Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The future is already here - Welcome to Space Age

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Welcome to Space Age - The future is already here



“The real issue is not travelling at the speed of light, rather travelling safely at hyper-velocities!!”



For the first time in my life I feel like I have run out of words. I don’t know how to say what I want to say. Perhaps a simple statement like “I am fascinated by space” might have been suffice on any other occasion and for any other person, but for me space has an altogether different meaning. Perhaps you might suggest that I have a habit of catching a bus to the city, then a train to the outermost suburb, then complete the journey in opposite and back to my house, every time I feel the urge to micturate. Perhaps a few words before the real content might shower some light on my strange fascination for space.



As a philosopher I have always questioned, “Where is this space lying and why is it lying there? Who put it there and why? What was the need for it to be there, for it to exist? What and where is all this volume which is occupied by space? Why did it have to exist? Why did we have to exist?” These questions will make more sense if you were to pick up a utensil and look at the space inside it. You know where that space exists; in the utensil, off-course!



An ardent adventurer cum hopeless romantic, I have always felt a unique connection with the space. Space with all its’ vastness represents a state of freedom. Every direction is free, free for me to explore if only I had the means and resources. When I see myself in this space, I feel like a naughty child in a big playground with so many swings and joyrides, and everything just for me.



As a businessman the space represents an un-extinguishable resource of minerals and everything humans might ever need. The only problem is how to tap it? And this includes space tourism as well. I would rather set up a five star hotel each on the remaining nine planets (in case you missed the last planet count) and also provide space shuttles.



But alas, these are only dreams until fulfilled!



However these dreams have often drawn me towards the issues blocking the advancement of humanity towards subjugation and degeneration of space (unfortunately that is what we humans will do once we are able to master space; ruin, pollute and degrade everything). But what can an ordinary man do, you might hurtfully ask, reminding me all my harsh realities, you sick criminals.



What if I said even Albert Einstein was once an ordinary man before he fell in love with Science?



I have already provided one answer to the world which makes up an important piece of the puzzle of space travel; how to tackle the safety issue.



Travelling at the speed of light, which is 3 X 108 meters per second, might not be possible for many decades to come but the problem is not how fast we can travel. Even if light from Sun can get to Pluto in 5 hours and 40 minutes while we can only get there in 12 months or more, it doesn’t make any difference. The important issue is to get there first, safe and sound.



Safety while flying through space is a very tricky issue. To elaborate further, there is an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, made up of unknown number of rock of varying sizes and shapes. There may be bits and pieces of comets left strewn in space, ice cubes, frozen gas masses and countless other objects. And in case we dream to venture beyond our solar system, we will have to navigate through the rock-minefield called “Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt”. The worst part is, unless these objects are directly in the light, they can’t even be noticed when lost in the shadows of the bigger entities like planets and moons. Neither is the space mapped, nor is the position of anything constant in space. They are all either orbiting around the sun or around the planets and moons. Now the speeds that we are talking about for travelling, even a small pebble could spell doom for the entire craft. It was only one missing piece of tile that led to the “Columbia” disaster.



So what is the answer to this problem?



For those of you who have already read my two novels, “GOD of a man” and “Mishiida Alexander”, or who read my tweets at “PeaceLoveAdvice”, you would be well aware of some of the most revolutionary concepts I introduced in both of my novels. If you read them only for entertainment and didn’t realize their potential, please blame it on my poor writing skills.



In my second novel “Mishiida Alexander” I introduced a very simple concept of providing spacecraft safety. I explained how the alien technology was based on coupling two devices, a radar which magnetized incoming objects, and solenoids which gave magnetic polarity to the crafts to repel the incoming objects. Well, I am not sure of the rest of the world but I am sure the American Defense Research Organizations are already on to the concept in order to provide a protective shield to the army vessels and crafts. They would have got the idea and started expanding it as I will explain below. However, as noted in above paragraphs, the technology is meant for the advancement of human race and not to kill each other more effectively. I am a peace loving man.



Anyway, coming back to the topic let me remind you all of a very simple law of electro-physics:



“Like charges repel each other!!”



The principle is simple, if we ionize an object and give it an electrical polarity, it will be fervently repelled by an electric field of similar charge.



