Modern Technology Vs Traditional: Learning from Japan

The topic is wide and in next 500 words I can not cover the positives and negatives of Modern vs. Traditional ways of engineering. The idea of writing this blog came from my continuous follow up with the Japan’s recent 9 Richter scale tremor followed by the dangerous Tsunami claiming thousand of life in the country, and the failure and explosion in the modern engineering Nuclear Reactors.

Nuclear Reactors are established in Japan to generate energy, Electric Energy. Japan was one of the pioneers in setting up these reactors and using them with high efficiency. Nuclear reactors are actually one of the modern ways for generating electricity, and the older is Coal Plants which is still in use. The cost of setting up a Nuclear Reactor over Coal Plants is way high, at the same time it demands high quality in process and people.

After the melt-down of couple of Nuclear Reactor resulting leakage of radiation in Japan a huge outcry is noticed around the world especially in the developed country to shutdown their Nuclear Reactors of the good of people. These outbreaks are the result of the emotional decision making of the people. Electricity is very important in our day to day life and if the most modern way of engineering is refused by the world we have the option of going back to Coal Plants and Energy from the other fossil fuels. One more alternate ways will be to develop the renewable source of energy like Wind Mills, Solar Energy and Water Energy (Dams) but cost implication is again huge and with many limitation. We can not overlook these natural sources of energy however we are still under development phase, and it’s very difficult to adopt these ways of energy generation as the supply of the capital equipments for renewable power generation is very less. I know about the supply as I am closely working with one of my client who is the biggest exporter of Solar Panels from India, and ask me how we are managing their supply chain. Costs of these panels are very high so they keep controlling the cost at supply chain, and demand is huge causing the restless work environment inside the office and factory.

So, I am going to consider Coal Plant (Traditional) vs Nuclear Reactor (Modern). The point is can we go back to Coal Energy because of the people’s outcry over the world? And my answer will be logically “NO”.

Nuclear power is one of the most efficient way to generate the energy vis-a-via Coal Power. Despite of high capital and operational cost, per unit cost of the energy remain very less in Nuclear Power. I agree that we have seen few instances where Nuclear reactors has put the life of people in danger, however if we see the long term effect of Nuclear energy on people, it is much safer then Coal or compared to any other fossil fuel energy. Burning of coal emits many GHG (Green House Gases) contributing hugely to the global-warming resulting many catastrophic issues. Also procuring Coal is a dangerous process with thousands of people’s life in stake, also mining cost, transportation cost, manpower cost, environment implication and many more. Though the similar process is also used to procure Uranium (mining, conversion, enrichment to the correct uranium, and transportation) however the final cost-benefit analysis rates Nuclear Power generation way ahead than Coal Power.

It’s pretty understood that Nuclear Reactors come with many perils but we have to consider all those risk areas, and ensure that we have every solution ready if any such incident happens. If we take the example to Japan, Japan is a seismic zone and they were pretty much ready to handle any earthquake related problem, however they were not much prepared for tsunami danger.

This is big learning for the world, they should learn from what has happened in Japan. Japan one of the most technology driven country with all the process followed with almost 100% compliance, if that can happen with them it can happen anywhere. We just have to be prepared.

For all the developing countries energy is the biggest challenge, India and China is already looking Nuclear power as one of the ways to keep their momentum up and running. We should take many learning from Japan Nuclear Reactor meltdown, and ensure that we handle the upcoming perils very sensitively.

And as the Picture shows, Pound for pound Uranium provided 16000 time more Electricity than Coal !!! (Source: http://newenergyandfuel.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Uranium-vs-Carbon-Poster.jpg)

Shivendra Singh

Mar 22, 2011

Friends !!!

Friends !

How beautiful is the feeling of being friendly with someone. It’s like chatting, laughing, teasing and off-course pulling legs. Beautiful is this relationship too.

Imagine a world without Friends!!!

Now friends doesn’t just mean people who are nowhere related to us, like the people we met in school, college, during our visits to different places or in office and became friendly. We have many people who are related to us from our birth, and who we call “relatives”, some of them are friendlier with us than the others. They though are in first place relative, but we share friendship with them too. We are friendly with them and they are our friends too.

Friendship comes from anybody, and it doesn’t ask for religion, cast, race, country, time zones, sex or age, and I would call it the real bonding between too people based on their interest, likeness and future plans.

When we friend with somebody we generally give great value of our friend’s priorities, we spend time for them, we get happiness when they are happy and feel bad when they are sad. We generally share honesty, we empathize and sympathies each other, and trust a lot.

One day when we grow old and look back to our lives, we will see our best moments are the moments spent with friends. We will remember them, treasure them and we will cherish them always.

