ஃபயர் ஃபாக்ஸ் ஃபோகஸ் - இணையத்தில் உலாவ ஒரு நம்பகமான தோழன்

ஃபயர் ஃபாக்ஸ் ஃபோகஸ் (Fire Fox Focus) ஒரு புதிய ஆண்டிராய்டு / ஐ-ஓ.எஸ் (Android / iOS) செயலி (App) ஆகும். மிகவும் அறியப்பட்ட உலாவிகளில் (Browsers) ஒன்றான ஃபயர் ஃபாக்ஸின் மற்றுமொரு பரிமாணமே இந்தப் புதிய உலாவி செயலி. இந்த உலாவி விளம்பரங்கள் மற்றும் உங்கள் பயன்பாட்டைக் கண்காணிக்கும் டிராக்கர்கள் (Trackers) ஆகியவற்றை தானாகவே தடைசெய்துவிடுகிறது. இந்தப் புதிய செயலியை ஆண்டிராய்டு ப்ளே ஸ்டோரில் இருந்து பதிவிறக்கம் செய்துகொள்ளலாம். இந்தச் செயலி வெறும் 4 எம்.பி அளவு மட்டுமே கொண்டது. எனவே உங்கள் கைப்பேசியின் வேகத்தை இது குறைக்காது.

சில வலைத்தளங்கள் உங்கள் கைப்பேசியில் உள்ள ஜீ.பீ.எஸ். மூலம் உங்கள் இருப்பிடத்தைக் கண்டுபிடித்து, அதற்கேற்றார் போல விளம்பரங்களை காட்டுகின்றன. சில தளங்கள், நீங்கள் படிக்கும் பக்கங்கள், மற்றும் தேடும் சொற்களைக் கொண்டு உங்களை பற்றிய ஒரு ப்ரோபைலை உருவாக்கி வைத்துக்கொண்டு நீங்கள் யார், என்ன செய்கிறீர்கள், எங்கு உள்ளீர்கள், என்ன விருப்பு/வெறுப்பு உள்ளவர் என்று ஒரு அனுமானத்திற்கு வருகின்றன. இதனால் என்ன தப்பு என்கிறீர்களா? அவர்கள் இத்தனை மெனக்கெட்டு இதைச் செய்ய என்ன காரணம்? இந்தத் தகவல்களைக்கொண்டு குறிவைத்து விளம்பரத்தாக்குதல் நடத்தி (Targeted Ad Campaigns), உங்களைப் பொருட்களை வாங்க வைப்பதே நோக்கம்.

ஆன்லைன் வர்த்தகம், நமக்கு வேண்டுமா வேண்டாமா என்ற முன்யோசனையின்றி, நம்மைப் பல பொருள்களை வாங்க வைக்கும் ஒரு சிலந்திவலை. கடன் அட்டைகளும், ஆன்லைன் வர்த்தகமும் நம்மை தேவையற்ற பொருட்களை வாங்கி குவிக்கும் அடிமைகளாக்கியுள்ளன. முதலாளித்துவத்தின் இன்றியமையாத அம்சங்களான அதீத உற்பத்தி (over production), நுகர்வுக்கலாச்சாரம் (consumerism) மற்றும் கடன் மூலம் அடிமைப்படுத்துவது (debt slavery) எல்லாம் உங்கள் கைப்பேசிக்குள்ளும் ஒளிந்திருக்கின்றன. இந்நிலையில், ஃபயர் ஃபாக்ஸ் ஃபோகஸ் உங்களுக்கு ஓரளவேனும் இந்த துல்லியத் தாக்குதல்களில் இருந்து பாதுகாப்பளிக்கிறது.

மேலும் கூடுதல் பயன்களாக, இந்தச் செயலி மூலம் நீங்கள் இணையத்தில் உலாவும்போது, உங்கள் கைபேசியில் உள்ள டேட்டா குறைவாகப் பயன்படுகிறது. இதனால் பக்கங்கள் சீக்கிரத்தில் தெரிகின்றன. மேலும் குறைவான மெமரி, டேட்டா மற்றும் ப்ராசசர் பயன்பாட்டால் உங்கள் மின்கலன்(பேட்டரி) பயன்பாடும் வெகுவாகக் குறைகிறது. கூகிளின் கோரப்பிடியில் சிக்கி இருக்கும் ஆண்டிராய்டு இயங்குதளமும், அதனோடு வரும் உலாவியும் (ஆப்பிள்/ஐ-ஓ.எஸ் குறித்து சொல்லவே வேண்டாம்!) ஏற்படுத்திடும் அச்சுறுத்தல்களில் இருந்து நாம் சற்றேனும் தப்ப இந்த புதிய உலாவி நமக்கு உதவும் என்று நம்புவோமாக!

Amateur Finance Tips

The following tips are from my own personal experience and may not be suitable for everyone. But still I am sharing this so that people who are in their early years of their careers can benefit.

Image Credit: Wikimedia

1. Don't save what remains after your expenses. But first plan your savings and then plan your expenses according to what is remaining.

2. Three things you MUST have: Health insurance that covers the entire family, life insurance for self and non-earning members (other earning members should take it on their own), cash in form of fixed deposits/savings account (this should be at least 30 to 50% of your annual income)

3. Never lend money for interest. Getting interest on money from banks and other such legal means in not "sin". But lending money for interest may cause innumerable problems. Also don't get enticed by pyramid schemes, wealth accumulation schemes, chit funds etc. They are risky and probability is high that you may lose money.

4. If you want to help a friend or relative in need, you can gift/lend money without interest. But make sure that you are not giving more than 10% (in terms of gift) or 20% (in terms of interest free lending) of your monthly income. You should not worry if the money doesn't come back in case of lending. That is why an upper limit is always advisable.

5. Don't invest too much in one sort of investments. Some people buy too much land, some stack gold coins and others blindly invest on shares. Take a balanced approach.

6. Never buy car/bike on loan. In early years of your job, you should try to cut expenses like this so that you can climb out of your educational loan and other such financial problems easily.

7. Never buy apartments on loan (or even with down payment). Instead wait for sometime, buy a land in your native or some nearby village, after 10 to 15 years of earning, build a good house with minimal or no loan. This will reduce your dependence on market forces and stress of loan pursuing you rest of the life.

8. Don't have any sort of addiction. Addictions apart from having detrimental effect on health also have same effect on your earnings. Spending 10,000 on a weekend booze is not acceptable even for a person who earns 1,00,000 a  month!

9. It is OK to be religious/spiritual. But watch out! God doesn't need your money. Especially in terms of rituals/tithing/donation etc. If you are compelled to help others for love of God, then do it in person yourself. Why give money to others?

10. Never go for EMIs (especially for smartphones, gadgets or for anything other than building a house, education and medical care. If you can't afford anything through down payment, then the time has not yet come for you to own it!

