A weird theorem

Recently I came across the phrase “If a picture speaks a thousand words, then a video speaks a million” on two occasions. This triggered my remaining brain cells to wonder what or how does the math work ? Well lets start by supposing/making some assumptions…here goes…Grade 10 Geometry style proof

Given:

A picture speaks a thousand words

To prove/determine:

What is the required length of the video to speak a million words, given the above condition.

Proof:

1 image = 1000 words (Given)
Thus 1 million words = 1000 images

1 minute video @ 24 fps = 1440 images/min
1 minute video @ 12 fps = 720 images/min

Consider 24fps.

1000/1440 = 0.69 mins
1 min = 60 secs;
ergo: 0.69 mins = 41.4 secs

Ergo for a video to “speak” be a million words, it would have be 41.4 secs long

Gee I hope this is true…else I am going to look like a royal j-a**. Its official I have completely lost it…sorry Nikhil, could not resist bro

NOTE:

I suck at Math..and was rightly pointed out by Eric. Although he wasn’t correct in the fullest sense himself. I have put a lot of thought into it and have relied on a Calculator to get the Math right, if I hear one more comment about me being wrong…I am just going to take this article of !! LOL…

Doctors and why I did not take up medicine…

Recently I wrote in my post that I am against doctors and fail to see their profession as a “noble” one. It seems that I offended a good friend. Hence I wish to make amends. The Hippocratic oath (please find the actual oath as an endnote) I believe is not upheld in every sense. I do not mean to say that none of them are noble…neither that none of them are ethical and none of them are my friends . Like I said, it is only because i have been on the other side of the fence, thats why I have lived the other story….and explore the other facet of the patient-doctor relationship.

I have had to take care of my loved ones, while they were in distress in hospitals and it made my heart cringe, with fear…anger and at times incontrollable rage. For someone who is placed next to God himself, as a life saver, compassion is a prime virtue. I can understand that they are human too. At times, they can fail..and at times….they are sleeping at home with their phone off the hook. They are human. I do not blame them for something which is beyond their control…like saving every wounded, ailing, sick person. I have done many a job which made me cranky and irritated, but would I be the same, if I was saving lives?

It happens only in Australia

A few years ago, in a substandard Govinda flick, a song called “It happens only in India” was featured. I guess being in a foreign land, coming from an exotic/mysterious/enigmatic land yourself, you get a lot of questions asked of you. Questions like, “does it really happen in India?” …and its hard to say “yes”….Because some of the stories are very far fetched and distorted. I always stand up for my home country when I answer these questions.

Well I can say that some things can only happen in Australia…I want to make it clear at the outset, that I am not trying to get their back !! Just facts….incidents….which won’t happen back home…of course I have tried to be rational and speak without a bias…but the reader is entitled to his/her opinion.

Here is a list of things that I have compiled….

1. Since Sydney is a “global city” you see a lot people of a lot of different cultures….and nationalities….You don’t get to see that in India. Yes..some cities are metropolitan…housing people from various parts of India…..Sydney is a global city.

2. Nonetheless, the population of Sydney is 4.3 million and is the most populated city in Australia. Now that can never happen in India !! Mumbai, the most populated city in India, ranks 1st in the world as well…and houses a staggering 19-20 million people, which is the population of the whole of Australia !!!!

3. Sports:
Rugby League, Rugby Union & Australian Footy Rules draw huge crowds and bets day in and day out. I would refrain from commenting any further as I am trying to get my head around these games myself !!

Cricket in India, need not be explained…but the keywords affiliated with it are, religion, fanaticism, super-stardom, phenomenal bank balances and advertisements amongst a few. Cricket in Australia, is a not a big deal !!! Only yesterday, I ran into and chatted with two of former Australian cricketers …just like that in a pub….over a beer !! I mean…that can never happen in India. Indian superstars Yuvraj and Sehwag, spent AuD10, 000 in a shopping spree in two hours without being hounded on Oxford street….I am sure they agree that it never happens in India. In India, Australian cricketers are idols….here….there are …. but then the whole population thing…makes it HUGE back home.

