The Earth Hour: When is the next hour?

And the lights went off and the planet was engulfed in darkness! Newspapers around the globe flashed the now monotonous pictures of great cities of the world switching off their mundane lights. Also particularly notable was the uniqueness of all these photographs. All the montages featured showed two pictures side by side. One was that of the area in an otherwise ordinary night and the other showed the very same carbon copy, the only difference being most of the office buildings and great monuments were devoid of lighting. The very next day, the Earth Hour was claimed as a great success as if the objective had been achieved in a single stroke of display of human concern for the environment which by the way has already passed the point of no return.

Now just to paint a grim picture of the very scenario in black and white mode, we take you to the Beijing Olympic Stadium in 2008. The fireworks and laser display enthralled the crowd and drew tremendous applause from them. I would have bowed down to the human race if they had displayed some common sense and had minimized that tremendous wastage of electricity and "what not" energy source on the days of the opening and closing ceremonies. I am sure some million electron volts could have been saved. What about the hugely insane amount of electricity being used to light up those neon signs in Miami and the casinos in Las Vegas? But of course, why would the Americans care? They would claim that all households in their country might have access to more than enough power (of course electric) to run all their electric appliances. Of course you should also take into concern that each household over there would contain electrical appliances found in sum total of minimum of 3-5 Indian households. So what they are using in those above mentioned tourist havens are just surplus power (not my theory). I certainly hope so and certainly envy them if that is the case.

But this is only the beginning of the problem. The Earth Hour, which was recently publicized to a frenzied extent, was observed by many nations. Whether that power saved was for the global human population or for their individual national public is a question which has confused me. Because here in India, I can tell you that negligible households would have turned off their power. Of course by "households” I mean low income and middle income households which constitute almost 90% of the total households in this country. I am talking about our own families and our neighbourhood Uncles and Aunties. How many of them would have switched off their lights? None. The reasons are manifold. As a payee of Electricity Bills, they will seldom waste Electricity in their homes so they don't need to perform short cut penances and indecent austerities (like the Earth Hour). Secondly leave the rural areas, even Tier 2 cities and Metros experience solid power cuts as a form of retribution from the Government. If you persuade these people to shut off their lights, the situation will be akin to a bull in a china shop. I am not taking that bullshit propaganda fed to us (in the form of ads and posters) by the media saying that WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) has started this initiative. If WWF wants to save this planet ask them to go to Brazil and stop those timber mafia and avoid denuding the Amazon rainforests which provide almost 15-20% of our planet's oxygen. Here we are in the peril of not getting enough pure oxygen to breathe into our already soot filled lungs and now these organizations are behind our butts to virtually force us to switch off the lights. They will be more than happy to show the figures they have achieved in persuading people to give up lights. That will make a crowning achievement indeed (sigh). Sorry I don't have innumerable PCs, Vacuum Cleaners, Dish Washers, Plasma TVs, Frost Free Refrigerators and so on. So I am not wasting any power on unnecessary indulgences of the body and mind.

So how many years before nobody will be there to celebrate this "auspicious" hour? Nobody knows this gem. Development and concern for nature can't go hand in hand. And no I can't see neither deteriorate. The temperatures will continue to rise and the polar ice caps will continue to melt leading to rise in sea levels worldwide. So humans of coastal areas beware. And yes humans will be the only species remaining after all the rest will be decimated. Last I heard there are only 1500 tigers in India from 8000 or so during Project Tiger initiation. Replicate this for each and every visible species and you get the answer. Ice or sand will conquer since desertification will occur. So no amount of making documentaries or talking green will save this planet. And no don’t get afraid I am no member of any Doomsday sect. It is still some hundred years away (I hope) before this happens. You know the Earth is a tough nut to crack and that sucker will not go down to us humans without a fight. Take my word on this.

Snapshots of Windows 7

As mentioned earlier, I have attached some screenshots of the Windows 7 Operating System. However it is still in Beta and a lot of the intended features might not be included in the final version. So enjoy these pictures with a grain of salt.

The Farce that is Indian Democracy

Well it was a pretty ordinary day as usual and I was travelling by the city bus. Some of the passengers were idling their time away by discussing what they want their kids to become when they grow up. A majority of them raised their voices in favor of professional careers like medicine, engineering and the like. Some of them went far as to suggest careers in Nanotechnology, Biotechnology and God knows what. I am sure a lot among them wouldn't be able to even spell those. Of course there will also be a group who will see themselves as belonging to the elite intelligentsia of the society. They want their sons and daughters to get the plumpest corporate jobs, preferably in the continents of North America, Europe or Australasia. The very same group will also vouch to possess a comprehensive knowledge of all arts and sciences and will supposedly suggest "bright" careers to others. It seems we Indians are never short of this perennial crowd of "Career Counselors".