Finally, never try to cheat others in money matters. It may be one or two rupees in that corner shop. Or it may be a minor error in your income tax calculation. Never overlook these. Be watchful and keep your accounts clean. By this, you will also have the habit of checking your incoming account keenly. It will help you to check unnoticed loss of money.

If you have more points, please add them in comments! Thanks for reading!

இயற்கை விவசாயம் எவ்வளவு இயற்கையானது?

முதலில் இயற்கை என்றால் என்ன? இயல்பில் அமைவது இயற்கை. மனிதனால் செய்யப்படுவது  செயற்கை. இதில் நாம் முதலில் தெளிவடைய வேண்டும். இன்று "இயற்கை விவசாயம்"  என்று கூவும் பலருக்கும் முதலில் விவசாயம் பற்றி என்ன தெரியும்? அல்லது இயற்க்கை பற்றி என்ன தெரியும் என்று ஆராய்ந்து விட்டு,  அவர்கள் சொல்வதை நாம் நம்பினால் நல்லது. ஒவ்வொன்றாகப் பார்ப்போம்!

1. நிலம்

விவசாயம் செய்ய முதலில் தேவை நிலம். இந்த நிலம் எப்படி வந்தது? விவசாய நிலம் என்று இயற்கையாக ஏதாவது இடம் உண்டா? குரங்கில் இருந்து தோன்றிய மனிதன், முதலில் குரங்கைப் போல பழம், கிழங்குகள், சிறு விலங்கு/பறவைகள் இறைச்சி மற்றும் முட்டைகளை உண்டு வாழ்ந்தான். அப்போது ஒரு நாளின் பெரும்பாலான நேரம் அவன் உணவு தேடவும், உண்ணவும் செலவானது. பின்பு வேட்டையாட கல் மற்றும் மரத்தினாலான கருவிகளை உருவாக்கினான். வேட்டையாடி உண்டபோது அவனுக்குத் தேவையான ஆற்றல் (caloric energy) குறைந்த நேரத்திலேயே கிடைத்தது. அதன் விளைவாக ஓய்வு நேரத்தில் குகை ஓவியம்  வரைவது, மொழி மற்றும் இசை வளர்ப்பது, இதர ஆராய்சிகளில் ஈடுபடுவது என முன்னேறினான். அப்போது, எதார்த்தமாக ஆற்றங்கரைகளில் மரங்கள் மற்றும் செடிகள் வளர்வதைக் கண்டான். அங்கு நீரும், விலங்குகளும், பழங்களும் அதிகம் கிடைக்க, அங்கேயே தங்கினான். இன்னும் அவன் விவசாயம் செய்யவில்ல. பிறகு, தனக்கு ஒவ்வாத தாவரங்கள், மரங்கள், விலங்குகள், பறவைகள் மற்றும் வேறு இன குழுக்களைச் சேர்ந்த மனிதர்களை அழித்துத் தனக்கென்று ஒரு நிலத்தைக் கைப்பற்றி, அதில் தான் விரும்பும் மரம்/செடி/விலங்குகள் மட்டும் வளர்த்தான். இப்படி மனிதன் பிற உயிகளை அழித்துப பறித்த "விவசாய நிலம்" இயற்க்கைக்கு மாறானதே!

2. நீர்

இயல்பாக ஓடும் நீர் மட்டுமா விவசாயத்திற்குப் பயன்படுகிறது? அப்படிப் பார்த்தல், இங்கு விவசாயமே கிடையாது. கால்வாய்கள் வெட்டி, குளம் குட்டிகள் உருவாக்கி, கிணறு, பம்பு செட் என்று நிலத்தடி நீரை உறிஞ்சி, அணைகள் கட்டி, மழை இயற்கையாய் பெய்யாத காலத்திலும் நீரை தேக்கிப் பயன்படுத்துவது இயற்கையா? இப்படி நதிகள் மற்றும் ஓடைகளின் போக்கை மாற்றுவது அந்த பகுதியில் உள்ள இயற்கைச் சமநிலையை எப்படி பாதிக்கும் என்று யோசித்ததுண்டா? அணைக்கட்டுகள் எவ்வளவு காடுகளை ஆக்கரமிக்கும் என்று கணக்கிட்டதுண்டா? இப்படி நீரை மனிதன் தன விருப்பத்திற்கு ஏற்றார்போல திசை திருப்பி, தேக்கி, உரிந்து செய்யும் விவசாயம் எந்த வகையில் இயற்கை?

3. விதை

இன்று நீங்கள் உண்ணும் எந்தப் பழமோ, காயோ, பயிரோ, கீரையோ இயல்பாகத் தோன்றியவை இல்லை. இவை அனைத்தும் தெரிவுமுறை பயிரிடல் (selective breeding ) மூலம் மனிதர்களால் உருவாக்கப்பட்டவை. எடுத்துக்காட்டாக, முட்டைக்கோஸ், காலிப்ளவர், நூல்கோல் அகிய அனைத்துக் காய்களும், ஒரே தாவர வகையே! இதை மனிதன் தெரிவு முறைப் பயிரிடல் மூலம் உருவாக்கியுள்ளான். அது மட்டுமா? ஒரு பகுதியில் இயல்பாக விளையாத பயிர்களை மனிதன் அங்கு கொண்டுவந்து விதைக்கிறான். இன்று நாம் சாப்பிடும் உருளைக்கிழங்கு, மிளகாய், தக்காளி, பப்பாளி எல்லாம் அமெரிக்கக் கண்டத்தில் இருந்து வந்தவை. இப்படி ஒரு இடத்தில் இல்லாத தாவரங்களை மனிதனாகக் கொண்டுவந்து திணிப்பது இயற்கையா? எங்காவது நெல்லோ, கோதுமையோ அதுவாக வளர்கிறதா? மனிதனால், மனிதனுக்காக உருவாகப்பட்ட பயிர்கள் மற்றும் அதன் விதைகள் எப்படி இயற்க்கை ஆகும்? ஒரு புலி தனக்கான மானை selective breeding செய்து உருவாக்கவில்லை! ஆனால், நாம் சாப்பிடும் எல்லா உணவுப் பொருட்களும், செயற்கையாக மனிதனால் உருவாக்கப்பட்டவையே!

4. உரம்

எங்காவது இயற்கையாக ஒரு மரத்தை நீங்கள் உரமிடப்பட்டோ, நீர் பாய்ச்சிய நிலையிலோ கண்டதுண்டா? "இந்த உரம் இந்த செடிக்கு", "இந்த உரம் இவ்வளவு அளவு" என்று மனிதன் வகுத்துத் தொகுத்து போடும் உரம் (அது குப்பை மேட்டில் இருந்து வந்தாலும், ஆலையில் இருந்து வந்தாலும்) செயற்கையே! இப்படி நாம் போடும் உரத்தினால், மண்ணில் இயல்பாக உள்ள நுண்ணுயிர் மற்றும் வேதிச் சமநிலை (microbial  and  chemical  balance) கெட்டு மண் தன் இயல்பு நிலையை இழக்கிறது. இது தவறில்லையா? இப்படி தலைமுறை தலைமுறையாக மனிதன் ஆராய்ந்து அறிந்து செய்யும் செயல் அறிவியல் ரீதியான செயற்கையா? இல்லை பரிணாம ரீதியான இயற்கையா?

