tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85914412024-02-26T14:17:16.961+05:30Stumped!A Blog on cricket, sports, humour, technology, photography, ...rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-7083646060049073412011-03-14T23:14:00.000+05:302011-03-14T23:14:29.759+05:30When a pesticide is a pest! Endosulfan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The Indian govt./Sharad Pawar wants another <a href="http://english.manoramaonline.com//cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/contentView.do?contentId=8965935">panel to study endosulfan</a>!<br />
<br />
Over 70 countries have banned Endosulfan. We could at least learn from the Australians!<br />
In 2009, Australia <a href="http://bit.ly/fkWUxl">refused to ban</a> endosulfan! In Oct 2010, they <a href="http://bit.ly/c8UWGN">banned endosulfan</a>! They had the courage to say "The previous decision was made on the best available science at the time"!<br />
<br />
"The continued registration and approval of endosulfan in Australia is likely to have unintended effects on the environment that cannot be mitigated", said the report, which was prepared by the Environment Department and the Department of Health and Ageing.<br />
<br />
<br />
Please support the Global Ban on Endosulfan! <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://www.petitiononline.com/endoban/" href="http://petol.org/endoban" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://www.petitiononline.com/endoban/">http://petol.org/endoban</a><strong></strong></div>rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-27310827805022467532011-03-07T23:30:00.000+05:302011-03-07T23:30:28.134+05:30Noumpere - the UDRS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">MSDhoni's rant of "whether it is <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/story/503427.html">2.5m or 2.4 or 2.6</a>" had the ICC <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/story/503768.html">throwing the rule book at him</a> which had the <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/story/503900.html">BCCI solidly defending</a>. The media and expert commentators have done hardly anything to dispel the confusion surrounding the technology. I do wish that Cricinfo had taken the lead to explain the rule book and clauses therein. Instead we have <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/503924.html">Grey is the colour of DRS</a>. Everyone now knows that 2.5m is a criterion but how many talk of the associated 40cm sub-clause?</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Elementary, my dear captain!</b> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Let me make a layman attempt at explaining the rationale for the having numbers like 250 and 40 ...</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After pitching the ball hits the pad after 40cm. The ball has to travel a further 250cm, another 6.25 times the distance that it has already travelled (2.9m from the point the ball pitches to the stumps). Hawkeye has 40cm in which to judge the trajectory of the ball and extrapolate it to 250cm! If there is an error of 0.5cm in determining the point of impact of the ball on the pad, then the error will also get multiplied by 6.25 times (about 3+cm - which is about the radius of the ball). If Hawkeye determines that the ball will hit leg stump, a provision of 3+cm error has to be made. So in reality the ball could be missing leg ... The umpire's original decision could stand. Whereas if it hits anywhere on the middle stump, despite the 3cm error it will hit the stumps almost surely ... Thus the DRS can be used to overrule umpire's decision in this case and rightly so. With <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/story/504570.html">this recent change</a>, I'm glad that ICC has acknowledged the prowess of Hawkeye through this change, while the common man sees it as an admission of the failure of technology :-).</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What happens if the ball hits the pad closer to the stumps?</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If the ball hits the pad 60cm after pitching and there is a further 2.3m to go (2.9m from pitch to the stumps), then the error is multiplied only about 4 times. And Hawkeye has 60cm (50% more than 40cm) of video frames in which to determine/estimate the point of impact of the ball on the pad! The error would be less (say ~0.35cm) instead of the earlier 0.5cm ... The accuracy of Hawkeye's prediction in this case would increase drastically, wouldn't it?</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2.4, 2.5, 2.6 does matter, doesn't it?</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The geometry of the problem!</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A bit of geometry illustrates the small margin of error that Hawkeye has got to play with ...