Will the Real Demographic Dividend Group Please Stand Up?

When we talk about the demographic dividend, it’s usually a celebration of the young - the bustling, ambitious, and energetic crowd in their mid-twenties. This group is often heralded as the economic engine of a nation, the labor force that drives GDP growth. But here’s a question worth pondering: Does consumption or savings contribute more to the economy? And if it’s savings, then maybe we’ve been looking at the wrong demographic all along.

Let’s peel back the layers of this argument.

The Traditional View: The Young Workforce as the Demographic Dividend

The term demographic dividend often paints a rosy picture of a young population entering the workforce. With a median age in the mid-twenties, these individuals are assumed to fuel economic growth by earning and spending, thus powering consumption and productivity. But does this narrative tell the whole story?

For an economy to truly thrive, there’s another crucial component: savings. And here’s where the story takes a surprising turn.

A New Perspective: The 50+ Age Group as the Real Economic Pillars

If we shift our focus from consumption to savings, it becomes clear that the 50+ age group plays a far more significant role in sustaining an economy. This is the stage in life where people experience a financial sweet spot - a combination of reduced financial burdens and peak earnings.

Here’s why your 50s might just make you part of the real demographic dividend:

1. Peak earning years

By the time you hit your 50s, you’re likely at the height of your career. The promotions have rolled in, the raises have added up, and you’re earning more than ever before. This surplus income creates a strong base for significant savings.

2. Debt-free living

Those pesky EMIs that once ate into your monthly income? Gone. By this stage, most people have paid off their home and car loans, leaving more room for investments and savings.

3. No tuition fees

If you’ve been funding your children’s education, chances are that expense is no longer on your plate. No more tuition fees means more financial freedom.

4. No big purchases

In your 50s, you’ve likely ticked off all the big-ticket items - your dream home, a reliable car, maybe even that long-desired vacation. With fewer major expenses, you can focus on building wealth.

5. Reduced insurance costs

Long-term insurance policies you purchased years ago are often fully paid by this time, reducing your financial outflow even further.

Savings vs. Consumption: What Drives the Economy?

While consumption is an important driver of economic growth, savings play a foundational role in creating long-term financial stability. Savings fuel investments, which in turn generate jobs and infrastructure. Countries with higher savings rates often have stronger, more resilient economies.

When we frame the demographic dividend around savings rather than consumption, the narrative shifts. The 50+ age group emerges as an unsung hero, quietly contributing to economic stability through prudent financial decisions and wealth creation.

So, let’s give credit where it’s due. Your 50s are not just about winding down - they’re about winding up your financial legacy. With fewer expenses, higher earnings, and the wisdom to save, this is the decade that can truly power the economy.

Perhaps it’s time we stop exclusively championing the youth as the face of the demographic dividend. Instead, let’s celebrate the contributions of those in their 50s and beyond (the 1970's born Generation as in my case) individuals who, through disciplined savings and thoughtful planning, provide the financial backbone of a thriving economy.

So, will the real demographic dividend group please stand up? If you’re in your 50s, chances are, it’s you. Take a bow - you’ve earned it.

Polymathic AI and the Polycrisis: Navigating the Challenges of the Polyscene Era

Welcome to the Polyscene: A World of Polymaths, Polycrises, and Polyactors

Sometimes, a simple word can unlock a whole new way of seeing the world. Thomas Friedman’s musings on Polymathic Artificial Intelligence and its intersection with our global polycrisis feels like one of those moments - a flash of insight that resonates deeply, sparking connections across disciplines, challenges, and, yes, crises.

Imagine this: a world where artificial intelligence doesn’t just excel at one thing - playing chess, predicting protein folding, or writing Shakespearean sonnets -but can master everything. That’s the Holy Grail of Polymathic AI. Think of it as an AI Renaissance man, comfortably conversing about Mozart’s compositions while simultaneously solving quantum chemistry problems and forecasting the next agricultural breakthrough. It’s the dream of high-dimensional thinking - where silos dissolve, and every piece of the puzzle connects seamlessly.

