[Satire] Man refuses to kiss newborn daughter to prove Sigmund Freud wrong

In a bizarre incident which came to light yesterday evening at a Bangalore hospital – a man reportedly refused to kiss his newborn daughter as he wanted to prove the freudian theory wrong.

“His hands were trembling with joy, tears trickling down the eyes but he stopped just millimeters short of kissing her,”  a nurse speaking on the condition of anonymity told us. His wife was confused as were his parents.

When they asked him as to what was wrong, the man started on a monologue using terms like id, ego, super ego, infantile sexuality etc. which confused his family even more.

Later, when our reporter interviewed him in a secluded spot he explained that as a college grad he was always confused about what Freud wanted to convey. That was the reason he could barely clear his exams in Psychology 101. All he could remember at the end of the course was that the love between a father and a daughter is primarily driven by sexual urges. He totally disagreed with it. He did a lot of research on the internet to find evidence against Freud’s theories but that ended up confusing him even more.

Situation became even more complex as his wife became pregnant. Unable to get clarity on Freudian theories he vowed to himself that in case a daughter were born to him – he would hold back his emotions until and unless he gets his mind cleared of all the confusions and misconceptions. Hence the strange reaction which flummoxed everyone in his family on the arrival of his daughter.

The man refused to divulge any more details.

(My first faking news story) Published here as well.

Bangalore to chikmagalur road trip

1. Right now is the right time to visit Chikamaglur. Weather is good - rains not yet started. As soon as the rains start - travelling to hilly areas in it will be next to impossible.
2. Started around 8 in the morning with Google Maps. It showed 3 routes. Checked with friends and they said the best route is going via Haasan. Road condition is great too. Even Navi Maps is good for navigation. But don't trust any of the maps blindly. I used Google maps mostly. But at 2-3 places it showed wrong turns. I checked with the people around and found them to be wrong.
3. When you reach Haasan - you can refill your LPG car if you have one. There are multiple LPG stations. There is one on the route itself right in front of the SDM Ayurveda Hospital.
4. Reached Chikamaglur around 1PM. Roughly 5 hours journey. Stayed at Giri's Inn on I.G. Road. It has covered car parking. Tariff is 1800/- per night. They had wifi but it didn't work in my room. They had complimentary breakfast too. There are some other hotels nearby as well on I.G. road and M.G. road. Pretty regular ones. There are many homestays also  - Jhari eco stay, Hill Crest etc. But they are around 6-7 kms from city center - which is okay. The Serai and Taj Gateway are the 2 big names out there for a great and expensive stay.
5. Took a tourist map from them and was also informed that Hebbe Falls was closed. 
6. We freshened up a bit and left for Mullayanagiri peak (Tallest peak of Karnataka). Both Google Maps and Navi Maps have the correct route information for it. Even without maps you can reach there if you follow the signboards on the road. The last 2 kms of Mullayanagiri route are way too dangerous. Drive very very carefully.
7. But the view at the peak point is marvellous. You are in the clouds - literally.
8. We didn't stay there for long as we were worried about driving in the dark. We came back - had some snacks at the hotel (Giri's Inn has good room service - but the food is not that great) - and went for shopping. But the market at M.G. road didn't seem very exciting - so we headed straight to The Serai's Blue Sky Lounge Bar. Had a few drinks and some light food there. The place rocks. Came back to hotel and slept.
9. Woke up in the morning, had the complimentary breakfast of Idly,vada and upamma (breakfast was very ordinary) - and started for Baba Budangiri shrine. Again the maps had good routes and signboards were also correct. Even though I lost data connection after a while. Didn't try Navi Maps here (I could have since it works without mobile data) - but there was no need - as the route was straightforward. 
10. Right now some portion of road is being built there - so we had to park our car and travel via a rented jeep. We shared the jeep with another group. For Rs. 600/- (75 per head) it took us to Gadikere(a lake) and Baba Budangiri. We spent quite some time at Gadikere as the views there are awesome.
11. On the way to Baba Budangiri there are 2 waterfalls as well - Honnamanna and Zari. For Zari waterfalls you have to trek down around 1.5 kms unless you are staying at Zari Eco Stay - in which case they will make car arrangements. Honnamanna is on the road itself. We skipped Zari.
12. While returning we were way too hungry. So, instead of searching for a restaurent - we headed straight to The Serai. And thankfully the buffet was on - so we could eat right away. It cost Rs. 1075/- per head.
13. Again came back to hotel, slept and in the evening went to M.G. park. Google maps took us to its back gate which is no use. Asked around and reached its front gate. Saw the musical fountain and had a ride in the toy train. The last ride of the train was at 8PM. But better to have a ride in the sunlight - else nothing much is visible.
14. From here we started for The Gateway for drinks and food. On the way a Mela(fair) was on. Kabir had few rides there too. At The Gateway they allow outsiders to have food and drinks by the pool side (unlike The Serai). The price being reasonable too. Again a great place.
15. Next morning we enquired about Muthodi forest. For information on Muthodi - you can call 99 0000 5858. They provide lodges there. But there were only 2 safaris through the forest  - once in the morning at 6 and then in the evening at 4. We skipped that too. Another option was coffee museum which is open Monday to Friday (10 to 1 and 2 to 5). But we went to Zari waterfalls instead. But the trek there proved to be a bit tiring as we were with my old MIL and young kid. So we clicked many photos and returned.
16. Had lunch at The Grand Krishna and headed back to Bangalore. On the way filled the LPG again at the same pump at Haasan - which has ladies toilet too.
17. Simple journey and back to Bangalore.
18. Summary : Though it's a great place - there is lack of tourist information. It was very difficult to get information on Muthodi forest and pretty much anything else. I saw a Tourist Information Center closed down and somewhere far from the city center. It should be close to bus/railway stand and much more helpful.

