Making a Murderer

I do not binge watch. This is no longer true. I binge watched the recently released original 10 part series by Netflix.

Vox describes it better than I could,
"Netflix's Making a Murderer is grim, riveting, and satisfying true crime TV"
http://www.vox.com/2015/12/21/10632672/making-a-murderer-netflix-review

Wikipedia has an accurate description of the series:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Making_a_Murderer

And People have a summary for those who don't want to or are unable to watch the series, yet want to be able to discuss it in an article
Making a Murderer: 5 Things To Know About Netflix's New True Crime Documentary
http://www.people.com/article/netflix-making-a-murderer-5-things-to-know

And E has an article for those who did binge watch the series. Making me feel a little better about my binge watching, since the implication seems to be that a large number of people did the same thing.
Here's What You Need to Know About Making a Murderer After Your Netflix Binge
http://www.eonline.com/news/726889/here-s-what-you-need-to-know-about-making-a-murderer-after-your-netflix-binge

The series made me think. About the lacunae in the legal system. And how lucky we are to be free. And able to binge watch write blogs. I guess it'll make me value freedom a lot more in the years to come.

The future of news

After the innovation of the New York Times, I was wondering about what new forms news would be taking in our future. And so I was pleasantly surprised when I came across this TED talk that basically said that the future of news is already here.

And that is Reality, albeit Virtual.

Are you smarter than other New York Times readers?

In 2012, the New York Times has an interesting write-up about itself.

"Since NYTimes.com was first launched, we've worked to make it the most innovative news site on the web. From improving the reading experience to adding video, multimedia and interactivity, our designers consistently break new ground in how we present the definitive stories.

3 years later, the NY Times has managed to consistently be the most innovative news site on the web. Yet another example was this puzzle Freia sent me a couple of days ago.

Its a simple but interesting puzzle:

"In this short puzzle, you’ll try to outwit the masses – who are also trying to outwit you. Your mission is to read the minds of your fellow Times readers. We are asking them – and you – to pick a number from 0 to 100, with that number representing your best guess of two-thirds of the average of all numbers chosen in the contest."

Try it out. And what makes the puzzle and the NYT so interesting and innovative is the article that follows. Having given context, they then present content. That is interesting and meaningful.

Go ahead, and check it for yourself.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/08/13/upshot/are-you-smarter-than-other-new-york-times-readers.html?_r=0

The Empowerment Plan

I get most of my thoughts for the blog from people around me. Freia has provided the most number of thoughts and blog ideas. And so I was surprised, overjoyed actually when Reia gave me a blog idea that I was going to use. It was the 2nd in less than 2 months. At this rate, I will have no dearth of ideas for 2016. Thanks Freia and Reia.

The Empowerment Plan is an extremely simple, yet powerful and effective idea.
"Our mission is to educate, employ, and empower homeless individuals to create a better life for themselves and their families while producing a humanitarian product for those in need."

It all started with Veronika Scott's as part of American Express's #PassionProject. The Empowerment Plan was part of her class project and the outcome is a coat. Not just any coat but one that saves lives. The EMPWR coat is a water-resistant and self-heating jacket, which can transform into a sleeping bag, or be worn as an over-the-shoulder bag when not in use.

http://www.empowermentplan.org/#!the-coat/cass

The Slingshot

I recently saw the documentary Slingshot and found out how little I knew about what's happening in the world. The film was about Inventor Dean Kamen, who I hadn't heard about, although I was familiar with his invention, the Segway.

Slingshot is not captivating as a film but is a must watch because of its content.

His TED biography describes him as,
"Dean Kamen landed in the limelight with the Segway, but he has been innovating since high school, with more than 150 patents under his belt. Recent projects include portable energy and water purification for the developing world, and a prosthetic arm for maimed soldiers." However, its more interesting to hear him speak.

I've always thought that there has to be a methodology to generate clean water in a cost effective manner. What I did not know was that Dean had solved the problem in teh previous decade. The Slingshot.

Save money, without thinking about it

A huge problem, in my opinion for today's Gen I, is savings. They are smart, hardworking, earn well, but end up saving very little. There are several reasons behind it, the primary one in all probability is their parents outlook on savings.

And so, when I recently came across a company that allows you to do just that, I found it very interesting. The company is Digit and what they do is super simple and super smart.

