I mistyped the address to my blog recently and typed http://sparstgo.blogpot.com/ instead of http://sparstgo.blogspot.com/ and was surprised on seeing a Christian website turning up. My first thought was that my account must have been hacked but then I realized that I had mistyped. This brought me to the realization that my blog is a popular website. People are registering websites with minor changes to the address just to get website hits when someone is trying to access my blog. Finally I had proof of what I knew all along that Shriram Paranjpe is the great one (S Par s T G O).
PS: To be honest, I never did think that my blog was hacked because I know people have better targets and the first thing I did once I saw the spam site was to check blogpot.com and sure enough I got the same website (I call it spam not due to the content but because you get the same website for abcd.blogpot.com irrespective of what abcd is. This would not happen for a regular website). So, it is blogspot that they are trying to imitate, not my blog. But hey, it makes for a good story so why let it off.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Monday, August 01, 2011
Job creation 101
The recent debt debate in the US congress had several interesting viewpoints and many funny moments. I do not want to get into the minor details . I write because I got an excellent lecture in job creation through a comment on some news outlet by someone to the effect "The Government should shut down agencies like the EPA which do nothing but sap jobs". I began thinking about that statement and had a light bulb moment. Of course the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is job killing.
Think of all the jobs that could be created if the EPA were shut off. As with all great job binges, there would be a lull before the storm as some people will lose their jobs (EPA employees, private sector employees who ensure clean emissions and the like). But imagine the possibilities. As water bodies get more polluted, a huge industry will be created to purify water for human consumption. Tons of jobs will be created as there will be an immense demand for pure water. As fish in the water die, the demand for farmed fish will rise and jobs will be created in fish farming. Moreover, as water and air gets polluted, doctors will get richer and since the new term for the rich is "job creators", more jobs will automatically be created. Imagine the brightness this abundance of jobs will bring! I am sure I must have missed several other ways that closing the EPA can create jobs so feel free to add on to these in the comments section.
While we are at it, we should also shut off other job killing bodies like the OSHA (only the weakest would die due to bad working conditions - it is natural selection / survival of the fittest), the FDA (they are a drag on the food and medicine job market) and all other regulatory bodies and go back to the good old days of the robber barons. Ah! Those were the days when human productivity was at its highest.
PS: All of the above was an attempt at sarcasm. Please do not consider these to be my views.
For all my management friends, don't go wild with the comments on the economics behind the job losses that regulation brings. I do realize that regulation adds cost on industries and thus limits the money they can spend on investments that lead to job creation but we have to realize that they are externalizing the costs of taking care of the environment and when we buy a product that is cheaper but pollutes the environment (or is made with lead paint), we are paying the price for it (often much higher than the industry would pay since it will buy in bulk). It is important that this cost be internalized for them. We have to know where to limit the regulation and that is an area where everyone will have their opinions but to say that bodies like the EPA or the FDA do nothing is a disgrace.
Think of all the jobs that could be created if the EPA were shut off. As with all great job binges, there would be a lull before the storm as some people will lose their jobs (EPA employees, private sector employees who ensure clean emissions and the like). But imagine the possibilities. As water bodies get more polluted, a huge industry will be created to purify water for human consumption. Tons of jobs will be created as there will be an immense demand for pure water. As fish in the water die, the demand for farmed fish will rise and jobs will be created in fish farming. Moreover, as water and air gets polluted, doctors will get richer and since the new term for the rich is "job creators", more jobs will automatically be created. Imagine the brightness this abundance of jobs will bring! I am sure I must have missed several other ways that closing the EPA can create jobs so feel free to add on to these in the comments section.
While we are at it, we should also shut off other job killing bodies like the OSHA (only the weakest would die due to bad working conditions - it is natural selection / survival of the fittest), the FDA (they are a drag on the food and medicine job market) and all other regulatory bodies and go back to the good old days of the robber barons. Ah! Those were the days when human productivity was at its highest.
PS: All of the above was an attempt at sarcasm. Please do not consider these to be my views.
