Future of employment

Hiring is Obsolete - came across this article via Slashdot. It's true that future of employment will be changing in coming years. An article I read in Times of India last month or so, about many people moving towards working in temporary mode, as in work for couple of months and go for relaxations or do something altogether different. They are not bothered/worried about usual benefits(??) of being an employee and long term stability.

Building blocks for machine life

Not all of these works, researchers/technologists would have thought of using in building machines that look, walk, talk, think like humans and also are more fault tolerant, heal faster, can repair themselves quickly.

Simple robot that can make copies of itself from spare parts (May 12, 2005) : These could repair themselves if parts fail, reconfigure themselves to better perform the task they have been set, or even to make extra helpers. Offspring version can make further copies. It is only a toy demonstration of the idea, but lead researcher Hod Lipson, of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, has bold plans for these intelligent modular machines. Combining this with the biology of self-repair and of replication would make huge changes to the field of robotics.

Generating artificial organs (October 28, 2003) : Tejal Desai, the 31-year-old associate professor in biomedical engineering at Boston University, was recently honoured by Popular Science magazine as one of the 10 most brilliant scientists in America for 2003. After four years of working to make cells grow on chemically modified surfaces, she developed a microscopic device, that, when implanted in diabetic rats, delivered ongoing, regular doses of insulin. It’s a hollow bit of silicon, few millimetres in size, perforated with 10-15 nanometre pores, filled with living pancreatic cells producing insulin. The holes are large enough for the insulin to diffuse out, but small enough that the pancreas cells stay inside and the rat’s immune agents don’t enter and attack the cells. The silicon means that the body cannot reject the tiny pump. As long as the body produces glucose, the cells respond with insulin. Once you have an implant that contains cells, theoretically, it can last indefinitely, acting like a bioreactor and functioning like artificial pancreas. The most important thing is to keep the cells alive inside the capsule and ensure they get enough nutrients and oxygen.

Flying cars waiting for you in future

I have a dream for long time, past 10 years or so, when there would be little aircrafts available for use like we use two wheelers, personal cars. May be one day I would design a light weight but sturdy air travel vehicle for myself so that I can roam above the ground, high up in the sky like birds and see the world as it looks from up there. May be I would be able to own some such vehicle in future, if I lived by then. I expected small personal airvehicles to be available for common use surely by 2050. But this slashdot article seems to suggest, it could be even possible before 2040, may be by 2030.

Search engines simplified for simpletons

I guess it is more than an year now, when I was trying out some service (possibly search related) at hotmail.com and they had an option about giving some feedback to them. At that point no search engine provided a search facility that dealt with a simpleton querry like - "Where is TajMahal?" and gave more precise answers to this querry rather than loads of results. I had filled in that feedback form, if hotmail search engine could provide such kind of features in (then) near future, it could put it differently ahead of other search engines. No feedback came from them. Well, it couldn't have been expected either as the been-filled-up form mentioned not to expect feedbacks.

Came across an article on slashdot that mentioned about google providing similar service now. On further readups I found couple of other projects and search engines (www.answers.com) that were giving similar services good enough.

feels happy that as a user of search engines I felt a need for improvement there that voila! somebody has even taken steps towards that.

Meeting a Guru

Had been at Delhi Railway station in morning yesterday, with the intention to catch Avadh-Aasaam for some onward journey. Found it so packed that getting inside even without my luggage had been a gruelling task. I dropped the idea later, as if I could get inside somehow, next couple of hours of journey would pass on standing in tight bin-packing (have had experience of such journey in past, longest being once on pune-delhi route for around 18-20 hours. Moreover it didn't make much sense to try this adventure when bus service to desired place was available almost every 15 minutes, though that takes around 1.5-2 hours more and even more if one ends up in traffic jam on highway.

So I stood there on platform for next 10-15 minutes, seeing the train depart slowly, with some mixed feelings inside, wondering why did I waste time to come to railway station and bought the train ticket (that I could cancel with minor cancellation charge), by now it would have been around an hour's journey on bus.