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQcyetC8u0HoMsmdRMrtFVLF4Iv3ca9f_1yQFa9aMlfgYzJv5_4HVWdP0DUZpL7NAIQ_MIG7Vj5-81LRPGW5w2gX6Y1C5np5POHaGMjR-c4tIcc44B1A1esNrGfntpcqafxaVMA/s1600/pitch.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQcyetC8u0HoMsmdRMrtFVLF4Iv3ca9f_1yQFa9aMlfgYzJv5_4HVWdP0DUZpL7NAIQ_MIG7Vj5-81LRPGW5w2gX6Y1C5np5POHaGMjR-c4tIcc44B1A1esNrGfntpcqafxaVMA/s640/pitch.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Consider the large triangle BCE. BC=290cm, CE=11.5cm. At point p1 on BC (Bp1=40), there is a line parallel to CE of length 'd', which cuts BE. What is the length of 'd'? What would be 'd' at points p2 (30cm from B), p3 (50cm). If instead of 'd' and error of 'e' is added at p1, CE would become longer by 3.5cm. What value of 'e' would result in 3.5cm at CE? Would the tolerance 'e' be higher at p1 or p2?</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Thoughts on the technology front</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is unlikely to be a foolproof prediction mechanism, let's make best use of what we have! In my view the makers of Hawkeye would be glad to put the 'confidence factor' on screen along with the trajectory displayed but would the experts/cricketers/arm-chair pundits be able to digest this?</div></div>rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-23200195949294180502010-07-19T23:32:00.008+05:302010-07-25T14:20:52.049+05:30Crop factor and Depth of Field!For a change, this crop factor isn't about birds or photography itself; am just seeding a thought :-). Hope you enjoy the pictures though ;-)<br /><br />I'd the privilege of attending the <span style="font-style:italic;">Vilanatti</span> celebration at the Khammana village in Wayanad/Kerala. Rice was transplanted as part of the village festival.<br /><br />Plough, Yoke, Hoe ...<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495260418004392114"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJIpxN_9qnOIEjlLNPaomLDRrzmHklEMd1Pz6O7OQX3ZmUPNchZWemvfVGL8pIFPqC8tfXQnsPsfNgFuJ_81i1PATPWXQ7_gaFRQ531H0DvrY1unsZxh92yK9LLVudl6YnIlXKg/s128/_MG_9485.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495260422393846658"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluvSaQlC3iC9KP6sO4kCbsg8Y1-n-QzszCTOTSGAOOqfVv83_Gc_4JTfbaHZRCS2CAyIz7D3q7OxDXPwnUQnXWp1fl-YA10QHChQdnt55hTeqqw4tBFfP6NTDW4fCayx9HGyv-Q/s128/_MG_9500.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495260846643003714"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxFdAVDcaIfN-HRtIX3yXVLQmsGN8U-R7duiVPNHZHW6BCprDxA0B91A1666ourH6KY8Orl1qvYyv8tE7Bzieh1u91a8fcxRd6AJu2o3fDAnDgFxjNOBSzcviNWDzU5KL4q84fA/s128/_MG_9501.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><br />Preparation afoot ...<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495261151744541970"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJKNhTCYEI2tis9LleUgRGnGs1Xtkjn8J6T70ZEu0KK0nJJMUmTpyouVjDot0D0t-x098MFJBqnFLAV9rkZVImoNoSX5TfqYFuMC1AjxMNeW3V7bsd5kf-Zt0zPflaNZchgIj_A/s128/_MG_9532.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495261156544276162"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhei9-8Dph-oD1GC0hyphenhyphenTB6lupOzuKQ9UXQ6ZKq9amkgSK9b_GRq7jc7C1UYt4t1GUeSS2fCCRlH8qpuA_7wY4I43wsS7onDREojx_3STzt7hheZxOo4wVYhLXQZ8VfjWA7xU2U5VA/s128/_MG_9536.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495261163548455266"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_OChriG-zY9uFbmU3ow8zzOEnWPRKoK97rDykwCGkdgk1k_I1cv-Y03IIguHZxIrGtHGM3w9u0K-14K_NOC5kpsQfPMPq0xvpgCYojyzVhsXSgO9M4YWDzaL31SB_UXRsrQOyQ/s128/_MG_9538.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><br /><br />Of the 100,000 varieties of rice, there was a snapshot of ~20 of them here. The focus was on improving the quality of the native rice varities through good seed selection. To get a critical mass of seeds, produced from the farms themselves, it could be a 2-year process.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495260418679929570"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYTUM6mf9CQQHyF1zGT96J_Ein_Xh1oy7U8ccf9jS9vqGW6OKtw8DrgG23AwdLncTDLEI6SC_NYThUsN8C-iWT5PWsGAD2GU5M2ZUDoBTtKCdxasTzbAn07A3DHc-pAgBYipAaXA/s128/_MG_9479.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495261339495163666"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkMtKml0kYD3u7_uH_7knIUrXsiYOGLITRSjO1TM80K4w6bG6bjnGZyn8bqiJKIn497S_dK85_IsgOGqv-9w8-8eM1n72C3lwL1SOL0J_S2JVpeYeakT9MuxBZ1Lc8_lKSnZnOw/s128/_MG_9557.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495260421853637682"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht179BOAs2iNIxjvvdvisjPO2rtkWkRBXMzrRCPIuHj_keI0JdaDX8Zl64T-Dk4npxhI2xZMjkEhdYbK7KnIsVk7CxRdtJ3k4yhBpZtYnIVmVEQ6qac03E1klq3XP7cZSOSOCQ0Q/s128/_MG_9491.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />Rice varieties and the Rice Sprouts<br /><br />The seed companies are a real threat to the farming practice. They would patent varieties of rice, seeds and control farming in India. It is a huge market. The large companies just need to control the seeds :-). It is important that GM seeds don't become the only variety allowed to be planted in India. <span style="font-weight:bold;">The control of seeds should remain with the farmer.