Archive for the ‘Thoughts’ Category

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Please Gamble [Live] Responsibly

Monday, August 9th, 2010

In UK there is a habit of trying to plan and manage everything. While this habit is one of the main reasons for the advanced state of development enjoyed by the countrys’ residents, sometimes it can be pushed to insane limits.

For example, out here  all gambling websites, shops and even advertisements need to have information pointing to ‘GambleAware’ along with the advice: “Please gamble responsibly”. The main purpose for this is to remind people to ‘gamble responsibly’ and to show people with gambling related problems a way out.

All that is well and good but my question is how can one gamble ‘responsibly’?

Gambling itself is an act of taking a risk. So they are asking us to ‘take a risk’ with responsibilty? If you were responsible for something would you take a risk? The obvious answer to that is ‘depends’ on what you were responsible for and what was the associated risk, but that brings us to the question of what exactly is involved in gambling. What is it that we are risking?

So I went to the GambleAware website to try and figure out what they highlight as ‘risks’ of gambling without responsibility… in other words what is their definition of ‘gambling responsibly’. This is what I found (from their website http://www.gambleaware.co.uk/responsible-gambling):

 
 
 

A person who gambles responsibly:

  1. gambles for fun, not to make money or to escape problems.
  2. knows that they are very unlikely to win in the long run.
  3. does not try to ‘chase’ or win back losses.
  4. gambles with money set aside for entertainment and never uses money intended for rent, bills and food.
  5. does not borrow money to gamble.
  6. does not let gambling affect their relationships with family and friends.
Weird!
1) Gambles for fun … : Well I don’t know about making money but as far as escaping problems is concerned then they should put the ’Please escape from reality responsibly’ advice up on each and every source of entertainment. From movies to sports! Isn’t that what we use these things for? To escape from reality which is usually full of problems?
 
2) … very unlikely to win … : They should put ‘Please create babies responsibly’ advice in each and every hospital’s maternity ward. To warn the newborns that life is a game that is impossible to win. Everyone dies in the end!
3) … win back losses. : I thought it was a good thing to overcome odds and to ‘win back’ what one lost. Some of the greatest people did this to ‘achieve’ greatness. I also thought this was part of human nature to try and overcome loss. This is what allows us to go on in face of great odds and rebuild our life. This calls for the following general advice: ‘Please loose responsibly’.

4) … money set aside for entertainment … : This calls for the following advice in all shops: ‘Please spend money responsibly’ because we know that whenever we go into a shop or supermarket or a mall, hundreds of offers/sales/deals are thrust into our face! That is why expensive brands (which we really can do without) are reduced marginally in price so that the average person, thinking of it as a deal, tends to buy them leading to overspending.

5) … does not borrow money to gamble. : This is a good one. All the banks out there distributing credit cards like they were going out of fashion listen up! Put the following advice in bold letters on your credit card: ’Please borrow money responsibly’. So that people don’t run up huge credit card bills buying things they don’t need and cannot afford just because they are able to ‘borrow’ money easily.

6) … affect their relationships …  : Another good one. All offices should have the following advice in all public areas: ‘Please work responsibly’. Also all managers and senior managers should be sent on special ‘working responsibly’ courses! We know work is one thing that affects our relationships the most. It keeps us away from our loved ones even after work hours. Gives us stress which we often take out on people we love.

Maybe we just need one advice tattood on the arm of all newborns: ‘PLEASE LIVE RESPONSIBLY’.

;)

So what do you think guys? Do you think we will see these bits of good advice popping up anywhere soon?

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UK Elections: A Ringside View

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

UK Government elections are coming up in a few weeks time (May first week).  This election is a face-off between the Labour Party, who have been in power for the last 12 years, and the Conservative Party, who are sensing a real chance to form the government this time. There is a third party – the Liberal Democrats, dream of becoming king-makers and in reality can seriously affect the base of the two established parties.

One issue which, according to those who claim to be the ’experts’, is going to dominate the voter’s minds is the economic crisis that gripped UK last year.

I believe that in politics your point of view is decided not by logic or analysis but by the political party that you belong to. Keeping this in mind, the fact that the UK economy has just about limped clear of the recession can be seen from three different prespectives.  

The Labour view is that they have taken some ‘very difficult’ decisions through some of the ‘toughest times’ seen by ‘world’ economy and have guided the UK economy out of the battlefield. According to the Labour government the economic crisis was not of their creation but something external in which the UK economy got dragged into.

The Conservatives have the view that Labour was responsible for the country facing such difficult times. That if they had been in power they could have helped UK sustain the storm better.

The Lib-Dems do not have a clear view of things. They keep changing their views depending on what the two major parties are saying.

There is one thing though, that all three of them agree on:  they have to take some ‘very difficult’ decisions and  some of the ‘toughest times’ are still ahead for the country.  

All three are saying there have to be big cuts in Government spending to reduce the deficit. But what exactly should be cut and how the resulting gaps will be filled, changes with the party. Great fear is also being generated regarding cuts in frontline services (e.g. Police and NHS).

