How to make Indian Akaash Kandil

I made (mainly my Dad and me as assistant) Indian Akaash Kandil last deepawali. Unfortunately, I did not click snaps of each step. But fortunately, I have attempted to create this using a 3d software.

Here it goes

Ingredients:
16 sticks of length 1 ft and less diameter - 5 mm - lets call this s1-s16
8 sticks of again 1 ft length and slightly more diameter - 8 mm - call this m1-m8
4 sticks of length 1.5 ft and 10 mm diameter - call this L1-L4.
Around 4 sheets of chart paper of different colours - red, orange, yellow and pink.
glue to stick paper to the sticks
thread to tie the sticks together
lots and lots of patience.

for s, I used an old broom.
for m and L, I used leftover sticks by the carpenter.
for threads, I used coconut fibre strings - (Konkani - sutli, Marathi - sutali)
glue - take some wheat flour heat water and add flour - you get industry quality paper sticking glue. Ask your mother to di this (as I did)

Steps:
1 stick


tie s1-s4


tie an L1 to such a group of four s1s


tie four such units


Join the remaining end to close the loop and also tie the intersection of s with L using the M sticks



tie Ms below too


Hmm, Now you got the structure ready.



If you notice correctly, you will have 4 squares and eight triangles - 4 on the top and 4 below. Cut corresponding sized papers.

Now stick paper to the squares and triangles. I have used a red plastic transparent plastic for some triangles. It was very difficult to stick these plastics as they wont respond to the normal glue.

Also, for each edge, cut a paper into stripes with triangular border and stick it at each edge. Covering each edge gives it a good effect and finishing.


Also, if you saw above, I had tied a string just below and just above the squares. I used these to stick a cylindrical paper stickys (called khotto, plural - khotte in konkani).

Also, you can draw some image like swastik, deepak, cut it and stick it on the square faces.

Now time to stick tail. Cut long stripes of the same paper and stick it. Hanging the structure to a fan would help do this.




This is how it looks when you put a bulb inside



And this is in dark...

You come back where you started from

Humans keep experimenting keep moving away from practice in favor of another supposedly better practice, but keep coming back to the same conclusion...

Instances of this (As I am related to computer world, I will mostly have examples more in my domain)...

1. Pesticides and fertilizers
Started with natural fertilizers. Earlier (at least in India) cow dung, earthworms and decomposed leaves were used as fertilizers. Neem was used as a natural pesticide. Then came the great (supposed) green revolution which - through the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and modified seeds started giving more output. It took a few years to realize that this was making both the soil less fertile, more toxic and also harmful to humans in the long run.
We are returning back to natuaral way with a new name - Organic farming...
The increasing demand for organic food proves this point.

2. Medicines
Started with herbs - Auyrveda, Unani and know by similar names in different countries. Allopathy came in for fast relief. Again it took a long time to realize the side effects. Besides Allopathy ignores the most important medicinal rule - it bombards the liver which is supposed to remove toxins and keep the body clean. The other traditional natuaral medicines consider liver as one of the most imporant organs and important medicines protect the liver first.
The prescription of antacids with normal medicines and the blooming ayurveda industry in the western world supports this.
There was also constant switch in acceptance to practices like should water be put on burn wounds (Long back yes put water on wounds, medivial - no dont put water and now again put water on burn wounds) and also the orientation of cuts made during
delivery operation (horizontal, verticle...).
3. Computer topology
Earlier, we just had dumb clients and a powerful server (more because we could not afford strong processors at home). Later came intelligent PCs which had powerful computing capabilities. The trend stayed for a few years and now we are again going back to the old ways. Keywords like cloud are IN. We are moving back and trying to store everything on the huge server. Entry into cloud by Microsoft and Apple is just the begning of the change. Google chrome OS might be the first to take us back to the age of dumb computers.