But hold that thought. Enter polycrisis. The word itself sounds ominous, like a chorus of global challenges harmonizing in dissonance. Climate change doesn’t just warm the planet; it cascades -wrecking crops, fueling migrations, and destabilizing nations. Suddenly, we’re not dealing with a single crisis anymore but a swirling storm of interconnected challenges, each amplifying the next. It’s a mess, really.

And as Friedman points out, the polycrisis isn’t unfolding in isolation. The world is now teeming with polyactors. These are not just the usual suspects -nation-states and their diplomats - but also a motley crew of superpowers, tech giants, rogue hackers, and individuals with global influence. Imagine trying to navigate a chessboard where the rules change mid-game, the players multiply, and the pieces have minds of their own. That’s the challenge for leaders like Tony Blinken (current US Secretary of State), who aren’t just grappling with geopolitics anymore - they’re wrestling with superintelligence, superstorms, and super-angry citizens.

The Polyscene Era: Multiplicity Redefining Our Future

So, where does this leave us? Friedman stitches it all together with a provocative proposition: the world has entered the polyscene. Not the post-Cold War era, not the age of globalization, but a time defined by multiplicity - of problems, actors, and potential solutions.

Let’s face it - the world isn’t getting any simpler. If anything, it feels like the opposite. Every global challenge, from climate change to economic instability, seems tied to a hundred other issues. It’s not just about solving one problem anymore; it’s about understanding how everything connects.

The risk is clear. If we don’t address these challenges in a proactive and collaborative way, they could quickly get out of hand. Think of it as a leaky boat in a storm - you can’t just patch one hole and hope for the best. You need a coordinated effort to keep the whole thing afloat.

You Tube Video Credit:  Intelligence-squared  

Evolution vs. Intelligent Design: The debate over Darwin's theory of evolution

Source: Mathematical Challenges to Darwin's Theory of Evolution

So, let’s dive into this fascinating debate: Darwin’s theory of evolution vs. intelligent design. It’s a conversation that raises deep questions about life’s complexity, origins, and the processes that shaped the diversity we see today. Darwin’s evolutionary model - where natural selection and random mutations slowly drive species to adapt and evolve - meets head-to-head with intelligent design, championed by voices like David Berlinski, David Gelernter, and Stephen Meyer. They argue that life’s intricacies, from DNA’s structured codes to the precise sequencing of proteins, suggest something more than mere chance at work.

Key Issues and Challenges to Darwinian Evolution

Now, here’s where things get interesting. Critics of Darwinian evolution, like the speakers in this video, bring up some big points:

The Cambrian Explosion

Picture this: Around half a billion years ago, the Cambrian period saw a rapid burst of diverse and complex life forms showing up on the scene in a blink of geological time - about 10 to 70 million years. This “Cambrian Explosion” doesn’t align neatly with Darwin’s gradual, step-by-step model. With so many species appearing so quickly and no clear fossil evidence for intermediate forms, it raises a big question mark over slow, progressive evolution.

Molecular Complexity and “Combinatorial Inflation”

Let’s talk proteins. The process of forming new, functional proteins from random mutations? Statistically, it’s nearly impossible. The sheer number of possible amino acid combinations means it’s like trying to win a cosmic lottery. Meyer and the team call this “combinatorial inflation” - and it makes Darwin’s model look unlikely when it comes to building complex life solely through random mutations and natural selection.

The DNA Code and Biological “Programming”

Here’s where Darwin’s theory really faces scrutiny: DNA. Today, we know that DNA contains highly organized information, almost like a computer code. This isn’t just a bunch of random letters; it’s a functional, purposeful structure that drives all of life’s processes. Meyer and others argue that such a code-like structure implies an intelligent “programmer,” suggesting design over randomness.

A Numbers Game: Probability and the Limits of Randomness

The numbers don’t exactly favor random evolution either. For example, the odds of a functional protein appearing by random mutation is a mind-boggling 1 in 10^77, compared to Earth’s estimated 10^40 organisms. The math just doesn’t add up if we’re leaning on random mutations alone.

And then there’s the Cambrian period timeline. Once thought to span 70 million years, it’s now narrowed down to just 10 million years - a flash on the geological clock. That’s a tight window for Darwin’s gradual evolution to play out.

