India's Contrasting report

I think due to President Obama's proposed India visit, newspapers are actively printing report on India. There were two very interesting and contrasting reports in today's local newspaper. First one was about number of Cell  Phones in India as compared to available Toilets.It is amazing to read these facts which essentially says that cell phones are more important than basic necessities like sanitation and housing. There are 400 million people in India who are way below poverty line but I am sure even half of these either already have cell phones or will get it withing a year or less. However, they may not have toilet access even in next couple of years. So, cell phone is more important than shit..

Next even more contradicting story was about Mukesh Ambani's new Billion Dollar house.. So many rumors about it.. It has 27 floors, capacity to land three choppers, 7 floors for parking and probably more than one hundred servants.. and what not.. What a stark contrast with 400 million people who don't even know if they will be able to eat tomorrow's supper..

Sometimes I feel that India needs some major  social unrest.. where all these poors gang together and simply attack on these ultra rich.. not that I am communist.. I still believe that Capitalism is best way for progress. However, when inequality becomes so high then it needs to be addressed and somewhere system is broken. System needs to be fixed..

US Mid Term Elections

Sometimes I feel US electorate is no better than India's or even worse.. There are reports coming that Republicans are going to take control of house back again.I really can't believe that after letting them screw this nation for full 8 years how can we let them come back so soon. How can anyone have such a short memory.. How can we expect their 8 years of Ku-Karma (bad-karma) to be fixed in less than 2 years..

Sometimes I feel that USA, despite being leader in so many things and pioneer in so many things is so backward in such a simple things.. I thought there was almost 100% literacy in USA. it looks other way..


God Help USA!!

Google street view wi-fi issue

One more thing for today.. I still can't grasp all hoopla on Google's street view car recording SSIDs of the house.. Anything which is shown or available to public from your house is more of public property. Say for example you keep table/chair on street so anyone who wants can pick it up. Similarly if you are playing music in your house which can be heard by neighbors, neighbors can complaint about it as it comes to public domain..

Similarly when you broadcast your home Wi-Fi signal outside your house, any one on street has right to connect to it and see it. Google is not coming inside your house and grabbing your signal or connecting to your internet. They are simply recording which you are broadcasting outside your house and making it available to world. If I want, I can take iPhone and walk in neighborhood and collect all the data and put it up on my website or blog or somewhere online for everyone. If anyone has problem with it, then they better shut it down or restrict it to inside their house. I think Google is doing service to them by exposing them and telling that this SSID is available on the street and you better secure it.

Bottom-line, I feel all the governments and other organizations are more of envious of Google's success on such a simple thing.. Google has done street view and other search capabilities so nicely and they are trying to make money on it. Nothing is wrong about it. I feel that they have full right to use this information.

I wish Google should start fighting about these things rather than accepting it as mistakes and trying to fix it.

California Elections..

I really wish there were better candidates in California for November's elections this year. Somehow democratic Candidates look useless to me. I really can't think of any one of them as really good enough candidate of post they represent. I feel that they are there due to their family background and fact that California is predominantly democratic. Had it been a swing state they would be out long time back.

As far as republican candidates are concerned.. mainly Carly and Meg.. they come from different background and seems to be different then these career politicians. However, their own personal record is not so great and makes you wonder if reason for their coming to politics is really well being of state of California/ns or just their lust or habit of staying in power.

I really wish that there were some really good independent candidates.. I think it is important that they should make some rules even for sitting Senators that they can't be elected for more that two times consecutively. Give them break.. May be give them one full term of all the benefits as sitting Senator.. But give them break from fighting elections continuously. That way there will be good chance of someone new and fresh face to show up.

BBC Science in Action podcast

Very interesting podcast. Lots of encouraging news. Last I heard was talking about new stem cell research to fix nerves in back bone transmitting signals to other body part. Also, bilingualism or multilingual effect on brain, particularly on alzeimer's desease. One theory which is yet to be validated is if some one knows five different languages then may be that person will never have Alzeimer's. Yet to be validated :-)

Another very interesting details about experiment where they are able to shut down parts of brain such as hearing for deaf people and their visual and other sensors goes down or let us say it comes back to normal. Normally, there other sensory organs or skills are better than normal human beings.

They also covered about Google prize of 30 mill usd for first rover on moon which can walk half a kilometer and can take and transmit back hd video and photos back to earth.

What else. Very interesting podcast. Usually with lots of good news on science which will cheer you up.

Cheers!!!

French unions

French union's behaviour is making me more any-unionism. Usually I am for balance of power. However, in this case they are trying to hide their face in sand. Everyone needs to understand that there is no free lunch. They need to understand it as well and act accordingly.