As the attacks on Mumbai are being resolved and the actual scale of the damage is being realized, the main question in most people's minds is why was this allowed to happen and what can be done to prevent something similar from happening again. Whenever bad things happen, mistakes are made, it is imperative that they are noted, that we try to recover from them. At the same time, it is necessary to remember these mistakes and ensure that they are never again repeated.
The identification of these mistakes and ensuring this is the task to the authorities. There have been several issues identified. Images of Mr Hemanth Karkare putting on his helmet and bullet proof vest have been splashed all across the news channel. How then was it possible for him to die due to bullet wounds on his chest. Is the bullet proof vest not meant to protect him from that? Are they of such low quality that they cannot perform the one task they are meant to achieve? The other issue raised is the well publicized one of the plane for the NSG commandos due to which they were delayed. This raises a few questions, one -- why a big cities like Mumbai do not have something similar to NSG commandos? two -- Why could commandos or maybe the army that may have been stationed at a nearby army base not called into action when the delay was communicated? three -- the well documented problem of waiting for the flight and its reasons.
There are several other mistakes that have been made and are being identified. However, an issue that has so far not been raised is one of trying to get to the root of the issue. To prevent these terrorists from being persuaded into being terrorists. These terrorists are believed to be islamists propogating terror in the name of a religion. Isn't it then a huge blot on the religion. Muslims, due to the doing of these people already suffering all over the world.
As a commenter on an article posted, isn't this more of a disgrace to Islam than the danish cartoons. Shouldn't the muslims of the world unite and protest against this -- much more than they protested the danish cartoons? Shouldn't the major leaders of the religion come out with condemnations of the event. I may have missed them, but these haven't been very visible. Is this relative silence from them an implicit condoning of the events?
I believe that if a large majority of the leaders come out against this event and distance themselves there maybe a realization in the minds of the impressionable youth who are recruited. In addition to the leaders, if a large number of muslims distance themselves and reject this violent form of Islamism, it is possible that the perpetrators may realize the folly. I really hope this happens.
The terrorists may still not be convinced, but maybe there is a chance. I do hope that the distancing these people from Islam happens, that the religious leaders condemn the attacks. India and the world deserves peace and get back to solving 'normal' problems like the economy.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
VMWare Fusion - II
It works!!
Ironically, the Parallels image that worked in VMWare did not work when I updated Parallels. After the conversion to VMWare, the windows on that image had to be re-activated though. It is a big pain that involved calling up an automaton lady and typing all the digits of PI, first on the phone and then on the computer.
Anyway, after all that, windows is now working over Fusion on my Macbook Pro. I am running the beta 2 of Fusion 2. So hopefully this will run for a while before I am tempted into buying it.
Ironically, the Parallels image that worked in VMWare did not work when I updated Parallels. After the conversion to VMWare, the windows on that image had to be re-activated though. It is a big pain that involved calling up an automaton lady and typing all the digits of PI, first on the phone and then on the computer.
Anyway, after all that, windows is now working over Fusion on my Macbook Pro. I am running the beta 2 of Fusion 2. So hopefully this will run for a while before I am tempted into buying it.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
VMWare Fusion.
VMWare Fusion is another way to run windows on OS X. I am installing it right now and it has a (hopefully) nifty tool that allows me to import my previous Parallels windows install. If things work out, there will be money spent..
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Impressions on "The Dark Knight"
If ever there was a hyped movie, this was it. Almost every reviewer had given the movie a thumbs up. On Rotten Tomatoes, the Tomatometer is almost at the maximum -- 95%. I am sure there are better reviewed movies on the site, but I haven't noticed those (or searched for them yet). I read quite a few of these reviews that raved about the movie in general and about Heath Ledger's performance.
As expected, I went to the theater with great expectations. It was the first time that there was a line to enter the theater hall in Swansea -- the hype machine in full swing.
After the viewing, I am still undecided if I like it or not. If I hold it against my normal barometer for films -- whether I want to stop watching it immediately, stay on just to see how it ends, or if I wanted the movie to continue for longer -- it would definitely be in the last category. That probably means that I liked the movie and had I gone into the movie without such high expectations, I would probably have a better impression of it.
As for the movie itself -- it's a very atmospheric movie that, especially for a superhero movie, moves at a slow pace. From the reviews, the expectation was that it would be more the Joker's movie than Batman's. I felt that this was not the case. Batman is in almost every other frame whereas the Joker is in maybe a fifth of the frames. I also felt that had the movie ended about 10 minutes earlier, with the Joker hanging down the building and explaining, it would have been the perfect ending. Instead of tying a few things up and leaving a few other things unresolved, I think it would have been more intriguing to leave a lot unresolved.
