1,903 karma · joined January 6, 2012
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qzhiolzuxsw/UK0HEPH7x4I/AAAAAAAAH8...
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http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/chand-baori.html
http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/chand-baori.html
This is just an example. What do you think has higher probability of being used to build this?
1. Math and calculations or 2. Numerology?
I'd give you that in its current marketed form it is astrological bullshit, but originally Vastu Shastra was a formal form of science [1] grounded on engineering principles and urban design. All persevering to obtain a 'calm' for the dweller.
One can still infer from the high precision N-S-E-W positioning of fairly huge ancient Hindu temples, historical remains of homes and dwellings, monasteries and other artefacts. Even the 1000+ step staircases in some of the forts and fortresses [2][3], transoceanic bridges [4] suggest the quality of math that was in play.
The choice and placement of stone, wood and metal w.r.t Sun, tropical climate and other ergonomic needs is simply mind blowing. Math has to be at the root of it.
Obviously not many records exist to substantiate the level of skill and academia prevalent at the time. I wish someone undertook a journey to research and substantiate just about "everything" that we have from Egypt to Indonesia (Hindu kingdoms spanned that far, yes!). At the risk of being shooed away by existing pride.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vastu_shastra
Even the wikipedia here, for example, says ... "while Vastu had long been essentially restricted to temple architecture..." which is completely wrong, and they defeat it in the third paragraph where they define "the Sanskrit word vastu means a dwelling or house with a corresponding plot of land" which is what Vaastu Shastra was all about, not temples alone.
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ChandBaori.jpg
I immigrated to US recently (August '13) burned all my savings to do so. Prior to moving here I was doing a product start-up that failed. Have had too much on the plate so I'm now stuck between a hard rock and a cliff.
While applying to Hacker School I was seriously meaning to tick the checkbox for financial aid (but it was disabled because one has to confirm "I am a woman" first). I do believe that women programmers need encouragement and an inclusive environment, but sometimes men need it too.
For example, the double-finger-double-tap a coalesced double-ring is good enough, there is no need of hand on the icon. Similarly for triple-tap three rings coalesced together is enough, drop the hand.
'Press and hold' could be done with the icon you've for 'hold timer' -- without the hand of course. For left, right, up and down swipes something else is required. Hand is terrible while arrows alone won't cut it. We also need icons to suggest typing(keyboard) mode or doodling(free hand) mode on touch screens.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_incarceration_rat...
It's an interesting optimization, but the broad design of the tophat might face challenges from adverse weather. During hurricanes or say something like 100mph wind, the upper flower has to recede to save itself. This is not the case with standard wind turbines that just rotate only faster. I am sure they must have thought through all these situations, simply considering only 600% improvement over standard installation doesn't seem like a good way to compare.
So why not take this efflux wind at 15mph back to the top again, or even half way with some loss of course, and achieve a perpetual motion machine [1]?
Is something missing in the introduction video about this concept?
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_motion
[Okay got it: The blade area/size of a fan to turn at winds as low as 2mph is quite high (and expensive) as compared to rotor blade size that would work with winds at speed 45 miles per hour. This one looks like a play on lever action of wind on fan blade area/angle w.r.t achievable influx velocity. Not too bad it's a kind of optimization, but for the introduction video that wasn't clear enough.]
Last when I was working near a village in central India near Uttar Pradesh/Madhya Pradesh border the estimate was a little under 4% (which is huge given the absolute numbers). I kind of believe that over 90% bulk might still be within the rural consideration, but I could be wrong. The electorate interest and its outcome seems to indicate that bulk of rural India is still where it was.
About 15 years ago, rural migration from the state of Orissa and Uttar Pradesh was pegged at less than 1%. So it is not out of context to consider here that the average speed of travel within the country and connectivity by rail and road has improved by factor of 4 in the last 15 years.
This is the rural progress and implementation of ordinary technology, that we easily miss out on, that has brought about rural migration that we're talking about here. It has sparked ambition in the poor which now aspires for a better life in the suburban cachement of Indian cities.
Leads to concluding that it is the gap between the rich and poor that leads to criticism and praise of space programs like Mangalyan. The '100 million India' who have the gift of being in the elite 100 million should take a note of this gap. And not be perturbed by criticism of technical feats like the Mangalyan.
