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Hey Dad Let’s Talk – 5

23 Feb

Hey Dad – Let’s Talk is a series of activities that allows Dad’s to spend time and bond with their kids. They include a variety of Creative activities from Riddles, Puzzles, Information Tit Bits, Trivia, Quiz, stories etc. Activities that you can discuss, stuff that is interesting and exploratory. Each activity should take 20 – 30 minutes and the best time to spend time with your kids is before you tuck them to Bed.

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Try this with your kids at the next Birthday Party. Give them a newspaper and ask them to fold it 8 times. They will struggle after folding it 2 or 3 times

The myth: You can’t fold a paper in half more than eight times.* The reality: Given a paper large enough—and enough energy—you can fold it as many times as you want. The problem: If you fold it 103 times, the thickness of your paper will be larger than the observable Universe: 93 billion light-years. Seriously.

How can a 0.0039-inch-thick paper get to be as thick as the Universe?

  • The answer is simple: Exponential growth. The average paper thickness in 1/10th of a millimeter (0.0039 inches.) If you perfectly fold the paper in half, you will double its thickness. Things get interesting quickly.
  • Folding the paper in half a third time will get you about the thickness of a nail.
  • Seven folds will be about the thickness of a notebook of 128 pages.
  • 10 folds and the paper will be about the width of a hand.
  • 23 folds will get you to one kilometer—3,280 feet.
  • 30 folds will get you to space. Your paper will be now 100 kilometers high.
  • Keep folding it. 42 folds will get you to the Moon. With 51 you will burn in the Sun.
  • Now fast forward to 81 folds and your paper will be 127,786 light-years, almost as thick as the Andromeda Galaxy, estimated at 141,000 light-years across.
  • 90 folds will make your paper 130.8 million light-years across, bigger than the Virgo Supercluster, estimated at 110 million light-years. The Virgo Supercluster contains the Local Galactic Group—with Andromeda and our own Milky Way—and about 100 other galaxy groups.
  • And finally, at 103 folds, you will get outside of the observable Universe, which is estimated at 93 billion light-years in diameters. 

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High school student Britney Gallivan dispelled the popular myth by resolving the mathematics and successfully folding a single roll of toilet paper twelve times in a record-breaking feat.

And the current record was created by some high school students. The biggest times is 13 times.

It may look like a prank but these mathematics students from St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Massachusetts aren’t toilet papering the famed infinite corridor at MIT. Using intricate choreography and brute force, they’re breaking a paper-folding record by completing 13 folds, a challenge that students at the school have been tackling for seven years with the help of teacher James Tanton.

 

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Hey Dad Let’s Talk – 4

19 Feb

Hey Dad – Let’s Talk is a series that allows Dad’s to spend time and bond with their kids. They include a variety of Creative activities from Riddles, Puzzles, Information Tit Bits, Trivia, Quiz, stories etc. Activities that you can discuss, stuff that is interesting and exploratory. Each activity should take 20 – 30 minutes and the best time to spend time with your kids is before you tuck them to Bed. 

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This edition is based on Puzzles with Shapes. Arm yourself with a box of match sticks sit down on the floor and get started. One puzzle may require some coins. The answers are below the last question.

 

1. You see 5 equal squares, Can you leave just 3 squares by taking away 3 sticks

 

sticking_away_squares1

 

2. Here are 6 equal squares, can you leave just 3 squares by taking away 5 Sticks

 sticking_away_squares2

 

3. Can you leave only 2 complete squares by taking away two sticks from pattern below.

 

sticking_away_squares3

 

4. Thirteen sticks from 8 triangles ( 6 small and 2 large ones) can you take away 3 sticks and leave only 3 triangles

 

triangle_tricks2

 

 