5. வேலி/களை/பூச்சி கொல்லி

இயற்கை விவசாயம் ரசாயன பூசிகொல்லி பயன்படுத்துவதில்லை என்று மார்தட்டினாலும், வேலி அடைப்பது, களைகளைப் பிடிங்குவது, பறவைகளை விரட்டுவது, எலிகளைக் கொல்வது என்று எல்லாவகையிலும் இயற்க்கைக்கு மாறாகச் செயல்படுகிறது. இதில், பூசிகொல்லியாக சில பொருட்களும் பயன் படுத்துகின்றனர். கேட்டல், அவை இயற்கை உட்பொருட்கள் கொண்ட பூசிகொல்லி. அகவே, அவை பாதுகாப்பானது என்று சொல்கின்றனர். அரளிவிதை, உமத்தங்காய், புகை இல்லை எல்லாம் இயற்கைப் பொருட்களே! அதனால் அவை பாதுகாப்பானவையா?

6. சமையல்

இவை எல்லாவற்றிலும் தப்பித்து ஒரு உணவுப்பொருள் வந்தாலும், அதை நாம் பச்சையாகவா உண்கிறோம்? அதை வெட்டி, அரைத்து, வேகவைத்து, எண்ணெய், உப்பு போன்ற செயற்கை பொருட்களுடன் சேர்த்து, அடுப்பில் வைத்து சமைத்துதானே சாபிடிகிறோம்? இப்படி நாம் செய்யும்போது, பல இயற்பியல் மற்றும் வேதியியல் மாற்றங்கள் (physical  and chemical  reactions) ஏற்பட்டு நம் உணவு தயார் ஆகிறது! இது எப்படி இயற்கை?

7. ஜீவகாருண்யம்

இவை எல்லாவற்றிற்கும் மேலாக நம்மிடம் அவர்கள் வைக்கும்  வாதம், ஜீவகாருண்யம்! இப்படிப் பல உயிர்கள் வாழும் காட்டை அழித்து, இயல்பாய் ஓடும் நீர் வழிகளைச் சிதைத்து, உரம் என்று மண்ணின் சமநிலை கெடுத்து நீங்கள் செய்யும் விவசாயத்தால் சாகும் உயிர்கள் எத்தனை? இவை எல்லாம் பொதுவாக கணக்கில் கொள்ளப்படுவதில்லை! நேரடியாகப்  பார்த்தால், ஒவ்வொரு நெல் மணியும் ஒரு கருவே! ஒவ்வொரு காரட் செடியும் ஒரு உயிரே! அப்படி இருக்க இந்த உணவு எப்படி ஜீவகாருண்யம் ஆகும்? செடிகள் வலியை உனாரது என்றால், கோமா-வில் இருக்கும் மனிதனுக்கும் அது பொருந்துமே! அக மனிதன் வாழ இன்றும் என்றும் பல உயிர்களைக் கொன்றே தின்கிறான், தின்பான்! இதில் உன் முறை கொடூரம், என் முறை சாத்வீகம் என்பதெல்லாம் சுத்தப் பிதற்றல்.

முடிவாக...

இந்தக் கட்டுரையின் நோக்கம் என்னவென்றால், நாம் அனைவரும் விவசாயத்தை விட்டுவிட்டு மீண்டும் ஆதி மனிதனாக காட்டில் வேட்டையாடித் திரியவேண்டும் என்பதல்ல. விவசாயம், மனிதனால் காலம் காலமாக அனுபவம் மற்றும் சோதனை அறிவின் விளைவாய் வந்த ஒரு அறிவியல் கருவி. இந்த விவசாயம் என்னும் செயற்கைக் கருவி, உணவு உற்பத்திக்குப் பயன்படுகிறது. இந்த விவசாயம், காலம்தோறும் மாறிக்கொண்டே இருந்தது, மாறிகொண்டே இருக்கிறது. இப்படி உள்ள ஒரு விஷயத்தில், 100 வருடம் முன்பு செய்தது சரி என்றும், இப்போது செய்வது தவறு என்றும் சொன்னால், அது தேக்கநிலைக்கே வழிவகுக்கும்.

மனிதனால் தெரிவுமுறைப் பயிரிடல் மூலம் செடிகளின் மரபணு மாற்றப்படுகிறது. இப்படி மருபணு மாற்றம் அடைந்த அரிசி, பருப்பு, பழங்களையே நம் முன்னோர்கள் ஆயிரக்கணக்கான ஆண்டுகளாக உண்டு வந்துள்ளனர். இன்று வேறு முறைகள் உள்ளதால் நாம் எளிதாக, ஒரு சோதனைக்கூடத்திலேயே இந்த மரபணு மாற்றத்தைச் செய்துவிடலாம். அனால், பழையமுறை மரபணு மாற்றத்தை ஏற்கும் "இயற்கை விவசாயிகள்", இந்தப் புது முறையை ஏற்க்க மறுக்கின்றனர். போர்-வெல் போட்டு தண்ணீர் எடுக்க வெட்கப்பாத இவர்கள், யுரியாவையும், நைட்ரோஜென் உரத்தையும் கண்டு அஞ்சுகின்றனர்.

இன்று உலகில் உணவுப் பற்றாகுறையும் நீர்த் தட்டுப்பாடும் தலைவிரித்து ஆடும் நிலையில், அறிவியலின் துணையை அன்றி நாம் யாரின் துணியை நாட முடியும்? ஆர்கானிக் பார்மிங் என்ற பெயரில் இன்று விவசாயத்தை பெரு முதலாளிகள் கைப்பற்ற நடக்கும் முயற்சி ஒருபுறம். விதைகளுக்கும், உரங்களுக்கும் காப்புரிமை என்று பன்னாட்டுத் தரகு முதலாளிகளின் லாபவெறி மறுபுறம்! இதில் இந்த இயற்கை விவசாயக் கும்பல் மக்களின் கவனத்தைத் திசைதிருப்பி, பிரச்சனை இல்லாதவற்றை பிரச்சனையாக்கி, பிழைப்பு நடத்துகின்றனர். "Organic" என்று ஸ்டிக்கர் ஒட்டி பல மடங்கு விலை வைத்து விற்றாலும் கேள்வி கேட்காமல் வாங்கும் மூடக்கூட்ட்தை உருவாக்குவதே இவர்கள் நோக்கம்.