As I had nothing else to do, I decided to have a go at them and asked them how many of them want their kids to join politics. "No way am I going to let my kids rot in this hell”, came their prompt and equivocal reply. "Politics is dirty”, said another."Where is the janitor to clean this mess, then?" I mumbled to myself. One reply amused me like no other-"Indian Politics has become a den of Mafias and Goondas". Oh what eloquence in that statement! By the way, that janitor statement reminded me of another incident where former Indian cricketer Manoj Prabhakar was giving an interview to a high profile news channel during the infamous Match Fixing controversy in 2000. Mr. Prabhakar said and I clearly remember it thus: "The entire game of cricket has become a huge pile of ****. I am only trying to clean it up and while doing it I have soiled myself as well." It was another matter that guy was banished and nobody has heard anything of him since.

In this most populous democracy, politics has been a multifaceted topic ever since Freedom from the yokels of the British Empire was obtained in 1947. M.K. Gandhi's lieutenant J.L Nehru ruled this country for the first 17 years until he passed away. Just a couple of years later, his daughter Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister and except the Janata wave from 1977-1980, she was the authoritative voice in Indian Politics for almost 14 years. The father-daughter combination not only saw off the turbulent wars with neighboring Pakistan but also marked new developments where India established itself as a noteworthy regional power in South Asia with advances in Agriculture (Green Revolution) and Industry. However once Mrs. Gandhi was assassinated by her own bodyguards during those volatile early 80s ,where the Khalistan Movement was countered by "Operation Bluestar" , and her son assumed charge it became clear that the ruling Congress party had contracted a disease which has not been alleviated since. This new infection was Dynastic politics irrespective of talents, skills and abilities. This disease has now assumed epidemic proportions spreading across different political parties all over India. Political parties are always busy anointing new successors and them dressing them in the same colours as their parents (mostly fathers). In a way it ensures that the party remains in their family’s grasp. The head of the family becomes the CEO of the party and it is run like a family business akin to Marwaris and Gujaratis(no offence intended). It is this pitiful sight that has nauseated normal hardworking citizens when they think about this field. In fact the situation was so bad that the former President of India Giani Zail Singh offered to sweep the floor of Parliament to appease Indira Gandhi. Please note that Mr. Singh was also a member of the Congress.

Also what is with this new trend where there are more parties in a state than there are castes? In states like Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, this rapid spawning of political parties happen more frequently than the hatching of tadpoles and they all claim to cater to the needs of specific castes. This caste system is a disgrace to this country and can actually be equated to Racism in the 50s’ and 60s’ United States and Apartheid in South Africa till early 1990s. The ancient texts mentioned castes as a function of profession and not of heredity. Even then it should be banished as it breeds disunity and feeling of hatred exploited by others for propaganda purposes. Outlawing of this dreaded system can go a long way in reducing the number of parties and in bringing sanity to the hallowed portals of the Parliament House.

Education and literacy should go hand in hand. A lot of the older folk might claim that higher education isn’t worth the time and pain required to accomplish it but it is only imperative from the successes of Western democracies that both are complimentary to each other. It should therefore be made mandatory that candidates seeking a vote from the general public should at least have completed their graduation. But then this is the land of seemingly mind boggling antics and as it goes, mass faking of certificates might happen. The Election Commission comes here and it should be given more enforcement powers to make sure the Elections are held in a free and fair atmosphere.

The sense of responsibility is missing especially among the urban citizens. A majority of them carries a “Who cares?” kind of mentality. Most of them don’t care to go for voting during the elections. The urban youth has the responsibility to choose a stable government at the Central or state level. Only a stable government can ensure a strong, prosperous and secure nation. The other hindrance is the large number of urban workforce being deployed out of their domicile states. The system is such that you have to be in your own home state to be able to cast your vote. A slight modification in the system is necessary to facilitate a larger turn out in the elections which seems to be dominated by the rural electorate. Although there is something called the anti defection law, steps should be taken to ensure that political parties don’t change their coalition after getting elected. Pretending that they stand for a particular set of ideals and then changing allies without rhyme or reason to get closer to the majority mark is just a rude slap in the face of the innocent and gullible voters who had voted for them.

Finally the youth should come forward. Taking an important part in the administration of the second most populous nation and to maintain a stable functioning of its affairs remains one of the biggest challenges. If the educated youth dominates the proceedings from now onwards, dynastic politics will be wiped out in no time. The sense to serve the people of a country and to aid in its overall development should be in there in every individual. If this happens, former President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam’s vision of a developed India by 2020 will be quite easily realized.