What no one is willing to admit is the fact that the road ahead is not full of options. The steps that can be taken are limited. Yet the voters are being fooled into believing that there are multiple roads out of the mess and that each party holds the map to a different route.

Looking at these things from a temporary resident’s point of view I can say if frontline services like NHS and Police are cut then it will surely make the country less attractive for skilled workers. Free healthcare and a safety are two major requirements especially when it comes to people with families.

Immigration is the second point where these parties will clash. Again there are not that many options out. Already immigrations laws are very strict. Apart from closing the Tier 2 (Work Permit) and Tier 1 (Migrant Worker) schemes to South Asians (which will damage the UK economy and push work out of the country) they really can’t do anything.

To clamp down on illegal immigration will require increased government spending (for better border security and tougher enforcement) but the question remains: where will the money come from? Also the government will never admit this but illegal immigrants contribute a lot to the UK economy. They do the kinds of job which the locals will not do. Illegal immigrants, in fact, help the UK economy by providing cheap labour. They don’t pay any tax but even if they were legal the amount they earn would keep them well below the tax bracket.

In my view this election is going to be about whichever party screams the loudest and is able to convince the UK voter that yes indeed they can pull rabbits out of hats and pennies out of thin air!

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Life is a box…

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Someone recently asked me how would I like my life to be.
I thought about it and replied that life was not a retaurant where you go and give your oder “I would like my life to be a bit spicy but go easy on the problems”.
If we could “order” our life then there would be no growth as who would wish for tough times and problems from which we can learn?

The next question was what do I want from life.

This led to a second insight about the nature of life. I realised that life was like an empty box. Whatever you put in is what you will come out. Also while there are things in the box they change (like all things in nature). Another important point is that while it is up to us what to put in the box and when to put it, we have no control over takin things out. The only guarantee is that things we put in will come out.

So choose wisely what you put into life!
:)

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The multi-Billion Dollar Scam: Selling unsustainable dreams…

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

The real estate sector is booming in India. Areas just outside the four metro cities have seen land rates shoot up like a NASA rocket.

A textbook case is the suburb of Gurgaon touching the southern border of New Delhi. Till 10 years ago it was a dusty under-developed area with bad infrastructure. It was not a hot favourite for house-hunters and real-estate developers. How can I say all this? I had relatives living in that area and have been visiting them since I was 11-12 years old. I have seen that area develop as I was growing.

Then came the multi-national corporations, the call centers and the big brandnames. These were followed closely by the shopping-mall culture and a major empowerment of the young working Indian. All this meant that within a short span of time on a 4 km stretch of the Meherauli-Gurgaon road there were 6 shopping malls standing shoulder to shoulder.

While individually these were no where close to their western counterparts, taken together they formed a solid block of shops surrounding on of the busiest roads connecting Gurgaon with South Delhi. Within months the Meherauli-Gurgaon road became a nightmare for regular commuters. Being stuck in traffic for hours became normal.

Yet the property prices in Gurgaon kept increasing. New real-estate projects started springing up all over the place. There were buildings but no roads. Homes but no water or electricity. The boom was fueled by the ITeS boom in India and rise of home loans where young professionals starting their first job were able to buy flats and land. People made a lot of money selling dreams.

But what is the reality? Infrastructure is still trying to catch up with Gurgaon. Non-existant transport facilities are being supported with a new metro system. But what about water?

What about sustainability?

A crore’s worth of property is not of any use if you do not get water when you want to have a bath or electricity when you want to sleep. While power shortage can be removed (if your children are lucky then maybe in their lifetime) what will we do about water?
Study sees dramatic drop in Indian groundwater - longterm prospects are anything but bright for a good supply of water.

With a declining water table, unpredictable rains the long term forcast for Haryana points towards it becoming an extension of the Thar desert.

What will happen to the billion dollars worth of real estate? The investment in our future will be equal to a pile of sand?

Lack of sustainable development and blind destruction of the natural shield that is Haryana does not give a solid foundation to any kind of long term investment (for e.g. property investment).

The above factors make the real estate boom in India a bubble waiting to burst. When this bubble bursts a lot of people will be left with shattered dreams.

Few people though, will be left with a load of money they made selling unsustainable dreams.

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The World and I

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Does the world exist around us or do we exist in it?
I think the answer to this question reveals a lot about a persons thought process.

Most people will obviously ask what is the difference between the two views. What is the choice that we are being given in the question?

The fundamental difference in the choices is the net flow of influence. Do you end up influencing the world around you or are you influenced by it?
For most people there is no net flow because situations where the world dictates you are balanced by situations where you dictate the world.

In fact if there is no net flow then you are doing well in life according to me.

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Why not us?

Friday, July 24th, 2009

Netherlands from air looks like an island. Instead of roads in between fields they have canals. The entire country is built on water.
UK is famous for its BAD weather. It is cold and damp.

Both countries today are counted amongst the worlds most developed countries.
People will point to their colonial past as the source of their wealth. But these countries did not always have these colonies. The colonies were built up with strength and resolve. It is not easy to conquer and command people halfway around the world.

