Sampath's Blog

The Untitled Project

2010-01-04T12:32:00.000+05:30

Ever imagined an amazing tropical paradise instead of a thick and a massive ice sheet of Antarctica, this cannot be a reality for us but would definitely be one for our future generations if we don’t act now and act fast. Global warming is one word that is really keeping everyone on their toes. Setting aside all the critics and skeptics I would say that our generation is a very lucky one. Our generation is lucky enough to have the opportunity to clean the filth left behind by our ancestors and give hope and a fresh lease of life for the future and the upcoming generations. We have a huge responsibility on our shoulders and it is about time we start doing it.

We are all aware of the fact that climate change is a naturally occurring process. If we look back into history, there have five mass extinctions in our planets history. Though it would sound cynical we have to admit that we are heading towards a sixth now as a result of our activities because of which there is tremendous environmental degradation. As mentioned earlier climate change is a naturally occurring but what we humans are doing is expediting the process. Human intervention over the years has made global warming a living reality with profound and long lasting impacts.

Most of us who have watched the latest Hollywood movie ‘Avatar’ would be aware of the fact that the Naavi, the indigenous population of Pandora are connected with nature in mind, body and spirit. We cannot really tell for sure if James Cameron is a spiritually enlightened soul but one thing for sure; he knows the tricks in the book. He showed that the way for sustainable is to get back and stay in touch nature. As a matter of fact it was found that for every truck load of products of lasting value we produce 32 truck loads of waste. So, it is quite clear that in order to develop sustainably we need to redesign design itself.

If we still continue our ways the way we are doing now, it wouldn’t be far off in time when all the oxygen in the atmosphere is used and is replaced by carbon dioxide and all the greenery is replaced by dust and sand. It would hardly take our planet a thousand years (which is like a transition from day to night in geological terms) to replenish all the oxygen back and evolution will work its magic thereby letting all the creatures to adapt themselves to the new set of climatic conditions but what about we humans? We don’t have that much time.

It is important for us to understand that life on Earth is as intricately interconnected as a spider’s web where everything must exist in harmony with the other. It is time we pull up our socks and try to be more responsible. We can set forward an example that though our leaders failed to reach a consensus in Copenhagen, we don’t want to get failed. We can still revive everything and make sure that life on earth will continue and continue in a more harmonious and a compassionate way.

30 Movies that ONE shouldn't Miss

2009-10-20T16:35:00.001+05:30

1) The Godfather
2) The Pianist
3) 3 Iron
4) 13 Tzameti
5) Kaminey
6) Schindler's List
7) The Downfall (Der Untergang)
8) City of God (Cidade de Deus)
9) The Elite Force (Tropa de Elite)
10) Crimson Tide
11) Crimson Gold
12) Black Friday
13) The Bourne Ultimatum
14) Munich
15) Letters from Iwo Jima
16) Saving Private Ryan
17) The Good the Bad and the Ugly
18) Pursuit of Happyness
19) The Lives of Others (Das leben der Anderen)
20) Gandhi
21) The Day After Tomorrow
22) The Battle of Algiers (La Battaglia di Algeri)
23) The Motorcycle Diaries
24) Song of Sparrows
25) WALL .E
26) The Dark Knight
27) Se7en
28) The Bucket List
29) A Wednesday
30) The Age of Stupid

The Big Debate

2009-10-04T18:10:00.002+05:30

Global Warming and Climate Change, is perhaps humankind's biggest threat looming just around the corner trying to ring the alarm bell or rather is ringing and we are failing to notice it. Well time and again, this has been a pot boiler in many international climate summits, the recent one being UN Climate Summit which concluded late last month in New York.

What's the debate about?

The above stated question is one which I came across many a number of times and of late I started wondering the same. Basically it goes this way, most of the economies including ours, today are concerned about one thing, "Economy and consumerism." Consumerism is one religion or cult which encompasses the entire globe without racial or religious bias. It was very interesting for me when I first came to know that an average twenty year old in a country like US is accustomed with more than 20,000 business logos and must have used the products of at least 1/10th of them and I am pretty much sure that the scenario in countries like India and China, the so called developing economies is far from better.

Consumerism gives everyone their fair share?

Well, the answer to this question would be a definite 'no'. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution in late 1800's, the big five of the world have gulped the major chunk of the planet's resources. The remaining tid bits are left for grabs among the developing and undeveloped countries. It would be ironic to know that US which accounts for less than 10% of the world's population accounts for 30% of energy consumption and Europe is not far behind. Till recently most of our political and economical stalwarts all over were of the opinion that when it comes to economy or environment, it is the economy that always deserves a head start. But things lately have started to change, the best example example being the UN Secretary General himself saying and as I quote, "The world's glaciers are now melting faster than human progress to protect them — or us." This was probably one part of the brighter side of the Summit, while the other side being the one those who acknowledged and shared his gloom.

Coming back to the big debate question, when things are put in a sharp and crisp way straight from the gut it comes down to this; The big brothers tell the younger ones, "You guys cannot exploit the natural resources the same way as we used and ruined them. Instead you have to cap your greenhouse emissions putting forward your development at risk while we reap the benefits of our misdeeds and you pay for them."

The above of is a classical example of the English saying, "One man's meat is another man's poison." which is totally unacceptable to economies like China, India, Brazil etc. which have to start to expand their horizons recently. But they like the bolt from the blue set forward postulates by agreeing to cut down their emissions and there by adding up more pressure on 'The Big Brother' to cut down his'. However, it was interesting that President Obama even after quoting John F. Kennedy, "our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man.", couldn't offer the solution or rather a firm resolution that was expected from him and his nation.

With less than 11 weeks remaining for the final round of talks at Copenhagen, Denmark a lot has been in the left in the open irresolute and to debate on. The Big Debate rages on.

Hmmm Let's Think

2009-10-02T17:38:00.002+05:30

Hmmm Let's think, I guess this is one common statement we all make. The reason I'm putting this up today, after a good long six month hiatus, no wonder makes feel "Hmmm let me think".

