March 21st, 2010 by shashi

It’s with great amusement that I am watching the ongoing battle between Google and China. What started as an almost diplomatic allegation over “hackers” gaining entry to Google’s developers’ desktops in its Chinese offices, is now threatening to blow over to a full scale war.

But however, is it only me who is seeing Google and China as unlikely opponents? Here are some similarities I found between them:

• Google operates as a monopoly, so does the Chinese government.
• The Communist party has a two tier membership – one for the influential and one for the masses. So does Google – Class A & B shares divide the influential and the peasants.
• Chinese practice an open “people’s government” in which it chooses what should be open and what not. Google too practices an “open internet” policy, in which it chooses what is open and what not.
• A world economy without the Chinese manufacturing backend cannot be imagined in any way. Similarly, a world economy without Google’s information peddling backend cannot be imagined.
• China aims to achieve global superiority by being totally self-reliant and also by buying up other countries. Google also is trying to be self-reliant in its own sphere of economy by entering into diverse areas  such as Electricity, Broadband, Wireless, TV/Radio and even Real Estate.

These similarities do not end here. But does continue in other areas. Nevertheless, we will never know the actual reasons behind the current face-off between Google and China.

But, IMHO Google must strike a deal with China and stay back just in order to live to fight another day.

May 29th, 2009 by shashi

The web is agog with the news of engineers at Google announcing their newest and next generation communication tool – Wave. The service looks awesome and sure is a next generation material. And obviously scores of copy cats will try to mimic or even exceed the Wave in its appeal.

But where Google rules is that they’re open sourcing the entire platform (supposedly). Better still, the whole technology is purely built on top of standards and using technologies already available in the open source world.Wave is built on top of XMPP.

We at informedia technologies have been heavy users of XMPP and eJabberd from quite some time now. We’re also coming up with innovative solutions based on XMPP and integrating XMPP with various e-governance apps which takes the entire platform/environment to a whole new high level.

This development not only validates our technology choices, but also serves as the bell weather for things to come. I just hope, people in charge of the decision making processes understand these developments and encourage more open and standards based technologies.

May 20th, 2009 by shashi

ಸಂಪದದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೊದಲು

ಕಳೆದ ಭಾನುವಾರ, ಕೆಲ್ಸ, ಜೀವನದ ಮಧ್ಯ ತಲೆ ಕೆಡ್ಸಕೊಂಡು ಇದ್ದಾಗ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತರೊಬ್ರು ಫೋನಾಯಿಸಿ ರಂಗಾಯಣಕ್ಕೆ ನಾನು ಹೋಗೇ ಇಲ್ಲ, ಸಂಜೆ ಹೋಗೋಣ ಅಂತಿದ್ದೀನಿ ಅಂದ್ರು. ಸರಿ, ನಾನು ಬರ್ತೀನಿ ಅಂದೆ. ಸಂಜೆ ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ ಮತ್ತೊಬ್ಬ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ ಬಂದು ನಾನು ಬರ್ತೀನಿ, ಆದ್ರೆ ಈಗ್ಲೇ ಹೋಗ್ಬೇಕು ಕುಕ್ಕರಹಳಳಿ ಕೆರೆ ಸುತ್ತ ಒಂದು ವಾಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ ಹಾಗಿಂದಾನೇ ಬರ್ತೀನಿ ಅಂದ್ರು.

ಸರಿ, ನಾನೂ ವಾಕೋಣವೆಂದು ಹೊರಟೆ. ಒಂದರ್ಧ ಘಂಟೆಯಲ್ಲೆ ಇಬ್ಬರು ಕೆರೆ ಪ್ರದಕ್ಷಿಣೆ ಮುಗಿಸಿ, ರಂಗಾಯಣದ “ಭೂಮಿಗೀತ”ಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋದ್ವಿ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಮತ್ತೊಬ್ಬ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ ಟಿಕೆಟ್ಗಳನ್ನು ತೊಗೊಂಡಿದ್ರು.

