Figuring Things Out

Gloom, Doom and a "Fallen Giant"

2012-01-31T10:29:00.000-08:00

. This month, Western Japan-experts have been out in full force, debating Japan's perception of itself. The debate was set off by an article in the New York Times, written by Eamonn Fingleton. Titled "The Myth of Japan's Failure", the piece refutes a widely held dim view of the country and its economy and insists that a 'number of facts and figures that don’t quite square with Japan’s image as

'Bias for thought against action'

2012-01-10T13:14:00.000-08:00

"Although Indians blame ideology (and sometimes democracy) for their failings, the truth is that a mundane inability to implement policy -- reflecting a bias for thought and against action -- may have been even more damaging." This is a quote from an essay written by Gurcharan Das in Sep., 2006 issue of Foreign Affairs. Nearly six years later, just about every point in the essay continues to

Udon in India's Spaghetti Bowl

2012-01-09T11:45:00.000-08:00

In the spaghetti bowl of international trade agreements, India's plate seems to be garnised very 'comprehensively'. We have comprehensive partnerships, comprehensive cooperation, and then those that sit on the fence between cooperation and partnership! The word seems to be a favorite with governments. But if examined its usage a little more closely, it turns out that even though it sounds

Dying Gasps on Broadband

2012-01-06T01:51:00.000-08:00

. Within days of getting a broadband connection from BSNL I find myself trying to decipher the secret language of LEDs, to understand why my internet connection keeps tripping every few minutes. 'Customer Care' at BSNL, unfortunately, continues to be an oxymoron. The helpline has a ready, pre-recorded explanation for all wobbly connections - 'technical work is in progress'. And this has been on

BSNL: Telephones, Broadband and Bribes

2012-01-03T22:05:00.000-08:00

A week ago I was pleasantly surprised to see a BSNL employee at our doorstep with a packet in hand. I had applied for a land-line + broadband connection and this 'lineman' had come for the first part: handing over the telephone instrument and activating the physical connection. Over the past two decades the government-owned telecom company had transformed into a trend-setter when it comes to

Year of the Dragon

2012-01-01T03:59:00.000-08:00

Pic source: Getty Images from Daily Mail The new year has started with an interesting headline in the Western media - "China's New Dragon Stamp Breathes Criticism". What is it about this piece of artwork that inspires such a big fuss? Why This Kolaveri Di? :-) Designed by Chen Shaohua the postage stamp shows a fiery, beautiful dragon splayed out as if on a dissection board, staring out

Yet Another Summit Meeting

2011-12-30T12:03:00.000-08:00

The Japanese Prime Minister, Noda, visited India this week. As usual, there was much talk about boosting trade, technology transfer and maintaining high levels of ODA assistance for infrastructure projects. Despite all the special reports, exclusive interviews and sound-bites, there seems to be little evidence of any real change in the bilateral equation. When the dust settles down one hard

Zebra Crossing

2011-12-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

Ever wondered why there are so many jaywalker's on Indian roads? Here is a part of the answer: This is a 'zebra-crossing' in the heart of central Delhi. It takes you from a flower-bed to a high, layered hedge...so there is no point in attempting to cross the road from here - unless, of course, you happen to be a zebra! :)

Techno-nationalism

2011-12-14T08:47:00.000-08:00

. The Economist has come up with a term for China's single-minded pursuit of advanced technology - 'Techno-Nationalism'. Techno-nationalism designates the restriction of foreign participation in domestic research and development. The focus is laid on national gains through accessing foreign technology and the monopolization of technology, rather than on mutual exchange with other nations.

Passive Surveillance, Active Apprehensions

2011-12-14T07:17:00.000-08:00

. Ever so often the word 'technology' seems like a synonym for 'magic'.A few months back, I was fascinated by the case of the 'Stuxnet' virus. A computer programme so meticulously created, it spread through innocuous pen-drives all over the world until it lodgded itself in its target: a particular type of centrifuges purchased by Iran from Siemens, Germany, and which was being used to enrich

Discovering Dhiren

2011-12-02T08:14:00.000-08:00

In circa 1996, when Sree & I were rummaging through second-hand books at Daryaganj's Sunday-pavement-market, he suddenly picked up a shabby, damp, dog-eared book and said, "Buy this! If you don't like it, I'll take it from you whenever you want -- a buy-back guarantee!" The same book resurfaced while I was unpacking recently: Dhiren Bhagat's "The Contemporary Conservative". It was dustier and

The Mobile Broadband Circus

2011-11-30T09:27:00.001-08:00

A friend working - rather unhappily - with a telecom company made a number of interesting observations that set me wondering about the telecom industry in India. Before I discuss the industry, let me first list out the observations: CDMA is a better technology than GSM. All the talk about 3G being "the best" for mobile internet access is just a lot of hype. Connection speeds are anyday better

Why Japan's R&D scores over ours

2011-11-24T00:52:00.001-08:00

Article published in the Hindu Businessline, 23 November 2011 ................................................................................................ Why Japan's R&D scores over ours R. DINAKAR Indian industry has shown little interest in overtures from public sector R&D labs. Unlike in Japan, India's ivory-tower scientists are wary of working closely with

I Never Knew..