Hovering around in front of my PC, I have been wondering, what was I doing all these days. Frankly speaking I haven't written anything substantial for over a year now. So, this evening after more than 4 days of consideration and serious thought I would pen down anything that comes to mind and I guess I'm half successful in doing it already. Of late, I have been wondering why is that we all ponder much and still end up nowhere. I mean this question has been lingering in my already confused mind for over a long time, and I'm still clueless regarding what am I really looking for out there.

Let me guess, when was the last time I ever did something for the first time, I guess it was last December when I brought mom a gift for her B'Day. Gosh! Now that's a long time in any book, be it yours or mine. See I guess halfway down this post you might have guessed, "What the hell is this guy writing and what is that he wants to write about?" And frankly speaking I don't blame for thinking about it, because I really I'm really don't know why and what I am writing as of now. But all in all I would still go ahead and will certainly call this a random thought that comes, say randomly random. Try penning it down like the way I did just now [need not exactly be on a blog, you can try a notebook also ;)].

The only point I'm trying to make here is "If your life worth thinking about then its worth writing about."

P.S : The above quote if from the book "Who will cry when you die?" by Robin Sharma, but above written nonsense or sense is entirely mine. But the quote is applicable to each one of us :)

Are We Really Shining?

2009-04-09T18:38:00.001+05:30

My exams just got over this evening. Of course they went well. Anyways coming to the hotboard now, the other day (around a week ago) I was watching some random program on the Discovery Channel. Some story on 'Megacities' was being aired. They were showing about the rapid pace at which cities in Asia and South America were growing. That episode's prime focus was Shanghai, a well known city in the China and a popular business hub in South Asia. It is analogous to our very own Mumbai. The only difference between the two cities, one is in reaping China and other is in red tape India.

Intros aside, the interesting fact is that Shanghai is going to host the World Expo in 2010. "World Expo 2010 Shanghai China is the occasion for China to bring the world at home, and for the world to feel at home in China. By dedicating a 5.28-square-kilometer area at the core of the city to exhibitions, events and forums on the Expo theme, "Better City, Better Life," Shanghai hopes to build a powerful and lasting pilot example of sustainable and harmonious urban living[1].

The rate at which this city is growing is really alarming in the Indian perspective at least. China frankly speaking is growing by leaps and bounds, the pace at which they are growing is such that even the West has started to take notice of it.I hope most of you are aware of the longest Trans-Oceanic Bridge built by the Chinese on the Hangzhou Bay in a record time of less than 5 years. The bridge connects the municipalities of Shanghai and Ningbo in Zhejiang province[2]. The Hangzhou Bay Bridge connects Cixi City, west of Ningbo, to Jiaxing. Whereas previously the trip from Ningbo to Shanghai and southern Jiangsu involved a detour of around 400 km (249 mi), the bridge reduces that distance to 80 km (50 mi), a reduction of 320 km (199 mi)[3]. Now that's staggering.

If that was the Chinese scenario, the Indian scenario is more bleak and pale I would rather say its impalpable. Any idea about the Trans-Harbour bridge in Mumbai. Well if you guys aren't aware of it then it is a 22.5Km long bridge that is supposed to connect South Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Ironically this bridge lingering in shadows for 35years. Phew! Thats too long a time. Finally the contract has been awarded to a private party in 2006. The bridge is presently is construction phase.

The above is a literal example of the sorry state of affairs that take place in this country. And ironically we people still say "India Shining". I'm not talking only about the infrastructure side of the story, the above is only a citation in the long list of unfinished businesses in this country which includes everything from basic needs to urban growth. How well it is shining is a matter of concern. So, next time if you are saying India is Shining, well I would say compare ourselves with countries like China or America and then try to repeat your words.

References:

[1] http://en.expo2010.cn/oe/indexn.htm
[2] Wikipeida
[3] Wikipedia

My new story... The Making

2008-06-21T20:32:00.004+05:30

Guys after a long break I'm back with my new story The Making...from now i'll make it a point to update my blog every week mostly on the weekends....
here's the link for the story and i am also providing the pologue of the story

Prologue
The gunshots sounded like a bomber emptying its belly onto the earth below. Each gunshot pounded his ear again and again since the last twenty years. The sight of seeing loved ones fall dead in front of you is heart rendering. He has witnessed death in its closet possible manner. His mother ran into the house quickly, picked him up with all the energy left in her and pushed him up into the attic. But the glass of the window which the attic faced was not sufficient to hold the bullet, it struck its target, as soon as he got onto the attic his mother fell dead. But amid all the pandemonium he managed to see his mother’s killer’s forearm and a serpent’s tattoo on it and the sniper disappeared the very next moment.

download link :
http://rapidshare.com/files/124029325/The_Making_prin.doc.html

Platform No.7

2007-12-15T19:37:00.000+05:30

Winter, the first thing it reminds us is of cold breeze and snow fall. Rajith was pacing up fast in his walk, dejected, he felt the pain of bearing the whole weight of earth on his young shoulders. Armed with a mechanical engineering degree, he set out to make it big in this world of intriguing gadgets and gizmos. His project was called off due to funds and the storm in his life has bagun. The "cooooooo" of the train's siren was audible from half a kilometre. He began run in order not to miss the penultimate train back home. The last would arrive an hour later, it was already eleven in the night then. Things weren't going his way that day, he missed the ride home.

He was visibly shaken that day following the events that took place earlier in the day, so, missing a train wasn't much of a pain. he bought the ticket and headed over the flyover bridge to Platform No.7, he placed himself on the bench and bowed his head down as if he were the world's biggest loser.

The clock ticked by and every second pained him terribly, he never lost something so far, but at certain times somethings in life happen for the first time. This was his first. The wind beagn to grow thick and fast, it picked up fallen leaves on it way an they began to sway as if they were dancing to its tuning with glee and merry. It was fifteen minutes since his arrival, he was still lost in thoughts, pensive.