"
How does Digit work?
Every few days, Digit checks your spending patterns and moves a few dollars from your checking account to your Digit account, if you can afford it. Easily withdraw your money anytime, quickly and with no fees.
"

Do check it out. Who knows, you may actually end up saving a few thousand dollars, which otherwise may have gone to Starbucks.

Steal like an Artist

My daughter Reia does not like reading books. Actually, she does not like reading, period.

As part of her college English course, she had to read "Steal like an Artist". And she loved it, and asked me to read it. I loved it too.

I think its something you should read too. Here's a preview of what you can expect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Private Pilot Check-ride

This Monday was my Private Pilot Check-ride. This is the FAA exam that decides whether or not you are allowed to fly a plane. Alone and with passengers. The weather was not looking good. 30 knot winds, gusting to 40 knots were forecast. Ideal condition for a check ride would be calm weather with no winds. 10 knots would be okay. Anything more than that would make the exam progressively more difficult as in addition to the nerves of displaying your skills, you would be fighting the weather.

My check ride was to begin at 7 a.m. This was so that we had a chance of completing the exams before the wind made the conditions beyond the specified limits of flying for the aircraft. The Cessna Sky-hawk I was flying was demonstrated for a 20 knot crosswind. And this demonstration is by a test pilot.

I left my hotel at 5, so I could reach Hurricane airport, the home base of the airplane I was using. I got there by around 6 after grabbing a much needed hot cup of coffee from McDonalds, one of the few places open that early. At Hurricane Airport, Dave the primary aircraft owner had already pulled the plane from the hangar and filled it up. He gave me the aircraft logbooks that form part of the check-ride and explained all the maintenance and checks that were done and check-ride the currency of each of the log books.

 Dave, the aircraft primary owner

A little while later, Eric arrived. I pre-flighted the plane and we were all set to fly to St. George where I was scheduled to give my check-ride. It was short 20 minutes flight and I had my first test landing with Eric watching me closely. I had a good landing and I felt relieved. We parked the aircraft at the FBO terminal building and walked in with 2 minutes to spare.

Dan the FAA appointed examiner was already there. I was introduced to him, and he asked me to set up my material in the conference room. As part of the exam, the examiner had given me a cross country to plan. I laid out the plans, charts, notes and other material I had prepared. I also kept my documents, logbooks as well as the aircraft documents. The examiner started on time and quickly went through all the documents. He was quick but thorough. Once he was satisfied that everything was in order, we completed the paperwork for the exam. All of it was online, including me signing the required understanding of the exam and the required waivers.

At 7.45 my examiner was ready to start. He briefed me about the exam, how he would conduct it, the ground rules, made sure I understood and was comfortable and we were ready to start. As you can imagine I was super nervous. This was my first orals after my Masters Orals in Shipping which was 2 decades ago. As the questions started flowing, I became more and more comfortable and was able to answer most with reasonable ease. Since it was scenario based, and involved understanding rather than knowing exact rule nos., it went well. At the end of a little over an hour, the examiner let me know that he was ready to move on to the main event, the actual check ride. I was relieved. One step closer.

After a short water break, we went out to the aircraft. I went through the pre-flight and we were ready to taxi. At every stage of the process, the examiner was quizzing me. He was gauging whether I knew and understood what I was doing, as well as other areas I was supposed to know. He addressed all of these in a nice, gentle manner that made you comfortable, especially if you knew the stuff. All of my reading and practice was coming to good use. And fortunately I did not hit a blank spot.

Once we started taxing, he went through each and every one of the requirements which were part of the PTS. (Private Pilot Test Standards). He mixed them around in scenarios, so that they had a natural flow. I continued to be nervous, but was able to carry out all of the tasks. I had no idea of how long we were flying when he asked me to fly back to St George. There were over 20 tasks we had completed. And I thought I was done. But that was not to be. I got a failed electrical scenario, so a no flap landing to do.

Back to being nervous. Although I hadn't practiced this specific landing, especially considering I was given an area within which to land, my training itself gave me sufficient inputs to be able to plan for it. The wind had started picking up and there was a slight cross wind from the right,

I came in for the landing a little high, and had to use the forward slip to be on the right glide slope. As we passed the numbers, I did the round out and landed within the specified landing range. We taxied back to the FBO terminal building, went through the final checklists, shut down the plane, and got off.

As I was tying down the plane, the examiner said, "Congratulations, you've passed". It suddenly hit me. I had finally fulfilled a life long dream. I was about to get my Pilots certificate. We went back to the terminal building where the examiner debriefed me. And then for the main event. He printed the certificate. I was still nervous and it took me a few minutes to find the area where I had to sign.

