FUTURE EARTH

Although mankind has thrived on planet Earth for many centuries, the fact is that we now face a myriad of problems that threaten our future existence. We face an energy crisis, global warming, population explosion, economic recession, water and food shortages and the list goes on and on. Our seemingly defiant approach to evolutionary processes that other living organisms subscribe to has led us to adopt technology as a vehicle of adaptation. While the rest of the living world either die out or gradually adapt to the changing living conditions, human beings use technology to counter the effects of these environmental changes. We use air-conditioners to stay comfortable, processed water and food, refrigeration, automobiles, air purifiers and so on. We've resisted adaptation for so long and we've built ourselves an existence that has turned out to be the proverbial square-peg in a round-hole...unsustainable

, non-scalable and almost beyond repair.

I say 'almost' because we are walking a fine-line between taking corrective measures and surviving as a race, or plunging into oblivion. We simply cannot continue on this course and scientists have been warning us about this for some time now. Who isn't aware of vice president,presidential candidate and the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore's campaign to spread awareness on the causes and effects of global warming? Who hasn't heard of or read Thomas Friedman's book "Hot, Flat and Crowded"? Reality is facing humanity in the face and waving a red flag...the Earth is waving a white flag begging for peace and yet we choose to turn away.

Ideally, what resources we have left should immediately be put to use to create the future world. Once we run out of natural resources like coal, oil and natural gas, we will be left stranded because we NEED these resources to build and transport our electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, solar panels, reverse osmosis cells and sustainable housing. Once they run out, all development will come to a grinding halt and society will become a living hell. Unless we secure our future RIGHT HERE...RIGHT NOW...we will have no future at all. We need to STOP what we are doing and work with what little natural resources we have left to ensure that we have the methods to house, feed and sustain people in the centuries to come. That is OUR responsibility as the current inhabitants of planet Earth.


Mankind's key priorities have been and always will be Food, Water, Shelter and Security. Somehow we've become disconnected from this basic reality and become drawn into a world with game-consoles, automobiles, big-screen TVs, real-estate and other distractions. All these distractions are the "Devil" if you appropriate a term from religion. They keep us happy...temporarily...and eventually kill us off. It is important not to despair and become despondent because that is the appropriate avenue to take when all else has failed and you are seconds away from destruction. At the moment there is still a LOT we can do to sort ourselves out.

Where do we begin...

Why is this India?

We pay Income Tax
We pay Octroi
We pay VAT
We pay Sales Tax
We pay Professional Tax
We pay Wealth Tax
We pay Road Tax
We pay Roadway user-fee Tolls
We pay Service Tax
We pay Property Tax
We pay Education Tax
We pay Entry Tax
We pay Aviation Tax
We pay Airport Development Tax
We pay Short Term Capital Gain Tax
We pay Capital Gain Tax
And these are just some of the taxes I know of...

And yet - we get NOTHING back in return!

Awful Roads - potholes, gridlocked traffic, collapsing flyovers
Pathetic Education System - nobody knows what is going on anymore
Water cuts for 8 hours everyday
Power cuts for 8 hours everyday
The amount of tax we, the working class professionals, pay is financing the rest of the country. People who evade tax live off the money we pump into the system. In India people have the mindset that the rich can afford to finance the poor! I find this shocking because it is such a socialist sentiment in one of the largest democracies in the world! Everywhere you look, this sentiment is deeply ingrained in the system.

The sad part is that they don't understand...or they consciously choose to ignore that WE WORK for our money. I went to school...college...university and graduated with the qualifications that allow me to enjoy this standard of living. I worked for it...every inch of the way and I am not obligated in ANY way to be generous to someone who thinks they have a right to dip into my pockets.

I mean what the heck is that all about? I work hard and earn my money. Maybe I have a big car and I live in a big house. Why do I have to "defend" my spending habits when a beggar on the street tells me that I need to give him money because of all these things?

Why can't I get good roads and why can't I rest assured that my money stays in MY pockets and doesn't get siphoned off by our ruthless taxation system...especially when the government gives you NOTHING back in return. Investing in the Indian government is the BIGGEST crime I continue to commit thanks to TDS. It is my only investment that offers NEGATIVE ROI.