Finally, I decided that it deserved another viewing next weekend -- to enable me to make up my mind if I like it or not.
As expected, I went to the theater with great expectations. It was the first time that there was a line to enter the theater hall in Swansea -- the hype machine in full swing.
After the viewing, I am still undecided if I like it or not. If I hold it against my normal barometer for films -- whether I want to stop watching it immediately, stay on just to see how it ends, or if I wanted the movie to continue for longer -- it would definitely be in the last category. That probably means that I liked the movie and had I gone into the movie without such high expectations, I would probably have a better impression of it.
As for the movie itself -- it's a very atmospheric movie that, especially for a superhero movie, moves at a slow pace. From the reviews, the expectation was that it would be more the Joker's movie than Batman's. I felt that this was not the case. Batman is in almost every other frame whereas the Joker is in maybe a fifth of the frames. I also felt that had the movie ended about 10 minutes earlier, with the Joker hanging down the building and explaining, it would have been the perfect ending. Instead of tying a few things up and leaving a few other things unresolved, I think it would have been more intriguing to leave a lot unresolved.
Finally, I decided that it deserved another viewing next weekend -- to enable me to make up my mind if I like it or not.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Interesting "infinity" fact.
If you hold two mirrors facing each other, would there be an infinite number of reflections?
While reading "The Infinite Book" - by John D. Barrow, I came across this fact that there wouldn't be an infinite reflections. Reason one is that the mirrors are not perfect and that the air between the mirrors diminish the light at each reflection.
However, even if the mirrors are perfect and the mirrors are in vacuum, there wouldn't be infinite reflections as the speed of light is finite. It would take an infinite amount of time for infinite reflections to be realized.
This fact was so simple yet something that most do not think about. I think it's quite fascinating.
While reading "The Infinite Book" - by John D. Barrow, I came across this fact that there wouldn't be an infinite reflections. Reason one is that the mirrors are not perfect and that the air between the mirrors diminish the light at each reflection.
However, even if the mirrors are perfect and the mirrors are in vacuum, there wouldn't be infinite reflections as the speed of light is finite. It would take an infinite amount of time for infinite reflections to be realized.
This fact was so simple yet something that most do not think about. I think it's quite fascinating.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
A Trip to London.
We decided to go on a trip to London to meet a friend there and show around people who hadn't been there.
The trip started with a dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant in Bristol.
Of the four of us, three had Chimichangas.
Desserts were great too.
Next day we started off after a wonderful breakfast.
We finally reached our hotel, in the outskirts of London, at around 4 in the afternoon.
It was time for a very late lunch.
The sun went down and it was time to head off.
..and so we did.
We reached central London - Trafalgar Square.
A reminder - Smoking is injurious to everbody's health.
One of the lions at Trafalgar Square.
The square is a very busy area and is near the Big Ben.
..and did I say very busy?
A short walk away is the Big Ben.
Another short walk brings us to a bridge with great views of the London Eye.
The bridge also has amazing views of the city.
It's dinner time. We decided to have dinner at one of the restaurants by London Eye.
London at night - as seen on the walk back to our car.
Next morning, we used the famous London public transport to get to the city.
A suburb of london, as seen from the train.
I am always impressed by the escalators taking you to and from the underground platform.
A train at the underground platform.
Overground - somewhere around Oxford Street.
Onto to Chinatown - where we had lunch, and some chinese tea.
Followed by ice cream at Hagen Daaz at Leicester Square - Highly recommended.
..but they are quite expensive too.
And thus our London trip was over. We return to Wimbledon, where our car was, using the escalators and the underground trains.
The trip started with a dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant in Bristol.
Of the four of us, three had Chimichangas.
Desserts were great too.
Next day we started off after a wonderful breakfast.
We finally reached our hotel, in the outskirts of London, at around 4 in the afternoon.
It was time for a very late lunch.
The sun went down and it was time to head off.
..and so we did.
We reached central London - Trafalgar Square.
A reminder - Smoking is injurious to everbody's health.
One of the lions at Trafalgar Square.
The square is a very busy area and is near the Big Ben.
..and did I say very busy?
A short walk away is the Big Ben.
Another short walk brings us to a bridge with great views of the London Eye.
The bridge also has amazing views of the city.
It's dinner time. We decided to have dinner at one of the restaurants by London Eye.
London at night - as seen on the walk back to our car.