இந்த ஆர்கானிக் முறை விவசாயம் சிறு விவசாயிகளினால் கொண்டுசெலுத்த முடியாத ஒன்று. இதைச் சாக்காக வைத்து, பெரு முதலாளிகள் நிலங்களைப் பறித்து, ஆர்கானிக் ஸ்டிக்கர் ஒட்டி, சூப்பர் மார்கெட்டுகளில் உணவை விற்க ஆரம்பித்து விட்டனர். இந்த நிலை தொடரந்தால், உணவுத்தட்டுப்பாடு ஏற்படுவது உறுதி! மாறாக, சரியான முறையில் ஆராய்ந்து, தனியார்களின் லாப வெறிக்காக இல்லாமல், மக்களின் ஒட்டுமொத்த தேவைக்காக இந்த அறிவியல் செயல்பட வேண்டும். விவசாயம் மற்றும் விவசாயம் சார்ந்த துறைகள் நாட்டுடைமை ஆக்கப்படவேண்டும். ISRO போல நம் நாட்டு அறிவியலாளர்களைக் கொண்டு ஆராய்சிகள் செய்து விவசாயம் முன்னேற வேண்டும். விதை மற்றும் விவசாயத் தொழில்நுட்பங்களில் காப்புரிமை முறை (patent system) ஒழிக்கப்பட வேண்டும்! பஞ்சமில்லாத வளமான இந்திய எங்கள் எதிகாலமாக வேண்டும்!

Pyramid Schemes?

Recently I heard from a friend that there is an easy, legal and moral way to earn money - lot of money - so that you can just quit your job and sit at home while your bank balance swells with time. He perfectly sounded like a tele-marketing agency trying to sell me a lucky stone. So I asked him how it works and he took me to a place on a weekend.

There were some 20 to 30 persons who are just like me brought there by their friends. We were quickly introduced to some one who came in a costly car with latest mobile and dressed like a VJ.  He is an elder member of the scheme they said. They started with how marketing works and how much is spent on advertising blah blah... Then they said that if that much amount spent on advertising is diverted to people who introduce their friends or family to the product, then the introducing person can get good deal of money. And as the people who he introduced in turn introduce more and more people, he will get money endlessly as more and more people join the scheme.

Next they showed us some sort of binary tree. Each person must introduce two persons and they in turn will introduce two persons and so on. So if you have two persons below, when they bring two persons each, then you will have 2 + (2 + 2) = 6 persons below you. According to them, you can fully get your money back apart from taxes if there are some 10 to 16 persons below you. Someone asked what will happen if the person whom I introduce didn't bring new joiners. For that they said "Even if you don't bring new customers, we won't allow the tree to grow asymmetrically. We will ensure that the tree grows in a proper binary tree pattern!"

Suddenly Something came in to my mind. It may be linked to the binary tree they have discussed or the racing flag key chain at the hands of the person sitting next to me. That "Wheat and Chessboard Problem". I remembered my dad saying that story when he first bought me a chessboard. Nothing which doubles in every next step can go indefinitely. This is what we call exponential growth. Here the growth will be limited by the population who can participate in this scheme.

Consider India. We have more than 1 billion strong population. But how many of them are earning members who can buy this? Can we take it is approximately 750 million (this is gross exaggeration as most people won't spend thousands of rupees in questionable schemes)?  So it means that almost all the person including children and bed-ridden senior citizens are joining the scheme. So it all starts with one person. He will have 2 persons below. Let us say this is first level. So at any point of time, the total number of persons in a proper binary tree will be 2^(n+1) - 1, where n is the number of levels from the first person who starts this scheme.

So this tree can grow up to 28 levels in India (when the total number of members will be 536,870,911 or approximately 536 million). Even if all of the existing members hunt for new joiners from the dense forests of Andaman to the dusty deserts of Thar, they won't get enough members to fill the next level of the tree, which will cross the 1 billion mark. So all the people at the bottom most level can not register any profit and turn to their introducer for a refund.

And the beauty of a proper binary tree is that in every level it will have 1 more person than the total number of persons in all previous levels. Mind you! This is not just the immediate previous level but ALL previous levels. For example, in level 4, there will be 31 persons in total. But on level 5, there will be 63 persons in total. That means, 32 new people have joined in level 5. The number of new joiners is greater than the TOTAL of existing members in the scheme! So, there will be more people who will be demanding for a refund than the people who can offer a refund.

Another point to note is, unless you get 2 or 3 levels below you, you will suffer loss. So let us assume that people in level 28 and 27 are after all other people in the scheme for a refund. That is 402,653,184 people who lost their money are chasing 134,217,727 people who introduced them to the scheme for a refund. Hmm... Don't worry! Such doomsday events won't happen in real life. Because the tree won't grow that large in first place. In my opinion, the tree can grow safely up to 10 to 20 levels after which, no matter how hard people try, it will stop growing. At this point you can see in news that thousands are protesting outside police station to punish the people who run the scheme and get their money back.

I was just doing some math in my mobile's calculator when I was awaken by my friend, with a typical toothpaste ad grin, from my numeric trance. He was holding some forms with a pen and asking me to sign it! He was telling that he will pay the joining fee and I can repay it later. I just refused to sign as I had lot of negative feelings about the scheme. But I was surrounded by people who were frantically running for ATMs and signing the forms. I just walked out while he was running behind me begging please. I might have lost a good friendship. But I just saved myself from loosing many other good friends who I might have introduced to this scheme if I had become a victim myself.

So, when things like this come to you by any means, just say "NO!". It may be selling some soap oil or buying a gold coin or marketing lunch boxes. Say no! If you want to invest your money, invest in gold, FD, RD, insurance, mutual funds, SIP, ULIPs, shares, land etc. But don't think that there are shortcuts to earn and multiply wealth. There is no way like that to be rich. Pyramid schemes are banned in many countries. I seriously doubt whether these schemes are legal in India. If more and more people start talking about them openly, sooner or later government will ban them. By joining these schemes you may endanger your hard earned money, reputation among friends and family, job and peace of mind just because you allowed someone to fool you.

Online Offers or Outright Scams?

Recently I bought some instant pasta and got some gift coupons with it. It said that there is 500/- off on purchases above 1200/- in a popular online store. As my running shoes were wearing off, I thought I can use it to buy a pair of shoes. I checked the price of some shoe models and compared it with another online store's prices. There was almost 600 to 700/- difference. So, they just give 500/- off while pricing things 600/- more. Is this an offer?

Again, one day everyone around me at office were panicking. They said that some online shops are giving unbelievable discounts. But again, when checked against some other online stores, people realized that it is just a publicity stunt and the so called offer prices are higher than other sites.

Some other companies give you "free" talktime offers with purchase of things like noodles and dishwash bars. But that requires you to "register" yourself with some sites. This is the catch. They get your email id, mobile number etc. And as usual we never read the "terms and conditions" but just click "I Agree". So this information can be misused. I am not saying that all such offers are threat to your privacy but you can not trust all such offers. Nothing in the world comes for free from "businesses". They themselves say that they are not charities!

