Ada Lovelace Day – Leah Culver
Though internet spreads the word at lightening speed, but i came to know about Ada Lovelace Day 3 days late. Pardon my ignorance.
To quote from website http://findingada.com/
Ada Lovelace Day is an international day of blogging to draw attention to women excelling in technology
Who was Ada ?
Ada Lovelace wrote the world’s first computer programmes for the Analytical Engine, a general-purpose machine that Charles Babbage had invented.
The computer language Ada, created by the U.S. Defense Department, was named after Lovelace
The name that promptly came to my mind of woman in technology i admire is :
She was founder and lead developer of Pownce (a twitter clone), She has contributed to OAuth and many more open source projects and another important thing she writes code in python
.
Nowdays she works with SixApart.
Its not too late to celebrate i think, spread the word and tell the world about women you admire in technology.
A day that was Valentine’s
Valentine’s Day has always been yet another day to me. But it was not the same this time.
The Manglore incident had enraged entire India, It was on Roop’s blog i was adding my bits to the cause and Where i came to know about a peaceful protest to stand up against moral policing.
So i reached Jantar Mantar somewhat later than others and joined the protest. We were not much in numbers but as one protesters said to a reporter:
Its not the quantity that matters, Quality matters
Everybody was handling the placards and while media persons were doing there job of presenting the story of protest as they wanted it to.
Namrata (http://avalentineforindia.blogspot.com/) rightly was the key instrument of the protest and she was continously telling her views and mood of protest to reporters. All the activists gave there views about it to reporters randomly including me.
A gang of boys and girls passing by joined us too and stood there till the end.
Aneesha was calling her friends to join us and also was constantly gauging herself from being photographed as she workd with a leading daily herself.
Abhilasha was giving her thoughtful answers to questions being asked by reporters.
Others like Poonam , myself etc were doing our bits too.
I missed the pre protest meeting , so i regret not having actively participating in the protest . Which i should have done to spread the word and to bring more people . There were activities all around Delhi that day . Had we communicated with them to converge at Jantar Mantar in the end. the impact of the protest would have been of higher magnitude.
But at the end of day , I/We did a good deed for the love of human liberty. I live tweeted some bits .
Daily Links 12/01/09
- Why Sat Nav(s) are not for Indian customers : Intersting article and conversation on viability of GPS devices in India
- What type of feminist are you? : An argumentative conversation on noida rape case and incidents like this
- Quillpad has improved its multilingual editor .
- tweet : #punjabi word for the day : high spirits = chardi kala = ਚੜਦੀ ਕਲਾ
Alvida 2008
Though its late to post a goodbye note as its already the dawn of new year 2009. But still one might evaluate his/her self to be a better person.
Personally I started this blog to post tech things i do at work and home, but it has become a personnal rambling store , as i began to think there are lot of smarter people writing about tech things.
Anyway this year has been good in terms of being social, I have made so many new friends with the help of blogging , tweeting, social networking and events like Barcamp .
Although i had committed my self with so many resolutions last year, I started following most of these but completed a few. Most important i failed to meet were contribution to an open source project and learning Urdu.
but life is what happens to you when you are planning for something else
Professionally I joined a stealth startup RouteGuru thanks to Barcamp Delhi 4 for connecting me with wonderful people Piyush and Avinash (Founders RouteGuru).
At RouteGuru worked on J2ME, mobile web and some of my beloved Python stuff. There is lot to come this year.
The first 6 months of the year were good to taught me lessons of how corporate services Industry works. Thankfully they showed me door and i happily accepted.
Politically and Economically, Things have been turbulent .
From Obama becoming the US prez nd Bush getting shoed down.
From US big corporate bankruptcies to our very own fresh Indian Enron (read Satyam ) scam. World is in a Economic slowdown.
From ongoing Iraq war to Israel attacks on palestinian in Gaza. The Empire and its allies are thundering mayhem in the name of establishing peace and liberaty.
From serial bomb blasts to Mumbai Terror sieze, India is the soft target target of Global Terror outfits. The Mumbai Terror sieze and jingoist Indo-Pak media had placed India Pak on the brink of war.
We can still hope for better future. Because The only constant is change.
Watchlist. I did a separate post on my book shelf but I also watched lot of movies and plays this year. So naming the recommendations here.
Oye Lucky Luck Oye, A realistic mainstream flick by Khosla Ka Ghosla Guys
Sorry Bhaee, watch it for acting brilliance and Chitrangda Singh’s comeback
Dasvidaniya and Mithya, for acting brilliance
Mumbai Meri Jaan, provides honest vie point of people from all walks of life in midst of Mombai train blasts
A Wednesday, Nasseer playing common man ’s mind games with police to nip the Terrorists
Ramchand Pakistani, watch it for Nandita Das
Plays:
Main Istanbul Hoon , was awestuck by brilliant performance in terms of acting , lights and sounds to depict the world of Orhan Pamuk on stage.
