Key learning of the year

"Do not believe what you see/read in the media"

They show only about 40% of the truth and without the remaining 60% there is no context and it is engineered to misrepresent, misguide and misunderstand.

Multiple sets of information have made me come to this conclusion:
1. The Iran war while listening to some actual youtube podcasters who have actual domain expertise

2. The happenings in USA from an instagram channel that actually gives voice to the people

3. A defence industry insider telling me how the news are not to be believed and the real truth behind a constantly published story in the news.

4. A villager on how voting is forced in the electoral booth (which would not be published by any newspaper).

5. How come there is no video of the actual damage suffered by Israel from the various missiles of Iran?

This below comments give what objectives are served by these mis-publications.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/et-commentary/pax-trump-hegseth-remix-americas-gun-laws-dehumanisation-and-double-standards-have-been-its-ticket-to-virtue/articleshow/130177189.cms

Real truth is buried deep inside things and we need to learn a sense of detecting the actual dead body beneath the shit it is covered up by.

Political war of words

Over the last 2 months or so the war of words between Congress-BJP and BJP-JDU have increased, even more so after Modi has been named as the chairman of the election campaign committee. The politicians have been bickering between bad, worse and worst with their rhetorics and idiotic statements which are nowhere near ground realities (A meal at Rs.12/Rs.5/Rs.1). They have tried to compete with each other in making more outrageous and stupid remarks. Probably, the noise in the media (read television news channels, digital newspapers and printed newspapaers) will get even more and become unbearable as the elections due next year come closer.

But, what I am wondering is how much of all this noise actually reach the majority of the voters in the rural areas. How much of it will they hear and how much will they read/hear about and consider it considering the following factors: illiteracy, availability of newspapers, power for viewing televisions, interest in national politics, considering that in villages the head of the village or the head of the house decide which party to vote to power, big political parties throwing money and liquor at the villagers to buy their votes.

Is all the noise generated worth it?

The very needed attitude of verifying

In today's fast paced and ruthless world, people usually tend to agree with the stated without any questioning of the fact. When the sales guy in the saree shop shows a 9 yards saree and says it is 9 yards, you trust his word and choose the design and colour to buy. When the investment deposit form says Rs.25000 invested at 13.32% p.a. gets you Rs. 41650 in 5 years, you trust the calculation. When shop sales guy says the table I am interested in is 4 by 3 feet, one tends to strike a match with our requirements in mind and move to other factors.

But, in days of ignorance, marketing and plain lies, you should not trust what you hear on the face of it. In the first instance, when my mom came home and tried the saree, it was 8 yards, not the nine the shopkeeper confirmed it was. His defence on returning, everything we sell is 8 yards as 9 yards. Do look at the below picture: a part of the deposit form from Shriram Transport Finance Company Ltd.: 

Turns out the actual rate of interest in the cumulative option of 5 years is 10.75% p.a.compounded annually, not the high 13.34% p.a. by which I was actually attracted to the scheme (13.34% is simple interest and why would any sane person look for simple interest in a cumulative scheme?). In the third case, the table shown to be was actually 4 by 2.5ft and not 4 by 3 ft. It looked suspicious measuring it by my eye and I asked for a tape to measure it. It was only 2.5 ft by width. The sales guy only had a sheepish smile to respond with.

Such are the various cases of buying in today's world. It usually was in finance, a phrase called "Buyers beware", but in today's case, almost every single fellow is up to tricks fooling customers.

The concept of trust cannot be blindly held. A more sane logic of he is the expert of things and we should trust him also does not find meaning nowadays. The shopkeeper knows that the worst case for him is that he will have to reverse the sale or better, exchange it when they complain. There is a perverse upside to the seller at the cost of the buyer. There are not many ways to get over it as of now, except to be aware and verify things, however untrustworthy you may seem to be.

A mandatory pain in their arse sanity check is necessary before buying to prevent a pain in your arse at a later point in time.

Addiction of Internet

Dumb Charades

A simple game like Dumb Charades (sometimes if modified a bit) is a great exercise in thinking and communication.

