts are putting in claims to have the shortest cow in the world...
Guinesss officials recorded Swallow, a dexter cow in the UK at 85cm. This was followed by KAU claiming Chotti, a cow in their dairy to be 72cm. Amrithadhara goushala ownes Bangari, measuring to just 71cms. Both belong to the Kasaragod Dwarf Category...
These cows need just 5kg fodder a day and yield 2-3 litres milk per day...enuf for an urban home...
Moreover, the urine from these cows has high medicinal value-apx Rs. 60 a litre...
Would you be seeing such cows as pets in cities soon???
Adapted frm the original article by S. Neeraj Krishna, The week.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone
From mobile phones to personal music players, increasing disk space on pen drives and personal storage devices, digital quality to HD to 3D satellite set-top boxes, all screaming on the top of their voices to have you look at them...
What was purely physics technology related rat race to out-perform each other, has now also spilled over to the biology department too...
Kerela agricultural university (KAU) @ Thrissur district has put in its latest claim-to-fame, the world's shortest cow!!! Yep, you read it right, a nano cow revolution is gaining ground in Kerala, India, where farmers from various parts are putting in claims to have the shortest cow in the world...
Guinesss officials recorded Swallow, a dexter cow in the UK at 85cm. This was followed by KAU claiming Chotti, a cow in their dairy to be 72cm. Amrithadhara goushala ownes Bangari, measuring to just 71cms. Both belong to the Kasaragod Dwarf Category...
These cows need just 5kg fodder a day and yield 2-3 litres milk per day...enuf for an urban home...
Moreover, the urine from these cows has high medicinal value-apx Rs. 60 a litre...
Would you be seeing such cows as pets in cities soon???
Adapted frm the original article by S. Neeraj Krishna, The week.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Who are the Kutchi?
Well, I am one of this tribe, and am proud to be one. Read on for knowing a bit more about the little known facts about Kutchies!
Language
The Kutchi language is classified as an Indo-Aryan language. As the Kutchi people have of
ten been travelers and traders, the Kutchi language has influences of almost every surrounding dialect, and is thus very difficult to learn and translate. Much like English is a mixture of French and German—with traces of just about everything else—Kutchi is technically a dialect of Sindhi (an official language in both India and Pakistan), but is heavily influenced by Gujarati, so much so that when written it uses the traditional Gujarati script.
Due to their geographical closeness, most Kutchi people are either bilingual or trilingual. Those living in Pakistan typically speak and understand Sindhi or Urdu, while Kutchis of India also speak Gujarati and possibly a dialect of Hindi.
Kutch: the second largest province in India, located in the Northwestern state of Gujarat along the border with Pakistan.
Kutchi: the ancient people group who inhabit the Kutch province, primarily made up of fisherman and artisans. Large populations of Kutchi also live in Africa and Pakistan.
One People – Two Continents
As sea traders, the Kutchi built cities along the trading routes of the Arabian Sea, even as far as East Africa where they established homes 200-300 years ago. Today, these two “halves” of the people group hold to their ancient culture in very different environments.
Culture
The first thing most visitors notice about the Kutchi people is color! As many are artisans and craftsmen, Kutchi women wear elaborately designed clothes made by a unique method of tie-dying fabrics. This process creates a sunburst pattern of intensely bright colors. Beyond clothing, this sort of design is also used to make elaborate embroideries used as tablecloths, wall hangings, handbags, bedspreads and more.
Religion
The major religions of the Kutchi people are Hindu and Islam. As the Kutchi people are split between India, Pakistan and Africa, most of their religious affiliation is often dictated by their location. Most of the Kutchi in India are Hindu, most of those in Pakistan are Muslim, and those that have spread throughout Africa and beyond have either retained the religion of their family or have converted to conform to the place where they now live.
Celebrations
In the Kutchi tradition, almost every phase of the moon is acknowledged by either a celebration, fast, or other sort of ritual. Similarly, every day of the year is attributed to a particular god or goddess. Some days are considered fortunate or lucky, while others carry with them a sense of evil and are thought to result in unfavorable events depending on what is foretold by the Paanchaang, a sort of almanac.