</span><br /><br /><br />The seedlings are ready for transplanting ...<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495260848738961474"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4z3pF8ikX74mcxbTTukmC-hl8872Lag7v7iLFaDWpfxwRv-U60ysSDOMQ_rnjdQueNRHmBeMVR1WZnjvGuDs2eKZoeKHygelBMOOPzNRLbr7cXlekUxHCJv06Dsl_QuITOvGWQ/s128/_MG_9511.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495260847646203010"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRyhtNz5qZLmDGnmNICcJbl24X8rAKhIsRS7gwaprqqzjevQpyZ30ZB85WwR7e7vE2lordyezRALDVw6O_8rDhIrGRnn6EA1FPRdP4pZO-bu-hfOyvQZp5DbFbIKN59xunj-OBg/s128/_MG_9512.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495285580534151186">Transport before Transplanting!<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghyphenhyphenh3yB-7y8B9dX5Czpp6t0Lu9k7rhIUfhaQ7xHYAlbo3lMIPhy2EE888ebU4RIV3_DRpAg43eUIWTFvfOTajvpdRlDDNYjar0YRpWfc_LY4JlOD5OH2OJRHECR2nexDkVm1ggQ/s128/_MG_9564-TransportingSaplings.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495261352093865570"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBHHSVsfuTK_1Zhe_iSVaRBK1WjMj5WWG2JGp1_-Ykg-osggij8tpxXK4ToW-ypYTcycSoDZys49evDunM6bOFdUmRaKSe3MVgl1GA8IRw0AjQJdhiyeQBLZKQ3fSpx84nJumZA/s128/_MG_9566.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><br /><br />Even the MLA had come over ... the minister unfortunately couldn't :-(<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495261332211503474">A sound reception<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DcWKIoP5gWXQh7ZyeU47uGJTxgnyME3p5xANTVM-9Edou294jzPlMbWTckLz8Sx52IZXzWmYQcw-1UhqvrMU-KT8ylQMmKZrEp1e35alJWuczERD6Nx1JuEFabgI-UIsEKQPtQ/s128/_MG_9550.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495261338086322434"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSsipXnwcsvBY10ByX4Qqab0osFRKX9sMBzquWchfox6GmWhREn-jnWA3l1Vyv0vImpUmsyb1M7Mc4fhoCVSPc8ken-tnmwKGQ6RcaN8p1ikVWVmPX2hCftsbR6psAzLZNj6UCQ/s128/_MG_9552.jpg" width="66" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495285581908388898"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzM0bFsPOn_cnY5RL3gEsZuM7zdVwlhP9kT7GGQ_JOs1nxYmY3W1qsmnWov9d102wxaXXZUjejm0q3RPVB9rBU1lvf8KZsrQ_lhwK7efGgug67PERGdhmIT9teB0jjF9udhTTMA/s128/_MG_9556-DignitariesArrive.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495261352278708194"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDUwj544Pc_u2w3EIiGr4J2DmBuy3CxXaLCkqk9e-RAmEbxSTdH2CcsvtFuUlejUhYQfvdX0WxsRRf5Z4BcBA-0Bg5pYGEI_4D27HHglVaDFfV-gnt2GUcrGBJ7l2EdtVWINvGA/s128/_MG_9561.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><br />Getting down to the action ...<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495262639265053970"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4uwkp57cKR0AyFPej5rY63LdU19WSzAnJcEWsmrANPkGkew204Fg4wQPmISW7TFh_nN3ZCugTnqj1Sn1hMAlyAMPCRBoacyTNkgHNKVgr3qKpRU2QegJGXqI1CXe0lZFd39ApA/s128/_MG_9571.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495262641811163586"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHbbG3OIBq2iT6n7vH8WYrKW1kB7dtSPbIdoGoFmWOUWAfdSKDwnDDwWispApzJ_Za3hbsTFEGEiz9sX9PDDCj2G_DlxwIdcmITr628fKzO-HwrKl0cUbmrsE54tDybQP0LTiaw/s128/_MG_9573.jpg" width="66" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLIMv1MFT_4m7Xb99iTplN8z6CyQCsU8sz_jyrxbMNj_Rnsz5Z_ca3ssh7Yy5u-qzCx42oDcGjti0CKhrWhBYDYCwakHOR8n0ZQuUYDdCuGI2Y52mjwpDVLuTJ5HX6kmLgM9Qhw/s128/_MG_9576.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLIMv1MFT_4m7Xb99iTplN8z6CyQCsU8sz_jyrxbMNj_Rnsz5Z_ca3ssh7Yy5u-qzCx42oDcGjti0CKhrWhBYDYCwakHOR8n0ZQuUYDdCuGI2Y52mjwpDVLuTJ5HX6kmLgM9Qhw/s128/_MG_9576.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495262989416782066">Experts and the First-timers ...<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPpLBxp9hIidTMImG5mz50_XXS73n9U2ERH145XurDRuAwdg8Wmerof9FRRLCjt66NQEw5JJSkxpZJ7M3nUEHyNBcUUmrp6X_ENlNEY7Ac9UiUC9JdiCXSJqOoplXg6S9c4czfg/s128/_MG_9586.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495262989919085746"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgKtP6oZSDp6KJ9DRWnUcee7VCqkI6gV8hpc7_fDbdcUN3zEN5js4ZIPGf8jEjc2H5NJnKUGPHlUuuib_a0zjh_l4w-1VkIwvKYVdW4Ef-6RTVFxZrx-gka2NWLx0o0Zg-VcS7w/s128/_MG_9588.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495262993149456338"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3Sb6i1qGZYJgSuqZj1i7BMUw0Z6xDVcv_y7RYHEjt8tjLYtmsmA5bQoTBCd3eNyRbqZfgxhp5HGMme3xRnVY5KrqTUoMASPoPlhmRJBdC8buNxpbpldahP77MLbNZmw77HETQw/s128/_MG_9592.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495262998356251250"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WG8w-gDaInYLRqXjZes2_pBH3WLCo56Wi_tNQWnsBFgXEngsAisNNzvCcPwis2QkriVzFHCAbXHCryqbZB-dpEFQ7JG5RItuieAcAvrmML24JeXGNhq9wlYuw4LUtUv_T5HTVA/s128/_MG_9603.