With the Internet kill switch are we going to walk like an Egyptian?

I had not written much since a long time. This includes any type of writing, excluding emails and Facebook posts. A new year has come and the first month is nearly over! I have great hopes for the year. One of it is to start a software development unit to write mobile apps. Well, I have started with getting the tools (e.g., Appcelerator).

I wanted to make this posting an opinion piece on the Egyptian unrest and the switching off of the Internet. Egypt did what US is planning on doing. The US Senate panel recently approved the "Internet kill switch" plan. Even the self acclaimed democratic nation can institute policies that eventually turn the country into a totalitarian state. It is a sad progression from the days of George Washington and the early founders who revered freedom and liberty for all to the present. I believe we are on a race to the bottom regarding liberty and freedom.

Related articles

• Egypt's 'Internet Kill Switch', Democracy via WikiLeaks & Terror 'Made in the U.S.A.' (bradblog.com)
• BILL QUICK ON INTERNET KILL SWITCHES: I suspect that if the US government really wanted to pull t... (pajamasmedia.com)
• Could Egypt Happen Here? Obama's Internet "Kill Switch" (fastcompany.com)

Spring-break travelogue

The past two weeks were like being in the amazing race! On March 11, we (Haema and I) set out for India. We had the entire spring break, starting Thursday afternoon (took an early out) and returning on Monday (March 22). Our path to Madras (Chennai) took us through Chicago and Brussels. Though we had requested vegetarian meals on our flight, Expedia and American decided not to honor it. In fact American gave us few lettuce leaves and two slices of tomatoes and said thats it! Thanks American for keeping us healthy!! Prior to the trip, I had attended the talk by Seymour Hersh and had with me an autographed version of his book, Chain of Command. Wanting to avoid jet lag, I kept reading the book and matched Chennai timing.

We landed in Chennai on time, collected the bags, and came home with Rema and Atul, my nephew. Though I was mentally ready for the warm weather, it was hotter than expected.

All four flats at Chennai are now occupied by family. It also posed some interesting meal logistics. Mom was not happy that I was not getting the morning coffee from her all the time but I think she was happy to see us. I managed to also go to the Saptaswara Musical store (Anna Nagar branch) and buy the electronic mridangam, couple of flutes, and a few books (T. K. Govinda Rao's compilation of Dikshitar kritis). Also did a little shopping at the FabIndia store. Had great food at the Sigri restaurant on Sterling Road.

On wednesday (March 17) left for Mumbai. Kumar and Anu picked us up. Had never before seen any Indian male with Red hair and orange beard! Naseer, Kumar's driver sported this hair-do. It was less humid but equally hot in Mumbai. Tried to relax and read. Then off to Devan's place on Friday evening. Back to Kumar's place on Saturday. Sunday night off to Delhi and on to Ames.

Whether it was due to the firecracker prank on Kingfisher or the typical paranoia of American, the check in for AA 293 was tense. Thanks to Sudha, we had some nice seats where I could keep my foot up and avoid the swelling of my feet.
We reached Des Moines only to find that one of our bags did not make the journey with us from Chicago. Also, as I got ready to rent a car to drive home, realized my drivers license had expired and Haema was too young to rent. Luckily, the shuttle service to Ames had two seats and we were just in time to catch it. Finally, reached home and the bag was delivered at 9 p.m.
Since reaching Ames, a week has passed. Again, a busy week getting back to projects, meetings, and class. Finally, I am taking the Saturday easy!

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Whether it was luck or not, the fact that the movie 3 Idiots was being screened at a regular theater in Des Moines was a good thing. It was better that I agreed to go see it (I am averse to seeing a three hour movie, especially a Hindi movie). It was a good decision.

Amir Khan has been pressing many social issues of late. Among the top has always been one of education. I think Amir made a strong appeal with this movie. Perhaps I feel it so because of my own experiences. Both from pursuing my passions (though late in my life) as well as trying to influence my children. It is not that parents and elders are myopic but the economic contexts in which they grew up and what they still perceive as existing have shaped their views. There is some truth to their conventional wisdom. Pursuing one's passion may bring intrinsic happiness but anything more requires that your skills and knowledge in this pursuit outshines everyone else. Otherwise you have a great hobby! So, it is essential that you have an alternate livelihood. Let us look at a few examples.

Jimmy Carter - US President - Engineering
Shashi Tharoor - Minister/Diplomat - Writer - Ph. D. Law and Diplomacy
Vijay Iyer - Jass Pianist - Ph. D. in Physics


So, my point is pursue your passion but also have a backup plan!

The Storm

It is still Iowa! I was reminded of this the past week; a heavy dumping of snow. Even the never yielding Iowa State University also had to cancel classes on Tuesday night and Wednesday. Of course, the cancellation may have been a welcome respite for students but it messed up the schedules.