These countries had similar problems as India. Problems related to oppression of poor, caste system, superstition, domination of religion and wars.

As time passed the fate of these countries diverged from that of India. We became the shoe on their foot. The diamond in their crown.

What could be the reason?
Maybe it was the lack of a global point of view?
Maybe it was something to do with looking for short term riches over the long term benefit of the people.
Maybe dictatorship and rule of kings went on for a decade longer than it was supposed to?

Maybe the politicians and industrial elite took over from the rulers of old to exploit people? But the same happened to Germany that to not once but twice.

What could it be then?
Could it then be the inability of India to control its population growth? It could certainly be a major factor. Bigger the car more powerful an engine it needs. Furthermore more passengers on board lesser is the efficiency of the engine.

Where to go from here?
Start a one child policy like China?
Or better educate people so that they understand the advantages of a small popultation?

Evidence from Kerala indicates the second option is just as good (if not better) than the first. Kerala’s population growth stands around 1.8 which is similar to that of China but a whole lot less than the National average for India.
Kerala also boasts of 99% literacy.

This means education has a clear link with population growth which in turn has a major effect on economic and civic growth of the country.

If the equation is so simple again I ask… Why not us?

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The Three Laws of Thermodynamics

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

First Law:

The total amount of matter and energy is conserved. Even though matter might turn to energy and visa-versa the total amount is always conserved.

> Money/Wealth etc. (matter) and Effort (energy) can convert into each other. But the total amount of it remains the same. So someone expends a lot of energy to get little matter so that others can get a lot of matter by expending little energy!

Second Law:

The total amount of entropy (chaos or disorder) in the universe always increases. In other words everything must eventually age and run down. For example burning paper produces smoke which means a net increase in entropy takes place. But we never see smoke re-assembling itself into a piece of paper.

> The world is going to descend into chaos no matter what we do. So why give a damn worrying about it. Why spend energy organising things around us. Why fight chaos?

Third Law:

No refrigerator can reduce temperature to absolute zero (−273.15 °C, the lowest possible temperature).

> Absolute zero means perfection. It means at absolute zero there is no chaos there is no randomness because it is the lowest possible energy state (of zero energy). There is perfection. But we can never reach perfection as we can never reach the lowest energy state. Therefore perfection is not achievable.

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The Hands of Man

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Today someone shared quite a remarkable thought with me so I thought I would share it with the world!

A new born baby has a clenched fist. The tightly closed fist represents the hunger for life. It represents the desire to grab the most out of this chance to be alive.

But when a person dies their hands always end up in an open and relaxed position. This highlights the fact that we cannot take ANYTHING with us. There comes a time to let go of all the things material.

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Man is not God… God is not man…

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

‘Man is not God’ is a phrase that is often used when ‘science’ tries to encroach upon what is believed to be the realm of ‘God’ (e.g. cloning and stem cell research).

Obviously the term ‘man’ is loosely used and I use it here in the wider context to represent both men and women.

I also heard this phrase in a movie the other day. But all of a sudden my brain turned this line around and presented it to me. It gave me quite a lot to think about. Here is the phrase turned around:

‘God is not man’

Man needs science because man is not God. God is not man therefore God has no need for science. God does not die (we assume?), does not need food (again assume?) so why would God DO science? God is all knowing and all seeing. This surely makes ‘science’ a useless tool for God.

When people say that Man should not try and play God (for example when we fiddle around with DNA to create new life forms such as GM crops) my question is since God is not man how does he (or she) know about the problems of being a human?

Man needs science to improve his life. God has no need for science. So why stop the spread of science? Why ban stem-cell research which has the potential of helping millions of people suffering from problems like diabetes?

That is because man does not know how to use science for benefit of mankind in general. Science becomes either a gun to hold against someone or a pile of money.

This is a debate which has no end. God can aspire man to achieve great things. At the same time if we realise God is not man then our perception of ‘what is God’ will change and this debate will end. That is when we will realise ‘God’ is not a destination, it is a journey.

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Thumbs-UP!

Saturday, April 25th, 2009

How important is the thumb to the ‘Thumb Generation’?

If you are wondering what the ‘Thumb Generation’ is – the answer is simple. We are the ‘Thumb Generation’! This term refers to the popularity of various electronic devices (like cellphones) which we operate using our thumbs. These devices have become an important part of our lives. Thus we are the ‘Thumb Generation’.

Obviously the thumb is VERY important (if not critical) to the ‘Thumb Generation’. How important it really is I discovered only recently.

Some time ago I managed to cut my thumb. The cut required a band-aid. This meant that the top half of my thumb was covered in a plastic band-aid for two-three days.

Now this is a fairly common thing to happen to anyone. But being a part of the ‘Thumb Generation’ it made things bit weird for me. Here is how:

 - Tried to use my touchscreen phone… the screen wouldn’t work because my thumb was covered by the band-aid!

- Tried to use the keypad on the mobile… thumb kept slipping because of the band-aid.

- Tried to play a video game but my thumb started hurting.

- I couldn’t even scratch my head!

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