British Aristocrats have their News paper ironed by their servants before they touch them. The ironing will dry out the ink and thus won't stick to their hands. That sound Aristrocratic, but really, the News print ink can be toxic and it is toxic. When we read the papers the ink stick to our skin and it can easily be carried over into our blood through our food. The most vulnerable is the eye. Going the stomach route may get rid of some parasites, pathogens and to an extent toxins since our stomach takes care of them through its acidic nature. But eyes. When we touch something and rub our eyes the transfer is so easy, especially for bacteria and virus.
I dont read newspapers that often now. I guess you aren't too. But if and when you read make sure that you wash your hands after that. If you are eating, it is good to not read newspaper if you are planning to use your hand for say, spreading the bread or eating fruits. Be aware of rubbing your eyes too.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Peloton, Maillot Jaune, Lactic Acid..
Biking or Cycling for EU, India. That too road biking has never appeared exciting or even worth to pause when shifting between channels. Now I am a ardent fan of Tour de France to the point that I was crazily telling my room mate that I am going to be the first Indian in Tour de France and was starting a blog that will track my journey to Tour de France. Well, lets say it stayed a crazy idea.
All this started 7 or 8 years ago, when I bought the book 'It's Not about the Bike..' by Lance Armstrong. I knew at that time that he was a cancer survivor and he is riding bike in some road racing. When I finished the book I had a pretty good idea on what goes in to be a champion road racer. I decided to absorb and follow through and through Tour de France to understand the difficulty of it so that I can relate to what Armstrong has written. I promised myself to keep at it to follow up the re-telecast every evening after I come from office. I was ready for a boring, never ending, dragging cycle race where there is nothing but a group of 200 odd men ride the bike and thats about it. Well, I was wrong. As I started watching I got entangled in the dynamics of the race.
Most of the riders form a group called Peloton or the main group. This is the group that holds the major players. The dynamics are so master minded. Who rides in the front, who takes the wind, which team accelertaes, which team purposefully decelerates, when you have to make the peloton thin, when thick, when you have to ride like an arrow, when you have to ride like a 'V' and so many more. Believe me, the dynamics are so well managed that there is always something going on which you will not see when you just look a mass of men cycling down.
The teams are organized like honey bees, the team's purpose is to make the Queen win, they have worker bees, hunters, suppliers, teammates who just die to pull you like a sling shot to win. Peloton of Tour de France is THE best organized Group of any kind that has 180 odd men driving at an average 35 mile an hour. Even the most organized platoons of developed armies have a common goal. They are comrades. Peloton each team is competing amongst themselves but yet it moves like a single united mass. They chase down the escapees together, give respect and each riders focus is so sharp that they ride with the front and back wheels within an inch gap. Just search in google for Peloton and you will see what I mean.
In this Peloton I watched the Maillot Jaune or Yellow Jersey, the one the overall leader of the race wears, on Lance Armstrong for 5 times. Followed him from the start to finish. The way he attacks when he is attacked. The strategies, his poker face, his game plan, his teammates pulling him through. I have watched him pumping up the Alps, pierennes, swiss mountains like a mountain lion. His fights with Ullrich, Ivan Baso, Alexander Vinokorav they all stay in my mind afresh. This man won the most gruelling race in the planet 7 times. Respect. He is my Hero.
Armstrong has been tormented by controversies that sorrounds all the real winners of the world. Drug tests did not prove anything. Accusations did not hold. Each and every test that he was made to face on the sides of the road made him more and more stronger on the road. Discovery channel made a program on him. Science of Lance Armstrong. There are defenitely some differences between him and the other racers such as his lungs pump more oxygen than normal, his lactic acid - the acid that secretes in our muscles and causes the brain to interpret pain - secretion is below normal. Despite all this, if you see the Tour de France like how I do, you will appreciate the enormity of it and how this man from Austin after surviving cancer, loosing one of his testicles, surgery in the brain, part of lungs removed can do all this.
It is amazing to even think that he could put himself through this for 7 times. But he is the one who made me watch Tour de France and understand the intricacies of it, appreciate it and made me a fan of it. Like the loss of legends do to any sport - Schumacher's departure, Sachin's impending departure, Kim Yuna's eventual departure - his retirement has made a huge void in Tour de France. Though it is rude to expect anymore from him, I was hoping to see his face from the motor cycle's camera with eyes as steel, undeterred by the crowd falling on him, focused like a hungry lion, pedalling up and down and up and down like a piston, .... just one more time. Just one more time.