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495263245925127954"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIqYyviYRRGTVUUXZnBEWuUeAJJElb8b-sgMZMvUleKZqtvscUi6SccwtTwgu6md82aQJ16C8T4bOCE0d6kkvzJ6FjjFncnSRDOlpJNLT3QRMWwFHyAh_PZRkkid7YcXj8Pdgmg/s128/_MG_9606.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495263258495840402"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2UcHTVouJcxVTk-WMguQkgMPLhtjiJfha_2VliYqnbF0le-2rQhxkrNLVcpMszoPWMWlzvRGHr-xrKw2UO9zblYA32R8-jTeHyRIaBiglCht2pAM3kl8DVIOhKKMFIF9FNHquQ/s128/_MG_9620.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495263508096265026"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFqj0aQBAuayipF_LNZb3v0wxCd6HWAa_f92tL03L0XfGx5owWqXexMtMUp5YY_3iohKUD1wK1kNMl9HuQemE89i1KmR48cfyEIisQlp-amDlOHtq3aMh3yWDkjFpuaHHlL9Bag/s128/_MG_9622-SeedRegistry.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />The Speech Acts ...; Usha Chechi has the minister speaking online; The release of The Bio-diversity Registry of Khammana<br /><br />Usha Chechi is from <a href="http://www.thanal.co.in/">Thanal</a>. Thanal is a Public Interest Research, Advocacy, Education and Action Trust with the mission "Gather for all beings". I liked her fire, belief, concern, ...<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495263513437037874"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLbqbzGuJ-x6gUMo_cGawak-tTRNPd61dXf_Fz7XuYi0NzPRmP8RwjWrYNyWU0Gnd_x478OH7vlen7QvJrC7uwxzfMwvAzpUGeM-h6x7njFrA3_HHr7cKMNmxmGxDs0xR7rC2tw/s128/_MG_9749-RamettanAndFriends.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495263512443541538"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nUf7GNpU63eINKL_nJo0oPmPUC3jx48zJyTHuhMWAe1VpNLWkkTVrSJ7BgL39wxmiqdVUGfnCZVjxtF3Hg2pdjM28r1gafrJrYfK2Qsjhx4xiHVTTV2-HpBRuNqlMVwV2V58WA/s128/_MG_9751-Chieftain.jpg" width="67" /></a><br />Ramettan with friends; The Chieftain in a pleasant mood.<br /><br />Ramettan, the tribal farmer, speaks science and panchayat politics! He believes that it is an important mix to ensure progress of the village and the community!! The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurichiya">Kurichiya</a> community fought with Pazhassi Raja against the British.<br /><br /><br />In perspective ...<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495260844351101218"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3dgyq5OqdcvTn4W0QnSqo9Kltt8nx7P2M1lCMJKQaFj8w-cBs5KRpFJptyh-iMSVdUBjOQwCfWP_VsiglPH_HBdRQP3u4fPRfpq8sYaxAFzvpZjsjBRvQtkdr7ocOReMLpPUUg/s128/_MG_9504.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495261149708376594"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDbTRZN4kNNwUWUN7_UAeStSEVS-ZtspeeihG8pRLlUg5pIKiBBgnyShb740kLCJ7z1RhGIwNwSohtKkKh8U6RSQ0C7t0Pf14P_Uuidi270n55zmmTzW47lGXBMXNVHufW2WfjA/s128/_MG_9526.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495263256079583538"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7E7nlwPci1LU9_s7Ljmj20HVDlFVYTQmRlbac6UPoqbo6WC6ArDU01CkzeUrBL7t8HjKdOlEfvZoyegc2GaJOZS38xaUz9efG2mUKg6CakbUKhQ0xbgVdkwLHGG744hJIo0OT3w/s128/_MG_9617.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />Beauty at every level; A field of view; Dragon flies can help handle pests ...<br /><br /><br />My photoblog would be incomplete without the picture of a bird ;-)<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rb.rajesh/VilanattiKhammanaWayanad#5495263508860897634">Flora or Fauna?<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46ontCfgeQl57IfPlPI2GUggCjaScGGlXzjr-4E_PLBp5w82fA_pbmqtLRQuVHhV9tdK93_ipsk56SDCP8sTkYfj1Gn03e7UFOsU1HkriOFL4l7j3fLtZv46F3Tk5KzoWXES36A/s128/_MG_9630-CoconutLeafBird.jpg" width="69" /></a><br />This bird is woven using a coconut leaf :-)<br /><br />Hope you think about the farmers when you head out for lunch :-)rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com5Wayanad, Kerala, India11.7501519 76.000516411.413883400000001 75.533597399999991 12.0864204 76.4674354tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-4615772536681009692009-05-05T22:11:00.005+05:302009-05-05T22:54:23.344+05:30Insignificant test career and Stumped!Of what use is a Test career with zero runs, zero wickets, and zero catches? This has featured in Cricinfo's <a href="http://content.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/402290.html">Ask Steven</a> recent columns. Patrick Kidd in his <a href="http://timesonline.typepad.com/line_and_length/2009/04/thanks-for-coming.html">Times column</a> mentions that only TASekhar has a 2-Test career.<br /><br />One of those who qualifies for this 0,0,0 career, <a href="http://content.cricinfo.com/india/content/player/33027.html">Rajindernath</a>, actually has no catches but 4 stumpings :-). Some interesting ones that can stump you ...