power line deaths

unbelievable but true. linemen repairing power lines get
electrocuted at alarmingly regular and short inervals in kerala.
authorities say it is becoz the linemen do not follow procedure.
like carrying a pole to short circuit the line to earth before
working on the line.

it is cumbersome and and not easy to carry these shorting rods
every time one goes for repair. that too on urgent calls and thru
busy streets and lanes obstructed by tree branches.

why not attach these shorting rods to major electric posts
at the time of erecting these posts . linemen can pull a lever
and short the lines before starting the repair work.

mobile

1.   video calling
     without video calling what use is 3g ?
     but many of the low cost mobiles come with just one camera.
     may be they want to save on the cost of the second camera.
     but why cant we think of a swivel camera , which can face you
     when u r on video call and face the object when u r shooting ?

2.  mobile as computer
     mobiles are expected to replace computeres at least in india.
     but what to do for the typing without a proper key pad ?
     why not think of a key board (  rubber based , foldable ) which
     can be  plugged into the mobile thru a  usb port ? so what is
     required is a usb port in the mobile which should not be a big deal .

frogs in the well--time to revisit them ?

are there aliens ? do we have cousins elsewhere in the universe ? god alone knows.


the problem is with the space-time barrier .

think of the frog in that fabled well. he thinks that his well is the only palce in the whole universe at least for frogs. there may exist aliens like human beings , flying objects like birds, crawling things like snakes elswehere; becoz he has felt their presence , if not seen , ccasionally in his well . but no other well with frogs any where else.

his problem is that he cannot get out of his well. unless he comes out he can never see or imagine the topography with another similar well just a jump away. but that leap is blocked by solid earth which is beyond his comprehension. if only he knew how to drill a hole thru the rock he will reach another well quite similar to his.

are we all in a well ? unable to break thru the barrier and unaware of it . is it the reason why we use light years and such incomprehensible jargons when we talk about stars and galaxies. they could be just a leap away if only we knew how to break the barrier.

but a frog is destined to remain a frog in the well. and we are to remain in our own large well.

concept of god becomes relevant here.

confinement

can any one be confined , in the real sense ? or is any one really free ?
one of the famous poets in malayalam said

കാഞ്ചന കാഞ്ചന കൂട്ടിലാണെങ്കിലും
ബന്ധുര ബന്ധുര തന്നെ പാരില്‍

which means even if the cage is made of gold the bird remains confined
.
confinement means freedom of movement is restricted. if you are in a
prison cell  you cannot move beyond the four wall of the cell.
but arent all of us confined ? can any of us move beyond the earth
and say, go to the moon ? so we are all caged but the cage is so big that
we do not see it. so confinement can be redefined as a cage small enough to
restrict our day to day movements . but that is about physical movement and
probably material things. but no one can restrict your thought process .  no one
can control your emotions beyond a limit , that is . so who can confine any
 one in the real sense ?
but the catch is how do you find out  if the cage you are in is big enough or not.
for that you should test the  boundaries . you should go farther and farther till
you see the barbed wires.
see the cow tied to a pole. she tries out the boundaries first . she then settles down
to grazing with in the permitted area. if the rope is long enough it doesnt mater.
test your boundaries . go to the end of the rope and pull it  a bit. it is a satisfying
experience.

why dig up roads

we dig up roads even before the tar dries up.
for valid reasons many times. to lay cables along side.
but for gods sake why not lay an iron or concrete pipe
along all new roads . cables and even water pipes can
easily be pushed thru this conduits. with out digging
up the roads. these pipes can be even even across the
road at junctions for future use. but then if roads cannot
be dug up what   p w d   for . what prestige water works
departments can claim.

education loans .. a few suggestions

when banks were told to popularise education loans they were sceptic. now they are proved right, well, almost. education loan accounts for a major portion of bad loans in banks.
there are a few problem areas in the education loan segment. repayment obligation is too heavy in many cases. for example for a five year course the loan amount goes up by about 50% by the time the student starts repaying (hopefully from the sixth year). this amount is to be repaid in the next five years with compound interest . many jobs simply do not provide such salaries.

the other problem is that the student forgets to keep in touch with the bank once the course ( and the loan disbursement) is over. it becomes very difficult for the banker to trace the student and his employer.

but education loan is a great step forward. there is no meaning in denying an aspiring student a venue just because he doesnt have enough money. here are a few suggestions to improve education loan segment.

from the student's side

-- estimate the repayment obligation before availing the loan

-- start repayment at the earliest , even during the course period if one can afford it.

-- inform the bank details of employment or otherwise



from govt side



-- consider further reduction in rate of interest. even at zero rate of interest , education loan may provide positive returns to the society at large.

-- consider substantial increase in repayment period. even a ten year period is ok. after all the student will be in gainful employment for a much longer period.

-- make it mandatory for the colleges to send information to the financing banks on the progress and completion of of study and employment details if any

-- make the student decalre education loan liability if any in his bio data for job application. make it compulsory starting with govt and public sector jobs.

table cover paper for parties

marriage parties and almost all other feasts are now being managed almost entirely by professional groups. they decorate the  stage , cook the food  and serve it nicely to the guests. and they bring in innovations too.
one such innovation is covering the desk with paper which helps in removing the left over easily.
and the latest is spreading this paper in multilayers . just remove the first layer with the left over and the table is ready for the next session.
my suggestion is to the manufacturers of this paper ( let us call it the dining paper ) to make it in multi layers.
if the paper comes in say 3 ply , it saves a lot of time . at one one go three layers can be laid.
for the manufaturers it is the question of effecting minor mofification in their packing section.

let us see who picks up this idea first