The Equation for Contentment Function

I suddenly came across this enlightening moment. May be I am out of mind or perhaps I am overworked and need some sleep. Nevertheless, I think it is worth mentioning. I have discovered equation for contentment function of life !
Contentment in life is a function of following factors:
1. Imaginary part -- expectations, desires, wishlist etc etc
2. Phase of life (will explain it later)
3. Progression of Life

These factors are related through Euler's formula as:

Progression of Life = e^iθ

e^iθ = cosθ + i sinθ -- (Euler's Forumla)

Here, i = sqrt(-1) -- imaginary number.

Plot of this function looks as follows:


θ, is the most significant determinant of the outcome. θ, is the phase difference w.r.t benchmark criterion in life. Benchmark criterion is individual specific, and in most common ways defined by peers of the individual.

Real part of this function is Contentment.

Imaginary part is expectations, wishelist etc.


Few important corollaries:

1. Expectation and reality always differ in phase. (sin θ and cos θ differ by 90 deg)

2. Your life will always revolve around center point in real and imaginary domain.

3. Radius of circle will always be one.

4. Your satisfaction levels will depend upon your confirmity with your benchamark criterion.

All for This One Drop of Water

It ended like a Bollywood movie. For some weeks everyone thought that it was over with “limited success” and then came this Baazigar moment when two separate press briefings-- one in Florida and other in Bengaluru, announced one of the most important findings in the moon exploration history – some drops of water on lunar surface!

This may be one of the numerous important discoveries for the West. But for us, it’s the defining moment in the history of our technology. Akin to what Sputnik launch meant to Russia or what Apollo 11 meant to the USA. Discovery of water on moon by our own Chandrayaan (in collaboration with NASA), has caught the imagination of entire nation. It is the first major manifestation of our technological capabilities towards meaningful discoveries for entire mankind making ISRO the star of the day.

In a true movie style, ISRO’s tryst with destiny started in the dark ages of 1960s – in a workshop shed in Banaglore with extremely limited resources. In its early days, scientists used bicycles totransport rockets which would launch a satellite into outer space! For ISRO it’s Bollywood-ly journey from its early days to the days of Chandrayaan for ISRO. In right sense, the project Chandrayaan started not in 2005 but in 1969 and it took bicycles, workshop sheds, 40 years and one million ton of sweat to make our mark on moon!

Such type of things happen only in movies. A masala movie on this topic might have been over by now … But for ISRO a sequel is due :)

Defusing The Population Bomb

"The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970s and 1980s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now. At this late date nothing can prevent a substantial increase in the world death rate"
"India couldn't possibly feed two hundred million more people by 1980 .... I have yet to meet anyone familiar with the situation who thinks that India will be self-sufficient in food by 1971... "

The Population Bomb, 1968 Paul R. Ehrlich

In the dark ages of of '50s and '60s, world believed it will not be able to feed the rising population in Indian sub-continent which will led to starvation deaths of millions by 1980. A grim situation with no solution in sight.
A professor in Texas A&M Univ stood up against the prevalent academic opinion that million of Indians shall starve due to lack of food. He was not an Indian or a Pakistani to have a jingoistic view, but a scientist, who believed in his research and in the soil of Punjab. Norman Borlaug, known as the father of green revolution, made matchless contribution to humanity by eradicating 'hunger' from the Indian sub-continent. He helped India and Pakistan achieve food security in less than 10 years of Green Revolution: A task deemed impossible by his peers.

Any analysis on post-colonial India would be incomplete without mention of the Green Revolution and of Norman Borlaug. At a time when India aspires to be a leading economy on the global level, we must not forget the great achievements we made through the Green Revolution that has enabled us to even think of becoming one of the leading economies.

Norman Borlaug passed away last week at the age of 95. This is a tribute to him and his matchless contributions to India.

Rural Business Hubs

While browsing internet just happened to come across the "Rural Business Hubs(RBH)" Concepts.

Prima facie of it it is very appealing concept. Barring ITC e-Choupal the initiative is pioneering one. It envisions rural development by creating Sustainable Business Models based on production of value added items.

RBH concept emphasizes shift from Charity or Philanthropy based rural upliftment plans to purely business-interest driven rural development plan. Former has yielded little results after 10 Five year plants and more than 200,000 Crores of cumulative budget outlay for rural development projects. the case study of ITC Choupal seems to build a good case for Business interest driven rural development.

Indian consumption patterns indicate 50% of Gross national retail consumption takes place in Rural India. In value terms annual rural retail opportunity turns out to be USD 175 bn. Retail majors are bound to tap this opportunity providing better access and serviceability for rural markets. As the example of ITC Choupal indicates, the retail marts shall also serve as a buying stations for Agro-products/Value added items. Retailers direct buying from farmers shall create price pressure on commodities. Both farmers as well as consumers aer expected to get a better price deal through elimination of multiple intermediaries. This business opportunity alone is set to change the face of rural India in coming years!!

Agony of Cotton Farmers

As the death toll of cotton fields reached 1200 in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions of Maharashtra, Maharashtra govt. has reduced the support price to Rs. 1800 per 100kg, Rs. 800/- less than the price of 1998-99 !
Its inexplicable that while the Asian textile market is on boom, raw cotton prices in India have been abysmally low. Global prices of raw cotton are in the range of USD150-170 per 100kg. Prices in China are even more. Govt has de-regularised raw cotton purchase market.
Instead of selling raw cotton to govt. agency or businessman, farmers may, with some small-scale machinery, process the cotton into any one of the stages of final product and sell the semi-processed goods and sell the semi-processed cotton at some dignified price. Alternatively, with the help of small scale appropriate machinery, final products like medicated cotton etc. can be made.

I seek to utilize this forum to seek suggestions/ideas regarding making cotton farming a dignified business. Please feel free to post your suggestions.

Steam Powered Ceiling Fan

Introduction:
Countless number of villages have been facing electricity scarcity for ages. This problem is prominent in summers. Lack of electricity and hot weather make rural life miserable in summers. Given the availability of adequate space and domestic burning fuels in rural households, an idea of using miniature steam turbine along with rankine steam cycle as substitute to electric motor is proposed.

Details of Conventional Fan:

• Specifications of conventional fan [Parker et. al.]:

1. Operating speed: 50-200 RPM
2. Avg. power consumption: 75 W
   
3. Total flow : ~3000 cfm
4. Total useful power output at motor shaft: ~8-10 W
5. Typical number of blades: 3/4
   

It can be seen form the above data that AC motor delivers less than 15 % of the total electrical power input to fan blades. Also, it can be observed that energy efficiency of fan blades in terms of amount of air displaced to useful power drawn from motor shaft, is similarly low.

Proposed Design Concept:
As burning fuels and working fluid is readily available, following is proposed:

1. A rankine steam cycle between appropriate operating points can be utilized to generate required energy output for rotating fan blades.
   
2. With the help of household cooking system required amount of water can be heated to generate pressurized vapour.
   
3. Output shaft of miniature steam turbine [2] can be coupled directly to celing fan blades.
4. Readily available heat resistant pipes can be used as ducts for making connections.
   
5. Overall efficiency of rankine heat cycle would be appx. 25-30 %.