For all my management friends, don't go wild with the comments on the economics behind the job losses that regulation brings. I do realize that regulation adds cost on industries and thus limits the money they can spend on investments that lead to job creation but we have to realize that they are externalizing the costs of taking care of the environment and when we buy a product that is cheaper but pollutes the environment (or is made with lead paint), we are paying the price for it (often much higher than the industry would pay since it will buy in bulk). It is important that this cost be internalized for them. We have to know where to limit the regulation and that is an area where everyone will have their opinions but to say that bodies like the EPA or the FDA do nothing is a disgrace.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, the 13th - Part 3 - "Saturday the 14th"
The next day after a very pedestrian ceremony, we called up Enterprise to check if Andrea (we might have to convert the cameo to a credited role) could rent out an SUV to drive us to our car and return back to Amherst to return it. Since she was under 25, Enterprise told us that they could not do it. However, if I could be the primary driver, she could be added on as a secondary. We agreed to that on the phone and drove down to Enterprise. The agent checked our licenses, called her insurance agent and got insurance info, did the same for me and asked both to fax our insurance details to him (this is the first time I have seen any rental agency do this). Then, he started filling out the paperwork, gave me the keys and told me "You can drive, she cannot"!!! Then why is she the secondary driver!!! We did not have time to waste on him and recruited another person (in came Byron the Texan-cowboy-researcher to the rescue) to get his car so that we would have two cars to fit all of us.
But by then, Amherst was becoming a jail. The undergrad commencement was about to begin and all roads out were closed. We pleaded with cops, drove through strip malls to get behind them and raced against time to reach the repair shop just before it closed. A few hours of driving later, we reached home and Friday the 13th finally ended.
PS: To seek commercial rights to this thriller, contact me by commenting on this series of blogs.
But by then, Amherst was becoming a jail. The undergrad commencement was about to begin and all roads out were closed. We pleaded with cops, drove through strip malls to get behind them and raced against time to reach the repair shop just before it closed. A few hours of driving later, we reached home and Friday the 13th finally ended.
PS: To seek commercial rights to this thriller, contact me by commenting on this series of blogs.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Friday, the 13th - Part 2 - "The journey to Amherst"
.............Yes, the evening before Tejaswini's graduation my car broke down. Teju switched off the car and I asked all to get out (which was easy considering the traffic). After realizing that it was just steam and not smoke emanating from the hood, we put the car in neutral and took it to the side of the street. A cop came in soon and asked about us. We told her that we had insurance and would call them.
I called up my insurer and it took them over 30 minutes to find someone who could tow us. She told me that since no repair shop was currently open, they would tow us the next morning and that she would find us a taxi to get us out of there now. Leaving the car there was not an option for me and I requested her to tow the car to whichever hotel we were taxied to. Finally another 15 mins later, she found a tow company who could tow us to a repair shop who would repair it the next day. She then put me on hold to find a taxi company. Half an hour later she asked me to call the cops and ask them to help find a taxi.
Not knowing anything else I could do, I called 911. 15 mins later, a cop car arrived. The cop got out of the car and told us to get back to the car. After this ordeal, we did not like being treated as criminals. The previous cops had been nice but this cop was rude. He told us that no cab would pick us up on the highway, we could not walk off, he could not guide us off the expressway since the next few exits were closed and that we had to get out in the tow truck. The tow truck arrived and could seat a max of two. I turned back to the cop and asked him how we could get off now and he yelled at me "Dont panic, we will figure out a way to get you out of there”. I think he mistook the panicker! Thankfully, Teju had found a taxi service that would pick us up by then. We thanked the cop (who had not let us get our stuff out of the car either for safety reasons and waited for the cab with the tow truck.
The cab driver called us a few mins later and we told him exactly where we were and that there was a tow truck with flashing lights behind us........and he missed us! He turned around at the next exit and reached us a few minutes later and we found out that after telling the cab company at least 4 times that there were 5 of us, they had sent a sedan. Thankfully, the cab driver, seeing out plight was kind enough to allow us all to squeeze in. We took the cab straight to Amherst. Thankfully, our friends in Amherst (Andrea and Kratae in special cameos) had delivered the robe and hood to our hotel which was a 5 min walk from the spot of the ceremony. Andrea had even started to drive down to pick us up before we got the cab. We were glad that we did not have to rush around to pick up stuff and fell into bed past 1AM on Friday, the 13th. Little did we know that the day had just begun………watch out for the thrilling finale to this 3 part blog coming to the internet this weekend.
I called up my insurer and it took them over 30 minutes to find someone who could tow us. She told me that since no repair shop was currently open, they would tow us the next morning and that she would find us a taxi to get us out of there now. Leaving the car there was not an option for me and I requested her to tow the car to whichever hotel we were taxied to. Finally another 15 mins later, she found a tow company who could tow us to a repair shop who would repair it the next day. She then put me on hold to find a taxi company. Half an hour later she asked me to call the cops and ask them to help find a taxi.
