On a (longish) break

I decided to call it quits to my professional job sometime towards January end of 2019. The end result is that I am now without a job, and on an extended break. Of course, there are a lot of things that are planned to be done even though they may not result in material gains. One of these things is to get back to blogging. It's been quite some time, and it really feels blogging has given way to the vlogging trend.

Maybe it's time for me to start a vlog.

In Mumbai for a few days

This blog has been languishing ever since I shifted to Bengaluru. I just could not get enough spare time to write a post. Now, for a few days, I am back in Mumbai. Hopefully, I get time to put down my thoughts and experiences. And, it is the time for me to allow myself just a little indulgence in Wada Paav, Paav Bhaji, and Misal which I miss sorely in Bengaluru.

Bye Mumbai, Namaskara Bengaluru

The time has come to bid goodbye to Mumbai, my home for the past 37 or so years. A change in jobs has made this move necessary. So I will be trading my wada paavs, farali misal, paav bhaji for "veg manchuri", special dosas, idlis, and filter coffee.


Will keep posted on the experience here.

Teaching the kid how to factorize

So, one day when I return home, I find my wife desperately trying to teach the kid how to find all factors of a number in vain. The kid was unable to comprehend how to do it. After watching for a while, I decided to step in.

With the background in programming coming handy, I first explain what are prime numbers. Then, using the divide-and-conquer method, I show how to factorize.

For example, if the number is 36, I first say that the number itself and 1 are two of the factors.

36 = 36 x 1

Then, we choose a single factor which will divide the given number. For example, 9.

36 = 9 x 4

Now, repeat the above method for each of the factors until you reach prime numbers - numbers that cannot be factorized any further.

9 = 3 x 3
4 = 2 x 2

Since 3 and 2 are prime numbers, we are now in a position to find ALL the factors.

36 = 3 x 3 x 2 x 2

Now, form all possible combinations to get all the factors.

36 = 3 x (3 x 2 x 2) = 3 x 12
   = (3 x 3 x 2) x 2 = 18 x 2
   = (3 x 2) x (3 x 2) = 6 x 6


Add the ones found earlier, and that would complete the list of all the factors.

36 = 36 x 1
   = 9 x 4
   = 3 x 12
   = 2 x 18
   = 6 x 6

So, the factors of 36 are:
1, 36, 9, 4, 3, 12, 2, 18, 6

The above method has the advantage of being very fast, but it has the disadvantage that it becomes difficult if it is not easy to find the first factor.

Happy New Year 2012

A very happy new year. Another new year, another day. This  new year I purchased a new pair of computer speakers - the Bose Companion 20 (a new model, and as usual expensive). The old speakers were less than nearly one-tenth the price of the new ones, but the old ones had nearly conked off.

Long time, no post...

Its been a long time since I last blogged on this blog. I think this is because of 2 main reasons:

 One, I find no spare time on weekdays. This is in turn because my workplace location has changed and I have to commute about 36 km one way (not an easy task using public transportation in Mumbai).

The other reason is that most of my browsing /  email reading at home happens on the iPad2. And to type anything on the iPad2 is a cumbersome task.

So no blogs, my friend. At least until I return to my PC. This post, by the way, is from the PC.

The death of the dead zone???

Even as I type this post, a mega-block (a non-availability of railway tracks in railway parlance) on the Western Railway suburban section draws to a close. This was due to the conversion of the electrification from DC to AC. While the lines north of Borivili were already AC-electrified, this work would mean that the lines would be converted to AC from north of Vile Parle instead. With that, in all probability, the neutral "dead zone" (which is currently at Borivili) would be shifted to Vile Parle. And, within a few months, the dead zone would be all gone as the entire suburban section would be AC-electrified.

Another Bengaluru trip

This evening I fly into Bengaluru for some work related conference. I am not carrying the heavy laptop, instead choosing to opt for my android mobile for emails / browsing. Since I do not have a SIM card in the device, I will have to rely on the WiFi connectivity instead. Usually, many conference venues, airports, and hotels have a WiFi connectivity. I hope this works out. Will post back the results here.

Update: This idea is working out quite well. WiFi access at Mumbai airport, accommodation, as well as at the venue. Good riddance to heavy laptops?

Update 2: I reached Mumbai late on Thursday evening (10th November). Like I mentioned in the earlier update, the idea of using the Android phone worked very well. Apart from the free WiFi access mentioned above, there was also free WiFi access available at Bangalore International Airport, except that the one at Bangalore restricted free access for 45 minutes. If more access was required, one was supposed  to buy additional access from online or some counter at the airport. I did not bother to buy additional time.

