Open up, open up!!!

"I wish to change the world but they won't give me the source code"

            - from some T shirt at FOSS @ IISc

Promoting linux/FLOSS has always been a challenge but fortunately it gets easier by the day! :) I have often found similarities between advocating biking against fossil fuel vehicles and linux against windows -

1. It is gonna be tough - "Common give it a try - a matter of getting used to!!!"

2. It's not friendly enough - "when was the last time u used linux/a bike?" Try the latest ones and u will know what u have missed all along!!!

3. I don't mind paying the license fee/fuel - "But why pay when u can use it for free. If u run into an issue wear the do it yourself (DIY) hat and if u can't figure out there is a huge community out there to help you out! :) If you still can't do it pay for some help but at least u gotta a choice! :)"

4. It looks cool! - "Check out the new distros/brands - cudn't get any cooler!!!"

Common remarks -

"Switching to linux/biking was tough a few years ago but now..."

"You buy any comp/cycle and then all u need is linux/pedal power - absolutely free!"

"I can only wish that I had switched earlier!"

"Keeps me fit/my mind fit"

"I haven't known what a virus attack is for long be it flu or melissa. If u do get it u recover in no time!" ;)

Flame wars -
"Merida vs Trek" - "Fedora vs Ubuntu"

"Emacs vs Vi"  - "Road bike Vs Mountain Bike"   => Emacs with viper - Hybrid/Crossway

Communities -

"GNU, Free, OSS, Libre, ..." "BOTS, Wheelsports, Decathlon, RAC-F, GGGC, ..."

Unfortunate one:

"Fewer chicks on either!!!"

                                                 ...but the few that are - are darn good! :))

Linux is open and so am I! :)

Dodo

PS: I luv the song open up from nescafe - kind of goes with the mood -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d262BfXK1zc

A date with Murphy...

There was this bike workshop at Symbiosis and I was a little worked up with the many things at hand. Din't want to mess it up so did spend a good deal of energy on it. I actually washed my bike after a long time so that it doesn't look so dirty. It hadn't rained in ages and I was hoping I don't have to clean it for sometime. It rained the same night and almost every evening after that for a few days! :))

I got some really good slides from Pradeep which they had used for the Ignite Bangalore. That saved a lot of effort but I did wake up late not making it to the starting point for the ride to the Ecity. I asked Pankaj to move on forgeting Neera wud be there waiting as she doesn't work there. Deb & Satabdi joined and we reached there pretty late. Was keen on the blood donation camp at Symbiosis. It had been over a year so - result - yet another black out! :)) Great way to start ur day - quite refreshing actually! :)

By lunch hour we had students eager and trying the bikes - half a dozen bikes but only 2-3 bikers. I was pretty impressed by some of them as they freaked out on the bikes. A girl boldly took the strida down a small incline near the mess. Asked her to be careful. Grabbed my camera and I had just begun to take a few shots when a girl was brought with a bruises on her face. She freaked out on the Strida and took  it down the incline to the basement when nobody was watching - used the disc brakes and on the ground. A casualty even before the workshop had begun!!! Huh - no more biking for the students after that - spent much of the afternoon working on the presentation as not many bikers had confirmed presence - stretched the presentation a bit.

At 4 in the evening we had all the bikers those who had confirmed and even few who hadn't - pleasant surprise! :) It wud be nice to have as many bikers share their reason to be on the saddle but the presentation time was cut short as the students had a lecture they cudn't bunk! :)

We had a brief bike trial session and then we went on with the bike ralley. The trikes wud catch the attention and all but it started pouring! :D This didn't dampen the spirit of the bikers and we went to the 1st entrance to Ecity. Bizy junction and we had heads spinning! :))

Despite the many goofups (most of them on my part!) it was a good event more important a good learning. Now we work for the next few bike workshops - colleges and corporates!

BykeWorkshopSIBM

Lessons learnt:

1. Have a compact session targetting either only evening or morning - all day won't work unless many bikers in the hosting corporate/college. It worked well at Infy. Evening 4-6 i a good time as you can have those interested try the bikes for as long as they won't after the presentation say around 5:30

2. Ensure at least a dozen bikers for the one on one sessions with as many bikes assuming an audience of 100

3. Ensure a minimum audience else it may not be worth the time and effort of so many bikers

4. Have interesting videos as breathers in the presentation so that the audience don't switch off.

5. Eye candies like Trykes, Styda, etc work like a charm. Ensure u have all kinds of bikes - road bike, hybrid, MTB, folding bike, etc.

Tryst with a run! :)

My first serious run ever - at 29 - like they say better late... :) I registered last year and was running for Kilikili. We participated in the costume thingie last year and we won a 2nd prize. That was the high and running with the costume was out of the question. I am not sure I would have been able to run in any case in the shape I was in! ;)

The rest of the Marathon pics.

