The Lonesome Road

Ah - to sit and write again. Considering everything going on around me right now, it feels like a luxury.

This is an open question to whoever reads this blog - what is the difference bewtween Computer Science and Computer Enginnering? If I wish to pursue a networking stream, which one of the two should I prefer for my MS/MEng?

Anyway, all that aside - life is pretty hectic. Plus it’s been raining all week. Been soaked 3 times in the last two days. What else… Oh yeah. A couple of friends came back to Pune from Delhi. Our old group went out for dinner last night. Just like old times - was a total blast. Came back and crashed at their house at 2 A.M

One last thing - the West Indies beat England in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy. England made the cardinal mistake of underestimating the Windies and paid for it. Ordinarily, I would not be bothered about a WI/Eng fixture - but I wanted the Windies to win this time. Especially after the Australian captain , Ricky Ponting wrote in a newspaper coloumn that after his team crashed out (they were trashed by England), the only team that deserved to win the Champions Trophy was England. What tripe. Now he can be happy - he’s chewing on his foot

Well, I wish I could sit and write more - but am shortlisting colleges and then have to take printouts for my submission.

Tallyho!

For those interested, the Gallery has been updated and organized. All comments/criticism/praise is welcome

Enjoy.

Really didn’t have the time to post yesterday. Went to college directly for practicals - had confirmed earlier that the morning lectures were free. Went to the lab, only to find 5 out of 15 dudes in my batch present. Anyway, the prof asked us to sit and work. So, in 1.5 hours sat and implemented the FIFO and LRU algorithms for page replacement in a page table. Lectures after the pracs were off as from a class of 121 , six students were around.

Recommendation letters are coming along nicely. Two profs had agreed - we showed them the draft yesterday and they had no problems with it. all that remains to do now is to print them out on the college letterhead and get the college stamp.

Alok and I had submitted the request for official university transcripts last monday and we were told to collect them this monday. Those who have been following this post will know that the transcripts were not ready on monday. So, we went yesterday to get them. But - as my dad had predicted before we left , they weren’t ready. But we didn’t plan to leave without them. So, we stood there for an hour waiting as the marks were entered into the computer, printouts taken and the documents were sent to be signed. Then we sealed one copy in a university envelope and took the other copy unsealed. If you are wondering why it takes one hour to do this - it’s because the clerks who handle these jobs are more interested in the telephone, talking to each other and taking walks to meet long-lost friends in the department. Anyway, it’s done - so no complaints any more.

That done, went to a friend’s house for Ganapati aarti in the morning. Have put up pictures of the idol and the view from her house here. Then headed off for Compiler Construction where I learnt Intermediate code generation. Good fun all in all. Then at night, a bunch of us went to watch The Bourne Supremacy. In true style, I fell asleep at the end. One observation - Ludlum won’t even recognise any part of his book in the movie

That was all about yesterday. Nothing much for today. Spent all morning narrowing down my college selection. Have networking class in the evening and then compiler construction again - so busy once more..

Later all…

There was a plan last night to go for the Ganapati walk - but I had to back out. Actually, three out of the six people going backed out citing various reasons. Happens, I suppose.

Anyway, mom and I had some bank work today.My father had this brilliant idea that we should take the car, finish the bank work and then go see the Dagadu Seth Ganapati (DSG). As custom dictates, we follow my father’s orders. The work at the bank was done by one and then we set off for Laxmi Road where the DSG temple is located.

Now, the problem with Laxmi Road is that it’s a system of narrow one-ways. How narrow - well the road width is barely the width of two cars standing side-by-side. That’s the supposed length of the road. You have to subtract the frontage of the stalls that abound all over. The entire area is driving hell. Right from the condition of the road to the loony people who drive on them. One more problem is that the there are tons of intersections among these one ways. My sis had driven from the house to the bank. She refused to drive beyond that point stating that she’d had enough of my dad’s back seat driving. So I took over.