3.Computer Database
Started with simple storage in flat files. Some one introduced RDBMS and everything changed. When I got to learn RDBMS, I got to know the importance of null. Come facebook and orkut, we moved to non relational database. Concepts like no downtime and speed started taking precendence over advantages provided by relational database. Time is such that wherever I see a reference about database to be used for cloud, I see a strong argument against use of null.

I am sometimes made to think that money plays an important role in this change. Sometimes, inventors will try to convince and push the change even if it is not a reality. For example BT Brinjal was being pushed in India even though we were surplous in foods only because the inventors have put moer money in this.
Also, not sure if cloud computing is eing pushed to make money.

Whatever be the driving factor, we keep coming back to the same point.

Down the memory lane: puzzle based games

Just recently, few of my team mates was playing riochet kills 2. This took me back to memories of all such games.

All these games had one thing in common - They were puzzle based games based on some phyics law and you had to optimally use the limited resources to complete a level.

1. LTank (laser tank)
Long back when I was new in software industry, working for CMC, one of my friends gave me a game - LTank. The idea is simple: You have maze like structure, you can move around your tank in that maze. You can shoot, the static enemy tankers too shoot if you fall in their visibility range. You additionally have reflectors which can divert the shot. Arrange the reflectors so that you are not shot by enemy but you can shoot at them. You also have objects like bridge which you have to shoot and take it near the waterbody so that you can cross it.
Extremely tough to complete and one wrong move can do a stale mate. If someone knows sokoban, then this is a modified version of sokoban.


If anyone is interested in looking, you can view details at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasertank

2. Prism

Got this one from my friend as soon as I switched to a new company.
This is a completely optical game. You have one or more light sources and a few targets. All the targets must receive light sources. You have straight and angular reflectors so that you can deflect the light. You also have beam splitters and actual prism so that you can split and unite the light.
Gets extremely tough and when we get a prism to use and targets seem impossible.

I could find a working version at http://flashgamesspot.com/play/prism-2-puzzle-games-involving-laser-beams-and-mi/flash-game/



3. Gravity Master

By this time flash has completely killed the dirty .exe file exchanegs by friends and new sites have cropped up containing unlimited number of games to imagine.

Next comes gravitational force and creation of objects. This was my all time favourite and an extremely addictive. Again the principle is the same, you have a ball and you need to make it touch all the targets. You might have impossible looking valeys in between and might have to use somehting like a weight balance to make the ball jump.



This can be played at http://www.gravitymaster.net/

One additional great feature of this game was that you can make your own levels and I remember having made a level which was exrmemly difficult to solve.

4. ricochet kills

A game which does not have too much physics, but refreshed my memories about other puzzle games. You have limited bullets and the bullets are strong enough to reflect and pass through many people. You might be lucky many a times because the bullets sometimes relfect beyond imagination and give you unexpected results.
It is good that the oppnents do not shoot, else it would be a boaring game to pay.
Also, unlike some other boaring games, the level does not get reset to zero on 3 unsuccessful attempts which allows you to retry a level unlimited times.



Can be played at : http://www.addictinggames.com/shooting-games/ricochet-kills-2-game.jsp

Custom level that I created :

2=380=440=2=380=420=2=380=400=2=380=380=2=380=360=2=380=340=2=380=320=2=380=300=2=380=280=2=380=260=2=380=240=1=570=420=2=360=100=4=360=30=2=540=440=2=540=420=2=540=400=2=540=380=2=540=360=2=540=340=2=540=320=2=540=300=2=540=280=2=540=260=2=540=240=2=380=220=2=540=220=5=360=70=1=460=420=2=380=200=2=380=180=2=380=160=2=540=200=2=540=180=2=540=160=2=400=340=2=400=360=2=420=360=2=500=360=2=520=360=2=520=340=2=400=180=2=420=180=2=440=180=2=460=180=2=460=260=2=480=260=2=500=260=2=520=260=2=520=300=2=520=220=2=400=320=2=460=160=2=460=140=2=330=20=2=390=20=2=380=90=2=340=100=2=400=90=2=390=300=2=540=140=2=540=120=

India, Promotions and Cow milk

I stay in Pune, India and my family uses cow milk. I dont get promotions or salary hikes easily.