This year the focus was to run and I did. Yay! :) I had a sprain in my left foot coz of a broken byke pedal and was really not sure I could do it that too with zero training. Wanted to sleep on time but was doing this article for Citizen Matters on the run and it kept me pretty bizy last 2 days. Woke up at 5:30 and yet managed to get late for the Open 10K run. I chose to run for Saahas this year and possibly participate for the costume thingie again with Saahas. Was looking for the team first thing I reached the place and I was shocked to find that entering from one gate gave you access only to a few sections of the stadium unlike the last year. I was a volunteer with Bangalore Cares last year and was able to move around pretty freely - was disappointed with the unecessary restrictions this year - when one of the volunteers told me one of the gates was entry only I almost lost it. Couldn't meet anybody in the chaos so went to the Gate 5 for the run. Joined two friends and started off at 8:30 - too many people and 20 minutes past the start time only half the people had started running! :D

As soon as I began to run I remembered I need to answer some call - had taken a good deal of water! :) Thought would stop at the first loo on the way! Started with an easy pace as was suggested in a workshop organized by Rang De. Was hoping the legs won't hurt with light steps and did pretty well for first 5kms. First short break for water after 3kms the next one on completing 5 kms with some glucose. The loos had long queues in front of them. Looked like I was not the only one who taken too much water! ;)

Each km after that was an effort. Surprisingly I was not out of breath just that my calf muscles began to hurt. I was taking long breaths and only throught the nose which helped - something I learnt from the yoga at Art of Living. I belive the regular byking of 15-20km helped and so also the Kalaripayitu lessons - all the while I wished my swimming was on!!! Why it is off is another story we can save for another time! ;) The legs gave way simply coz they have never been trained for a run! :D I have them dipped in hot water even as I type this... :)

I took several breaks in the 6th through 8th km during which I did use the loo (wat a relief! :D). I bumped into the friend who had sped off during the begining of the race! ;) Was out of water but din't want to touch the god forsaken KINGFISHER bottles which like last year were again out on the roads despite our many efforts with the organizers not to use them but I guess sponosors have all the say!!! Arrived back at Kanteerva in around 70 minutes. Not bad for the very first run ever! :)

I had to rush to another workshop so couldn't help the Saahas team that was working on clearing up the streets and the refreshment counter asking people to use the bins (hard to believe u need to educate people about such simple things!!!). I even missed the costume thignie but I am just glad I ran for them with a lovely T shirt! :)

All in all good fun except the plastic bottles which have been dealt with this time by Saahas despite the COLD response for volunteering for the same. Hoping this issue is taken more seriously next year. Have begun work on that! :)

A friend had shared this inspiring quote -

"Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must move faster than the fastest lion or it will not survive. Every morning a lion wakes up and it knows it must move faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn't matter if you are the lion or the gazelle, when the sun comes up, you'd better be running" - Roger Bannister.

Personally, I would neither be the lion or the gazelle but the good old dodo who would rather continue to sleep! :D 

I m glad I ran - now I m thinking of the duathlon in June but irrespective will consider running more often seriously. If a dodo such as me can do it so can u! :)

The power of one!

Chicken soup stories have always influenced my thinking a great deal. There is this story of a little girl throwing star fishes washed to the shore back into the sea. A curious observer asks -

"I have been watching you for sometime. What is it that you are trying to do?

"I m saving the fishes"

"But there are thousands of those on the beach and you can only do as much. What difference is it gonna make?"

"It will to that fish!" :)

Mother Teresa said -

"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop"

Sri M Visveswaraiah said -

"Practice what you preach and preach what you practice"

The result is this freako that I have become - walk the talk and talk the walk - do wat you can while you can!

Having pestered the many frens with my persistence (read nagging) on an eco friendly living - I have come to a point where I wonder if it is really worth being the odd one out! :) Be it byking, thrift usage of paper, plastic n such, vegetarianism, etc. advocated it all and aggressively so. Wincing each time someone carelessly picks a tissue to wipe his/her hands when (s)he might very well have used a handkerchief doesn't help at all...

Today a friend put it all in a rather interesting way - "You know what - you are trying to save this huge 5 storey sinking ship running around doing all you can with only a bucket in your hand. The ship will sink nevertheless - you might as well relax!" :) Interestingly he was the same person who insisted that I go vote and u know what I did vote today (Yay!!!:). It was a painful experience to just get my name onto the list (no voter id despite the effort). I voted for Captain Gopinath who is from Army and revolutionized air travel by making it accessible to the common man (not sure it is the best thing considering the environmental impact much like the nano). If I am to be consistent in thought I should not bother voting. But I don't know how that's gonna help. When people believe that each person's vote matters so also their stand in each little thing that they do...

Imagine if all the people who could afford to (you could be one if you sincerely try), choose a cycle over a motor vehicle - we would be able to crack so many problems together - traffic congestion, pollution, obesity, etc. If people could use paper, plastic, power, etc in a sane manner then the same wouldn't land up in a landfill - resulting in health issues. Why people fail to see the connect between this recent trend of floods (Bihar/Orissa/)or hurricanes in US and their choosing to drive a car/motorbike. If they only moved to public transport. "Oh but the govt is doing nothing to improve the same!!!" Who voted them to power (rather let them come to power by not voting!:))?

So all problems come to the same single point - what each one of us chooses to do and to what extent? :) This is the power of one. You set an example - if people follow the trend shall bring about the needed change - if not the ship will _probably_ sink but your heart will _definitely_ soar!:D

Ignorance sure is bliss!

Have seen loadsa ads, ppts, etc urging people to save water... Not sure what does it take? Washing cars when people should be talking rain water harvesting!

Watch this lovely ad...

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