<br /><pre><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/content/player/47186.html">PWSherwell</a> 20 16<br /><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/content/player/47867.html">TAWard</a><span style="font-family:courier new;"> 19 13</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><a href="http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/content/player/34741.html">PKSen</a> 20 11<br /></span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/content/player/6014.html" class="data-link">AH Jarvis</a><span style="font-family:courier new;"> 9 9</span><br /><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/content/player/21639.html" class="data-link">EFS Tylecote</a><span style="font-family:courier new;"> 5 5</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">Rajindernath 0 4</span></pre>No stumping list is complete without Bert Oldfield (78, 52).<br />And there's <a href="http://content.cricinfo.com/india/content/player/53915.html">Anju</a> with 51 stumpings and 30 catches in her ODI career :-)rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-15458449044670158662009-02-20T00:09:00.002+05:302009-05-05T22:09:56.684+05:30Pulp FictionI'd been to Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary with family on 25/Jan/2008. It was a fun trip and the kids enjoyed it. I was hoping to get some good photos of the birds but wasn't as successful.<br /><br />As we returned to the parking lot, I noticed some little bird activity in a tree. A little bird (flowerpecker?) was trying to pick a fruit. I knelt down with my 300mm lens and went trigger happy. The picture quality is average but I'm happy that I was able to capture this behaviour of the bird, the whole sequence.<br /><br />View my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rajesh_balakrishnan/tags/pulpfiction/">Pulp Fiction</a>.rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-47339863405978811262009-01-31T00:22:00.019+05:302009-01-31T14:49:30.065+05:30Stump the Bearded Wonder ...Bill Frindall is <a href="http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/england/content/story/388423.html">no more</a>. I always enjoyed reading his '<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/tms/6246070.stm">Stump the Bearded Wonder</a>' column.<br />
<br />
We will miss his knowledge and the humor that he brought to the seemingly dry subject of scoring/statistics.rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com0Bangalore, Karnataka, India12.971606 77.59437612.6370475 77.127456999999993 13.3061645 78.061295tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-36132785915121292962008-12-15T22:35:00.000+05:302008-12-15T22:43:39.603+05:30Great win for Test Cricket!India, England, and Test Cricket won the first Test at Chennai.<br />
<br />
England had the upper hand for a good part of the Test. 387 is a good target but when Sehwag gets going there isn't much that can be done! Sachin played a winning knock, Gambhir, Yuvraj contributed a good deal too.<br />
<br />
Strauss joins an elite list of Herbert Sutcliffe, George Headley, Vijay Hazare, Clyde Walcott, Sunil Gavaskar, Andy Flower, and Brian Lara with two centuries in a losing cause!rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com1Bangalore, Karnataka, India12.971606 77.59437612.6370475 77.127456999999993 13.3061645 78.061295tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-8934420950382704542008-12-09T22:03:00.002+05:302008-12-09T22:07:25.939+05:30Photos from the India-Aus first test at BangaloreI've (finally!) uploaded pictures from the first India vs Australia Test match (9-Oct-2008).<br /><br />Hope you like watching <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rajesh_balakrishnan/tags/indiavsaustralia/">Sachin, Ponting, Ishant, and some unorthodox shots</a>!rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-76971020256860043922008-12-08T22:44:00.003+05:302008-12-08T22:48:37.763+05:30Thank you, EnglandWe are grateful to the English Cricket Team for agreeing to play the Tests in India. It is a very courageous decision and India appreciates the cricketers for being united during the tough decision making process.<br /><br />I hope that the does very well. You've won already!rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-6506832603162664762008-07-21T23:13:00.001+05:302008-07-24T23:27:30.036+05:30Speech is Silver!Recently I discovered that "Speech is Silver"!<br /><br /><div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Speech == Argument</div><div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Silver == Argentum</div><br />Speech is a mumble-<i>jumble</i> of Silver ...<br />QEDrb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-79505939588513373442008-07-20T08:53:00.001+05:302008-07-20T09:05:05.551+05:30Statistics, where does it lie?<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Consider that a team has lost 5 wickets, where is the final score likely to lie? The last 5 wickets are likely to add only ~113 runs (110-116) irrespective of the starting scores (e.g. 300/5, 400/5, 500/5, 600/5). Strange but true ...