So am I against all online purchases? Definitely not! I myself purchase lot of things online. But what I am saying is, clever marketing gimmicks and enticing offers should not mislead us to waste our money on something that is not worth. Now let me list out how these online stores are serving us better as well as how they are spoiling us!

The Good Side:

1. They don't need to rent a large showroom, air-condition it, pay hefty electricity and water bills and employ staffs. All they need is a website and a warehouse. That's why they can offer cheaper prices.

2. They offer more choices. For example, they provide option to buy phones and laptops of brands that are seldom available in conventional market.

3. They allow you to shop at your convenience. More payment choices and offers.

4. There are some tax differences between states. As these products are shipped from various locations across India, you can get a cheaper deal in that way too!

The Bad Side:

1. Things like shoes, dress etc can have mismatch against your expectations.

2. Purchasing lesser known brands may look like steal deals. But in some cases, there can be poor after sales service that will make you regret the purchase!

3. Delay in shipments are possible. Also some damaged products may need lengthy follow-ups to get rectified or refunded. Some times that even won't happen.

4. Unlike in case of conventional shopping which happens once in a while, people can constantly waste their time by looking in to online stores. Some tempting offers and targeted ads create an unwanted urges to spend on things that people seldom need.

So, to summarize, online stores are inevitable effect of the IT revolution. There is no point in protesting against it. Resistance is futile! These stores provide us more options and choices. But be careful! Don't purchase anything in a hurry. Compare price in other online stores and conventional shops. (Recently I bought a helmet of same brand/model/size for a much lesser price than in any online store from a conventional shop!) Before buying anything ask yourself if you really need it and will use it for sure and it is worth the money you are going to spend on it. Once again! Beware of online offers. Be extra cautious before buying anything (not only online but also in normal shops).

Apartments Analysed

Introduction

The recent trend among IT sheeple is to go to onsite within 4 years of joining a job. Save some money by living on bread and jam. Return here and buy an apartment by paying 20% as down payment. Marry a  girl and demand dowry to close the loan faster or force her to work so that she can help in repaying EMI. Is a block of space in a concrete structure worth your entire life's hard work? Let me share what I have learnt from what I have seen/heard. I am not against living in a rented/leased apartment or buying an apartment for the sole purpose of renting. But this is for those "clever" people out there who think that buying an apartment for living is a good idea.

Cost and Returns:

Most apartments are built and sold by so called "builders". Those who buy apartments don't own the land. In some cases, the land is given in to collective ownership or in some cases, the builder owns the land while buyers own the house under some agreement. Water connection, electricity connection etc too remain with builder's ownership in some cases. These houses cost a hefty sum of money, that even onsite returns feel way too much. Mostly people buy these houses with loan unless their parents spend their pension benefits or father-in-law wants to ensure a happy life for his daughter ;-) But what happens to the money. These apartments have no resale value compared to land. For example, land prices quadrupled in 6 years at a sub-urban area, but my friend who bought apartment can't sell that for the cost he spent on it 5 years ago. So, technically, apartments lose money at worst or gain meager or no money at best. So, what happens to those who took loan and bought the apartments? They will be paying twice or thrice the amount as interest and get no returns on the property. Sad! Isn't it? On the other hand, imagine if you had bought a land for same amount, it would have at least tripled in value when you finish your loan and hence you lose nothing! Even wiser decision is to buy land for the money you have on hand instead of taking loan. This is the most beneficial investment. But some people have too much money, so they buy apartments and rent it. It may be good. It is better if it is a house built on own land and best if they can buy the entire apartments with land. But for others apartments are poor choice for investments.

I hear some of you saying that instead of paying rent, you are paying EMI. It is better to do the math. How much you will be paying in rent for the same house you own through EMI? Calculate the difference and multiply with number of EMIs. There you go! You can buy another apartment! The best bet is to take a house for lease, even with loan. Pay just the interest for the loan and at the end of the lease terms, repay the loan. Cheapest of available options.

Freedom to Live?

The most important aspect of owning your house is your freedom. You don't need to wait for your turn to get the metro water. You don't need to wait till the fixed time to switch on the motor. You can lock/unlock any door any time. You can use the front space, roof or backyard without seeking permission from anyone and the list goes on. Let me give you few incidents that I have seen in real life!

1. One of my friend is good in rangoli. She moved to an apartment after marriage (bought with some down payment by her father, onsite return husband and a promise from her to help him pay the EMI by working! WOW!!). I told her that apartments sucks as they lack space in front. She said "We have car parking space." I asked, "So, you're gonna draw your rangolis there?"

2. One of my friend was so upset and told me this. Ground water went down in his apartments. He is at 2nd floor. Two of the apartments are not in use (as they went to onsite :D). Ground floor is rented to a family who is not so "rich" compared to these "owners". Now the 3 out 5 apartments need to share the cost of lorry water. But the problem blew up when the ground floor family refused sharing the lorry water. They said, we will fetch water from public water pump. As 2 people can't afford lorry water every other day, they tried their best to convince the tenant. Due to this, the tenant called his owner (in some other city on deputation) and told him that, "If I am to share the cost of water, I will deduct it from rent!". Hearing this the owner took leave on loss of pay and rushed to solve the issue. Then they went to the apartments' secretary for solution. He told that the maintenance fund can't be spent for lorry water. When my friend finished the story, I was late for lunch!!!

3. One of my friend was so interested in vaastu. His vaastu consultant told him that the color of house should be ink blue and he should shift the toilet to some other place. Else he need to do some rituals for Rs. 80,000. He could neither paint the house with choice of his colors nor move the toilet! At last, he rented the house for Rs. 8,000 and saving the money to conduct the ritual. (Extra info: He is paying Rs. 26,000 as EMI every month!) In no way I am telling you should believe in vaastu. But you don't even have freedom to choose the color of your house.

4. I know a person, who lives in an exclusive (people belonging to a particular community only) apartments. One of the owner sold his property and the new owner rented it to a different community. Believe me, now the case is in court. The new owner is claiming the right to rent it to anyone he wishes, while the others in the apartment are siting a clause in the agreement that no other community people can live in that apartment! Again, in no way I am supporting caste/religion based apartments. But your freedom to rent it to anyone you like is not practical.

I can tell even more incidents, but I think the above incidents are enough to make you understand what I mean when I say you have no freedom.

Lack of Neighborhood

Apartment life is nothing but a prison with luxury. People live without knowing the names of each other. There is no co-operation at all in any aspect. The only time they see each other is when the garbage collector blows the whistle. The children are conditioned to play only inside the gates of apartments as the children outside are poor/dirty/indecent. People won't even ask you what happened when you are screaming for your life. But invitations to birthday parties will be prompt to show their stuff off to others and get the gifts in return. Awesome! Maids are the only channel through which news about one apartment travels to other, of course with some annotations!