Next morning, we used the famous London public transport to get to the city.
A suburb of london, as seen from the train.
I am always impressed by the escalators taking you to and from the underground platform.
A train at the underground platform.
Overground - somewhere around Oxford Street.
Onto to Chinatown - where we had lunch, and some chinese tea.
Followed by ice cream at Hagen Daaz at Leicester Square - Highly recommended.
..but they are quite expensive too.
And thus our London trip was over. We return to Wimbledon, where our car was, using the escalators and the underground trains.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Tennis Score: 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 : Clay
A three set match in good, not perfect, conditions for tennis with new tennis balls provided great enjoyment. The clay courts in winter have turned even slower than before due to the retention of a lot of water. This meant a paucity of winners and long extended rallies. So the emphasis was on patience to stay in the rallies enough to have a easy put away or until one makes a mistake. This is not easy for me as I normally get excited in any rally and try for a winner too soon. I had to play a bit out of character to make anything out of the match.
I was able to do this in the first set, but the beginning of the second set probably saw me quite tired and going for more than I would normally. The attitude was difficult to shake off and the second set was lost easily.
In the third set, I was determined to win it and started staying in the rallies more and we reached 4-3. At this point, a few ladies were scheduled to play on this court and started to hurry us up. This probably led my partner to play uncharacteristically and probably to give up the last two games. Though it was unsatisfying, it was a win nevertheless. The match took around two hours and left me quite tired and sore.
I was able to do this in the first set, but the beginning of the second set probably saw me quite tired and going for more than I would normally. The attitude was difficult to shake off and the second set was lost easily.
In the third set, I was determined to win it and started staying in the rallies more and we reached 4-3. At this point, a few ladies were scheduled to play on this court and started to hurry us up. This probably led my partner to play uncharacteristically and probably to give up the last two games. Though it was unsatisfying, it was a win nevertheless. The match took around two hours and left me quite tired and sore.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Tennis Score: 7-5, 2-6, Clay
Clay courts in the autumn / winter absorb and retain huge amounts of water and never seem to dry. Playing on these courts makes the tennis balls wet, soggy and slow.
The first set saw tremendous fight by both of us. I was really tired from the previous few days of play and thought I wouldn't win a set today. But with will and determination, I found myself serving for the set at 6-5. I was determined to win the game and avoid a tiebreak given my poor record in those. A sloppy game from my partner game me the set.
The relief of winning the set led to a very casual attitude on my part in the second set. Suddenly I found myself unable to win a game at 0-4. With some fight it became 1-5. Since it is autumn, we have to play under lights these days. So, we had bought 1.5 hours of light time. A green light lights up when there is about five minutes to go. At 1-5, I kept glancing at this light to see if it had turned on so that we can stop playing. If we are at 1 set all, we normally play a "champions tiebreak" - a tiebreaker to 10. I wanted to avoid playing this at all costs. Hence at 1-5, I just willed myself to win the game. It was an extremely long game with numerous deuces. I was very relieved to win this game. In the middle of the next game, the light lighted up and I went on to lose the game.
I lost the set, but avoided the tiebreaker and hence losing it and the match.
The first set saw tremendous fight by both of us. I was really tired from the previous few days of play and thought I wouldn't win a set today. But with will and determination, I found myself serving for the set at 6-5. I was determined to win the game and avoid a tiebreak given my poor record in those. A sloppy game from my partner game me the set.
The relief of winning the set led to a very casual attitude on my part in the second set. Suddenly I found myself unable to win a game at 0-4. With some fight it became 1-5. Since it is autumn, we have to play under lights these days. So, we had bought 1.5 hours of light time. A green light lights up when there is about five minutes to go. At 1-5, I kept glancing at this light to see if it had turned on so that we can stop playing. If we are at 1 set all, we normally play a "champions tiebreak" - a tiebreaker to 10. I wanted to avoid playing this at all costs. Hence at 1-5, I just willed myself to win the game. It was an extremely long game with numerous deuces. I was very relieved to win this game. In the middle of the next game, the light lighted up and I went on to lose the game.
I lost the set, but avoided the tiebreaker and hence losing it and the match.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Tennis scores.
Today - 6-7 (6-8), 4-4 A-40 - A titanic struggle with neither of us wanting to lose.
Last weeks scores.
3-6, 6-4, 10-6 (tiebreak)
6-3, 4-6, 6-10 (tiebreak)
Last weeks scores.
