Autopilot

I found this gmail ad to be hilarious. Apart from the sample mails, the response to 'What happens if a sender and recipient both have Autopilot on?' in the side bar deserves special mention.

Good to see that google engineers still have some sense of humor :)

Ignorant or utopian?

Like many other people who believe in scientific reasoning, I was shocked and angry after hearing the Pope's message in Africa on how to control AIDS. I kept thinking that how can a person whom a huge part of the world population considers their leader, can he be so ignorant to say that "condoms can be harmful rather than being useful in preventing the AIDS epidemic"?

Then yesterday when I was sitting in the train and watching the sunset, I remembered the words of a very religious friend of mind who feels that god paints these beautiful landscapes with his brush and colors. And this friend is actually a student of science. Then I suddenly realized that this whole Pope issue is not simple ignorance, it is actually a matter of belief. If someone believes that a disease is "god's punishment" and staying away from "sins" is the only foolproof way to not get sick, no wonder they will consider using protection to be a harmful thing. You see using protection gives freedom to do "sin" which means it will increase the chances of getting punished. Faith and belief does not need more logic than that. One just has to believe something in their heart and that becomes the truth.

I have nothing against religious people. Everyone has a right to choose what they want to believe and not believe. I just hope all his followers listen to every part of his suggestion. Those who stop using protection as per his instructions must also follow his suggestions of practicing abstinence, fidelity and heterosexuality. If they decide to follow only the first part, it is going to take a LOT of praying to cure a fatal disease like AIDS.

Sad

My beloved macbook died on me last week without any notice :((

I have to change the broken hard disk and it should be new again, but unfortunately it will be too new. None of the data can be recovered unless I pay $1-2K!! Thankfully I have not been a total idiot and kept backup of the important stuff that I cannot live without and some more. But still there's so much more one accumulates in 5+ years. Maybe they are not important, maybe I would have never opened most of those files, but still can't get over the sadness of loosing them. Wish I had invested on an automatic backup device. Sigh.

Reasons for not wanting to be married

According to 'The good wife's guide', I will have to follow these:

• Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.
• Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
• Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
• Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dust-cloth over the tables.
• During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
• Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet.
• Be happy to see him.
• Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
• Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
• Don't greet him with complaints and problems.
• Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.
• Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
• Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
• Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
• A good wife always knows her place.

I surely cannot be one ever..or even close :)

Replate

Just a little while back I was sitting outside and saw a homeless guy digging the nearby trash bins for leftover food. This made me immensely sad and guilty for being fortunate enough to have all the food I need to survive, and more.

Thanks to my mom, I have always been against wasting food. She taught me to always take only the amount of food I really can eat. I sincerely follow that rule and try to make people around me do that too. But there are times when we are forced to buy in big portions and then have no other options except throwing away the leftovers in the trash. Today's incidence made me think if we could throw those leftovers in a way that the poor homeless people can get them without digging through the rotten trash cans.

I started looking up on the net. Some people suggested offering the food to a homeless person directly. This did not seem very practical to me. Firstly, I will probably not have enough time or motivation to look for a needy person at the time I have that extra food. And even if I do, the person I offer it to might feel insulted.

After some more searching I found this very simple yet very nice idea called 'Replate'. To replate is to place the unwanted leftovers on top of the trash can that has a lid or next to it if doesn't have a lid. It will be nicer if it can be kept wrapped in a paper bag, say the bag in which the food came in originally.

There can be many critics and concerns about this practice. But until we find a better solution, this seems like a doable idea to me. If others agree with me, then from now on please remember to replate instead of throwing away those half eaten lunches.