Vayu
I am not sure what to make out of this
Though this article claims lot of companies are moving towards chennai from bangalore, I am not really convinced. At the very best I can assume that it is the next desired port of expansion for companies which is near to the main centre (B'lore) with appropriate conditions for growth. Generally articles like these tend to exaggerated the facts inorder to capture the attention of readers. Anyway, as a chennaite it is welcome. Despite the claim of other cities for IT boom, I had always believed that there is a strong chennaite population in each of these cities behind the boom. Nevertheless before I start becoming jingoistic, here is the article.
Why are the Tamil Nadu techies heading home?Sunday September 26 2004 18:52 IST
NEW DELHI: Its a billion dollar puzzle that the Karnataka government wants to crack desperately. How come frontline IT firms are logging out Bangalore from their investment map and heading to Chennai: Infosys, Wipro, TCS, HCL Technologies, Patni Computer Systems (PCS), Satyam and MNCs like Covansys, Cognizant Technology Solutions (Cognizant), Xansa have all announced big plans for the city. Ask them why and get the suave counter, Why not? Look deeper. Electricity supply is less of a concern here. The city boasts of a decent infrastructure like good roads, an international airport, availability of international bandwith and more importantly an impressive talent pool of software professionals. Statistics reveal that TN has around 250 engineering colleges producing 60,000 engineering graduates each year, of which nearly 35,000 specialise in IT all over the world. Says R Chandrashekaran, managing director, Cognizant, When we set up operations in Chennai in 1994, a large number of software professionals from Tamil Nadu, who were working overseas for several multinationals or software companies in other Indian cities were keen to return to Chennai. This propelled us to set up our base here to attract the returning talent. In fact, industry experts believe that the fear of losing talent to home-grown companies from Chennai motivated many IT firms to set up centres in the city. Additionally, In the absence of transfer options within the company, many professionals prefer a job in a Chennai-based firm. Instead of losing out to competitors, the IT majors want to give their employees the option of transfer to their own development centres in the city, says one source. Besides, says Chandrasekaran, One aspect of Tamil Nadu that has not been extensively written about is its ethics. The work ethics and performance ethics of the local people are of a very high order. This is critical in the services business. Agrees Amitabh Srivastava, director, Operations, Xansa. Chennai has low attrition rates mainly because of the work ethics of its people. In comparison to people from other states, Chennaites tend to be more loyal to their companies. And their hearts are clearly in permanent sambar withdrawal.
Magic squares - brain teasers ???!!!
Magic squares are the arrangement of numbers in n X n cells such that addition along the horizontal or vertical or diagonal direction yields same sum. Think it is difficult to solve. Actually it is pretty easy if you know the trick. Let me see...
8 1 6
3 5 7
4 9 2
This one is a magic square with sum equal to n(n*n + 1)/2 = 15
What about n=7, 9, 0r 57....think it is a problem nope...
take a small bit of paper and say for n = 3, draw the cells. Since n is a odd number here, start populating it from the uppermost - middle square starting from 1
X 1 X
X X X
X X X
Now, fold the paper vertically. We find that, S33 comes above diagonally over 1. Fill it up as 2.
X 1 X
X X X
X X 2
Now the second fold is horizontal. So, S21 will come diagonally above 2. Fill it up as 3.
X 1 X
3 X X
X X 2
Ouch!...there is a 1 already. Fear not! Since vertical fold would still yield the place of 1(S12) as the possible location which is already filled, go to the cell just below 3. Fill it up as 4 and lo!!! I can fill up till 6 in one shot.
X 1 6
3 5 X
4 X 2
Now, a horizontal fold does not yield any cell and a vertical fold yields the cell S33 which is already occupied by 2. So, go to the cell below 6 and fill it up as 7. Horizontal fold. Fill up 8 at S11. The remaining S32 will be filled up with 9 (you can fold and check).
8 1 6
3 5 7
4 9 2 Voila!!! There is your magic square.
You can follow this procedure for any value of n.
Note:
1. n=odd; start in the middle upper most cell. n = even; start at S11
2. Alternate horizontal and vertical folds.
3. When no cell is available, go to the cell below.
If I have left anyother rules mail me at
vind@siu.edu
I tried and got this:
17 24 1 8 15
23 5 7 14 16
4 6 13 20 22
10 12 19 21 3
11 18 25 2 9
Enjoy!!!!
The Da vinci code
I am reading this book now. Hardly into the first quarter and this book is so interesting. Never knew about the divine proportion. hmmm....a good book after a long time
So finally they have accepted!!!