Light, Air and Nature

Unless you live above 4th floor, you need electric lighting during days too. If you open the window, you are greeted with the nice view of your neighbor's wall. Sunlight has negative probability to enter in such homes. Nights are no better! You need air-conditioning to survive. But don't worry, everyone in the apartments using double-booster will ensure that you bathe in sweat all night! You can't allocate a space to grow a tree. Already the parking space is filled up, you know?

Swimming Pool, Shopping Mall and Lifts!

Very few apartments maintain these advertised "value adds" in long run. And the apartments that maintain them properly are out of reach for the upper middle class. They are only for CEOs and Delivery Managers. Anyway if you reach that level, you will have no time for shopping or swimming. Good luck with that!!! Some apartments raise the cost of maintenance on their wish. If few people refuse to pay, the services are stopped or the remaining people forced to share the expense. I heard one such cozy apartment dweller speaking like this. "Whenever my wife goes to swimming pool, that guy was watching from his balcony. I asked her not to go. What else can I do?"

Cyclic Reasoning

I asked my childhood friend why he bought apartments. His chain of reasoning is as follows.

1. It is difficult to shift house often. (So, why you are shifting house often?)

2. It is hard to travel to new office (Why you change company often?)

3. For onsite chance/ for higher pay. (Why you need onsite/higher pay?)

4. To repay the loan faster. (Why you took loan?)

5. To buy apartment. (Why you buy apartment?)

6. Go to answer 1

So What Can Be Done?

Try take a house on lease (even with loan) that is the cheapest means to live in a city. Else the next best option is to rent a house. Restrict your expenses imagining that you are paying EMI and save the money and buy a land or built individual house in sub-urban areas or even at your native. That will give you returns lot much compared to apartments. Also you can change the house whenever you want. If it is own house, you can modify it the way you want and you are the one who decides what need to be done in every aspect of the house!

Conclusion

Every time some one tells me that they are buying a new apartment, I pity them for their poor choice. They are going to lose their money, freedom and peace of mind due to the ad hype and peer pressure. "Every one is doing it! So it can't be wrong!" is their mindset. Well, that is the mindset of sheep. It is your money and your wish. But whatever you do, do it calculating all the risks and benefits in the long run. Finally, "Apartment", the name suits. Even though the people live closer, their hearts are apart!

Note: If you are a rabid apartment owner and want to vent your anger by commenting here, for your kind information, this blog is not a collective property as your apartment. I own this blog. So my rules apply here ;-)

May 1st

Everybody know that today is world labor day. And if you want to know the history and geography about this day, you can head to the Wikipedia article on the same by clicking here. But I am here with a different message. Especially to the younger generation of so called "professionals" working for corporates.

Who is a worker? Anyone who is not the owner of a business is a worker. Even owners of smaller business like salon shops, iron (laundry) shops etc are workers in proper sense. In that aspect, we are all workers. We are all labors. Don't let your 5 digit salary make you feel that you are different from those who collect garbage or lay down the roads in scorching sun. You are still a labor.

Most of the IT professionals, while interacting with a plumber or carpenter, don't think they are one of their own kind. They isolate themselves thinking they are uneducated, low class while themselves educated, high/upper-middle class. This is a very dangerous mindset. Your salaries won't define who you are. Your nature of work defines who you are.

Let us take a typical day...

You wake up from your bed made by carpenters.

Your bedsheets by textile mill workers.

You go to bathroom constructed by construction workers and plumbers.

You eat food produced by farmers.

You wear shoes made by cobblers.

You lock your door with locks made by blacksmiths.

You drive a car or take a bus manufactured by mechanics.

You travel on the road laid by labors.

Your office is maintained by housekeeping people.

Your office is guarded by security people.

Your network cables are laid by labors.

Electricity and air-condition maintained by electricians.

Your PC manufactured by technicians.

Your .NET code can't build this water tank!

Without all these, you can't work. You can't even live! And remember, you are not the owner of any of the above mentioned services. You are just getting benefited by the services.

You too are one of the labors making the world better.

You are the one who make people's life easy with ATMs.

Your applications make it easy for people to apply for exams.

Your work makes exam/election results readily available.

You create options to book tickets and pay bills from home.

You save nature by reducing paper works to mouse clicks.

You make it possible for people to connect with each other.

You work to trace cyber-criminals.

And the list goes on.

So be proud that you are also part of the work force like everyone around you. But you also need to learn from valuable lessons from the same people whom you despise.

1. Unity

You should stay united. When salaries are not paid properly for some new joinees, don't take it easy as market trend. Remember, the mill workers fighting for the benefits of temporary workers. When someone is fired for no good reason, don't console yourself saying "Thank God! It is not me!" Instead, stand united for his cause. Who knows, when your turn of getting fired will come? Learn these lessons from the workers around you. Nobody can mess with them and walk safely. Their fellow workers will gather like swarms of bees to make them repent and apologize. The same spirit should come to us. That will make us stronger. Corporate CEOs and HRs should know that we are not second to anybody when it comes to our rights.

2. Modesty

Don't allow your high salaries decide how you live. You should be the one who decide how your money is spent. Don't become dependent on too many luxuries of life. Imagine, if we all use public transport and stop using ACs and invertors, how much fuel and electricity can be saved! Invertors consume more power. While the rich are watching IPL with invertor, poor children are struggling with candles to study. Your cozy apartments, luxury cars, LCD TV etc won't bring you happiness. You are just a recession away from those people living modest life. For them it is the normal life. But when you fall, you can't tolerate the ground reality. So it is better to stay at ground than to fly like a plastic bag carried by wind.

3. Humility

Treat people not according to their economic status or educational qualification. Treat them according to what their character is. Treating a human with dignity and respect, we need to learn from them. For example, a construction worker respects teacher of his son more than us. A taxi-driver respects a doctor more than us. You may be an onsite return. You may have more degrees. You earn more money. But your behavior is not like that. Don't put yourself above everyone in everything.

So, this May 1st stuff is not for "them". It is for "us". We as workers, are the force that builds and sustains this world. So let us leave behind corporate fed "elite" mindset and embrace our fellow workers, united in thoughts and deeds.

Why I Am Not OK with What OkCupid Is Doing

First, I am not against homosexual relationships and my opinion on that subject is neutral. Second, recent changes in Firefox like plan to include ads and consuming lot of memory etc made me some what upset with Firefox. So don't think that this post is by a Firefox fanboy defending whatever crap Mozilla is doing.

OkCupid, an online dating site, is now asking visitors who use Firefox, to consider changing their browser as the new Mozilla CEO donated $1,000 out of his personal wealth for a campaign against gay marriages. Brendan Eich is not only Mozilla's CEO. He is the main designer of JavaScript. Will OkCupid go clean of JavaScript too? All they wanted is cheap publicity. I assure them that they got it because, someone sitting here in India, who never knew that a stupid dating site named OkCupid existed before, is now writing a rebuttal.