ಸೋಜಿಗ ಅಂದ್ರೆ ನಮಗ್ಯಾರಿಗೂ ಅಂದು ಯಾವ ನಾಟಕ ಅಂತಾನು ಗೊತ್ತಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಹೊರಗೊಂದ್ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಬ್ಯಾನರ್ ಮೇಲೆ ರಂಗಾಯಣದ ಗ್ರೀಷ್ಮ ರಂಗೋತ್ಸವ ಅಂತ ಬರೆದದ್ದು ಮಾತ್ರ ಕಾಣಿಸ್ತು. ಟಿಕೆಟ್ ಕೊಂಡಾಗ ನಾಟಕದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಒಂದು ಪಾಂಪ್ಲೆಟ್ ಕೊಟ್ರು. ಅದ್ರಲ್ಲಿ ಓದ್ದಾಗ ಗೊತ್ತಾಗಿದ್ದು ಯಾರೋ ಸುಳ್ಯದ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಮಾಡ್ತಿರೋ ನಾಟಕ – ಢಾಣಾ ಡಂಗುರ – ವೈದೇಹಿಯವರು ಬರ್ದಿರೋದು ಅಂತ.

ನಾವು – ನಾಟಕ ಮಕ್ಳು ಮಾಡ್ತಿರೋದು – ಹೇಗಿರತ್ತೋ ಏನೋ ಅಂತ ಅನ್ಕೊಂಡೆ ಒಳಗ್ ಹೋಗಿ ಕೂತ್ವಿ. ಹೀಗೆ ಯೋಚನೆ ಮಾಡಕ್ಕೆ ನಮ್ಮ ನಮ್ಮದೇ ಶಾಲಾ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ನಾಟಕಗಳ ಜ್ಞಾಪಕ ಸರಿ ೬:೩೦ಕ್ಕೆ ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ ಶುರುವಾಗೇ ಹೋಯಿತು ಮಕ್ಳೆಲ್ಲಾ ಕುಣೀತಾ ಬಂದ್ರು, ಅವರ ಹಿಂದೆ ಒಂದ್ ಮಗು ಡಂಗುರ ಇಟ್ಕೊಂಡು ಬಂದು ಶುರುನೇ ಮಾಡ್ಬಿಡ್ತು “ಕೇLrಅಪ್ಪೋ ಕೇಳಿ…” ಅಂತ.

ಅದರ ನಂತರ ಹೇಗೆ ಸಮಯ ಹೋಯ್ತೋ ಗೊತ್ತೇ ಆಗ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ. ನಾವೆಲ್ಲ ನಕ್ಕೂ ನಕ್ಕೂ ಸುಸ್ತಾಗೋ ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ ನಾಟಕ ಮುಗಿದೇ ಹೋಯ್ತು. ನಾಟಕದುದ್ದಕ್ಕೂ  ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಪ್ರದರ್ಶಿಸಿದ ಕೌಶಲ್ಯ, ವರ್ಚಸ್ಸು ಮತ್ತವರ ಕೈಚಳಕ ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ಅಚ್ಚರಿ ಮೂಡಿಸಿತು. ಹಾಗೆನೆ ವೈದೇಹಿಯವರ ಕಥೆ ಬಹಳ ಮೆಚ್ಚುವಂತಹದ್ದು.

ಪ್ರೈಮೆರಿ ಶಾಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಓದುತ್ತಿರುವ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಕೈಯ್ಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇಷ್ಟು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ನಾಟಕ ಮಾಡಿಸಿದ ಜೀವನರಾಂ ಸುಳ್ಯರವರಿಗೆ ನಾವೆಲ್ಲ ಧನ್ಯ. ನಾಟಕದ ಕೊನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪಾತ್ರಮಾಡಿದ್ದ ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಪರಿಚಯ ಮಾಡಿಸಿಕೊಟ್ಟ ಸುಳ್ಯ ಅವರು ಹೇಳಿದ್ದು “ಹವ್ಯಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ನಾಟಕ ಮಾಡಲು, ಕೆಟ್ಟು ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾರೆ ಅನ್ನುವ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಕಳುಹಿಸದ ಪೋಷಕರಿಗೆ ಈ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಅಪವಾದ. ಇವರೆಲ್ಲಾ ಈ ನಾಟಕದ ಜೊತೆಯಲ್ಲೆ ಹತ್ತು ಹಲವಾರು ವಿದ್ಯೆಗಳನ್ನು ಕಲೆತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ, ಶಾಲೆಯಲ್ಲೂ ಕೂಡ ತುಂಬಾ ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತರಾಗಿದ್ದಾರೆ” ಅಂತ.