4. Racism:
Its not as bad as it sounds….You will always find someone who is one….but then again…its not so bad….at least there is lesser amount of racism towards fellow Australians or natives …in India you see a lot more hatred towards fellow countrymen. Be it towards people of a different religion…standard of living and even people coming from different parts of the country. Although I wasn’t very happy when I was subjected to a few racist comments…I do not hold any grudges against the Australians as a whole.

5. Prostitution and Gambling
They are legal in Australia….you cannot imagine what these two are in India….My mind shudders even at the thought….I remember passing through the “red light” area in Pune….looking around…and feeling sick…and actually shedding tears….just from what I witnessed…as I was passing by. I am not saying its better off….I feel for anyone involved in slave trade of any kind, I guess I will hold myself back and won’t say anymore. Sports betting and Gambling amount to 30 % of the annual revenue for the state of New South Wales!!!

6. Mardi gras and the Gay community….
Mardi gras is a parade for gay, lesbian, trans-gender and queer communities. The participants come out in huge numbers and accept themselves and in fact show themselves off !! This movement began in the 1980s and gained popularity….this year being the biggest ever….and the first to have taken place during after hours. I am not sure the society in India is ready to celebrate such an event…Thats as much as I will say on the matter….

7. Minimum wages:
Every employee is entitled to a minimum wage, for every hour of work done. Even when some businesses indulge in “cash in hand” mode of tax free payment, do suffice to meet your basic needs. There is a minimum wage policy in India…but it is rarely seen in effect. I have seen construction laborers get INR 40 for a whole day’s work (9am-7pm), which converts to AuD 1/-. Its amazing how the standard of life differs when that is the case. Inflation is hitting the world but the effects seem a lot less evident here.

8. Standard of life:
People here, can be argued, winge a lot, about money, about a whole lot of things…may be they do back home too….but then again….they seem to be a lot more privileged, with the money that can be made, and the way the government helps them out. The situation in India is so bad that at times….you cannot turn a blind eye….you just cannot.

9. McDonalds: The world seems to talk about economy in relation to McDonalds burgers these days. SO I will use the same analogy. A large McChicken meal costs around AuD 6/-, lets say which is 60% of an individual’s pay (the bare minimum AuD 10/-, thats been the least I have been paid, so is a bench mark for me). The McChicken meal (large) costs something in the range of INR 120-150 (I don’t have the latest costs !!) …. which would mean 3 times the wages for a day for a laborer…THREE TIMES HIS DAILY WAGE !!!!Talk about standards of living !!!

10. The woman in the house: At the end of the day…when the female laborer greets her animated son running towards her….they both seem to be indifferent to everything….just seem to enjoy being together….being a family…I am sorry to say that the way families work in developed countries is starkly different, and in my opinion wrong at times. The rates of divorces, re-marriages, separated families and families who just plain aren’t in touch with each other are quite high here. The Gen Y Indian too is following suit…which is something I am scared of. But at the moment, I can say for sure that the family dynamic and the upbringing/parenting in India gets my vote….However, Indian males are known to treat their wives as slaves…It is harder here…as the women…seem to be just nosing ahead…and by no means can be “dominated”….However there are household here with no
“women” in it at all….two fathers raising up a kid..or even two mothers…I guess…this can happen only in Australia….at least for a while.

11. Intoxication
I am sure that this is a very controversial issue, but yeah….Oz wins, hands down !! Intoxicants range from alcohol, performance enhancing drugs, recreational drugs, cigarettes and the list goes on and on…I am sad to say that the things are getting worse in India too…..but there is no way in hell that we have reached these levels !!!