Reason: As you all know, in India, cow milk contains less fat... and companies in Pune remove all the cream...
Less fat means less cream and less cream means you get less butter.

And in India promotion ya salary hike ke liye makkhan lagaana padta hai. So less butter means no promotions.

So switch to buffalo milk if you want promotions or salary hike ;-)

HP pre-se-quel

[Disclaimer - No permissions obtained from the owner of the actual material. Hope she too would be happy with this.]
[This article is only for friends who know me. If you do not, then please leave this page immediately. Rest, have some patience till the actual story is revealed]

Chapter 1 - Back Ground
Young person, wearing spectacles is staring at a CRT monitor at the corner of his study room. Above the computer monitor lies a book shelf laden with books. Left side of the 'L' shaped book shelf has philosophical books of all the known religions around the world and their interpretations. Ranging from the ancient Greek books, undated Indian books to books on some new emerging religious practices around the world. The lower book shelf filled with books of both approaches - traditional particle physics and the new one on string theory. On the screen is a fundamental particle simulation program - "Threadz". This is an every day scene in Mr. M's drawing room with his Mom calling him for dinner and Mr. M saying "Yes, coming...".
However one day, looking at the simulator Mr. M jumps with Joy - saying - Yes.. Got you ... particle X!.

Chapter 2 - Unknown Attack
Avalon crosses a street and reaches a building which appears to be constructed with stones instead of bricks. It is heavily guarded by plain clothed gunmen. He is about to move his ID card ahead to the automated entry machine at the main door of the building. Suddenly everyone sees a rock falling from top of the building. Instead of moving aside Avalon keeps staring at the rock and only at the last minute moves away. Avalon bursts into sweat, extremely impatient, takes a broken piece of the rock and quickly moves inside.

Avalon checks his office room. He gets a huge key from his drawer. Inserts the key in a door adjoining his room, enters the password, gives his biometric eye print and enters this huge vault. Inside the vault is yet another small locker, this one with even more security. He inserts his finger into a small gap, the biometrics pricks his finger for small skin and blood analysis to ascertain his identity. He opens this locker. There is a huge file with around 800 pages in the locker. Avalon puts the file back, locks everything back and returns to his room. Avalon is sweating even more now, calls a number and talks to a person ".... I need to see you immediately. I can tell you other details when we meet."

Chapter 3 - HP knows his roots.
HP - Hari Putter (name changed to avoid copyright infringement case).
HP enters the office in London. He is quickly got inside by Avalon. "So, Hari! Did doubledore (again name changed) or anyone talk to you about me?".

HP - No. Whats the matter?
Avalon - Welcome. I thought you might be aware of this. I have to start from the beginning now.
Avalon - You might feel that there are great powers in you, but a lot of work and sacrifice has gone behind what you are today.
This is a secret that doubledore, your parents, vodermart (name changed again), Anderson and I knew. Hari - Do you know about the periodic table?
HP - Not much. But whats the matter?

Avalon - (starts the story...)

Chapter 4 - Every big thing start with a bang
Avalon continues...
"Hari - long before you were born, there was a great scientist - we all call him Mr. M. He studied all books, physics by stephan, work of Einstein the Buddhist and the Hindu concepts of origin of universe. He collated results of the CERN alice experiments and started with his own simulations around negative particles.

You might be aware that at the end of our periodic table, we have highly unstable elements. They radiate and have such a short half life that the earlier scientists could never synthesize these.

Mr. M was confident that through his study of unified string theory he could create these elements and make them stable and non-radioactive.

And one fine day he did succeed in simulating his proposed theory. He was able to create an element with atomic number 119. As he had proposed, this element had such a huge nucleus that it came close to the electromagnetic waves and could be controlled by some electromagnetic instrument. He named it element X.