Sigh...Things will never improve. While the rest of the world evolved we stayed behind in the 1940s and when the rest of the world heads into chaos...we will be ready...because we live through that everyday!

One of a kind...

The dreams come and go...
Thoughts ebb and flow...
Finding peace in this existence...
Breaking down walls and resistance...
Open arms...open mind
For the love you will find
Keep smiling...stay divine
For you are...one of a kind!

Turbulence for Dummies...

In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is a fluid regime characterized by chaotic, stochastic property changes. This includes low momentum diffusion, high momentum convection, and rapid variation of pressure and velocity in space and time.
Courtesy: Wikipedia

There is turbulence in everything around us and it is nature's way of showing us just how imperfect she can be. Turbulence affects Grand Prix cars and the sport of F1 racing has turned into a procession of cars from start to finish because the cars cannot run in close proximity to each other because of turbulence. Turbulence causes massive structural strain on long-span bridges. The aviation industry is badly affected by air turbulence and although many of you fly on a regular basis, I doubt any of you have researched turbulence as much as I have. I hope you find this useful.

Without getting into Geo-Physics and Meteorology let us just assume that there are a variety of "Causes" for Turbulence ranging from non-uniform heating of the atmosphere, Storm Clouds and high-speed, high-altitude winds like the Jet-Streams (only at the periphery). There are also several types of turbulence differing by the nature of the forces that act upon the air-frame. These range from mild choppiness to Extreme turbulence. Most of the time the Pilots are in a position to detect the causes of turbulence using the on-board Weather-Radar, communications from nearby aircraft and ground control and by visually scanning the skies around for tell-tale signs such as Cloud formations. What they are trying to avoid are the sudden updrafts and downdrafts that can put tremendous stress on the air-frame and cause mild to severe discomfort to passengers. In some rare cases turbulence has resulted in severe injury and even death to passengers and cabin crew.

Most of these incidents have been caused by a phenomenon known as "Clear Air Turbulence" which is impossible to detect and can be quite severe. Remember to always fasten your seatbelts while you are in your seat and minimize the time you spend loitering around the aircraft. Keep the blood flowing but it is probably a good idea to avoid chatting up the friendly stewardess in the kitchen area.

I am a terrible flier in turbulent conditions. I have a condition that affects me everytime there is a sudden change in altitude, speed and direction. I immediately feel dizzy, disoriented and ticklish all at the same time. It can be quite disconcerting and I feel ashamed that something like this can affect me while most of the people around me carry on as if nothing happened at all.

I have discovered that if I take control of the situation in my mind, the effects are minimized to the point of being manageable. I imagine that I am flying the plane myself and I place my feet flat on the floor of the aircraft, strap myself in tight and get my back away from the seat-back. Imagine riding a motorcycle and adopt the same position in your seat! This has made my life SO much easier in the air and turbulence doesn't bother me anymore. I often look forward to it because it makes life interesting...especially when you are stuck with a boring companion on a long flight and your iPod runs out of juice.

Flying is possibly the safest way of getting around and turbulence is usually safe for you and the aircraft as long as you are strapped in. Pilots will sometimes use the jet-stream to gain speed while saving fuel at the same time - this can significantly shorten the time it takes you to reach your destination. Jet-Streams are typically smooth in the middle and the turbulence is restricted to the edges.

If you are afraid of flying because of the turbulence and if you are the kind of person who takes the train during the monsoons - try my method and see if it helps. I'd like to hear from you and get some comfort in the knowledge that I am not the only one affected in this way.

Cheers and Happy Flying!!

Repercussions of being Mute...or not quite...

I was on a conference-call this morning and some of the people on the call were pretty high-up the corporate food-chain.

Nothing has ever been accomplished in this world since the dawn of the "conference-call" concept. People agree on certain points and after the call it is back to the usual unicast telephone calls to make sure the job is done. The conference-call is a pointless activity...almost as bad as watching re-runs of Friends and mouthing out the lines because you know them so well.