12. Public transport
Is preferred here !!! I guess it is so in bigger cities….back home too….but its an experience in itself. It is ridiculously costly for students….all the residents pay half….yes thats right….exactly half as what we international students pay. But I must say the service is fairly good…albeit being a bit risky at times. Traveling in the night can be a pain..and it gets even costlier !!!

13. Police
First and foremost you dial 000 to reach the cops….not 100 as we are used to in India. I think someone joked about not being able to call from a pay phone unless he inserted coins…..imagine that. Come to think of it, I don’t know if its true….hmmm…..something to think about. Anyways….cops here don’t seem like cops….although they are big and bulky like back home….they are stocky ….not “well rounded”..like the cops back home. For some reason…the cops here seem less menacing …. they have a lot of gadgets and accessories to go though….

No matter how much I stand up for India….or blame Australia for not being up to the mark….Well basically the blaming is to be read as me being homesick….I am here and intend to stay on…. The brain drain continues…may be Gen Z would something else in store for us…

PS: My friend PS (Prem Saldanha) who is also my room mate provided some great insights and suggestions which I have mentioned here. Thanks dude…

What happens if I ….

It is a Saturday night and come to think of it…its almost Sunday. I have been reading blog entries posted by my friends for the past two hours. I have no idea why I have been doing that. I have been posting random comments on their work…I have been reading comments written for my own work….basically I am trying to kill time. I think I am searching for something…what is it ?

As an aspiring web designer/developer, one has to use the internet a lot…DUH….and I have been advised by my lecturer at UTS that “Internet Explorer (IE) sucks and if you use it, I will fail you”…..so we all have been meticulously using Firefox (FF). Now there is this small/tiny text box at the top right of my FF window. It has a small icon “G” next to it….aha….it is indeed the Google search bar integrated with my FF. If ever I need an answer, that is where my “cursory” glance goes and I find myself …unavoidably typing the query in the search box. Every time the word “Search” flashes in my mind…I think of that small little text box…which opens many a door…(if not every !!). Just today I must have used the same text box to find answers to at least 20 questions. Here are some of them….

1. What are the lyrics of the song “bahut pyar karet hain ” from a Hindi movie called, Saajan ?
2. How do the teams in IPL look after the mind numbing auction?
3. Where the hell is Washinton DC?
4. Who is that actress from the movie…?
5. Which movies have been made on schizophrenics?
6. Whats the time in Oman right now?
7. Whats the weather in Pune like at this moment?
8. When was the last time India beat Aus in a ODI at the SCG..
9. Whats going on in cricket?

So on and so forth. The questions are varied and do not share any context with each other. However the Google toolbar always provides me with an answer, which most definitely answers my question or at least leads me to a different “search” or more aptly…a different path !! Well Google search engines use the “PigeonRank” technique devised by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of the Google algorithm. It is quite interesting how they do it, although it is quite beside the point.

(You can read about it however at: http://www.google.com/technology/pigeonrank.html)

At 2am I decided…I have been searching for something (also read as “something to do” as the insomniac in me will not give in)…so I decided to go to my able aide….the text box with the “G” icon next to it…I still don’t know what I am going to put there….so I enter the first thing that comes to my mind….r-a-n-j-e-e-t (space) e-l-k-u-n-c-h-w-a-r, which incidentally happens to be my name.

As a rule, Google asks me if I meant “Ranjit Elkunchwar”…but comes up with 205 search results !!!! It promptly displays the first 10 from the list and boasts it only took the algorithm about0.19 seconds to come up with these results.

“As a rule”, also advised my lecturer, “you shouldn’t go to three or more pages, when you look for results, chances are …if you don’t find them in the first three…you won’ find them at all…..this works for most searches except for photographs….if you don’t find it…change your keywords or be smarter !!”

I was startled to see 205 results….however I decided to only concentrate on the first 30 like my professor said. Now this list was fascinating. I found a few entries which led to this very log, quite natural, as every time someone clicked on the link to my blog, its page rank increased…elementary…that meant that it would appear as the latest entry…easy ain’t it ? (PigeonRank…its a good read..believe me.

