Indian Engineers Suck

'India does not produce enough good computer engineers and those it does are good at theory but not very well equipped to handle the practical aspects.'
-- Microsoft Chief Technical Officer Craig Mundie

Mundie's bombshell, dropped during a recent India visit, blows our country's pride -- at being an information technology knowledge goldmine -- to smithereens. But just why did Mundie say what he did? What ails our software engineer-developing engines? In a three-part special, we try to find answers. Here is the first instalment:

Not many can deny that Indian students are creative, innovative and scientifically inclined. When it comes to mathematics and the physical and biological sciences, Indian schoolchildren are ahead of their counterparts in developed countries like the United States.

Many bright Indian minds opt for computer science in college to become part of the Great Indian Tech Boom story.

But companies like Microsoft -- which has a full-fledged India Development Centre in Hyderabad -- are not happy with the computer engineers they are recruiting from college campuses.

Here is more proof, in Mundie's words:

• 'India produces a lot of engineers. But the production of computer science engineers is low, pro rata.'
• 'India did not have enough software companies nor are enough companies developing India-specific applications.' The reason, Mundie argued, was the poor quality of the country's software engineers.
• 'There are so few Indian software companies developing local software. That is a negative reinforcement, because there is no local software and no new applications.'
• 'The problem with the engineers can be attributed to policy issues… Universities in India, did not get proper funding for research and were not directed towards software development.'
• '[Indian] Computer engineers are more into theory and less in managing businesses, building businesses or writing source codes, the key to software development.'

Experts agree with Mundie. India's software engineers can work cheaply and quickly, but when it comes to quality, industry experts are unanimous in their opinion: Few Indian software engineers are probing new frontiers, raising the bar or exploring new horizons.

Professor J G B Tilak, senior Fellow, National Institute of Education Planning and Administration, New Delhi, says the gradual withdrawal of government support, with increased private participation in technical education, affected quality and led to commercialisation of education. The NIPEA is the Indian government's apex organisation of education planners specialising in policy, planning and management.

The main concern, Tilak argues, is the "declining share of government expenditure on technical education in the total education expenditure, which presently hovers around 4 per cent, as against over 5 per cent 12 years back."

Compare this to the 15 to 30 per cent that every major economy -- including Taiwan and Brazil -- spends on national research and development. China's research and development spending, especially in engineering fields, for example, is a good 10 per cent, says a recent Forbes study.

Retired engineering professor K S Madhavan says research and development in engineering has been in a state of decline in the last few decades because of the poor state of affairs in India's colleges.

Engineering colleges in the country have been growing at 20 per cent a year, while business schools have grown at 60 per cent annually. Five Indian states -- Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Kerala -- account for 69 per cent of India's engineers. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Orissa account for only 14 percent. From its 113 universities and 2,088 colleges -- many of which teach various engineering disciplines -- India produces nearly 350,000 engineering graduates every year. All of Europe produces 100,000 engineering graduates a year, and America produces only 70,000.

But, the quality of Indian engineers is questionable, says Madhavan, who has had a career spanning four decades and is now advisor to several engineering colleges in Karnataka and Kerala.  "That is because of the lack of trained faculty and the dismal State spending on research and development in higher education in the country," he says.

Started but never finished

There are these 2 books that I have started several times in my life but I don’t know why I couldn’t finish them each time. Papillion, Atlas Shrugged.

Guess Iam getting old…..

My Review of - "The World is Flat" on Amazon

“The State Withers Away" ...not through communism but through capitalism

Fredrick Engel's words regarding the "withering away" of the state are so widely known, they are often quoted, and so clearly reveal the essence of the customary adaptation of Marxism.

Friedman’s "The World is Flat", gives a whole new dimension and meaning of the idea of withering away of a state. Contrary to Engel's idea of withering away of the state through proletarian dictatorship, Friedman’s idea of withering away of the state is through Public-Private Partnership, through the lobbying of the Private Sector, through global Supply Chains.
Many ideas in the book are quite thought provoking.