Chikamaglur tourist map

Google maps links :

1. Aegis LPG pump in front of SDM Ayurvedya College, Haasan
2. Coffee Museum
3. The Serai
4. The Gateway Hotel
5. Mullayanagiri Peak

Others :

1. NaviMaps
2. Bars and pubs in Chikamaglur

An Android app to track news and videos on given keyword(s)

From the blurb :

Track every single news story and every single video out there on the web about your chosen keywords.Just enter the keyword(s) and start tracking.You can enter google style advanced search operators in the keywords as well for e.g. Clinton AND (Hillary OR Bill).Track any number of keywords and never miss anything ever again on your chosen keywords!

Install from here.

Amazing CIBIL Payment Gateway

Previous transaction attempt failed due to : Transaction Successful

The secret deal between Amitabh and Rajnikanth (and TOI)

You promote my daughter-in-law and I will promote your son-in-law.

 Aishwarya can't act opposite the 3 leading khans of Bollywood (Salman - we know, Shahrukh - because he sided with Salman during the fight, Aamir - because of his height) and she has exhausted Akshay and Hrithik totally now - having worked with them multiple times. So Rajni gives Aish a fat paycheque for Robot.

Now Amitabh's turn. He tweets about Kolaveri and Times of India publishes it on the front page which sends Dhanush's stock soaring high and lands him a Bollywood contract.

When that first Hindi movie of Dhanush releases, Amitabh blogs again about the Energy of its young actors (which is a white lie BTW) and TOI publishes this news again on the front page.

So, the deal is clear.

Now, coming to the Energy  of the actors of Ranjhanaa - the movie Amitabh blogged about.
To be fair to Dhanush - it's his first Hindi movie - so we can't expect much from him. His dialogue delivery in Hindi was mostly flat - with no modulation to be heard at all most of the times.

Talking about Sonam Kapoor - she is headed the Esha Deol way - just biding her time until she gets married to a rich businessman. Not to mention her mouth full of saliva when she speaks.

Abhay Deol has been totally wasted in a useless role. Only actors worth speaking about in this movie are Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Swara Bhaskar.

And here is my prediction. Now whatever Dhanush does in the coming year - whether he sings a song or acts in a movie - Amitabh will tweet about it and TOI will publish it again on its front page.

Comparing Shell Super Fuel with HP Normal Fuel for my Honda Activa

Recently I conducted some emission tests on my Honda Activa(109 cc, DOP-April, 2011) for 2 different fuel types.

1. Shell Super (Address : No.145/2, Benniganahalli, Old Madras Road, Bangalore - 560038)
2. HP Regular (Address : Op To Lrde, Drdo Township, C V Raman Nagar, Bangalore - 560093) (It's a company operated pump - so the fuel quality is supposed to be good.)

Emission tests done at Shankar & Sons Petrol pump, next To Jeevan Bima Ngr Police Station, Jeevan Bima Ngr Main Rd, Jeevan Bima Nagar, Bangalore - 560075

Results :

Date	CO	HC	CO2	O2	Fuel Type
14/3/2013	0.341	233	9.32	7.48	HP Regular
6/4/2013	0.242	150	4.4	13.6	HP Regular
26/4/2013	0.373	134	5.02	13.36	HP Regular
30/4/2013	0.278	91	6.52	10.37	Shell Super
13/5/2013	0.129	20	1.19	19	Shell Super
6/6/2013	1	524	6.87	10.21	Shell Super

Notes :

1. I am not sure about the quality and accuracy of the emission testing equipment. I am just typing out the results given to me.

2. The third and the sixth tests were done on an almost empty tank while the others were done on an almost full tank. I guess there is a correlation between an empty tank and higher emission values.