5. Can you rearrange the 5 sticks to make 2 equal triangles

 

shuffle_the_sticks1

6. These ten copings form a Triangle pointed upwards – Move only 3 coins in a manner that the Triangle points downwards.

turn_the_triangle

7. These 15 sticks form a spiral, can you turn this spiral to two squares by moving 3 sticks.

stick_spiral

8. Can you draw this house in one stroke with lifting the pen or moving on the same line more than once.

homework

9. By moving only two sticks, change these three equal sized squares  into four equal sized rectangles

squared_sticks6

10. Can you rearrange these 3 sticks to make 9

stick_tricks2

11. And finally – think and see how many triangles you can spot in this diagram.  If you found 24 great job !

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Answers 

1. Forming 3 Squares by removing 3 sticks

sticking_away_squares1sol

2. Forming 3 squares by removing 5 sticks

sticking_away_squares2sol

3. Forming two squares by removing two sticks

sticking_away_squares3sol

4. Forming 3 Triangles by taking away 3 sticks

triangle_tricks2sol

5. Forming 2 Equal Triangles by rearranging the 5 sticks

shuffle_the_sticks1sol

6. Moving 3 Coins to make the Triangle point downwards

turn_the_trianglesol

7. Converting a spiral to two squares by moving 3 sticks

stick_spiralsol

8. Here is how you can draw the house in one stroke without lifting the pen or moving on the same line more than once

homeworksol

9. By moving only two sticks, these three equal sized squares can be changed into four equal sized rectangles

squared_sticks6sol

10. Rearranging 3 sticks to make 9


 stick_tricks2sol

11. Watch this You Tube Video – to see how there are 24 Triangles in that Diagram

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Deciphering Real Estate Pricing in India

18 Feb

You see a full page Ad for a beautiful Apartment complex – looks so inviting, and the price does look competitive at Rs 6000/- sft. You do the Math for a 1800 sft 3 BHK flat and say 6000 * 1800 = 1.08 Crores – thats manageable.

Most NRI’s & first time buyers fall for this trap. Builders have been taking Indian buyers for a ride for many years – And even a progressive BJP Government has developed cold feet on setting up a Real Estate Regulator.  In the absence of a regulator – The reality is you would have payed 40 – 50% more than 1.08 Cr before you finally get to move in to your house.

Lets look at how the numbers Add Up

Quoted Rate for Bare Bones Flat = 1800 * 6000 = 1.08 Cr

Cost of 1 Car Park / KEB/BWSSB/Khata/ Legal Charges/Generator Charges/ Club House Charges/Corpus for Maintenance / Corpus for Sinking Fund/ Fixed cost for Gas Pipeline from main bank …. all of this easily adds up to an additional 20 %  or Rs 20 Lacs

The Govt earlier charged you only Registration Tax – now they charge you VAT and ST on Construction Cost  thats 4 + 4.94% = 8.94 %. Since the undivided share of land is very small you end up paying this Tax on almost 80% of the cost = 1.6*.0894*.8 = Rs 7.58 Lacs 

Most people have two Car Parks so a second Car Park is a must – thats Rs 4 – 5 Lacs (Although the initial one may be priced a lot lesser) = Rs 4 Lacs 

Registration Costs is approximately another 8%. Some Builders state that this is only on the undivided share of land – while some builders insist on the total value of the property = Rs 8 Lacs 

Woodwork cost can vary – but good quality wood work can put you back easily by 10 lacs for a 3 BHK apartment = Rs 10 Lacs 

So Add up all the extras which the builder never talked up  20 + 7.58 + 4 + 8 + 10 = 49.58 Lacs 

Your initial prices you had in mind after seeing the Ad was 1.08 Crores , now this looks more like 1.5 Crores. 

Thats nearly a 50% increase on what you had planned …. and you are yet to add the interest cost that you have borne for the 3 – 4 years that the construction happens , this is if the builder completes the project in the committed time (Most rarely do).

So be aware of what you are getting into the next time you see a full page Ad promising you the sky and moon. Trust is a lot different.

