Junkyard

New Nike Cricket Ad

2007-03-04T23:29:00.001+05:30

Nike has come up with a new cricket ad which truly captures the essence of cricket in the Indian subcontinent. The background setting is a chaotic traffic jam in a place which looks like Mumbai. A bus carrying cricketers get stuck in the jam and out of the love for game a couple of them climb up the roof of the bus and start playing. Just like in any gully cricket or phatta match in India people start pitching and the team grows. But wait, the best hasn't come yet - yes, the best part of the ad is it's background music. It sounds so fit for the ad that you will start humming it even though you might not make any sense out of it!

Have fun:

What a wonderful world!

2007-03-04T23:21:00.001+05:30

Louis Armstrong sang a truly beautiful song - What a wonderful world. The beauty of the song lies in it's lyrics as well as the way it has been sung. A true masterpiece, it makes you feel good and happy :).

The video of the song is available at the end of the post. Parts of the video belong to the movie - Good Morning Vietnam.

If you wish to sing along the lyrics goes as follow -

I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see 'em bloom..... for me and you
And I think to myself....what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue.....n clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.

The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin.. how do you do
Theyre really sayin......i love you.

I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
Theyll learn much more.....n I'll never know
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.

You Tube Videos

2007-03-04T23:12:00.001+05:30

Google had recently purchased a fast growing online video sharing site - You Tube. You Tube has been a runaway success and commands the majority market share in the video sharing business. As of now You Tube doesn't publish any ads to generate income but it is expected to do so in the near future by following the famous google model. With faster internet speeds all over the world this video sharing is bound to gain popularity.

CRR and Repo Rates

2007-02-22T19:40:00.000+05:30

The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) had recently released a notification to increase the CRR by 0.5% in two stages. This led to most major banks increasing their lending rates with ICICI bank taking the lead. But what exactly is CRR and why does it have an effect on the lending rates.

CRR or the Cash Reserve Ratio is the amount that the banks have to keep with RBI. This amount is kept as an interest free deposit by the RBI. Increasing the CRR has to main effects - one it constricts the money supply and second that the banks lose out on interests for their deposit with RBI. As more borrowers are running after lesser available money the lending rates are bound to go up.

Apart from CRR, RBI also controls the Repo rate and the reverse repo rate. Both of these are effective controls in the monetary policy. Repo rate is the rate at which the RBI lends the money to the banks while Reverse repo rate is the rate at which RBI borrows the money from various banks. An increase in either of them can lead to an increase in lending rates for the banks. If repo rate is increased borrowing becomes costlier for the banks and they tend to pass the increased costs to the customers. Similarly, if the reverse repo rate increases banks might find it advantageous to deposit the money with RBI which is essentially risk free. The increase in lending rate offsets the risk that the banks have to take.

India Poised: Really?

2007-02-21T20:47:00.001+05:30

The Times of India recently started a campaign named India Poised. Like the NDA government's India Shining campaign, India Poised spoke to a great extent about the buzzing economy and growing global influence of India. All over the national capital as one moved past swanky malls and glassy corporate offices, one could see banners and posters of the great Indian growth story. But move just a little further, into the outskirts of the city and the growth story is abruptly replaced by wretched poverty and starvation.

How can a nation be poised and shining when the majority cannot benefit from it's growth? What about the 200 million Indians who can't even earn a $1 per day? The growth story and swanky malls mean nothing to those who have to labor hard just to earn a meal per day! There is no doubt about the fact that India is actually shining and growing at a remarkable pace, but at the same time one should not forget the sizeable poor of the country. India's growth has actually hurt them as the inflation - the tax on poor - has shot up. For them living has become harder and their lives more miserable.

Thankfully, or out of pure political compulsions, the top leaders of the ruling party have sought to play down India's achievments. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently talked about the vast segments of our people who are untouched by modernisation; who continue to do backbreaking labour. His views were repeated by Sonia Gandhi who alluded to the dehumanising poverty in this country. No country can continue to advance for long when a majority of it's population gets deprived of basic human needs.