While I turned back to walk towards the platform exit, I saw a woman dressed in almost black clothes (black from dirt, oil etc.) and unwashed, dirtful hair and body, carrying something very softly in her hands and walking as if nothing mattered. I realised that I knew what she was carrying with 'sahaj bhaav', before some policemen nearby started discussing about it within themselves. It was human shit that as per these policemen 'pagli' was carrying to eat??? When I heard the words I realised what I had realised that I knew.

Normally seeing shit around made me quite uncomfortable in childhood, and seeing it on railway tracks I also have felt like coughing, spitting, moving away from site, and yet I was here standing and watching her walk on platform with no feelings. Those 30-60 seconds (frankly speaking I didn't have any idea of how long it had been, as it looked a big deal of time) I felt I was able to see things as it is, without any biases or preconceived or picked-up-from-environment-and-education notions. I wondered why this strange feeling/behaviour I had with respect to human and dog/cat shit? Cow/bufallow, horse, goat, birds etc. shit didn't evoke those strange feelings inside me? And cow/bufallow shit I have even hold in my hands and made 'upale' and designs out of it for a garland used for offering to fire during HOLI. Some fed-in notions since childhood perhaps that cow shit is pious and others not.

When I came out of my state of realisation, I walked towards exit, but something had changed me by then, looking at human shit on railway track didn't have that earlier strength of strange feelings.
I knew the answer now - why had I come to railway station first instead of going to bus station directly.

Making of a reasonable homepage

After being back in pune, it's more than a week now. making webpage has consumed more time than I expected. One or other issue/content enhancement/layout idea keeps on coming and stretching it. But I have also not been working consistently on this.

A hapazhard webpage was initially put in december/january. Making a decent and contentful page takes time. working over resume page took quite some time and revisions, as effectively I was making resume freshly. Lesson to be learnt - keep on updating resume also with time, as do for other documentation etc. in workplace. It's also beneficial in case you have very less time before sending a resume.

I haven't started applying yet. Have been postponing it till get the homepage and links referred in resume in shape, but looks like that I will have to do that even w/o that, the way homepage is taking time. Atleast I should be registering on couple more of job and freelance work websites now, as things take their own course and time to materialise. Have registered on naukri.com so far and it's still not more than 50% finished product.

Mail from some consultant had come telling me that I was sunil and I had earlier sent him my resume. I replied to him giving URL to my resume and correcting that I was not sunil. I don't hope that things will be the way I am looking forwards to, with this person and company for whom he is searching people.

I had planned to start formally applying, rather contacting the people who had earlier contacted me or whom i had informally enquired in recent past, since 7th, yesterday, but doesn't look like it will start even today. But I should send mail to atleast one contact today.

Now I need to work on freezing the contents of homepage page by page. In no case it should extend beyound 15th March. After that once in a while routine maintenance in couple of weeks, mainly because free-homepage hosting sites require some site updations etc. in a month or so to keep them active. But now I will simultaneously work on other tasks as well and reduce homepage work to parttime from full time. Let's see how this week turns out.

Being nowhere yet everywhere

Had left the organisation I had been working for, in first week of january and had been attending some gatherings to charge myself. Past couple of years have drained me significantly, when I look at myself, I find having aged more than 10 years or so in 3-4 years. However, age increased in terms of experiences and understanding of life as well, though not as much.

Working in closed and artificially cooled environment, lack of sufficient fresh air, sufficient dose of sunlight, most of the time sitting in front of idiotbox (aka computer) etc. has had a very bad effect on health even affecting mobility of joints. Good that I reduced usage of mobile around 2 years back, since I realised that initial usage of mobile has had effect on my memory also, apart from giving me headaches these days when I use it for couple of minutes. Headaches are also caused by earphones as well. I wonder when people with headphones on, play so lound music that sitting couple of meters away from them, it is clearly audible to me.