Ashadi Beej (mid-July) Today i.e. 13th July 2010. [not necessarily same date every year]
This is the cele
bration of the New Year. According to the traditional Kutchi calendar, known as the Halari Samwat, the New Year begins on the first day of the monsoon season, typically in mid-July. This day is celebrated with much joy and color, and typically involves songs by Kutchi poets that have been written to welcome the rains.
Fair of Mota Yaksh (Sept. 15)
This is the largest festival in Kutch, lasting for three days. Legend claims that angels came to the Kutchi people and taught them the principle artisan skills that form the basis of their culture. It’s held each year 40 km south of Bhuj, at the site of the temple that marks the angels’ coming.
Diet
A majority of Kutchi are strict vegetarians, due significantly to the large Hindu population. Some of the Christian and Muslim populations eat poultry and fish, but the consumption of beef is prohibited due to the Hindu culture and pork is scarcely available to appease the Muslim population. Alcohol in the region has been prohibited in modern times, as the entire state of Gujarat is legally dry to honor it as the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi.
Economy
Most Kutchi are quite poor, but those living in India have benefited by being in the state of Gujarat, one of the country’s fastest growing state economies. Historically, the major industries of the Kutchi people have been fishing, sea trade, crafts, and farming. Increased Urban Migration has seen many Kutchies moving on to Urban developments, where they have set up themselves as tradesmen, Grocery Store Owners, Garment Trade, textile business, Oil merchants, etc. Sea trade has diminished significantly as a source of income; however, many Kutchi have opened up small trucking fleets & logistics companies, thus continue on in the shipping tradition of their ancestors.
Handicrafts are still very important, with much of the world’s fine embroidery still being made in rural areas throughout the Kutchi region. A few corporations organize the worldwide trade of these handmade goods, but unfortunately few of the profits remain in the region.
Well, thats about it, thanks for reading on till here. Traditionally, every Kutchi you encounter, would sign off by the following line...
|| Jai Dhariyalaal | Jai Jalaram ||
more reading on following links...
http://ren-flora.livejournal.com/71357.html
Wikipedia on Kutch...
Panjo Kutch
India Tourism Board Site
Learn Kutchi Embroidery using You tube...
Kutchi Embroidery
Any more info that can be added here, please suggest by commenting, will try adding to this article. Thanks for dropping by.
Language
The Kutchi language is classified as an Indo-Aryan language. As the Kutchi people have of
ten been travelers and traders, the Kutchi language has influences of almost every surrounding dialect, and is thus very difficult to learn and translate. Much like English is a mixture of French and German—with traces of just about everything else—Kutchi is technically a dialect of Sindhi (an official language in both India and Pakistan), but is heavily influenced by Gujarati, so much so that when written it uses the traditional Gujarati script.Due to their geographical closeness, most Kutchi people are either bilingual or trilingual. Those living in Pakistan typically speak and understand Sindhi or Urdu, while Kutchis of India also speak Gujarati and possibly a dialect of Hindi.
Kutch: the second largest province in India, located in the Northwestern state of Gujarat along the border with Pakistan.
One People – Two Continents
As sea traders, the Kutchi built cities along the trading routes of the Arabian Sea, even as far as East Africa where they established homes 200-300 years ago. Today, these two “halves” of the people group hold to their ancient culture in very different environments.
Culture
The first thing most visitors notice about the Kutchi people is color! As many are artisans and craftsmen, Kutchi women wear elaborately designed clothes made by a unique method of tie-dying fabrics. This process creates a sunburst pattern of intensely bright colors. Beyond clothing, this sort of design is also used to make elaborate embroideries used as tablecloths, wall hangings, handbags, bedspreads and more.
Religion
The major religions of the Kutchi people are Hindu and Islam. As the Kutchi people are split between India, Pakistan and Africa, most of their religious affiliation is often dictated by their location. Most of the Kutchi in India are Hindu, most of those in Pakistan are Muslim, and those that have spread throughout Africa and beyond have either retained the religion of their family or have converted to conform to the place where they now live.
Celebrations
In the Kutchi tradition, almost every phase of the moon is acknowledged by either a celebration, fast, or other sort of ritual. Similarly, every day of the year is attributed to a particular god or goddess. Some days are considered fortunate or lucky, while others carry with them a sense of evil and are thought to result in unfavorable events depending on what is foretold by the Paanchaang, a sort of almanac.