Not knowing anything else I could do, I called 911. 15 mins later, a cop car arrived. The cop got out of the car and told us to get back to the car. After this ordeal, we did not like being treated as criminals. The previous cops had been nice but this cop was rude. He told us that no cab would pick us up on the highway, we could not walk off, he could not guide us off the expressway since the next few exits were closed and that we had to get out in the tow truck. The tow truck arrived and could seat a max of two. I turned back to the cop and asked him how we could get off now and he yelled at me "Dont panic, we will figure out a way to get you out of there”. I think he mistook the panicker! Thankfully, Teju had found a taxi service that would pick us up by then. We thanked the cop (who had not let us get our stuff out of the car either for safety reasons and waited for the cab with the tow truck.
The cab driver called us a few mins later and we told him exactly where we were and that there was a tow truck with flashing lights behind us........and he missed us! He turned around at the next exit and reached us a few minutes later and we found out that after telling the cab company at least 4 times that there were 5 of us, they had sent a sedan. Thankfully, the cab driver, seeing out plight was kind enough to allow us all to squeeze in. We took the cab straight to Amherst. Thankfully, our friends in Amherst (Andrea and Kratae in special cameos) had delivered the robe and hood to our hotel which was a 5 min walk from the spot of the ceremony. Andrea had even started to drive down to pick us up before we got the cab. We were glad that we did not have to rush around to pick up stuff and fell into bed past 1AM on Friday, the 13th. Little did we know that the day had just begun………watch out for the thrilling finale to this 3 part blog coming to the internet this weekend.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
The graduation ceremony was on Friday, the 13th
Yes, Friday the 13th. This story is not about that day alone though but everything that led to it. My wife, Tejaswini, was to get her degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst on Friday, the 13th day of May in 2011 AD. Her mother had traveled a million miles to be here for the day and her sister, Madhuvanti, and Madhuvanti's fiancee (Niranjan) were traveling from Purdue to attend the ceremony.
The plan was for Teju and her mom to get to Maryland (from New York) on the 11th (wed) for my birthday. Madhuvanti and Niranjan were to get there later that day. We would then drive to Massachusetts for the graduation after I got off work on Thursday. Friday, after the graduation we would drive to NY and on Saturday Madhuvanti would leave to the Netherlands for an internship and Niranjan would return to Purdue.
The 11th of May arrived and my wife and mother-in-law traveled 7 hours to get to MD. We celebrated my birthday with a friend and his wife and then we left to pick up the Hoosiers from the airport. As we were leaving for the airport at 11pm, we were locked in the apartment building as the door knob was broken. We opened the door by sliding a credit card through it and called up the emergency contact number for the apartment and told them to fix the door or else we would not be able to get in. We propped the door open and left. A couple of hours later, when we got back, the door was still broke. The credit card trick could not work from the outside. We called up the apartment complex again and 20 mins later, the maintenance guy called and asked if we were still stuck.. duh! Then he went on to ask if we had pinged our neighbors.. knowing well that it was past midnight. When we told him that we could not wake up people, his comment was - "Well, you woke me up"! Dude, you are being paid for this! He arrived 20 mins later, tried to open up the door, failed and rang all the buzzers shouting "Maintenance, open the door" to all who responded. The surprising part was he was shocked when no one buzzed him in. We finally got into bed at about 2 that night and I woke up early next day and reached work at 6:30 am.
At about 3:30 pm, we began the long (7-8 hr) drive to Amherst. As we entered NY, Teju took the car from me. The night then got livelier as we hit traffic on I-84 in Connecticut. 15 mins later as Teju put her foot on the accelerator, there was a puff of smoke from the hood...........to be continued in part 2 of this thrilling 3 part blog
The plan was for Teju and her mom to get to Maryland (from New York) on the 11th (wed) for my birthday. Madhuvanti and Niranjan were to get there later that day. We would then drive to Massachusetts for the graduation after I got off work on Thursday. Friday, after the graduation we would drive to NY and on Saturday Madhuvanti would leave to the Netherlands for an internship and Niranjan would return to Purdue.