The Chaos Theory, Best of Indian English Theatre by Rahul Da, Cunha
Little Wyolf, Punjabi adptation of Ibsen’s classic by Neelam Man Singh’s group
Antheen Uddan dee naika (Punjabi), Trade mark Ajmer Aulakh play to depicting lives of women fighting to make ends meet and tackle drug addict husbands
Related Post : Alvida 2007
Book Shelf 2008
Sea Of Poppies – Amitav Ghosh (Highly Recomended) – Read for insight on British business in India , opium cultivation , Shipment to China over erstwhile slave Ships with a mult ethnic Muukt lingual Ship crew and movement of Indian labourers to places like Mauritious , indian caste system of early 19th century. Thoroughly researched and very well written book.
Unaccustomed Earth – Jhumpa Lahiri (Highly Recomended)- Brilliant story telling on Human relations
The algebra of infinite Justice – Arundhati Roy- Articles on various issues India and World is facing and reasons behind these issues
Fighting on the Streets – Tariq Ali- (Recommeded if you political non fiction) An autoboiography of Sixties, Revolutions , Anti Vietnam War campaign and New Left insight.( Attracted me to leftist ideology after my disechantment with the old left ).
Talking on Empire and Resistance – Tariq Ali Talks on The Evil practices of US Empire and Iraq WAR and current global scenario by Tariq Ali
High Performance Entrepreneurs – Subroto Bagchi Must read for wannable Enterprenouers ( Influenced me to join a small stealth web/GIS startup Routeguru.com leaving big Corporate Services sector )
Hundred years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez One word – Classic
The Inheritence of Loss – Kiran Desai Wasn’t as good as Expected
Alchemy of Desire – Tarun J Tejpal - Okay if you can stand the obsession of Sex and casteist slur. Expected a better novel from Tehelka fame boy
Asin Naanak De Ki Lagde Haan – Jaswant Zafar (Highly Recommended) Poems on Nanak and Life from a rational perspective
Eh Hai Baarbi Sansaar – Surjan Jeeravi Articles on evil neoliberal policies of rest of world under Washington consensus
Dastavej – Prem Parkash Novel on fall of Naxalite/maoist militant movement in the early seventies
Kutti Vehra (Strory) -One of the best Punajbi stories read in a while , Exploring Sikhism and Segregation of Dalits under Sikhism
Surjameen – Surjeet Patar – Gazal’s by Patar
Akaaran – Gurpreet – Nice poetry
Pungrde Haraf- 10 young Poets – Collected poetry by young poets met on social community website orkut
I have moved to Tehelka from Frontline.
Hun is still the best Punjabi mag
The Little Magazine Contemporary Indian Literature
P.S. These are some which were worth mentioning I have been on overdose of books this year and I am complete book-addict now.
Is there a book-de addiction centre ? I am ready to join
Mumbai Terror Aftermath Opinions
India ( Shining ) was shocked by reckless terror on 26 November in Mumbai ’s high profile localities. Even the mute had something to say about its origins and aftermaths.
There has been decent analytical commentary on Mumbai terror too, One among them was by Deepak Chopra who was considered one more peddler of Eastern mysticism ( readersword ) . He pointed out to the global reasons behind this attack as
there are militant groups that cross international boundaries, is who is financing this? Where is the money coming from? We have to ask very serious, honest questions. What role do we have in this? Are our petrodollars funding both sides of this war on terrorism? Why are we not asking the Saudis where that money is going that we give them? Is it going through this supply chain to Pakistan?
It’s not enough for Pakistan to condemn it. Pakistan should cooperate with India in uprooting this. They should be part of the surgery that is going to happen.
It’s not enough for Indians to blame Pakistanis. Indians should actually ask the Pakistanis to help them.
And it’s not enough for us to worry about Westerners being killed and Americans being killed. Every life is precious over there. We have got to get rid of this idea that this is an American problem or a Western problem. It’s a global problem, and we need a global solution, and we need the help of all the Muslims
Read the full text of the interview here.
Another stunning article was by Booker prize winnner Arundhati Rai in Guardian titled Monster in the mirror . She blasted media’s portrayal of Mumbai attacks as India’s 9/11 as:
But November isn’t September, 2008 isn’t 2001, Pakistan isn’t Afghanistan and India isn’t America. So perhaps we should reclaim our tragedy and pick through the debris with our own brains and our own broken hearts so that we can arrive at our own conclusions
She points out to the hollowness of Indian state in handling religious minority issues and other socio-political aspects and sums up as :
The only way to contain (it would be naïve to say end) terrorism is to look at the monster in the mirror. We’re standing at a fork in the road. One sign says Justice, the other Civil War. There’s no third sign and there’s no going back. Choose
There were two posts on shedding light on hypocrisy of Indian elite and democratic malfunctioning. One by James Crabtree in Prospect and another by Tehelka fame Tarun J Tejpal.