Intelligent Design as a Scientific, Not Theological, Approach

Meyer argues that intelligent design is all about science, not theology. He lays out a few important points that set intelligent design apart from religious arguments:

Evidence-Based Inference

Intelligent design, Meyer explains, is based on biological evidence, especially the structured information in DNA. This isn’t a theological leap; it’s a comparison of DNA to human-made systems of code, suggesting an organized, purposeful source.

The Uniform Experience Principle

Meyer also points to something called the “uniform experience principle” - essentially, our observation that information typically comes from an intelligent source. So, if we see structured information in DNA, could it be pointing to intelligence?

Avoiding Theology, Embracing Empirical Evidence

Intelligent design doesn’t invoke a deity or rely on religious texts. Instead, it focuses on observable data and natural laws, arguing that complex biological structures are more plausibly the product of an intelligent cause.

So, where does this leave us? Darwin’s theory still stands as the foundation of biology, but intelligent design brings intriguing questions to the table. Could there be a blend of processes, or are we missing an essential part of the puzzle altogether? It’s a debate that continues, sparking curiosity and questions among scientists, philosophers, and thinkers alike.

Watch: Dr. Paul Nelson (Discovery Institute) explores the exquisite intelligent design of butterflies at the 2025 Dallas Conference on Science and Faith.

Video refers to a key research review by Jens Rolff et al. in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, discussing unresolved questions about the origin of the insect pupal stage.

The Best Advice you ever got on Cancer Prevention

In the kaleidoscope of medical discoveries that crowd our history, few stand out as starkly relevant as Dr. Otto Warburg's insights into cancer. As we navigate today's smog-laden cities and pesticide-sprinkled salads, Warburg’s findings feel almost prophetically tailored to our times.

Dr. Warburg, a titan in biochemistry and a Nobel laureate of 1931, unveiled a theory about cancer that shifted the paradigms of his day - and ours. At its core, his research suggested something startling: our cells, those tiny biological powerhouses, respond to pollution not just by struggling or succumbing but by adapting in a way that might be their - and our - undoing.

Imagine this: every breath you take, every bite you eat, might carry minute invaders, pollutants that challenge your cells. Warburg discovered that under such siege, cells might revert to a more primitive survival tactic. Instead of their usual, oxygen-breathing respiration, they begin to ferment sugar. It’s a bit like a besieged city turning inwards, surviving on dwindling supplies.

This sugar fermentation is a sort of biological insurgency. Cells, desperate not to die from the poison, multiply rapidly, building what Warburg described as a ‘wall’. This wall, however, is the start of a tumor - an unintended fortress that becomes the breeding ground for cancer.

Here’s where Warburg’s advice comes into a glaring, life-affirming light. He linked the root cause of cancer to oxygen deficiency, which leads to an acidic state within our bodies. Cancer cells, which are anaerobic and shun oxygen, thrive in and perpetuate this acidic environment. They can't, however, survive in high-oxygen conditions, which is typical of an alkaline state.

So, what’s the best advice I ever got on cancer prevention, based on Warburg’s legacy? Breathe deeply and live in a way that keeps your body more alkaline than acidic.

Easier said than done, right? But here are practical, everyday steps to bring Warburg’s wisdom into your life:

Drink Light Lemon Water in the Morning: Start your day with a glass of warm lemon water. It's a simple habit that can significantly increase your body’s hydration and alkalinity from the get-go. Lemon, despite its acidic taste, becomes alkaline during digestion, helping to balance your body’s pH.

Drink Coconut Water Regularly: Coconut water is not only refreshing but also naturally rich in minerals and electrolytes, making it excellent for maintaining your body's alkaline state. Regular consumption can aid in detoxification and provide a natural energy boost without the sugar crash associated with more processed drinks.

Eat More Dark Green Vegetables & Sprouts: Dark green vegetables and sprouts are among the most alkalizing foods. Foods like spinach, kale, and broccoli, along with sprouts, are packed with essential nutrients and antioxidants that promote better health and help keep your body’s pH levels balanced.

Add a Teaspoon of Natural Baking Soda to Water and Drink It First Thing in the Morning: Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a quick way to neutralize stomach acid and increase your body’s alkalinity. However, because it’s high in sodium, it’s best used occasionally rather than daily, unless advised by a healthcare provider.