Shivendra Singh
Mar 13, 2011

Brain Malfunctioning !

Ideas, Thoughts and Creativity !!!

...and I am missing all these lately, actually from last couple of months. I remember there was a time when every moment used to give me some or other point to ponder and express my views, but now I am completely into something which is not allowing my brain to think out of the box, or think about anything which is not directly related to me.

I am not even able to think what's that ??? and why am I behaving so differently.

I lost touch with blogging after my accident, and that's it from that day onwards I am so laidback for everything. Though the accident has taught me many things but yeh I can figure out it has slightly changed the way I was trying to live my life.

My atleast one blog per month is a very well-to-do target however I am not even able to achieve that.

Completely Wild !!!

Shivendra Singh

No blog long time

...this is this the blog where I hardly write anything about me but more about my ideas and views, however this time I just want to have me in the blog... reason... nothing specific.

19 Apr. 2010 day when I started my Swingers Dance work shop with Salsa first, never thought I will be joining second workshop even but I did. Yesterday was our performance and believe me it was just rocking. All seriousness put for dance in last 30 classes melted down in a fun and frolic environment. Truly enjoyed the evening yesterday... made friends and hope they will remain friend for at least quite sometime. Facebook is definitely playing a great in finding, and keeping in touch with people.

Now, time to get back to some serious work as some important trainings and obviously Audit is approaching. Being the Quality rep of the branch is not allowing me to leave office early everyday.

and what.... that's it...!!!

Shivendra Singh
31 May 2010

A Fish in a Fish Bowl

I am lonely, I have no one to play, I have no friends, I have no relatives, I am alone... I am just one fish in a fish tank with nothing but water all around me, where I can't even enjoy swimming. I sleep with open eyes, between people's voice, I move up, I move down, I move round, I move somehow, I can't do anything else I am a Fish in the fish bowl. - The little Fish of the little Fish-Bowl.

I keep seeing this fish lonely in a small spherical fish-bowl on the next of my desk in my office. I often go there, and try to be 'that fish' for sometime. I just try to notice what the fish is doing all alone all the time. What is this fish's life, how does she manage to keep herself alive, I better have killed myself if ever kept in such an asylum. What keeps her going, what keeps her living, what keeps making her energetic all the time ?

This fish is my mystery... why can't we live without people if a fish can do? May be, because we are a social animal, We like to make friends, like to chat, like to play, like to laugh, like to empathize and like to enjoy...!!!

We can't be like that Gold Fish, who is serving a life sentence in that fish-bowl.

Shivendra Singh
16 Apr. 2010

Leader Vs. Leading Follower

Risk benefit analysis always tell us what is the benefit that we are going to get after taking some risk. "Be a leader" is the most common quote we are listening from many companies these day… creativity and being innovative is one of the best way to survive in today highly competitive environment, but how about the risk-benefit analysis of being creative and innovative - HIGH RISK, HIGH BENEFIT and HIGH Value, but at the same time you never know when your creativity will get obsolete for the world.

I have the great regards for the companies and the people who live the motto of being leader in creativity and innovation, but at the same time if I get a chance, I will surely not choose for it as I am not a risk taking individual. I would rather go for something called "being leader in adapting the innovations creatively", and if luck favors across my establishment (some day). Now what does the Risk-Benefit Analysis says for "being leader in adapting the innovations creatively"... Yes, definitely Less Risk and High Benefit and More Values. So my preference is different, but more important to know is how can one be leader in adopting the innovations creatively. If you are leader in adopting innovations, it means you got to really work on the positive and negative aspects of the innovations, need to judge the future viability and prospect of the innovations, and surely have to consider the scope of development in the innovations.

Blindly following an innovation is like digging a grave, and that too not just for yourself but even for the people who are closely associated with you in the venture for which innovations are adopted. So being a leading follower also takes high stakes, but I will still prefer it over "Being a Leader".

Shivendra Singh
30 Mar. 2010

What this blog is about ?

The two primary reason why I am writing this blog is, I have written just one blog this month and Second, I got a good stuff to write.

In pursuit of a great reading I keep going to one or other book stores in Chennai, One of my favorite hang out destination is Landmark, especially the one that is near to Gemini Flyover, but this time it didn't excite me, and I moved to Oxford book store in Nungambakkam, which is on Haddows Road. BTW this blog is not about my quest for book or knowledge it's all about something else...!!!

I bought "Go Kiss the World" by Subroto Bagchi expecting some great learning from the book for the young professionals of India, again this blog is not about this book. I had taken a "Chennai Traditional filter Coffee" at CHA bar which is there in the Oxford book store, which was quite savoring and devouring, but this blog is not even for that. I bought the book, settled the bill and picked up the Paper Bag given by the Store-Guy which contains the book I just purchased, and unexpectedly this blog is all about that "Paper Bag".

