Mirror teknack
1
MumbaiMirror I SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013 CITY www.mumbaimirror.com/city 8 BHAVIN JANKHARIA Something about nothing (…and a little for all) Liked/hated his column? Write to Bhavin Jankharia at [email protected] AN INSULAR MIRROR INTO A FORTY-SOMETHING'S LIFE I thought only actors were typecast! After last week’s piece “The Namoral Dilemma” 1, I re- ceived emails, SMSes and blog comments asking why I had written a political piece and deviated from my usual focus on day-to-day life in Matun- ga and Mumbai. Seriously! There is a top 5 list of “reasons to hate mara- thon runners” making the rounds 2. It basically hits out at those who constantly brag and talk about running as if nothing else matters in this world. It reminded me of a conversation I had re- cently with a colleague who runs. She had come to the office and we immediately got into the usual patter about running times, training schedules and injuries. Then she mentioned that her hus- band (who doesn’t run) refuses to go with her to any party or function where there are other run- ners from her running group. He thinks they are big bores and talk only about running, to the ex- clusion of all those who don’t and are not interest- ed. It’s like when doctors meet and gossip about other doctors and medical issues as if others around didn’t exist! Each time I write about running, I now get comments saying “one more piece on running? Isn’t there anything else you can write about?” The same happens when I write about Matunga. There are actually people living in Mumbai who don’t give a damn about this suburb. So let me tell you a modern story of the times we live in! On Thursday, I took a taxi from the airport to the new Park Hyatt in Chennai. The driver was a wizened, old Chennaiite. As is my practice these days, I set up Google Maps to show the route map. About a km from the hotel, the driver took a left turn instead of a right. When I questioned him, he said that the Hyatt was two kms down that road. I told him that we had left it behind. He didn’t agree because he had only heard of the Hyatt Regency, which was further ahead. When I insisted, he very reluctantly turned the car around. He kept asking for nearby landmarks, but I told him to trust me. We followed the voice instructions given by Maps and reached the hotel easily. He then smugly turned around and accused, “Why didn’t you tell me it is opposite Lemon Tree?” Google Maps has made travel really easy in In- dia and works almost everywhere. The problem is that most people living in those cities and drivers in particular, refuse to accept that maps can be more accurate than their own knowledge, even though they may have never visited that build- ing, hotel or area, ever in their life. You have to re- ally bulldoze them into following the maps’ in- structions and even then they will stop and ask for landmarks and directions. And maps helps plan running routes. There- …back to running! This month, I have already done runs in Delhi, Kolkata, Coimbatore and Chennai and have managed to find great running routes just by studying maps in advance. From the wide roads around Lodi Estate, to the 2.8 km loop around Salt Lake Stadium and the Kolkata Hyatt, to the Pudur lake area in Coimbatore and the deer roaming freely in IIT Madras, I would never have been able to find any of these by just asking the hotel staff or locals. Being typecast, non-runners’ woes, disinter- ested Matunga readers, Google Maps and run- ning routes! Echoing Seinfeld’s, “something about nothing”3, here’s a little of something for everyone. Ha! D on Bosco Institute of Technology’s annual tech festival begins today, but if you are planning to visit the institute hoping for the usual post- ers, stalls, theme decorations and students cheering for the participants, then you are going to the wrong place. The right place, in fact, would be online. This is the second year of the institute opening the online two-day festival – Tek- nack – to students from other colleges. And Teknack 2013 has already seen more than 300 registrations, including about 10 partic- ipants from Boston, US. With the theme for this year’s fest being 'Race to Space', the participants need to compete virtually in space, with scenarios ranging from inter-stellar war games, space ship logo making, and space economics and space diplomacy (typing your way out of trouble). Some other interesting events include hacking a galactic stock market, a space quiz, a Google puzzle, and a treasure hunt that would take you to the edge of the web space. The idea of taking the tech fest online is the brain child of professor Amiya Kumar Tripathy, dating way back in 2005. "For the first few years, this was just an in- tra-college festival. We weren’t sure how the idea of a tech fest without individual pres- ence was going to be received by other col- leges. But last year, we made it inter-college and the response of overwhelming," said Tripathy, an associate professor with the in- stitute’s Computer Science department. HOW TO REGISTER Volunteers from the institute have already approached various colleges to get the regis- tration done. The willing participants have been given a unique registration code. Once a code is generated, the participant can go online, log in to www.teknack.in and partic- ipate," said Sujeet Sinha, the chairman of the festival. For those who haven’t registered, you can still play games in the informals sec- tion of the website. The organisers have even set up multiple servers with back-ups to avoid any server crash. "Last year the server had crashed due to heavy traffic. Next year, we are planning to make this a tech festival on a national level," said Mirza Ali Imran, head of computer engi- neering department. “Since it's online, people from any part of the world can participate,” he added. The festival goes live from Friday mid- night and will end on Sunday midnight. The winners will get a free stay in Goa. It’s Star Wars at tech institute’s online festival Teknack 2013 has already seen more than 300 registrations, including about 10 participants from Boston RAJU SHELAR The theme for this year’s fest is 'Race to Space', and participants can compete virtually in space, in scenarios like inter-stellar war games, space ship logo making, and space economics Pooja.Naik @timesgroup.com In the second year of its annual technology event online, city’s Don Bosco Institute of Technology has received an overwhelming response
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Transcript of Mirror teknack
MumbaiMirror I SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013CITY www.mumbaimirror.com/city 8
BHAVIN JANKHARIA
Something aboutnothing (…and alittle for all)
Liked/hated his column? Write to Bhavin Jankharia [email protected]
AN INSULAR MIRROR INTO A FORTY-SOMETHING'S LIFE
I thought only actors were typecast! After lastweek’s piece “The Namoral Dilemma” 1, I re-ceived emails, SMSes and blog comments askingwhy I had written a political piece and deviatedfrom my usual focus on day-to-day life in Matun-ga and Mumbai. Seriously!