PS – Lookout for my next Blog on why we need a Real Estate Regulator and the ten imp questions you need to check out before buying a Flat

 

 

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Deciphering Petrol Pricing in India

17 Feb

Crude prices have come crashing down – but what we have seen as benefits trickling in is a fraction of what the reduction inc most has been. How is this possible when petroleum prices are supposed deregularised and are supposed to follow market economics.

rg_india_petroleum_in_2014

A Barrel of Crude consists approximately of 159 Litres. In a typical indian refinery the product pattern based on weight basis is about 4% LPG, 13% petrol (MS), 50% Diesel and remaining products such as Naphtha, kerosene, Fuel oil, pet coke, sulphur etc.

With the above typical configuration the production will be such as petrol approx 20-30 Lit per barrel of crude, Diesel 80-90 Lit and remaining will be the other products. That leaves a balance of 37% for all the other distillates.

Lets take a look at the Numbers 

  • 1 Barrel of Crude at Todays Market price = $ 57 (Brent Crude) =  Rs 3534
  • Cost of 1 Litre of Petrol in Bangalore = Rs 62.81 / Litre
  • Cost of 25 Litres of petrol generated / Barrel = Rs 1570.26
  • Cost of 1 Litre of Diesel in Bangalore = Rs 50.72/ Litre
  • Cost of 85 Litres of Diesel generated / Barrel = Rs 43112.20
  • Total Cost of Petrol + Diesel generated / Barrel at current Market price = Rs 5881.46 
  • We are already at a price that is higher than the cost of 1 Barrel of Crude by Rs 2347 ( 66%)

I am yet to calculate the sales proceeds from Kerosene / Naptha / LPG / Sulphur / Jet Fuel etc – all of which contribute to 37% by volume ( We mentioned earlier that Petrol & Diesel are only 63% of the output from 1 Barrel of Crude)

Lets assume that all of this 37% of 150 Litres (I assume 9 Litres of wastage in crude processing/ Cost of refining etc ) is sold at the subsidised  price of  Rs 20/Litre

37% of 150 Litres = 55.5 Litres * Rs 20/Litre = Rs 1110

So on a conservative basis the total income generated from 1 Barrel of Crude Oil = Rs 6991.46 

And whats the Cost of 1 Barrel at todays price …. Its only Rs 3534/- 

Someone is making a whopping profit after adjusting for subsidy of Rs 3457 / Barrel. So from a simple calculation the cost of Petrol & Diesel can actually go down by another 50%. 

Normally in India, the pricing of fuel varies by state, though central taxes still are part of the pump price of fuel. The Central and state government’s taxes make up nearly half of petrol’s pump price. Most States charge taxes that are higher than than the Central Tax. (Goa is an exception). States like Karnataka even charge an extra 2 Rs / Litre towards funds for building the metro. As a result, approximately 50% of the pump cost goes to the government in the form of different taxes. On the contrary, the dealer (shopowner) earns a paltry 1–2% of the pump price as his earning.

vat-rate

When the price of Crude came down from $110 to $50 –  consumer prices have come down by less than 20%. Why is our price so high? Why are Mamta and Sitaram Yechury and Arvind Kejriwal not talking about this ? Why is Barkha not hosting a show on We the People – highlighting this discrepancy. Why is the Tax rate on Fuel so high – when millions of Aam Aadmi use this for their transportation daily – its not luxury or comfort its a necessity given the poor public transport we have in the country.

In  City like New Delhi where you drive long distances – you fill up your tank worth Rs 2500/- almost 4 times a months – thats a 10K expense on Fuel , a 50% reduction would have saved millions in Delhi Rs 5K / Month or Rs 60,000/- a year – thats a lot more than what we can expect from additional Tax savings in a budget.

Is it right for a Government not to pass on benefits that are entitled to consumers. Can a PIL be filed by Prashant Bhushan on this – under the MRTP act – Isn’t the Government the monopoly (or almost monopoly) supplier of Oil to this country. Can the Media and the opposition raise this as an issue and earn some good will.

