It has been a while since my last post (A week?!). I have been shifting my hostel room in the last few days. Now, I am a proud Nehruite! :D
And if you haven't had a look at the ambigram of Nehru that I designed, you can check it out here. That reminds me: I haven't posted an ambigram for a long time!
So here is an ambigram that I made - of Jazzonomics - in Roman script. Yeah! I have been trying to design ambigrams in other scripts - without much success though :(
If you observe - ONO is a natural ambigram. That made my task easier! :D
The rest though was tough - I had to wrestle a lot with the letters.
Nevertheless, I am posting the ambigram - since a considerable amount of effort went into it.
This is what one of my friends at LSR had to say about the mishap at Metro Station
yep rt in front of college!we'v been walkin under that darned thing fer a yr now... the level idioticness in this place never ceases to amaze me!! no one could care a sweet damn! its all about dead lines!
I said to myself - Well, this isn't new. Keeps happening at construction sites. Delhi metro has an excellent track record. One shouldn't be blaming Delhi metro for one odd incident.
She goes on to say
dude this happened during the asian games run up as well!!2 flyover collapses!!:P
Again I think - nothing new. 96 people had died during the construction of the Hoover dam at Las Vegas. 5609 people died during the construction of the Panama canal.
DMRC head Sreedharan had resigned from his post and the Delhi government had rejected his resignation.
Looked like the DMRC had played its cards right and all will be well.
Then comes the second blow.
In what appeared to have been a case of negligence, the news channels flash the video of three cranes toppling over unable to take the weight of a beam at the same time.
I reconcile myself again - happens.
The first suicide at Kgp didn't stop the second suicide. One incident of racial abuse in Australia didn't stop more incidents. One tends to repeat things.
Uncertainty Principle
Moreover, scientifically speaking events cannot be predicted with complete accuracy: there is always a degree of uncertainty. If you may like, you may ascribe the randomness to God.
But science has redefined its goals: the aim being to formulate laws that enables them to predict events only up to the limit set by the uncertainty principle.
[This is how Stephen Hawking describes the aims of science in his highly acclaimed book A Briefer History of Time]
Then I wake up next morning.
A third incident has happened at Mumbai - again concerning the Metro. A steel scaffolding had collapsed.
This sets me to thinking - could this be randomness?
Can we ascribe it to the uncertainty principle?
Certainly not.
Moreover, all the three incidents involved Gammon India. Was it merely chance?
Certainly not.
Is Gammon India culpable?
I won't pass a verdict - because I haven't investigated the incidents. Nevertheless, the sequence of events do raise suspicions.
There is enough reason to believe that the circumstances that led to such an incidents demands that the engineers didn't stick to the right procedures.
Can engineering excellence be sacrificed at the cost of meeting deadlines?
Certainly not.
The Delhi Metro which has an excellent track record needs to keep in mind that what they call %errors in experiments can become a question of life and death for some.
Avoidable? The first mishap may not have been avoidable. The second may not have been avoidable. But three is one too many.
It makes one believe that all three incidents were avoidable.
Everyday, I am faced with the problem of traffic congestion. We all face the problem 365 days of the year.
It cannot be escaped. It has become a part of us. We have started accepting it.
Believe it or not, it takes me 45 minutes to go to Pattom from my home in Trivandrum - a mere 5 km.
Nevertheless, I am an incorrigible optimist who believes that things will change and for the better. So what is the solution to traffic congestion?
Mass Rapid Transport?
Call it the metro, maglevs or the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit Systems) - they have a huge potential notwithstanding the failure of the first BRT corridor in Delhi.
Mega Cities?
Will we stop travelling? Will our needs be fulfilled in a single mega city. A city which houses not just our homes but also our offices. As the cliche goes, no dream too big. Who knows?!
Flying Cars?
When most people think of flying cars, they think of the Jetsons. Nevertheless, flying cars are in the process of getting perfected and it won't be long before we see commercial flying cars.
With the introduction of flying cars, we will be transporting our domain from the two dimensional to the 3 dimensional - a many fold increase in the traffic space. I have my reservations though. Will the flying cars aggravate the already existing air traffic problems? Will there be more collisions in the air than on the earth? These are questions that can answered only after the first commercial flying car is available.
Going back to cycles?
Many have argued that cycles are the best means of transportation. The environment is spared, so also are deadly accidents. Not only that, bicycles occupy a fraction of space occupied by cars and buses. This ways they can navigate even the most crowded streets easily.
I doubt whether bicycles will be adopted for long distance travel. But surely when it comes to intra-city travel, bicycles sure have a future.
Bicycle Transit Systems are being developed in which air will be moved through the system in the same direction in which the bicyclist is riding.
If you wish to find out more about the pioneering ideas in the field of Bicycle Transit Systems that have been coming up, you may visit the official site of the Bicycle Transportation Systems, Inc here
Wimbledon finals are around the corner & the winning party has been coming up with innovative ways to celebrate their victory.
A victory has always been celebrated with firecrackers & sweets. But the new mantra to celebrating a victory is ingenuity. So here are 5 ways to spice up your victory celebration.
Chest Thump
Unfortunately, the Bryan Brothers known lost in the Wimbledon finals to the Nestor/Zimonjic pair this year. Nevertheless, the pair has been known for its signature chest thump.
There you are. This is what I was talking of. This is a subtle variation of the chest thump we do with our fists when we are proud of ourselves. The Bryan Brothers are proud of each other.
Take off your Shirt
This was popularised by SouravGanguly aka Dada/Prince of Kolkata when he took off his shirt after India won in the Natwest Series final in 2002.
Tempo Shout
This must be new to non-Kgpians. Below is the video of the Tempo Shout of Nehru Hall. Nehru may be suitably replaced by one's own organisation.
Dance
Jiggle dance, booty dance - call it what you want to. ShanthakumaranSreesanth is the thrilling face of bold new India. And he has shown all Indians how to celebrate - aggressively. The Huddle
This was a familiar sight during the 2003 edition of the world cup when the Indian Cricket team were runners up. After every wicket, the team would gather in a huddle and (discuss team strategy?) cow down the opposition.
The idea was supposedly touted by the veteran spin bowler of the Indian Cricket team AnilKumble Sandy Gordon, a psychologist who was working with the Indian Cricket team. All the team members had supported the idea unequivocally.
Another innovative way to celebrate your victory.No matter how you big or how small your victory. A victory is always sweet.
So why not celebrate it with pomp and show?
How do you celebrate?
P.S. I have updated the post. The huddle it seems wasn't Anil Kumble's idea but Sandy Gordon's. Nevertheless, huddles have existed for some time. The reader who is more interested about it may read the wikipedia article on huddles.
Posts
If you observe - ONO is a natural ambigram. That made my task easier! :D 
There you are. This is what I was talking of. This is a subtle variation of the chest thump we do with our fists when we are proud of ourselves. The Bryan Brothers are proud of each other.
