Sunday Times..!

I have a little routine on Sunday's which is my early morning trip (or pilgrimage!) to Lalbagh, the best and the biggest park in Bangalore. And its just about a 5 min ride from my home!

Now if you have never visited Lalbagh before, let me describe it a little.

Lalbagh is quite a vast expansive park in the heart of Bangalore. With entry gates in all four directions, east, west north and south (and maybe a few more), they all lead to a central 'Greenhouse', a glass/plastic structure. Around it, the park spreads its green wings of trees, flowers and lawns. As you stand there, you can see nothing of the outside of the park but only pristine greenery of beautifully manicured lawns, rose gardens and nurseries, stretching from one end to the other. A very large lake is snuggled in another area of the park. You can walk around the lake on a narrow but well made and lovely walkaway and enjoy the slightly heavy but breezy winds from the beautiful water body. Many birds inhabit the lake and you can easily spot ducks and long-billed birds.

When you walk around the lake, the road leads to one of two exit points of the park, or, you can turn around, and walk right back into the park itself (I would choose the latter!). As you walk around, you would find a Japanese garden, rose garden, bonsai garden and so many others. There is one with its bushes cut into the shapes of animals like rabbits, elephants, camels and horses! All these are spread across the park. There are many free open spaces too. Large lawns where you can just rest under casurina or banyan trees and watch the scurrying squirrels or the cooing birds! In either case, its a most enjoyable and relaxing experience.

There used to be an aquarium (the building still exists), but its not operational anymore (but I have been lucky to see it when it used to be there). There is a large clock dial too, made on a slight incline with many fairy-tale plastic characters surrounding it. Something which kids enjoy a lot! And everywhere you can find wooden benches, as you would most definitely take sometime to absorb the beauty of Lalbagh!

I normally jog around the park on Sunday's, sometimes covering the lake area too. In the company of nature. I rate it as one of my best moments of the week, something that I look forward to every week.

Connecting back to nature gives a sense of quiet and calm, away from the the hum-drum and noisy world!

Or to quote Hardy, "Far from the madding crowd..!"

Have a great weekend!

TI MCU's

Its been awfully long since I posted. Just been lazy and unable to get into the groove! I have been fighting robots that were on the verge of taking over the world and now I know a thing or two about controlling them...woops, bonkers! Time to move on...

Last week I attended the Texas Instruments MCU Deep Dive workshop and had a hands-on sessions experimenting with the MSP430 ultra-low-power MCU. The dev board was called the 'LaunchPad' and the TI folks had put together this 2-day workshop on not only MSP430 but also C2000, Stellaris and Hercules MCU's.

These were all new MCUs to me as I was only aware of Microchip and Atmel families till now. TI MCUs was new, though they have been around for decades (just shows how out-dated I was!) I checked out the use-cases for these online and then decided to take up the MSP430 track because I found quite a few hobbyists using it and the use-cases were something which I could experiment with in my free time.

After getting familiarized with Code Composer Studio and doing a few led-blinky exercises with the Launchpad development board, we went over in detail with the in-built timers, UARTs, temperature sensors and ADCs (which did not work for me :( ). It was great getting to learn something hands-on and experimenting as soon as the theory was done with. And its been a long time since I worked on MCUs again!

This was a one-of-a-kind event which I havent seen happening before. There were almost a 100 ppl in the MSP430 track, comprising mostly of embedded folks and a few students too.

Anyway, in the coming months I will be experimenting with the Launchpad board plus use the AVR MCU that I already have. Will try and build something from it ;) more on that later...

Hasta-la-vista!

Smile...! (Uncle Kracker)

I love this topsy-woony, toony-turvy song!

Smile

You´re better then the best
I´m lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler than the flip side of my pillow that´s right
Completely unaware
Nothing can compare to where you send me
Lets me know that it´s ok
Yeah it´s ok
And the moments when my good times start to fade

You make me smile like the sun
Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night

You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile

Even when you´re gone
Somehow you come along
Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack and just like that
You steal away the rain and just like that

You make me smile like the sun
Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night

You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile

Don´t know how I lived without you
'Cuz every time that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild

You make me smile like the sun
Fall outta bed
Sing like bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night

You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile
Oh, you make me smile
Oh, you make me smile

The Day the Music Died...

Its been more than a month now since I blogged. A lot has happened in the meantime, as it always does! Apart from work, and other things keeping me busy, another was trying to find the interpretation for some of the songs that we keep listening to so many times. I find it interesting to find out the reasons why a song was sung, especially some which are so darn mysterious! And I always wanted to do this especially for "American Pie" by Don Mclean.

I scrounged the internet, listened to Don Mclean songs and read about him as much as I could. But be warned, while the interpretations here are just that, Interpretations, and they may not be perfect, I think you can take it in your stride as such things should be taken.

