Interesting reading on ancient Indian aircraft industry

Ancient Indian aircraft technology from the historic scripts and books which most indians are not even taught about.

So I was at Sun today

...To inquire about my past employment verification. I did not have any contact number handy so thought lets go to the office and see if I can meet with an HR rep or my old manager. One of my old friends tried to find if my manager was there but I guess I went at the wrong hour and he was out. He could not let me in as I needed a contact to talk to and I did not have one. So I went to the frontdesk and there was no one there. Found a lady and she told me about a kiosk which was all I needed. As I had no prior meeting setup, it could not find me. I asked her for the assistance and the response was rather rude. I know she works at the badge office and used to sometime sit at the frontdesk. It used to be so simple before. Just give the name of a person to meet, the person used to come upfront, you get the temp badge and thats all you needed. 15 mins wasted with no progress. I felt as if it was a rude reminder that I do not work in Sun anymore and as if I was no more welcome there either. Then I went to the main building and found a person at the front desk. I asked her why I was there and to my amazement she could remember my face. It has been more than 6 months now but she could remember me specially someone who I did not have day to day interaction with. She not only found me the 1-800 number to call with the correct company code but also gave me her number in case it does not work. Suddenly in a span of 3 mins I felt so welcome in my old company. I guess the people matter. In case a Sun employee is reading this blog, I want to send some very positive feedback for this person Nancy - a frontdesk employee (admin?) (Broomfield, CO). Right people at the right places is all what Sun needs today.

Politics of reservation is back

I love my country. This is a land of biggest fake democracy and world's worst politicians. Yes I am talking about India. And today I am pissed off because after a silence of a decade the governing parties have reintroduced the politics of caste and reservation. In the name of social justice some leaders have sown the seeds of discontent and injustice. In some states the total seat reservation for the jobs and admissions in the professional institutes are close to 70%. The pressure on the general candidates were eased after the involvement of the private institutes to open up professional colleges. The success of IT also contributed in a big way. When we felt the menace is over the political establishment has now proposed quotas in the privately held organizations. Is this a social justice?

1. Reservations given to some not only in the college admissions but in the jobs and then in promotions for the rest of their life - Is this a social justice?

2. General student candidates not getting selected in colleges for just few marks and some getting the seats for just appearing in the exams - Is this a social justice?

3. Empty reserved seats not filled in but not given to a general candidate - Is this a social justice?

4. The purpose of reserved quotas is the economic upliftment of the families. But then the father gets it and so does his rest of the generation. Families getting richer and richer and even then there is no denial of the quota to their creamy layer - Is this a social justice?

5. If a family is economically sound and his children have all the amenities as far their education and other comforts are concerned, then why should they be given reserved seats? Is this a social justice?

Where is the solution?

1. Allow maximum of two opportunities in a life time to exercise the quota.
2. With every request a certificate of economic condition should be required.
3. Women should be given the preference over men. An educated mother is more powerful than a educated father.
4. The well off families should voluntarily relinquish the right to reserved seats.
5. A survey of economic and political upliftment should be done every 10 years. The list of communities should be fluid. Removal and new additions should be part of the process.
6. There should be no reservations in the armed forces, high tech jobs, legal system, the life saving jobs (not the education) and in the privately held organizations.
7. There should be more investments in opening up schools at the basic levels so that the education system is strengthened.

Bye bye Scott

So atlast the rumors were true. Scott McNealy is stepping down and Jonathan will be the new CEO of Sun Microsystems. As he is staying as the chairman of the board and the president of the company, it is yet to see how significant this move would be. But the stocks were up and quickly closing in to $6. Lets see where does Jonathan sail this ship to. The questions if this move is too late, or what if he had done it earlier to keep Ed Zander in will remain unanswered. But he will be missed though.

Hello gorgeous!

Now if an Airlines treats you like this, who won't look at it one more time?

Not a glutton but do not diet

For me a good food is a channel to enjoy the company of my friends.

