ANANDHAN SUBBIAH - INSPIRE AND INNOVATE

Ria with my parents Title

I think there are still a lot of doubts on what a successful web application is. There are a lot of successful applications on the web facebook, myspace, youtube to name a few.I am a hardcore engineer. I used to believe that the engineering aspect of a project was more important than anything else. But I have learnt over the past few years that an application is only successful only if it meets the demands of the business. The term application is a combination of the software and the infrastructure.

In my world a successful web application is one which

“Is simple to maintain and manage

Generates revenue

Allows the business owners to do what they need to do to increase the revenue. It could be the ability to make changes at a rapid pace without compromising on stability.

Allows the developers to develop and deploy without a lot of constraints”

The world’s most complicated software will be useless if there is no revenue stream associated with it. The word “complicated” actually negates the success factor. There is so much competition in the world that any delay in marketing a product or inability to make changes swiftly only means that the web application is unsuccessful.A successful business means that all the employees are focused on exploring ways to improve it. The generic term “best practices” is so over rated. I think we should do what is good for the business and that should be the best practice.

I don’t think there is any harm in breaking the rules as long as there is a solid business reason behind it. This is where the employees come into the picture I have seen so many business’s getting into a tangle with employees who just put their interests ahead of the company without realizing that the if the business fails they fail too. I call this the “I” factor. If there are too many engineers with the “I” complex the application/business is doomed to fail. A sense of ownership is great for any business but that has to be backed by a track record of successful and on time delivery. Anyone can build the best software/infrastructure in 2 years and these days the rest of the world would have moved on if we build anything that complex that it takes a long time to be stable.

This is not to say that core engineering values are meaningless but there are so many of them these days that the job of a good engineer should be to pick those which are good for the business like rapid deployments , ease of development , stability etc and not invent something new or reinvent(again)

A solid engineer is one who is not just technically brilliant but one who can use his skill to design simple solutions which are scalable. I think context is very important in the software world. There is no point in building the worlds most secure infrastructure when all you are doing is displaying content but security is important if you are storing user information. I have seen vendors take a financial hit by failing sometimes rather than building a 100% foolproof solution simply because sometimes it is cheaper. Uptime is a classic example.

I think every engineer would have realized by now that sometimes the best code he has written may have not solved anything but something simple would have generated an awesome amount of revenue. As an engineer if you are not able to satisfy the demands of the business and not helping them succeed it is time for you to look for another job.Youtube in my humble opinion had its flaws but it was a big hit because it got there first. I have learnt that the youtube model is a classic evolution model where the focus was one step at a time. I have experience first hand people trying to build a 5 series when a Camry was the order of the day. There is no contesting the fact that everybody wants a 5 series but I think the business can do well with a fully functional Camry to begin with than a flawed 5 series. The ” I will build everything in one shot” will only mean that the business will have to be in catch up mode all the time than making progress. I think this simple concept is so vital that it can cripple a business if it is not followed.

I am currently in India on vacation. It has been a good break from my hectic work life. I was worried about my daughter but she is having a wonderful time with my parents. The roads are still dusty and life is still chaotic in my home town but I am not complaining. I wish things will change fast for the better. There is enough money these days to set things right it just requires some positive intent and hard work.

I keep hearing about “aggressive driving” a lot and I wish people would stop fooling themselves with this very dangerous word. I have heard it back in the US as well; New York drivers are apparently aggressive so they are more equipped to drive in NY. There is always this notion that folks driving in New York or LA somehow gain this aggressive attitude towards driving . I guess they have not driven in Chennai or Bangalore to even remotely understand the word “bad traffic or aggressive driving”. I think it comes with practice and experience and since I have driven in Bangalore a lot I am not a total stranger to the mayhem one can experience on Indian roads. I guess the folks in Chennai and Bangalore will die laughing if I were to tell them about how bad the New York traffic and drivers are. I think it is more of experience than anything else if you are used to people honking and cutting you off or come too close it is not going to bother you that much so I would attribute the tolerance of the sub-continent drivers to experience than capability.