In hindsight, all one does is to check and reply to emails. All of this can be done easily today using a smart phone. Of course, typing long memos / documents is a pain, and obviously, one will also not have access to a development environment, but in a short trip such as this where a majority of the time is spent in attending the conference talks, this is hardly a priority.

In Dharwad, this Diwali...and back

This Diwali I am spending spent a quiet vacation in Dharwad. The weather is was cool and pleasant - perfect for a vacation. And, by the end of the week, we are back in Mumbai all charged up.

We had 3 weekdays off for the Diwali festival starting Wednesday, and adding the 2 weekend days meant a really long weekend vacation. The decision to visit Dharwad was taken late, and it was quite difficult to get train tickets at such a short notice, so we had to travel by bus. We went by a Volvo bus of VRL Travels, one that has lot of services on this route.

We left on Tuesday evening (after work) and  reached back on Sunday (today). The journey to Dharwad on Tuesday was quite tiring - the bus arrived about an hour late (traffic) at our boarding point, there was horrendous traffic (hordes were going away from Mumbai for Diwali), we had a flat tyre, I had dinner at 1:30 a.m., and until 6:30 a.m. in the morning we were still in Kolhapur.

Then, things changed for the better - a new expressway from Belgaum meant that we reached Dharwad in just 2 more hours at around 8:30 a.m.

The return journey was short and with no incidents - we reached in about 8 hours.

In Dharwad, we spent playing (badminton and other iPad games), praying (at various temples), and eating (Diwali!!!). The climate, as I mentioned, was very much pleasant - it was also cold at certain times due to sporadic rains. We spotted several types of birds, and a mongoose and squirrels. Oh! and by the way, although we did not visit the railway station this time, we could still hear the short powerful horns of the diesel locos - no doubt of the WDP4s / WDG4s of the UBL (Hubli) loco sheds.

All in all it was time spent well - a much needed  break from the polluted environs and hectic life of Mumbai. I can still feel the cool breeze and the fresh air of Dharwad. Need to stop dreaming and wake up - its back to the grind from tomorrow.

iPad2 bought

Just bought a new toy, the iPad2. I must say that I was inspired by my cousins (R from the USA, and R from Bengaluru). Indeed the whole wifi setup done at home recently was geared towards the ipad2 in mind. This post has been posted from the iPad.

Update on the fever

After a series of medical blood tests, it was concluded that I was suffering from the "dengue fever". By that time this conclusion was reached, my  fever had already subsided, but the general symptoms (drop in counts  of WBCs, RBCs, and platelletes) still remained.

In the latest blood test report, it was ascertained  that the counts were beginning to be within acceptable ranges. There was nothing to do except take rest as advised by the doctor. So, an unexpected off from work for the rest of the week.

Suffering from fever...

Yesterday, I suffered from what I think is a severe bout of dehydration. By the time I returned home, I was surprised  that I had not yet collapsed. I also had fever. After drinking Electral and several glasses of barley water, I was somewhat rejuvenated, but the fever remained, and giving it company was a severe headache.



Come to think of it, this was probably one of the worst bouts of fever I was suffering from in many years. In any case, I had to take the day off today, and I was confined to the bed for the larger part of the day.

I am feeling somewhat better now, and hope to be fit to resume work tomorrow.

WDP4 cranking up

Remember, I had blogged about my face-to-face (well, side-to-face) experience with the WDP4 (Dippy 4) at Thane station. Here's a YouTube video that has the same effect. Since this is a cold start, there is the customary bell to be sounded to shoo away workers / animals that may be below or around the loco.

Then, a couple of clicks of some switches, the beast comes alive, and starts almost like a plane about to take off. You will have to be patient since this does not happen until 1 min 49 seconds into the video.



There's another vid here, but there's a lot of background noise. Also, another startup at Panvel is here.

Lost my cellphone

I lost my Nokia cellphone last week. The phone was about 2 years old, and the screen cover was already cracked due to the slim phone falling off many times from my shirt pocket. The last time I had lost it, a good samaritan had returned it to me. This time, however, I was not lucky.

It did not take me much time to get the old SIM card blocked, and get a duplicate one. It cost me INR 25.