There is an urgent need for reforms to uplift the poor. But what can legislations do? Especially when the administration is rife with corruption and red tapism. The policies donot benefit those who need them the most and only a minute percentage of allocated funds actually reach the poor. Most of the allocated money is usually guzzled by politicians and middle men.

Hopefully, with legislations like Right to Information and the generally awakened middle class, the currently problems would be reduced in the near future. It is then that the growth of the country would start benefitting people across all sections of the society.

My IIML GD/PI

2007-02-20T10:52:00.001+05:30

Here it goes!

X- 92.67% XII: 74%

BTech IIT Kanpur: 6.5 .... lots and lots of Ds CAT: QA - 98.xx DI 99.xx VA 89.xx Overall 99.34

The title for the GD was: For the success of a Team there should be accountability for expertise

The GD was peaceful.. same points going round but round with different examples. I came in 4-5 times. We discussed the Indian cricket team, rafting, Indian army software teams, various sectors and blah blah.

I was the last one in the arrangement so had to wait till 4:45 pm for the interview. The panel consisted of two members - a nice lady(L) and a nice Sir(S). M is me.

M: Can I come in please:
L/S: Yes please and have a seat.
S: Would you like to have something?
M: No thank you.
S: Can I have a look at your certifcate folder?
M: Yes sure < and I pass the folder over to him>
L: Tell us about yourself.
M: blah,blah
L: So where do you work and what are your responsibilities
M: blah.. I m in supply chain mgmt
L: Name other major player in the field
M: SAP
L: Name companies which are into logistics
M: UPS,DHL etc etc
L: Name a company which has effectively used supply chain management
M: Walmart
L: How does it manage to do it?
M: cutting costs, large no of order, dictating terms to companies
S: No there is a specific term for that
M: I dont know sir
S: What management lessons can you learn from religious scriptures
M: ethics, helping others
S: Do you know any company which is ethical?
M: I dont know sir
S: Then how can you say that?
M:
L: Some maths question
M: < a blank face>
L: You havent studied linear programming
M: No Maam
S: (Has a look at my Maths grades at college.. a series of D's) Then what is this Maths I, Maths II etc.. Anyways forget it how can you use probability in supply chain management
M: For predicting the demand
S: And how will you do that?
M: We will have a look at previous years demands and various economic factors.
S: Then?
M: Try to fit a curve to it.
S: So if you have a curve which is a straight line you will say that it will increase further.
M: No sir, other macroeconomic factors will come into picture.
S: How
M: I dont know sir
S: Do you know about green revolution?
M: blah blah
S: When was it started?
M: 1970's
S: 71, 72,73....
M: I dont know the exact year/
S: Who started it?
M: got started in Mexico and then came to India. Some scientist in India
S: Name 5 seed producing companies in INdia.
M: Monsanato?
S: You are from Punjab.. you should know that!
M: But I dont know sir.
L: Do you know about white revolution?
M: blah blah
L: Who started it?
M: Dr Kurein
S: Name 5 Tata companies:
M: TCS, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Taj Group.
S: What does Tata Motors do?
M: Vehicles
S: What was it earlier known as?
M: I dont know sir
L: You have watching movies as an interest
S: Does he?
M: No, Infact I dont follow them
S: Doesnt matter.. You have seen Lagaan?
M: Yes
S: What managerial lessons can you derive from the movie?
M: blah blah
S: Name any two Birla companies
M: Hindalco and Noveliis
S: But that has been acquired by Hindalco only
M: Birla Cement
S: Ok, Thank you.
M: Thank you.

UNSC expansion

2007-02-01T17:30:00.000+05:30

A couple of months back hectic activity could be seen at the foreign affairs offices of India and Japan along with a couple of other countries. These two were the front runners for getting a permanent Security Council seat. Both these countries have a clean track record at UN and sufficient reasons for inclusion in SC - India, one of the fastest growing economies, is home to over 1 billion people and Japan is the one of the largest UN aid donors. But unfortunately both of them have neighbours who are more than just enemies.

