What if Google Had to Design for Google?

A humourous take on what would happen if Google had to design their website so that their own Search Engine would rank it right up there…

Karnataka Tourism

Karnataka Tourism maintains a mostly-up-to-date website here. As is the case with other Indian states, greedy and inconsiderate politicians have prevented the outside world from discovering the true beauty of Karnataka. What is known has been highly commercialized, and what is ecologically rare and vital remains neglected.

Ocean Alliance

Founded by biologist Roger Payne, the Ocean Alliance is one of the most prominent organizations in the world working with whale and ocean conservation. Roger Payne has done a lot of research on how whales communicate using sound, and had also produced an LP in 1970 titled “Songs of the Humpback Whale”.

Although unrelated, also stop by WhaleSong.net, which broadcasts live sounds of Humpback Whales from Maui, Hawaii.

Greenpeace India

The other day, I was walking down the street next to an Adidas store when a volunteer handed me a Greenpeace (India) newsletter. Read more and learn about the work they do here.

My Pen has a Website!

So I pick up this really futuristic-looking pen in black and green and turns out that not only does it look like it arrived from outer space, but:

1. It is 68.1% recycled

2. It has a website dedicated to it

CommuteEasy.com

Commute Easy is a pooling initiative that aims to make your daily commute easier by connecting you to commuters across the city who share your route.

I remember reading that the guy who runs this site developed it while stuck in a traffic jam

Living Darfur

Ever had the feeling that life is being unfair to you? Ever had the feeling that you don’t deserve what you’re going through? All of us do, at one time or the other, in one way or the other.

Take a moment to see this humbling video. Lyrics follow:

“See the nation through the people’s eyes,
See tears that flow like rivers from the skies.
Where it seems there are only borderlines
Where others turn and sigh,
You shall rise (x2)

There’s disaster in your past
Boundaries in your path
What do you desire when lift you higher?
You don’t have to be extraordinary, just forgiving
Those who never heard your cries,
You shall rise (x2)
And look toward the skies.
Where others fail, you prevail in time.
You shall rise.

(You may never know,
If you lay low, lay low) (x4)
You shall rise (x3)

Sooner or later we must try… Living
(You may never know,
If you lay low, lay low) (x4)

See the nation through the people’s eyes,
See tears that flow like rivers from the skies.
Where it seems there are only borderlines
Where others turn and sigh,
You shall rise (x4)

(You may never know,
If you lay low, lay low) [4x]

Sooner or later we must try… Living”

The song is about the Darfur conflict; for those of you who (like me) have been too tied up with your own problems, read about it here. I’m grateful to God that unlike these people, atleast I possess something that I can cry over.

Peak Water and Water Banking

Just came across this interesting problem that scientists are calling “peak water”. Akin to “peak oil”, it refers to the idea that freshwater is a limited commodity that we are running fast out of. One of the interesting answers to this problem is called “water banking”. An implementation is already in place South-Western United States as the GRUSP - Granite Reef Underground Storage Project.

Incidentally, the system is also a good example of computers potentially taking over control of a resource critical to human life. The many water gates and valves are all controlled by a mouse clicks by the “water master”, who is currently a human being.

Day 113 - A Paperless Life

_Captain’s Log, StarDate 2007.10.28-01.43_

I’ve had a Palm Zire 22 handheld for over a year now, and today I finally managed to move over all of my data (mostly lists) to it. I’m a compulsive list maker (as most of my good friends would point out equally compulsively). For a long time, I’ve had this idea in my mind of living a paper-free life. The plan being made, it only remained to carry it out. And boy, did it take some effort!

Well, it’s finally done, and hopefully from now on I won’t be carrying around a hundred little pieces of paper and post-its (guys, I hope you’re reading this!)

On a more serious note: I think it’s very important to cut down on our paper use as much as we can, and I believe that the technology and connectivity available to us these days easily allows us to do that. I don’t want my kids to grow up and never experience the joy of learning to write on paper, or to draw with crayons, just because people in the generations before them were careless and insensitive towards the environment.

I’ll post an update early next year about how my paperless life is faring. Electronically.

Day 079 - Adventure on the High Seas

_Captain’s Log, StarDate 2007.09.23-01.06_

Greenpeace’s ice breaker, the Motor Yatch Arctic Ice, was anchored at the Old Port today. It was my first time seeing something to do with Greenpeace in real life. It was my first time seeing an ice breaker. It was my first time seeing a ship registered in Amsterdam. It was my first time seeing a green ship. Unfortunatley, I missed getting on the ship for a guided tour by 10 minutes… there were so many visitors that the organizers had to close entry before time.

The Old Port is a captivating place, it really is reminiscent of a port in France than one in North America. It has cobblestoned roads and areas closed to vehicular traffic. People move around on foot, skates, bicycles, tricycles, quadricycles, and so on. It is one of the most perfect places to sit and watch life go by. Ironically enough, it is also home to a Science Centre and an IMAX theatre. But one could spend the entire day sitting around in the sprawling lawns and not be bothered by anyone or anything. It is also Wi-Fi enabled

Earlier today, I also bought myself 3 things that I’ve been waiting a long time for - a pair of hiking boots, a Ford Racing cap and an actual, functional Transformer - an aircraft that can be transformed into a robot. My closest estimate for the amount of time I’ve been waiting to get one of those is about 15 years