My first reaction on his retirement announcement was Anger. I felt like I am deprived of the sheer joy of watching him one more time. I am deprived of the wonderful unique story that he tells every time. Then I calmed down and became sad and later made peace.
Lance Armstrong - You are my Hero. There will never ever be any Warrior like you, ever be any Human like you. You have inspired people, helped people, built lives and foremost, You have showed people that Life is Meaningful!! Thank you sir.
All this started 7 or 8 years ago, when I bought the book 'It's Not about the Bike..' by Lance Armstrong. I knew at that time that he was a cancer survivor and he is riding bike in some road racing. When I finished the book I had a pretty good idea on what goes in to be a champion road racer. I decided to absorb and follow through and through Tour de France to understand the difficulty of it so that I can relate to what Armstrong has written. I promised myself to keep at it to follow up the re-telecast every evening after I come from office. I was ready for a boring, never ending, dragging cycle race where there is nothing but a group of 200 odd men ride the bike and thats about it. Well, I was wrong. As I started watching I got entangled in the dynamics of the race.
Most of the riders form a group called Peloton or the main group. This is the group that holds the major players. The dynamics are so master minded. Who rides in the front, who takes the wind, which team accelertaes, which team purposefully decelerates, when you have to make the peloton thin, when thick, when you have to ride like an arrow, when you have to ride like a 'V' and so many more. Believe me, the dynamics are so well managed that there is always something going on which you will not see when you just look a mass of men cycling down.
The teams are organized like honey bees, the team's purpose is to make the Queen win, they have worker bees, hunters, suppliers, teammates who just die to pull you like a sling shot to win. Peloton of Tour de France is THE best organized Group of any kind that has 180 odd men driving at an average 35 mile an hour. Even the most organized platoons of developed armies have a common goal. They are comrades. Peloton each team is competing amongst themselves but yet it moves like a single united mass. They chase down the escapees together, give respect and each riders focus is so sharp that they ride with the front and back wheels within an inch gap. Just search in google for Peloton and you will see what I mean.
In this Peloton I watched the Maillot Jaune or Yellow Jersey, the one the overall leader of the race wears, on Lance Armstrong for 5 times. Followed him from the start to finish. The way he attacks when he is attacked. The strategies, his poker face, his game plan, his teammates pulling him through. I have watched him pumping up the Alps, pierennes, swiss mountains like a mountain lion. His fights with Ullrich, Ivan Baso, Alexander Vinokorav they all stay in my mind afresh. This man won the most gruelling race in the planet 7 times. Respect. He is my Hero.
Armstrong has been tormented by controversies that sorrounds all the real winners of the world. Drug tests did not prove anything. Accusations did not hold. Each and every test that he was made to face on the sides of the road made him more and more stronger on the road. Discovery channel made a program on him. Science of Lance Armstrong. There are defenitely some differences between him and the other racers such as his lungs pump more oxygen than normal, his lactic acid - the acid that secretes in our muscles and causes the brain to interpret pain - secretion is below normal. Despite all this, if you see the Tour de France like how I do, you will appreciate the enormity of it and how this man from Austin after surviving cancer, loosing one of his testicles, surgery in the brain, part of lungs removed can do all this.
It is amazing to even think that he could put himself through this for 7 times. But he is the one who made me watch Tour de France and understand the intricacies of it, appreciate it and made me a fan of it. Like the loss of legends do to any sport - Schumacher's departure, Sachin's impending departure, Kim Yuna's eventual departure - his retirement has made a huge void in Tour de France. Though it is rude to expect anymore from him, I was hoping to see his face from the motor cycle's camera with eyes as steel, undeterred by the crowd falling on him, focused like a hungry lion, pedalling up and down and up and down like a piston, .... just one more time. Just one more time.
My first reaction on his retirement announcement was Anger. I felt like I am deprived of the sheer joy of watching him one more time. I am deprived of the wonderful unique story that he tells every time. Then I calmed down and became sad and later made peace.
Lance Armstrong - You are my Hero. There will never ever be any Warrior like you, ever be any Human like you. You have inspired people, helped people, built lives and foremost, You have showed people that Life is Meaningful!! Thank you sir.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Think about it.
When you wake up in the morning, which side you get up from bed?