ನಿಜ. ನಾವು ನೋಡಿದ ಹಾಗೆ ಈ ನಾಟಕ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾ, ಈ ಮಕ್ಕಳೆಲ್ಲ ಎಷ್ಟು ವೈವಿಧ್ಯ ಕಲೆಗಳನ್ನ್ನೂ, ಬದುಕಲು ಬೇಕಿರುವ ಧೈರ್ಯ ಸಾಹಸಗಳನ್ನೂ ಕಲೆತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಅಂತ ತಿಳಿಯುತ್ತೆ. ಈ ನಾಟಕ ಮತ್ತೆಲ್ಲಾದರು ಪ್ರದರ್ಶನಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದರೆ ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು ತಪ್ಪದೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಅವರನ್ನು ಪ್ರೋತ್ಸಾಹಿಸಿ.

ಈ ನಾಟಕದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮತ್ತಷ್ಟು ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿದೆ

May 9th, 2009 by shashi

Gnokii works awesomely with the Nokia 5130c-2 (XpressMusic) model using the USB for communication.

/etc/gnokiirc configuration for getting it to work (took me some time to figure):


[global]
port = /dev/ttyACM0
model = 6510
initlength = default
connection = dku2libusb
use_locking = yes
serial_baudrate = 19200
smsc_timeout = 10
[xgnokii]
allow_breakage = 0
[gnokiid]
bindir = /usr/sbin/
[connect_script]
TELEPHONE = 09876543210
[disconnect_script]
[logging]
debug = off
rlpdebug = off
xdebug = off


A sample run

anacoluthon:~# gnokii --identify
GNOKII Version 0.6.26
IMEI : 012345678901234
Manufacturer : Nokia
Model : RM-495
Product name : RM-495
Revision : V 05.80


Send sms

anacoluthon:~# /usr/games/fortune | gnokii --sendsms +919936748748
GNOKII Version 0.6.26
Send succeeded!


Some gotchas:
Works as root only at the moment. Can’t get or set ringtones . SMS reader doesn’t work with xgnokii. The connecting USB cable is too short

Next on the agenda, testing opensync with gnokii.

April 14th, 2009 by shashi

Not quite a mapreduce implementation , but nevertheless …

while read l; do echo "SELECT id, email FROM tblName WHERE email='$l' ORDER by id DESC LIMIT 1;"|mysql -u root dbName; done < /tmp/dupes3.txt |grep -v 'email'|cut -f1|sed 's/^\(.*\)$/DELETE FROM tblName WHERE id=\1;/g' > /tmp/deletedupes3.sql


March 29th, 2009 by shashi

… and it took all of 5 minutes. wow
Does this get me motivated to write more?

January 9th, 2009 by shashi

Of late, we’ve been getting a huge number of mails from freshers/final year students looking for jobs. Though we are not in a recruiting mode now, we encourage people to send their résumés. But, most of them fail to make even a basic impression with the covering letters they send.

Take a look at one such:

Dear sir/madem,
Im ***********, persuing final year MCA in ********** (VTU affilated)
I will passout in 2009.
I here by request u that give an opportunity to work in ur company.
Plz Inform any openings.
I attached my resume here.
Thank you,

This person has studied throughout in urban schools and is from an urban background and even his academic credentials look good. But it is pretty obvious, he cannot communicate properly.

To be honest, my prior experience tells me that lack of communication/language skills, doesn’t really stop people from being innovative or hardworking. But the initial impression doesn’t allow these persons to get a chance in most cases.

I sincerely believe, switching the communication mode to the language in which they are most comfortable with – ಕನ್ನಡ, for example – might make a difference.