Well in my dictionary there are good drivers and bad drivers. Aggressive driving is more of giving it back and as far as I am concerned when my family is in my 55,000$ car I don’t mind waiting a few extra minutes.

According to wikipedia
“Aggressive driving is a form of automobile operation in which an operator will deliberately behave with contempt towards other drivers and drive in such a manner as to increase the risk of an automobile accident.
Unlike drunk driving, aggressive driving is not usually the result of a drug or chemical, but rather the personality of the person operating the automobile. An aggressive driver may adopt a “King of the Road” attitude and become offended when other drivers engage in such activities as passing or “cutting off” the driver. The aggressive driver will then take the actions of the other driver personally, and seek to retaliate. This normally leads to unsafe driving acts such as reckless speeding or attempting to run someone off a highway.

Aggressive driving can also lead to much more serious crimes, such as manslaughter or murder. An aggressive driver may drive so recklessly as to injure or kill another driver or, in extreme cases, will “hunt another driver down” and then deliberately attempt to harm the person. This is often known as “road rage”.
Aggressive driving may, in rare cases, be caused by mental illness. Persons with mental diseases, who are driving, may become confused about where they are and who the drivers around them are. This could lead to fear, panic or other emotions causing the person to start driving aggressively.”

I did not have to read wikipedia to learn. There was a time when I used to drive at extreme speeds and compete with every vehicle on the road and in all honesty I enjoyed that. I was in Banglare and I was going back on the airport road to my house when a car went past me and nearly pushed me off the road. My aggressive instinct kicked in and I was furious. I did not think and slammed on the accelerator and within minutes I was near the other car. There was 5 minutes of racing and the other driver would not give up either. Finally in a very dangerous move I managed to push the other car off the road. I did not let him get back on the road and we were still going at high speeds. I was on top of the world till I watched the car windows come down and to my horror there was a whole family in the car. The driver was drunk and his wife was in the car along with two kids. His wife apparently realized I was retaliating and with folded hands she pointed to the kids in the back and that the driver was drunk. I had never felt smaller in my life. I slammed on the brakes and let the other car pass by. I took a pledge that I was never going to repeat that mistake ever again in my life. I could have potentially involved a whole family into an accident even if it were to be minor just to prove a point. My sister-in-law jen knew I used to be very hot tempered in the car and even asked me once when I was all calm and quiet when I was driving back with her in the US. I did not tell her the whole story but simply that I have a family and I don’t want any trouble. I still drive a little fast when I can but I really try hard not to anger anyone in the road and most importantly not retaliate (also known as being aggressive). I am not a saint and I still have a reasonably bad temper and react badly when provoked but I control it at least when I am in the car as I know that an angry driver can easily become a killer.

An aggressive driver is as mindless as an assassin with a gun except that the tools are different. So the next time you hit the road be safe and not aggressive. A bad driver will only behave worse when provoked so stay away from people who act like clowns on the road . If someone calls me an aggressive driver I would be offended.

http://www.anandhansubbiah.com/downloads/Ria2-web.wmv

A horde of grisly evidence recently turned up in European stores, including a coat stitched together from 40 German shepherd puppies and a rug made from four golden retrievers. As shocking as this is, it shouldn’t be surprising. In addition to causing miserable lives and sadistic deaths for millions of fur-bearing animals, the fashion industry has a deadly secret. The secret is where fur comes from, and it’s not what most people think. Many of the fur items hanging in stores today are made from domestic dogs and cats.

Please help me end this unthinkable practice by making a secure online donation today. Mislabeled as Asian jackal, raccoon, or even rabbit, millions of dogs and cats are being killed for their fur—including some who are still wearing the collars that their loving guardians chose for them. This is the dirty secret of the Chinese fur industry and the international fur trade that supports it—one that we discovered in a daring undercover investigation. Our investigators went into an animal market in Southern China and found that cats and dogs were languishing—with 20 cats crammed into a tiny cage. Some had been on the road for days—transported without any food or water. There were dead and dying cats and dogs everywhere, some with open wounds. These are the animals who end up as fur collars on coats or as lining for winter boots or gloves. Their fur is sold to unsuspecting consumers in some of the best-known American and European stores. We must make this stop. We need to keep the pressure on the Chinese government as well as the fashion retailers who provide a market for dog and cat fur until they finally reject this abominable industry. Working together, I know that we can stop this cruel practice and save millions of animals each year. We’ve already convinced many top retailers and designers to take the fur-free pledge, and with dozens more taking initial steps toward compassion, I have seen how effective our campaigns can be. Now we need to address one of the most unimaginably cruel industries.