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Hey Dad Let’s Talk – 3

12 Feb

Hey Dad – Let’s Talk is a series of activities that allows Dad’s to spend time and bond with their kids. They include a variety of Creative activities from Riddles, Puzzles, Information Tit Bits, Trivia, Quiz, stories etc. Activities that you can discuss, stuff that is interesting and exploratory. Each activity should take 20 – 30 minutes and the best time to spend time with your kids is before you tuck them to Bed.

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This session is all about Lightning – an amazing spectacle of nature that creates both awe and fear. 

What is Lightning ? 

Lightning is a powerful burst of electricity that happens very quickly during a thunderstorm. Lightning is caused by an electrical charge in the atmosphere that is unbalanced. The movement of rain and ice inside a thundercloud creates an electrical charge, with the negative charge (electrons) forming at the bottom of the cloud and the positive charge (protons) forming at the top.Opposites attract so the negative charge at the bottom of the cloud seeks out a positive charge to connect with. Lightning can occur inside clouds, between clouds and from clouds to the ground. When lightning strikes the ground it seeks out the shortest route to something with a positive charge, this might be a tree, a tall building or if they’re very unlucky, a person.

What is Thunder ? 

Thousands of years ago philosophers such as Aristotle believed that thunder was caused by the collision of clouds. But its actually caused due to a different reason. The intense heat from lightning causes the surrounding air to rapidly expand and create a sonic wave that you hear as thunder. The hot air moves up and the cold air gushes in – causing a huge sound that is Thunder.

Lightening striking near Merdeka Square

Interesting facts about Lightning 

  • The Earth has nearly 100 lightning strikes per second – thats 3.6 billion per year ! Lightning strikes usually last around 1 or 2 microseconds. The Earth has about 2,000 active thunderstorms at any point of time. Without thunderstorms, the earth would lose its electric charge in less than 1 hour.
  • Rwanda, Africa is the lightning capital of the world, receiving nearly 2.5 times the amount of lightning as Florida
  • Florida is the Lightning Capital of the U.S. Central Florida, from Tampa to Titusville is “Lightning Alley” in the U.S.. Lightning is the #1 weather killer in Florida – more than all other weather deaths combined.
  • Most lightning strikes occur either at the beginning or end of a storm.
  • The average temperature of lightning is around 20000 °C (36000 °F) – that is a more than twice as hot as the Sun
  • Lightning is only 1 inch in diameter and has been observed over 100 miles long.
  • An average lightning flash has the energy of a 1-kiloton explosion. Lightning voltage can be up to 300 million volts.
  • Since the late 1980s, there have been several attempts to investigate the possibility of harvesting lightning energy. None have been effective. A solution here can solve the world of its energy crisis.
  • Lightning current averages 30,000 amps, but ranges from 10,000 to 200,000 amps – 100 To 1,000 times as strong as a steel welder.
  • Corded telephones are not safe and should not be used during thunderstorms. The usual way that current enters a telephone is through the wire. Cloud-to-ground flashes tend to hit tall objects such as utility poles. When a pole is struck, its current enters a building through the wiring, then to the phone, and then straight to your head. Cell phones and cordless phones are safer, but be sure to stand away from the cordless phone’s base as a strong current can possibly arc a few feet from the base to the handset.
  • Lightning damage to home electronics usually occurs when lightning strikes to nearby utility poles or wires, then enters the building through power, phone, and TV wires. For direct or indirect hits, the only sure way is to pull the power, phone, and cable plugs on sensitive electronics before thunderstorms threaten. Never touch wires during a thunderstorm, even to unplug your equipment. People have been electrocuted while unplugging their electronics during thunderstorms. Better your computer than you!
  • Greek and Roman temples often were erected at sites where lightning struck – They worshipped the gods here in an attempt to appease them.
  • If you are in the mountains and lightning begins to strike, you should quickly get below the treeline and get into a grove of small trees. Make absoulutely sure that you are not standing next to a tall tree when you are in the mountains. If you are standing next to a tall tree, you are more likely to get struck by lightning that you are if you are in a group of small trees.
  • Lightning rods (also called conductors) are metal rods or similar objects that divert lightning safely to the ground, they can often be seen at the top of tall buildings.
  • Most lightning occurs over land rather than oceans, with around 70% of it occurring in the Tropics.
  • Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Because sound travels slower than light you hear the sound of Thunder later. After you see a flash of lightning, count the number of seconds until you hear the thunder. (Use the stop watch or count “One-Mississippi, Two-Mississippi, Three-Mississippi,” etc.) For every 5 seconds the storm is one mile away.
  • Lightning is usually produced by Cumulo Nimbus clouds that are very tall and dense.
  • Lightning puts 10 million tons of nitrogen into the Earth each year.
  • Lightning can also occur during volcanic eruptions, dust storms, snow storms, forest fires and tornadoes. Check out this amazing video of volcano lightning   Video Link : http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/videos/earth/volcanolightning.html. ( This may not be a clickable link You may have to paste URL separately in your browser)volcanolightning
  • The study of lightning is known as Fulminology and Astraphobia is the fear of thunder and lightning.
  • In Indo-European cultures, the Thunder God is frequently known as the chief or king of the gods, e.g. Indra in Hinduism, Zeus in Greek mythology, and Perun in ancient Slavic religion; or a close relation thereof, e.g. Thor, son of Odin, in Norse mythologyZeus_Jupiter_Greek_God_Art_06_by_GenzoMan