I was in a foul mood and was exercising my fundamental right to cuss and so I depressed the "MUTE" button and started venting all my memorized Hindi gaalis. At that point of time, my brother pointed out that I was depending on an electronic device to perform the mute function...and electronics can be unreliable. I shuddered to think of the consequences of a non-working mute but it was all a little too late.

What if someone wrote a virus that disabled the "Mute" function without you knowing it?

I put my career and future on the line depending on a button on a phone...

Scared now?

-GS

Bored stiff...

You know that feeling you get when you do the same thing for a very long time?

When you have to force yourself to wake up every-day to go to work...thinking all the time "Maaaaan...I need to do something new with my life!" and yet, doing nothing about it?

I've been doing what I do for 3 years - I have never done something I REALLY LOVED for that long!! And yet here I am...a slave of consumerism and a victim of my own lack of drive.

The threshold is breached though and I just cannot be bothered with this thing called "routine" anymore. I need to get my jollies from somewhere else...find my new "fix" and inject some excitement back into my life. I hate being told what to do and under any other circumstances - it is folly to try and tell me what to do because I react...ferociously!

The lion has been eating grass long enough...

Time to hunt me some real meat!

It is the monsoons again!

The rains are back and in style!!

Those ruddy meteorologists always seem to get it wrong don't they? Pre-Monsoon showers my ass...the deluge that followed had to be seen to be believed. Raindrops the size of peanuts pelted my helmet and man and motorcycle were soon reduced to a miserable lump of wetness and coldness. As they say in Tanglish (a potent blend of Tamil and the non-Tamil) - "Aandavan Vechchaan Paaru Aapu!" (roughly translates to 'being screwed with' by the Almighty).

There is no escape and you can either chose to mope about for the 3 months that it takes for the rain gods to decide that enough is enough...or you can learn to enjoy it and make the most of what I believe is the best season of them all!!

The normally grungy urban settings of Mumbai receive a thorough cleaning and the vegetation stands proud and green in freshly washed glory. The layers of dust and grime on the roads are scrubbed away leaving behind virgin tarmac/concrete. Buildings that you mistook to be painted brown suddenly showcase their owner's poor taste as the pink and yellow combo paint jobs shine through once again.

Things get even better if you, like me, leave the city for the hills, valleys, plateaus and plains that abound in Maharashtra. The world looks like a freshly painted canvas...cleaned with shampoo and waxed for that special effect. I love it...I ride out whenever I can to savor the natural beauty of this place I live in.

Food tastes better in the rains because you are REALLY hungry from the wet and cold and there is nothing like a hot "cutting" chai followed up by a spicy Misal-Paav and more chai. Anything hot to cut into the wetness and slipperiness of the monsoons.

Biking in the rain is fun too. Yes it is risky but there are fewer vehicles and people/animals on the road...so the risk of sliding out is offset by the lowered risk of a collision with another vehicle. I'd much rather have an accident all by myself than with some other object...then again - I'd much rather NOT be involved in any accident whatsoever to begin with :)

The real danger is when it has just rained for a few minutes. The grease, oil, grime and general road crap rises to the surface creating a slick mixture that can be lethal to any vehicle. You cannot fall off a car - but with only two narrow wheels, a motorcycle is very hard to control under these conditions. It is better to slowly move off to the slow lane, off the road and wait for 10 minutes for the rains to wash away the crap. When the roads are properly washed clean, you can ride with only a slightly less grip than dry. Still...concentration has to be spot-on because there is always the danger of a slide. Gaps in the roads are filled in with slick material and the new "Mastek" coating is also slick as HECK! I wheelspin my RD350s rear tire in 2nd and 3rd gear...sometimes even in 5th if I hit a patch of Mastek with a less than perfect surface. Scary!!

It is challenging to ride in the monsoons. You have to be prepared to get very VERY wet and cold. With the phone and wallet bundled inside a ziplock bag and some basic tools in the backpack and I am ready to set off once more into the hills.

I love the monsoons - I don't want it to rain here all the time but I will enjoy the season while it lasts.