It can be played beyond movies into other things like contradictory/funny/naughty phrases, and it is not just a source of good fun, but a lot more. To give the phrase, one has to think hard and creatively to find something that is not just hard, but funny too. Something what advertisers are always trying to do. The next is to put yourself in other person's shoes and judge whether the word/phrase can be decoded easily by the rival or not.

On the other side of the game, having a phrase/word, you need to think of multiple ways to get the phrase communicated by breaking it down and expressing it logically to the team mates. You also have to read into their minds and see if they can interpret your expressions (again, putting yourself in other person's shoes) and then guide them towards the word.

Dumb charades is a great way to improve lateral thinking.

Post box number for individuals

There are plenty of transferrable people in India with a changing residence often with plenty of reasons (transfers/temporary project/internship/work place and residency/temporary v/s permanent place, etc. with no proper address proof). And this means proving the address at the place required (many times not possible at all - paying guest, rented in spouse's name, staying with parents/brother/sister, office quarters, friend's place, joint accomodation with one friend signing the agreement, etc.) which is not possible and another issue of providing the change of address at all places that would need for sending us correspondence. Possibly for less important correspondence, the post office could offer a service of postal box number. This would be given to all the correspondances and this number would be mapped to a real address. When the person changes address, he has now to inform just the post office of the change of address and the post box number gets mapped to the new address.

The unfortunate part is the only post one usually gets these days are from financial and telecom companies who ask for an address proof in the first place.

This article is very apt:

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-07-12/news/32648751_1_address-bank-account-traffic-police

eEtiquette

With so many more communication channels open today to communicate, there are a number of questions that come to mind when we have a task at hand to complete or while selecting the mode or how to use them.
The below website has a number of good etiquette practices that should be followed for better communications.
http://eetiquette.com/

Use email to convert files into different formats

http://www.labnol.org/internet/convert-files-by-email/20824/

Know these connections

Typical audio, video connections for conneccting your stereo system to the earphone, tv to the stereo and computer output to the stereo system...

When you know the names of these connections, it will be easier to tell anyone what exactly you want rather than playing pictionary with the other person...

TRS connectors

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Photo-audiojacks.jpg

To know more about the pictured connections, 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS_connector

The RCA connectors

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_connector

Update:

A more exhaustive and classified connections with symbol and uses is given here:

http://www.labnol.org/gadgets/visual-guide-to-computer-cables-connectors/10694/

The last words of people who were executed

~ Che Guevara

~ John Wayne Gacy, before being executed by lethal injection

~ George Appel, executed by electric chair in 1928

~ Gary Gilmore, executed by firing squad in 1977

~ Robert Erskine Childers, to his firing squad during the Irish Civil War in 1922

~ James W. Rodgers, asked if he had any requests before facing the firing squad

~ Stanley "Tookie" Williams, founder of The Crips, executed by lethal injection. His executioners appeared to be having trouble with the machinery.

~ Edward R. Rulloff, the last man executed by hanging in New York state.

~ Sir Walter Raleigh, to his beheader

~ Carl Panzram, serial killer, hanged in 1930

~ Melchor Ocampo, Mexican politician, when asked to kneel by his executioner

~ Harry Morant, Australian war criminal

~ Joe Hill, after hearing his executioner say: "Ready...aim..."

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikehayes/the-last-words-of-people-who-were-executed

Levels of connectivity

People power

Crowd-sourcing has reached tipping point with this event.

DJs, promoters, label reps and 'professional party people' from the Netherlands have persuaded Dutch airline KLM to add an extra flight to its roster. In a new twist on crowd-buying, the initiators of Fly2Miami made a bet with KLM on Twitter to organize a non-stop flight from Amsterdam to Miami.

More on this here:

http://www.springwise.com/tourism_travel/fly2miami/

Encountering the third kind

Walking on Marine drive, I just escaped getting into an encounter of the third kind. But some others werent so lucky. The busy couples were so busy doing what they were doing and just didnt see it coming. Then it started. The acts, the begging, the blessings and even the haggling. But I indeed wonder, what would be the best response that would not only get rid of the 'problem' but make all involved happy and smile. Imagine you are on a romantic date on and suddenly encountered with the people called 'chakas', what do you think would be a response that will make you sound nice in front of your special one, make the intruder happy and you too at the end of the day?