Let me tell you - it’s a painful drive. You have people who know they cannot squeeze past you on the road - but that will not dissuade them from trying. Pedestrians jaywalking - basically the works. Now when you come near the DSG, there is a municipal parking. It’s a 4 storeyed structure. Now, we come to the entrance, only to be told that we had to use the earlier one. This was a little daunting as I now had to take a U-turn on a small and extremely busy lane. Took me nearly 5 minutes to find a break in traffic and turn the car around.

Parking done, we went to see the God. The DSG is the richest, and supposedly the most powerful Ganapati in all of Pune. It was a mad rush to see the God. Crowds here, there, everywhere. We stood in line patiently. Fortunately, the organisers have placed the God on a stage. So, even as you join the line, the idol is clearly visible and as you move forward, more and more details become apparent. It’s a beautiful idol and radiates an amazing sense of peace. The thing is - once you see this one - all the others feel - for want of a better word - less.

We were really luck today. We entered the bank - and it started pouring. That was one. The second time, we stepped into the parking lot to leave for home - looked outside and once again it was pouring. Looks like someone’s watching over us

Anyway, that’s all for now. Later all….

Part one done. I have the college transcripts It’s a pretty long process actually. You first make a draft of your mark list and show it to the Registrar. He then looks over the marks, compares it with your marks in the marksheet. He will also suggest corrections (if any) in the draft that you have provided.

Once that is done, you buy paper with the college letterhead (@ Rs.2/- per sheet). The transcripts are then printed on these sheets. I’ll tell you - it’s a major pain. Why? Well, these pages are not loose, they come in a pad style. This means that each sheet has to be torn off from the pad. Now what happens because of this is that the top of the page remains rough. So, if you put the whole separated bunch into the laser printer, it keeps getting caught. Note : For a test of patience, try taking printouts of your transcripts, six pages in length - one page at a time

Well, after that is done, the final transcripts are resubmitted. The Registrar and the Principal sign on the pages, verifying that the marks are original and correct. Next, they are taken to be stamped by a clerk who puts a college stamp on each of the pages bearing a marklist (and will charge you Rs.25/- to do that per transcript). That done, they are taken to the certifying authority who notes the details, takes one photocopy of the transcript and issues a certificate number. This can be used by the Universities to cross check the validity of the document.

You then purchase college envelopes and the transcripts are folded and then sealed in them. The college stamp is then put on the envelopes. One each on the top and base flaps and one in the middle. Finally, the Registrar’s signature is taken on each of the envelopes, one on each of the flaps. And then it is done.

Well, in a bit of bad news, when I was in the office waiting for my transcripts, someone stole my cap. Oh joy. Once this was done, Alok and I went to Pune University to collect our University transcripts. They were not ready. Looks like we will have to make a return trip on Wednesday.

That’s all from me for now…

Not in the mood to write much today - after all when you’ve been staring at a computer screen for the last six hours, waiting for Linux to install, only to find that there are read errors on the cd…Well it sort of kills the joy.

What happened was Linux usually attaches the GUI to tty7 (i.e terminal 7). My friend, who was using Fedora before this had his GUI on the last terminal. He wanted to keep the same setting in Suse. Unfortunately, when he tried to modisy the setting, Suse balked and refused to start the X-server - even after the changes were rolled back. So we had the thankless job of reinstalling the system - which as I said, failed miserably.

So, back home now. It’s been a scorcher of a day - had the AC at full blast. It seems to me that the people on the roadsof this city have some sort of death wish. As I drove back home today, I saw three near accidents. Then came my turn. When I was turning in from the main road into my lane, these two ladies were busy crossing the street, looking and talking to each other - with nary a care as to who might be coming up the road. They gave no reaction - even after repeated horn blasts, so finally had to stop right in front of them. That sorta woke them up

Later

Maharashtra’s favourite festival is back! It’s Ganesh chaturti from the 18th (that’s today) to the 29th. It’s a huge festival in the name of Lord Ganesha. According to hindu mythology, Ganesha is the God whose name is taken before starting any work as he’s supposed to be the remover of obstacles.