Dr. Warburg’s advice might not be the magic bullet that eradicates cancer risk entirely, but it provides a powerful blueprint for a healthier life in our less-than-ideal world. In our journey towards wellness, every little step counts - deep breaths, wise bites, and all

Benji Frenji

I am adding a new word to the lexicon


Behenji Frenzy, (variant) Var:Benji Frenji, (part of speech) Verb., (meaning) - verbal idiosyncrasies filled with squalid language


As in speak your mind aloud in an unguarded fashion and foment the sort of trouble that can ruin your career prospects, make you an outlaw and be on the run for touching the hornets nest.


(example) - Dayashankar Singh was arrested today in Bihar after being on the run after his recent Benji Frenji act

Shadows and Echoes: The Unveiled Chronicles of Netaji Bose

The Veil Lifted: Reflecting on the Shrouded Legacy of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose

In the quiet corridors of power, a gentle rustling of pages has emerged, carrying with it the echoes of a past that's both turbulent and telling. The government's recent unveiling of classified documents on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose whispers tales of a man whose heroism, once unsung, now resonates with the clarity of truth, as we're confronted with a narrative pitted with the thorns of deceit and the shadows of manipulation.

It's a peculiar feeling to sit back and mull over the fact that while the country was lulled into a serene dream of Socialism, Panchasheel, and Non-alignment, the very fabric of our historical tapestry was being subtly re-stitched to favor the vision of a single narrative - a narrative that seemed to monopolize the very essence of the freedom struggle.

The indignation bubbles up, not solely at the suggestion that some might've whispered the title 'War Criminal' in the same breath as Bose's name - though that in itself is enough to stoke the fires of frustration—but at the broader realization of how his legacy was handled.

The Clash of Ideologies: Bose vs. The Pacifist Narrative

Bose's approach to freedom was akin to a fierce monsoon against the mild drizzles of the Congress's pacifism. He was no advocate for turning the other cheek. His was the conviction that freedom was to be wrested with might and mettle, even if it meant standing shoulder to shoulder with the Axis powers in the thick of the Pacific War.

It was not the gentle persuasion of non-violence but the thunderous strides of the Indian National Army that, as per the candid confessions of Clement Atlee to a certain Mr. Chaterjee of the Supreme Court, accelerated the British exodus, carving out the path for our very own 'Indie Brexit'.

To be branded a quisling by the British might have been a mark of their grudging acknowledgment of his potency, but one wonders whether the same fear gripped those who took the reigns post-independence. Was Bose's radical vision of nation-building and his reputation as a man of decisive action too formidable a shadow over the newly established order?

The Enigma of Gumnami Baba: Unraveling Bose's Final Days

The whispers of his survival, the tales of his incognito existence as the enigmatic Gumnami Baba, as meticulously pieced together by Anuj Dhar, resonate with the question: Why was the conclusion of his epic saga kept obscured? Was it merely political maneuvering or was it a sign of something deeper, a symptom of a collective trepidation?

Perhaps the answer lies in the musings of Henri Louis Bergson, suggesting that our present is but a mirror to our past, and within our outcomes are the seeds of their origins. In reflecting on the tangled skein that was Bose's end—be it through political machinations or a simple bout of bureaucratic clumsiness—we are forced to confront the possibility that in the grand drama of our nation's birth, we may have been less than gracious to one of its most fervent architects.

So here we sit, pondering over the declassified papers, as they settle like dust on the window sill of our nation's conscience, inviting us to revisit, reassess, and perhaps, to revere.

 

Intolerance debate - new twist

The country is awash with the intolerance debate, social media has exploded with fury over the latest remarks from film star Aamir Khan about ‘growing intolerance’ in the country. A sentiment echoed by his costar in the tinsel world Shahrukh khan in the recent past. Many so called intellectuals especially Govt award winners (like the Padma) have joined the bandwagon in returning the awards conferred on them. All in a short span of about 8-10 months.