Think about it. Is it always the same side?
Think about it. Is it always the same side?
Monday, February 7, 2011
The Brain That changes itself.
Author: Norman Doidge, M.D.
Publication: Penguin
Plasticity. This has been a controversial word when used to describe the characteristic of Brain. We have always seen or rather made to see the development of Brain as something that starts and ends before adoloscent age. Even there is a Tamil saying that translates to 'Whatever you learn in Cradle will come till your death'. That is all true and proven. We learn things during our childhood years when the Brain is fresh and open like a clean slate. That is how we easily learn new languages, learn to play new musical instruments and lot many things that shape us up. The common notion is that at a certain point during our adoloscent age all these stop. Our Brain gets molded and everything gets solidified. There is no big learning or change occuring in the Brain from that moment onwards. This is the reason we are forced to learn in schools, play sports etc.. and the whole education system is build around this belief. Basically, the brain will loose its ability to shape up after certain age.
This book contradicts all those common beliefs by saying the most vulgar word for neurologists - Brain is Plastic. That is, Brain is ever flexible, adaptable and changeable. The subject is so controversial that whoever tends to be persuasive in this field are medical rebels. Norman Doidge in this book gives us lot of real life stories that supports that Brain is plastic and it is upto us to make it bend. He starts with a classic case of a lady whose brain has lost its ability to interpret the ear canal's balancing mechanism. All our balance is dependent on the fluid mechanism inside our inner ears. It is similar to a mason's balance apparatus. When we lean the fluid shifts and all the sensory nerves deduct the movement and send the message to the brain on which direction and at what rate the movement is. If we lean forward, thus it sends the message to the brain and the brain sends a message to the legs to move forward. That is how we save ourselves from falling down. Well, by saving ourselves by falling down, we basically walk. This all happens involuntarily.
For this lady, that power is lost. So, if she gets up and tries to walk, there is no message sent to the legs and she just misses her center of gravity and falls down. All traditional neurologists diagnosed and told her that the portion of the brain that controls this activity is damaged and she cannot do anything about it. Then she went to the Plastic Rebels. They treated her by a device that mimics the ear canals activity and sends a message to her tongue. The device is nothing but a accelerometer that changes the orientation of the images vertical or horizontal, on the screens of ipads and iphones or any other smartphones. The device that she wores on her head sends a small tickling electric pulse to her tongue baded on how she moves. She learnt how to use this electric impulse in her tongue to interpret movement. Simply, if left of the tongue gets the impulse then her head is moving left, back means back etc.. Amazingly she was able to open her eyes and slowly stand and walk a few steps with the help of the device. What astonished anyone is that, she had a residual effect, meaning, even after she removed the device, she was able to still have that impact for a couple of minutes. She was able to stand and walk without the device. This residual effect increased proportionately. If she wore the device for 10 minutes, then the residual effect lasted 20 minutes etc.. She kept on wearing it for hours and the residual effect lasted days. And finally one day, she stopped wearing the device completely and she became a normal lady who was once given up by everyone and destined to waste her life in bed is now able to do walk on her own and even dance.
Still more astonishing is the story of a Blind man who was able to see. He had no issues with his eyes. Retina and other were really good. The issue was with his Brain that interprets the signals. Again the traditional neurologists ruled out recovery citing that the brain has lost its control. Again came the rebels. They created another device that is nothing but a highly sensitive camera. The camera was connected to a device that occupied the blind persons back. If the camera sees light, it tickled him. If the camera sees darkness there was no tickle. So light tickle, dark no tickle based on the entire profile of the object. With the alternate tickle and lack of tickle in his back, the blind person was able to vaguely read the profile of the object in front of him. With more research and advancement of the device, he was able to read the profile more and more clearer to a point that he was able to identify what that object is in front of him. This is all with the use of the camera and the device.
So what makes these work? In both the cases there were no issues with the organs. The issue was with the Brain that losts control of that particular functionality. How this is possible then? How a Blind person can read when that particular portion of the brain is totally damaged? The author's father had a stroke and the portion of the brain that controls his movement got totally damaged. The author with the help of the plastic rebels taught his father's brain to learn walking completely afresh. That is they made the 60+ year old man to learn how to walk starting from crawling, trying to stand up using support and eventually walking like a baby. The answer is simple as the author says, Brain Is Plastic. It can adapt and change itself in unbelievable ways. All we need is a training and the belief that Brain can change itself. This will change each and everyone of our perceptions and we can discover new things that we have not known that we can - our brain can - do.