Anyways, now I am out of it and can be close to nature and take care of my health and recover as much as I can before taking on another job. I haven't applied anywhere yet. Many people have asked me how could I leave a well paying (well is a relative term and it's meaning varies from person to person) job just like that, w/o ensuring next job at hand? Simple reason is that, I just wanted to relax, to be nowhere for some time and not having any thing on head about joining one place or other.

I don't know, what I will do next? I won't mind even change of profession. Will look for job as a freelancer/consultant s/w developer in future, though I know that not many companies have faith in themselves to venture into work relationships like that and it might be a bumpy road ahead. Though I would like to not work in computers all the time but explore other aspects of life as well. Let's see how it all works out. I have faith in God, whatever happens, happens for good. I have seen this goodness in couple of cases very closely in my life.

Should be back in pune by month end and then would first polish my homepage and then use that as a portal to look for work and people, working with whom could be fun and invigorating rather than draining, a change in life. I expect things to take time to work out as I wish for future, but one thing or other would start working out by april, when I start on it.

Collective energy of Hope

Had heard a lot about Guru Ramdev (his programs come on aastha TV channel) and his curing many patients via his yoga shivir (camps) from some medical practitioner and common people. Many people had got improvement in their medical conditions in couple of months, even by practicing on their own after watching TV programmes, problems which many years of treatments by doctors couldn't reduce.

Had managed to get a pass for this. Camp timings are daily morning 5:00-7:00am. Had to wake up around 4:00am to freshen up as the camp site is around 15 minutes drive in night, w/o any signal to stop in between, and it's better to be slightly early at camp.

When I reached the site, it was a total different atmosphere. Must be 15-20 thousands people braving the cold under open sky, sunrise happens around 7:00 these days. Tiredness of wakingup so early against the routine was as if never was there. The place was so full of energy, that was charging the individuals also. It was energy of hope, hopes that they will get cured or atleast see significant improvement in their conditions - they have heard a lot about sort of miraculous improvements.

I have experienced tremendous energy of joy, hope earlier also couple of years back. It was some regional newyear day or some such festival, when I happened to be in Thiruannamalai (Tamilnadu). Girivallam (taking rounds of holy hill) route passes through city, as well as small village. It was near that village, in early morning, sun not yet risen but not dark either... people cleaning around their houses and decorating with rangolis, materials varied depending upon their financial standings then, but everyone was full of happiness, some kind of positive energy in that atmosphere... people not chattering around, a soothing calm filling everything, everyone around. I have been on this route couple of times, but this experience there had been so strong first time then.

A Problem, A Solution : Traffic

A road was widened because traffic issues on that road were increasing with years. There used to be big trees on both sides of the road that provided passers by shade from scorching sun and rainfall. Lot of these trees were more than 100 years old, some even older. Trees were cut amidst protests from environment groups. Road was widened.

The times further to that saw opening of couple of famous food/beverages outlets by the sides, adding to existing good enough crowd pulling joints. Crowd is even more. Though road is widened, but so are the cars and two-wheelers sizes and their nos. Though there are yellow lines, marking the parking area by the road side, bigger size vehicles sometimes overshoot that by 2-4 feets.

Effective roadsize is still the same, perhaps lesser than what it used to be, people density on road around the joints has only increased. If something is not there, it's those trees.

There are other places also in same city, where roads sizes have been widened more than double, a lovely strech of around 2Kms, now doesn't have a single tree to give protect from rain/sun. Since road is quite wide now, average speed of people driving by has increased a lot, making crossing difficult for old and young people. This road passes through residential areas, school and there is only one crossing around half km. from one end, that forces people to drive in wrong directions, causing risk to not only themselves but others. You may not mind taking a U turn of less than a km, but what you do when you have one opening is 50-100 mts from you in wrong direction and right direction is a U turn of around 3 kms and it's part of your daily route couple of times a day. Not only this adds to more fuel expenditure, but at times causes more expenditures of time and money also for people.