Soon, he manufactured a kilogram of X and he could control the element with waves and he could get the blob to take any shape and color. It was the beginning of magic."

Chapter 5 - Begging of modern magic
HP is just out of a big yawn... Avalon continues...
"So, we formed a group called the "Ministry of Magic". We started manufacturing X and other elements - 120, 121 and controlling them through a magic wand which had electromagnetic waves emitting device.

Now the second step was... we did not want to carry this electromagnetic waves generating wand. We wanted our thought to control this through our mind. We manufactured a small chip that could get easily implanted into one's scalp and it could get the thought of a person to control these special elements. Everyone thought we are magicians, but we were just controlling these elements and making them take any shape and size."

Chapter 6 - HogWords started(name changed again)
Avalon continues...
We desired others too could make use of this, but we did not want the outer world to know that these chips are being manufactured. So we came up with an idea. We started a school of magic - HogWards.

And there was this talking hat. The hat used to act as if it is deciding the group for you. But internally it finds out the best suitable chip from the four available to us. This is decided based on the nature of your body which is determined by ancient method of pulse monitoring. Although the wizards had the chip, but like other aspects of life, humans take time to learn to control their powers, so does this chip. And in these seven years we teach little wizards to control the chip and simultaneously replace their bones and skin with magic matter so that they too can be flexible which makes then true wizards.

You remember the hat was confused for you? It was because you already had two of such chips planted in your body already by your parents.

Chapter 7 - Who were potters and vodermart
Avalon still talking...
Potter - you might know that your parents were great magicians. But what you don't know is that they were great scientists too. Three core students of HogWords - both your parents and Vodermart started with the research to enhance our experience. These chips that we planted were typical electronic chips and sometimes used to go off and the wizard could lose powers temporarily till Ministry of Magic restored the chips. We wanted biological chips which never go off. Your parents got a chip which had all these basic features and did a successful trial on biological rats. These were so much effective that when your mother was pregnant, she had a tablet and these chips got inside you at birth itself. But that was also the limitation of the invention, it could be put only in the womb and not on already born humans. Vodermart was a far thinker, the best scientist we ever had and a nice human then. He was trying more than basic... He created a chip that was injectable in any human, permanent, this biological chip once inserted, used to slowly take over and regenerate a part of one's brain and stay there permanently as your brain. It had seven modules to be fixed in seven parts of your brain all through seven injections.

Chapter 8. Vodermart - a nice human?
HP - Did you say Vodermart was a nice human?
Avalon continues...
Yes Hari, Vodermart was a very nice human. But curiosity always kills the cat. Instead of doing multiple experiments on rats, he being extra curious injected it into himself. That was the beginig of evil. The seven modules first were controlled by his brain, but the biological matter soon took over and they started controlling his brain. The surround lobes in brain which control emotions and desire were effected by this and all his controlled desires soon became uncontrolled.
Finally he had a fight with your parents, and also tried to attack you. But since your chips were extra stable and designed to reflect attack, it backfired and he got destroyed.

Chapter 9. Seven modules
Out of the seven biological modules however, one got destroyed and the other six got dispersed. Vodermart was actually killed when he injected the modules, but now what was alive were these six modules which were looking for a body. Which you and doubledoor finally destroyed...

Chapter 10. Why all this now?
HP: All thats fine, but why did you call me in such a hurry today?
Avalon: Hari, after this unfortunate incidence with Vodermart and your parents, we stopped all the new experiments and we had just four of us who secretly manufacture magic material and propagate this to all parts of world so that magic survives.
Today, when I came to office, a huge stone came to me from the roof. I tried to use all my powers, but was unable to control it. I took a sample and tested it in our lab. It turned out to be some matter that we do not manufacture.
HP: So?
Avalon: Hari, if we did not do this, then it means there is someone parallely run magic lab where this is getting manufacture. And our chips are unable to control this matter. I was that this is Atomic number 190 which only your chip and vodermart's chip can control.