2011-11-19T05:51:00.001-08:00

. As far as experiences go, is there anything better than a short, sharp trip? After a quick, week-long visit to Kerala, I am convinced that intense road-travel is the best way to know soak in the contrasts that a place has to offer, without getting getting sucked into a vortex of ennui, nit-picking and petty politics. This particular trip started with Indigo flight 6E-177 from Delhi to

Reliance and a Weak State

2011-11-07T03:15:00.000-08:00

. I just finished reading Hamish McDonald's acclaimed book, "Ambani & Sons -The Making of the World's Richest Brother's and their Feud". Its an amazing piece of work. It is surprising that it took an Australian journalist to dig out murky details of corporate India and present it in such an eminently readable form. On the other hand, perhaps this is something only a foreigner could do:

Steve and the Perfect Staircase

2011-10-31T09:02:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs is listed as an inventor in 317 US patents. Most of them are, quite predictably, related to computers and peripheral devices, but there are notable exceptions - and one of them is a patent for the glass staircase that adorns Apple stores! ------------------------------------------------------------- MORE INFO: Ifo Apple Store - Glass Staircase - http://www.ifoapplestore.com/

Formula-1 in the Fields of Dankaur

2011-10-30T22:21:00.000-07:00

View Larger Map The race is over. Vettel won. Mayavati, representing the 'head of state', has handed over the gleaming trophies while the ministers of the central government have been acting like petulant children, claiming that they were not invited and threatening tax raids at the same time. Given their handling of the Commonwealth Games, its a small mercy that they were not directly

NCR Delhi: Pics & Unanswered Questions

2011-10-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

Garbage Bins, Janpath: Right in the middle of the most touristy street market in Delhi, these two garbage-bins have been placed upside down for the past four years. Why? - because Delhi Police is afraid that some terrorist might place bombs in them. If so, what can be reason for not removing them permanently? Open drain bordering Harola, Sector 5, Noida: The plastic bags are floating

'All Architecture is Political'

2011-10-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

. At a time when the rest of the English-language media is busy flinging mud at Mayavati's "Dr. Ambedkar Memorial Park" in Noida, here is a refreshing, contrarian view from Jerry Rao: Rao, Jerry (Indian Express, 2011): The Elites Don't Get it http://www.indianexpress.com/news/elites-dont-get-it/861197/0 Exerpt: Media pundits and self-appointed experts forget a central theme in human affairs

A Tablet Called "Aakash"

2011-10-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

"This marks India's leap into the future of PC technology" - Kapil Sibal, Minister of Science & Technology at the launch of Mobilis (priced at Rs.10,000, launched in May 2005) "This is for all those who are disempowered. This is is for all those who have no access. This is for all those who are marginalized...The Akash is proudly made in India, and is destined to revolutionize computing

Cultural Myopia

2011-10-07T22:47:00.000-07:00

Why is it that most of the scholarly work in Indian Social Sciences arena, actually originates from outside the country? Is anything new and original coming out of our own universities? Perhaps a more recent and popular example of this is William Darlymple's book, "The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty" - a research on the events leading up to the bloody conflicts of 1857. This piece of work

Two Great Pieces

2011-10-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

. Steve Jobs passed away yesterday at 5:00AM. Amidst the cacophony of tributes that was let loose by the audio-visual media, the one I liked best was a short, crisp piece by K. Venugopal in the Business Line: Steve Jobs and His Company (BL, 7 Oct., 2011) The second piece was a scathing critique of the Planning Commission by Bhanu Pratap Mehta in the Indian Express: Errors of Commission (IE

Tools of Trade

2011-10-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

. Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses have got swankier, the staff are now seen in uniforms and the conductor no longer trapezes all over the bus distributing the tickets. Despite all these changes there is still one thing that always makes me squirm: The sight of conductors struggling with both hands to pinch out numbers from the tiny paper-tickets! Why on earth do the conductors make a

Picking the Brickbats

2011-10-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

. This post is an attempt to collect & respond to feedback received on my OpEd article (Business Line 30 Sep., 2011), titled - "Where Delhi Metro Went Off-Track". First of all, the caveats: I am just a curious fellow and not the 'ultimate authority on urban rail transport technology'. I am from IRMA and my main area of interest is Development - especially the use of technology for, and by the

Where Delhi Metro went off track

2011-09-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

Article published in the Business Line OpEd. (Friday, 30 Sep., 2011) Business Line : Opinion : Where Delhi Metro went off track &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/article2497657.ece?textsize=large&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;test=1" title="Large Text Size" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;T+&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;