3-6, 6-4, 10-6 (tiebreak)
6-3, 4-6, 6-10 (tiebreak)
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Tennis score - 3-6, 4-6: Clay
It was really good to play tennis after a long gap of about 2 weeks. The fact that I lost did not mar the delight I felt to play again.
The first set was abnormal in that it was decided by the solitary break of serve against me. Probably due to the new tennis balls, breaking serve was quite difficult. I did not serve particularly well and this reflected in the score and the loss of the set.
Normal service was resumed in the second set when almost every game was a break. I had the first hold to go up 4-3 and should have won the second set. That was not to be. He won the next three games to win the set 4-6.
But, it was good to play tennis again.
The first set was abnormal in that it was decided by the solitary break of serve against me. Probably due to the new tennis balls, breaking serve was quite difficult. I did not serve particularly well and this reflected in the score and the loss of the set.
Normal service was resumed in the second set when almost every game was a break. I had the first hold to go up 4-3 and should have won the second set. That was not to be. He won the next three games to win the set 4-6.
But, it was good to play tennis again.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Photo how to: Palak Paneer.
1) Partial ingredients - Spinach(palak), tomatoes, onion, coriander leaves, garlic, green chillies, ginger.
2) Put palak, tomatoes, green chillies, ginger, garlic and coriander leaves into a blender.
3) Blend into an even paste.
4) Chop onions finely and the paneer into smallish cubes / cuboids.
5) Heat some oil and add mustard seeds and jeera. Leave for a few seconds.
6) Add the chopped onions into the oil.
7) Chop some palak.
8) Add the paneer and some spices (garam masala, coriander powder, etc).
9) Add the chopped Palak and the paste from step 3.
10) Add some salt and mix well.
11) Simmer for a few minutes and the Palak Paneer is ready.
2) Put palak, tomatoes, green chillies, ginger, garlic and coriander leaves into a blender.
3) Blend into an even paste.
4) Chop onions finely and the paneer into smallish cubes / cuboids.
5) Heat some oil and add mustard seeds and jeera. Leave for a few seconds.
6) Add the chopped onions into the oil.
7) Chop some palak.
8) Add the paneer and some spices (garam masala, coriander powder, etc).
9) Add the chopped Palak and the paste from step 3.
10) Add some salt and mix well.
11) Simmer for a few minutes and the Palak Paneer is ready.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Tennis Score: 6-4, 6-3: Clay
After the string break on Sunday, my racket was strung by another member of our club. Though professionally a doctor, he prides himself in being a tennis player and a stringer. Admittedly, he is an excellent tennis player.
Anyways, surprisingly playing with the newly strung racket did not feel much different than the older ones. I do suspect that the tension is a bit too high as the pace on my shots seems to have dropped. It could also be due to the balls which went soggy very quickly due to courts exposed to the rain.
The rain exposed court was two sided. One side was perfect and the other was slippery and movement on this side was dangerous and led to tentativeness. This made winning games on the good side very very important. At the same time, games won on the bad side were worth their weight in gold. Come to think of it, games don't have weight.
In the first set I went up to 4-1 taking advantage of the good side. Then the lead was squandered to be level at 4-4. It was time to play safe and do anything to win the next two games. This was somehow achieved even with the double disadvantage of serving on the bad side.
The second set was close until it was 4-3 to me. I was at the bad side and thought that I need to win at least one game here so that I can win the game on the good side to win the set. I pushed hard to win my service game to go up 5-3. Since it was my partner's serve, I had a slight edge to win the last game, even if it was on the bad side. However, I managed to win the game and the set 6-3 and that was the end of the evening of tennis.
Anyways, surprisingly playing with the newly strung racket did not feel much different than the older ones. I do suspect that the tension is a bit too high as the pace on my shots seems to have dropped. It could also be due to the balls which went soggy very quickly due to courts exposed to the rain.
The rain exposed court was two sided. One side was perfect and the other was slippery and movement on this side was dangerous and led to tentativeness. This made winning games on the good side very very important. At the same time, games won on the bad side were worth their weight in gold. Come to think of it, games don't have weight.
In the first set I went up to 4-1 taking advantage of the good side. Then the lead was squandered to be level at 4-4. It was time to play safe and do anything to win the next two games. This was somehow achieved even with the double disadvantage of serving on the bad side.
The second set was close until it was 4-3 to me. I was at the bad side and thought that I need to win at least one game here so that I can win the game on the good side to win the set. I pushed hard to win my service game to go up 5-3. Since it was my partner's serve, I had a slight edge to win the last game, even if it was on the bad side. However, I managed to win the game and the set 6-3 and that was the end of the evening of tennis.
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