The next Windows from Microsoft

It is now more than 2 years since Microsoft released Windows Vista in January,2007 to much fanfare as the successor of the 2001 released XP. Although it was quite robust in security, network connectivity and stability,Vista was dog slow as compared to its predecessor and consumed a huge amount of resources. The Average Joe was at a loss. Come February 2008 and the Service Pack 1 for Vista was released. It improved the file transfer speeds to a significant extent and also plugged any security holes which remained.

In the meantime the Redmond based company announced that they were planning to release Windows 7-an incremental upgrade from Vista,by late 2009-early 2010. I am going to shortly mention the features which have been incorporated in the next version of Windows.

Latest Windows 7 build: 6.1.7000, 7th January,2009

New Features:

• Internet Explorer 8
• Windows Media Player 12
• Better support for multi core CPUs
• Improved boot performance
• New version of Windows Media Center
• Security Center renamed to Action Center
• Redesigned Calculator with better features and functions
• New items have been added to the Control Panel, including ClearType Text Tuner, Display Color Calibration Wizard, Gadgets, Recovery, Troubleshooting, Workspaces Center, Location and Other Sensors, Credential Manager, Biometric Devices, System Icons, and Display.
• Quick Launch toolbar has been replaced with pinning applications to the taskbar.

Features Removed:

• Classic Start menu user interface
• Windows Media Player Mini-player
• Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, Windows Mail and Windows Calendar
• Windows Meeting Space
• InkBall, a game
• The numeric keypad from On-Screen Keyboard
• Microsoft Agent 2.0 Technology
• Windows Sidebar (replaced with Desktop Gadget Gallery)
• Windows Ultimate Extras in the Ultimate edition

Editions:

• Starter
• Home Basic
• Home Premium(Available through Retail & OEM)
• Professional (Available through Retail & OEM)
• Enterprise
• Ultimate

I will be covering the snapshots of Windows 7 in the next post.

"Jai Ho", UPA Achievements and Pinki

Really heartening to see an India themed motion picture getting 8 Oscars.Yes, I am talking about British director Danny Boyle's much acclaimed "Slumdog Millionaire" which swept the Academy Awards on 23rd February,2009. India's very own A.R Rahman won 2,one of them shared with Gulzar and Resul Pookutty won a shared one for sound mixing. The last time another India themed movie won heavily was Richard Attenborough's "Gandhi" which won 8 in 1982 which fetched an Oscar for Bhanu Athaiya in costume design. I watched the movie a month back and I think the director has made a fair amount of research in making the movie. Although India's own Bollywood bigwigs haven't taken the movie so seriously(atleast before the Oscars), I think rather than nitpicking on the errors and a false image found in the movie we should instead harp on the positives and the bitter truths embedded within. The wheel will move forward only when an effort or some kind of force is being exerted from behind which is sadly lacking in us Indians.

Images of Mumbai policemen idling in their vans while a Muslim person was set on fire by a Hindu mob, Teacher clobbering the pupil with a book on his head which I feel is the worst form of physical violence, Children kidnapped and then blinded for better earning as beggars are just some of the countless scenes which provoked me to think about the inflated economy and the overhyped glamour and progress of the nation being continuously pummelled through our heads in a grotesque way by the indomitable mass media. At the same time, the story of the boy Jamal and how he rose to be a Crorepati from the slums and the final quote mentioning that it was written in his destiny also points to the fact that every individual irrespective of his/her social background, education and culture has the ability to come up trumps in their objectives.

Hardly had the Oscars been given away, our very own UPA govt. spokeperson trumpeted that their "good governance"(I wonder what that means) has brought Oscars for the country. I think Rahman,Gulzar and Pookutty should together sue this person as he is babbling nonsense. What has happened here since 2004 is known to all. Why turn a blind eye and display your abyssmal failures as some sort of sugar coated candy is beyond my understanding. Oh by the way O protectors and rulers of our country! Are you even remotely aware that some 250 innocent civilians were butchered between 26-28 November,2008 in Mumbai? The dead are long gone and weeds have grown in their graves and yet conspiracy theories still continue to flower up. That this kind of senseless pogrom can't be the handiwork of 10-12 millitants can be realized by even people having brains the size of pea nuts.

Anyway, lets leave these awkward questions and move on to something more encouraging. On the same day when Slumdog won. another short documentary"Smile Pinki" by Megan Mylan showcasing the travails of a U.P. girl born with cleft lip won the award in its category. The issue is really one of concern as there are countless people born with this birth defect and it can be easily corrected by a simple lip reconstruction surgery. However, the social stigma which the cleft lip defect brings upon the person can't be described in mere words. I really appreciate the documentary and look forward to watching it.

Nothing more to pen right now. May you all have great weekends.