Pearly Gates

Real time communication

The Christian church keeps up with the times

http://www.businesspundit.com/the-christian-church-keeps-up-with-the-times/

Signing off

I recently got an email with the following sign off "xoxo". Knowing the person's sophistication, I knew this was something I clearly didnt know. I searched it online and wikipedia says x= kiss and o=hugs and this expression xoxo is typically to express affection or good friendship at the end of a written letter, email or SMS text message.

I have usually wondered what to write at the end of emails and especially greeting cards to friends(if they are not the closest or if they may not particularly like the words love as a sign off). So I finally did a search which I should have done a long time ago and found this really nice site:

http://resourcesforwriters.suite101.com/article.cfm/list_of_letter_closings_and_salutations

Now, I think I have something new and interesting to sign off with :)

And I think I can also come up with some of my own :)

Emails and emotions

I recently realised something by what my friend said today. I am usually good at writing mails and reviewing documents, but at times like today, I just seem to have lost that talent all of a sudden. I drafted a mail to a higher authorty which wasn't a neutral toned one. I didnt like the mail myself. I asked for help to a friend/classmate and he drafted me a good mail. Sent it.

I asked him, how come you are so good in drafting mails. He said he learnt it from me. Now, that is a paradoxical statement. He told me that when the person drafting the mail is involved in the reason for writing the mail, emotions come in the way. And these emotions are strong enough that the mind cant even write a simple clear mail in a neutral tone. There have been instances when I write his mails for the best effect and he writes up my mails for the best effect. Strange, but true. The partner needs to be able to understand you completely and take up the complementary task in the best way when due.

There are exceptions though. There are mails where emotions can actually help. Like a mail criticising the pathetic situation to a lower/equal authority after many complaints have gone on deaf ears or a real sentimental/loving mail that can really touch one and maybe even bring them to tears.

One of the most important ingredient to emails is the state of mind or the emotions at the time of writing it.

Of essence and glances of women

I am sure the heading sounds kind of Mills and Boon titles.... :) Today, we had a public speaking class. The speakers have topics given to them a couple of days earlier to prepare for and they come and give the presentation. One of the speakers had this topic: "Are women the weaker sex?" The guy had each depicting some photograph and some one liners. One of them read "Women are the essence of life". But what came out from his mouth was "Women are the essence of my life". Hmmm..... Looks like he spoke some truth from the heart, huh? After the presentation, the other students are asked to give feedback about the presentation. One guy gave the following feedback/comment to a girl: "You had a three point eye contact. One on the left, one on the right and one in the center. You should give more glances. One atleast."

Reality shows and all that cow dung

The latest(or maybe not THE latest) anti reformist step taken by the govt. of India is that courier companies should not handle and transport couriers below a certain weight. The most obvious winner in this case is India Post. It is not hard to fathom why the govt. is doing this. The number of workers working in the postal department is only slightly more or less than that were working in the 90's. Then the age of mobile telephony and internet and now broadband internet at almost every high end and middle class home. Those were the days of Surabhi, when Siddarth Das and Renuka Sahane towards the end of the episode used to say the number of postcards received every week for their contest to win a trip(abroad or in India, I can't remember). These postcards were mainly from people in the middle class who used to buy the postcard, write down the answer and the address, go to the post box to post it and try to win something for themelves. And now, the days of reality shows, where millions of namooneys watch the hyped up shows which are dragged like tom's tongue in Tom and Jerry. They desperately try to bring a climax to the result situation which can be otherwise done casually and pleasantly. And all the namooneys who watch it sitting at their house supposedly have a big reason to watch the show(or even without a reason). These people have after all spent Rs.6 per sms to vote the candidate who they like based on the state they are from, their beauty, and whatever else their criteria. And that too when they have nothing in the world to win from messaging. This is the reason mobile telephone companies and advertising companies are raking in the moolah, whereas the Indian public is wasting their double moolah(money + time). If 1990's tv shows of India showed the middle classes' finese with great variety of prime time television, the 2000s are the age of sms crazy psychos whose only alternate adventurous life to the day to day life is the reality shows.