James puts it as:
Malabar hill is said to have India’s lowest voting rate, instead putting its energies into the “traditional” influence of clubs, contacts and palm-greasing. But the new elite, the wealthy urbanites living in places like Bandra, a trendy Mumbai suburb, are just as apathetic. Liz Mermin, director of Shot in Bombay, a film about Bollywood, told me that while “they all feel the country is in big trouble, not a single one of the smart, argumentative media types I hung out with bothered to vote. The only person I met who did was my friend’s maid.” India’s old elite chose bridge over the ballot. But its new generation think politics contemptible too.
–
India’s elite has long seen itself as a cosmopolitan island, fused to globalisation but apart from its nation. But, having come under attack, the rich may have cause to think again. Their nation’s rise will surely stall if its brightest and best remain estranged from government; the state needs their help, not their scorn. Perhaps a new sense of national responsibility will rise amidst the shambles and carnage of Mumbai. India’s wealthy, at least, have realised that they are not untouchable.
Tarun Tejpal puts his point forward as :
The first thing we need to do is to square up to the truth. Acknowledge the fact that we have made a fair shambles of the project of nation-building. Fifty million Indians doing well does not for a great India make, given that 500 million are grovelling to survive. Sixty years after independence, it can safely be said that India’s political leadership — and the nation’s elite — have badly let down the country’s dispossessed and wretched. If you care to look, India today is heartbreak hotel, where infants die like flies, and equal opportunity is a cruel mirage
Another damage these attacks has done is to South Asian peace process , Indo-Pak relations were moving towards a pleasant future but this attack has brought the relations to Kargil War era and media has played the role of catalyst in this damage.
Pakistani Journalist Imitiaz Ali rightly puts role of media saying “The Media Can Provoke War” .
What role do Indian and Pakistani media play in the idea of a united South Asia?
The media can either bring the states to conflict, or it can create space for reconciliation. The footage you take, the way you sequence the events, the way you ‘balance’ and treat your story, the way you conduct your so-called debates and select participants, all this colours your story. You can choose what colour it will have. The event is the same, but media in two different countries report it differently. In times of conflict, this becomes important. The media should not take sides with nation-states. There should be guidelines about how not to report in a conflict situation.
Well, on a side note, I asked my ailing father about his views on this conflict .
Will India and Pakistan go to war ?
No, Infiltration will increase on both sides.They will send there intruders and (Apne waale)Ours would send theres.
Who will come to power in India in next general elections ?
There is no hope from left, BJP is organising well .There will be no much difference between the polices of Congress or BJP. Whomsoever comes to power.
Book Meme
After shell meme hit the blogging world some months back , its time for Book Meme:
Punjabi :
ਉਹਨਾਂ ਸਾਡੇ ਨਾਲ ਮੁਹੱਬਤ ਨਹੀਂ ਕੀਤੀ
ਜਿਵੇਂ ਅਸੀਂ ਲੋਚਦੇ ਸੀ
ਉਹਨਾਂ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਪਿਆਰ ਨਹੀਂ ਕੀਤਾ
ਪਰ ਉਹ ਸਾਡੇ ਵਾਕਿਫ ਸਨ
English Translation:
they didn’t love us
the way we wanted
they didn’t love us
but they were our dear ones
Mahmud Darwish (Palestinian Poet), Selected Poetry ( ਮਹਿਮੂਦ ਦਰਵੇਸ਼ , ਚੋਣਵੀਂ ਕਵਿਤਾ ) . The poem is addressed to another Palestinian poet Rashid Hussein . The phrase talks about all other friends who died , who weren’t as close to the poet as Rashid Hussein was.
The viral part now :
- Grab the nearest book.
- Open it to page 56.
- Find the fifth sentence.
- Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
- Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST,
P.S. : The translation and description is to the best of my knowledge. Mahmud Darwish died in august this year. This book was quite a hit in Punjabi literary circles.
Silence of the Poor
Most countries in modern history have built their wealth on the foundations of the oppression of powerless people. India is taking giant economic strides within a functioning democracy. We still have the time to resolve that we will not build our prosperity on the sufferings of ordinary people.
This quote is concluding remark of HT Editorial written by Harsh Mander (Convener , NGO Aman Biradari )
Its blog action day today and there is call to change the conversation to Poverty. So bloggers around the world today has put there views together for 88 ways to do something about poverty right now.