"American Pie" is a really old song (1971), and yet always foot-tapping and refreshing. Its partly due to the mysterious nature and references in the song itself which manages to keep its curiosity alive! Obfuscation? Maybe. But today is no better day to get obfuscated. Figure it out here (original): American Pie

Apparently the reference in the first stanza, "February made me shiver", refers to rockabilly singer Buddy Holly who dies in a plane crash of 1959. This is confirmed by Don Mclean himself. It seems as though he was an inspiration to Don Mclean as a kid (he would have been 14 at the time); for right in the beginning he sings that "I knew if I had my chance/ That I could make those people dance/ And maybe they'll be happy for a while.../". And that was also the day the music died...a day that he dies.

"Do you believe in rock and roll/ Can music save you mortal soul/ And can you teach me how to dance real slow../" are some of the lines from the second stanza. Rock and roll and all the artists of the time seem to be the one big influence on him and representing the glorious time that America seemed to enjoy in the 50's (apparently also the period after the second world war, a victorious period for the Allied forces and the US, filled with happiness and affluence). There is mention of a jester (apparently referring to Bob Dylan who wrote and sang against the political system), a King and Queen, which is subject to many interpretations. There is mention, "Lenin read a book on Marx/ A quartet practised in the park/ And we sang derges (a lament for the dead) in the dark.../". Again, no firm explanation exists for this except that maybe it refers to the low periods that were to follow the 50's.

In the third stanza, it seems as though the 60s were the low points of life, as it brings on feelings different from the glorious period of the 50s. It was also the period which was politically charged (Martin Luther King's, "I have a Dream" speech was given in this period), and the Vietnam war had started during that period too. And interestingly, for music, it was Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones who was seen as a rebel of a system which did not seem to be in control. "I saw Satan laughing with delight/ The day the music died.../".

The fourth stanza says, "I met a girl who sang the blues/ And I asked her for some happy news/ But she just smiled and turned away..." Reference to Janis Joplin? My favourite lines come here, "In the streets the children screamed/ The lovers cried and the poets dreamed/ But not a word was spoken/ The church bells all were broken...". Why?

Oh and the classic lines, "The three men I admire most/ The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost/ They caught the last train for the coast/ The day the music died...". Do the three men refer to Holly, Bopper, Ritchie Valens (who died in the plane crash)? Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Holly? J.F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, ML King? The literal holy trio? This is a big mystery. And why does he refer to them?

There are more questions than answers in this song and so much more that is a subject of interpretation. Don Mclean was asked for an explanation and here is what he had to say: "Sorry to leave you all on your own like this but long ago I realized that songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence."

While my nature is not to thread-bare a song, but rather listen to it for its own musical sake, this one really got me head over heels in trying to get to grips with it. If you want to look at other interpretations and explanations, here is a great exchange for it.

In the end I would only quote a comment which was left on Youtube, "Let it mean whatever you want it to man! Its music, not legislation. Just love it!"

Amen.

Bluetooth Remote..!

Its been long since I tried out any new apps, and true to the adage, necessity is the mother of invention, my need was the necessity for my search of an app!

The need was that I wanted to control my pc using my phone. While there are a ton of apps to do all kinds of things like turning on/off lights, home appliances etc, by remotely using the internet on your phone, and a wi-fi connection at home, searching for an app to simply control my pc was not that an easy find! When I did find a few apps which seemed promising, they all needed a wi-fi network and using a common network for both the pc and your phone.

I wanted something using only bluetooth, as its simpler and just seems so much more better! I wanted to control the volume of my media player and use my phone as a wireless mouse. Simple, basic functionality :) After quite a few searches I came upon the Remote Control PC (yeah, it couldn't have been simpler!), which had good reviews and which worked off both bluetooth and wi fi. It required a server program to be installed on the PC and a java runtime environment. And of course the all important Android app downloaded from the market.

Installation was a breeze; pairing and connecting my phone with the laptop, I started off the app. It had a nice UI, with the first screen giving a basic tutorial on using the app, and selecting the mode of connection.

Then I began testing it out. I could use it for changing the volume, changing tracks etc on my media player running on my pc; complete with stop, start and pause buttons! Plus my phone screen could be used to act like a wireless track pad for my mouse!

As a bonus, there was also the ability to control power point presentations too!

All in all, a pretty nifty tool. Do check it out!

Oh, and one more thing, its free :)

What is this life...?!

I like this poem by W.H. Davies, and thought of sharing it:

Leisure

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?
No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Mobile blogging

Ok, so here is the lowdown. I was out of the city for a few days and was itching to get back to writing my blog. I could have probably taken the time to do it from my laptop or something but didn't get around it (lazy...zzz..). I was looking for something that I can use while on the go and yet not be bogged down with anything heavy to lug around.