<br /><br />Charles Davis, on Cricinfo's It Figures, does a fine statistical analysis of the <a href="http://blogs.cricinfo.com/itfigures/archives/2008/07/extrapolating_high_scores_in_t.php">likely final score</a> for an unfinished innings!<br /><br />Which would be a bigger final score, SL's 952/6d or WI's 790/3d? SL might've reached 1028 vs WI's 996!! WI's chances of exceeding 1028 is 24% ...<br /><br />Can this technique be applied to 'not out' innings as well? We could possibly determine Sachin's final score for 248* but it would be tricky for 400*, I guess. Would the averages be affected drastically? <br /><br />Who says that cricket is just aggression? In this case, it is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regression_analysis">regression</a> ...</span>rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-2808050941942702152008-07-08T22:41:00.003+05:302008-07-08T22:45:35.445+05:30Our country ...During a recent chat with friends, a few statements were heard ...<br /><br />"We, in the US ..."<br />"India is my country ..."<br /><br />I chimed in: "Malaysia is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.my">.my</a> country" ;-)rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-23939190208023818702008-07-08T22:33:00.003+05:302008-07-08T22:46:23.878+05:30She taught me that ...On a fine morning my daughter (< 3 years old) was trying to pick up a soft toy (a black and white panda).<br /><br /><small>(Conversation in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayalam_language">Malayalam</a>, our native tongue)</small><br />Doter: "Can you get me that chimpanzee?"<br />Me: "I don't see any chimpanzee!" (<span style="font-style: italic;">despite knowing she was looking for that panda!</span>)<br />Doter: "That chimpanzee over there ..."<br />Me: "That is not a chimpanzee"<br />Doter: "I want that chimpanzee"<br /><br /><small>I decide to teach her about classes/generic/specifics ...<br />(after all, my age in years is more than hers in months :-))</small><br />Me: "If you ask for that 'animal', I shall get it"<br />Doter: "Ok, get me that animal"<br />Me: "Here it is. It is called a 'Panda'"<br /><br /><a name="cutid1"></a>Doter: "In <em>English</em> it is called 'chimpanzee'"<br /><br />... and I learnt a lot!<br /><br /><a name="entry_79246"></a>rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-23583634170542667402008-07-03T02:56:00.000+05:302008-07-03T03:09:41.445+05:30New Zealand's Ire on Ireland!An <a href="http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/scotland/engine/match/325554.html">Ireland vs New Zealand</a> ODI match entered the cricket record books.<br /><ul><li>The 290 run victory is the biggest ever!</li><li>Both openers scored 150+ runs, the first such instance. Dravid and Tendulkar had scored 154/186 in an ODI but this is the first by the openers.</li><li>154 runs were scored in the last 10 overs, beating the earlier record of <a href="http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/250668.html">146</a>.</li></ul>Why are these matches official ODIs? They aren't worthy of being one!rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-48073438272958853992008-06-27T23:47:00.004+05:302008-06-27T23:55:43.131+05:30Chanderpaul - The long lasting ...... Duracell of all time?<br /><br />During the <a href="http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/wivaus/engine/series/319122.html">Aus-WI series</a>, Chanderpaul repeated his long standing ability! During his 18 hours between dismissals, he had seen 18 wickets go down at the other end!! It is an extremely rarely incident. Against India (2002) he saw 21 wickets fall, which could be the record! He had 20 wickets in 2007.<br /><br />This is his fourth stint of <a href="http://content-www.cricinfo.com/columns/content/story/139245.html">1000 minutes between dismissals</a>, which is a record!!! Nasser Hussain, Sachin, Dravid, Kallis have all done it once each ...<br /><br />Sangakkara had a streak of 18 wickets during his 100*, 156* knocks where he had scored over 50% of the team's score in two consecutive innings! Jacques Rudholph had a streak of 18 wickets between dismissals too.rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-39368703756364236332008-06-15T22:50:00.004+05:302008-06-16T00:00:54.342+05:30Get the Factz right!<span style="font-family:arial;">How well does <a href="http://www.powerset.com/blog/articles/2008/06/08/find-factz-get-a-t-shirt">Powerset</a> get its Factz right?<br /><ol><li><span style="font-family:arial;">A cricketer's favourite query is <a href="http://www.powerset.com/explore/go/is-sachin-god">Is Sachin God</a>? Factz gets it right! :-). Of course, Sourav is not far behind ;-).</span></li><br /><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;">A traditional set theory query of </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.powerset.com/explore/go/is-null-set-a-sub-set">Is Null set a Sub set</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> gives a Power Set response! This definitely is a conspiracy by Powerset ;-)</span></span></li><br /><li>Another query "<a href="http://www.powerset.com/explore/go/who-killed-gandhi">Who killed Gandhi</a>?" ...