"Paper Bag, that's great", these are the exact words that came out from my mouth the moment I saw that paper bag and grabbed with my fingers. This is the latest trend or practice by many grand retailers in India. This is not the first instance where I was holding a paper bag , I did it many times in past but now I was more able to understand the importance of these kind drives from the organized retails across the globe. One more great things about "this" paper bag was that it was fully made by the newspaper and not from the recycled papers... and that's why the pic is been uploaded. There was a small slip at the bottom of the bag reading "This is a product of Mentally Challenged Persons... 'ANANDALOK...', Welfare center for the mentally handicapped"

Now there are two things that come in mind, 1. Employment of the Mentally Challenged People and 2. Eco Friendly drive. Well the former can not be neglected, but the question is; Is it actually eco friendly to use paper bag... after all we are using paper and that means we are cutting trees indirectly. The answer is yes, Paper bags are generally made up of recycled paper which encourage recycling of paper, which a good thing. In India recycling of paper is still not happening at great level, and not much importance is been given by the civilians. Once the recycling industry will grow to an organized level it will bring-in more and more visibility to the positive aspect of paper recycling and a positive drive from the people.

Second great thing is "Avoid using Plastic", using paper bag can limit the usage of plastic bag up to a great extent. Plastics are not good for environment as it is non-degradable and recycling of plastic is not very eco-friendly, burning of polythene emits lots of pollutants. So avoiding the usage of plastic can be taken care well if it can be replaced by a eco-friendly substitute and that at present is "used paper".

There is one more advantage of using paper bags for corporates, I learned from some of the training conducted at my office that "Trust" is a product of "Competencies" and "Character". Today every company is competent enough in providing a great product and rendering a superb service to their clients, but how can they over do the marketing and build a better character. Simple, build a positive image or character of the firm in the mind of their customers, and how can they do that, by doing better things for the society. Using a paper bag is something that will give positive impression on the customers, the way it did for me, surely it would have worked for many.

Corporate play an important role in spreading awareness about the good things in the society. It eventually helps the society to improve and to be better. I love some of the great initiative taken by Tata Tea, Idea, Aircel etc.

Anyway, as I stated earlier in this blog that this is only about "the Paper Bag" and nothing else, so I don't want to drift to anything else. Let's stop it here... and encourage using recycled paper bags for better Environment, better Earth and better Future.

I will again buy few books from "Oxford Book Stores" before I will finally say goodbye to Chennai.

Shivendra Singh
28 Feb 2010

Eco Eco Eco

Eco Eco Eco...!!! Every where you see people are talking about Eco. Some people take it very seriously and some just show "Chalta hai" attitude, and keep doing what they were doing.

I always had some or other doubts about this eco-system or eco-logical balance, and these doubts I often found mushrooming a lot of sceptical ideas on our actions and reactions about the eco-related development happening across the globe. There are many volatile themes continue to strike my brain, stays there for some time, and then dissappear, and it has become a very normal pattern these days.

Of late I attended some trainings on GHG (Green House Gases) and Eco related subjects in the organization, and even outside, all trainings with the same theme of reducing the carbon footprint. Now how can we reduce carbon emission where now carbon is almost considered as the by-product of the energy. We want more energy but reduced carbon discharge... pretty tough to answer, or may be very easy to answer but rather tough to implement.

Why it is so tough to setup a new rule to reduce carbon footprint ?, May be because we are no longer following the Nature's theory of evolution. Now I am definetely now talking about the exact theory of evolution but yes something related to that. The reson is simple human being has development so many thing that he has the power to challenge the enviornment, and survive at most unmanageable circumstances anywhere in the world, but don't forget it's not because of the evolution inside the human body but outside. Today our life is completely in the hand of the technologies and latest innovations. We will die the very next day, it's been taken from us.

I remember when first time ALL OUT launched it mosquito killing machine where there was no smoke and odour. It was so effective leaving no mosquito unkilled. We see mosquitos feeling drugged, and falling on the floor, it became the choice of every household in short span of time, as if they have got the "bramastra" to get rid of these small, fying skeeters. It worked for a couple of years very well but gradually mosquitos evolved and developed the partial resistance for it. They evolved... they built up new bearing power in their body to fight with their enemy's weapon. But in our case, we are not evolving but we rather change the enviorment around us and make ourselves comfortable. If we are actually evolving from anywhere then it's from brain, we are developing sharper and sharper brain, every century we have better brains taking birth who keep working on old brains theories and methodlogy to develop stuffs that can make us more comfortable and reduce our workload. And that's the world we are living in. In this world it's quite difficult to reduce the usage of carbon footprint unless our sharper brains won't turn their attention towards this eco-crisis we are heading towards and start working on better solution to use the natural and recyclable energies like, wind, sunlight and water. Unless we stop using the fossil fuel for generating energy we can not cut down the emission of GHG upto a great extent, which is the need of the hour and era.