And I found the solution for that just now:) I have now installed the blogger app for android and now I can post blogs on the move and never give up on my writing! Plus it helps to have swype on your phone so that the speed dosent kill you either! I am posting this too while I'm on my way back home:) It really is so convenient and I don't have to pull out anything smarter than my phone. Now I can call myself the new age blogger!

Hastala vista! And Bon (Blog)age!

Toasty meeting today...

Had a Toastmasters meeting today here in office. Must say it turned out to be pretty good inspite of the fact that there were just about 10 of us and that we were meeting up after a long time that too on a odd day (unlike the regular weekly day we usually meet). Yea, we have membership troubles you see! The theme for the meeting was, "New Beginning" and it indeed seemed like we were starting all over :) We ran through the regular agenda which involved the Sergeant-at-arms opening up the meeting, followed by the President's address to the meeting and thro to the TT, speeches and evaluations.

Being the table-topics master today, I had prepared for giving out a few topics of interest like innovation at the workplace, Breakthrough ideas: myth or reality, Travelling: Planned or unplanned, and a few others. It always amazes me the amount of creative ways in which people can come up with ideas to speak on any topic, and my club is very clever in that! It was good fun and lots of ideas were shared.

Even after more than five years of being a Toastmaster, I have found that there is always so much to learn and know about...and it helps when the members are so talented!

Servicing a Product

I was chatting up with a friend when the talk drifted to (as it is know in sprightly parlance) The great debate! The topic was whether working in a service company is better or working in a product company is. A service company offers services which can be in terms of maintaining equipment, software, providing IT solutions or some sort of end-to-end product maintenance and support. A product company on the other hand creates products based on customer requirements (sometimes even otherwise), has significant investments in R&D and does a lot of core engineering work. Ultimately, there is a brand that the product creates and which the company identifies itself with.

Now both of us have had some experience in working in a service company and a product company. While the scale and complexity of work is clearly different in both (service companies normally having more focus around client interactions and support, and product based companies more around product engineering and R&D), clearly there is a lot more than meets the eye.

Talking about growth and opportunities itself within any of these, both product and service industries have plenty of examples. From a more technical perspective, working in a product company is technically more challenging and requires some sort of specialization. You cannot expect to lead and manage teams though, in a product company, in a span of just a few years because usually the product itself has a long and winding history, and because the processes are quite strong and it requires putting in many years of work and experience in various domains to have a grip over the work involved.

Whereas in a service oriented company, the focus is always around handling a client and issues and getting involved in more 'variety' of work, even if you are not an expert in any of them. You can expect to lead teams and manage them more quickly, since it involves more of people skills and you do have the opportunity to serve in various roles. It might not be cutting edge work but there is a focus on maintenance of products and seeing that all the parts of the client's system executes flawlessly.

There are so many more factors differentiating the two industries, in terms of which of the two earns more money, which of the two sustains longer, how do both compare in terms of working conditions, where do the two gel and how do they operate.

Which industry are you suitable for is a question one needs to ask. What kind of work excites you more? Is it engineering a product or managing a client? Is it variety of work or complexity of work?

Ultimately, you need to answer, what will you be happy doing?!

But I am neither an expert on the subject nor a celebrity :) so I will leave it here. Do add your thoughts to it.

I am 'listening' a Book !

I was not a great fan of audio books and always thought people who listened to them were either the ones who were completely unread, or that they were too busy doing other important things in life (and I wondered what exactly!) and had no time on hand to sit with a book to, duh, read them. Because it takes me long to commute to office and back, and though I have lots of reading material with me always, sometimes it gets a lil boring. So I thought of checking out on audio books anyway (ewww...). While browsing, I came across the website Librivox. Here there were tons of audio books all in the public domain and available for download. It was real eye-opener to find so many classics which were just lying there! Gee, it was like I had found some treasure trove :) I went ahead and downloaded the "Sign of Four" (Arthur Conan Doyle) which I thought would be easy listening. A sample chapter from the book confirmed it. There are other websites too where you can get public domain books. Here is another.

For the next one month, I listened up chapter upon chapter of the book. To be frank, it was a real treat to the mind and ears too! The lady reading the book had a wonderful voice and I could see the story unfolding in front of my eyes as I listened to it. I could see Sherlock sitting in his chair and Watson by the side as they solved another great mystery! It was fun! From then on my take on audio books has changed. Though I personally do prefer reading from a real book whenever possible, because I like to get a feel of the book, read it word by word and also have the convenience of flipping back to read up some craftily written piece, you might enjoy listening to an audio version of the book too. I would probably reserve it to light literature and not serious literary work. And anyway, there are not as many audio books either.

In the meantime, I have just downloaded 'The Man who would be King' and 'Siddhartha'! Happy reading...er..listening!