Porn Viewership in India

There is this really interesting blog on WATBlog about Porn Viewership in India (see here). Even though viewing porn online is illegal, its relatively rampant in cyber cafes, homes and even offices.

Leaving the legalities out of the way, its in fact very difficult to control the spread of such content into the masses. Its like banning smoking in India. Although legally announcing the ban may seem simple, the actual implementation of this would require colossal bandwidth.

The human psyche also tends to want things more when they have been banned. I guess its just pure mechanics of the human mind.

Mughal History

Was reading up about the fascinating Mughal dynasty and their families. But the information was incomplete at many places. Any suggestions on a good book/site that carries good info?

Talent or what !

if this aint talent - then god knows what is !!

Successful Startup

I have heard so many people rave n rant about why startups succeed and why they fail, that it no longer seems to make a difference.

Before an entrepreneur thinks he/she is one, he/she needs to realize he/she is a businessman first. So the glory attached to being part of a startup needs to be given lesser credit than it demands.

If the reasons for businesses to succeed and fail were so easy to put into black n white, believe you me, it would be nothing short of a cake walk to run and grow any business. The parameters of business are ever changing and demand much more than what is apparent.

This is why the founder of any business has to have what I call the 'Effect control mechanism'. Its something like a 'correction' in the markets, or the Gyro in an aircraft that the autopilot uses to stay level in flight.

Higher the sensitivity, faster the feedback and quicker the correction. This caters to quicker control and steering.

Funding, management, talent, etc are all important parts of growing a business. But till the foundation of a business is not sound, it will not be able to take on the weight of a larger business objective in the future.

This is why some businesses take time to take off and some seem to fly off the handle from the start. Cash reserves, large revenues or fresh funding do not indicate a good business. Customers, their need for you and your product/service and the value you bring to a stranger are critical for the foundation of any business.

End of the day, a business makes sense if it solves a customer's problem, satisfies the people who are part of it, and makes money for everyone to have small to large luxuries that justify the risk levels accepted by each member of the team.

Standardization in PVR/DVR

I had an interesting discussion with a friend who is the VP of a large semiconductor company. We were talking about the outdated technology of PVRs and MPEG2 encoding. It was then that he mentioned that the current satellite systems like DishTV and TataSky may not work with a standard DVR.

On a little probing i got to learn that the DVRs have to get data in a format they can recognize to decode and the encode into the format to be written to the Disc. But since all DTH systems transmit using a proprietary protocol, the DVR cannot recognize this and considers it garbage.

However, i wasnt convinced and i will need to read up on the transmission protocols of these DTH systems to come to a conclusion.

Coconut sized Diamond

So they found a coconut sized Diamond in South Africa.

Reminds me of the movie Blood Diamond. Its not about the diamond, its about us men who will kill and destroy anything in our path to get to that diamond.

The problem is that no matter how big the diamond is, such a priceless item will never make anyone rich since it cannot be sold. No one will buy it since it is worth killing for. And the cycle of destroying every one who holds this diamond in his possession will continue indefinitely.

So if you own this diamond, its best not to make noise about it and keep quiet. But then how does this diamond make you rich ?

As Alanis would put it - 'isn't it ironical' !!

Peppy seems to be ill

My 6 month old Oranda gold - Peppy seems to be ill. I suspect its either ammonia burns or finrot. In either case - lot of water change is required.

I lost Shrek a month back. This will hurt !

Pray she recovers.

Goldfish as pets

My goldfish are just about more than a month old and they seem to have become twice their size. I can safely say that i have had my share of sleepless nights and heart stopping moments.

Here are some brief points about keeping fishes:

1. Buy fishes from a very good shop. I recommend Aquafissssh on MG Road or a small petstore (i forget the name) in Aundh. Right next to Pulse. (left of pulse if you are facing it)

2. Fish bowl. The general perception and marketing of goldfish is the reason why people believe that they should be kept in a glass bowl. Nothing is more ridiculous than that in the fish keeping world.

Invest in a tank. The general rule is that 1 inch of fish requires about 1000 Cubic cm of water to live. So if you have 4 fishes, you should have at least 4000 cubic cm of water. The bigger the better.

3. Next - have a filter in place. Fishes release ammonia in their pee and it hurts them. It reduces the oxygen levels in the water and the fish will come to the surface to breathe. A filter will also clean the water and keep the tank looking nice.

4. A pump - this also is a good idea since pushing bubbles through the water creates a nice look to the tank and keeps the water fresh.

For 2 small goldfishes, 1 cu ft. of Tank would suffice. This should not cost you more than 750 bucks. There is this Chinese model that costs 3K. The filter comes along with it. If you have the money - go for it. Its worth the investment.

The pump will cost about 150 bucks. And the filter will cost about 400 bucks.

A pair of 1-2 inch goldfish will cost about 80 Rupees. i prefer ORANDA GOLD since they have a long gown like fins that look very graceful.

Some really important tips:

- Food. This is the number one cause of fish death. Try to feed them as little as possible.

- Fishes are delicate. Don't handle them with hands till you aren't comfortable. Once you are - they wont die if you hold them in your hands. But they have a oil coating on their skin. If you touch them with dry hands, this coating rubs off and can lead to skin diseases later.

- Disease. Fishes are susceptible to disease. The primary reason for this is water. Don't go heading out to change all the water everyday. The water gets 'used to' and should not be tampered with everyday. If you have to - change 30 - 50% of the water.

- Observation. a good fish keeper watches his fish. watch them to notice if they are unwell or happy. Watch them to know how much food should you give them.

If you have any questions about keeping goldfish - feel free to send me an email and i will try to help you out. (sam.lucifer@gmail.com)

Long time

I have heard people give this excuse many times - so here is mine as well...

'Have been extremely tied up recently... will get back to you'