After a long time today, i wanted to blog and write about something that has caught my attention and seems to me, i will stick to it for a long time. A couple of months back i had no idea about this whole new world i am exploring right now known as the ” Tech-pubs”. When i was offered a job as a technical writer, i had no idea about the profile and the job itself. It sure sounded fancy.

Technical writing is the new “IT” job. The knowlege one needs to be a technical writer is only what the encyclopedia knows. Everything needs to be verified checked and rechecked. The detail of the information is the most crucial part of it.

A hands on experience is the best teacher. Working with an Operator’s manual for a very reputed client opened my eyes about technical writing. Being an arts graduate was not an excuse for not being able to understand about an automobile part. A rigorous reading session was extremely necessary in order to be in par with the other tech-writers. The ground work that was done before even having a rough sketch of a manual was humoungus. A rough table of contents was decided, different parts respective of their functions were seperated into different sections. Then the sub sections were created. This was the easiest part of writing an operator’s manual.

After the table of contents was decided and finalized, we ( a couple of writers) started to work on the basics. Every single part of the equipment was descibed in the manual and there were millions. Every part needed a through research. I did curse myself for being a lazy kid and not taking up engineering at this very point. I missed learning about automobiles, i realized it fascinates me. I loved reading up about the heavy equipments. The information load messed me up a couple of times however, i am glad i got to know much about a machine in such little time.
People in india do not take manuals seriously for two reasons. 1. The labour is cheap. 2. We do not take our vehicles seriously. But seems like the trend is changing.The demand for technical writers are growing by leaps and bounds. With more and more indians speaking English, Europian markets have started to take India seriously. Technical publications have started to catch pace in India. So if you are someone who has a flair for writing and knows a little more than average about automobiles, take the plundge. Technical writing is the next big thing.

Digital Slrs are not necessarily professional cameras. D- Slrs are semi professional cameras as well. The light sensitivity, color and clarity that an SLR can produce are far beyond the reach of a normal pocket camera. The reason for this difference is the light sensors, which are about ten times more in an SLR than a pocket camera.

How a SLR camera works.

To understand the mechanism of a camera, we need to know some basics. The camera functions similar to a human eye. To start with, Aperture – Is a small hole, which can be adjusted to suite the light. It has similar function like an iris in the eyes. It controls the amount of light entering the camera. Shutter –controls the duration of light falling on the sensor. It is Similar to the function of our eyelids. That click sound of a camera is the sound of closing and opening of a shutter. ISO, which generally refers to the film speed of a camera, was used in older Slrs that determined the sensitivity of the film. These are now replaced by the Charged Couple Device (CCD) in cameras, which converts the light signals into electrical signals and process the image. (These are same as the sensors I had been mentioning)

The SLR works on the principle of reflection of light. It consists of a lens, reflecting mirror, aperture, shutter, sensor and the viewfinder in the same order mentioned here, inside the camera. The light passing through the lens falls on the mirror mounted at 45 degrees and which in turn falls on another mirror, which is at 45 degrees to the first mirror and vertically parallel. It is then reflected to the viewfinder where we can see the image. The mirrors bend the light to the viewfinder. This entire apparatus makes the body of the SLR bulkier. The SLR has only one lens, which makes it different from other cameras.

What lens are you?

The lens is again a very important aspect of a camera. The range of the lens decides what kind of an image you would get. Say it is either a normal lens which is 17-55mm,or a zoom lens of 17-200mm.

These numbers are nothing but the focal range of a lens. Focal length is the distance between the lens and the subject. So if you want a sharp image your focus should be accurate. Coming back to the numbers, in a 17-55mm lens, 17 mm is the widest you can go and 55 in the longest you can zoom. The lens varies with usage.

The lens is the eye of the camera and focal length the vision. So if you are talking about lens range, you are talking about the vision of the lens. Normal eye lenses with a focal range of 17-55mm or 35-80mm are good to start with. This lens would give you images that appear to you in real life and hence called normal eye lenses.

Lens can be classified into three major categories. The one to capture minute details like ant inside the anthill, a caterpillar on a leaf and so on, is a Macro lens. Second type would be a Normal eye lens. We use a normal lens for mainly landscape. It is not defined by its usage. The third and the most important type would be a telephoto lens or a zoom lens. I could shoot long distances without moving an inch and still get better shots.
What to buy

How would you choose an SLR camera? The answer is simple. Choose a camera, which would give you more options like shooting on the beach, portraits, landscape, sports, kids, ice and other manual settings. There is a range of options, which would allow you to experiment and make it easier to shoot great pictures.