Ashadi Beej (mid-July) Today i.e. 13th July 2010. [not necessarily same date every year]
This is the cele
bration of the New Year. According to the traditional Kutchi calendar, known as the Halari Samwat, the New Year begins on the first day of the monsoon season, typically in mid-July. This day is celebrated with much joy and color, and typically involves songs by Kutchi poets that have been written to welcome the rains.Fair of Mota Yaksh (Sept. 15)
This is the largest festival in Kutch, lasting for three days. Legend claims that angels came to the Kutchi people and taught them the principle artisan skills that form the basis of their culture. It’s held each year 40 km south of Bhuj, at the site of the temple that marks the angels’ coming.
Diet
A majority of Kutchi are strict vegetarians, due significantly to the large Hindu population. Some of the Christian and Muslim populations eat poultry and fish, but the consumption of beef is prohibited due to the Hindu culture and pork is scarcely available to appease the Muslim population. Alcohol in the region has been prohibited in modern times, as the entire state of Gujarat is legally dry to honor it as the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi.
Milk is considered to be a sacred food, offered to guests in order to honor and welcome them. Also, many legal and social agreements are concluded by drinking milk together—in
cluding financial transactions, dispute arbitration, and sealing the engagement of a bride and groom.
cluding financial transactions, dispute arbitration, and sealing the engagement of a bride and groom.Economy
Most Kutchi are quite poor, but those living in India have benefited by being in the state of Gujarat, one of the country’s fastest growing state economies. Historically, the major industries of the Kutchi people have been fishing, sea trade, crafts, and farming. Increased Urban Migration has seen many Kutchies moving on to Urban developments, where they have set up themselves as tradesmen, Grocery Store Owners, Garment Trade, textile business, Oil merchants, etc. Sea trade has diminished significantly as a source of income; however, many Kutchi have opened up small trucking fleets & logistics companies, thus continue on in the shipping tradition of their ancestors.
Handicrafts are still very important, with much of the world’s fine embroidery still being made in rural areas throughout the Kutchi region. A few corporations organize the worldwide trade of these handmade goods, but unfortunately few of the profits remain in the region.
Well, thats about it, thanks for reading on till here. Traditionally, every Kutchi you encounter, would sign off by the following line...
|| Jai Dhariyalaal | Jai Jalaram ||
more reading on following links...
http://ren-flora.livejournal.com/71357.html
Wikipedia on Kutch...
Panjo Kutch
India Tourism Board Site
Learn Kutchi Embroidery using You tube...
Kutchi Embroidery
Any more info that can be added here, please suggest by commenting, will try adding to this article. Thanks for dropping by.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
A Day spent with Mr. Shiv Khera
Last weekend was a Sunday Well spent! SK had organised for attending a one day session on "Stop Peddling; Start selling" conducted by Mr. Shiv Khera. Having a pure technical and managerial background, and some self help sales training, i found the session an enriching one. Mr. Shiv Khera exposed many hidden aspects of a sales process, which in his own lucid and dynamic way, made me have a re-look at Sales as a profession.
Some excerpts from the session: Who is not selling? A Mother selling an idea to her child, A Politician Selling himself to his vote-banks, A Lawyer selling his client's side to the judge...even ourselves, selling our skills to earn our livelihood...So, everyone ought to learn how to be a good salesman/woman.
He in a way instilled that Closing a sale is all that matters. The world rewards RESULTS, not EFFORTS. A Good idea would never work, if its not worked upon. Only hard work pays...
I mean, nothing new, but his delivery and conviction in himself make you sit up and see for yourself what are you missing or overlooking. One of his lines are : Sales is 90% conviction in the product/service you are selling, and 10% communication about it. Its the Enthusiasm that you have about your product/service that needs transfered in order to have an interested buyer. Unless you are enthusiastic about your product/service, you will never be able to transfer that enthusiasm.
He also went on to teach the AIDA process, the Feel-Felt-Found Formula, the power of open-ended and closed-ended questions and their placement during the sales process.