The "Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention" that Friedman talks about is good but takes time for Convincing. As Shashi Tharoor, Author and Under-Secretary UN, says, "In advancing what Friedman calls his "Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention", under which no two countries will go to war if they are both part of the same globalised supply chain, he forgets that most human conflict is fuelled by emotions rather than calculations. Economics cannot explain everything. As Francis Fukuyama discovered before him, it is not yet time for "the end of history". Culture, religion, and national pride all continue to play their part in world affairs. In the flat world, maybe geography is history, but history itself is not yet history. Friedman, intent on his high-tech crystal ball, ignores the rear-view mirror. "

Overall this is One Great Book. This is better than "The Lexus and the Olive Tree"

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/1593976690/ref=cm_cr_dp_2_1/102-0277942-1304904?%5Fencoding=UTF8&customer-reviews.sort%5Fby=-SubmissionDate&n=283155

Raging Bull

"Raging Bull" has been one of my favourite movies of all time. I must have seen it more that 6 times, but I want to watch it again this weeked. I dont know when I will get out of the Martin Scorsese fascination.

I came across the below review. The review about "Raging Bull" here is 99% close to what I think about the movie. Iam reproducing the review here. Check the highlighted text in red.

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Raging Bull" isn't the average, stereotypical underdog boxing movie, because it isn't really about boxing at all. Like most great movies, its focus is much deeper. It came out in 1980, earned Robert De Niro a Best Actor Academy Award, and was marked down as another solid triumph by director Martin Scorsese, whose previous 1976 outing with De Niro earned them both critical acclaim (and for De Niro, an Oscar nomination, although he would actually earn an Oscar for "Raging Bull" four years later).

It dwindled in production hell for quite some time, with Scorsese's drug use halting production and only the duo's strong willpower that kept the project moving ahead. It was after De Niro read boxer Jake LaMotta's memoirs that he knew he wanted to make the film, so Scorsese and De Niro turned to Paul Schrader for a script. Schrader, who had previously written "Taxi Driver" (1976), agreed, and wrote the screenplay for them. The rest is history.

"Raging Bull" has often been regarded as the greatest film of the 80s. To be honest, I'm not so sure about that, since various genres offer different feelings and emotions (comparing this to a comedy might seem rather silly). But to say it is one of the most powerful films of all time would be no gross overstatement -- it is superb filmmaking at its finest.

De Niro gained 60 pounds to play LaMotta, which was an all-time record at the time (later beaten by Vincent D'Onofrio, who gained 70 pounds for Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket"). His physical transformation is on-par with any great screen makeover, especially the most recent, ranging from Willem Dafoe in "Shadow of the Vampire" to Charlize Theron in "Monster." In addition, co-star Joe Pesci also lost weight for his role of Joey, LaMotta's short, eccentric brother. The greatest scene in the film is when LaMotta accuses his brother of having an affair with his wife. The tension is raw, the dialogue amazing, and the overall intensity electrifying.
The film is most often compared to "Rocky," more than any other, apparently because they both concern a certain level of boxing. As much as I absolutely adore "Rocky," "Raging Bull" is a deeper, more realistic film. But whereas "Raging Bull" is raw, "Rocky" is inspiring, and that is one of the reasons I do not think these two very different motion pictures deserve comparison, for the simple fact that they are entirely separate from one another. The only connecting thread is the apparently central theme of boxing, which is used as a theme in "Rocky," and a backdrop in "Raging Bull." They're entirely different motion pictures -- one uplifting, the other somewhat depressing -- and the people who try to decide which is better need to seriously re-evaluate their reasons for doing so. They both succeed splendidly well at what they are trying to do, and that's all I have to say about their so-called connection.

De Niro, who could justifiably be called the greatest actor of all time, is at the top of his game here. In "Taxi Driver" he displayed a top-notch performance. He wasn't just playing Travis Bickle -- he was Travis Bickle. And here he is Jake LaMotta, the infamous boxer known for his abusive life style and somewhat paranoid delusions during his reign as world middleweight boxing champion, 1949 - 1951. Throughout the film, he beats his wife (played expertly and convincingly by the 19-year-old Cathy Moriarty), convinced that she is cheating on him, and that is more or less what the film is truly about. The boxing is just what he does for a living, and could be considered as a way to release some of his deeper, harbored anger.

LaMotta has a close relationship with Joey, his brother, and their interaction is often what elevates the film above others of its genre. The dialogue is great, close to the perfection of Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction," rich in that rapid-fire filthy language and brutal insults. Pesci, who was on the verge of quitting showbiz at the time of pre-production, was spotted by De Niro in a cheap B-movie named "The Death Collector" (1975), a.k.a. "Family Business," a truly horrid film that nevertheless showcased an early sign of things to come for Pesci. De Niro wanted him for the movie and his premonition was either very lucky or very wise -- this is one of the best performances of Pesci's entire career.