The advantage of a DSLR is the electronic reading of aperture, shutter and ISO that is indicated while shooting a picture. They would indicate if the picture was too dark or they need more light. You can also add footnotes to remind you of things while you shoot.

The digital SLRs are more productive. They enable you to edit a photograph on the spot. You can increase or decrease the light in a photograph. You would also find options like color correction, B&W, Sepia, cyanotype, cropping the image, color balance.

Photography is not restricted to hobby. People of various professions who need visuals to judge a case can use it. For example Architects need pictures of the stages of a building. Dentists, who need to click the photographs to see stages of the treatment. A good camera is always an advantage. Technologies make our lives simple and when buy a camera, why not think of everything you would use it for and buy accordingly.

Stray dogs are of two kinds. Dogs that have been abandoned by the owners and the dogs, which have been, stray traditionally. The latter ones are “pariah” breed, now known as the INDog. The name “pariah” is derived from the Tamil word Pariah which means “untouchables” and was generally used to address the people belonging to the lower caste in Tamilnadu.

The pariah breed is also believed to have migrated from China to India and had co-existed with humans for the past 14,000 years. Some researchers also say that dogs have descended from wolves. The wolves started to live in close contact with human settlement to eat from the left over. These wolves gradually evolved to be more human friendly and domestic. This explains why dogs fight over territories. Usually the most intelligent dog in the pack is leader or just followed by the rest of the pack.

The answer to why strays exist is not over breeding; it’s the availability of garbage. The animal behaviorists believe that since the dogs have evolved from the pack of wolves, which started to eat from the garbage cans and survive, irrespective of the breed, the dogs, would ransack the garbage can if left unattended by the master.

The other breeds of dogs, which are common strays in India, are “Mongrels”. The name means a mixed- breed or unknown/unidentified parenthood. The mongrels are the off spring of a pariah and any other pure breed dog. These dogs have existed because of careless breeding between pure breeds and the pariahs.

The only problem one may face while they own a mixed-breed dog is the personality. Since the parenthood of the dogs is unknown, one might not be able to predict the temperament, tolerance and attitude of the dog. Some mixed- breed can be extremely sensitive and shy while some can be a complete bully.

The mixed-breed dogs are sometimes unpredictable when it comes to unknown ancestry. The pup might grow up to surprising sizes. The mongrels come in various colors like black, white, brown, grey and combination of these colors.

These dogs are also known as Mutt, Crossbreed, Mixed-breed and Heinz57.

Heinz Company has the slogan of “57” since it has more than 57,000 varieties of products it produces. The mixed-breed dogs are called as Heinz57 since they have a lot of varieties.

India like every other country has a set of elite dog class. So far there had been only ten identified Indian dog breeds.

• Caravan Hound
• Combai
• Chippiparai
• Rajapalayam
• Rampur Hound
• Kanni
• Mudhol Hound
• The Alangu:.
• The Kuchi .
• The Kaikadi

The most widely known Indian dog is “rajapalayam”. And the rare breed of Indian dog is “kanni”.

The kings in India had owned most of these dogs. The Indian dogs are observed to be tall and slender in appearance since they were used for hunting.

The sterilization of the dogs at a large scale has helped to control the number of strays. The NGOs working for the adoption of stray pups and Indian dogs are a major success. Of late, many organizations have come forward to promote the adoption of Indian dog breeds.

The origin of the “pariah” may not be clearly known, however these dogs are more intelligent and tougher than the pure breed dogs. Adopting a homeless stray not only would give you a loyal friend but also a home to the ones, which needs it most.

Written for Furs,fins and feathers April edition 2010

Author : Gayatri Suryakanthan

In 1930, the tariff act was signed by the congress. It increased the bar of tariff on import goods. As the economic slow down spread through the rest of the world, the import tariff on American goods was also increased resulting in slowdown of international trade and contributing to already existing Depression. However, the intention of the government was to increase the purchase of American made goods and to increase the revenue of the federal government and provide subsidy to the farmers.

The worst part of protectionism is, it’s slipping in during the time of recession. Obama’s idea of addressing the issue is flawed and irrational. When the tariff on imported luxury products is almost zero and the commodities like staple food, clothing and shoes are high. This would end worsening the situation of poor.