For those who have never attended his sessions before, I would strongly suggest to invest one day and the moolah to attend him. You would not end being a loser!
Memories of the session in digital pixels below...
Some excerpts from the session: Who is not selling? A Mother selling an idea to her child, A Politician Selling himself to his vote-banks, A Lawyer selling his client's side to the judge...even ourselves, selling our skills to earn our livelihood...So, everyone ought to learn how to be a good salesman/woman.
He in a way instilled that Closing a sale is all that matters. The world rewards RESULTS, not EFFORTS. A Good idea would never work, if its not worked upon. Only hard work pays...
I mean, nothing new, but his delivery and conviction in himself make you sit up and see for yourself what are you missing or overlooking. One of his lines are : Sales is 90% conviction in the product/service you are selling, and 10% communication about it. Its the Enthusiasm that you have about your product/service that needs transfered in order to have an interested buyer. Unless you are enthusiastic about your product/service, you will never be able to transfer that enthusiasm.
He also went on to teach the AIDA process, the Feel-Felt-Found Formula, the power of open-ended and closed-ended questions and their placement during the sales process.
For those who have never attended his sessions before, I would strongly suggest to invest one day and the moolah to attend him. You would not end being a loser!
Memories of the session in digital pixels below...
Monday, November 23, 2009
Chatter Gives Salesforce.com a Facebook Look and Feel
SalesForce never stops surprising its followers... | ||
| In a few short years Facebook and Twitter have attracted so many users and had such an influence on the way people interact on the Internet that Salesforce.com has decided that the social networking paradigm is the way for people to interact with its cloud CRM application. On Nov. 18 the company introduced its upcoming Salesforce Chatter, a "secure enterprise collaboration application and social development platform," as the highlight of its annual Dreamforce user conference in San Francisco. Chatter will provide links to Twitter feeds and Facebook profile information. Salesforce users will be able to filter the most relevant Twitter feeds through Chatter to track the competition, watch for new business leads and follow developments |
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Wonder how can you keep urself up-to-date than the weatherman?
The Phyan cyclone has shaken up Mumbai, and schools and colleges having given the day off...i wonder how do i keep myself up-to-date with mom nature... found some very interesting stuff...would like to document it here, so next time i want to get the real picture, i know how to find it...
The Below mentioned Google mash-up shows the latest temperatures of various cities, searching for any specific city would lead you to another window, where further detailed information would be available...thanks to weatherbonk.com
More interesting link is this one, where you can see the cloud cover over any part of the world in an animated form, giving you more hands-on data of whats happening right above planet earth...satellite views of cloud cover, give more accurate information than a tell tale TV news garbage...
One more weather link thats a mashup with Bing Maps...choose animate, and satellite view to see cloud cover move w.r.t. time.
Rediff has setup a live alerting system...Click here
Mid-Day acknoledges the hard work put in by the disaster management cell...clik here
The Maharashtra Government has already setup a National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project [2005], wonder if its still in force...check this out
The Below mentioned Google mash-up shows the latest temperatures of various cities, searching for any specific city would lead you to another window, where further detailed information would be available...thanks to weatherbonk.com
More interesting link is this one, where you can see the cloud cover over any part of the world in an animated form, giving you more hands-on data of whats happening right above planet earth...satellite views of cloud cover, give more accurate information than a tell tale TV news garbage...
One more weather link thats a mashup with Bing Maps...choose animate, and satellite view to see cloud cover move w.r.t. time.
Rediff has setup a live alerting system...Click here
Mid-Day acknoledges the hard work put in by the disaster management cell...clik here
The Maharashtra Government has already setup a National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project [2005], wonder if its still in force...check this out
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
My External Antenna Finally rigged Up...
This Diwali Holidays, i finally was rattled up by VU2WSM, Satish, into waking up, and setting up the external 5/8 Antenna lying idle...
I setup a 15 feet 1.5 INch Pipe, some 30 meters coax RG58, some hardware and within 4 hours, had rigged up the 5/8.
Initial testing by VU2IVV, Jayesh helped us figure out a perfect spot for the Antenna, and now, after so many days, i am being heard across till Marine Lines, Mira Road, Panvel & Ghatkopar on 5watts, Simplex too...Woooow...the power of RF and height!!! thats something like a 30Kms radius...
