Friday, October 29, 2004

Lessons from India

With just a couple of days to go for the election the controversy still hangs on e-voting. Indian electronic voting in May was quite a success. Compared to the $200 machine US employs a $ 3000 machine (they can afford!) . Yet with the loopholes they are happy to settle for it.



But the negative description of India in the artilce by a veteran like Eric Weiner plays a spoilsport to the success story.

Thursday, October 28, 2004

Taco Bell & Cricket

Posted by Hello


Finally the curse is all over and Red Sox has won the series. Yet another team which stood out is 'Taco Bell' with its offer. Had this target been hit on the home run the Americans would have enjoyed a Taco. But Taco Bell did create the marketing buzz. This makes me think of similar offers in India. In cricket if a banner in boundary is hit its the cricketer who will add few more thosands to his account. Sure an offer free like this for India might not be possible but the country is replete with orphanages and charity home....

Sponsors Think Outside the Cricketers.

Monday, October 25, 2004

An Indian dream

While the sky-rocketing gas price is a hot presidential issue, every car-owner is on a look-out for fuel efficient car. This man, Somender Singh from Mysore, India is sitting on this idea but with no takers.

Singh with no letters behind his name has developed a concept than decreases the use of fuel by almost 10 to 42 percent. While Ford and GM are spending billions to aim at an efficiency of 4 percent, this almost 5times increase is finding no support. All they need is numerical data as proof of concept. Hailing from a place with annual income of less than $250, Singh does not have the RS 25, 0000 required for what is called the dyno test. All he could do was test it on his own Tata Indica along with 50 other cars. He neither has the money nor access to these facilities. Ever since he got it patented (6237579) from US in 2001, the letters to Clinton, Abdul Kalam and Bush or the GM, Ford and Tata bore no fruits. A polite rejection letter is all he has.

Singh has lost all hopes…..


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Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Hinduism and Olympics

A new theory for Indian failure in Olympics - Brahmins and Vegetarians !

Sports had been one area beyond the boundary of castesim and religion and this mix-up is superfluous .I think we are way ahead of the stone-age and blaming the age-old system is highly irrelevant. World around people are moving towards organic food and studies have shown the average score of the vegetarians was over double the average score of meat-eaters. The Olympic Gold Medalist,Edwin Moses who went eight years without losing a race is a vegetarian.

I donot think the Athens contingent was composed of just Brahmins and vegetarians to come empty-handed. How did such an illogical column pass the litmus test of an editor? The author has unnecessarily brought up an issue in vain.


Sunday, October 03, 2004

USB Magic !

For most of us Univaersal Serial Bus or USB, are ports for linking computers or printers. Here is a world of use the Japanese are putting USB to :

1. A air purifier connected to USB rids the air around of germs,smoke and other harmful particles.
2. Get ready to take your laptop to bathroom - a USB-powered toothbrush is just $ 10.50.
3. A USB Hand clean mouse uses light to sterlise your hand.
4. Much more a USB powered hot cup brews a cup of tea while at work! A noodle stainer is available only in Japan....
5. While a personal massager sooths your muscle another attachement measures your body fat and weight with the use of gravity for $20
6. iDuck- this 16MB removable flash drive has a cute ducky at one end. Choose your favorite color from six available.

Wow ! When is my little lap-top going to cook a full-course of sambar and rasam(the traditional South-Indian dish) for me?