Eric, my flight instructor and the person responsible for my PPL

We flew back to Hurricane, and I flew my first flight as PIC with Eric, my flight instructor, now my passenger.

Flying Crash Course

I've wanted to be a pilot since I was a kid. Life had different plans and so I ended up being a Captain in the Merchant Navy and then in Advertising and then Software. Yet the thought of wanting to be a pilot was always there in the back of my mind.

I had a couple of flying lessons in San Francisco when visiting and then 1 in New Zealand. When I was posted in the US a couple of years back, I thought maybe its time to do this.

I started taking lessons a couple of times a month when the weather, availability of an instructor, a plane and myself all aligned. I also did the written part of the FAA exam. This has a 2 year validity and was expiring in November 2015. I realized in September that there was no way I was going to be able to get a license the traditional way. And so did what I've done all through life. Look for a crash course.

I actually found one. The first sign that they may be legit was the name. Since a crash course in flying sounds ominous, they smartly called their training, "Accelerated Flight Training".

I wrote to them and they were extremely prompt in responding and in answering all my questions. I didn't really think this was possible in 2 weeks, but since it was a life long dream, decided to take a chance. They trained across the country but availability was an issue. And I was in a hurry.

Luckily, they had an opening in St. George, Utah for the week startng Oct. 19. Its now been 2 weeks and it was everything they said it would be. Eric my flight instructor had only 1 job and 1 student and that was me. His plane was dedicated to me. And it all revolved around Eric training me to get my private pilots license.

He was very professional and it was a delight to see him work. Thats when I wasn't flying and on the receiving side of his instructions. Each of the FAA requirements were neatly listed, planned for, crossed out when completed, re-scheduled when things didn't go exactly as planned and reviewed on a daily basis.

Eric would meet me at 8 at the hotel for breakfast and even that was a training session. He would go through the plans for the day, the theory I needed to know, answer questions I had from the previous day, quiz me on stuff I was supposed to have read up on, ... Most days ended up as a minimum 12 hours day and sometimes more.

What I found most interesting was that while the end goal was the private pilot certificate, the main goal was a safe and good pilot who could use his skills in the real world. As an example, I needed to do a cross country solo flight of over 150 miles. I picked up a route that complied with the rules and took me to places I had been to with Eric. I though he'd be pleased. On the contrary, he looked at me and said, "Why would you go to places you've been to. Pick up places we haven't been to". And nervous as I was, his confidence gave me the confidence to plan such a flight and then execute it.

Today is a holiday when I've been told to relax. Not being able to do that I've been going through my notes and preparing for my FAA exam which is tomorrow. The reason for writing this blog today is that, the result is immaterial. Eric and the folks at AFIT have done everything to enable me to take the FAA check-ride. Whether or not, I get it now, is completely up to me. They couldn't have done a better job.

For anyone who wants to get a flying license, do evaluate the AFIT option. It works. And is far more effective in terms of time invested, time taken to complete as well as costs that its almost a no brainer.

I could go on, but I better get back to my books and allow AFIT to tell you their story through their website.
http://www.afit-info.com/

My first solo flight

On Friday, October 23 a lifelong dream of flying a plane alone came true. I had my first solo flight. Since Monday, I've been working towards getting my private pilots license. The first major milestone on this journey is flying solo.

And I did that on Friday. My flying instructor Eric and I started early morning on Friday to fly to Henderson, a towered airport in Las Vegas, a few miles away from Las Vegas'  McCarran International Airport.

The FAA requirements for a private pilot license needs 3 solo landings at a towered airport and the closest towered airport to St. George, Utah where I was doing my training was Henderson.

We arrived here at around 12 in the afternoon and had lunch at the airport restaurant. While walking towards the terminal building, we met a few people and realized that there was an accident a couple of hours ago, a mid air collision. One plane made it back to Henderson, and the other made an emergency landing on a dry lake. Not a good omen to start with.

I wasn't too hungry as I had butterflies in my stomach. It all depended on how well I did, whether Eric would allow me to solo. It was a big decision as he was putting his CFI license, his plane, the airport and least of all my life on the line when he signed me off to solo.

We went around the pattern practicing landings and I wasn't doing too well. Some people are born to fly. Some aren't. I was in the latter category. I'm still figuring out what I'm naturally good at. So far I haven't found it. But not having talent has not stopped me earlier and I wasn't about to allow it to stop me this time. I worked hard, did my best and tried to compensate for my lack of talent in other ways, like following a structured and consistent process.

