tweets

Sunday, June 27, 2004

Cry HTML / Browser

Department of Public Relations, Government of Kerala

I have never understood the Indian websites attraction to shocking colors, flashing "in your face" advertisments, pop ups/ pop unders and the invariable - moving text. This one requires a special mention - they convert letters from small case to upper case one by one on the status bar at the bottom. Don't ask me why. I have a feeling the guy who did it is mentally deranged.

Friday, June 25, 2004

Now you can while away time on the Internet when the train is running late

Aljazeera.Net - Internet offered to Indian rail passengers

So, the Indian Railways plans to introduce Internet access on certain trains. This is the same railway system that
1) Cannot keep the trains running on time
2) Cannot keep the trains on the track (Of course, Amtrak seems to have a higher percentage of incidents)
3) Cannot get travellers to pay for their travel
4) Cannot run a lean. efficient organization

How about getting the basic things right first, like
1) Improving the on time record
2) Improving the safety record
3) Improving Customer service
4) Improving organizational efficiency

Hell, those may be too much to ask. But, if you have a laptop and your train is late you will be able to spend time browsing the net.

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Bad ideas vs good men

Bad ideas vs good men

So, what makes them good men? Their education ?

Thursday, June 17, 2004

So, what is the big deal

Economist.com | India's tainted ministers

I loved the part where in the related Outlook article (link from the Economist article) where Jaipal Reddy says corruption is not as serious an offence as being a party to demolition of Babri Masjid.

Maybe we should come up with a list of allowable offences and the hierarchy among the offences.

Or, why not make corruption legal?

Thursday, June 10, 2004

D-day remembrance

Last week I watched the media coverage of the D-day landing. Everyone made it out to be a big thing. And, rightly so. But, no one ever talked about the causes - the cause of the Second World War.

I remember when we studied history in high school one question used to appear in our exam papers with unfailing regularity - "Explain how First World War was a cause for the Second World War?". Maybe, that was rather simplistic discussion - menat for only high school students. Maybe not...

Maybe it is the current media coverage that is rather simplistic. They would rather have you believe that the Nazi's were from Mars and the good guys on earth vanquished them. The truth is they were one of us. And, we created them. Whatever the case maybe as the saying goes - "Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it". And, looks as though we are condemned to repeat it.

India's reforms need changes. So does Mr. Basu's article

BBC NEWS | South Asia | India's reforms need changes

An article full of contradictions.

1) If the people rejected BJP for inciting communal violence then why is it that BJP just showed about -2% of vote change. More improtantly, how is it that Narendra Modi who was the CM of Gujarat got re-elected comfortably after the riots.

2) And, why does he say "even people in remote village..." why not "people in big cities"? Why is it that he has to impress upon his western readers that even villagers in India are "secular". I think it is difficult for someone to say yes we practice discrimination, most of us hate the guts of those "other" people.

I think there is tendency amongst Indian intelligensia to think and act as if they have answers to all issues -

Secularism means offering privileges to compensate for the numbers instead of making every one work on a level playing field.

The lower income need subsidies (forget about creating opportunities). Of course, Mr. Basu here argues against it.