The slogan of the democrats “ cash for clunkers” did much worse to the lower income families.700, 000 were traded in. The price of the used car went high making it impossible for the poor families to afford a second hand car. The rates on cheaper tires increased by $60 making it hard for these families to afford safer tires.

Instead of negotiating on china’s stagnant currency value to improve Obama has concentrated on the issues like tax cuts and the Stimulus bill spending more money than ever and generating no employment.

The imports of Chinese goods are cheaper since the value of the currency is comparatively low and hence “buy American” would hold no value. Also, the trading is done in terms of dollar, which does not enable the currency to rise. The increase in the import tariff of more essential commodities can bring some change to improve the situation, like America did previously.

Obama’s talks during the campaign to lift America from the economic slowdown has been on the papers ever since. His protectionist theory to cut outsourcing and create jobs domestically, increasing tax – cuts, Health plans and failure to transform words into actions adds to the misery. Infact, the transformation might be a fatal blow to the American economy.

But it’s China that’s the bigger loser. China’s attempts to use the global information highway as it pleases, allowing access when it thinks fit and denying access when it doesn’t only confirms it as an authoritarian, capricious and completely untrustworthy business partner. China can conduct its imperious foreign policy will a degree of latitude but not its trade and business relations. Already under fire for undervaluing its currency and undermining global economic recovery, China now has to decide what it stands to gain from the free flow of information – and what it stands to lose. It cannot control public access to information without losing credibility in short run or stunting the development of its academic and scientific prowess in the long term. For India too there’s a lesson here. Intellectual property and the laws that protect it lie at the heart of Goggle’s dispute with China. India’s has in recent years tightened its IP regime but its commitment to protecting proprietary technology is still ambivalent.



There is a general notion that physics and chemistry are related to mathematics. However, biology is independent of it. During the senior secondary schooling, most students who take biology as a major, do not think much about the mathematics involved in it since it appeals to be natural sciences. Little do they know that they have to me a mathematician as well to be a biologist.

Taking in account Darwin’s theory of evolution, earth was formed after a massive collision of clouds, when the time, space and matter started expanding. He could not have explained it any other way if not probability of the evolution. That is pure mathematics!

Sean Robsville in his paper “The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in Science and Engineering” said “there is no Darwinian explanation for the presence of mathematical abilities within the mind.

The ability to understand physics could not have arisen by evolution. Although our bodies may well be the product of random mutation and selection all the way from amoeba to man, our minds has some ‘unevolved’ dimension.”

The random mutations are based on calculation, which occurs in the mitosis. The nucleon is divided in four equal nuclei’s and there after divided further. The divisions may be random, however, one uneven distribution may bring about mutation hence causing deformed fetus.  Everything is calculated and nature itself is doing some math to keep the evolution and the process of life on track.

Mathematics helps us simplify the understanding itself. Everything around us is calculated. Our heartbeat, our blood pressure, our brain weight, our eyesight and not the least our bodies weight.

Lets take bodyweight into account and how would we explain if the person was heavy or light? How would we measure? What would be the definition of heavy if we had no numbers at all?  Without the math, biology is indefinite.

Mathematical models can be used to explain the biological phenomenon and the biological hypothesis can be strongly backed by the mathematical calculations. For instance, lets take into account the Pulfrich effect, Hypothesis suggested by neuro-physiologist

1. The brain processes signals together that arrive from the two eyes at the same time.

2. The signal from a darker image is sent later than the signal from a brighter image, that is, signals from darker images are delayed

However, the mathematical model had helped to support the evidence, which proves the above-mentioned hypothesis is true.

Mathematics has given the life science a cutting edge. We can read the density of human head through X-rays without having to open the skull.

From the time of the ancient Greek physician Galen (131–201 C.E.) until William Harvey studied medicine in Padua (1600–1602) it was believed that there were two kinds of blood, arterial blood and venous blood. Both kinds of blood were believed to ebb and flow under the motive power of the liver, just as the tides of the earth ebbed and flowed under the motive power of the moon.  Harvey observed that the veins in the human arm have one-way valves that permit blood to flow from the periphery toward the heart but not in the reverse direction. Hence the theory that the blood ebbs and flows in both veins and arteries could not be correct.