India is in a somewhat better position as Pakistan doesn't have a strong lobby, it is more like a puppet in US or China's hands. For Japan the problems are compounded by the fact that China considers a permanent seat for Japan as being equivalent to the growing US influence. No wonder there were strong protests(?) in China against Japan's candidature. But with CCP yielding an iron hand over journalism in China, no one knows for sure whether the protest were actually there or were they dramatized just to grab attention of world media.

Public Gyan!

2007-01-20T17:28:00.000+05:30

I would be thankful if any of the Public Gyan members could spare me an invite!

Though I very well know that the probability of a PG member reading this small blog is extremely low, but then you never know what could happen in the ever shrinking world.
Please mail me at jodhbir[.AT.]gmai[.]com if you wish to send me one.

Ed: I have received an invit thanks to Reuben.
Now something about Public Gyan(from the site itself) -

Public Gyan is an online prediction futures market. It uses the power of markets to predict real-life outcomes.
To get an idea of what this is all about, please read this article on futures markets by James Surowiecki. A brief introduction to prediction markets may be found on Wikipedia.
~ PublicGyan is mentioned in Oct 24, 2005 issue of TIME magazine cover story (International Edition)! ~

Markets and small investors

2006-06-16T00:45:00.000+05:30

Imagine saving part of your hard earned money and investing it for your future, for your family. Imagine the lure of getting high returns on your money. Imagine losing it all within a span of a couple of hours. Imagine pain, desperation and death. This is a familiar story for numerous small investors, the pawns in the hands of mighty market forces, who have lost everything in the last few weeks. It is the story of human psyche which gets blinded because of the prevailing euphoria. It is the story of ignorance which clouds our brain. It is the story we need to understand and think about. It is nothing but the story of human greed.

Siberian Cold Scale

2005-11-29T17:04:00.000+05:30

In response to Anu's AWAD - bight, Viktor Trukov (viktortrukovATg....com) has provided a vivid description of Siberian weather.

It goes somewhat like this:

In Central Siberia (Divnogorsk city, 30 thousand people), Russia, where I grew up, we have a "slightly" different perception of cold. Also we never added wind chill factor, only saying "with wind, or "without wind". We loved winter as much as other seasons, waiting anxiously for the first snow to fall. In addition to regular winter activities, one of the fun things to do was to build snow houses, making tunnels in deep snow and jumping into the snow from roofs.

So, our Siberian cold scale would look like this:
-5C / 23F = considered very warm, comfortable winter temperature. Nobody would put on two pairs or sets of any clothing to play outside for hours.
-10C / 14F = warm, comfortable, still not warranting double layers of clothing. No restriction on time to play outside, except for completion of school homework.
-15C / 5F = cool, some scared souls might put double layers, most mothers would pressure kids to put on more clothes.
-20C / -4F = chilly, most kids go play outside double-layered.
-30C / -22F = cold ('moroz' in Russian), kids go outside double- and triple-layered, and play only for short time, go home to warm up only when absolutely necessary (it's dangerous - mothers might not allow you to go out and play again.
-40C / -40F = very cold (strong 'moroz'), very few kids allowed by mothers to go play outside, multi-layered, but you haven't many partners to play with... School gets cancelled, but half of the kids will show up anyway and will have fun on a school day.
-50C / -58F = ... Relax, I never had it :-) Never had it below -43C, on which day, being an adult already, I set my personal record by jumping and rolling over in the snow, bare naked, after a sauna.
No level of cold prevented us from regular activities - movies, sport, visits, etc. Ah, a beautiful time!

I am feeling cold already!

String Theory

2005-04-15T11:27:00.000+05:30

I saw a truly amazing documentary on String Theory, based on a book 'The elegant Universe' by Brian Greene.

A bad bad night for my box

2005-04-15T10:35:00.000+05:30

In a flash it was all over. My UPS was unable to control a sudden fluctuation in the potential difference applied to my box and before I could realise my hard disk crashed :( With it I lost all my fvwm config files on which I had so much time for customization. And now I am to lazy to do it all over again :(

MD5 collisions!