A poacher is a poacher

It seems people are rallying for and against Salman - a loved-bollywood actor in a poaching case of a black buck. Black buck is an endangered species and is protected by the Indian law. Salman has been sentenced a 5yr jail term by an Indian court in the state of Rajasthan. From many interesting comments a few which I encountered most are: "In India organized poaching happens everyday and nobody does anything but he is being sentenced for one black buck because he is a celebrity." Or, "He should be penalized with money" Or, "He should be asked to give lakhs of Rupees and should not be sent to jail" and so on. The fact of the matter is that any poacher if "caught" is sent to jail according to the Indian penal system. In certain kind of cases, the court never gives any monetary penalties to anyone accused. Only a bail is granted against a sum of money but not the final ruling. Also, giving monetary sentences opens up a channel of discrimination. I expect people atleast those educated ones to first understand the Indian penal system a little better before making such discriminatory comments.

Want to see India?

Choose your side of view!

My five childhood who will win questions

As kids we all ask questions, a lot of them. Here are my five childhood who will win curiosities:
1. Who will win? A tiger or a lion?
2. A cobra or a python?
3. An Eagle or a falcon?
4. A whale or a shark?
5. A fat cow or a water buffalo?

Top five (computer) technology companies

No I did not create the list based on where they stand now or what their market cap is. The list is based on what their historic contributions have been. Feel free to challange the list:

Xerox PARC - The hidden revolutionary

IBM - If you want to win, they need to be behind it

Cisco - The internet transformer

Apple - Getting younger by the day

Sun Microsystems - A Swashbuckler but you need them

Don't be surprised not to see Microsoft or Netscape or Google in there.

You've got mail

One of the success stories in the human civilization is the postal network. In some form or the other, it has existed for thousands of years. Reason? It addresses one of the core necessities i.e, communication. The success of the modern postal system also attributes to its simplicity, pay as you use, relatively free basic service and a decent reliability - Four features which most of the other services lack. These four features of any application or service are the grand rules of success. So the next time you get mails, think if your service need any refactoring?

Happy Mars welcoming us

Why Lenny was ineffective..

Yes I am talking about Donald Trump's apprentice. From the day one I thought Lenny had something which takes to be the champion. Towards the end he ended up being an ineffective leader. Being cool or looking cool about things can take you to some extent but not all the way. Even though I hated him go but agree with Mr. Trump's decision of firing him for the following reasons:
1. He was not a team player. He quite often mentioned fire everybody in his team.
2. He tried to divide the team to make his position safe.
3. No question that he does the job if assigned but sucked as a project manager.
4. He is the man who does not know how to accept his faults.
5. He was given hints and chances to step up, but he did not.

The gang in Boeing

The guidance:	The Rest:

Thats a big news indeed

It is indeed a big news Red hat buying jBoss. For a very long time Oracle was rumored to buy jBoss. I always thought Redhat could be up for acquisition too. But its' purchase of jBoss makes it even more interesting.

My most watched movies

Here is a list of the movies I have watched atleast ten or more times. They deserve a mention in my list as I can get another round anyday.
God Father Everything good about this movie.
The Training Day Danzel is a gem, The wise guys were not.
Sehar The real set up.
Pretty Woman Richard Gere couldn't have been this lonely.
Satya Satya himself was bad but the rest wow!
Ab tak chhappan The villain looked like a joker.
Back to the future Could not imagine this movie without Michael J Fox.
Bruce Lee's Game of death Only if they could have dubbed this movie and made it a foreign film.
Enter the dragon Only Bruce Lee could have done it.
And how could I forget? Office Space.

Does Sun talk a similar language?

On airport I met an ex-Sun employee who was laid-off recently. Our conversation changed as if we were talking to a long last friend. Our body language unknowingly changed too as we continued to use the same typical slangs. And then we shared goodbyes as if we were at some point in love with the same girl and hurt. An awesome ex-Sun bonding!

My pet peeves

Time and again I bring in some strong reactions which after a while I feel I should not have put. Mostly my reactions turn out to be irrational, opinionaned and emotional. I still believe we are what we are and that makes all of us unique. Following are my pet peeves which triggers my emotions in a rather strong way:

Sun Microsystems

Immigration

Indian cricket and,

A few folks

I am trying to avoid writing and speaking about these vexations or atleast be cautious about it.