Scorsese shot the film in muted black and white, portraying a certain era of depression and misery. To make the blood show up on screen during the occasional fight scenes, Scorsese used Hershey's Syrup -- which is an interesting tidbit of trivia for any aspiring filmmaking planning on filming a violent movie in black and white. But how often does that happen? This is certainly one of the most intense films Scorsese has directed, and one of the most important of his career. Along with "Taxi Driver," it is an iconic motion picture that will stand the test of time for years and years to come.

Scorsese and De Niro's partnership over the years has resulted in some of the most influential and utterly amazing motion pictures of all time: "Mean Streets," "Taxi Driver," "The King of Comedy," "Goodfellas" and "Casino" come to mind almost instantly. But perhaps the one single title that will be remembered as their most daring effort is "Raging Bull," a motion picture so utterly exhilarating that it defies description. It is simply a masterpiece for the mind and senses, leaving you knocked out cold after its brutal one-two punch. If I had to assemble a list of required viewing, this would be up there towards the top.

Molotov Cocktail

As a kid my dad had taught me how to make a Molotov Cocktail. While my dad was in his youth there were lots of student strikes and agitations in India and Molotov Cocktails were ubiquitous.

I remembered the Molotov Cocktail because Iam seeing that it was used big time in the recent Paris riots.

Once I had prepared a Molotov Cocktail at home the the results were not too encouraging. I had used Kerosene.

Some gyan on Molotov Cocktails

• A Molotov cocktail (or petrol bomb; also benzine torch) consists of a glass bottle partly filled with flammable liquid, usually petrol (gasoline) or alcohol (generally methanol or ethanol). The mouth of the bottle is stopped up with a cork or other type of airtight bung (rubber, glass, or plastic), and a cloth rag is fixed securely around the mouth. The weapon is used by first soaking the rag in a flammable liquid immediately prior to using it, lighting the rag, and throwing the bottle at the target. The bottle shatters on impact, spilling the flammable liquid over the target, which is then ignited by the burning rag.
• Common practice is to throw several full unlit bottles to saturate an area, then to ignite the target with a lit one. This avoids some of the risk of throwing several lit devices (the enemy sees the flaming bottles approaching and knows which direction to start shooting, possibility of missing, dropping the device after lit, etc).
• Molotov cocktails are similar to napalm bombs in principle. Napalm (short for naphthenic palmitic acids) was originally made by combining flammable naphthalene and petrol with thickening agent palmitic acid, the latter two being the main ingredients of Molotov cocktails.
• The name "Molotov cocktail" is derived from Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov, a Soviet politician who was the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs (Foreign Minister) of the Soviet Union, with an ironic reference to the 1930s fashion for pre-dinner "cocktails". During the buildup to World War II, when Finland refused to surrender some land to the Soviet Union, the Soviets invaded. The poorly-equipped and heavily-outnumbered Finnish Army, facing Red Army tanks in what came to be known as the Winter War, borrowed an improvised incendiary device from the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War; in that conflict, the Church- and Axis-backed Nationalists under General Francisco Franco had used the weapon against Soviet T-26 tanks supporting the Spanish Republicans in a failed 1936 Soviet assault near Toledo, 30 km from Madrid[1].

When Molotov claimed in radio broadcasts that the Soviet Union was not dropping bombs but rather delivering food to the starving Finns, the Finns responded by saluting the advancing tanks with "Molotov cocktails."

Practical Mistakes committed while handling Molotov cocktail

The easy construction of a Molotov cocktail makes it a standard weapon of guerrilla warfare and violent rioters, but it can be challenging for an amateur to make an effective device. The most common failure is in over-filling the bottle, as a full bottle will not ignite quickly when it breaks on impact (although it has a longer burning potential). For a device to explode rapidly on impact, the bottle should be only one-half to two-thirds full. Another common mistake is failing to wipe down the bottle, which removes flammable residue, prior to lighting the rag. Yet another error is to use the ignition rag directly to stopper the bottle. Other common difficulties include failing to make an airtight seal with the stopper to prevent escaping fumes, a too-long or too-loosely secured ignition rag, using an inappropriate bottle (e.g., short-necked, wide-mouthed, too fragile, or too tough), and above all, mishandling after the rag is ignited.