To put this concept into practical use a craft or a vessel or a spaceship will have to be fitted with two devices:



1. One that emits polarizing radiations so as to inundate an incoming projectile or its’ fragments with electrically charged particles, like say using an electron gun.

2. Another that creates a similarly charged electric field around the object.



Once the devices have been mounted and activated the craft or vessel or spaceship will have a protective shield around it that would be something similar to the protective shields made synonymous with alien crafts in the Sci-fi genre.



Now imagine a spacecraft flying through space at breakneck speeds. If an object, large or small, un-traceable or traced too late, was to intersect the craft in its’ flight path, it will be layered with charge by the polarizing radiation emitted by the gun while the electric field around the craft will toss the projectile away without it ever coming in contact with the craft.



So, haven’t I given a direction to work on in case humanity decides to step out into the space as if we own it, which philosophically I doubt, as a romantic I believe, as an adventurer I hope and as a businessman I want.



Enjoy #PeaceMakers, the space age has begun!!



Fatal Urge Carefree Kiss,

Amanpreet Singh Rai

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Saturday, February 18, 2012

Alternate Dreams

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Alternate Dreams



“A race not free to dream has lost its’ future before its’ present!!”



As an eternal optimist, I am habitual of counting seven rainbows when there is none, on a moonless night. No surprises what irks me the most happens to be the spate of alternate and realistic endings that have become a staple of every movie industry, or is about to. Why this obsession with negativity?



Ok! Why this obsession with criticizing, some of you might ask. The rude ones’ might even go the whole nine yards and try to pull out my beard even before my hair has popped out of the follicles. What issue do I have with dreams and what the heck has it got to do with how a movie ends?



Well, let me put it after I have put this;



“Alternate and Realistic endings irreparably damage the moral fabric of the society and poison its’ psychological health!!”



Now that makes it two halves of one circle!



And here is how I get down and dirty with both, with due protection, off-course!



One of the movies I recently watched was “The Real Steel”, a decent movie, captivating visuals, honest acting and crap ending.



Given the fact that one of three main protagonists of the movie was a child, and the story trudges along from a child’s perspective, who wants his father to redeem himself, the movies falter, ne, flatters to deceive in the end.



Let me put it this way;



“What possible harm would have happened to the whole wide world if the movie had ended with Atom actually knocking the reigning champion out and claiming an outright victory?”



But no, the ending had to be realistic! Atom had to give a close contest yet loose on points, claiming moral victory. Do kids actually understand the concept of moral victories? What happened to the good old fairy tales and godmothers? Is this what we want to teach our kids; that dream big as long as it is within the limits and confines of your real world?



Can our kids not even dream big now?



And it is not just about kids, it’s about grown-ups like you and me!



Each one of us is living a struggle of our own. We all know the travesties of life and the prickly thorns it dishes up every day. Each one of us is fighting our own little battle and there are days when we all are up-beat and days when we are down-browed. At the end of it all, if we spent a few bucks of our hard earned money to go and watch a piece meant to entertain us, we do so to get away from those harsh truths of ours. We want to be taken to a land where dreams are big and achievable. We all know what suffering is and no decent human being wants to see another of his kind suffer what he or she themselves have, or just plainly suffer for any reason. When we go and watch cinema we want to see those who look like ourselves, living lives that may or may not be like ours, struggle to succeed. We want to see them overcome their suffering and achieve their dreams and aspirations because the thought of their contentment gives us a pleasure that alleviates our own sufferings even if momentarily. It gives us peace, even if temporary. Our lives become easier.



What is the point of going and watching a movie with an intention to forget our own travails only to step out with our mind burning with questions that concern someone who doesn’t even exist? When we are already trouble with the question “What will happen of this thing I am in”, why should we be burdened with a red-herring, “What if he or she had done this”? We want to forget our own sorrows or enhance our own happiness. Why should our spirits be dampened by the plight of something fictional as in, “So sad. Shouldn’t have happened like that!”



Have we even lost our freedom to dream happy things? We always knew dreams are only dreams, but they made us happy. Have we lost our rights to be happy even in our dreams?



Are you going to tell your child a story, “Once upon a time, there was a very handsome Prince and a very beautiful Princess. You were their ordinary servant”? Doesn’t this story sound realistic?