 

  • As Fast as Lightning is a commonly used speech – but the truth is Lightning travels slower than the speed of Light.The bottom tip of a lightning bolt traveling from a cloud to the ground does travel rather quickly, although it travels at much less than the speed of light. A lightning discharge consists of electrons which have been stripped from their molecules flying through the air. They are accelerated by a strong electric field, a consequence of the big voltage difference between the cloud and the ground. They crash into air molecules on their way down and free other electrons, making a tube of ionized air.

    The “leader”, the first stroke of a lightning discharge, actually proceeds in steps – lengthening by about 30 meters at a time, taking about a microsecond (one millionth of a second) to do each step. There is a pause between steps of about 50 microseconds. The whole process may take a few milliseconds (one-thousanths of a second), providing enough time to perceive motion. Most of the charge flows after this leader makes electrical contact with the ground, however. A powerful “return stroke” releases much more energy. That’s not the whole story, however – a lightning flash may have only one return stroke or may have several tens of strokes using the same column of ionized air. It may seem to flicker.

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Hey Dad Let’s Talk – 2

11 Feb

Hey Dad – Let’s Talk is a series of activities that allows Dad’s to spend time and bond with their kids. They include a variety of Creative activities from Riddles, Puzzles, Information Tit Bits, Trivia, Quiz, stories etc. Activities that you can discuss, stuff that is interesting and exploratory. Each activity should take 20 – 30 minutes and the best time to spend time with your kids is before you tuck them to Bed.

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For this session – here are a dozen interesting Trivia questions that are simple riddles where you need to think creatively. The answers are at the end of the questions  – so that these riddles can tickle your intelligence also before you spend time with your kids on them.

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1.  I’m light as a feather, yet the strongest man can’t hold me for more than 5 minutes. What am I ?

2. Your parents have Six Sons including you and each son has one sister. How many people are in the family ?

3. Name a dress that you can never wear

4. A man came to a hotel on a horse. He arrived on Saturday and stayed for one night. He left the hotel on Friday. How is that possible?

5. What are two things you can never eat for Breakfast?

6. What’s Orange and sounds like a Parrot?

7.What is the centre of Gravity?

8. What loses its Head in the Morning and gets it back at Night?

9. What kind of Coat can only be put on when wet?

10.What has 4 fingers and a thumb, but is not living?