Thank you IVV and WSM without whom the setup would not have been complete...
Handy Used FT411 & external 5/8 Antenna - [both loaned to me by VU2EOJ]
Though i admit, i am not a regular On-AIR sign, but i am now confidant of my rigging skills...
73s to all,
VU2PCT
I setup a 15 feet 1.5 INch Pipe, some 30 meters coax RG58, some hardware and within 4 hours, had rigged up the 5/8.
Initial testing by VU2IVV, Jayesh helped us figure out a perfect spot for the Antenna, and now, after so many days, i am being heard across till Marine Lines, Mira Road, Panvel & Ghatkopar on 5watts, Simplex too...Woooow...the power of RF and height!!! thats something like a 30Kms radius...
Thank you IVV and WSM without whom the setup would not have been complete...
Handy Used FT411 & external 5/8 Antenna - [both loaned to me by VU2EOJ]
Though i admit, i am not a regular On-AIR sign, but i am now confidant of my rigging skills...
73s to all,
VU2PCT
A remarkable move...
Mumbai Police have started this website, and i quote them:
"Mumbai Police started this website www.CopConnect.in to reach out to the people of the city and to make it easier for the people to reach the police. We all knew that there was a need to establish a technology channel like this, but, quite frankly, none of us had expected the kind of response that the website has received."
end quote.
Just goes on to demonstrate that the authorities have taken the Electronic media seriously, and are making efforts to reach out to the common man.
Shri D. Sivanandan, Commissioner of police, Mumbai, has taken initiative to write regularly about his feelings, his emotions & his beliefs on the blog, do read them up, gives one a sense of security, that the Top guns in the city are also Human beings, and are available to hear you out...
Blog-site http://copconnect.in/blog/
special thanks to VU2SFH for directing me to the site.
"Mumbai Police started this website www.CopConnect.in to reach out to the people of the city and to make it easier for the people to reach the police. We all knew that there was a need to establish a technology channel like this, but, quite frankly, none of us had expected the kind of response that the website has received."
end quote.
Just goes on to demonstrate that the authorities have taken the Electronic media seriously, and are making efforts to reach out to the common man.
Shri D. Sivanandan, Commissioner of police, Mumbai, has taken initiative to write regularly about his feelings, his emotions & his beliefs on the blog, do read them up, gives one a sense of security, that the Top guns in the city are also Human beings, and are available to hear you out...
Blog-site http://copconnect.in/blog/
special thanks to VU2SFH for directing me to the site.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Nayee Disha - Back to the future...
Today I had a unique experience...Jetking, a premier IT training institute had organised a career counseling seminar at Ravindra Natya mandir, where many 10th and 12th passed candidates were called in for a free seminar. The idea was to sell them the Idea of a career in IT.
My company being a past recruiter of Jetking Students, was approached for delivering a brief to the attendees...
I tried my best to bring to the screen a brief presentation on why IT is a good career choice.
It was amazing, i could feel the students suck in every word that was spoken there...
am sure, most of them would go in for a career in IT...be it infrastructure or development...
pretty nostalgic feelings of the days i started my career and of limited counseling avenues then...Todays a new world...
My company being a past recruiter of Jetking Students, was approached for delivering a brief to the attendees...
I tried my best to bring to the screen a brief presentation on why IT is a good career choice.
It was amazing, i could feel the students suck in every word that was spoken there...
am sure, most of them would go in for a career in IT...be it infrastructure or development...
pretty nostalgic feelings of the days i started my career and of limited counseling avenues then...Todays a new world...
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
I am officially a HAM finally!
This mayday saw me thrilled as the postman delivered the HAM licence to me. Yes, the Ministry of communications and IT - India has certified me fit to operate an amateur wireless telegraph station - grade 1.
VU2EOJ, Suresh Varma, has been kind enough to loan me his Handy the YAESU FT 411, along with external antenna, and cables. I look forward to getting connected to other HAMs in and around Mumbai with this new acquisition.
For those who don't know whats a HAM and want to know more, click here
ciao
Monday, January 12, 2009
Just back from Mount Karnalla!