The 11th of May arrived and my wife and mother-in-law traveled 7 hours to get to MD. We celebrated my birthday with a friend and his wife and then we left to pick up the Hoosiers from the airport. As we were leaving for the airport at 11pm, we were locked in the apartment building as the door knob was broken. We opened the door by sliding a credit card through it and called up the emergency contact number for the apartment and told them to fix the door or else we would not be able to get in. We propped the door open and left. A couple of hours later, when we got back, the door was still broke. The credit card trick could not work from the outside. We called up the apartment complex again and 20 mins later, the maintenance guy called and asked if we were still stuck.. duh! Then he went on to ask if we had pinged our neighbors.. knowing well that it was past midnight. When we told him that we could not wake up people, his comment was - "Well, you woke me up"! Dude, you are being paid for this! He arrived 20 mins later, tried to open up the door, failed and rang all the buzzers shouting "Maintenance, open the door" to all who responded. The surprising part was he was shocked when no one buzzed him in. We finally got into bed at about 2 that night and I woke up early next day and reached work at 6:30 am.
At about 3:30 pm, we began the long (7-8 hr) drive to Amherst. As we entered NY, Teju took the car from me. The night then got livelier as we hit traffic on I-84 in Connecticut. 15 mins later as Teju put her foot on the accelerator, there was a puff of smoke from the hood...........to be continued in part 2 of this thrilling 3 part blog
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Pardon???
This blog is based on a conversation I had with someone recently. To protect the identity of the person, the story has been changed to a fictional one. However, it is a fair representation of the story as those who know the real story will attest.
I was talking to Blond Bimbo recently. Here is the conversation
Me: How did the sourdough bread recipe I gave you work out Blond Bimbo?
Blond Bimbo (BB): Oh! It did not do too well. I made it for our family reunion this past week and everyone said they liked Aunt Jemima's cake better than mine.
Me: But I gave you a recipe for bread. Why will people like it as a cake better than a real cake ?
BB: But I never bake bread. I always bring a cake for the all family dinners. Uncle Ben brings the bread.
Me: But you had asked for a recipe for bread!!!....
BB: Well yes, Uncle Ben said that next time onwards he would prefer to bring rice so I volunteered to bake bread. Oh! By the way, do you have another recipe for bread? As I told you the last one flopped.
Me: But you gave it to them as cake. Try to give it as bread. Do you think it was a good bread?
BB: Oh! I never bake bread so I do not know whether it turned out fine. Anyways, give me your new recipe and I will practice it to make sure it turns out fine for the next reunion.
Me: Tell you what, try the recipe I gave you today.... and if it you do not like it as, uh.. BREAD, I will give you another one tomorrow. I am sure you have some time...right? I mean, your family reunion can't be tomorrow if you plan to practice baking the bread.
BB: Oh! no... its not tomorrow. Its tonight.
Me: Mouth agape... Give up mode... Brain drained... Do not remember rest of conversation...
I swear this is a fair representation of the story. If at all, I have toned it down to make it easier to understand (I am not sure I understood what the person was saying or the person did themself).
I was talking to Blond Bimbo recently. Here is the conversation
Me: How did the sourdough bread recipe I gave you work out Blond Bimbo?
Blond Bimbo (BB): Oh! It did not do too well. I made it for our family reunion this past week and everyone said they liked Aunt Jemima's cake better than mine.
Me: But I gave you a recipe for bread. Why will people like it as a cake better than a real cake ?
BB: But I never bake bread. I always bring a cake for the all family dinners. Uncle Ben brings the bread.
Me: But you had asked for a recipe for bread!!!....
BB: Well yes, Uncle Ben said that next time onwards he would prefer to bring rice so I volunteered to bake bread. Oh! By the way, do you have another recipe for bread? As I told you the last one flopped.
Me: But you gave it to them as cake. Try to give it as bread. Do you think it was a good bread?
BB: Oh! I never bake bread so I do not know whether it turned out fine. Anyways, give me your new recipe and I will practice it to make sure it turns out fine for the next reunion.
Me: Tell you what, try the recipe I gave you today.... and if it you do not like it as, uh.. BREAD, I will give you another one tomorrow. I am sure you have some time...right? I mean, your family reunion can't be tomorrow if you plan to practice baking the bread.
BB: Oh! no... its not tomorrow. Its tonight.
Me: Mouth agape... Give up mode... Brain drained... Do not remember rest of conversation...
I swear this is a fair representation of the story. If at all, I have toned it down to make it easier to understand (I am not sure I understood what the person was saying or the person did themself).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)