GHG must be controlled, and if GHG emission is not controlled in a big way, we are not much far in destroying this lovely planet called "Earth". I love the below quote which was the part of one of training, I attended and I loved it...!!!

"We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children"

So people, lets save Earth for our children... It's a responsibilty.

Shivendra Singh
20 Feb, 2010

Mean means a lot

Quite a funny world is this, and the people here. We just think about ourselves and for nobody else. We even never think about the earth, the motherland where we have taken birth and enjoying our time. We never think about how we are spoiling it. We, human being are so mean at times as we never give a damn about others.

We critise people, but never see what's the foul smell for under our arms. We spend lavishly on ourselves but never think about the donation of petty cash for the needful ones. We are so mean, we are human being.

We fall in love and spend time for love running back and forth of our lover, but never give that much time to our family, even parents. Aren't we love with them ? We love them because if we won't look like loving our parents the society will hate us. We are again mean, we are human being.

We love the company we work with, the establishment that provides us living income, we love it and never like to hear anything against it but when we won'r perform, and when shown the exit door we start hating it. Nothing great, we are again mean.

We just think about us, we just think about what I have, what I am, what I need, what I love, what I eat, what I use, what I wear.

We are mean, and why can't we...!!!
Being mean means a lot... atleast you are thinking about yourself.

Shivendra Singh
Jan 13, 2010

The Ethical Drive - Begins

"Madam, How can I get sleeper ticket from Korba to Bilaspur. I already have a confirmed berth from Bilaspur to Chennai in Korba Trivandrum express". I was in front of the railway ticket counter of Korba Railway station. I booked my ticket from Bilaspur to Chennai but because of 'Alternator Fan Belt' problem with my vehicle, we had to drop the idea of catching the train from Bilaspur and diverted the Bolero to Korba. Now I was standing infront of the ticket-counter to buy the ticket from Korba to Bilaspur and asking the lady my doubt who was sitting happily on the other side of the broken window.

Listening to my question the counter lady looked at me, obviously with a dumb stare, and asked me to check with the next counter. I jumped to the next counter which was 'Informations and Inquiries', one gentleman was sitting there doing something which I wasn't able to anyway understand. I asked the same question, and he asked me to buy general ticket from the previous counter and then come to him. He told me he will change the ticket to sleeper couch. Next minute I was again at the old counter to buy general ticket from the same lady. I reached back to gentleman's counter and showed him the ticket with a pride, but what was that pride for even I didn't know. He looked at me as if he is going to deal with a moron ass, and finally he spoke after 10 second of silence, which he also took to come near to counter window. ''See the charge is Rs. 80 and I will make this for you however you can still save money'' said the gentleman. I did know how but didn't ask him still his face was expressing "how to", which he immediately said without a breath interval, ''Sit at your couch and when the TT will come, give him maximum Rupees Fifty, they will not charge more than fifty'.

This guy who is getting salary from Railways is suggesting the some good practices to the passengers who are ready to pay the right charges. These practices are not just seen here in Korba but across the country, only degree keeps changing... Wah mera India. Waise the offer was quite luring. Though the difference was just Rs. 30 however it forced me to give a second thought before going for a legal ticket. I thought for a moment and evaluated the cost of ethics which was a petty amount, this was a great oppurtuntiy to start my ethics drive which I was actually trying to start from a long time. This time the cost to start the drive was mere Rupees Thirty... Not a bad deal, right? I looked at the gentleman again and asked him to make the legal ticket for me, he gazed back with a surprising and stunned look, and frowned as if he wanted to hear once again what I said, I repeated, 'make me the ticket with Rupees Eighty', to which he replied "Are you sure ???" that too with a smile which was definitely a sarcastic one. He turned back and quoted the the antique example to his colleagues with a goose like grin pointing at me with his eyes. Everybody across the glass window started staring at me like some unwanted creature has just escaped from any zoo and landed right in-front of the railway ticket counter. I snapped the ticket from the gentleman's hand the moment he came back, dropped the exact sum of money with a lightening speed, and hurried towards the platform to board my train which was yet to arrive at Korba Station.

While waiting at the railway station to board my train, I was just thinking about the level of corruption we have in our country, and how deep are it's roots. It starts from the very bottom of the pyramid... it start from us...!!!

Shivendra Singh
Wrote it on Jan 02, 2010
Posting it on Jan 10, 2010