Harvey also observed that the heart was a contractile muscle with one-way valves between the chambers on each side. He measured the volume of the left ventricle of dead human hearts and found that it held about two ounces (about 60 ml), varying from 1.5 to three ounces in different individuals. He estimated that at least one-eighth and perhaps as much as one-quarter of the blood in the left ventricle was expelled with each stroke of the heart. He measured that the heart beat 60–100 times per minute. Therefore, the volume of blood expelled from the left ventricle per hour was about 60 ml × 1/8 × 60 beats/minute × 60 minutes/hour, or 27 liters/hour.

However, the average human has only 5.5 liters of blood (a quantity that could be estimated by draining a cadaver). Therefore, the blood  flows inside the body in a rather linear manner. The large volume of blood pumped per hour could not possibly be accounted for by the then-prevalent theory that the blood originated from the consumption of food. Harvey inferred that there must be some small vessels that transport the blood from the outgoing arteries to the returning veins, but he was not able to see those small vessels. His theoretical prediction, based on his meticulous anatomical observations and his mathematical calculations, was spectacularly confirmed more than half a century later when Marcello Malpighi (1628–1694) saw the capillaries under a microscope. Harvey’s discovery illustrates the enormous power of simple, off-the-shelf mathematics combined with careful observation and clear reasoning. It set a high standard for all later uses of mathematics in biology.

The challenge is not applying mathematics in biology but, preparing scientists with quantitative skills. The biological hypothesis based on mathematical formulas are still uncontested. The merging of biology with mathematics would be a lot different from that of physics since the Life science would have a wider spectrum of living organisms than physics has ever seen.

References

. Anderson PW (1972) More is different. Science 177: 393–396.

. plos Biology

.Anderson PW (1995) Physics: The opening to complexity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 92: 6653–6654

As per a report by the times of India, there are 3 lakh under trails in the Indian prisons. If the numbers were to be believed, the prisons would not have been over crowded.

Under trails are those who had been incarcerated without having been convicted and these people generally end up serving more than the actual term of imprisonment. Recently, the Law ministry in consultation with the judiciary announced that the under trials would be released within the next six months.

The judiciary promises to release at least two thirds of the under trails by the end of July. It had also suggested popularizing the plea- bargaining. In which the accused pleas guilty and the sentence would be less than half of what is to be sentenced if acquitted. However, most of this is unknown since most of the under trails languishing in the prisons are either too poor to appoint a lawyer or illiterate to know these procedures.

When arrested, the police have to read out the laws that allow the accused to defend him, which in most cases does not happen. Another drawback of plea – bargaining, despite of its efficiency is, even though the accused would be not guilty he/she would plea just to escape the extra sentence which our judiciary system would sentences without having tried the accused. Which happens in most of the cases.

The release of the under trails are the first step towards the comprehensive legal reforms suggested by the UPA government. And the government divided the country into various zones and had allocated a solicitor general for each of these to speed up the process. The judiciary reforms came into light when Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh suggested the release of under trials On August 2009.

The law ministry’s decision to enforce this law seems to have come a little late for those who have served 30-40 years for petty crimes. And these people, according to the law minister would get priority.  On January 27^th the Delhi high court was hearing 42 under trials when the Law minister Veerappan Moily and the Delhi high court judge Madan B Lokur made a surprise visit to the court. The budget allotted for the prisons is around Rs 2150 crores approximately. And the fast track courts operating on a rapid pace may or may not be a wise decision since this release of under trails appears to be formatting of the prisons covered under a false faith of justice delivery.

Self-medication is one of the greatest health hazards of modern times. We treat a common cold or fever with paracetamol or antibiotics without a second thought. Where drugs are prescribed, we don’t complete the course once we start to feel better. It is such misuse of drugs that explains why the common Staphylococcus bacteria that causes the common cold has transformed into a superbug.

Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus or MRSA is a pathogen commonly associated with nosocomial or hospital-induced infections. Hospitals with their large numbers of sick people whose immune systems are often in a weakened state are the perfect playground for the bacterium. The indiscriminate and increased use of systematic medicines like antibiotics has led to the birth of MRSA. The reservoir of the bacteria is commonly the ward patients.

The bacterium flourishes inside the hospitals for the reason that they experiment and use powerful drugs to eliminate various diseases. The patients who are admitted in hospitals often carry the bacterium outside the hospital. The elderly, the newborn and immuno-suppressed patients are easy targets for the bacterium.

