Tuesday, October 31, 2006

The vast majority of manhole covers in New York City are from India?

According to http://littleindia.com/december2003/Made%20in%20India.htm The vast majority of manhole covers in New York City are from India!!!

A simple article on WIKI can be an interesting one... checkout the manhole cover article -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhole_cover

Can a race car lift a manhole cover?
CART, similar to Formula 1, race cars create so much vacuum due to their aerodynamics that they can lift a manhole cover above the ground. During races on city streets, the manhole covers must be welded down to prevent injury. In 1990, while racing in Montreal, racer Jesus Pareja's car struck a manhole cover that was lifted by the ground effect of the car he was following, causing his car to catch fire.

The first man-made object in space?
An urban legend claims that a manhole cover was accidentally launched from its shaft during an underground nuclear test in the 1950s, at great enough speed to leave the solar system. The story is based on a real incident in August 27, 1957 during the Operation Plumbbob nuclear tests, where a heavy steel plate cap was blasted off the test shaft at tremendous velocity, never to be seen again. It is not known if it actually left the atmosphere.

Eureka! a new animal that I found today!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewer_alligator

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Today's Wikiing...Compressors and MUs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_compressor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reciprocating_compressor

One of my fav searches - Indian Trains
Didnt know that there was a engine naming convention followed!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_locomotives

Some links on Mumbai Local Trains
Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation, I always wondered what MRVC, YSYL etc means on the local train compartments...
http://www.railway-technical.com/muops.html
Gosh, there is so much info on the train compartment numbers etc...
http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-mu.html
http://www.mrvc.indianrail.gov.in/
http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-shed.html
http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-pway.html#beml-tl

Time to sleep...more wiking tomorrow :-)

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Burgalary in the house...

I was alone in my room and fast asleep. around 3.30 in the morning, I just woke up with a slight noise...got up and found nothing/noone around so I went to the loo. As I put on the light, I saw my trousers lying there. I was surprised since I had put those trousers behind main door before

I went to bed.Thinking how it happened, I lifted the trousers, I suddenly saw the main door opening. A guy quickly entered house, lifted my mobile and ran out.I shouted "Stop!" and ran behind him, by the time I reachd door, he was opening sliding grill in the passage. Generally that grill was hard to slide but just before diwali it had been oiled. He managed to slide it and ran down the stairs. I ran behind him, but after getting down a floor, I stumbled in the stairs...he fled away...

I came up, neighbours had got up. I had been hurt on my knee 3-4 weeks ago. That wound also had started bleeding again. I checked my trousers, my wallet was not in the one I had kept in. Thankfully bike and room keys were there. I was relieved a little. I covered the wound and went down the street to get the cops. there was a police van on the road, 4 cops sleeping inside :-)

They directed me inside the police station.Inspectors on duty were sleeping and I woke them up. I told them what had happened. They were cold as expected. They asked me to block my credit cards and phone number and come next day with mobile purchase receipt to get the complaint registered.I started walking back to home, though i was not able to walk normally, it had started paining a little.

Suddenly I heard a voice, the two cops were calling me. The cops came with me to the apartment. They checked a little and then went back.

I was little shaken. Took the trousers lying on the floor and voilla...my wallet was there but in another trouser. I checked it, money was not in it but all the credit cards were there...that was great relief. But mobile was gone for sure. I dressed up, took the mobile receipt and went back again to cops.Next 30 mins were frustrating. I tried to hold my temper like never before.Cops wanted to register a case for "missing mobile"!!!!! I did not understand how they can ask this, despite telling them a thief entered and stole the cell in front of me. I insisted that a burglary case be registered. After I insisted, they did so. But they wrote as below..."while I was sleeping, an unknown person took away my mobile my misunderstanding for his gains". I do not know what this legally means but my mind was not thinking much...They did not give me the FIR receipt and asked me to come the next day to collect the theft certificate.

I talked to neighbours and a shopowner nearby. They all pointed to one possible theif in the area. Quiet unbelieavle that police is not aware about him. They just knew how to note the IMEI number in the complaint. but way they wrote all things was horrible. I checked with doctors the next day. I had suffered a minor fracture on my leg near finger. Doctor put a big plaster on my leg and advised me not to walk for 5 weeks!

That day I couldnt sleep in the room, not even for a few mins...the fact that someone wandered in the house while I was sleeping made me go nuts thruoughout the night.

My friends came the next day. I somehow came to mumbai.
Its quiet difficult to spend time in the plaster and extremely boring too...I had asked my friend to go to cops next day and get the FIR copy. but cops talked to him as if he is the theif or as if we had made a plot, huh!!!

I wanted to raise voice against this, checked site of major newspapers and television channels..sad to say that there is no defined method to contact them as a common man. One of them had link to mail the editor but after drafting whole story realised that the submit function was never tested, got ASP error :-) They will anyways be busy chasing politicians and highprofile sportsmen/actors..

I talked to my mobile phone service provider. They were quick to block the phone number. But they said I have to talk to the manuf to block the handset using IMEI number. Manufacturer was not available 24/7. I called them between their working hours but they plainly told me that in India no one has software to track the handset using IMEI number or block it!

What a system! Thieves enter others house without fear, and steal things, cops sleep on duty and harrass people blatatenly, media is not ready to help easily....

This insensitive attitude of people pisses me off instantly. As long as they are around, there is no hope for this country!

Sigh