The giggle, a smile of opposite gender distracted him from his moody ponder, a welcome distraction. The girl clad in red, was addressing her friend on her way down the flight of stairs that made way to platform below. She was smiling, a smile that had something in it, something that stole Ranjith's immediate attention. All of a sudden, his mood of pensive and thoughtful attitude seemed to be lost for his own good. but there was something wrong about her, something lacked in her but she seemed not to taken nothice of it, she was happy the way she was. Unfortunately nothing in this world was perfect, so was she. She was handicaped. She was a victim of polio, had difficulty in walking. But She was happy, the way she lived her life was something that caught the attention of Rajith.

From the moment she arrived on the platform, he kept his gaze towards with acute interest. Her benevolent manner of addressing things, her independency and over coming the deficiency, made him feel better. Her independency was something that really kept him stick to her. The night was growing cold as the minutes passed by, it was drawing close to midnight, the train was due for arrival any moment.

He picked up his guts, he got up from his bench and started moving towards her direction. He face now revealed a new and more passionable look, with full of life totally in contrast to what was an hour ago. A totally transformed and confident young man. He headed towards her and finally opened his mouth to speak, the first since hours.

He was straight into the topic, "Hello lady", was a nice way to begin and she looked at him in a totally different yet gleeful manner.
"Yes", she said in reply in a voice that touched the inner of the listener.
"You rock. Be happy and keep smiling", he said. Just then the trained broke through the wind and its siren disturbing the silence, all of a sudden everything seemed to be happening.
He turned towards the train and in a final turn backwards he said, "Thanks for teaching me about life".

After those final words he headed to his trains and got resurrected.

We all live life in our own ways... but sometimes it takes someone else to teach us the way to live and love it.... He learnt it from her...Its not something that makes life unworthy of living but it is we who make it...

Live it and Enjoy it coz...Life is Worth Living and Be postive and confident....[:)]

Alternate Fuels

2007-12-14T16:00:00.001+05:30

Introduction
Petrol and Diesel are obtained from the crude oil after a pain sticking extraction process. Petrol and Diesel are generally fossil fuels, these are non-renewable. The main producers are generally called as OPEC nations. However, it has been concluded in a recently conducted survey that the oil wells in the Gulf region would run dry by the year 2016. The present stocks would last till 2050 at the maximum.
The research into alternate fuel sources started way back in the 1980’s. After more than two and a half decades of extensive research and development, today we have fuel sources that can be used as substitutes for conventional fuels. These fuels are easy to manufacture and are easily renewable too.
Their main advantages lie in their ability to enhance engine performance and at the same time curtail the exhaust gases content thus, limiting the NOx and COx emissions. Another added advantage of alternate fuels is the lower sulphur content in the fuel in relative comparison with conventional diesel and petrol. This reduces the wear of the engine components due to acidic action of sulphur and corrosion.

Methanol (CH3OH)
Methanol, also known as wood alcohol, can be used as an alternative fuel in flexible fuel vehicles that run on M85 (a blend of 85% methanol and 15% gasoline). However, it is not commonly used because automakers are no longer supplying methanol-powered vehicles.
Methanol is predominantly produced by steam reforming of natural gas to create a synthesis gas (combination of CO and H2), which is then fed into a reactor vessel in the presence of a catalyst to produce methanol and water vapor. Although a variety of feedstocks other than natural gas can and have been used, today's economics favor natural gas.
Methanol can be used to make methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), an oxygenate which is blended with gasoline to enhance octane and create cleaner burning fuel. MTBE production and use has declined because it has been found to contaminate ground water.
The main benefits of methanol include the following:
I)Lower emissions, higher performance and lower risk of flammability than gasoline.
II)Can be manufactured from a variety of sources such as carbon-based feedstock such as natural gas, coal, and biomass.
III)In addition, methanol can easily be made into hydrogen. In the future this could well be used to produce hydrogen for use in fuel cell electric vehicles.
But the black mark in methanol is the high production of formaldehyde emissions.
Methanol and Ethanol have the same chemical properties.

Natural Gas (incl. CNG and LPG):-
Natural gas is domestically produced and readily available to end-users through the utility infrastructure. It is also clean burning and produces significantly fewer harmful emissions than reformulated gasoline or diesel when used in natural gas vehicles.
Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons—mainly methane (CH4)—and is produced either from gas wells or in conjunction with crude oil production. Natural gas is consumed in the residential, commercial, industrial, and utility markets.
The interest in natural gas as an alternative fuel stems mainly from its clean burning qualities, its domestic resource base, and its commercial availability to end users. Because of the gaseous nature of this fuel, it must be stored onboard a vehicle in either a compressed gaseous state (CNG) or in a liquefied state (LNG) or Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
The main constituent of natural gas is methane, which is a relatively unreactive hydrocarbon. Natural gas as delivered through the pipeline system also contains hydrocarbons such as ethane and propane; and other gases such as nitrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and water vapour.
CNG Characteristics:
Zero Sulphur
Low particulate emissions (NOx)
No evaporative emissions
Less CO2 per GJ of fuel than petrol fuels
High Octane: RON 120-130
Higher Calorific value than gasoline
Commercial expansion
Over 600,000 vehicles worldwide
CNG is most popular in European countries like Italy, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, France, Belarus and Sweden.

LPG Characteristics:
Low Sulphur
Octane: RON 100
Lower emissions than gasoline
Low NOx
2.5 million Cars in Europe run on LPG
Italy, Poland, Netherlands, Czech Republic, and France are the countries where LPG is a popular fuel
Globally: 1% of the vehicles run on LPG, LPG is now a days becoming popular in India also
LPG vehicles reduce harmful pollutants by 80-95% when compared to gasoline.

Note: For equivalent range of distance to be covered, the CNG has an additional fuel volume capacity of nearly 4.3 times than diesel.