Are you going to tell your kid to dream of a rainbow but in black and white because he cannot afford to buy his own color television out of his pocket money?



Such realistic endings are akin to a Master Chef from a grand hotel serving you with the biggest and the best cake you have ever seen, on your very own birthday, covered with the sweetest icing, and the reddest cherry on top. And then the Chef brings out a live turkey and makes it poop on top of your cherry since the cake is complimentary from the hotel. Now isn’t it realistic? You are getting it for free! Just toss the cherry away!



Compromising with reality generally means giving up your ambitions, desires and dreams. You are inadvertently accepting defeat and giving up your fight for a better future. You are losing your future in present. Such realistic endings are slowly weakening the inner strength and will of individuals to fight as they are becoming more and more susceptible to the notion, “That’s fine! It happens like this only!” Such realistic endings are harmful for the future of human society as they slowly and slowly weaken the psychological strength of humans who day by day become more accustomed to ordinary people losing out on their dreams just because real life is harsh.



Such realistic endings are killing our dreams.



If you can’t even succeed in your dreams, how will you succeed in your real life?



Movies are an escape from real life as they tell stories of unreal people. If we can’t even dream of imaginary people wining their battles, how do we expect to win our own battles?



So do I make the first statement clear?



Now coming to the second statement, let’s take the example of a movie that came out a few summers back, “500 days of summer”; average movie with a pathetic ending and nothing to write home about, except that it had an alternate ending. Infact it was the ending which made the movie pathetic.



Tell me which one of us or our friends haven’t fallen in love with a complete looser and characterless of a person in our lives, only to realize our mistake later (Irrespective of the fact the relation consummated or not)? Which one of us doesn’t know there are chicks who are bad and boys who are no different either? Which one of us doesn’t know of users, publicity mongers, controversy seekers and cheap-stakes?



Now what difference would it have made if the movie had ended with the girl finally accepting her mistake and returning to the guy? We don’t need a movie to tell us, “That’s fine! It happens!” We already know that! For GOD sake we all live in the real world. But instead what the movie does is it justifies the actions of the girl in a way. It makes a statement that it is alright to play with one man, sleep with another and then marry another. It makes it alright to forget about one relationship and go for another without improving yourself or trying to figure out what went wrong.



Look at our society today. How many relationships, including marriages are lasting today? Why did they last in case of our parents and grand-parents generations?



Well, the simple answer is, during the times of our parents and grand-parents, if something used to go wrong in someone’s relationship, everybody including friends and families from both sides used to get involved with advice derived from personal experiences and they used to help the couple thaw out the offending straws in the roof of the relationship before the leak deteriorated into a collapse. But what happens now days?



The moment a relationship gets in trouble friends from either side start interfering to aggravate the situation, telling both sides that the best alternative is to get out of the relationship and finding someone new who is better. Infact I sometimes wonder if people actually enjoy the sight of the collapse of someone else’s relationship, as if they actually want it to collapse and their sympathies with either side are only a show-off. I don’t think they even seriously try to provide a sound advice that might help spot what went wrong from either side, leave alone the sound advice to fix what everybody actually knows has gone wrong.



Now add to this mix stories like the one of the movie mentioned above. What do such movies promote if not promiscuity, infidelity (“Up in the Air”), loose sexual behavior etc. Are such movies promoting the interests of the society? Are they developing or inculcating right moral values among the younger generation? Are they teaching the kids of the society they are feeding on as to how to effectively manage their relationships and be a better partner?



So do I make my second statement clear as well?



Fatal Urge Carefree Kiss,

Amanpreet Singh Rai

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Why this gag-social-network madness?

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Why this Gag-Social-Network madness?



“Media is a mistress to politicians and businessmen!!”



From NDAA to SOPA, and very recently Twitter agreeing to selectively sensor tweets for selected regions, I’ve been carefully monitoring the current socio-politico-online scene. For a man with a radically different approach to what he perceives around self, no wonder I am not surprised as I can clearly see a method behind all this madness, a method so sinister that it should send a chill down every ordinary person’s spine.



Coming out of a recession, while the whole world grapples with the economy, I have been the lonely man waging a losing battle to save ordinary people’s interests. This write-up is another such act although honestly this world has done nothing for me to deserve such largesse from me. But I can’t run away from my responsibility.