Some interesting views are :
- Stop buying junk to make yourself look pretty and donate it to homeless people and hungry people
- Stop being lazy. Find a way to do your job better so that you can save an hour a day, or be that much more productive
- Give comfort to the poor
- Support charity organization in your country. Reducing poverty may start in your nearest region.
- Donate your time and expertise to teach a class to those trying to find a new way to earn a living
- Fund educational programs for women
We can work in way to change ourselves first , Change the way we perceive the poor, the way we deal with them.
The article i have quoted throws light on the way Indian poor has been marginalized by the state – industrial nexus, which can result in a disaster for both. Its evident that Indian poor has not asked for its share from the new “Shining India”, they have sacrificed there labor,their lives and land willingly or unwillingly in a hope of better future. They have not got any thing out of it.
Its our responsibility to make them feel the part of rising India not . If we fail to do so , We can see results in near future , the Maoist insurgency is one such problem, that is called biggest threat to Internal security , rather than providing socio economic upliftment to the people of that area. We may face similar problems rising in more parts of India.
So its time to act and do our bit because little does matter.
I am making a donation to http://www.amanbiradari.org/ and will look for helping the cause by becoming a volunteer. You can do the same by doing your preferred mode of participation.
Its Arun, who made me aware of blog action day on delhi barcamp, Thanks dude.
Arun’s Presentation on blog action day
Delhi Barcamp5 – Takeaways
The Sprouted Delhi BarCamp 5 was exhilarating an experience, Although it was not as glittering as expected from the sponsorships and registrations.
The formal/informal inauguration was done by the behind the scenes slide show and video by picturulize featuring the key guys behind this wonderful unconference.
Then the talks/sessions proceeded, I attended a talk on Pylons and Schevo , It seems Pylons might be better than django in terms of modularity, but django has become a rockstar for python community and django has much more active community than pylons.
The other talk i really liked was about Building a scalable architecture of web applications by Bhavin Turakhia, CEO Directi, It was very much power packed and a must see for any web developer.
The talk of the day was The Global Financial Crisis and India by Pankaj from Teknatus, It was very interactive talk and if we can get the video of the talk that would be far more informative, It tells about the harsh realities India might face in near future. Some keypoints of the talks were :
- Indian Economy is very much integrated with global economy, so it is prone to be hit by global slowdown, we may see its consequences in coming six months or so.
- 30 years back Indian saved 70 percent of there income, These days it has gone down to 11 percent. So the if the economic disaster strikes, It is going to be a nightmare for many.
- The US financial crisis is result of sheer ignorance of US policy makers and same can happen to India
This presentation was a big hit with the listeners, it got extended to 90 minutes session from an alloted 30 minutes. The day ended with the coyright infringement talk by twilightfairy and how she fought with mainstream media big wig TOI for her rights .
The second day of barcamp started with an interactive discussion about blogging and as the participants arrived ,There was a talk by Barcamp4 and Barcamp5 Coordinator Piyush about Entrepreneurs and Marriages, as most of the Entrepreneurs face matrimonial issues , There was very healthy discussion about it .
Fabian form Ubuntu told the audience about its importance. A hackathon was called on by two young hackers Pratul and Parteek , but it turned out to be a ubuntu installation and support session for newbies.
Nikhil from Medianama, interacted with enterprenures about there ventures. The day ended with a call to change the conversation to ‘Poverty’ on blog action day by simply arun.
You can search youtube and slide share with tag bcd5 for videos and slides respectively.
Delhi Barcamp5 – Sprouted !
The Delhi Barcamp4 was quite an eye opener and great learning experience for me as it was first Barcamp. To quote from DelhiBarCamp5 blog :
The seeds have germinated.
A lot of sunlight and some water sprinkles have softened the outer shell.
Little sprouts can be seen carving out themselves.
Lets see wats in store for this sprouted barcamp, as for me my first barcamp as landed me into job work with RouteGuru.com as I was tested positive with EBC’s(Entrepreneurial Blood Cells) (Really ?).
Looking at the sponsors list and talks/sessions , it seems it is going to be big. I am looking forward for the sessions on Python programming , Terracotta and of course lots of Entrepreneurship gyan.
Check the venue details here or simply sms “rg <your location in delhi > to bcd5” to 56767 to arrive at the barcamp reception.
Place : IIT Delhi Seminar Hall Main Admin Block
Date : 11th and 12th October (Saturday-Sunday)
Timings : From 10:00 AM to 6.00 PM (these are ought to be stretched as it is an unconference)
and yes we will get a free tshirt and free lunch there
so join the fun !