11. How many seconds are there in a year?

12. What has 3 feet but cannot walk?

 

Here are the answers to the above questions in chronological order

1. Your Breath

2. Nine – 2 Parents + 6 Boys + 1 Sister

3. AdDRESS

4. The name of the Horse is Friday

5. Lunch & Dinner

6. A Carrot

7. “V” – its the alphabet at the centre of the word Gravity

8. A Pillow

9. A Coat of Paint

10. A Glove

11. Only 12 – One in every month Jan 2 , Feb 2 …..

12. A YARD

 

And if you finished these 12 questions fast and still have some time here is a fun story from the Panchatantra with a nice moral. The moral is significant given the recent cases we have seen in schools where small children have been targeted

Three_Fishes_4bb47ffa0221b

 

Tale of the Three Fishes

Three fishes named Anagatavidhata, Pratyutpannamati and Yadbhavishya lived in a certain pond, along with many other fishes.

One afternoon, some fishermen were passing by the pond. They investigated the pond, and agreed that the pond was full of fishes. Since, they were already returning after catching fishes, and already had a big haul, they decided to come back the next morning.

They discussed, “This pond is full of fishes, and there are many big ones too. We have never caught fishes in this pond. Let us come back tomorrow morning.”

The three fishes were swimming on the surface when they heard the fishermen discuss their plans.

The first fish panicked. He immediately assembled all other fishes and told them what they had heard. He said, “Tomorrow morning, the fishermen will arrive to catch us. I do not want to die like this. So, I will leave with my family at the earliest. I advise all of you to follow me. It will not be wise for anybody to stay here any longer!”

The second fish agreed, “I shall follow you, my friend, for what you say is correct. It will be unwise to remain here anymore!”

But the third fish disagreed. He laughed at the two fishes, and said to the fishes assembled, “See how cowardly these two act! This pond belonged to our forefathers, and it is our home now. For so long, no harm has ever come to the fishes of this pond.”

He continued, “Just because some fishermen were discussing their plans, is no reason for us to panic and leave our home. Those who agree with me, I advise them to stay where we belong and not go to some unknown place.”

He further said, “O Friends, the scriptures state that when the time for one’s death arrives, one is not spared. If death has to come, let us rather die bravely in our home!”

Thus, the fishes of the ponds got divided into two groups. The group that wanted to stay laughed at the other group. However, within the very evening, the families of the first two fishes started their journey to a different pond through a small outlet. They were followed by many who believed them.

The next morning the fishermen arrived as they had planned, and trapped all the fishes that remained in the pond by casting net all over the pond.

Not a single fish was spared, and the fishermen were overjoyed with the big haul of fishes that they had caught.

Moral of the Story :
When you see a danger coming, act immediately.

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Hey Dad Let’s Talk – 1

10 Feb

Hey Dad – Let’s Talk is a series of activities that allows Dad’s to spend time and bond with their kids. They include a variety of Creative activities from Riddles, Puzzles, Information Tit Bits, Trivia, Quiz, stories etc. Activities that you can discuss, stuff that is interesting and exploratory. Each activity should take 20 – 30 minutes and the best time to spend time with your kids is before you tuck them to Bed.

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This edition is Fun with Numbers.

1. Look at the end result and how it goes up and down like a wave

  • 111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

2. Arrange  all the digits from 1 – 9 in ascending order to total up to 100

  • 12 + 3 – 4 + 5 + 67 + 8 + 9 = 100

3.  Here is another set of symmetrical numbers

  • 1 x 8 + 1 = 9
  • 12 x 8 + 2 = 98
  • 123 x 8 + 3 = 987
  • 1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
  • 12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
  • 123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
  • 1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
  • 12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
  • 123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

 

4. The number 142857 is rather special. When you multiply it with 1 to 6 the digits found in the answer stay the same, just in a different order. Check it out:

1 x 142857 = 142857

2 x 142857 = 285714

3 x 142857 = 428571

4 x 142857 = 571428

5 x 142857 = 714285

6 x 142857 = 857142

What happens when you multiply it by 7 ? You get another rather special number:
7 x 142857 = 999999

And it doesn’t stop there:

142 + 857 = 999

14 + 28 + 57 = 99

142857 x 142857 = 20408122449

20408 + 122449 = 142857
 That’s one amazing number!