Before I explain my statement in italics, before I touch the topic of “Occupy Movements” and how they are linked to the current scenario, it is very important to touch on the “War on terror” as that war is one of the reasons behind this current scenario, in a way you can’t even imagine. Besides, I want justice for those who died in 911 as their real killers are still at large, hale and hearty and living lavishly in “USA”. Just wait for a couple of days and I am going to make a youtube video and explain very clearly in it, how a handful of dirty rotten Politicians and businessmen knowingly enacted a tragedy that brutally murdered innocent Americans.



With 1 million Iraqis and over tens thousands of Afghanis dead, if the Americans still not open their eyes to the truth and how it is shouting hoarse at the top of its’ voice, calling for justice, if Americans still won’t get justice for their own who were killed, it will be the saddest day in human history. A crime committed so openly, so shamelessly, will become “The perfect crime of modern era”.



Those innocents were brutally murdered so the Politicians and their businessmen pals get a legitimate reason to use “Tax-payers” money to wage a war, a war whose sole intention was to protect oil interests of a few businessmen. Ask President Obama to tell the Americans how much money was being spent on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan everyday at its’ peak and how much money was being put in for development. Ask President Obama how much money has actually been spent on the war so far and what percentage of national debt does it make.



Now ask yourself, “If I was in America, how easy would it be for the same bunch of Politicians and businessmen to shut me up using NDAA?”



Yep! You got my point. NDAA and acts like failed SOPA (as explained below) are meant to curb the voices calling for justice, voices that call for change, to save the interests of the same very rotten politicians and businessmen.



Now if you have read all my write-ups, you will know how I have been trying to explain to the whole world how blind Capitalism is ruining it for the ordinary people who are becoming more of slaves than free citizens. What happened to the American dream? How many Americans can start an own small business today and hope to succeed?



All the manufacturing jobs that President Obama is trying to bring back to America is a good step in the right direction, but a lot more needs to be done. What needs to be done is to level the playing field in small business where big corporate chains are fast taking over everything (I’ve explained this in detail elsewhere).



But that said and done, the whole world knows Americans lost a huge chunk of employment opportunities due to out-sourcing, now ask yourselves, “Now that we know it ruined ordinary American families, how many American businessmen have actually brought those jobs back?”



Now let me take up the issue of “Occupy movement” too as it is equally important in this discussion.



With all due respect to those who put in a valiant effort, time and energy in various “Occupy Movements”, what are the results to show today? Do you think “Occupy Movements” were really meant to bring out any results? Ask those who participated in the movements, “What was the aim of the movement and what were the short term and long term objectives?”



The way I look at “Occupy Movement” is, after all the hoopla and shenanigans, the Americans still don’t have even one man to show as a true leader capable of being their President and working for them and in their best interests. All I see is Americans still stuck to either voting for the current incumbent President Mr Barack Obama or one of his Republican counterparts. What the heck was the point of wasting so much time and energy in a fruitless exercise?



Scratching your head looking for answers? Don’t worry! I am here to settle your curiosity. The so called movements for 99% were actually and clandestinely sponsored by the 1% for three objectives:

1. Post recession, how much disenchantment is there in the hearts of American people?

2. Provide the disgruntled public a platform to vent out all their frustration so that they can go back to their daily lives and take care of their families once again, thus securing the future of that 1%.

3. To check whether an “Arab Spring” was possible in America using social networking. Guess what they found. And now imagine all that SOPA could do and what the current statement by twitter means (I’ll explain this bit below).

And just to clarify all the misunderstandings those 99% had, “Mate you are not 99% but just 60%”. There are 30% who have better jobs and really good lives. They don’t feel the need to leave their comfort zones and go for a change. They don’t need change! And the remaining 10% are either ruling the rest of 90% or are friends, promoters, well wishers or partners of those who are ruling.



Even among the 60% of you, half are so poor, they can barely think about anything else but making sure they have a meal to feed their family at the end of the day. They don’t have time for a change. Tell them whom to vote and they will vote. But the question as I asked is, “Have you got even one man you can project as your candidate?”



Now having explained all this let me come to the crux of the matter.