P-Series
P-Series fuel is a unique blend of natural gas liquids (pentanes plus), ethanol, and the biomass-derived co-solvent methyltetrahydrofuran (MeTHF). P-Series fuels are clear, colorless, 89-93 octane, liquid blends that are formulated to be used in flexible fuel vehicles (FFV's). P-Series are designed to be used alone or freely mixed with gasoline in any proportion inside the FFV's gas tank. These fuels are not currently being produced in large quantities and are not widely used.

Biodiesel
What is biodiesel?
Biodiesel (fatty acid alkyl esters) is a cleaner burning diesel replacement fuel made from natural, renewable sources such as new and used vegetable oils and animal fats. Just like petroleum diesel, biodiesel operates in compression-ignition engines.
Biodiesel fuel can be made from new or used vegetable oils and animal fats, which are nontoxic, biodegradable, renewable resources. Fats and oils are chemically reacted with an alcohol (methanol is the usual choice) to produce chemical compounds known as fatty acid methyl esters. Biodiesel is the name given to these esters when they're intended for use as fuel. Mostly soya bean is used in its production and glycerol is obtained as a by product.
Biodiesel in Internal Combustion Engines
The cetane number of biodiesel is around 47-49 whereas for ordinary diesel it is around 42-44. Hence, biodiesel has better anti-knocking qualities.
There a numerous number of advantages as well as drawbacks of using Biodiesel as a fuel in IC Engines. Basically speaking of the advantages obtained is as follows:-
Biodiesel has the same vehicular performance as diesel in mild temperature, and actually performs better than diesel in cold temperatures.
Current engines do not require any modifications to use biodiesel as opposed to diesel.

Their environmental benefits include lesser emissions of carbondioxide. In fact neat biodiesel (100% biodiesel) reduces carbon dioxide emissions by more than 75% over petroleum diesel, they are completely renewable.
Helps conserve natural resources: for every unit of energy needed to produce biodiesel, an additional 3.24 units are created.
But using blends of biodiesel would lower the CO2 by only 15% unlike B100 where the emissions are reduced by a staggering 75%.
It has also been detected from various tests that use of biodiesel would advance the injection timing by 4degress of Crank Angle (CA), using pure blends of biodiesel B100 whereas the advance of injection is only 1 CA while using other blends of biodiesel and diesel. Hence, biodiesel results in obtaining higher peak pressures and thus a higher power output. This was concluded after a number tests were conducted on a 4-stroke, single cylinder, air cooled and 4hp diesel engine. Comparisons of injection timing and duration were performed for diesel fuel and a range of biodiesel blends (B20 to B100). The fuel injector on a 4-stroke, single-cylinder, four horsepower, air-cooled, direct injection diesel engine was positioned in a spray chamber while the engine was motored and fuel was delivered to the injector by the fuel pump on the engine. Spray visualization and quantification of injection timing were performed in the spray chamber using an engine videoscope, light attenuation from a He-Ne laser and fuel line pressure, and were synchronized to crank shaft position.
Biodiesel fuels are widely known to yield an increase in NOx emissions in many diesel engines. It has been suggested that the increase in NOx is due to injection timing differences caused by the low compressibility of biodiesel.
For biodiesel the Nett Heat of Combustion is 37.2MJ/kg whereas for diesel it is 42.91MJ/kg.

Ethanol (C2H5OH)
What is Ethanol?
Ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel produced by fermenting and distilling starch crops that have been converted into simple sugars. Feedstock for this fuel includes corn, barley, and wheat. Ethanol can also be produced from "cellulosic biomass" such as trees and grasses and is called bioethanol. Ethanol is most commonly used to increase octane and improve the emissions quality of gasoline.

Ethanol can be blended with gasoline to create E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. This is most common blend of ethanol and also the most effective.
Ethanol is perhaps the most widely used alternate fuel presently in the world.
Properties of Ethanol in comparison with gasoline
Density
(kg/l) Viscosity
(mm2/ s) Calorific Value
(MJ/Kg) Flash Point
( oC) Octane Number
(RON) Equivalence
Petrol or Gasoline 0.76 0.6 42.7 <21 92/91 1
Ethanol 0.79 1.5 26.8 <21 116/129 0.65

From the above data it can be inferred that due to higher RON ethanol has better anti-knocking qualities than regular gasoline. And from the column Equivalence we can see that for 1litre of gasoline one would require only 0.65litres of ethanol.
Mainly ethanol is used in SI engines than CI engines. It is being mainly used as a racing fuel owing to its higher RON, higher power outputs and reduced emissions. It is mainly used as a fuel in racing cars and in countries like Brazil it is being used as a fuel for transportation vehicles. The elaborate reason is as follows:-
HORSEPOWER: Following various tests it has been observed that ethanol has an ability to deliver higher power outputs as the nett energy released per cycle. This is because of the presence of oxygen which results in better combustion of the charge. But ethanol must be used at higher fuel-air ratios because of low energy per unit volume value.
For example, if gasoline is run at its preferred max power air fuel mixture of 12.5/1, it will release approximately 19,000 BTU's of energy, where ethanol run at its preferred power stoichiometric of 6.5/1 will release approximately 24,400 BTU's. By comparison, methanol releases slightly more, about 27,650 BTU's. The more ethanol there is in gasoline, the more powerful it is as a motor fuel. But Methanol is more toxic and corrosive than ethanol.
Typically, one can expect at least 5% more horsepower at the rear wheels of a vehicle running on E-85 than running the vehicle on gasoline alone.
Note: 1 BTU = 1059.67J = 1.059KJ.
INCREASED ENGINE LIFE: Ethanol has a very high MON octane rating, allowing engine builders to run higher compression ratios without fears of destructive detonation. It also has a very high Latent Heat of Vaporization, so the engine is cooled far better than one running on gasoline. This lowers bottom end and oiling system temperatures substantially.
REDUCED EMISSIONS: Although reducing emissions usually will not directly affect the on-track performance of a race car, engine parts like pistons and valves tend to stay cleaner. More importantly, there are serious health concerns with many of the octane boosting additives that must be added to gasoline in order make them more compatible with higher compression engines. Ethanol fumes are also non-toxic.
 BURNING RATE: It is the speed at which a fuel burns and releases its heat energy. At higher RPM's there is less time for fuel to burn, so racing fuels tend to work better if they have a rapid burning rate. If a fuel can be almost completely burned by the time the crankshaft is 20 degrees after TDC (Top Dead Center) on the engine power stroke, peak horsepower and engine efficiency are realized.

