Another session of system analysis and it is time for some reading. Clicking through the resources, I reach this article titled, “All models are wrong” by John Sterman.
Wow! This sounds like a must read (scriptwriters: learn from this about the power of writing a headline). I should read it to convince everyone that modelling is not all that great and nature is so vast and we humans are a part of the ecosystem that we can never really model perfectly. Though I am convinced, I could now have an expert to quote as well. The first line of the article (after the acknowledgements etc) says, “It takes a village to raise a child”.
Yes! That is right. It does take a village. Maybe this is systems perspective, but in the era of working parents and little time, this makes sense.
Google the phrase “It takes a village to raise a child” (though Google may not approve of the usage of Google as a verb). The first return informs me that it is an African proverb. They have a wonderful image as well. Download it!
The second reflects the confusion regarding the origin of the proverb. Is it Indian or African? And that Hillary Clinton popularised it. Hillary?
The third link provides the entire speech made by Hillary (1996 speech).
Fourth comes Wiki, which tells me that it is a book written by Hillary on that title and that someone called Tim Wilson made fun of it as well.
Tim Wilson? Ok. Wiki tells me – he is a comedian. The lyrics of his song or the MP3 are not easily listed there. Forget him. Ok.
Move on.
This link is an analysis of Hillary’s book.
Move on.
Page 2 on Google listings.
There is a mural as well on the theme “It takes a village to raise a child” .
Move on. I am on page three of Google returns.
A blog begins like this…”I am a socialist. At this moment I’m having flashbacks.. that the “Borg” is coming. Now what is a Borg?
Google the word “Borg”. Wiki tells me …The Borg are a fictional race of cyborgs in the Star Trek universe. They are characterized by relentless pursuit of targets for assimilation, rapid adaptability to almost any defense, and the ability to continue functioning properly despite seemingly devastating blows. They have become a powerful symbol in popular culture for any juggernaut against which “resistance is futile”. Wow! This is great. And they have an insignia of Borg as well. Read on. Amazing! Borg quotes as well, like “We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.” Though it has more of Star Trek II, not of the Spock variety, but it was a good read.
But what is this evil empire thing? Wiki link again. Term used by Ronald Reagan to describe USSR. Reagon was criticised for this and someone called Michael Johns defended him. Who was Michael Johns? Wiki says that he offered 208 examples of evil nature of USSR. Another link. Doesn’t lead to original article.Maybe it does.
Back to Borf article again.
Another link to Borg article on StarTrek website. Hmmm. Not too interesting.
Back to Google. Second entry on Borg. This one is about Sweden. Yes. that is where I am staying right now. Borg means a fort, and many cities end with the suffix borg. Goteborg, for instance…. but that entry is not here in wiki. Should I add it in Wiki? No, another time. And Borg is a family name as well.
Yes, Bjorn Borg. Read on. Bjorn Borg and his Wimbledon saga. But does wiki say about Borg-McEnroe. Yes! And it even rates their match as the best Wimbledon final ever. Read on. Yes, but I loved McEnroe more. Move over to McEnroe. The link is difficult to find, but I have to.. Yes. Finally. McEnroe. When was that? 1980? Yes. And his tantrums, and talent. Wiki says little about his talent though. Quotes Mats Wilander though. Back again. Borg is surname of Anita Borg as well. Anita? Sounds like an Indian name. Ok. Anita Borg was that famous computer whiz. I remember something. And Google has a scholarship in her name. Back again. Borg is also nickname of Microsoft foundation. Why? Because it gobbles up others….
Back again.
Back to Google. There is some Borg Institute of Technology. Interesting.
Back again.
What is think link about Borg calendar? It is OpenSource! An PIM something like Lotus notes that I used 7 years ago.
The screenshots look good.
How do I download? Yes, here. The beta 1.6 has just been released. Click on download. Hope another download doesnt halt my machine. Two of the four torrents from yesterday are still downloading in the background. It halted my machine half a dozen times yesterday. But this seems a smaller file.
5megs.
Click. The mirror is not responding. Choose another mirror. Let us try the Amsterdam mirror.
Done.
Double click exe file. Launched. Let me try this software. I can schedule the dates of my system analysis exams here. Yes, and prepare a timetable of reading the various resources for system analysis. And read Sterman article apart from others. Maybe if I read Sterman tomorrow and… Sterman? Yes, he was the one who wrote that all models are wrong. And here it is. Voila! And what does he say… It takes a village to raise a child.. Oh!
You can also read this piece with all the links here. http://www.bajinder.com/blog/2007/02/23/it-take-a-borg-village/
With Christmas jingles flooding the air waves, here are some links which make for interesting reading.
First on consumerism.
The Telegraph reports that market research analysts estimate that 20 million people plan to hit the shops on Sunday, spending £1.14 billion. That is just one day of shopping!
The issue is here the six hour Sunday shopping law. So what store owners are planning is to open a little in advance so that customers can browse, and fill their trolleys, whereas the actual purchase begins only when the clock strikes the annointed hour. And at the end of shopping hours, stores are allowed another half an hour to clear the till. And most newspapers report that the temptation to make money shall lead to at least some chaos.