The DNA of the bacterium mutates to become immune to almost every drug. The resistance has increased with the increase use of prescribed drugs indiscriminately. While the bacterium responds to vancomycin, a few stands of MRSA had been discovered to have been immune even to this powerful antibiotic.

Staph lives on the human skin (almost 30% of all people carry the bug) so when there is a slight cut or wound in the epidermis, this bacterium penetrates and infects the ligaments, tendons, fat and muscles. Unlike other bacterium/viruses, Staph does not spread. It grows on an infected organ and slows the rate of healing leading to septicemia.

Septicemia is a systemic illness with toxicity due to invasion of the bloodstream by virulent bacteria coming from a local seat of infection. Septicemia is generally caused by bacterium, which enters the bloodstream, and this infection is treated by heavy doses of antibiotics. It is also called “blood poisoning”. Since the bacterium attacks the immune system and slowly powers off the body’s natural healing system, the organs fail one by one leading to multiple organ failure and ultimately resulting in the person’s death.

The drug-resistant variant of the bacterium has moved out of the clinical laboratories and hospitals through the patients and spread among the communities. Hospital staff are particularly at risk given their daily exposure to infectious diseases. Now ordinary people are also falling victim to drug-resistant strains of bacteria because of the widespread misuse of these powerful drugs. According to a recent report, deaths by MRSA bacteria outnumber those caused by the dreaded HIV in the US, where approximately 18,000 people died of MRSA infections last year.

Powerful drugs like amoxycillin, erythromycin, vancomycin etc are available in any pharmacy in India and a person can buy them without a doctor’s prescrption. These drugs are 5^th generation antibiotics, which have maximum effect on the bacteria. But equally in India doctors are to blame. Their repeated prescription of powerful antibiotics to treat lesser and more easily curable infections has rendered these drugs ineffective and thus opened another gate for MRSA into the communities.

The battle against MRSA is presently being waged in hospitals where the bugs are most prevalent and where their spread often proves life-threatening to patients undergoing routine surgeries. But the real fight has to begin with the general public, who must be warned against self-medication, and the medical profession who must realize the pitfalls of over medication for immediate results. The true cost of such quick fixes is too dire to contemplate.

its been 6 months since i have landed at Bangalore,at IIJNM. well, not 6 months, a little less than that. But the journey had been brilliant! ( reminds me of nidin buddy, who says i sound like an illiterate when i say that).

boot camp, beats, convergence, bulletins, workshops,lectures…so much to do… well not really if you ask me ( or anyone).

i wanted to write a review of all that we did in the last 6 months. also try mending our ways ( which i don’t see happening).

So lets start

boot camp : We had “Ralph Frammalino” who was a visiting faculty, an investigative journalist, nominee of Pulitzer prize and a seriously funny man. He made us unlearn and relearn a lot of things. the way we think today, he had sown the thoughts in our head. Wipes tears*

Also, his fare well party, i think it was more like a freshers party than Ralph sir’s send off party. Music, Disco lights and lots of dancing..eh hello..we are the next gen-journalists.

there comes trouble…And kanchan kaur arrived:

this was what we were fed on by our faculty. but you know what… We have a really cool vice dean. I don’t know about others. I speak for myself. I loved kanchan kaur. She inspires me. Of course we get belted a lot of times ( read everyday) for not reading newspapers, not using our brains, not thinking. however, i regret not being in the print journalism. kanchan Kaur is a walking encyclopedia and an extremely warm person.

realizations :

“whats the story??” well…we hear it for every story we do. “if it bleeds, it leads”. hard news was really hard to find. First find a story, find a focus, get sources, get three points of view,quote them, follow ethics…  journalism is harder than neuro science!

So when we finally managed to catch hold of stories, all by ourselves, roaming on the streets of Bangalore, we have daily bulletins. DAMN!! Nightmare!!

As we have come to the end of semester. I had forgot to mention our sponsors

MOJO’S  Restaurant and bar : They will soon build a separate room for the IIJNM students.

M.G road : I think i can now advice people what to buy on M.G road and where to buy it from.

ANGADI :  We are the privileged customers of the ” Akka Shop” . The shops are open till the midnight on request.

Maggi/ bread ommlette/egg bhurji etc is our official food.

PS : We are having a Christmas party today. IIJNM is a learners paradise.