These people have taken some isolated incidents in the country and have painted the country’s secular fabric with a very broad brush with this single word (intolerance). And doing so they have unwittingly assaulted on the common sense of the AAM ADMI in the process. The common theme in social media is one of anger and dissent at these people for picking the wrong cudgel. For the majority it has no factual bearing or historical basis and is now widely come to believe as the wild imagination of a few alarmist people. At worst it could be a ‘manufactured dissent’ (as put by BJP, the ruling party which rightly feels that barbs are aimed at discrediting its governance) largely due to the leftist leaning intelligentsia in the country.

The Hindi word equivalent of intolerance is asahiShNuta or asahaniyata . But someone rightly gave a new science definition to the raging debate in the country 

What is the unit of intolerance?

- Its ॐ (ohm: Ω)

 
By definition its as follows

Original Ohm’s law - the current flow through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference (voltage) and inversely proportional to the resistance (or intolerance)

The neologism (i.e, alternate meaning) in my mind for this word is now as follows

New Ohm law - the opinions flying through a celebrity or award winner is directly proportional to the potential ideological difference and inversely proportional to the political affinity with ruling party

All this and its time to do a Washington post's style invitational on the intolerance word . Washington Post asks readers every year to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

InTOILerant (av) - someone who is accused of not working hard enough.

InTOLLerant (av) – someone who opposes fees collected in toll booths (like the MNS for instance)

InTROLLerant (av)- social media followers who rebel or dissent at the inappropriate comment made by celebrities

Luctose intolerant  – someone who blows up all the luck coming his way

Benghazi hearing: You can’t handle the truth

The congressional hearing on the Benghazi attack which was live on CNN yesterday beat all TV programme's hands down. It was gripping, riveting and full of court room drama, except that it was no court and the defendant was none other than former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. I could draw parallel to the movie few good men (1992) in which Tom Kaffee (Tom Cruise as the prosecutor) grills army Col.Nathan Jessup (played by Jack Nicholson) in trying to solicit the confession from him about the code red command issued by him.

In a similar fashion the Congressmen on the panel, many of whom were prosecutors, rattled a wave of attacks that came one after another directed at Clinton. Using slide shows, video clips, various committee reports they tried to pin her down on following

• That she deliberately ignored warnings and feedback on the Benghazi attack that led to the killing of its ambassador
• There was something more to her personal relationship and equations with the slain ambassador
• That she deliberately misled the American public with false statement that it was provoked by a social media video that led to a sudden uprising while admitting in private that it was a planned attack

Clinton on her part played the usual dodgy role deflecting pointed questions like a shrewd politician. She was no Col.Jessup who in a sudden burst of emotion looses cool and blurts out his admission to the crime. She looked composed (rather nonchalant and almost dismissive in the beginning) except for one instance where she choked up a wee bit. One thing the ex-secretary of state seemed to suggest (uncannily like Jessup in the movie) to the worked-up congressmen "You can’t handle the truth" (loved the way Jack Nicholson delivers this dialogue in the movie, with slow measurd tone laced with sneer and almost dismissive attitude)

The complexities of functioning of the various govt depts, constraints, decision making process, geo political turmoil’s and the impact it has on a super power machinery was at fore in what was one of the best live programs in a while.

and the 2014 award goes to ..

1. Much Ado about Nothing Award - Ajay Maken for leading the high decibel Congress (INC) poll campaign in the 2014 elections to get a resounding thumbs down from voters

2. Kundi fellow of the year award - Indian cricket captain M S Dhoni for giving a clean chit to Meyappan as a cricket enthusiast much before Mudgal report damned him as a confirmed bookie.

3. Bak-Bak Sur award for nuisance reporting – Arnob Goswami for his unflinching commitment to raising the pitch to hysterical levels every night at 9 pm on the idiot box

4. Foot in the Mouth award - Mani Shankar Iyer for his ‘Chaiwalla’ jibe against Modi that boomeranged on him and congress particularly

5. Monumental blunder of the year award - to BJP’s par-de-excellence strategist Arun Jaitley for giving up his safe Delhi seat to get knocked down in Amrinder sing’s turf in Punjab.