I, along with some office buddies and families worked up this one dayer picnic, that turned out to be a three hour trek...
met all at Panvel bus stand, Amber had a bad track of road, traveling all the way from dahisar paying Road Toll at 7 places, and had a broken gear box or something making him go slow.
Vinod had a dead phone, and the Phone company girl insisted the phone was switched off, all of us already made up our minds that hes not interested in comming...and surprise, surprise, he was there with his whole family, wife and two kids totting along...
George rode on his Avenger and enjoyed the trip with wife and kid Joshua...
Sanjay came along with Amish - by the end of the trip wanted it to go on forever...a sure contender for another of these kinds of trips...
The trip started with vada-pav at dutta vada-pav centre - a must see place if visiting anywhere mumbai-goa highway side...the Kharvas there is a must have.
Next stop at Karnala bird sanctuary, all vehicles parked and entry taxes paid, walking up to the guest house.
The guest house is surrounded by many bird houses and the variety there is unbeatable.
After packing some fresh Guavas, carrots, Cucumbers and a watermelon, the troupe started towards the nature trail leading to the Karnalla fort.
Lots of grunts, panting breaths and swollen ankles later, we finally reached the summit. Reaching there, all the tiring went up in thin air...all fresh invigorating oxygen there must be the reason...
After about 30 minutes of rest there,all wanted to return. So, we return and again an hour and 30 minutes later, we reach the base. Since all had travelled light, water was the most demanded commodity, and the canteen guys made some quick sale in our group...
A late lunch on the way back, where everyone just ready for any kind of food they could lay their hands on... A good Dhaba we discovered makes absolutely fingerlicking food at a very reasonable price...
Return to dutta snack centre for a final tea break...
some group photos and hugs and kisses later, we head home...its going to be a long day tommorrow...
George has promissed a Special treat for all who reach office at 9:30 next day...am sure he would be sorry for this announcement.
signing off...
p.s. continued on the second day...body pain and leg pain are the centre of talk among the trek participants...and yes, george lost out, he has to give a special treat to almost all who came to the trek.....ha ha ha...
Photos are here...
If above slideshow is not properly visible, you may want to see the below link for going to my online album...
met all at Panvel bus stand, Amber had a bad track of road, traveling all the way from dahisar paying Road Toll at 7 places, and had a broken gear box or something making him go slow.
Vinod had a dead phone, and the Phone company girl insisted the phone was switched off, all of us already made up our minds that hes not interested in comming...and surprise, surprise, he was there with his whole family, wife and two kids totting along...
George rode on his Avenger and enjoyed the trip with wife and kid Joshua...
Sanjay came along with Amish - by the end of the trip wanted it to go on forever...a sure contender for another of these kinds of trips...
The trip started with vada-pav at dutta vada-pav centre - a must see place if visiting anywhere mumbai-goa highway side...the Kharvas there is a must have.
Next stop at Karnala bird sanctuary, all vehicles parked and entry taxes paid, walking up to the guest house.
The guest house is surrounded by many bird houses and the variety there is unbeatable.
After packing some fresh Guavas, carrots, Cucumbers and a watermelon, the troupe started towards the nature trail leading to the Karnalla fort.
Lots of grunts, panting breaths and swollen ankles later, we finally reached the summit. Reaching there, all the tiring went up in thin air...all fresh invigorating oxygen there must be the reason...
After about 30 minutes of rest there,all wanted to return. So, we return and again an hour and 30 minutes later, we reach the base. Since all had travelled light, water was the most demanded commodity, and the canteen guys made some quick sale in our group...
A late lunch on the way back, where everyone just ready for any kind of food they could lay their hands on... A good Dhaba we discovered makes absolutely fingerlicking food at a very reasonable price...
Return to dutta snack centre for a final tea break...
some group photos and hugs and kisses later, we head home...its going to be a long day tommorrow...
George has promissed a Special treat for all who reach office at 9:30 next day...am sure he would be sorry for this announcement.
signing off...
p.s. continued on the second day...body pain and leg pain are the centre of talk among the trek participants...and yes, george lost out, he has to give a special treat to almost all who came to the trek.....ha ha ha...
Photos are here...