There is a top 5 list of “reasons to hate mara-thon runners” making the rounds 2. It basicallyhits out at those who constantly brag and talkabout running as if nothing else matters in thisworld. It reminded me of a conversation I had re-cently with a colleague who runs. She had come tothe office and we immediately got into the usualpatter about running times, training schedulesand injuries. Then she mentioned that her hus-band (who doesn’t run) refuses to go with her toany party or function where there are other run-ners from her running group. He thinks they arebig bores and talk only about running, to the ex-clusion of all those who don’t and are not interest-ed. It’s like when doctors meet and gossip aboutother doctors and medical issues as if othersaround didn’t exist!
Each time I write about running, I now getcomments saying “one more piece on running?Isn’t there anything else you can write about?”The same happens when I write about Matunga.There are actually people living in Mumbai whodon’t give a damn about this suburb.
So let me tell you a modern story of the timeswe live in!
On Thursday, I took a taxi from the airport tothe new Park Hyatt in Chennai. The driver was awizened, old Chennaiite. As is my practice thesedays, I set up Google Maps to show the route map.About a km from the hotel, the driver took a leftturn instead of a right. When I questioned him, hesaid that the Hyatt was two kms down that road. Itold him that we had left it behind. He didn’t agreebecause he had only heard of the Hyatt Regency,which was further ahead. When I insisted, he veryreluctantly turned the car around. He kept askingfor nearby landmarks, but I told him to trust me.We followed the voice instructions given by Mapsand reached the hotel easily. He then smuglyturned around and accused, “Why didn’t you tellme it is opposite Lemon Tree?”
Google Maps has made travel really easy in In-dia and works almost everywhere. The problem isthat most people living in those cities and driversin particular, refuse to accept that maps can bemore accurate than their own knowledge, eventhough they may have never visited that build-ing, hotel or area, ever in their life. You have to re-ally bulldoze them into following the maps’ in-structions and even then they will stop and ask forlandmarks and directions.
And maps helps plan running routes. There-…back to running! This month, I have alreadydone runs in Delhi, Kolkata, Coimbatore andChennai and have managed to find great runningroutes just by studying maps in advance. Fromthe wide roads around Lodi Estate, to the 2.8 kmloop around Salt Lake Stadium and the KolkataHyatt, to the Pudur lake area in Coimbatore andthe deer roaming freely in IIT Madras, I wouldnever have been able to find any of these by justasking the hotel staff or locals.
Being typecast, non-runners’ woes, disinter-ested Matunga readers, Google Maps and run-ning routes! Echoing Seinfeld’s, “somethingabout nothing”3, here’s a little of something foreveryone. Ha!
Don Bosco Institute of Technology’sannual tech festival begins today,but if you are planning to visit theinstitute hoping for the usual post-ers, stalls, theme decorations and
students cheering for the participants, thenyou are going to the wrong place. The rightplace, in fact, would be online.
This is the second year of the instituteopening the online two-day festival – Tek-nack – to students from other colleges. AndTeknack 2013 has already seen more than300 registrations, including about 10 partic-ipants from Boston, US.
With the theme for this year’s fest being'Race to Space', the participants need tocompete virtually in space, with scenariosranging from inter-stellar war games, spaceship logo making, and space economics andspace diplomacy (typing your way out oftrouble).
Some other interesting events includehacking a galactic stock market, a space quiz,a Google puzzle, and a treasure hunt thatwould take you to the edge of the web space.
The idea of taking the tech fest online isthe brain child of professor Amiya KumarTripathy, dating way back in 2005.
"For the first few years, this was just an in-tra-college festival. We weren’t sure how theidea of a tech fest without individual pres-ence was going to be received by other col-leges. But last year, we made it inter-collegeand the response of overwhelming," saidTripathy, an associate professor with the in-stitute’s Computer Science department.
HOW TO REGISTERVolunteers from the institute have alreadyapproached various colleges to get the regis-tration done. The willing participants havebeen given a unique registration code. Oncea code is generated, the participant can goonline, log in to www.teknack.in and partic-ipate," said Sujeet Sinha, the chairman of thefestival. For those who haven’t registered,you can still play games in the informals sec-tion of the website. The organisers have
even set up multiple servers with back-upsto avoid any server crash.
"Last year the server had crashed due toheavy traffic. Next year, we are planning tomake this a tech festival on a national level,"said Mirza Ali Imran, head of computer engi-neering department.
“Since it's online, people from any part ofthe world can participate,” he added.
The festival goes live from Friday mid-night and will end on Sunday midnight. Thewinners will get a free stay in Goa.
It’s Star Wars attech institute’sonline festival
Teknack 2013 has already seen more than 300 registrations, including about 10 participants from Boston
RAJU SHELAR
The theme for this year’s fest is 'Race to Space', and participants can compete virtually in space,
in scenarios like inter-stellar war games, space ship logo making, and space economics
In the second year of its annual technology event online, city’s Don BoscoInstitute of Technology has received an overwhelming response