Please make as generous a tax-deductible donation as you can so we never have to witness the likes of that animal market ever again.

Original Source : PETA

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2300038.ece.

This is good news . I still don’t understand why such a rich , popular and successful guy would indulge in such a cruel act.  But this sends a loud and clear message that humans are such a rare species in this world capable of causing destruction when it is absolutely not required.

http://www.anandhansubbiah.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1738 

Undhan desathin kural
tholaithoorathil atho
seviyil vilatha
sontha veedu unnai vaa enru alaikirathu tamila
antha naadkalai ninai
avai neenkuma unai
nilal pol varatha
ayal naadu unthan veedalla viduthiyeda tamilavaanam engum paranthaalum
paravai ennum than kootil
ulagum engum valnthaalum
tamilan ennum thaai naatil
santharpangal valnthalum[?]
angu selva maram kaithaalum[?]
pull manakum kooval unthan seviyil vilatha

Undhan desathin kural
tholaithoorathil atho
seviyil vilatha
sontha veedu unnai vaa enru alaikirathu tamila

gangai unai alaikirathu
yamunai unai alaikirathu
imayam unai alaikirathu
pala samayum unnai alaikirathu
kannamoochi aatam alaika
chinna pattam poochi kootam alaika
thennam thoppu thuravukal unnai alaika
katty kaatha uravukal alaika
nee thaan thinna nila soru naan alaika

Undhan desathin kural
tholaithoorathil atho
seviyil vilatha
sontha veedu unnai vaa enru alaikirathu tamila

pal pola ulla vennilavu
paarthal siru karai irukum
malar pol ulla thai moliyil
maaratha sila vali irukum
kanneer thudaika vendum unthan kaikal
athil serlika vendum unthan maikal
intha desam uyarattum unnaleh
makkal kootam varattum un pinnaleh
anbu thaiyin madi unnai alaikuthey tamila

Undhan desathin kural
tholaithoorathil atho
seviyil vilatha
sontha veedu unnai vaa enru alaikirathu tamila

When someone feels incapable and insecure they look and reach out to God for help. You constantly see and hear people pleading to god for help when they feel insecure and incapable in a certain situation. This feeling of helplessness manifests itself into a Personal God. They believe in this personal god because they need it and they want to believe in it. This insecurity makes them create this god that looks over them. Something is not true simply because you believe in it or simply because you want it to be true.A classic case of ” you heard what you wanted to hear when nothing was said” ! .

Everyday disasters take place killing many people. Floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, hunger and disease affect people everyday. Did these people deserve the pain and misery that claimed their lives? The 911 destruction and the Tsunami to name a few . What about Darfur? Why did God not help these people? Weren’t these people crying out to their personal god just as you do? So if their personal god was not willing to help them, what makes you so sure yours will help you? Yet it seems that none of that bothers the supporters of this god. They say that God can do “whatever he wishes” and no one is to question him and his authority.It is surprising that while so many people admit that there is something unjust in the structure of this world they accept all that injustice under the pretext that God must know what he is doing and we are not to even think of questioning him.The funniest thing ever is the fact that he  is subject to emotions like us. As his messengers have assured us, he becomes pleased with us or would be displeased with us depending on what we do. He can become angry, mad or loving and tender, depending on our behaviors. That is an awesome power given to us, the decedents of a bunch of African apes, to control the mood of the almighty God, the author of this unimaginably vast universe. That raises the all important question who is the BOSS ? In hindu mythical stories the Gods actually freak out if you don’t pay them attention. The Christian God does not fare well either . From what I have read it looks like he sends insects in hundreds when things don’t go his way .