Another story on similar lines says: Thousands of branches will be staying open for an hour longer than the legal six-hour maximum to squeeze the last penny of Christmas spending out of shoppers.….read full story here
The Guardian quoted The Bishop of Worcester and Steve Jenkin, spokesman for the Church of England opposing the move. It also had Martyn Eden, of the Keep Sunday Special campaign, stating that “it was a ploy to make more money at the expense of smaller shops.” He quipped, “They are making enough money anyway”.
More on money matters here. Easier estimates that Over £700,000 per minute to be spent in Christmas Eve rush . It adds: Sainsbury’s Credit Cards research indicates that 49% of adults, intend to do some of their Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve, spending around £1.14 billion. This is equivalent to £47.5 million an hour or £791,667 per minute. The bank estimates that around 18% of this will be placed on credit cards.
But then there are the lonely people as well. Up to 50,000 people could be eating a Meals-on-Wheels Christmas dinner alone this year, figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats suggested today….read full story
IN the years gone by, it was known as the festival of lights.
Gradually it has transformed itself to the national festival of
bribery. Bribe givers now wait for an entire year for Diwali so that
they can openly slip in not cash gifts, but also jewellery and wads of
notes to those they wish to please.
Politicians, officer, bureucrats, policemen, journalists, excise,
income tax and now VAT(value added tax) officials form the circle where bribe givers
line up on Diwali. The simple old platefull of sweets is passe and
meant only for lower middle class neighbourhoods.
The joke doing the rounds is that a school going son of an IAS officer expressed his suprise that “sweet shop owners now manufacture jewellery as well”. Why? Because the sweet box that his father received did not contain sweets, but had jewellery tucked in.
Officers of some industrial towns are the most coveted persons during Diwali. “A Diwali in one of the grand cities is worth two crores for the top bosses”, reveals a source. No wonder, knowing the propensity of accepting gifts, very often during the regime headed by Om Prakash, officers would be transferred on Diwali eve. This was his way of ensuring that officers receive lesser gifts. After all, few would go and hand over a gift to an officer who has already been transferred.
Politicians who receive the most gifts from all sections of society including bureucrats are forced to splurge on the media during Diwali, though by their standards the gifts tend to be cheap. The Chief Minister of Indian state of Punjab Capt Amarinder Singh was the first to raise the bar on gifts for the media. Instead of theroutine cardigan or watch, which was the standard in Punjab, he replaced the “official” gifts with personal ones. Four bottles of liquor meant that he became a rare CM to offer liquor as a gift to journalists, in a country where prohibition is
recommended by the Constitution, A year later, Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal was not one to be left behind. His brother in law personally went to media
persons delivering Raymond suitlelenghts.
Amarinder’s media advisor, B I S Chahal is famous for his gift culture and is credited to have corrupted some Delhi based editors as well. His Diwali visit to Delhi is famous when he goes around distributing gifts.
On Diwali day, the entire market in North India remains open, but it is not just for sales. A Patiala based cloth merchant informs, “I do not sell a single yard of cloth on Diwali, but perforce the shop is open for the half a dozen inspectors that come for collecting Diwali”. His regret this year is that one more official has been added to the list – the VAT guys.
But officers rule the roost while receiving gifts. Many have a huge box placed at the entrance just for people dropping their visiting cards. And back lawns of palatial sarkari houses are often reserved for gifts. For those foolish enough to go with sweet boxes and dry fruit, a customary check on the false bottom of the sweet boxes is made so that there are no wads of notes hidden there.
Otherwise, that is meant for their servants.
Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)
The Glove and the Lions
King Francis was a hearty king, and loved a royal sport,
And one day as his lions fought, sat looking on the court;
The nobles filled the benches, and the ladies in their pride,
And ‘mongst them sat the Count de Lorge, with one for whom he sighed:
And truly ’twas a gallant thing to see that crowning show,
Valour and love, and a king above, and the royal beasts below.
Ramped and roared the lions, with horrid laughing jaws;
They bit, they glared, gave blows like beams, a wind went with their paws;
With wallowing might and stifled roar they rolled on one another;
Till all the pit with sand and mane was in a thunderous smother;
The bloody foam above the bars came whisking through the air;
Said Francis then, “Faith, gentlemen, we’re better here than there.”
De Lorge’s love o’erheard the King, a beauteous lively dame
With smiling lips and sharp bright eyes, which always seemed the same;
She thought, the Count my lover is brave as brave can be;
He surely would do wondrous things to show his love of me;
King, ladies, lovers, all look on; the occasion is divine;
I’ll drop my glove, to prove his love; great glory will be mine.
She dropped her glove, to prove his love, then looked at him and smiled;
He bowed, and in a moment leaped among the lions wild:
The leap was quick, return was quick, he has regained his place,
Then threw the glove, but not with love, right in the lady’s face.
“By God!” said Francis, “rightly done!” and he rose from where he sat:
“No love,” quoth he, “but vanity, sets love a task like that.”
February 20th,2005
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This has been a favourite poem of mine. I remember reading it in my school magazine and it was titled “I, myself and me”. Whenever I eat alone, I am reminded of these lines.
I gave a little party this afternoon at three,
‘Twas very small, three guests in all:
I, myself and me.
Myself ate all the sandwiches, while I drank all the tea:
And it was I who ate the pie and passed the cake to me.
February 20th,2005
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