Bizzare Imagination

Only if Jesus Went to a Gym !!!

Resignation Letter

I resigned from my previous employer in the year 2002 after some gruelling 3 years in various projects.

I was highly frustrated with the management. On the last day just before cleaning my desk and moving out I met one of the vice-presidents of the company and gave him a letter where I had listed down various points on how to make this company better. I ended that letter with the below poem - a modified version of Rabindranath Tagore's

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my company awake

Globalization according to my Uncle

Globalization according to my Uncle

This is what my uncle whos in Florida right now has to say about Globalization

Globalisation has been overhyped as the 'zinda tilismath'* for all the economic ailments of the world. While it has generated more money, more fun, the game is open only to a select few. May be I have told you that the world in coming days will have three kinds of people: entrepreneurs, extortionists and rag-pickers! The cities will become blackholes, gobbling up the rural resources and each one of us will sweat our soul out to appease the mammon! May be, I sound like a grouch, but these are my fears!

* - "zinda tilismath" is a potion in Greek Medicine [or "Unani" Medicine as its called in India]. Its used as a cure for virtually everything from Common Cold to you-name-it

Deadlines

Deadlines..Deadlines and No Time to Blog :(
Feel miserable

Ever Killed a Dog or a Cat in your life?

There were small incidents and adventures during my childhood a little like those of Huckleberry Finn. Our neighborhood was a typical working class one and my friends were interested in everything but studies or education. Other parents who wanted their children to be good always wanted their children to be away from my friends and me.

Dog Baiting –
One of those festival days [you have 100s of festivals in India] a friend and me went to a neighbor’s house to wish him for the festival. His dog – a bloody white furry Pomeranian pounced on my leg, buried its teeth in my calf and hung to my leg for a minute or two before I yanked it out and kicked it. We swore revenge….
Plan A - We bought a packet of biscuits and drenched the biscuits with petrol and tried to feed the dog but it wouldn’t eat. Plan A failed.
Plan B – We pulled the dog to a secluded place with the biscuits as our bait. We tied the dog to a pole and hit it big time with cricket bats. Plan B Worked at a Six Sigma level

Cat Baiting –
Some cats can be really annoying. The people in the neighborhood would call my friend and me to catch the big cats. We would lend them our service for a price. They should buy us cricket balls as we couldn’t afford them then. Best way to catch cats – get a gunny bag, throw the bag on the cat and tie the bag, take the bag away to a secluded place and kick the bag. There will be resistance from within the bag for a while but it won’t last long.

I really get irritated when Dogs chase you while driving on the roads in India. I feel like driving over a few of them to teach them a lesson….Did I say I have done it ? J


Reference –
Check out the link below for more on Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/railton/huckfinn/huchompg.html

Real World Crime

For those of you who like reading real world crime.
If you want to know all about the Black Dahalia case and the other truly bizzarre crime incidents Check out http://www.crimelibrary.com/index.html.

China Vs India - The Debate Continues

Check this out -

India - We were ruled by the Brits for 200 years. We succumbed to their education, administration, military systems. We virtually caved in and surrendered to their "cultural" imperialism more than the direct imperialism. We gave up on our vernacular languages and learnt and mastered their language. Today, that is 50 years after India’s independence from British rule, India's English speaking skills is something that has become her unique selling proposition in a Services dominated global market place. All the IT hullabaloo in India boils down to the fact that we speak English - a foreign language, a language that belonged to someone who ruled us, a language that was thrust upon us and we succumbed to it with open arms.
Bottomline – Our weakness of the past is something that we are cashing upon. There is nothing that we have developed indigenously that’s helping us. Clearly it was our cultural surrender of our past that we are trying to cash upon today.

China – Despite being ravaged by different western and eastern powers in the past the Chinese did not culturally surrender themselves. They retained their language, their culture and in all these years have proved that they can do it without surrendering their languages and heir cultural identities. They proved it in the manufacturing business.
Bottomline – They have worked hard and have developed and learnt skills to succeed in manufacturing. They have not cashed upon their weaknesses. With the same attitude they are learning English to hone their skills.

End Point – China can easily outperform India even in the services area. They are not cashing upon their weaknesses of the past but are building their strengths.