2004-11-14T13:05:00.000+05:30

Recently three chinese researchers,(Wang, Feng, Lai, and Yu), have reported during CRYPTO 2004 that using there technique a collision could be produced in an hour! Other resources: 1. Introductory level article on hashing and collisions 2. www.md5crk.com 3. Slashdot story on the article can be seen here. 4. Cryptography Research's Hash Collision FAQ.

Allergies again - Ayurvedic remedies

2004-11-06T05:38:00.000+05:30

While searching the net for alternative cure for alllergies I came across a few ayurvedic remedies. I haven't tried any of these but the current literature shows that they have some positive effect. These are: 1. Septilin Tablets(Himalaya Herbal Health Care) - Septilin possesses immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties, which potentiate the non-specific immune responses of the body. Septilin stimulates phagocytosis by macrophage activation, increases the polymorphonuclear cells and helps overcome infection. Septilin builds up resistance to infection and helps prevent re-infection. Septilin augments granulocyte-macrophage differentiation, natural killer cell activity and antibody-dependent cytotoxicity. Septilin’s stimulatory effect on the humoral immunity increases the antibody-forming cells, thereby enhancing the secretion of antibodies into the circulation. Septilin also augments the synthesis of erythropoietic and granulopoietic precursor cells, stab cells and primary myelocytes. Indications Septilin syrup and tablets are useful when the following symptoms are displayed: 1. As a daily health supplement in infection-prone individuals 2. In the management of: 1. Upper respiratory tract infections 2. Lower respiratory tract infections 3. Allergic disorders of upper respiratory tract 4. Skin and soft tissue infections and inflammations 5. Dental and periodontal infections 6. Infective and inflammatory conditions of the eye 7. Bone and joint infections 8. Urinary tract infections More information can be found at: http://www.himalayahealthcare.com/products/septilin.htm The site also has some research papers which show its effect. 2. Quercetin: Quercetin is a bioflavonoid rutin, a group of coloring pigments widely found throughout the plant kingdom, where they also provide plants with antioxidant protection against environmental stresses. Natural diets high in vegetables, fruit, sprouts, and whole grains typically provide a total of 1,000 to 2,000 mg. a day of a broad range of flavonoids. Blue-green algae are the usual source of quercetin, but it's also available as a food supplement Quercetin has a strong affinity for mast cells and basophils. It tends to stabilize their cell membranes, preventing them from spilling their pro-inflammatory, allergy-symptom-causing load of histamine/serotonin into the surrounding blood and tissue in response to the IgE antibody. And without the release of these potent inflammatory mediators, the familiar misery of allergies simply will not occur, even though you've inhaled the pollen, animal hair, or whatever normally triggers allergy attacks. Quercetin and tocopherol, in combination, were found to restore the immune homeostasis and to normalize clinical indices in patients with dysentery. Quercetin inhibits uric acid production, as well as the manufacture and release of inflammatory compounds. Sources: Fruits and vegetables, particularly citrus fruits, apples, onions, parsley, tea, and red wine. 3. Tylophora (Indian ipecac): Tylophora is a perennial climbing plant native to the plains, forests, and hills of Southern and Eastern India. In India, it has historically been used as a treatment for asthma and allergies. The primary ingredient in tylophora is the alkaloid tylophorine. This extract may have anti-inflammatory properties and may interfere with the action of mast cells, which are key components in the process of inflammation.It contains compounds that have been reported to interfere with the action of mast cells, which are key components in the process of inflammation responsible for most hay fever symptoms. Ayurvedic doctors sometimes recommend 200–400 mg of the dried herb daily or 1–2 ml of the tincture per day for up to two weeks. These historical and laboratory findings have been supported by several human clinical trials using differing preparations of tylophora, including the crude leaf, tincture, and capsule. One clinical trial with asthma sufferers, found that tylophora leaf (150 mg of the leaf by weight) chewed and swallowed daily in the early morning for six days led to moderate to complete relief of their asthma symptoms. 4.Sho-seiryu-to: The Japanese herbal formula known as has been shown to reduce symptom, such as sneezing, for people with hay fever. Sho-seiryu-to contains licorice, cassia bark, schisandra, ma huang, ginger, peony root, pinellia, and asiasarum root.