<br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><b>Factz from Wikipedia: we found that the following <span class="header_item">kill</span> <span class="header_item">Gandhi</span></b><br />madman, Nathuram Godse, Nathu Ram Godse and assassin<br /><div style="height: 1.25em; width: 100%; font-family: arial;" class="subjects_list list_type"><a class="title" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.powerset.com/explore/semhtml/Nathuram_Godse?sids=27">Nathuram Godse</a> He said, "No one should think that Gandhi was killed by a madman".<br /></div></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The results also correctly include the assassinations of Rajiv Gandhi and Indira Gandhi.<br />But Nathuram Godse did not intend "madman" to be listed as an assassin of Gandhiji!</span></li></ol><br />I believe that in Semantic Retrieval it is important to handle "negation". It is non-trivial but very important as it modifies the semantics. "Negation" highlights the need to use NLP technologies in improving retrieval quality and "the intent" ...<br /><br />Overall I'm impressed with the results of Powerset. It does get the Factz right ...<br /></span>rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-39137039608836534152008-06-15T22:32:00.004+05:302008-06-15T23:59:19.240+05:30Firefox-3 World Record effort<span style="font-family:arial;">Are you participating in the Firefox Download Day record effort? Well, I've pledged to! 17/June is THE day. What do the astrologers say? :-)<br /><br />One factor that could prevent enthusiasts from switching immediately would be the extensions! Not all extensions would've been made FF3 compatible :-(. In my case <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/125">switch proxy</a> would be an example, I'll now have to look for an alternative (foxy proxy?). The guys with too many extensions that haven't been upgraded will find it difficult!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.spreadfirefox.com/en-US/worldrecord"><img alt="Download Day 2008" title="Download Day 2008" src="http://www.spreadfirefox.com/sites/all/themes/spreadfirefox_RCS/images/download-day/buttons/en-US/180x150_02.png" border="0" /></a><br /></span>rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-5771154594866726682008-06-13T00:07:00.004+05:302008-06-13T00:24:46.806+05:30An Elementary search on Powerset!<span style="font-family: arial;">A search for the only <a href="http://www.powerset.com/explore/go/liquid-non%252Dmetallic-element">liquid non-metallic element</a> doesn't yield Bromine but <a href="http://www.powerset.com/explore/go/liquid-nonmetallic-element">liquid nonmetallic element</a> does! "non-metallic" and "nonmetallic" are not treated the same ... Maybe it isn't elementary after all :-)</span>rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-39206423973401211472008-06-12T23:53:00.002+05:302008-06-13T00:01:46.316+05:30Searching for the Eight Degree Channel?<span style="font-family: arial;">Check out the Powerset Factz for the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.powerset.com/explore/go/eight-degree-channel">Eight Degree Channel</a><span style="font-family: arial;">!</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Powerset identifies that the channel actually "separates" two islands!<br />Wow!!</span><br /><h3 style="font-family: arial;" class="title">Factz from Wikipedia: we found that <span class="header_item">Eight Degree Channel</span> <span class="header_item">separated</span> the following </h3><table style="font-family: arial;" id="mouse_results"><tbody><tr class="even"></tr><tr class="even"><td style="width: 139px;" class="subject follow"> <a style="display: none;" title="Click to show results for Eight Degree Channel" class="subject_clone"> Eight Degree Channel </a><a style="cursor: default; padding-top: 6px; margin-top: -7px;" title="Click to show results for Eight Degree Channel" id="powermouse_subject" class="current follow_type"> Eight Degree Channel </a> </td> <td style="width: 79px;" class="relation"> <a title="Click to show results for "Eight Degree Channel separated"" class="powermouse_relation_link active current" stringid="separated" href="http://www.powerset.com/explore/go/eight-degree-channel" id="r7183b71ab6dea5efa572fad6ab9da7b8898df0a3">separated</a> : </td> <td style="width: 514px;" class="object list"> <div style="height: 1.25em; width: 100%;" class="objects_list list_type"> <a title="Click to show results for "Eight Degree Channel separated Laccadive"" class="powermouse_object_link active current" stringid="laccadive" href="http://www.powerset.com/explore/go/eight-degree-channel" id="o7183b71ab6dea5efa572fad6ab9da7b8898df0a3">Laccadive</a> and <a title="Click to show results for "Eight