If above slideshow is not properly visible, you may want to see the below link for going to my online album...
 |
| Mount Karnalla!!! |
Windows 7 beta, flexible Displays et. all
Just came across this interesting video of tech updates...
the holy grail of M$soft...Apple wireless charging station, OLED flex display....Sony Cybershot camera that transmits images to internet websites, or to a WIFIed television across the room, Liquid Cooled Computers, that look like Motor Radiators he he he, Geting real with Duck Hunt Game- YES, its now Real world point and shoot game, rather than sitting in front of your PC like a lame duck!!!
Video below with more details...
the holy grail of M$soft...Apple wireless charging station, OLED flex display....Sony Cybershot camera that transmits images to internet websites, or to a WIFIed television across the room, Liquid Cooled Computers, that look like Motor Radiators he he he, Geting real with Duck Hunt Game- YES, its now Real world point and shoot game, rather than sitting in front of your PC like a lame duck!!!
Video below with more details...
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Wireless Power Charging - recharge your devices wirelessly...
Recharge your portable devices such as laptops, Mobile Phones, MP3 players etc without getting tied down to a power socket...
WIFI or Wireless LANs have already freed up IT users from their desks, and are freely connected to their networks where wireless signals are available.
A similar setup, where your devices are recharged without connecting to a power socket is under research from quite some time...
Reality check:
Eight companies have formed a consortium with the aim of developing a wireless power standard. Convinient power, Fulton innovation, Logitech, National Semiconductor, Philips, Sanyo, Shenzhen sangfei communications and texas instruments are members of this group that sees wireless power charging taking away the need of wires and connectors.
The goal is to create charging station upon which you drop your mobile devices and it charges. no fuss of wires, no fuss. The standard works for devices that are close to each other and employs the principple of magnetic induction.
More of such glimpses into the crystal ball of futuristic technologies as and when they happen. Till then, Signing off,
Storage devices that will not Crash!
Thought about many topics to post, however, somethings on my mind to post about new technologies whenever they strike to me...
This is a first valid posting towards a new category i would like to call THE TECHNOLOGY CRYSTAL BALL...
Upcomming trends towards sturdy storage devices, that do not crash each time they fall off your desk or laptop lead to Solid State Storage, SSD as they are called. SSDs are currently in their 10s of Gbs availibility, but Hard drives that store upto 500Gbs are available and that too at price points much cheaper than say a 8Gb SSD.
Reality check:
Toshiba announced the first 2.5 inch SSD based on 43Nanometer cell circuits. They are announced in capacities upto 512Gb. You can look at prices falling to affordable levels very soon.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
An Exciting Day - - Back to School !
Today, I had been back to school, not to be taught, but to impart knowledge to upcoming students.
Abhinav Vidyalaya Had celebrated its silver jubilee today and organised a science fair, which involved other schools from dombivli area.
Mr. Satheesh Menon, VU2WSM, had organised a demonstration of HAM radio to all the visitors. I had the privilege to be able to demonstrate to wannabe students about the amazing Hobby in Wireless Radio.
I had the advantage of meeting two new HAMs on my contact list: Mr. Prahlad Bodke, & Mr. Joy Chandran VU3JOY.
Slideshow of snaps of all the activity here...
Abhinav Vidyalaya Had celebrated its silver jubilee today and organised a science fair, which involved other schools from dombivli area.
Mr. Satheesh Menon, VU2WSM, had organised a demonstration of HAM radio to all the visitors. I had the privilege to be able to demonstrate to wannabe students about the amazing Hobby in Wireless Radio.
I had the advantage of meeting two new HAMs on my contact list: Mr. Prahlad Bodke, & Mr. Joy Chandran VU3JOY.
Slideshow of snaps of all the activity here...
You may also want to check the album on picassa here
 |
| HAM Demo at Abhinav Vidyalaya, Dombivli Dec 2008 |
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Humanity is enriching
Its the start of a new week and I am looking forward to an activity filled day. Little did I know what lay ahead.
On my way to the railway station from where I usually board a Train for dadar, the station closest to my office, I saw something that caught my attention.
A middle aged man maybe in His early 40s collapsed on His back cringing His hands and legs. He was froth ing from his mouth and as he fell, had injured his head.