The festival was revived during the Independence struggle by Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak who saw the importance of the event as a rallying point for a large number of people. It brought everyone together and reforged the links of brotherhood.

Today, the festival has reached almost epic proportions. There are 42 major pandals in Pune - the most famous of which is the Dagadu Seth Ganapati. Peoplw flock to see this idol in huge numbers. Apart from these, there are smaller pandals in almost every corner of the city. In fact, most housing societies order their own idols for the pooja.

Of course, nothing goes so smoothly in India. In spite of the fact that the MSEB has promised concessional rates for the pandals, only 14 out of the 42 major pandals and almost none of the smaller ones have registered. This does not mean that they go without power - it just means they tap power from the mains. Stealing in the name of God.

You know, when there is a religious ceremony, you expect to hear devotional music. It’s the done thing. Now, I don’t claim to know what God feels about all this - but I really think that when I walk past a pandal, I should hear a bhajan, hymn or something in that vein. What I end up having to hear are english songs, the latest hindi film music and crappy remixes. Really puts me off. But most guys seem to enjoy it and I have no doubt that it’s going to continue.

Alok and I plan to do the Ganesh walk this time. You start off after dinner and walk around the city, visiting all the pandals you want to. We plan to cover at least 21. It’s a lot of fun - but very tiring. It’s not the walking - it’s the pushing and shoving through the multitude - who just happen to be doing the same thing Will write about my walk if I make it.

Anyway, that’s all for now…

It is done - I have managed to confirm my GRE and TOEFL dates. They are set for the first week of November. So, now there is a goal to work towards. Hopefully, I should be able to push my score into the 1500s by then.

Java seems to be a slightly odd language. There are concepts repeated from C/C++, but just when you think you have the hang of it - it surprises you But it’s good fun to be learning a new language after such a long time.

College seems to be on a slowdown with all the profs taking taking breaks from thursday-monday. Works for us - so far no one is complaining.

Compiler construction class is getting interesting. There are some interesting fundamentals involved. As in the basic infix/prefix/postfix notations we learnt in our second year play a big role. As do the concepts of Regular Expressions, Grammars and Automata. Actually, all parsers can be thought of as Push Down Automata. A ubject can really come alive when the prof speaks with total authority on the subject. It’s a pity that we can’t find them in college. The dude whom we learn from is actually a mechanical engineer and is largely self taught in computers. A local urban legend about him is that when he was doing an MCA course, the standard textbook had been penned by him!

Anyway, will stop now. Want to read up on java. Later all…

[Extend post : 1922 hrs]

As I said, am really new to Java - and need to brush up on classes and OO concepts. I know that the error in this code is silly - but will still be grateful if someone can point it out :

public class Appl
{
string app_Name;
string app_Addr;
string app_Posn;

public void disp_det(byte i)
{
System.out.println(” Name is : ” + app_Name[i]);
System.out.println(” Address is : ” + app_Addr[i]);
System.out.println(” Position is : ” + app_Posn[i]);
}
public Appl()
{
app_Name[0] = “A”;
app_Addr[0] = “B”;
app_Posn[0] = “C”;
app_Name[1] = “D”;
app_Addr[1] = “E”;
app_Posn[1] = “F”;
app_Name[2] = “G”;
app_Addr[2] = “H”;
app_Posn[2] = “I”;
}
public void static main(String args[])
{
byte i;
string [3]details;
details = new string[3];
Appl a1 = new Appl();
for(i=0;i

A sunrise beautiful,
of deep red hue.
A mushroom cloud,
spelling murder and death.

A tranquil lake,
pristine and clean.
Waste disposal sites,
spewing disease and waste.

An open glade,
that gladdens the eye.
A garbage dump,
attracting verminous hordes.

A breath of fresh air,
filling the lungs with joy.
Soot, dust and worse,
is it air you breathe?

Rain, beautiful rain,
cleaning the earth
Acid water from the sky,
burning through It’s soul.