The storm also showed how humans behave. Both my neighbors have heavy snow removal equipment. I think they first take a ruler to mark their boundary before staring to remove snow. Contrast that to the neighbors a few houses away. They drag their machines over to clean my snow when I am struggling! So much for neighborly love! Perhaps I should rethink the idea of buying a bigger machine! For every selfish person in the world there are at least two virtuous people.

Case in point is when our friend got stuck at the Des Moines airport, a generous couple offered shelter and food for two days. One's good deeds will be rewarded!

Now that Christmas is round the corner and another storm is also expected I wish everyone good luck. We hope to enjoy some warm weather in Florida.

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Thanksgiving

I am looking forward to this Thanksgiving unlike any others! I am excited for my son. He is coming home - that in itself is a reason to be happy. But there is more. There is a change in him that I am happy about. He is also bringing his girlfriend with him. I want to share my happiness with him, his girlfriend, my family, and friends.
I told my wife that I will prepare the Thanksgiving meal. She remains skeptical - let her be! It is going to be a challenge preparing the meal especially when it has to be all vegetarian, may be even vegan! I think I can do it. I have the motivation! Of course, my wife has decided to invite close to 20 people! My brother and his family will also join us for the holidays. Our house will once again be full of people and sounds of chatter and music.

Buyers remorse

Listening to Presidential candidate Barack Obama talk about Pakistan, India, and Kashmir I am struck with doubts about my decision to vote for Obama. I have been wary of his change of positions on a number of issues as he moved from primary contest to general election. The specter of a republican administration even if McCain were to be trusted not to swing too far to the right was too much to accept. Eight years of empty promises of compassionate conservatism, smaller government, freedom and liberty, and integrity and decency were enough.

Mr. Obama's sudden shift to play referee in the sixtyone year old tussle between India and Pakistan over Kashmir does not bode well. Mr. Obama's views on this are age old Democratic party view of India. I hope he has better intelligence than what he has shown on this issue!

Apple sued for Powerbook memory error

In my previous post I had written about problems I have with the Powerbook computer, especially the lower memory slot failure. There are over 4000 owners of Powerbook who are in the same situation. Reports from users show that Apple stores across the country have at times gone the extra distance to fix these machines but for the most part ignored users' complaints. Now, one user having gotten nowhere finally decided to file a class action lawsuit against Apple. I am happy about it!

Apple may have a great brand, and decent customer service -- as long as you are under warranty and issues are minor. The argument I have heard is that one should not expect any vendor, Apple included, to service a PC for more than four years! For a company that claims not wanting to sell "junk" at low prices, it is expected of the company to make sure its products are stellar not only in price but in build and service quality. My experience with Apple has been that it charges a lot but is not willing to back up the promise!

The moral of the story is that if you want own an Apple product you should be willing to pay the price not once but many times. A high price to begin with and then yearly subscription for warranty coverage as long as you plan to hold on to the product. So, when you compare the total cost of ownership of an Apple product it is a lot more expensive to own! I challenge readers to prove me wrong. In spite of these shortcomings we flock to this company - they have a powerful magic.

Apple is like habitual abuser!

Apple customers exhibit the same characteristics of an abuse victim. They always go back totheir abuser. I know it because I behave like that.

Ever since Apple came out with the Macintosh, I have bought an Apple computer almost every two years. Including the machines I bought through my workplace, I have owned 13 and probably will buy another three this year! That is 16 machines at an average price of $3,000 per machine - nearly $50,000 to Apple alone. Of course, add all other hardware and software the cost would double. So, what does Apple do in turn when I have a problem? They ignore or worse ask for more money!

Recently, our Powerbook G4, a 2004 purchase ($2700) failed its logic board. Specifically, the lower memory slot failed. Googling I found out that it has been a well known problem for this machine and Apple had a replacement program for a selected range of machines (mine was not in that range). I also learnt that there are at least another 4,200 people (see petition) who have reported the same problem and had not received any help from Apple.

I took the machine to the local Apple store and couple of technicians and an Apple Genius (all of them were extremely nice) tried to fix the unfixable problem. They suggested that I could send the machine to Apple to get the logic board replaced for little over $300. Had my extended warranty been still active (it expired two weeks prior to the visit) I may have got it replaced free.

A question that pops up is should Apple be doing the replacement for free anyway because (1) it seems the problem is more widespread, (2) I had an extended warranty on the machine that just expired, (3) Apple had a moral obligation to have informed the owners of the machine of the issue, (4) know that retaining a loyal customer is worth 10 times the cost of trying to gain a new one. Another question that comes to mind is, should Apple not know who their customers are? Every business strategy 101 teaches that. Had they kept track of their customers, much like the frequent buyers/fliers they would have had a tremendous advantage. Why does Apple not do it?

The PC people would have no such loyalty for the simple reason that they can buy another laptop for half the price they paid for the previous one. I use PCs too, so I know it is a fact. So, in the case of PCs, we do not let the vendor abuse us!