There are 40,000 children who die every day because of malnutrition and diseases associated with poverty. What test they have to give? To prove what?  The other lame excuse is that God is patient? Is that a virtue? Can any loving God sit patiently letting small children be blown up by terrorist bombs, killed in earthquakes and other disasters or simply withered by prolonged hunger? What does this “all knowing” and “compassionate” god want to prove? Why he is so oblivious of the cries of the wronged ones in this world?

No war criminal has done more harm to people than God. Is he less compassionate than humans? Why he does not come to the rescue when his children need him? If God knows the future, his knowledge of the future makes it impossible for us or him to act differently and therefore our prayers and supplications are of no use. What has to happen and is in the knowledge of God will happen anyway, whether you pray or not. Then why pray for the peace? Why pray for the deceased? Why pray for blessing, bounty, protection, forgiveness or wisdom? Isn’t praying a total waste of time? Prayers affect only the one who believes in them. 

The mind of a human being can control his/her destiny more than a GOD can.

Well,  if a deer gets cornered by a lion it won’t pray to God but it will run for its life.When things go wrong use your brain to plan the next course of action and please don’t sit in one corner and pray.

I think the Indian music industry is the best in Asia even though most people might disagree . I am confident in making this statement simply due to the variety and abundant talent and lately there has been a world wide appeal to Indian music , Thanks primarily to Rehman . For all the movie fans who watched the “Inside Man” the title song in the beginning of the movie is a very famous Hindi hit composed by A.R Rehman for the Mani rathnam movie “Dil Se” starring the King Khan and Manisha Koirala. Rehman has also worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber for the Broadway show “Bombay dreams”.Time magazine recognized the music for Roja , the first major album by Rehman by rating it one of the top ten soundtracks ever to be released.

However there is a big problem which I strongly believe can derail the originality of Indian Music. Most South Indian music fans will remember Deva for his ability to rip music from anywhere in the world and customize it to suit the local audience. Anu Malik is the Hindi music director who made it big just by his sheer ability to copy western songs. Lately this disturbing trend has grown to mammoth proportions with most music directors copying music in the name of inspiration when it is simply Plagiarism

Pritam one of the famous music directors from North India has managed to enter into the hall of fame for copycats with his ability to copy music from all over the globe without making any distinction between genre , race , country etc. Simply visit the Wikipedia link and search for Pritam and you can see that they have dedicated a special page for Plagiarism

Yuvan Shankar Raja the hot music director from south India is not far behind. It is frustrating to read this article in Behindwoods as it is very obvious that this son of one of India’s talented Music director has literally ripped music from other albums and made the singers sing in Tamil. Itr gets worse when you find out that he even ripped BGM’s from his father . The song manmadhane is a lift from the BGM of Siva and his more famous Theme song from 7 G Rainbow colony is a direct rip off his fathers BGM from the movie Johnny. I personally like Yuvan a lot but when he has shamelessly copied music without making a refrence to the original in the CD’s you can only conclude the only genuine artist in India is Rehman. There are some references to some of his songs in behindwoods but if you listen carefully it is very obvious that Rehman is the only director who can genuinely use the term “inspiration”. Harris Jeyaraj another popular music director is also guilty but definitely not as bad as Yuvan.

The main problem in India is the lack of copyright protection. There is no law to protect an artist or prevent someone from copying music and releasing it in thier name. Amr Diab , the awesome Arab music star can easily sue Pritam for a million dollars or even more as almost 90% of his hit songs are carbon copies of Amr Diab’s albums.

One thing we can do from a moral standpoint is not to recognize these artists who commit plagiarism . They should never ever nominate anyone who has copied songs for awards. In Europe and the United States people do release various versions of the same song but they make sure that they refrence the original version in the records and the original artists even get compensated. This sort of model helps people to innovate than trying to copy songs.