More impressive stories and explanations are given in the book that will open a whole new world of opportunities in front of us. This is not the usual medical book that will fly past our head. This book is written simple enough and easy enough for us to read and understand the complex world of neurons. Do read when you get a chance. It should be available in libraries. Cost of the book (estimated) 16 USD // 600 INR.
Publication: Penguin
Plasticity. This has been a controversial word when used to describe the characteristic of Brain. We have always seen or rather made to see the development of Brain as something that starts and ends before adoloscent age. Even there is a Tamil saying that translates to 'Whatever you learn in Cradle will come till your death'. That is all true and proven. We learn things during our childhood years when the Brain is fresh and open like a clean slate. That is how we easily learn new languages, learn to play new musical instruments and lot many things that shape us up. The common notion is that at a certain point during our adoloscent age all these stop. Our Brain gets molded and everything gets solidified. There is no big learning or change occuring in the Brain from that moment onwards. This is the reason we are forced to learn in schools, play sports etc.. and the whole education system is build around this belief. Basically, the brain will loose its ability to shape up after certain age.
This book contradicts all those common beliefs by saying the most vulgar word for neurologists - Brain is Plastic. That is, Brain is ever flexible, adaptable and changeable. The subject is so controversial that whoever tends to be persuasive in this field are medical rebels. Norman Doidge in this book gives us lot of real life stories that supports that Brain is plastic and it is upto us to make it bend. He starts with a classic case of a lady whose brain has lost its ability to interpret the ear canal's balancing mechanism. All our balance is dependent on the fluid mechanism inside our inner ears. It is similar to a mason's balance apparatus. When we lean the fluid shifts and all the sensory nerves deduct the movement and send the message to the brain on which direction and at what rate the movement is. If we lean forward, thus it sends the message to the brain and the brain sends a message to the legs to move forward. That is how we save ourselves from falling down. Well, by saving ourselves by falling down, we basically walk. This all happens involuntarily.
For this lady, that power is lost. So, if she gets up and tries to walk, there is no message sent to the legs and she just misses her center of gravity and falls down. All traditional neurologists diagnosed and told her that the portion of the brain that controls this activity is damaged and she cannot do anything about it. Then she went to the Plastic Rebels. They treated her by a device that mimics the ear canals activity and sends a message to her tongue. The device is nothing but a accelerometer that changes the orientation of the images vertical or horizontal, on the screens of ipads and iphones or any other smartphones. The device that she wores on her head sends a small tickling electric pulse to her tongue baded on how she moves. She learnt how to use this electric impulse in her tongue to interpret movement. Simply, if left of the tongue gets the impulse then her head is moving left, back means back etc.. Amazingly she was able to open her eyes and slowly stand and walk a few steps with the help of the device. What astonished anyone is that, she had a residual effect, meaning, even after she removed the device, she was able to still have that impact for a couple of minutes. She was able to stand and walk without the device. This residual effect increased proportionately. If she wore the device for 10 minutes, then the residual effect lasted 20 minutes etc.. She kept on wearing it for hours and the residual effect lasted days. And finally one day, she stopped wearing the device completely and she became a normal lady who was once given up by everyone and destined to waste her life in bed is now able to do walk on her own and even dance.
Still more astonishing is the story of a Blind man who was able to see. He had no issues with his eyes. Retina and other were really good. The issue was with his Brain that interprets the signals. Again the traditional neurologists ruled out recovery citing that the brain has lost its control. Again came the rebels. They created another device that is nothing but a highly sensitive camera. The camera was connected to a device that occupied the blind persons back. If the camera sees light, it tickled him. If the camera sees darkness there was no tickle. So light tickle, dark no tickle based on the entire profile of the object. With the alternate tickle and lack of tickle in his back, the blind person was able to vaguely read the profile of the object in front of him. With more research and advancement of the device, he was able to read the profile more and more clearer to a point that he was able to identify what that object is in front of him. This is all with the use of the camera and the device.