Chapter 11. So, who could it be?
HP: But why are you so concerned? it might be some matter which Vodermart must have manufactured in past.
Avalon: "No Hari. It is not that simple. Vodermart never went beyond 160. When he injected the biological chip inside him and started behaving strangely, he stared troubling his wife. His wife was then expecting. She was not happy with all these experiments and fled away with all his research papers.
Vodermart had already injected there modules in her womb. After a week of the night you had this scar on your forehead, we got a news that Vodermart's wife had a delivery. We tried to locate here but we got to know that she went to some part of south Asia and we have not been able to trace her.

Hari, when the stone was falling it was not falling with any acceleration. It was falling with constant speed, which means it was being controlled by someone.

It means two things to me - first: Vodermart's son is alive and has got access to all his papers and second ... even more concerning...... He is around to control the fall of the stone.
And you are the only other person who can control this matter. So I called you in such a hurry. Although he has only three chips as opposed to the seven vodermart had, but still, he is a little more powerful than you"

Suddenly the wall of the strong room the two are sitting has an explosion and a person comes in flying. The steel and the concrete of the room lies spread around and the the person entering has a loud roaring laughter. So Hari, finally I found you.

Chapter 12. Revenge
HP: "Who are you?"

I am CiderMart - the son of Vodermart. I am here for my revenge. It is you who killed Voder, isnt it?

Cider throws all the mater he has on HP, HP is able to just defend himself by somehow deflecting all the matter. Avalon is helpless, his chips have no effect on this matter.

Hari soon realizes that it is not possible to defeat Cider using magic. He also remembers words from doubledoor - "If you can resolve quarrels quietly, never use magic."

Chapter 13. convincing and peace is better than destructive war
HP: look cider, fight has never resolved issues, it has only aggrevated problems. Look at what we had with World War2. And look at what has happened after the fight between our parents.

Cider: You cannot win and so you are trying to divert me. I am not getting diverted Hari.

Cider has one block of X195, he pushes it with all force. Hari's chip has only X190 control compatibility and cannot control this matter.

HP: Cider, you can never kill me. Voder tried and you know what happened. Even you have the same make chipsets and you too will get destroyed if you try so. I do not want one more war here. I dont want this hatred that we inherit to be succeeded by our children. War has no end. Lets make peace. You are a good human like your father, but the chip inside you are trying to overpower your better human. Dont let these chips control you. You have to control these. It was these chips that we were fighting against and not Vodermart. Vodermart was killed long back when he injected these chips and what remained was the biological viri chips. Try to take control of these, lets try to defeat these chips which killed Vodermart.

Although Cider has three chips, but the chips are not capable enough to take full power of his brain to the extent that Vodermart's seven had. Cider's emotional section of brain gets influenced by Hari's strong words and sends strong fluids which makes the chips a little inactive and Cider's brain has a war between the singals sent by the chips and the brain. Cider's body is confused and he falls unconcious.

Chapter 14: Chapter closed
White light everywhere. Slow beep sound, the frequency of beeps increases and then stabilizes.

Cider slowly opens his eyes to see Hari and Avalon before him. There is a doctor in the room closely observing the beeps produced by Heart monitoring machine.

Avalon: Wehn the potters and Vodermart were busy experimenting with the injectable modules, dubbledoor asked me to develop a medicine that can remove all artificial modules from humans. We have been using this since long to cure people who get tired of magic and want to get rid of their powers and lead a normal life. You might feel a little emotionless sometimes since brain recovery takes it's own time with the stem cell regeneration.

HP: Cider, lets forget all past, lets be friends. Lets forget all the fights our parents had. There is lot of artificial magic in this world. Lets pledge not to experiment any further with this artificial magic. The nature itself is so magical, lets learn from nature, the species it has created is no less than a mega magic...