A few days back, I saw a documentary on global pollution and it really made me sit and think. It’s high time we stopped killing the Earth - we have only one planet, you know. I don’t know how well I have put my feelings into words - so please bear with me.

College is dull. Very dull. I went to college today to find both the morning lectures off. One prof had not come at all. So, once those two hours were done, our batch heads for the lab - to find Linux has not been installed on any machine in this lab as well.

Our college has one set of Linux installation cds, and in that set, cd 1 has a crack - and we don’t even know if it works. Amazing, isn’t it? And we needed Linux as the assignment we are currently working on requires us to create a calculator using yacc. Well, we spoke to the prof - and she agreed that there was no point to us sitting in the lab as at the most we would be able to install the OS on 2 out of the 25 systems in the lab. So, gave our attendance and trooped out. Have to work on the assignment at home and submit it next wednesday along with another assignment on CPU scheduling.

Come on, if I take the trouble to go for lectures - let them at least take place!

In other news, java class today at 1530 hours. Let’s see what happens there.

Later all…

Contrary to popular belief - and hope, we did have college today. Well - actually you decide for yourself. First lecture this morning was supposed to be Operating systems. We turn up ten minutes late as this prof is very forgiving - he’s let guys in with as little as five minutes left for the lecture to end. But when I arrived at the lecture hall, there was no one. All the dudes were roaming in the corridor. Turns out the prof had not turned up.

Well, then found out that the Artificial Intelligence lecture was on the cards. Decided to sit for it - bad move. Believe me - I was perfectly awake when I entered the class. But within five minutes, hearing him drone on and on about AND-OR graphs, I was fast approaching Sleepville. Thankfully, the people in front of me were tall enough to block the prof’s view and I did manage to doze off

Next on the list - Computer Network Practicals. But wait - there is a problem. As I mentioned earlier, there was a C test in our lab, and the computers had been formatted. They had installed Windows, but that’s of no use for our work. Guess what - when we turned on the machines - there was no TurboC on any of them. I wonder how the C test was conducted. Anyway, we sat there for two hours. Spent my time looking up information for my project. Looks to be heading for a VNC type implementation.

So, now decide - did I actually have college or not.

End note : Pretty hectic days ahead. Will be going to the gym from 7:30AM - 8:30AM, college from 9:15AM - 4:15PM, computer classes (I actually started this networking course two years back) from 6PM-8PM and Compiler construction classes from 8PM-9:30PM. Aaaa. Never done this much running around in all my academic life! Well, let’s see what happens

Well, today being a holiday and all, Alok and I decided to finish off a couple of pending jobs. Firstly, we got the affidavit of support typed. That piece of paper basically states that your parents are willing and able to fork out the amount you need to study in a foreign university.

What’s next is the financial document - this is basically from the bank. They look at your assets and give you a certificate saying you are good for a certain amount (of course, in USD).

But that will come later. More important are the transcripts. These are basically the marksheets, broken down semesterwise and subectwise. The marks obtained are also split as Paper, Termwork, Practical and Oral. Basically, it gives a clear picture of the breakup of marks. There are two types of transcripts required - a) college and b)university transcripts.

We managed to finish work on the college transcripts on saturday. All that is left is to get them stamped and sealed. So, today we went to the University.The Pune University campus is a pretty big place. It’s very beautiful - lots of greenery and old world style buildings. The problem is that the roads running through it are snaky and confusing. Unless you’ve been there a few times, chances are pretty good that you will be lost soon. We started the transcript hunt at the enginnering section. As usual - there was no one at the counter. Fortunately, we caught the eye of a lady at another desk and she came over. We told her what we needed. Her reply - Get a form and copies of your marksheets. So, we asked - where are the forms. Pat came the reply : In the publication department. So, off we went looking for the Publication Department. Asking around, we found that it was near the old canteen. Anyway, we managed to find it without too much trouble - but over there we also found a big line. Took us half an hour to get the forms we needed.