Fuel Octane (R+M/2) Octane (MON) Burning Rate (ms @ stoich. mixture) Latent Heat (BTU/gal) Energy Value BTU/Lb Power Stoichio-metric Nett Energy MJ/kg
Pure Ethanol 113 102 .39 396 13,160 6.5/1 3.00
Pure Methanol N/A 103 .43 503 10,260 5/1 3.08
Pump Gasoline 86-93 80-90 .34 150 18,700-19,100 12.5/1 2.92
E-85 103-109 99-100 .38 359 (approx) 14,021 (approx) 7.4/1 2.99
Where,
BTU/gal – British Thermal Units/ Gallon; BTU/lb – British Thermal Units/ Pound
RON: Research Octane Number, MON: Motor Octane Number
Octane Number of fuel = (RON+MON)/2
British Thermal Units are the standard measuring units.
We know that ethanol and methanol have same chemical properties but methanol is not preferred for the following reasons:-
ETHANOL IS LESS CORROSIVE: Ethanol is less corrosive to most fuel delivery system components than methanol. This is due in part to the higher oxygen content of methanol. However, certain materials that may be used as sealers or glue in methanol-compatible fuel cells may not be compatible with ethanol. There are solutions to this problem that are being developed for the IRL (Indy Racing League) series that will be running pure ethanol in the 2007 season.
ETHANOL IS NON-TOXIC: Ethanol is really grain alcohol-the kind present in all alcoholic beverages. In order to be legally transported, it must contain a "denaturing agent" (poison) which is usually ordinary gasoline. By comparison, methanol (wood alcohol) is toxic and is harmful or fatal if swallowed. When blended with gasoline, methanol releases formaldehyde in passenger cars until the catalytic converter warms up. This is the reason why automobile manufacturers do not recommend more than 5% of methanol (by concentration) in their cars. However, all car manufacturers have approved ethanol-enhanced gasoline, up to 85% ethanol content in "Flexible Fuel Vehicles"
Note: Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFV’s) are the vehicles which are designed to run on gasoline or a blend of up to 85% ethanol (E85). Except for a few engine and fuel system modifications, they are identical to gasoline-only models. The manufacturers include the lights of automotive giants like General Motors (GM), Honda and Toyota etc.
No fuel is completely perfect and so is Ethanol, it has the following disadvantages: -
•Invisible flame which can cause safety problems and fires.
•It gives higher unregulated emissions of acetaldehyde and ethane.
•Lower Flash point: Higher explosion risks than gasoline.

First Day First Show

2007-09-02T18:49:00.000+05:30

Guys this my new story. it's about a village duo who go to a city to watch their favorite actor's movie in tis first screening on the silver screen. The story is a work of pure fiction and entirely by me.....

the download link:

http://rapidshare.com/files/52868691/first_day_first_show_final.doc

in order to get the file copy the link and paste in the adress bar....

the story is unedited...and post your comments if you find worthy of a reading...

It seems just YESTERDAY

2007-08-31T05:04:00.000+05:30

I cannot exactly remember the precise date and time nor the place where I saw her for the first time. All I can remember that it was a fine Sunday, we were throwing up a fresher's bash for our juniors the new entrants into the world of Mighty Mechanical Engineers. My profession is something what I'm proud of.

Moving on, the bash got over by early in evening at around 5pm. The Sun started to set down clearing the down the path for the Moon to illuminate the skies of my hometown with its glitter and also creating a gleam over the quiet beach front which is one of the pride possession's of our city.

I was on my vehicle, a gearless though. That was the one I managed to get after a long sessions of convincing my dad and he finally agreed after we reached a compromise. He refused a geared vehicle straight on and finally I was given a gearless surprise. I was driving along the beach road strech. It was then I came across this girl. She was in a full hand T-shirt, stripes of blue (sky and dark) and black running across her shirt. Her hair was let loose and as far as I could remember she was wearing specs but can't be sure. She was walking with one of her friend's. Some way or the other I wanted to speak to her.

I turned around and took a U-turn and parked my vehicle at some distance and started walking behind them. After some while I finally managed to get some courage and said, "Excuse me,"
First her friend turned around but I pointed towards the one in stripes.
She turned around, God I still remember the first glimpse I got of her, her smooth loose hair falling on her shimmering face, her skin tone gleamy with a toxicating complexion. Gosh! The thing keeps popping out in front of eyes even today. hard to forget.
I sincerely asked her whether we could speak for a couple of mins. and she promplty replied in a positive manner saying yes.
I put forward my hand and told my name. She replied that she was 'Pooja' and we had a gentle handshake.
I have a habit of being out spoken, I appreciate certain things in a more open manner. I'm confessing to fact that I never saw anyone of the opposite gender with a carnal and amourous insight and frankly speaking I didn't see her with that lusty insight. My intentions were good, and this is not a self-appraisal or any sort of self-accolade of how good I am.
Following the hand shake I straight way said that she looked good. I found her good-looking and I complimented her on the fact that she looked good. If at all it had to exggarated then I would say that she looked like an angel.

She stared in a bewildered manner and finally after a couple of secs she said, "Thanks".
We started to part with ways and turned back and finally I told her that she reminded me of my ex-girlfriend, who frankly speaking never existed. I accept the fact that the final words were a lie but the first words were straight from the possible deepest corners of my sole heart. I said the final words so as to create some kind of humour but it was in no way an intention of flirting.

This incident took place nearly eight months back but it seems just yesterday.