It also pointed to some of the comments people have posted on my blog…also natural…but what interested me…followed these entries. Ranked third on the list was an academic paper that my team submitted last semester. Impressive.Then came the link to the (mandatory) blog which I had to author as part of my curriculum. Hmmm…Then came in a list of names from Facebook. Then our team standing (a pathetic 84/150 with 890 points) at the NSW rogaining competition held last year….some nice memories !! Then came a film (Santiago….a must watch) which we made using the 30 mm film stock and a Bolex camera, the ones Charlie Chaplin used, in his day….also as a part of our curriculum…Oh that brought some good memories as well !!Then came some links to website hosting competitions related to “short films” in which my team mate entered that very film. And then it was all Mahesh Elkunchwar and random hits in my name…Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, Ranjit Singhji, Ranjeet Prakash, Ranjeet Desai..Ranjeet Chowdhary, Ranjeet Fernando etc. Mahesh Elkunchwar as you may know is a famous playwright and a part of my extended family, someone very close to my heart. A few hits later, I found a few of my cousins and other relatives listed there as well. We claim that everyone with the last name Elkunchwar belongs/is related to my family. I use this opportunity to call any other Elkunchwars….who come across this, if they indeed google their own name at some point or the other…to come forward and establish contact…I am sure we are related !!!!

Content with what I got, I clicked on the “did you mean ranjit elkunchwar” hyperlink..It pointed me to the same search results. That was bit of a let down. I was getting on a bit of a roll. If I entered just “elkunchwar”….my G’pa was the only one listed !!! Hmm….we are a big family….quite big…so this was a surprise….

Google your own name…and see what comes up…a friend of mine was pissed because when he did the same, he found a spiteful entry I wrote, on my blog and was stupid enough to put his name thinking that who was going to find it anyways as my blog then was “unpublished”!!!

I guess it is worth your while to Google yourself. I had a sudden celebrity like feeling, which was totally uncalled for. I started to think what it really like to be out there…and I also wondered about things like privacy, security, etc. Thankfully nothing came up when I hit “images”. It something we all need to be aware of, what comes up when someone tries to look for you….could say a lot about you…

Did I want some other things come up when I was googled ? Hmm…what if someone was actually looking ? Internet predators are looming….they must be kept at bay….I also wondered if the last hour has been a waste of my time…I guess when its 330 am…you are allowed a few handicaps when you enter the field of play…
Here are some of the links I mentioned in the blog that I would love for you guys to have a look…this will also bring its page rank up and may be they might end up on the top 10/205 list !! Which would mean that they will become a part of the “most relevant search” with respect to my name.

Santiago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXx_4c7RXao

NSW Rogainging Newsletter: http://www.nswrogaining.org/AboutNSWRA/Newsletters/Num119-123-2007/news120.pdf

Recommender systems:
http://www.atlantis-press.com/index_atlantis_press.html?http%3A//www.atlantis-press.com/php/authorindex.php%3Fauthorstr%3DR

Cheers,

Ranjeet

Yet another let down…

Summary of a heated discussion after India lost the homes series to Aus 4-1 (07-08)

Today, yet again…the Indian Cricket team let me and a zillion other fans down. Yet again….I guess….I am a fanatic and am crazy about cricket…every time Team India goes out onto the field..I am thinking…”this is it…today is our day…we are so gonna nail those #$@!^*@. …this time….”. About eight hours later..I always find myself trying to find some reason or excuse….something in defense of the team….something to save face…(now that I am in Aus)….