3. It might be same as comparing the apples and oranges since I am comparing a premium fuel from Shell to a regular fuel from HP. No doubts about that.

4. Before I started the tests -  I was using Shell Super. So first test on HP is after the switch. Similarly the first test on Shell Super is after the switch.

5. In general my gut feeling is that Shell Super gives better pick up than HP Regular.

6. Some people said that it's harmful to use Shell Super on Honda Activa - but I asked the Honda Customer care and they said there is no such problem. Here is the conversation :

Hi, 
I use Shell Super Petrol for my Honda Activa(109 cc). 
But recently I was asked to use the regular petrol by my service mechanic. 

I would like to know if there is any disadvantage of using Shell Super Petrol for my Activa? 

Thanks, 

Response :
Dear Mr. , 

We thank you for visiting our website & sharing your concerns. 

You can use any fuel above octane number 91 (RON). Vehicle performance is not likely to be effected by changing the brand or changing between normal to premium petrol. 

Thanking you and assuring our best attention always.

Shyam Singh
Customer Relations
Ph: +91-124-2290911-19, 2290011 Ext. 368-372
Email :- customercare@honda2wheelersindia.com

File an RTI Online

Filing an RTI is easier now.

Government of India has launched a website for doing it online.

http://www.rtionline.gov.in

There are some other websites also which do the same :

http://youradhikar.com/ (free)

http://onlinerti.com/ (Rs. 75/-)

http://rtination.com (Rs. 150/-)

IITians to the fore - the latest kids on the Indian Political Scene

Indian politics is becoming tougher and more stressful by the day. And it's no surprise that 2 of the ex-IITians  are rising up to the challenge. While Manohar Parikar is taking up the tough questions on Modi's 2002 failure  , Arvind Kejriwal is slaying the demons in his own backyard in Delhi.

My gut feeling is that these two will assume much larger roles in the coming decade. I wouldn't mind Parikar joining AAP either - hence making it a formidable force while retaining its cleanliness.

Aamir Khan's Rajput Connection

Out of his 37 odd films as an adult - Aamir khan has played a Rajput 5 times and in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar - he was up against the Rajput College. Seems to be a strong connection.

Movies in which he played a Rajput :

1. Sarfarosh
2. Mann
3. Talaash
4. Parampara
5. QSQT

Can Aam Aadmi Party remain corruption free?

Much is being said about AAP - and to be honest I would vote for AAP whenever possible. But my doubts remain about whether it will be able to remain corruption free. From what I understand - there are some people who have some source of income and work part time for AAP. But no party can survive on part timers alone. So, there must be many volunteers who work full time for AAP.  How will those full timers make money? Or how are they making money now? If they have no means of earning money - how long will they be non corrupt?

Probability of Rajasthan Royals making it to the playoffs in IPL - 2013

If you are following the IPL, you must be aware that there is a very tight race to finish for the 3 playoff berths on the offing. While CSK are pretty much there-  RCB,RR,SRH and MI are slugging it out among themselves.

Now there are 8 matches remaining which involve one of the top 5 teams mentioned above. Assuming that all the matches have equal probability of being won by either team, here are each team's chances of making it to the last 4.

Here are the upcoming matches :

kkr+rcb
rr+csk
mi+srh
rcb+kxip
csk+dd
mi+rr
srh+rr
kxip+mi
rcb+csk
srh+kkr

Team	Sure Shot	No way	Stuck at NRR
CSK	96.2%	0%	3.8%
RR	79.7%	4.8%	15.5%
MI	79.7%	4.8%	15.5%
RCB	43%	22.7%	34.4%
SRH	42.2%	26.8%	31.1%

So, at the moment it looks like - it's SRH which is going to lose out.

Here is the php script to generate the above numbers.

Afghan boy molests Indian girl in India

How dare he?
Then again, it's India. He will go scot free.

‘Obsessed’ Afghan national held for molesting Nagaland girl

Mozilla and Viagra Turn 15 !

March 31, 1998 is the date that Mozilla was officially launched and Viagra was authorized for sale on March 27, 1998. Have they made a difference ;-)

Arvind Kejriwal's Disruptive Innovation

Here is an excerpt from the famous book The Innovator’s Dilemma by Professor Clayton Christensen. I couldn't help but notice the similarities with the current upheaval happening in the Indian Political Scene. I am reproducing the original here - annotated with my comments (in bold italics).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why do well-managed companies(well established parties) fail? He concludes that they often fail because the very management practices(votebank politics) that have allowed them to become industry leaders(big parties) also make it extremely difficult for them to develop the disruptive technologies(new approaches) that ultimately steal away their markets(voters).