Came back to the engineering section,filled in the forms and took them back to the counter. The lady looks at it, makes some squiggles on the paper and tells us to play Rs.660/- at the bank. But before we do this, we have to fill in a challan(receipt). We find the appropriate counter and collect the sheet. This is a form to be filled in quadriplate (I’m not even sure if the word/spelling is correct). You have to fill the amount (in figures and words), what the payment is for, your name and address on all four parts of the paper. One small detail most perople miss here is that you have to get the University part of the challan stamped before you go and pay the money. Stamping done, we go into the bank - and the tail of another line. One boring hour later, two hungry, but happy people emerge with paid challans. Finally, we went back to the counter and handed over the transcript applications and receipts. Hopefully, we will get them next monday.

Back home now. Have to go for a compiler construction class in the evening at 8. Friends insist there is no other way to pass the subject. Anyway, today’s lesson is free - like a demo, so no problem.

The end

Newsflash : Seems that I do not have college on tuesday either. News came in about this as an sms in the morning. Will confirm though, these pieces fo good news sometimes seem to good to be true.

Well, our relatives left this evening. You know, we get used to things so quickly - the house seems a little empty now. We did manage to take a lot of photos though, and I’ll try to post them later. Also, digital cameras are a lot of fun. I snapped the photos, and took the memory stick to the Kodak store and got my prints in 15 minutes. Technology is fun

Nothing else really - and I am pretty bushed. Hey, don’t judge - try hanging around with a hyperactive 10 year old for two days and then see what happens to you

Later..

Our college is hosting it’s annual tech fest on September 11th and 12th. So, we’ve been off college since friday - and there’s no college to tuesday. Using this free time to go ahead with my GRE, journal work and part of the paper work required for my admission abroad. Just got back from college - had gone to get my transcripts done. There are two sets required - one from the college and one from the University. The college ones are done, will go to the University on monday.

In other news, my uncle, aunt, grandmother and cousin have come over from Bombay to spend the weekend with us. They have been promising us this trip for nearly a year - and they finally made it yesterday It’s nice to have them over - especially my little cousin. As I write she’s screaming in my ear - she wants to play games on the comp - and she can be prety loud

Anyway, with that I shall sign off for today..my eardrums cannot take any more

It’s that time in Maharashtra again when promises are made, sops are given and gifts are distributed. Oh yeah - it’s election time. And in true election tradition, the farmers in our state have been promised free power. The only problem is that the rest of the state has to pay the price - both in terms of power failure and money.

In Maharashtra, the only area free from power failures (well, mostly) is Mumbai as it has an isolated grid. In case of power outrages, it is immediately islanded and thus rarely experiences loss of power. Other parts of the state are not so fortunate. In Pune, everyone knows that Thursday is “maintenance” day and the chances of 24 hour electricity are slim. Now, it’s not yet summer and the requirement of electricity is not very high. But just to give you an example - last year the electricity board (MSEB) released a time table of roling blackouts. Power would be cut for 4 days in a week for 3 hours.

The situation this year is going to be worse. Already, the demand for power has shot up to 13,000MW - this following a sharp rise in agriculural demand as the rains stopped. According to the MSEB, the state is set to experience a 3000MW shortfall from October onwards when the monsoons cease. They also feel that this additional load will cause an overload on the already taxed system, resulting in frequent breakdowns. The systems have not been renovated in the last 40 years and cannot handle the demands placed on them.

There are two basic fallouts of the free power syndrome :

1. The farmers, knowing they have free power, make no attempt to procure good pumps. Most of the pumps used are old and inefficient
2. More importantly, these pumps are left on more or less permanently. However, no efforts are made to regulate the water flow and usage. This coupled with the fact that there is no rain water harvesting or any well established method of water conservation has led to a sharp drop in the ground water level

States like Punjab and Karnataka have had to withdraw the free power scheme as things soon became unmanagable. Considering the fact that Maharashtra is in financial doldrums right now, we can’t afford to give free power.

Is anyone listening - or are all the lights out?