NDAA was passed by the Republican regime under the pretext of protecting American interests, but was that the real intention? Even if there was one honest man who could bring about a change in America, this act gives the ruling politicians vast powers to shut him up even before anyone listens to what that person is saying. However let me mention here, any part of this or any other act passed by the US parliament, which is in contravention to “Bill of Rights” or any other provision of the US constitution, that act or its’ part in error is invalid and illegal. However, the intentions of those proposing such legislation, leave alone making it a law, are evidently clear.



Same is the case with SOPA. It creates an opportunity to run down any semblance of public action even before it is envisaged.



I made a very telling statement about media at the top of the page not without a reason. Media does not work for ordinary people anymore. Take the example of the media Mogul Rupert Murdoch and his media empire. Do you still believe media works for ordinary people? Media is only used to guide public opinion in a direction desirable to the ruling regime. Post 911 media was used to support war on terror by indirectly promoting news items that promoted hatred. In case of India and Pakistan, every time the political leadership of the two countries wants to start a dialogue the media is suddenly flush with positive news from across the border. And then when the politicians decide they want to promote intolerance towards the neighbor, the media is flush with news items detailing acts of hatred. Media no longer works for public good.



The only hope ordinary people have in such a scenario is social networking sites. Politicians can control the media but can they control public outcry? Movements like “Arab Spring”, “Occupy Movement” and “Anna Hazare’s campaign” (which I’ve explained elsewhere, doesn’t impress me), these were possible because people were able to express themselves openly amongst each other, share their beliefs and could co-ordinate action. Imagine what would happen if the social networking sites are gagged as well. They are the only hope ordinary people have today. They are all that’s left.



And considering all that I have written so far, not surprising it was a Republican who introduced SOPA and those who supported SOPA were organizations benefiting only a certain section which generally has close connections with politicians.



Now coming to the latest act in which Twitter has accepted that it can selectively sensor tweets according to region, this takes the game to a whole new level. Now even social networking sites will become untrustworthy as they will actively promote content that promotes the interest of the politicians and businessmen, while the content which acts against it will be actively snubbed and pushed away and out of public view. Now to think of it, it is the ordinary people who made these social networking sites what they are today, and their owners, all multi-millionaires. This is how they repay us!



By the way, as far as twitter is concerned, personally I never trusted that website anyway. I just use it because you keep your enemies closer. I personally even believe that site is either CIA or FBI operated or under direct Government supervision. If they say today that they can selectively ban tweets in different regions, I highly suspect their role in “Arab Spring”. It means they can actively promote tweets that influence public opinion in a particular direction and can hide from public view what their fathers don’t want people to know. This raises a serious concern about such a site. In fact, who knows the Government is just using twitter to break a deadlock with other networking sites by saying, “Look, even this site is agreeing to our demands, why aren’t you?”



I agree there are instances when people abuse such networking sites and post material that offends a particular section of the society, thus causing unrest. But the solution is not what Twitter is proposing, which is nothing but a sinister way of sabotaging the public welfare for political ends. The right solution will be as follows:



1. At first step all major networking sites like facebook (which already does it in a way by asking for phone number), youtube, twitter, orkut, myspace should make it mandatory for their users to provide proof of their identity and address before they are allowed to create accounts. This will help in the identification and locating of offenders who misuse the web.

2. At second step, if a user has expressed an opinion or posted material which is objectionable, the proper and legal way would be to give that user an opportunity to explain and/or remove the content, and offer unconditional apology or face trial.

3. For simple websites like mine, the owner can be simply made aware of any objectionable content and asked to either remove it or defend it in court.



The basic concept behind “Democracy” is, if you are not happy with the government or governance, you are free to discuss it, share your ideas and if the need be, launch agitations. That is how democracy is supposed to work. Any action or act which curtails such freedom is illegal and cannot be tolerated.



The only reason I see behind the political regimes pushing for acts like NDAA, SOPA or curbing social networking sites is to hinder free speech and democracy. It only means the political regimes or political parties who are supporting such actions don’t have the best interests of the public at heart. Such regimes should not be supported. We elect these regimes, and if they are going to bite our backs, repay us like this, it’s time to change them. But then, who will you change them with?



Fatal Urge Carefree Kiss,

Amanpreet Singh Rai




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