Hopefully the Indian government can amend the law to prevent copyright violation and also penalize artists proven guilty of Plagiarism

Cruel acts toward animals have long been recognized as indicators of a dangerous psychopathy that often claims more than animal victims. “Murderers … very often start out by killing and torturing animals as kids,” according to Robert K. Ressler, who developed profiles of serial killers for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).(1) Studies have now convinced sociologists, lawmakers, law enforcement officials, and the courts that acts of cruelty to animals deserve our attention. They can be the first sign of a violent pathology that includes human victims.

 Cruelty to Animals: The First of Many Crimes? Acts of cruelty to animals are not mere indications of a minor personality flaw in the abuser; they are symptomatic of a deep mental disturbance. Research in psychology and criminology shows that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals don’t stop there—many of them move on to their fellow humans.

Studies have shown that violent and aggressive criminals are more likely to have abused animals as children than criminals considered non-aggressive.

A survey of psychiatric patients who had repeatedly tortured dogs and cats found that all of them had high levels of aggression toward people as well.According to a New South Wales newspaper, a police study in Australia revealed that “100 percent of sexual homicide offenders examined had a history of animal cruelty.” To researchers, a fascination with cruelty to animals is a red flag in the lives of serial killers and rapists; according to the FBI’s Ressler, “These are the kids who never learned it’s wrong to poke out a puppy’s eyes.”Examples That Make the Headlines: Notorious Killers History is replete with serial killers whose violent tendencies were first directed at animals. Albert DeSalvo, the “Boston Strangler,” who killed 13 women, trapped dogs and cats and shot arrows at them through boxes in his youth. Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer had impaled frogs, cats, and dogs’ heads on sticks. Dennis Rader, the so-called “BTK” killer, who terrorized people in Kansas, wrote in a chronological account of his childhood that he hanged a dog and a cat. During the trial of convicted sniper Lee Boyd Malvo, a psychology professor testified that the teenager, who killed 10 people with a rifle, had “pelted—and probably killed—numerous cats with marbles from a slingshot when he was about 14.”The deadly violence that has shattered schools in recent years has, in most cases, begun with cruelty to animals. High-school killers such as 15-year-old Kip Kinkel in Springfield, Oregon, and Luke Woodham, 16, in Pearl, Mississippi, tortured animals before starting their shooting sprees.Columbine High School students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who shot and killed 12 classmates before turning their guns on themselves, spoke of mutilating animals to their classmates.“There is a common theme to all of the shootings of recent years,” says Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz, director of the Child Study Center at New York University. “You have a child who has symptoms of aggression toward his peers, an interest in fire, cruelty to animals, social isolation, and many warning signs that the school has ignored.”

Sadly, many of these criminals’ childhood violence went unexamined—until it was directed at humans. ‘The Link’ Next Door: Cruelty to Animals and Family Violence Because abusers target the powerless, crimes against animals, spouses, children, and the elderly often go hand in hand. Children who abuse animals may be repeating a lesson learned at home; like their parents, they are reacting to anger or frustration with violence. Their violence is directed at the only individual in the family more vulnerable than themselves: an animal.

Parents who neglect or abuse an animal frequently subject their own children to similar hardships.  The Boston Police Department partners with the New England Animal Control/Humane Task Force to detect and respond to domestic violence associated with cruelty investigations. The New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women works with animal control to identify signs of domestic violence. Additionally, children should be taught to care for and respect animals in their own right. After an extensive study of the links between animal abuse and human abuse, two experts concluded, “The evolution of a more gentle and benign relationship in human society might be enhanced by our promotion of a more positive and nurturing ethic between children and animals.”

 What You Can Do

• Urge your local school, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and judges to take cruelty to animals seriously. Those charged with protecting our communities and animals must send a strong message that violence against any feeling creature—human or nonhuman—is unacceptable.
• Be aware of signs of neglect or abuse in children and animals and immediately report suspected crimes to authorities.
• Take children seriously if they report that animals are being neglected or mistreated.

Some children won’t talk about their own suffering but will talk about an animal’s.  Don’t ignore even minor acts of cruelty to animals by children. Talk to the child and the child’s parents. If necessary, call a social worker.

Original Source : PETA