Climate Change and Global Warming: The Effects so far

2007-08-19T09:38:00.001+05:30

Perhaps one of the most intriguing topics these days is the one of climate change. It is perhaps the only thing other than the AIDS epidemic that is bringing the entire world together. The best example was set forward last week when it became a point in the agenda of the annual G8 summit held in Heiligendamm, Germany.
The climate change is mainly due to increase in the greenhouse gases emissions. Basically these greenhouse emissions are a mixture of gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide and oxides of sulphur. This phenomenon is termed as the greenhouse effect. Though climate change was a subject of concern previously, it has now become a subject of global concern which led to the formation of UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) and IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Following the rapid changes in the environmental conditions in our country the honourable Supreme Court of India made environmental awareness education mandatory upto college level.
What is Greenhouse Effect?
Many of us have come across this term during our school or college levels. Well, the greenhouse effect is basically a natural phenomenon. It’s a known fact that the earth’s surface temperature is maintained by the energy balance of the sun’s rays that strike the earth and the heat that is radiated back by the earth into the outer space. However due to the presence of gases such as carbon dioxide etc., the radiated energy, especially the ones with longer wavelengths such as infra red (IR) rays are trapped or rather absorbed by the greenhouse gases and their exit from the earth’s atmosphere is prevented. They in turn continue to increase the surface temperature. It has been stated that for every 1oC rise in the surface temperature the polar ice caps would melt and increase the sea level by 90cm in that region. It has also been proved that for every 50% increase in co2 levels the surface temperature increases by 3oC.
The levels of greenhouse gases increase due to various natural and anthropogenic activities. But the natural activities do not play a major role, it is actually the anthropogenic activities that constitute the effect mainly.
The burning of fossil fuels such as coal, petrol etc., the irregular felling of trees are the ones that are mainly responsible for the increased activity of greenhouse effect.
Major Players: It is a well known fact that 60% of world’s energy is consumed by the United States and interestingly it also contributes the maximum when it comes to amount of carbon dioxide emissions every year. Of the world total of 27bn tones every year the US accounts for a staggering 5.9bn of them. Next is China which accounts for 4.7bn followed Russia, Japan and India. India accounts for 1.1bn tones every year.
It was proposed at the summit by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was also the host of the summit, to get the fellow leaders of G8 to reduce the global emissions by half by the year 2050. But unfortunately this proposal was met with mild response especially by the US. On June 8th, 2007 in a common statement the G8 plus five other emerging economies said the objectives would be met “in accordance with our common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities". However, no fixed targets on reducing CO2 emissions were announced. Instead leaders agreed to "stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system". And they also reaffirmed their commitment towards the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). But what remains to be seen is will they really stick to the commitment or not?
Perils: Dangerous consequences are looming around us with the growing intensity in the climate change. It is not only the polar ice caps or the ice caps of various mountain ranges but also there is an augmented risk of increase in sea levels, which in turn will cause floods and storms of mammoth dimensions. Various other things such cultural and heritage sites, including both natural and cultural, for example, in north eastern Thailand, floods have damaged the 600 year-old ruins of Sukothai and the ruins of Ayutthaya, which served as the capital from the 14th to the 18th centuries. In a recent report stated by the IPCC, it was mentioned that if the greenhouse emissions are continued at the same rate a wide spread threat looms over southern and eastern Asia. It has also been stated in the report that Sunderbans Delta that houses the royal Bengal Tiger would be completely submerged owing to rising sea levels besides half of Bangladesh. Unseasonal rains, increased summers and severe winters are just some of the perils and the list goes on.
Remedies: Most importantly, the first thing required is to somehow contain the emissions. We’ll be running out of natural resources if we continue to burn fossil fuels at the same rate within a span of half a century. Usage of non-conventional sources of energy such as solar and wind energy etc., should be mooted. Its high time these things are implemented or else we would be inviting our doom sooner than expected as the live and let live policy of nature should never be compromised upon.
It is a well known fact that our economy is a very fragile one, but our environment is far more fragile than our economy.