Well-managed companies(parties) are excellent at developing the sustaining technologies(at sustaining their votebanks/corporate liasons) that improve the performance of their products(that help them retain their vote banks/corporate funds) in the ways that matter to their customers(customers). This is because their management practices(politics) are biased toward:

1. Listening to customers(votebanks/corporate sponsorships)

2. Investing aggressively in technologies(formulating policies) that give those customers what they say they want

3. Seeking higher margins(As Nitin Gadkari had famously quipped - chaar kaam hum unke karte hain, chaar kaam wo hamaare karte hain)

4. Targeting larger markets rather than smaller ones(targeting big industrialists/ highly polarized voter bases)

Disruptive technologies(revolutionary politics), however, are distinctly different from sustaining technologies(politics). Disruptive technologies change the value proposition in a market. When they first appear, they almost always offer lower performance(win lower seats/attract few members) in terms of the attributes that mainstream customers(voters/fundraisers) care about. But disruptive technologies have other attributes that a few fringe (generally new) customers(voters/industrialists) value. They are typically cheaper, smaller, simpler, and frequently more convenient to use(cleaner/mostly free of corruption). Therefore, they open new markets(they make voters out of non-voters). Further, because with experience and sufficient investment, the developers of disruptive technologies will always improve their products’(parties') performance, they eventually
are able to take over the older markets(existing mindsets). This is because they are able to deliver sufficient performance on the old attributes(foreign policy/Kashmir), and they add some new ones(anti corruption).

Principles of Disruptive Technology
1. Companies(Parties) Depend on Customers(Castes based voters) and Investors(Reliance/Tata etc) for Resources.

In order to survive, companies must provide customers and investors with the products,services, and profits that they require. The highest performing companies, therefore, have well developed systems for killing ideas that their customers don’t want. As a result, these companies find it very difficult to invest adequate resources in disruptive technologies—lower margin opportunities that their customers don’t want—until their customers want them. And by then, it is too late.

2. Small Markets Don’t Solve the Growth Needs of Large Companies
(Small Markets = Small votebanks such as urban middle class voters - who don't even vote)

To maintain their share prices and create internal opportunities for their employees, successful
companies need to grow. It isn’t necessary that they increase their growth rates, but they must
maintain them. And as they get larger, they need increasing amounts of new revenue just to
maintain the same growth rate. Therefore, it becomes progressively more difficult for them to
enter the newer, smaller markets that are destined to become the large markets of the future. To
maintain their growth rates, they must focus on large markets.

3. Markets(votebanks) That Don’t Exist Can’t Be Analyzed

Sound market research and good planning followed by execution according to plan are the
hallmarks of good management. But companies whose investment processes demand
quantification of market size and financial returns before they can enter a market get paralyzed
when faced with disruptive technologies because they demand data on markets that don’t yet
exist.

4. Technology(Corruption) Supply May Not Equal Market Demand

Although disruptive technologies can initially be used only in small markets, they eventually
become competitive in mainstream markets. This is because the pace of technological progress
often exceeds the rate of improvement that mainstream customers want or can absorb. As a
result, the products that are currently in the mainstream eventually will overshoot the
performance that mainstream markets demand, while the disruptive technologies that
underperform relative to customer expectations in the mainstream market today may become
directly competitive tomorrow. Once two or more products are offering adequate performance,
customers will find other criteria for choosing. These criteria tend to move toward reliability,
convenience, and price

There is a similar article here :

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/kejriwals-disruptive-innovation/article4218038.ece

Google Reader Alternatives

Much has been said about the death of Google Reader and its alternatives.
As of today I have come across 2 genuine options.

1. Self Host Tiny Tiny RSS Reader.
2. Blogtrottr.com

Couldn't really figure out the rest yet.

Here is good list on alternatives.

An insightful article on direct cash transfer scheme in India

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-promise-of-unconditional-money/article4167818.ece

Sunrise - C V Raman Nagar

Groundswell - Review

Just about to finish this book by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff. There was and may be still is a lot of buzz about this book but frankly - this book is full of fluff. There is very little substance - if at all - in it. I would rather have a book full of anecdotes and some very innovative ones at that - not the usual run of the mill kind.

If I were to cut this book to size - it will be hardly 70 to 80 pages as opposed to more than 300 which it currently holds.

-1/10.

Arvind Kejriwal's Hangout

Watch this recording of Kejriwal's interaction with people on Google+ Hangout.

Copy/Paste

Happy Birthday Firaq Sahab ..........

बहुत पहले से उन क़दमों की आहट जान लेते हैं
तुझे ए ज़िन्दगी, हम दूर से पहचान लेते हैं।

तबियत अपनी घबराती है जब सुनसान रातों में
हम ऐसे में तेरी यादों की चादर तान लेते हैं

फ़िराक़ गोरखपुरी ( ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्कार, पद्म भूषण )
( जन्म: 28 अगस्त 1896 निधन: 1982 )