Sunday, October 26, 2014

The Trolley Problem

The trolley problem and the doctrine of double effect

This one caught my attention. It is a conundrum and has to do with choices we may have to make. At the end of it you realize that everything, including morality, is relative.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

My Life Song

Emily Bronte put it beautifully and the poem has always echoed in my heart...

"Often rebuked, yet always back returning
    To those first feelings that were born with me,
And leaving busy chase of wealth and learning
    For idle dreams of things which cannot be:

To-day, I will seek not the shadowy region;
    Its unsustaining vastness waxes drear;
And visions rising, legion after legion,
    Bring the unreal world too strangely near.

I’ll walk, but not in old heroic traces,
    And not in paths of high morality,
And not among the half-distinguished faces,
    The clouded forms of long-past history.

I’ll walk where my own nature would be leading:
    It vexes me to choose another guide:
Where the gray flocks in ferny glens are feeding;
    Where the wild wind blows on the mountain side.

What have those lonely mountains worth revealing?
    More glory and more grief than I can tell:
The earth that wakes one human heart to feeling
    Can centre both the worlds of Heaven and Hell."
Emily Bronte

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Memorable Speeches. Indian Parliament

The Indian Parliament rarely witnesses speeches and communication that makes its voter's proud. Here are a collection of those rare moments.


Memorable Speeches. Indian Parliament.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Innovation in Action. Ravi Shankar and his intelligent wheel chair.


Read more about this young engineer from Coimbatore, India, who designed possibly one of the most useful devices for those who are physically challenged and have to use a wheel chair. He seems to have an appetite for innovation and projects he works on are all relevant and have huge social benefits. These include projects to reduce transportation losses incurred in marketing of fruits and vegetables, monitoring gas, water and electricity consumption at homes online and making payments vide the same medium,security applications at homes and industries...the list goes on
Where does this appetite come from ? He says, "The most important thing is to understand the pain of others and take it up as your own. Believe that every problem has a solution."
He sums up his approach thus, "Spend some time thinking of the possible ways to solve it. Analyze the merits and demerits. The scope of any innovation revolves around cost, performance and utility. The solution’s simplicity is its essence.”
Innovation in Action. Ravi Shankar and his intelligent wheelchair

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Update on Elements Homestead Products Pvt Ltd



12th July 2014
Dear All
At some point in time I may have contacted you with regard to a project I was doing for Elements Homestead Products Pvt Ltd. Please be advised that the said assignment was stopped after a commercial dispute and I am no longer responsible for the work being released, including the facebook page and other digital assets created and some of which are currently in existence. I am also not responsible for claims regarding fair trade practices and organic farming made through these digital assets and on social media during my contract period.

 Enquiries and proposals made for this project are also now null and void.

 An FIR ( 530/14)has been registered by the Kasaba Police Station , Calicut at the 1st Class Judicial Magistrates Court No 3 ,against Mr Tomy Mathew Vadakancheril , the MD of Elements Homestead Products, Mr Lijin Jacob Tom, the Manager at Elements and Mr Anup Nair, an IRMA Alumni and CEO  of Local Economic Development Society, Cochin, under Sections 406( criminal breach of trust),420( cheating) of the IPC read with Section 34 of the IPC ( common intent). This was further to my complaint to the Commissioner of Police Calicut and a fortnight long preliminary investigation by the ACP Crime Detachment of the Calicut Police into the same. 

Legal notices from lawyers are also being exchanged under the civil procedure code for recovery of dues and damages caused and is being progressed to final litigation.
The matter is sub-judice and I do not wish to make any comments on the parties involved. I am informing you of this development  to close the loop that was opened and to  prevent any miscommunication or false beliefs you may have regarding my current projects.

Regret the inconvenience caused.

Vinod Natesan
Mayan Consultants International
Mumbai

Friday, January 31, 2014

Using Linkedin Better

Informative link on how to use Linkedin better.Using Linkedin Better

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

INDIAN MEDIA : HAS EDITORIAL ALSO BECOME ADVERTISING SPACE?

In media classrooms one always distinguishes advertising from public relations by underlining the fact that advertising is a paid form of endorsement through mass media, while public relations is unpaid. In fact it is taught that public relations may include an organization or an individual gaining exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment. Nowadays though, such definitions look outdated, anachronistic and may even end up as misinformation.
Stories of "paid news" has been doing the rounds since the beginning of the millennium and towards the end of the first decade, the issue has come out into public domain.The links attached below therefore may not shock people, but it provides us with an understanding of the scale and dynamics of this disease.
Paid News in Indian Media

Indian Media Highs and Lows

How to become famous in India

The surge of news channels and launch of newspapers by politicians, industrial houses, businessmen suddenly seems to make sense and falls into a clear pattern. Not surprising that even in social media also, we  will see "paid internet users" publishing content and possibly internet real estate/media owners manipulating algorithms to ensure that a certain point of view prevails.

I suppose we now have to consume all forms of media with a large pinch of salt!! Hopefully blood pressures will not go up too much as a consequence!!!
Ends.



Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Psephology: Indian Elections. Delhi 2014. Analysis of Voter Behavior.

An interesting analysis of Delhi election results. Psephology is a great way of explaining voter behavior. Interesting too, that most political parties in India now have backroom analysts armed with computers to analyze trends and use digital marketing agencies.
Delhi Election Analysis 2014