Yesterday after another defeat and a series loss (at home…if we couldn’t even come close to the Aussies here…what are we going to do when we tour Aus? ) we …i.e. me and two of my friends had a lengthy conversation….rather two diverse monologues were thrown at me…I was put in a spot and was asked to answer questions like ” why do you go and support this team which has let us down so many times??”…”why do you think the Indians spend valuable time which could be utilized to hone your skills or work out in the nets….sporting ad campaigns??”….” why have the Indian players been given houses owing to their recent T20 win, when so many Indians are still without a roof or come to think of it…don’t even get a morsel of food ??? …

I have been in this spot before….cheering for India….side tracking detractors and pessimists (some in my very own home ) and have supported India with all my heart….possibly….it is time to use my head…..just possibly…

My love for the game and the zeal….is a good thing….but being defeated…over and over again….and that too, because Team India is not playing to true potential … and apart from that…some covert factors which have been the bane of Indian cricket since time eternal…but it is starting to wear off…which sucks…it absolutely sucks…as erratic fans like us….deserve an erratic team performance….we do….we praise them and glorify them when then win and leave them in the lurch and even curse them…with all our hearts when we loose.

I have never been shut up….by anyone about Cricket…with some very deep insight into Indian Cricket and Team India…but I had the privilege to get that ’slap in my face’ which has made me loose the fanaticism and crazy love for the game and helped to think rationally and ‘practically’ for once…..just once about cricket in India. I use the terms….’Cricket in India’, ‘Indian Cricket’, ‘Team India’ and ‘ a true Indian cricket fan’, knowingly as they all mean something else….let me elaborate..

Cricket in India:

It is a religion, it is a love which no one can understand, it is a craze, it is fanaticism, it is childish and kiddish, and most importantly, it is unprofessional and downright corrupt, to the core. All this while people have been playing with their hearts, I guess its time for them to play with their heads as well. Cricket in India has created such a big envelope over other sports that no one even recognizes any achievements in other sports. Conversely, in Australia, Cricket is not that big a deal….honest….no one really cares…I was shocked to find this…but it is true…

Team India

Players and selectors are a let down. I can understand that players may have off days, but sometimes, in certain circumstances…..those off days….sound like “ching ching”….as in money being laundered in. I am not suggesting that people are still pawning their country off…..but could they be ?? This question always looms…Team India…is like a glossy paper…everything looks bright and shiny….crisp and silken..but then again…the looks are deceptive.

Indian cricket:

Also know as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the politicians , the selectors, punters and a billion fans (…actually its not fair to say that they have a billion fans…..may be 800 million)……and Team India all come together to create an enigma…..Indian Cricket. In India, apart from films and soaps…..the only thing most talked about must be cricket….is it the fame which has catapulted these players into thinking their lives are larger than the real ones ?? One of the things we discussed was that the players be charged…just as they are awarded….when they perform poorly…would that be fair ? Well if you think about it…if someone can get a flat..an expensive one…for being the 14th man in the squad….then he should be fined too….

The whole local cricket circuit needs a change…an uplift….some catalysis is required….wait a minute….this was the same thought which was doing rounds 6 yrs ago, when Greg Chappell became the coach of India and a few years before, when John Wright took over.

I guess…..everyone has an opinion about cricket in India….every Tom, Dick and Harry …everyone is passionate and reactions are harsh…both about victory and defeat….Balance and synergy are the need of the hour. An update at the grass roots is needed…It is very evident from the comment the new coach of the Sri Lankan Cricket team made….and I quote “no wonder we (Australia) produce better players….we have such a better setup as compared to the subcontinent….”. Is anyone listening ? The media needs to change its attitude…the sponsorships must reduce…the players must concentrate on the game…and results….the older generations must be actively involved in the game….

Wait a minute…I have started on the path of passion being louder than reality again….I mean,what if all of this materializes….?? Would Team India be the best ? I guess no matter what….the next time India goes out to play…I will be rooting for them again….even though..I might have my tail in between my legs 7 hrs thence….I feel that if the Team loses fans like me….its going to be hard for them to sustain anyone else…

India did win the next game and the one off T20 game…..well then….should I cheer for India or stick to my critical stance??

If it seems that I am crazy…well I am …about the game…and will be…I guess…for a long long time…..