Orkut's Success Story

2007-08-19T09:38:00.000+05:30

I met a friend of mine after a long gap of three years recently. We had a small chat lasting for a couple of minutes and finally when the moment of parting arrived, he asked me a question what has now become a cliché among the today’s young, “Hey man, you there on Orkut?”
‘Orkut’ - well this is one word that is now taking the country by a sweep.
What is Orkut?
For people who are not well accustomed to internet would find the word ‘social networking’ a bit alien. But those who are accustomed would be aware of the websites of the same kind like Hifi, MySpace etc.., As said ‘Orkut’ is basically a social networking website, where in one can socialise, communicate and make new friends or meet old and long lost friends. This is one place just like any other on the World Wide Web where one gets to post one’s pictures, videos and even blogs for that matter. It allows the user to send messages, create forums or to start discussions on a variety of subjects ranging from science to politics to day to day activities including fan clubs.
Coming into existence: Well the name ‘Orkut’ sounds like a name of a person, if your guess was yes then you are right; ‘Orkut’ is actually a part of the name of one ORKUT BUYUKKOTEN.
The story is a bit exciting. It’s about a guy who lost track of his girlfriend in a train accident. He tries hard to find her but his luck runs out. The guy grew up and become an IT architect in his late 20’s. He hired professionals from all over the world and began the hunt again. After three long years and losing millions of dollars he found his long lost girlfriend. Sounds flimy doesn’t it? But it’s a true incident, an accomplishment only a few lucky ones can achieve. When the time for shutting down the project arrived, Mr. Buyukkoten was approached by Google CEO and the software was taken over by them which we call ‘Orkut’ today.
Google paid a hefty sum to Mr. Buyukkoten and the very year it was launched , it became a huge, instantaneous hit. It earned a whopping profit of approximately 1bn dollars in that very year.
Fact Fantasy:
ORKUT BUYUKKOTEN today has 13 assistants to monitor his scrapbook and 8 to monitor his friends-list. He gets around 20,000 friend-requests a day and about 85,000 scraps.
* He gets $12 from Google when every person registers to this website.
* He also gets $10 when you add somebody as a friend.
* He gets $8 when your friend's friend adds you as a friend.
* He gets $6 if anybody adds you as friend in the resulting chain.
* He gets $5 when you scrap somebody and,
* $4 when somebody scraps you.
* He also gets $200 for each photograph you upload on Orkut.
* He gets $2.5 when you add your friend in the crush-list or in the hot-list.
* He gets $2 when you become somebody's fan.
* He gets $1.5 when somebody else becomes your fan.
* He even gets $1 every time you logout of Orkut.
* He gets $0.5 every time you just change your profile-photograph.
* He also gets $0.5 every time you read your friend's scrap-book and,
* $0.5 every time you view your friend's friend-list.
The Success: The success of Orkut, mainly lies in its flexibility when compared to other sites of a similar genre. It’s a simple design, with better user interface and offers a wide variety of options. It is estimated that it has approximately 58,950,000 members, which in itself tells a wide story. But then again success and controversy go hand-in-hand. And this point has found its place in this website too. There have been cases of misuse of the flexibility offered. Recently, there was an uproar in the state of Maharashtra over the defaming remarks made against a political leader in one of its forums and finally Google had to get down to damage control. Not long though there were cases of morphing of photographs especially of the feminine gender, finally the case was resolved and the culprits found their right place, behind the bars. Well, the controversies surrounding ‘Orkut’ elucidates the concept of misuse of technology and makes it clear how technology in the wrong hands, can prove to be a dangerous thing.
Whatever may be the reason behind ‘Orkut’ coming into existence, the outcome is that it is the in thing among the young now-a-days. It is also estimated that he would be the richest person by the year 2009. One can also find more about ORKUT BUYUKKOTEN on his homepage http://www.stanford.edu/~orkut/.

Reality Shows: Reality Blues

2007-08-05T20:23:00.001+05:30

Reality Show is a genre of television programming which presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and features ordinary people instead of professional actors. Although the genre has existed in some form or another since the early years of television, the term "reality television" is most commonly used to describe programs produced since 2000.
The origin of reality television dates back to late nineteen forties but it was on the radio but in modern sense the first would obviously be the 12-part 1973 PBS series ‘An American Family’, which showed a nuclear family going through a divorce. The same thing was presented in a different form in the UK, which followed the events that underwent in the Wilkins family of Reading in 1974.
The Indian Scenario
"Antakshari “was born on September 3, 1993 and is the oldest running format show in the country with about 600 episodes. More than a million people across the world have auditioned for it. Another success has been Sa Re Ga Ma, which also brought talented singers like Shreya Ghosal to the forefront at a very early age.
Until the late 1990’s and early 2000’s the Indian television which mainly comprised of daily soaps and a few other family dramas, following onset of increase in the viewership of music channels saw the arrival reality shows. Channel [V] took the lead by airing the talent show for their all girl band ‘Viva’. The show was an instant hit, but the band was selected from a set of participants who were auditioned. The final four were selected and trained rigourously and finally the band was out with a bash. The band’s success unfortunately didn’t last too long and now it’s nowhere to be seen. But that did not stop Channel [V], they then came with a show called ‘Super Singer’ which saw the upcoming of a talented singer, Ravindra Upadhay, he too released a private album but he is dormant not visible on the television a since quite a time now.
Set aside Channel [V], switching gears and as we move on, the Sony Entertainment Television which popularly known as Sony TV started off yet another reality show titled Indian Idol in the early 2000’s.The show which boasted well famed jury that consisted the lights of Farah Khan, Sonu Nigam and Anu Malik began with a boom song. It is presently in its third season going on. The first season was the arrival of a well nurtured and talented singer, Abhijeet Sawant who was selected among the others who were equally good. The second season had its share of controversies especially during the closing rounds. The third as said earlier is still on.
Apart from the above mentioned there are a few others, the best of the lot being Kaun Banega Crorepati or KBC as it is popularly known. It too had three seasons like its Sony TV counterpart. The first and the second seasons hosted by the BigB and the third season was hosted by Shah Rukh Khan another popular actor. Among the three the first was a tremendous success and the last did quite well to meet up with the first’s stature and in the end almost accomplished the mission.
Voting Woes: The Controversial Player
The basis for voting is totally different. Each show and each channel have a different set of voting pattern and media partners. The voting is usually telephone based. The system is at times biased on the basis of the network of the private cellular players like Airtel, Hutch etc.
The revenue that’s goes and comes in from these shows usually runs into crores of rupees and mark is dependent of the amount of participation that goes. For example, KBC2 received nearly 10 crore calls and SMS’ for the 65 episodes that were aired. Its partners in this endeavor were BSNL and Airtel. KBC beats its own record of 90 million calls in 2000, which came from 300 episodes.
A caller is charged Rs 2.40 if he called on the BSNL line and Rs 6 if he used Airtel SMS or voice-enabled service. Airtel paid 22 crores for a deal with Star Plus. Of the total 10 crore figures, SMSes accounted for 15 per cent. BSNL contributed about 7.5 crore calls, while Airtel the remaining 2.5 crore. Industry sources also said Airtel has received Rs 15-17 crore via SMS revenue. And it’s a fact that KBC and Indian Idol have made history in terms of people's participation and have been great revenue generators as well. Whereas Sony TV roped in Airtel and Sify.com as its voting and media partners respectively, the partnership was well rewarded with the amount of revenue that it generated.
The format of the show is another vital aspect in fact is the thing of the entire show. Unfortunately Indian shows are usually foreign derived or deduced. For example STAR TV’s Khulja Sim Sim was a remake of America’s, ‘Let's Make A Deal’. Here the viewer could play and participate in the show. Same with the case of Kismey Kitnaa Hain Dum, a remake of famous British hit, Night Fever. It featured a karaoke contest where viewers could sing along. The others included Big Boss remade from Britain’s Big Brother which featured the famous infamous Shilpa Shetty and JadeGoody’s racist remarks row.
It can thus, be inferred that the reality show fever that has gripped the Indian viewership as of now is the in thing of Indian Television and will go on for some while, till our Creative Directors come up with something new and out of the box.