The benefit of ISRO space program (though it has strategic pitfalls too) would surely reach the balance 900 million poor eventually, but that is in future. Immediate priority should be (and thankfully is) rural tech because that keeps the gap between rich and poor in control, and prevents volatility and conflict by keeping the sense of belongingness among the desperate poor.
That's what I think, but I may be removed from reality given that I am off coast now.
> You can't ask people to just eat, reproduce and die, living just above the poverty line. That is worse than poverty.
What do those line mean? Who asked people to just eat, reproduce and die? How is something worse or better than poverty I do not know.
> it would get criticized as unnecessary. That leaves out only giving money to people directly.
No where in the parent comment or on this complete conversation it has been said that expenditure on Mangalyaan is unnecessary or wasteful. In fact it is the opposite that I said on the parent comment. Where did you read this?
> You can't ask people to just eat, reproduce and die, living just above the poverty line. That is worse than poverty.
In my opinion, space probe to Mars is a good idea for space engineers and for the idea of adventure, it should be nurtured. But the moment the Indian Government a$$holes (who have eaten up more than 10000X that amount which a Mangalyan costs) and their media toots start projecting this achievement of engineers as their own "moment of glory" and a proof towards India becoming a global superpower, everything falls flat on the face.
There should be no doubt that poverty IS the biggest challenge for us (I am an Indian) to work on, and there are people with achievements in rural tech to help people over with just that. No space wizardry, just basic engineering. Heroism, inspiration and aspiration should be centred and drawn around those people too, India needs it more.
If I were to run dragnet, I'd accept protecting the interest and privacy of all Americans back home, but strike a deal with GCHQ or some other Government agency and provide them with all the tools and tech to snoop on my fellow citizens. No legal hassles, no constitutional violation. Cost? Well that could be worked out given the advantage the data gives me to remain in power.
Agreed. Unfortunately there is no recourse until a power center rises elsewhere. They say written history would have been very different in case Germany had won their war.
On the parent comment 164 people sounded like a lame statistic, involuntarily generalizing everyone as "people who just died there" and this is usual business for others to profit from it.
I know what you're trying to say. Sure everyone innocent who died there was an equal human being and this tragedy should be left at that.
[1] http://www.indianexpress.com/news/yes-bank-chairman-ashok-ka...
I was in India when the Mumbai carnage took place. My classmate from IIT was killed the same day at the very same spot [1].
And here we have this class of a bitch thinking of making a "lot of money" off a probable war ['caged match' look at the audacity!]. No wonder they say karma is broken all over the place. On another story these same corrupt assholes have abused their power to send a whistle blower to jail and serve a 10 years term [2].
Nice going, keep it up newage SS!
[Edit: Thank you for your lame negative votes, sad people. You can go further and ask for more negative power to vote this down and then just die negatively voting right here.]
"... reducing investors' appetite for risk doesn't merely kill off larval start-ups, but kills off the most promising ones especially. Startups yield faster growth at greater risk than established companies. Does this trend also hold among startups? That is, are the riskiest startups the ones that generate most growth if they succeed? I suspect the answer is yes. And that's a chilling thought, because it means that if you cut investors' appetite for risk, the most beneficial startups are the first to go..."
Understanding this could mean a lot to SV VCs but then I'm sure they understand it already.
This could harm that interested 5% as well. At least I hope so.
I'm not too sure about that. If you look at the actions, and not just merely words, Indian Government has always leaned towards communism. Emphasized social equality for all, focused very little on reward and innovation.
I have question though: How does a recovery artist estimate and arrive at colors of things, clothes and other objects from a black and white picture? Are these simply imagination and guesswork, or there is some sort of technique/algorithm to get to say the exact shade of blue on Albert Einstein's shorts in the Long Island, 1939 picture?
Everyone's intention? In other words everybody is the opponent. Is that the big picture you have about the world?
To get pedantic on this subject, even the Mughals aren't originally from India. Mughal campaigns in Central Asia was also about plundering and ruling India, it's not the other way round. In fact original Indians are not even Aryans (I am an Aryan) of European descendence for that matter. So my estimate of 3000 years stands corrected, it goes way further back than that.
Sentinals, for example in my prior comment, are aboriginal of the Indian peninsula. The other term used to represent aboriginal Hindus is the Dravidians. This land has chosen entropy over order, I can assure you.