Everyone is entitled to have their own opinion and views. Like fingerprints, no two persons have exact set of views and opinions in this world.That is what makes us humans. Any person's view should be kept as personal and should not affect his/her work. With that said, Brendan Eich can have any opinion as long as he doesn't allow those opinions influence his work.

Up to my knowledge, Firefox has not done anything against homosexuals. None of Eich's works or decisions as CEO of Mozilla were against homosexuals. Even Mozilla reaffirmed their support for equal treatment of homosexuals. The donation supporting gay marriage ban, in question was made 6 years before. Eich had just mentioned Mozilla as his employer and he didn't make the donation on behalf of Mozilla.

So is that like no person can have a personal opinion on trivial issues while holding top level positions in organizations? Should Christians boycott Apple product as Jobs was Buddhist? Instead they should boycott it for its closed nature and patent lawsuits which violates freedom. Should Muslims stop using GNU/Linux as both Dr. Stallman and Torvalds are Atheists? Instead everyone should use GNU system to tackle NSA like surveillance. Where will we be if we take personal views and opinions of people behind a product in to consideration before using it, even when the view or opinion has nothing to do with the product?

Mozilla is not having child labor. It doesn't run sweat shops. It is a non-profitable organization with community support. They are people from different countries, speaking different languages, eating different foods etc joining hands to build a free software. So to oppose a collective effort just because of a personal opinion of a member of that group is morally wrong and outright stupid. I am OK if OkCupid or anyone else opposing Firefox for their shorter release cycles or larger memory footprint or anything else related to their product or organizational decisions. Instead of that picking a person's individual opinion to undermine the collective work of thousands is unacceptable.

Ironically, OkCupid's homepage has JavaScript on the first line of code itself!☺

Now, I know that there is almost no probability for any OkCupid user to read my blog. But still, if you are an OkCupid user, please consider using any other dating site, not because the people running OkCupid are scumbags, but their mean tactics to gain popularity sucks!!!

Update: Sadly Brendan Eich has resigned :-(

References:

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26830383

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Eich

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JavaScript

Photo Credit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brendan_Eich_Mozilla_Foundation_official_photo.jpg

Killing Plants for Food?

A Case for Plants

Plants breath. Plants grow. Plants reproduce. Plants die. And hence plants are living things. Whether they feel pain or not, let me discuss in later. But for sure we can say that they are living.

Everything is life... You have to open your eyes!

Killing for eating. Is it correct? We uproot carrots, beets, radishes, onions, garlic, ground nuts and other innumerable plants just to satisfy our hunger. Is it ethical? Is it acceptable for rational human beings to do this to plants which can’t even defend themselves when attacked?

Is not killing a carrot plant for it’s food reserve which it stored day by day is like killing an old man for his wealth he accumulated in his entire life? Is not boiling a cup of rice is like boiling thousands of unborn foetus removed from dying mothers? Won’t those innocent rice and wheat grains grow in to new plants if they are provided with soil and water instead of being boiled and eaten as idlies and chapattis?

Where are your ethics when you kill a plant which can’t even express its will to live? In the name of farming, we kill thousands of insects using pesticides. We kill ants which are almost always harmless to human beings. Also innumerable plants are killed in the name of weeds. Are we really behaving with responsibility?

If we have to be humane to animal, why not to plants and insects? They are also living beings. Why there is discrimination? Why some animals are considered even more venerable than some other? Why people are ready to share their dining table with pets (which can harbour lot of diseases) yet they throw an entire meal in to trash if an ant lays dead on it (which is almost always harmless)? Is this not discrimination?

Let us assume killing plants is ok as they don't feel pain. Then comes the question. Is it ok to kill and eat animals/humans in comatose? Or is it ok eat animals killed in road accidents or died naturally or nearing their natural death? It is the same logic used by people accuse meat eaters being unethical to justify their killing of plants.

Here is my summary on this topic:

I feel, killing any animal/plant just for fun or for no use is unethical. I believe endangered species should not be killed for any reason. But growing animals in a good and acceptable condition for meat/milk/research is acceptable. On the other hand, factory farming, where animals are not allowed to move and live a natural life should not be allowed. Those factory farms pump animals with anti-biotic and hormones for extra meat and milk. But don't think agriculture is any better. Ruthless agricultural practices also damage nature comparable to factory farms. Extensive use of pesticides and fertilizers pollute land, water and air in irreversible ways. They also pose threat to human health.

Meat from animals grown in good conditions are better ethical choice than vegetables from aggressive farming with hazardous chemicals.

So there is no denial that, we as a species have to kill in order to eat. We are omnivores(both meat and veggies eaters) by our design/evolution. So whether it is meat or plant, there is no guilt if we don't over hunt, aggressively farm or over consume them by wasting the resources. With that said, no one is morally superior on the grounds of their choice of food.

State of Fear - Book Review

Introduction

I am a fan of Michael Crichton's work from my college days. That was when one of my senior in college said that I should read Michael Crichton's books. I asked him who was that. He said, the guy who wrote Jurassic Park and gave me his book. WOW! That was awesome and I read that in just 3 days. Then I started to read his works. The latest book of his I read was "State of Fear". It is an awesome novel and it is a good mix of science, skepticism, action, detective, sex & violence and information. No wonder anyone who starts reading this book gets lost inside it and couldn't be found by friends and family until he/she finishes it!

About The Book

The book is a 600+ page paperback edition and come with Author's Message, an Appendix and Bibliography of extensive references about the sources of data and quotations used in the book. The book also has lot of graphs and foot notes to enhance the readers insight on the details given. You don't need to worry about yout lack of knowledge in "climate science", because if a climate n00b like me can understant it, then you too can! The novel is organized not as chapters but as Place/Date/Time chronological logs of events. That was really cool. The book is published by HarperCollins. I bought the Indian Subcontinet version, which is cheap indeed!

Plot Overview

A rich philanthropist funds an environmental organization. There are murders and other doubtful purchases of exotic weapons and machines in various places. An NSIA agent and his assistant with the help of the philanthropist's lawyers try to unravel the mystery. Ultimately they find that the fear-mongering tactics used by the environmental organization to create the "state of fear" among people to milk their cash! (Hint: You can get the full plot from Wikipedia or many other sites. But if you read such plots, you are losing the chance to read one of the best novels of Crichton.)

The Moral

I myself, being a hardcore anti-corporate and anti-pollution guy, don't exactly believe in what media say about man-made global warming, but I fully accept that humans are contributing to ongoing global warming. I have some reservations in both sides and my opinions is mixed on that. But where I agree with Michael Crichton is, when he opposes the fear-mongering tactics used by these eco-friendly gangs to milk the cash from people as well as corporates and to lobby governments to accept their unruly demands without a second thought. For example, you can see Greenpeace guys standing in railway stations and IT parks in India handing out tracts and forcing you to sign-up for a monthly donation through credit card. People who are brainwashed by their scaremongering tactics opt in to donate. But they seldom care about that blind old man selling peanut burfee or that poor old man without leg begging in trains.