Instead of a buying a new phone immediately, I thought of using my Nexus S (which till now was being used as an email-checking and gaming device). Luckily, I also had a backup of my contacts / calendar entries which I could import into the Nexus S.

Its quite difficult to handle the Nexus S while commuting (especially in the rains). I plan to buy a plain (sub INR 2K) phone for regular use.

Fate and karma

One of the most confusing aspects about Vedic beliefs is the relation between fate and karma. The general idea is that karma is the reaction of the actions performed by individuals. It is also believed that what actions / decisions we take are the result of our past karma.

This puts people into a quandary: If all that we do is guided by what we have done in the past, then it means that we have no control over what we are doing, and hence no way to change our destiny.

Some guys had also asked me such questions during various spiritual discussions. A detailed and very good explanation of how this works is outlined in this article on the Krishna.com website.

Panchratna Ri Dal

Every once in a while you come across a recipe that you wonder why you did not try it out earlier. This recipe, in the Times Of India in October 2009, by Arvind Singh Mewar, is one such recipe. Since the time we first tried it out in 2009, we've made it at least once a month. The dish itself is prepared from 5 dals (hence the name "Panchratna"), and is quite wholesome. The spices are also not overpowering adding just enough hotness to the dish. The dish tastes wonderful if it is just about thick in consistency, and is best cooked over a slow fire once the dals are cooked.

All Wi Fi-red up

After years of deliberation, finally bought a DLink WiFi router and set it up at home. I was skeptical whether it would work with the ISP that I have, but after checking out the manuals, it did seem that it would work. It did not take much time to setup, though I had to perform some of the steps differently than as outlined in the manual. It worked on first attempt, but then I had some trouble (my folly) to get my Android work via the WiFi. In the process, I hosed the settings on the router, and was unable to do anything with it.

Finally, did a hard reset (pressing the Reset switch for 20 seconds), restored to factory settings, and then performed the setup again. Since then its working like a charm. Even the Android works well with it.

Now, consider this: 20 minutes into installing the new router, I had to go ahead and reset it. Wow! It might be the first time that I took down something new so quickly.

Hello Bengaluru, bye Bengaluru

Just  returned from an express trip to Bengaluru. Incidentally, though I  was born in Karnataka, it  was my first trip to the state capital. Landed there this Sunday, and returned the following day.

It was a good break from Mumbai, and I felt quite at home since it resembles my birth place of Dharwad. The same terrain, and trees, not to mention numerous anthills among the woods.

Aadhar: no support yet

Aadhar (meaning "support" or "base" in Hindi) is India's rather ambitious Unique Identification project (UID), where it is envisaged that every Indian will have a unique id system, which will then link up all the kinds of IDs in a single system. The other day, I went to get myself registered for this. I had read that there were several people who were against it because of privacy concerns.

Nevertheless, I decided to give it a try. After getting the forms and filling it up, I went to a registration center. I had to stand in a queue with about 25 people ahead of me. The service time require per person is anywhere between 10 to 15 minutes, more so if the forms have not been filled up correctly.

When my turn arrived, I was quite impressed by the entire setup used for the registration. There were fingerprint scanners, retina scans, and the information was filled up in both English and Devnagiri. After verification by me, the person at the counter prints out a receipt in duplicate, and hands us one of the copies.

What really pissed me off is that at the bottom of the form on the screen is a checkbox called "Make information public" or something to that effect. The person did not even bother asking me, and simply went ahead and clicked it. Now, imagine all these personal details floating around on the Internet, and its a very good material for getting a fake user id or for misuse in changing personal details on important accounts.

No matter how secure they say the system is, this is one thing that Aadhar will not get my support for.

A lesson in mathematics for a rickshaw driver

I had earlier written about how to compute the regular fare for the Mumbai autorickshaws. At the end of a rickshaw trip, I try to pronounce the fare computed from the meter reading. This usually impresses the rickshaw drivers. On a couple of occasions, I even tried explaining the mathematics to some of them.

Very recently, I found a rickshaw driver who was keenly interested in knowing this computation. When I explained the simple mathematics behind it, he was quite amazed. In fact, he was so grateful that he waived off a couple of rupees of the fare. I did not accept the reduction in fare, however, and paid the fare in full to the exact rupee.

Unfortunately, unlike for the regular fare, I was unable to come up with a curve fitting simple equation for the late-night (post-midnight) fare. Maybe I should've tried using a more advanced software such as MATLAB or Scilab or some other curve fitting tools.