How do we test/do a study? Anybody interested?

January 8th, 2009 by shashi

There is an interesting article in the NY Times on  R. It’s heartening to see that free and open source tools like R are getting noticed for it’s worth. Mainly because free and open source tools do not have any PR firms pitching for them nor do they have any marketing droids peddling stories to the mainstream media.

So, something like this sort gets noticed when there is an undercurrent of adopters and influential users. This story also gives an idea to the naive about the power of open source development and its advantages. Good!

The article also has a proprietory competitor dismissing the *popularity* as saying “it addresses a niche market for high-end data analysts that want free, readily available code”. She also says

“We have customers who build engines for aircraft. I am happy they are not using freeware when I get on a jet.”

Hilarious!! I was literally ROTFL when I read that.

November 21st, 2008 by shashi

Something funny happening on the pension funds scene.

Remember Argentina a decade back ? Almost bankrupt, they liberalised their economy based on the directions of the World Bank/IMF. Pension funds too were privatised and people were given more choice and freedom. Now they’re reversing the decision. They figured that the private guys were too risky to be entrusted with their life’s savings.

Back here, private pension funds are to start operating from April 1, 2009. What a day! Symbollic ??!! Of course not. It’s the first day of the financial year and they can’t help it Of course it’s not without it’s share of controversies.

Meanwhile in Japan, public officials discover to their chagrin the penalties for mismanaging pension records – vigilante style.

Overheard on the pipes,

Q: Why did the Credit Card agencies start their own Pension Funds in the USA ?

A: They figured out that the people might have learnt a lesson from the market meltdown and start investing their remaining credit worthiness in savings plans like pensions.

October 24th, 2008 by shashi

The morning on the other day, was not very cloudy. I didn’t think it would rain either as it was quite cool and there was a soothing breeze even at around 10 in the morning. As usual I drove to our client’s site alone. After an uneventful morning session, when I came out of the building it was raining heavily. I didn’t even have my windcheater. Cursing my luck, I came out and waited for some time until the downpour turned into a drizzle. The dark clouds forebode rain for the entire day. Not wanting to get stuck in a heavier downpour, I started driving the two wheeler back home, hoping the rain gods would ceasefire for the next hour or so before I could reach home. The road is located through scenic and landscaped surroundings, with nothing to come by, except the occasional vehicle or some kids on their shepherding routine.

Somewhere in the middle of this road, I saw a middle aged man walking briskly in the drizzle. Hearing my vehicle, he suddenly turned and waved his hand. I stopped near him and he asked me if I could drop him. I said I could and asked him where he was headed to. He asked me to drop  him somewhere further in the road from where he could take a bus to the city. It started raining heavily by now and as a car passed us by, I was wondering if I did a right thing by offering him help. He could have hitched a ride in the car and saved himself all the drenching

As we neared a bus stand where a bus just overtook us and stopped, my passenger asked me if I too were going straight towards the city. When I replied in the affirmative, he asked me to drop him somewhere near my place from where he can go further. Though puzzled by his request – he could have chosen to board the bus and travel safe and warm – I consented and continued the journey inspite of getting drenched thoroughly.

After about 30 minutes of driving through the varying rain I almost reached my place. Just before I was to take a turn, he asked me to stop at the nearest bus stop. I stopped and he got down. But he kept his bag on the seat and asked me to wait. I was puzzled. He then started searching through his shirt pocket. I asked him as to what happened. He didn’t reply, but took out all contents from his pocket and started shuffling, sieving and vigorously searching through them. All the while, I was standing there trying not to look like a fool.

Finally with a winner’s look on his face, he took out his visiting card out of the mess and handed me the same. And said, “I’m an insurance advisor with this company. We’ve very good tax saving plans. Please do call me to know more. Please tell your friends also”.

I broke into a wicked smile, thinking I should tell him that I was also one of his breed some time back and that the only client I could manage to snare — was myself and sped.

But ruminating about the whole event, I am amazed by the tenacity these people demonstrate. I know  several people who have managed to achieve considerable businesses even under extreme adverse conditions.

I need to learn a lot from them.