Chinese got this right

Hydrogen cars are great but you also need 'hydrogen' charging stations. I dislike cars because they cause congestion and in places like India (in fact in many cities) traffic is a nightmare.

Mass transit can alleviate traffic congestion. At least all electric vehicles can help reduce the automobile created pollution both gaseous and particulate. Hydrogen is even better as many are thinking of going the 'hydrogen way'. Toyota will be the first to market one in USA in 2015 after their initial success in Japan a year or two ago.

Mirai

http://hodentek.blogspot.com/2014/12/toyotas-hydrogen-powered-car-is-no.html
http://hodentekplus.blogspot.com/2014/12/toyotas-hydrogen-powered-car-coming-
to.html
Since that time they have extended the 'hydrogen' product line to home energy needs.
http://hodentekplus.blogspot.com/2014/12/hydrogen-fuel-cells-powering-cars-and.html

I really believe that addressing mass transit with hydrogen powered vehicles can solve a whole lot of issues.

The Chinese got this right.

Here are some quick facts about the hydrogen powered Chinese tram from an assembly line in Qingdao excerpted from Qingdaonews.com.

• Only hydrogen powered vehicle in the field
• Two years after starting from scratch
• Hydrogen fill up time is like three minutes that gives a run time of 100KM at 70km/hr.
• With existing tram lines once filled can last for 3 round trips
• Reaction temperature in fuel cell is less than 100 deg C and emits only water
• Trams have 60 seats to carry more than 380 passengers

Here is a screen shot from the same source.

 

 

http://www.china.org.cn/business/2015-03/19/content_35110049.htm

The speeds are modest but does it matter if you consider how long it takes to go 3 miles in a car in Mumbai or Bengaluru.
Transitioning from all gas to hybrid was the first step. Going from hybrid to all electric was a great improvement.
http://hodentek.blogspot.com/2014/07/battery-powered-car-is-history.html
Jumping to hydrogen is the best. For countries under development why wait to go through all these steps, invest in hydrogen.

Now it is time for British Museum to return

 

Well done, Mr. Adams for returning our national heritage. Even small returns like this should lift our spirits and feel after all there are god people with noble hearts.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Australian-PM-Tony-Abbott-returns-11th-century-stolen-idols-to-Modi/articleshow/41807643.cms

Don't you think it is time for the British Museum to match this? I have great respect for the sense of fairness among the majority of the people who inhabit the Isles. Are we going to see this happen in our life time?

While we are thinking of returned objects, should we not take care of the existing museums in India and how poorly they are run?

Many years ago (perhaps 10) when I visited the Salar Jung Museum, I saw a middle school group of children being guided by their teachers.  The photo below is from HyderbadCity360.blogspot.com.

Salarjung_Museum

While the teachers were walking and gossiping I saw the children takin pencil or pen and scratching across the walls some of which were actually part of the exhibit. If this is the level of our 'education', should we not let the good British to take care of our heritage? After all we shared a good 250 or more years with them.

You may also want to visit this link here:
http://www.sciencebuzz.org/blog/should_ancient_artifacts_return_home

 

Proctoring was never easy, now it gets easier

Proctoring is a standard procedure to combat cheating at exams. People cheat at exams all the time, from age 5 or 6 to 70 and over all the way upto you know what (cheating death, no body knows how). Cheating at medical exams for services like the railways and other utilities are not unheard of, even at nuclear reactor schools.
Here is a guide to sure way of cheating.
http://wn.com/how_to_do_cheating_in_exams/video-details

This one from Belgium seems to have applied modern technology to catch the culprits. I like this one compared to keeping exam takers several feet away when the neck stretching becomes to strenuous or there is an absensce of a galleried exam hall. Watch the video

http://on.aol.com/video/school-in-belgium-uses-drone-to-curb-test-cheating-518084684
from this site

 

How to help your child pass an exam?

This post is not about how to help, but how not to 'educate' your child.

In the east beyond 66 degrees (approximately Afghanistan) that includes the populous countries like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh including China, Japan and Korea) the competition is really tough. Education equates to getting a paying job or entering a prestigious university despite the quality of education (with education becoming a business) being poor except at some limited institutions. The rush to get a degree or pass an examination is ever greater.

http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2015/03/this_student_got_a_perfect_240.html

If the motivation to cheat at an examination in Japan is to get entrance to a prestigious school or university, the motivation in India ranges from passing an examination to get the ‘food card’ to entering a prestigious university and everything in between.

In this atmosphere trying to pass the examination by hook or crook is all but natural, perhaps a human trait not limited to east of 66 degrees but around the globe

Of course there are thriving illegal businesses and organized crime that are behind these examination related scandals and there is a culture of acceptance, so much so politicians turn a blind eye not mentioning the police force. 

In the Indian context this goes to poetic heights. I was amazed to see this photograph in an article by Jamie Campbell which appeared at this site,

Examscam01
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/hundreds-arrested-following-indian-exam-cheating-scandal-10125509.html

Here is video related to the the scandal.



It is as well that the politician involved in the scandal resigned - if you cannot look after your son, you cannot look after a state.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/150325/nation-current-affairs/article/madhya-pradesh-governor%E2%80%99s-son-accused-multi-crore-exam-scam

Looks like another cleaning job has been lined up for Mr.Modi.

Don't forget to see these Bing images:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=exam%20cheating%20around%20the%20world&FORM=BILH1

A book that all Indians should look forward to reading

British East India Company looted India with blessings of Britain. This fact is well known, but I never knew it was just the efforts of a small company in a dingy corner of London with a handful of employees that ran this looting outfit.

It is indeed very fascinating and every Indian should read this and this book should be translated into Indian languages for those who do not understand English. The story as it unfolds, is even more fascinating as how a commercial entity transformed itself into an entity that subjugated the whole subcontinent (by mere handful employees) for over 250 years. It is also the story that should make us hang our heads in shame even after all these intervening years. It is also the story of our country during those years governed by religious divides, the Hindu Kings and the Mughal (Muslim) Kings/Emperors. Is there a lesson for us going forward?

The life and work of Mahatma Gandhi is even more fascinating as he fought with all that he could muster to wrestle this country from the grips of Britain.

It seems highly justified that what a handful of employees achieved was undid by a single person's indomitable spirit and efforts.

The title of the book indicates that it was the British who ended the Mughal Empire? I do not know, not being an avid student of history as to what extent this is true. What about the efforts of Marattas, the Sikh and the many others who tried their best and shed their blood to oust the British?

William Dalrymple's book "The Anarchy: How a corporation replaced the Mughal Empire, 1756-1803" is not published yet but will be published next year by Bloomsbury and Knoff.