6. ‘Smell the Grass’ award - to her highness , selvi J Jayalalitha who had to perch down from her poes garden abode to the humble confines of Parappana Agrahara jail

7. Recurring itch of the year award - to Lalit Modi for staging a comeback by remote managing election win to Rajasthan Cricket Association

8. Cagey dealmaker of the year award - to Sahara shri Subroto roy for converting Tihar Jail annexe into a deal making room to sell his property in attempt to secure bail

9. Jamaai No.1 award - Mango man Robert Vadra for his uncanny ability to put himself and the hapless Congress in bad light throughout the year

10. Thunder’d’olt of the year award - Suhel hairdo Seth for his unflinching commitment to tongue-in-ckeek’anery.

11. Commotion for promotion award - Rajdeep sardesai for promoting himself in bad light in Us even as he hopped from CNN-IBN to Headlines today

12. Houdidni ‘got away’ of the year award - West indies cricket team who slipped away from Rohit Sharma’s blazing willow in the Home series

Mess in a Venn

There couldn't be a better tool than the veritable Venn diagram to describe the BCCI mess that's in the Supreme Court currently where N.Srinivasan, the Don Quixote is still pushing his luck with the apex court.

Argumentative Commotion - 10 questions to the media

Dear News Channel,

Every day evening I switch on to you to catch up on current happenings around the world but what is dished out to me is something entirely different. So here is my list of questions to you and the Press council of India 

1. Why is News offered as News Debates? Why do I have to listen to 4-5 panel members and their often biased (and generally ill informed) opinions on various topics one after another as prime NEWS

2. Why can’t you just report the NEWS just ‘as it is’ instead of communicating it through the prism of your values, beliefs, and priorities? And since much of media is owned by political parties & Business houses, is it fair to believe that this practice could be biased and motivated at times?

3. It is common knowledge that what you dish out is for the consumption of the illiterate or semi literate in the viewer category (who happens to be your largest consumer segment). Is it not dumbing down of your general viewer in other socio economic category?

4. Why is everything sensationalized? Do you think you can earn more TRPs just by sexing up the NEWS or by provoking somebody?

5. Most of what you people report - is it 100% factually correct? Does it stand technical, legal or procedural scrutiny?

6. Why does the prime time News anchor have to take on the mantle of being the conscience keeper of the Nation (as Arnab Goswami of Times Now claims)? Why does the news channel management give news anchors so much autonomy to act like the ‘ Judge, Jury & the Executioner’ on complex News subjects in about 10 minutes time.

7. Why do you News channel advertise your market share so aggressively? Do you have to tell me that your tribe of misled viewers is growing by the day?

8. There are regular faces on your panel lists - people who can provide a ‘spin’ on a topic or indulge in intellectual mast**bation. Are these ‘regular’ panelists who put so much of presentation skills on display do it for nothing?

9. Why does the debate generally end up in a shouting and slanging matches? Is it not ‘argumentative commotion’ offered as informed opinions?

10. Why is paid media not a crime? Why does the media still indulge in it?

Finally please take a honest survey about what the common public and the intelligentsia have to say about the media in India. Do you think Bollywood mocking you people through ‘Peepli Live’ was just a flash in the pan.

Looking forward to a response.

Exasperated Viewer

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

I have done many small acts of charity in the past, but none that remotely involved ice nor bragging about it with friends and family.

Icebucket Challenge: The Cold Hard Facts and Stats #icebucketchallenge from Jeremiah Owyang

But when I see friends doing that on social media I wonder whether its narcissism at play or plain simple concern for a disorder that is as insignificant as Afghanistan cricket is to ICC rankings

I mean the nasty virus ebola in liberia or Assad’s weapons in Syria is killing more people now than ALS would in about 100 years. The world’s attention is pouring cold water over that fact. 

I must admit that it was fun watching the likes of Bill Gates & Zuckerberg taking up the challenge, many celebrities got the attention, but did they donate any money ?

Pouring a bucket of cold water over a unsuspecting victim has always been a popular trick. This one was a clever variation and therefore very creative. Trendy because it caught on with the celebrities and commoners alike

I personally find it no better than a unwelcome’ subscription' offer. I will certainly not take part in the challenge for various reasons; the least being it can kill.