From PeTA to Greenpeace, these organizations are founded and run by wealthy nations which have a higher share in polluting the environment. But these organizations try to steal the money of people all over the world and try to impose crippling laws in developing nations that can slow-down or stop or reverse their progress. People are fed with fear and distracted with dubious facts and are made to believe that they have done some thing terribly bad. At this point they will show their membership form and the gullible person will sign. I have been told absurd stories like Kit-Kat is manufactured using Orangutan finger bone, Indian cities will drown in another 20 years (this they told me in 2004) and so on. When I confronted them with some facts, they will say I have been brainwashed by corporate media!

This is what Michael Crichton explores in his novel. Most of these organizations are themselves funded by corporates. They demand people to submit to their views without asking question, much like the religious leaders force their followers to submit without doubting. Moreover, like fake religions which demand money or favors for atonement of sins, these organizations seldom talk about population control, reducing car usage etc but they always ask you to donate. One day, I was walking out of an IT park. There was a bank stall offering car loans and a car company stall displaying their new model car and giving test-drive. The Greenpeace guys were there giving out tracts. I called them to join me to tell the bank people and the car company people to stop selling cars and automobile loans so that we can cut back carbon emission. But the Greenpeace guys were asking me to leave. As I insisted and more people joined me in that request, they just left the place and started giving tracts in some other corner! This is their real face. They are not here for nature. They are here for business.

Conclusion

If you want to read a good story and also know how these organizations cheat people, this is a very good book. I am not asking you to deny global warming or increase pollution. I am just asking you to stop believing blindly and start asking questions. In the long run, we can expect the unaltered truth to surface.

Ability vs Morality

Recently, I was in to some arguments with Apple/Microsoft fanboys. As usual, a lone GNU/Linux defender, I was made to fight my own way out. But just one simple argument brought them down. So, I feel, this argument is worth sharing so that similarly trapped freedom-freaks can use it... The argument is none other than FREEDOM and CHOICE!!! ;-)

The points put forward by Apple/Microsoft fanboys include, ease of use, eye-candy, availability of third party apps, more number of games, media, powerful hardware and GUI based tools etc.

Though we can counter the arguments in every front, there is no much room in such arguments when the opposition is deaf to whatever you claim. For example, I quoted that top ten of TOP500 run GNU/Linux (ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOP500). But the problem is they are not aware of TOP500! Likewise, they have many misconceptions like GNU/Linux = bash. They never heard about Gnome, KDE etc. So let us waste no time in explaining them the more technical aspects of our choice for GNU/Linux. Let us attack them for lack of freedom compared to GNU/Linux. Freedom is the cornerstone of the entire GNU/Linux/BSD Free and Open Source Software movement (FOSS). It is not about money or ease of use or anything else.

Consider this example. Once there lived two archers. One of them is better at shooting arrows than the another. But the better one worked for gang of robbers while the other chose to work for the local scout troop. One day the situation made both of them to face each other. The one that was better skilled killed 3 of the men in scout troop, including the lesser skilled archer. But at last, few other men from the scout troop managed to thwart the robbery and killed/chased the gang members. Ultimately, the 3 who sacrificed their life for the public good were celebrated and remembered real heroes, not the one who was able to kill 3 of the opponents within seconds.

Yes! It is more paying to be in the gang of robbers. And there are some cult like following for evil people like Hitler or Osama, while good people who dared to sacrifice their life for sake of others left unnoticed. How many of you can tell the name of American soldier who shot Osama without Googling? Strictly speaking the one who had more talent ended up in the apt place where his skills are valued, recognized and can be materialized as monetary gains. Survival of the fittest, right? WRONG! This type of silly arguments can be used to justify anything from  petty theft to inhumane crimes like rape or murder. Imagine this "I can beat and tie you up and steal your money! Survival of the fittest!!" Is that acceptable?

Similarly, technical people should also have some sort of ethics and responsibility towards the tech-community at worst and public at best. It is out of moral responsibility that we should be supporting Free software/Open source movements. We should choose to be a scout even if we get paid lesser and get lesser visibility. If a doctor claims to have invented cure for cancer by mixing existing pain killer and vitamins (neither of them is invented by him), but patents the same that, anyone who produces or uses the medicine should lick his boots, won't you protest? The same is happening everywhere in the so called "tech giants". That is the exact same reason why death of Dennis Ritchie, who made C programming language and co-invented Unix, is ignored entirely while Steve Jobs, mixed up existing technologies in to a cotton candy for kids, is canonized as "Patron saint of Technology"!

So, it is very bad to just consider the mere profit or benefits, while ignoring the impact in entirety. The locked nature of Microsoft and Apple is causing more harm than good. How much money is wasted in buying laptops where you are forced to pay for a licence of Windows even if you are NEVER going to use it? What about your inability to replace a battery in iPhone? You can't install what you want even after "buying" both the hardware and software?!? Even if you are selling your freedom, they should be paying you! But where in the world and what type of fool will pay for selling his own freedom! If you don't realize what you are missing in Apple/Microsoft products but you can quickly point out that there is something missing here and there in GNU/Linux or BSD, then you are just like saying "I am content with this prison. It is more safe, guarded by police, and I get food on time without doing any hard labor and the cell is painted in the way I wanted"

Cult of Crying

Turn on your TV and randomly go through 3 or 4 non-news, non-music channels. You can surely get someone sobbing. From mega-serials to reality shows, from movies to contests, everywhere people are crying. For what? Yesterday I was watching a purely luck-based game-show. A contestant had come along with 4+ family members. The reason they came is to tell all their personal/economic problems and cry for the camera.

In game/talent shows where the money is not theirs, they cry like losing hard earned money. When someone says you are not dancing well or singing well, then it is the norms to cry for the camera. I read in news some months back that a girl got paralyzed as she can't cope with the comments of a dance competition judge.

To take it to the next level, in some shows, the judges start to cry. Stupid... If they are emotional while judging, then who can trust their judgment? What is going wrong? Can't we handle situations better? Is winning in a TV show or getting a lump-sum out of luck is what we are born for? Why the media is selling emotions and fear over knowledge and joy?

I think this is due to people are evolving away from reality. As we all live in controlled environments where even menial things like temperature, lighting and safety factors remain almost constant regardless of what is happening outside, we are made to believe that all these vanities are true and we need them more than anything. Children grow-up learning the names of animals and plants shown in Discovery channel. But they don't know the insects/plants/birds/animals common in their region.

A 1st standard kid knows about kangaroo than household sparrow. We worry about carbon-emission or swine flu than a poor boy in next street. A house-wife readily cries for a serial character but refuse to take care of her mother-in-law. How many of us watch through the windows (not the one Bill Gates sells) or sit in the balcony more time than watching TV? Unless we close the "virtual window"(TV) and open our real windows to our neighbors and surroundings, soon we will evolve to some other species than the so called "Humans".