Degree Channel separated Amindivi Islands"" class="powermouse_object_link" stringid="amindivi_islands" href="http://www.powerset.com/explore/go/eight-degree-channel" id="ob1b96bf2a7c7736a71696ffc58ffbf4318f09681">Amindivi Islands</a>. </div></td></tr></tbody></table>rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-53198042540992164952008-06-12T23:42:00.004+05:302008-06-12T23:53:07.692+05:30Photos from the Ranganathittu Bird SanctuaryIn early May, I'd visited the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranganathittu_Bird_Sanctuary">Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary</a> (near Mysore, India). The birds are lovely and present in large numbers though many had already migrated out of the sanctuary in April. Check out the <a href="http://www.zooomr.com/photos/rajeshbalakrishnan/sets/32336/">full-sized images on Zooomr</a> or <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rajesh_balakrishnan/tags/ranganathittu/">on Flickr</a>.<br /><br />Which one did you like the most? I loved the orange little egret, snowy egret, the details of the black headed ibis, and the geometry of the stork wings ... I enjoyed capturing a 10MP image of a stork in flight - it was perfect timing and I may not repeat it again! :-)rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-6268254316217633402008-05-19T22:54:00.005+05:302008-05-19T23:22:37.744+05:30What is in Flynn's name?Q: <a href="http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/newzealand/content/player/37095.html">Daniel Flynn</a> of New Zealand made his Test Debut on May 15. What is the significance (since the days of C.B.Fry)?<br /><br /><br />A: Flynn probably has the longest name with no vowels (beat Fry?).<br /><br />Flynn is not first one with 5 consecutive consonants in the name. Notable ones with 5 consonants include: WW aRMSTRong, STRYDom, CoNYNGHam, LiLLYWHite, etc. The ODIs have seen DaLRYMPLe (6!) and Eric SzwaRCZYNSKi (7!!)<br /><br /><br />Of course, I should Ask Steven this! Ah, that reminds me that Wisden has SYCLD Berry and Steven LYNCH ...rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-37240957935721331722008-04-17T01:55:00.002+05:302008-04-17T01:59:56.024+05:30Birds of KannurI've uploaded some animal and bird <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rajesh_balakrishnan/">photos on Flickr</a>. They are mostly from Kannur except for the elephant and gaur at the Muthanga Wildlife sanctuary.<br /><br />I liked 'the call of the sparrow', 'Suspended Flying fox', 'Strolling up', and the mongoose.<br /><br />I should find the names of the birds and update the photos.rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-90022320647817030392008-04-06T13:52:00.000+05:302008-04-06T14:00:41.615+05:30Birds of RanganathittuRecently my friend Thej posted lovely pictures of the <a href="http://thejeshgn.com/2008/03/17/birds-of-ranganatittu/">Birds of Ranganathittu</a>. Ranganthittu is on my wish list of 'must visit' places now!<br /><br />I requested my avid bird-watching friend Jayachandran (JC) to comment on the birds. He has identified most of them! Thanks JC and Thej. Hope our Ranganathittu trip materializes in May ...rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-13486788740959864732008-04-06T13:36:00.001+05:302008-05-20T01:10:39.328+05:30Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 WA lensThe Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 is an interesting wide angle lens. Wide angle lenses rarely come a fixed f/2.8! The zoom range is fairly constrained due to this (unlike Canon's 10-22 or even Tokina's 12-24)<br /><br />I see a couple of reviews; <a href="http://www.kenrockwell.com/tokina/11-16mm.htm">Ken Rockwell</a>, <a href="http://shashinki.com/blog/2008/03/01/review-tokina-11-16mm-f28-apherical-at-x-116-pro-dx/">Koh Kho King</a>. I am tempted to get one to cover the wide angle range! :-)rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8591441.post-54178865067028732432008-04-06T13:22:00.000+05:302008-04-06T14:01:50.941+05:30Outscoring themselves in the second innings!In the recent <a href="http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/indvrsa/engine/match/332912.html">SA-India second test</a>, the Indians recovered in the second innings. Each batsmen scored more than their first innings score!<br /><br />How often does that happen? I think that SL did that recently. Bangladesh swapped the innings in their very first test (first innings was better)!<br /><br /><br />Earlier in the <a href="http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/indvrsa/engine/match/332911.html">first test</a>, the first seven partnerships were each worth at least 47 runs!! Nice team performance indeed! The Indian team on the other hand scored 86/8 (sans Jaffer, Sehwag, Dravid); is the 76/10 of the second test a big surprise? ;-)rb stumpedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11455089631680681858noreply@blogger.com1