So what makes these work? In both the cases there were no issues with the organs. The issue was with the Brain that losts control of that particular functionality. How this is possible then? How a Blind person can read when that particular portion of the brain is totally damaged? The author's father had a stroke and the portion of the brain that controls his movement got totally damaged. The author with the help of the plastic rebels taught his father's brain to learn walking completely afresh. That is they made the 60+ year old man to learn how to walk starting from crawling, trying to stand up using support and eventually walking like a baby. The answer is simple as the author says, Brain Is Plastic. It can adapt and change itself in unbelievable ways. All we need is a training and the belief that Brain can change itself. This will change each and everyone of our perceptions and we can discover new things that we have not known that we can - our brain can - do.
More impressive stories and explanations are given in the book that will open a whole new world of opportunities in front of us. This is not the usual medical book that will fly past our head. This book is written simple enough and easy enough for us to read and understand the complex world of neurons. Do read when you get a chance. It should be available in libraries. Cost of the book (estimated) 16 USD // 600 INR.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Business Strategy?
This occured to us sometime back when my teammate was trying to book his ticket to home, Pune. Below is the 'from' part of the round way trip. This itinerary is taken from Expedia on a Lufthansa flight - though operated actually by Privatair with Lufthansa livery on the plane.
Pune, India. Depart: 5:35 AM ; Tbilisi, Georgia. Arrive: 9:35 AM.
Tbilisi, Georgia. Depart: 10:05 AM; Frankfurt, Germay. Arrive: Doesn't matter.
When the 8 hour trip between Europe and India are made non-stop, why an International flight stops only for 30 minutes in Georgia. I am no expert in ATF - Jet Fuel prices across countries, but this can be a Business Strategy. If that is true, then the plane just goes to the airport taking a short detour to fill up gas which is cheap in Georgia and continues. Just like how we fill up gas in another state where it is cheap if we are passing by. Our savings are negligible. But here the savings must be around half a million each year for this one flight. Impressed how airlines think about saving money and the Business strategy. On a separate note, Tbilisi, Georgia - I wondered is it even safe to fly there because of the pre-judice I had. Found out there are scheduled flights out of New Delhi to Tbilisi.
Pune, India. Depart: 5:35 AM ; Tbilisi, Georgia. Arrive: 9:35 AM.
Tbilisi, Georgia. Depart: 10:05 AM; Frankfurt, Germay. Arrive: Doesn't matter.
When the 8 hour trip between Europe and India are made non-stop, why an International flight stops only for 30 minutes in Georgia. I am no expert in ATF - Jet Fuel prices across countries, but this can be a Business Strategy. If that is true, then the plane just goes to the airport taking a short detour to fill up gas which is cheap in Georgia and continues. Just like how we fill up gas in another state where it is cheap if we are passing by. Our savings are negligible. But here the savings must be around half a million each year for this one flight. Impressed how airlines think about saving money and the Business strategy. On a separate note, Tbilisi, Georgia - I wondered is it even safe to fly there because of the pre-judice I had. Found out there are scheduled flights out of New Delhi to Tbilisi.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Kulai Speaker
I had a blog named Esthappan Unknown, after Arundathi Roy's character in God of Small things. I stopped blogging long back. I love to write, to tell stories, to share, to discuss. But could not put myself up to restart blogging. Then I was talking to my friend the other day. He said an interesting story. When I was blogging a few years back, he referred by blog to one of his friends. His friend followed by blog and get himself into blogging. He had a follower blogger. They became friends, met and eventually got married. Though it is a long shot, I was smiling when I heard this story. By an infinitesmall chance, I triggered their relationship. Well, that is not the complete reason for me restarting the blog, but defenitely it proved to be a catalyst. So, here I am doing one of the things I love. I did not start the blog as Esthappan Unknown though I still have it. I wanted a new name. Then 'Kulai Speaker' occured to me. What is Kulai Speaker? The picture tells it. Yes, it is a loud speaker and in Tamil Kulai means 'tube'. Since it resembles a tube we call it kulai speaker or tube speaker. Whoever has visited Tamil Nadu during the months of January can never miss these. For that matter anytime during a festival or a Election campaign. These speakers will be up in every lamp post, tree and keep pounding the ears with music, songs, speeches and what not... In the place where my home is, the local festival coincides everytime with my Final Exams. And these will be up and my memories are locked doors, fan at full speed, hands to ears and trying to study. But do they care, the kulai speakers. No. Here I am, taking their job and going to keep broadcasting or shouting what I want to say, have to say, wish to say. I guess that suits the title. Here we Go!!
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