If you really want to contribute, pls do so for my cousin Ajay Rao whose plea is as original as it can get


Please contribute Rs. 1000 to AMOS (Ajay's Mercedes Obsession Syndrome). Those who don't want to donate (Cheap ba******!) need to make a goat sit on top of an inverted empty ice bucket and give it a slow lap dance. The proceeds from donations as well as the rights to those very entertaining videos, will be used to bribe the SPCG (Society for the prevention of cruelty to Goats) officials to get from them a back dated NOC and of course to buy Ajay Rao a shiny black Mercedes Maybach (with grey hub caps). Donate soon.. he's very very sick!!!

Dear teenage me

Creative exercises on  private online communities is a good way of unwinding in spare time. Any day better than playing Candy crush saga on Facebook and sending those irritating invites to all and sundry.

Creative exercises provides for absorbing engagement that results in voicing opinions and ideas on the brands that interests you thereby providing a collaborative platform with manufacturers

Here I am reproducing a recent activity in the forum

The exercise as provided by the moderator is as follows 

 Dear teenage me,

Howdya doin buddy, keep rocking. I am writing to you from 2014, 26 years older and wiser so listen carefully because it’s a ‘time capsule me’ with a once in a life opportunity coming back to give you some change course corrections tips . So here are your new coordinates

 
• Don’t take your goals so seriously and push yourself that hard. You know what ? these are simply goal posts and they keep changing as you move on. Unfortunately you think they are fixed and sacrosanct. Believe me its not , a time comes when you are just in front of the goal post and you just turn the other way since it doesn’t excite you any more. 

• Know thyself well, be acutely aware of your strengths & weaknesses. Only then real progress can happen. God has gifted with you many strengths but the odd weakness can undermine it in many ways. Just being aware is a good starting point towards working on it, sooner the better and you will figure out how to tackle it

.
• You are working towards a happy satisfied life and you think a good job and lots of money will get you there. You know what, after changing several jobs and earning some money along the way I can tell you there is no correlation between happiness-income relationship nor life satisfaction-income relationship. Your happiness come from your emotional well being (your daily life experience in so far as how much of  joy, stress, anger or affection you felt) and your  10,00,000 pay packet makes no difference to it. 

• Remember you want a happy contended life and there is no silver bullet for all your problems while getting to it. Don’t run after money, keep your friends and near and dear ones close to you, work for job that can give you hope instead of stress, stay closer to your work (you will not be happy with the long commute) and give back more than you take.

So long ya, bye for now as my time travel coupon is being completely used up.

The A to Z of Budget 2014

The finance Minister made a 2.5 Hour long budget speech yesterday, here is my snapshot version listing the A to Z of it

A - AIIMS in every state
B - Bank recapitalization (Rs 11,200 Crore corpus)

C - City smart (100 new smart cities)
D - Digital India
E - Entrepreneur creation (10,000-crore start-up fund)
F - FDI hike in Insurance
G - GST roll out firmed
H - Hygene (promise sanitation to every household by 2017)
I - IIT & IIMS (new ones)
J - Jobs creation push
K - Kisan Vikas Patra (rekindled)
L -  Lifeline to MSME’s (new clusters & credit lines)
M - Merging of Aadhar and the National Population Registry
N - New scheme icons (Deendayal Upadhyaya and Shyama Prasad Mookerjee)
O - opening up defense sector

P - PPP Mantra ( for executing new projects )

Q - Quest for fiscal prudence (4.1%)

R - reigniting Real estate Business

S - Skilling  India
T - Tax breaks  across Income categories
U -  Uptime on Electricity supply
V - Vodafone smile please  (no retrospective tax)
W - Water conservation drive
X – X factor (long term structural changes embedded)
Y – Yo-Yo effect on Sensex
Z – ZZZzz  on  ruffling opposition feathers

More Berlin walls will crumble

So how updated are you on the current tech jargons? If you are as of today morning you would probably know phrases like ‘Internet of everything’ and ‘ Ubiquity of Online access’.

The second one essentially means that every soul on this planet is now staring at some form of screen with a potential access to the internet. And if Project Loon is to be believed, the quantum leap to get the ‘world wide’ really ‘webbed’ is also near. And another tipping point is said to arrive sometime in 2014 when according to the UN International Telecommunication Union, mobile subscriptions will top the world’s population.