Quoting "The Hindu", Centre has decided to declare Tamil as a classical language and it is first of its kind in India. Probably sanskrit would also be declared in future. However not every language can be declared classical since there are strict guidelines for it. So I am quite happy about this announcement.
Idiots
About the ganesh festival. I read the following article in hindu and how plaster of paris is used to create huge idols. This guys says, only after the government comes up with conclusive tests he would believe that these idols are causing pollution to the environment. what does he think of himself. Totally retarded and idiotic. If he is so convinced that plaster of paris does not cause pollution, let him and his family eat their daily meals in plates made of plaster of paris. We will surely know within few days whether the chemical is a pollutant or not. As I said, absolute idiots.
25 days, 20 men to make a 10-foot idol
By Our Staff Reporter
CHENNAI, SEPT. 13. It is just four days till Vinayaka Chaturti and the men at Kosapet are busy. Some are giving the finishing touches while others making new are making new plaster of Paris idols of Ganesha. Broken pieces litter the workplace and young men use beaten coir to mould new idols.
The men, in torn and faded clothes, are elbow deep in white paste used to make the idols. Despite the recent stay on using plaster of Paris, those who have placed orders want to know the status of their orders.
Under a huge tree in an open yard in a shabby by-lane, Murthi, one of the contractors supervises nearly a dozen workers and answers calls on his cell phone. He has a copy of the test certificate for plaster of Paris issued in July by the Department of Industries and Commerce.
300 workers involved
A five-foot statue is priced at Rs. 700 but clay idols are available for even Rs. 2, he says. In Kosapet alone, about 300 workers are currently involved in making the idols. It takes 25 days and 20 men to make a 10-foot idol. For the past month and a half, the area has been busy. "This festival provides job for at least 1,000 people. The coir is beaten elsewhere and brought here in carts. These people can expect to make some money."
Earlier, the manufacturers used ordinary colouring material. A coat of enamel ensured that the paint would not run off. Though the plastered idols withstand rain, seawater will destroy the idols within a few hours, says Murthi.
Buyers like Logu from Tiruvanmiyur and Venkatesh from Perambur, who have placed orders for the big idols, do not buy the argument that the immersion will pollute the sea and its living creatures. "Let the Government take samples of the sea water before and after immersion and come out with the test results."
The contractors, however, suggest that if the Government comes up with alternatives to the chemical paints they currently use, they would abide by the decision.
On Perambur High Road nearby, the picture is different. Here one can see a family from North India working with plaster of Paris to make Ganesha idols.
Those around note that they come to the city during Janmashtami or Vinayaka Chaturthi to make a tiny profit. The Vinayaka idols can cost up to Rs. 500.
About sam's post and the needle pricking
I read my friend sam's blog site from time to time. I was surprised and a little annoyed to find someone responding to him in a way which is utterly retarded. I am not talking about the casteism in India. That is a different topic altogether. I am talking about the attitute of the so called "patriots" of our country. How can a person become more devoted to his country only because he is living there? How can somebody's worth be judged just because he happens to reject offers to go to US? So, is going to US the yardstick of India's patriotism? Crap. If someone believes that one can contribute to his country only within its borders, it shows a narraw mind and lack of foresight. I believe, we can contribute to India just as well by being outside its borders as those who are well "within". Personally it increases awareness, develops individuality, integrity etc. On the higher level, in a crude sort of way, one serves as an ambassador of the country, its culture, tradition and beliefs. Like how I would have worked in India, I work here, but , send money back to India, helps more people there in India (which might not have been possible if were to be there), and increase the clout of my country here (where ever it is here). If only we had thought about this centuries ago, probably the world might be speaking hindi or some other indian language and we will be having VISA iterviews for the western nations. To me it boils down to this - wealth. Becasue, only wealth can feed people, only wealth can give education, only wealth can give health care, only wealth can give security and only wealth can give power. If it will make India richer if it sends its citizens to saturn so be it. All is well which ends well.
Huh!!!
I really don't understand so many things in this world. Why in the seven hells do I have to go through everything that I went through 3 years back. I am talking about my fund searching phase now. Like everybody else why cant I have a normal life? Am I so "Special". What's my problem?
More trivial things:
Got to ask venkat to send atleast my cellphone. I am unable to call anyone. Planning to spend my weekend productively by doing homeworks and studying. However, the reality is, I am such a dumb idiot that I am searching for movies at library (over 6000....wow!!!). Somebody SAVE ME. Period