The all time top 10 movies

2007-06-03T21:13:00.000+05:30

1. The Godfather part I
2. The Godfather part II
3. The Pianist
4. Schindler's List
5. City of God
6. The Good The Bad and The Ugly
7. Crimson Tide
8. 12 angry men
9. Munich
10.The Departed

Bad Day

2007-05-22T20:24:00.000+05:30

I really had a bad today...woke late in the morning, had to face dad's wrath for that and then at around noon was caught by the traffic cops for driving without a valid drivers license. Had to come back home running with the keys with the cop and took the money and had to pay him a fine of 300 bucks, received an offence ticket.......really a bad day...

Black Friday: Movie Review

2007-05-18T20:54:00.000+05:30

This is rather a short comment on the movie Black Friday, based on a book (I don't remember the author's name; sorry :() rather a full length review. The movie directed a new age director Anurag Kashyap, recreates the grim past of the serial bomb blasts that took place in the country's financial capital Mumbai, then Bombay.

The movie explores the nexus which had its roots in Bombay and branches spread as far as Dubai. Though it was inevitable for controversy to keep its distance from the movie, it is something of a must watch.
If you're really interested in Off Beat movies, then Black Friday is a must watch for every person who craves for creativity and story in a movie. Not a single song and thankfully no no din-dinchak dances with our very own so called actresses or the female leads showing their skin; thank God, saved.
The movie does explore the darker side of the blasts and very much succeeded in bringing the actual facts and figure out to the public. The characters were real and nothing was fabricated; the research was there and was correct.
Performance by Kay Kay Menon, no words are required an actor of his stature. He literally puts life into the chararcter of the police officier investigating the case. Next comes Pawan Malhotra, man he again requires no words, a powerful and jam packed performance; rightly fits into the boots of Tiger Memon, the brainchild of the entire saga. Then one should not forget the performance of Aditya Srivastava, the man who used to play the role Inspector Abhijeet in CID, also few other critically acclaimed roles; especially the role of Saif's lawyer in Ramu sir's Ek Hasina Thi, with Urmilla in the female lead. He portrayed the character of Badshah Khan, the accused turned approver.

Some of the scenes were quite gruesome (for some audiences; perhaps) especially one in the police station in which the police officer rather inspector makes the accused confess his crime by constantly beating him witha ball peen hammer and finally make him sign the confession sheet and wherein a layer of his fore finger's skin peels off and sticks to the paper as he tries to produce the impression of his thumb. The other being the ill treatment of a woman in the lock up in front of a business who was supposedly the friend of an accused. Then threatening him that if he wouldn't relate details of his friend his wife would meet the same. The next day he is relased on bail, the same night he shoots dead his family and finally himself.
One point where the director gets a huge plus was the reeling of archival video footage at discrete intervals especially at the need of the hour. Especially the airing of the footage of Babri Masjid's demolition (I know it may the sentiments of a particular community, but truth is bitter than fiction) and the archival footage of news coverage of blasts and an interview wrt Dawood's hiding in Pakistan with the then Prime Minister of Pakistan.

The director got his cast and technical crew correctly. The synchronization between various characters especially Kay Kay and Aditya was good, their chemistry during the interrogation of the later by the former in the cell with a dim lit red bulb was damn good and so was the background provided during their conversation (in the cell).
Well if the lows were to be talked about then perhaps the low in the movie was the chase of a particular accused which nearly went around half of Mumbai's slums and dragged on for nearly ten minutes.
All in all it was worth watching; spending hundred bucks and two and a half odd hours in thatre near you is worth it.

Hats off all the characters and the director and last but not the least the writer.
Black Friday I would give it a 4.5 out 5
One rarely gets to watch movie of this standard, so don't miss it. At least borrow a DVD from your nearest video parlour if not in a multiplex.
.....
****1/2 (4.5) on a scale of ***** (5)

Shocking Picture...presenting a grim reality

2007-05-15T12:51:00.000+05:30

I found this picture while browsing through a site whose url i don't remember. The picture itself contains a lot description needless to say anymore regarding it. Taken in the year 1991 but the situation represented in the picture still persists. No more words can do justice.....

Thermodynamics e-Book

2007-05-11T21:57:00.000+05:30

Guys 'N' Gals I'm uploading an e-book of Thermodynamics by CRC press. A good book but the only problem is that it does not cover the application part of the subject.. I mean topics related to gas Turbines and IC Engines etc.
I'm providing the link for download from Rapid Share below...The file is about 16mb and is in pdf format and requires acrobat reader for accessing it...

the link: --
http://rapidshare.com/files/30744192/Crc_Press_-_Advanced_Thermodynamics_Engineering_Ebook-Een.pdf

Green Peace

2007-04-10T22:15:00.000+05:30

Actions you can take now

The latest report of the cliamte control which presented its draft to the IPCC, the governing body for international climate control for the United Nations(UN) has showed the grim realities or the reality bites of the rapid climate change that is undergoing. If not checked at the root stages, this will lead to a disaster of mammoth proportions or in terse words or word rather a "catastrophe". It is about time that as the inmates of the this WORLD, OUR WORLD must unite as one in order to fight for the prevention of this catastrophe before it becomes the inevitable.
But we all should remember one thing ........
THIS WORLD IS OURS.....SAVE IT.....UNDERSTAND THE GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION.....
I'm also providing a form, which can accessed for the subscription of an e-zine just providing your email address. Wherein you'll be receiving monthly update and alerts directly from Green Peace to your inbox.
For further details you visit their website: -
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/

THIS WORLD IS OURS.....SAVE IT.....UNDERSTAND THE GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION.....
it's not too late yet