A small portion of this population is currently reaping the ‘online’ dividend i.e, have access to internet. However the ‘potential’ of growth here is what is driving companies mad and they are trying to outdo each other in getting there first. Apart from the now familiar mobile eCommerce (consumer transaction) or mobile social media (social networking) what will be mind boggling is the amount of data that will just come out of user created information and somebody will come up with the trick to decode it.

Will all these lead to another ‘BIG BANG’? Many new possibilities will be thrown up. New disruptive business models will be the norm when it happens. More interesting is too see how it impacts ability to work collaboratively on a globe scale. Many more Berlin walls (mostly unseen) will fall and drive the world faster to ‘flatter’ mode.

Flight 370 .Questions.

Is it entirely plausible, even in today's 'fly-by-wire' age, with hundreds of satellites hovering over the Horizon, with advanced avionics, radar surveillance's and thermal signature technology, for 239 people to step out into a clear blue sky, board a state of the art aircraft and just disappear into thin air?

Which brings us to the point. 

Is current technology still so nascent that they cannot pinpoint to a event that happened in the GRID (area covered by electronic/satellite sweep)? Its not like Apollo 13 that the bird was millions of miles from the earth. But in Apollo 13 Radio contact was available when disaster struck.

Interpol ( a kind of world wide web of police network) failed to detect two stolen passports in an International flight. Are we still living in the 'Catch me if you can' age?

Thirty-four planes, 40 ships and search crews from 10 countries are unable to come up with any clue  even after 3 days after the event. Is a new Bermuda kind of triangle in the offing?

Statistics put by the Economist below reveal that air travel is getting increasingly safer but wonder which category of casualty would they put the Malaysia airlines flight 370 into?

 Pic Source: Economist

Vespalogy

Well before you think this is one of those articles paying a rich tribute to Vespa, hold on for a second. Yes I do own a Vespa, a 6 month old ravishing red beauty that makes people often take a second look . Plus an uninvited often heard innocuous question ‘ Kitna dethi hai’?

At Rupees 80,000 plus change on road the Vespa comes at the premium end of the Indian scooter market. There are no two questions about the styling and the ride quality . And I am saying this with ownership experience but is the overall quality commensurate with the style package?.

The service record of the past few months belies my expectations. Before I say ‘all-style-but-not-much substance’ I will list out my tale of woes

Barely 48 hours of getting the vehicle from the showroom wify dropped it while resting it on the side stand. I later learnt that the side stand was faulty & the company had quietly replaced the faulty side stands that often tipped the vehicle (without much resistance from its state of equilibrium)

Initially we had issues with engine idling, much like the diesel engines of yore, the Vespa had to be started with a choke first thing in the morning (and this was a standard instruction given to us at the time of vehicle delivery). The company guys had set the engine idlying idling to such fine levels, ostensibly to stretch its ‘not-so-attractive’ mileage, that the vehicle used to often come to a halt at the slightest hint of slowdown (like a speed braker on the road). After a trip to the service centre and some ‘adjustment’ this was taken care of but the choke thing to start the vehicle is still diligently followed.

The first Mansoon brought its own set of problems with the Vespa. The horn would often get stuck and the keys would be doubly difficult to get the ignition ON. After repeated complaints they replaced the horn switch but I am not yet fully convinced about its efficacy. The ignition set was ‘oiled’ to make it workable.

The battery failed after about a month and after testing and keeping under observation for 2-3 days, the Vespa guys admitted to a faulty part and replaced it with a new one. Two months down the line its back to square one as I write this article. The visit to the service centre is due tomorrow.

Its front suspension is often touted as the best in class and based on aeronautical technology. But I have complained that sometimes I hear some sound emanating from it on rough roads. The guys in the service centre tell me that it may be due to dirt creeping in while washing . The Tip : to slightly screw the suspension cap while washing it (they haven’t bothered to show me practically how though). I am still ‘iffy’ about it.

 

Passers by often stop to admire and inquire. The Italians put their heart out in designing automobiles and its very evident in this product too. But despite its long chequered history and the iterations that the scooter has gone through in its styling and presentation over the years, niggling quality issues still remain (in my opinion)

I am willing to live with its 45’ish (kms) mileage but with quality issues staring at me I will just stop short of paying rich tributes to the world’s most iconic scooter.