My initial reaction was casual and kind of I do on care. Some where deep within myself I was fighting with myself to ignore and proceed or try helping in some way.
Someone brought a crushed onion and held to his nose. That helped in control ing the situation. However the person who had fallen was in a stupor and could not answer basic questions such as his name or address. The crowd which had collected had by now thinned and only four of us were left there.
It was already getting late for office but I somehow could not leave the scene that way. I decided to stay put and do whatever I could.
There was a private hospital nearby and we decided to move this person there. The four of us carried him to the hospital.
At the hospital, one of us gave up and decided to leave. By now the person had gained some strength and walked up the one flight of stairs to the hospital.
Now the hospital staff took over and treated him well. No one really bothered us with any procedures and this somehow cleared all misunder standings that I had of medical emergencies. I thank Dr amol and dr Sandeep for taking immediate steps to help mr ponkshe (yes after first aid we got to know mr ponkshe)
I thank mr sagar for helping us carry mr ponkshe to the hospital. Another person left before I could ask his name.
This also helped my conscience that would otherwise have been guilty of ignoring a fellow human in need.
This article is an immediate outcome after the incident.
What a way to a new week !
On my way to the railway station from where I usually board a Train for dadar, the station closest to my office, I saw something that caught my attention.
A middle aged man maybe in His early 40s collapsed on His back cringing His hands and legs. He was froth ing from his mouth and as he fell, had injured his head.
My initial reaction was casual and kind of I do on care. Some where deep within myself I was fighting with myself to ignore and proceed or try helping in some way.
Someone brought a crushed onion and held to his nose. That helped in control ing the situation. However the person who had fallen was in a stupor and could not answer basic questions such as his name or address. The crowd which had collected had by now thinned and only four of us were left there.
It was already getting late for office but I somehow could not leave the scene that way. I decided to stay put and do whatever I could.
There was a private hospital nearby and we decided to move this person there. The four of us carried him to the hospital.
At the hospital, one of us gave up and decided to leave. By now the person had gained some strength and walked up the one flight of stairs to the hospital.
Now the hospital staff took over and treated him well. No one really bothered us with any procedures and this somehow cleared all misunder standings that I had of medical emergencies. I thank Dr amol and dr Sandeep for taking immediate steps to help mr ponkshe (yes after first aid we got to know mr ponkshe)
I thank mr sagar for helping us carry mr ponkshe to the hospital. Another person left before I could ask his name.
This also helped my conscience that would otherwise have been guilty of ignoring a fellow human in need.
This article is an immediate outcome after the incident.
What a way to a new week !
Friday, August 8, 2008
Milestone 080808!
As the name of this blog goes, I have been lazy in posting a new article from some time. Thanks to the motivation by my supporters and readers, I am putting across this one.
Though it may seem calm and "lazy" on the surface, there are a lot of under-currents in deep seas.
My last few days have been something similar. The place that I work for has recently moved to a New location and the responsibility of a smooth and functional workplace was mine.
During the move, I was always reminded of "the god is in the details"
The entire project was broken down into sub-projects and targets, objectives, resources & documenting were outlined.
Looking back I am amused to learn that I managed to accomplish the move with relative ease.
Of course the project would never have been a success had it not been for the whole hearted commitment from my work-mates, trust of project sponsors and an eagerness from all vendors involved.
The project has taught me a lot in terms of soft skills and have gained a refreshed technical library.
I hope this update lives up to the expectations of this blog.
One more milestone in my journey of life.
Though it may seem calm and "lazy" on the surface, there are a lot of under-currents in deep seas.
My last few days have been something similar. The place that I work for has recently moved to a New location and the responsibility of a smooth and functional workplace was mine.
During the move, I was always reminded of "the god is in the details"
The entire project was broken down into sub-projects and targets, objectives, resources & documenting were outlined.
Looking back I am amused to learn that I managed to accomplish the move with relative ease.
Of course the project would never have been a success had it not been for the whole hearted commitment from my work-mates, trust of project sponsors and an eagerness from all vendors involved.
The project has taught me a lot in terms of soft skills and have gained a refreshed technical library.
I hope this update lives up to the expectations of this blog.
One more milestone in my journey of life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