Finally at 1700, Eric said, give me 3 more good landings and I'll allow you to solo. Somehow I managed to pull off 3 decent landings and Eric allowed me to solo. He signed off my logbook, took his radio and walked to the side, so I could takeoff and land.

I was nervous. So nervous that I switched the radio to mute, and could not hear the tower respond to my request for taxiing. Finally I gestured to Eric to come over and he came and corrected my stupidity. I feared he may change his mind about whether I was ready. Luckily he didn't and let me go ahead.

"Henderson Tower, Sky Hawk One Seven Two Charlie Bravo, request taxi to active with Papa", my first nervous words as a single pilot. "One Seven Two Charlie Bravo, taxi to Runway Three Five Left." I repeated the instructions and started taxiing to Runway 35L.

Holding short, I went through my checklist and made my call "Henderson Tower, Sky Hawk One Seven Two Charlie Bravo, holding short Runway Three Five Left, ready for takeoff, request closed traffic". I got the clearance, "172 CB, cleared for takeoff, left closed traffic.".

With sweat on my brow, I started my taxing, lined up, put the throttle to full, and away I went. I rotated at 60 knots and I was airborne. Once that hapenned, it became progressively easier. I made my 3 landings comfortably and picked up Eric, who was relieved that I had survived, and more importantly his plane was intact, to fly another day.

Dear Future Me

A couple of years ago when Reia and I were chatting I wondered about a website or service that would allow us to write to our future selves. I was thinking in terms of reminding ourselves of commitments we make to do things in the future and have us receive those commitments at a future time. So we could reflect on what we have or have not done.

A few days ago, Reia sent me the site that does this. And they explain what they do far better than I ever could.


"
What is this?

Usually, it's the future that will reflect back on the present. We decided to flip that around.

So send your future self some words of inspiration. Or maybe a swift kick in the pants. Or just share some thoughts on where you'll or what you'll be up to in a year, three years...more? And then we'll do some time travel magic and deliver the letter to you. FutureYou, that is.

Getting a surprise from the past is actually kind of an amazing thing - just check out all the people on Twitter and Facebook that agree.

FutureMe.org is based on the principle that memories are less accurate than e-mails. And we strive for accuracy.
"

https://www.futureme.org/


You should check it out and send yourselves a few mails in the future. I did.

Lesson learnt from a Mumbai street cleaner

Earlier this week I had an interesting and unbelievable experience. Ivy dropped me for a client meeting at Nariman Point in South Mumbai at around 8.30. At that point of time it had very few people and the City Workers were cleaning the streets.

As I said Bye, I realized that I did not have my wallet. I immediately assumed that I must have left it at home. I asked Ivy for some money, so I could get back to office.

At that time, one of the cleaning workers walked up to me and checked, "Kya yeh aap ka hai". (Is this yours ?"). He was holding my wallet. You could clearly see a reasonably large amount of money. I said Yes, and before I could thank him, he had walked away.

I was still kind of lost trying to fathom what just happened. What could have been a tragedy or at the very least a painful cancellation and reinstatement process since the wallet had my credit cards, drivers licenses, money, ... just became yet another normal day.

In my stupor, I walked towards my clients office. And then I realized that I had forgotten to do what matters most. Genuinely and adequately thank the folk who were responsible for making a really miserable day into an amazing one. I walked back and after some searching finally located the person who had found my wallet. After profusely thanking him, I offered him some money as a reward. He refused to take it, and said, "You have thanked me, that in itself is reward enough".

I learnt one of life's most valuable lessons. To do the right thing, without any expectations and being happy when you get a small Thank You, will make you a very happy person. After all, isn't life about being Happy.

I also learnt that those who have, want more, and those who don't are happy with the little they do have.

To Santosh and all the millions like him, Thank you for being the way you are in spite of the zillion hurdles life keeps throwing at you.

Valley of flowers

Over the last 2 days Ivy and I along with 7 of our closest family friends visited Kaas, the valley of flowers. It was beautiful. And the trip memorable. A wise songwriter once wrote, ".. a picture paints a thousand words ...". And since all of my pictures are in my head and not easily distributable, I've taken the liberty of showing a few that I found, on the net.

You should definitely consider visiting Kaas in September or October. Fore more information visit the official site:
http://www.kas.ind.in/

And for more pictures visit:
http://www.kas.ind.in/index.php/flower-gallery