 

5. Be a magician – Guess The number

Step 1: Think of a number

Step 2: Multiply it by 3

Step 3: Add 6 with the getting result

Step 4: Divide it by 3

Step 5: Subtract it from the first number used

Answer: 2

 

6. Be a magician – Guess The number

Trick 2: Any Number

Step1: Think of any number.

Step2: Double the number.

Step3: Add 9 with result.

Step4: Subtract 3 with the result.

Step5: Divide the result by 2.

Step6: Subtract the number with the number started with.

Answer: 3

 

7. What is unique about 8549176320 ?

Each digit when written in words progressively moves up the alphabet list – Eight is E and Zero is Z.

 

8. How many squares are there on a chess board … ?

Its not 64 – There are a total of 204 squares on a chess board, including all sizes from 1 x 1 up to 8 x 8.

9. There were 100 chocolates in a box. The box was passed down along a row of people. The first person took one chocolate. Each person down the row took one more chocolates than the person before, until the box was empty. What is the largest number of people that could have been in the row?

Solution:

The longest line of people you can have is thirteen, with the last person taking all the remaining chocolates. There are not enough chocolates for a fourteenth person, because they would have to take 14 chocolates (after the previous person had taken 13) and there would be only 9 left.

10. And Finally  the last question for the day – why is 9 called the Indestructible number

9 * 1 = 9

9 * 2 = 18 , 1 + 8 = 9

9 * 3 = 27 , 2 + 7 = 9

9 * 4 = 36 , 3 + 6 = 9

9 * 5 = 45 , 4 + 5 = 9

9 * 6 = 54 , 5 + 4 = 9

9 * 7 = 63 , 6 + 3 = 9

9 * 8 = 72 , 7 + 2 = 9

9 * 9 = 81 , 8 + 1 = 9

9 * 10 = 90 , 9 +0 = 9

Have Fun with your Kids –  and do check back soon for more fun stuff.

 

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Contradictions, Oxymorons and some thoughts from a jet lagged mind

20 Nov

Thanks to the jet lag – I have been up since 1 AM. So don’t be surprised if this blog entry confuses you. Its going to be a desultory piece talking of Contradictions and Oxymorons and more.

I first got introduced to the word ” Oxymoron” in Class 8 while reading about the sinking of the Titanic. The author beautifully described the morning after the disaster when the first rays of the sun fell on the ice bergs amidst the flotsam and debris of The Titanic as ” Tragic Splendour”

antarctic-sound08

An oxymoron is a compressed paradox: a figure of speech in which seemingly contradictory terms appear side by side. The oxymoron has also been called “the show-off” figure, one that gives voice to life’s inherent conflicts and incongruities. The true beauty of  an oxymoron is that, unless we sit back and really think, we happily accept them as normal English.

Paid Volunteers, Kind Cruelty, Open Secret, Pretty Ugly, Original Copy, Clearly Confused….. are some wonderful examples of Oxymorons. Here is a paragraph I found that is packed with Oxymorons and it does make an interesting  read.

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It was an open secret that the company had used a paid volunteer to test the plastic glasses. Although they were made using liquid gas technology and were an original copy that looked almost exactly like a more expensive brand, the volunteer thought that they were pretty ugly and that it would be simply impossible for the general public to accept them. On hearing this feedback, the company board was clearly confused and there was a deafening silence. This was a minor crisis and the only choice was to drop the product line.

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From Oxymorons lets move to a few other interesting examples of contradictions using colours.

  • A bright clear blue sky symbolises endless possibilities and optimism, and getting the blues plunges you into a world of despair and gloom.
  • Blue also stands for peace and tranquility – wile the deep blue sea is ominous and its depth has hidden mysteries.
  • Its often a that a Green Horn shines in a green field project.
  • A red carpet welcomes you but red tape pushes you into a maze
  • The color Green can symbolise freshness and a verdant atmosphere , at the same time you can be Green with jealousy and negativity.
  • A newly wed glow in her dark red saree and Code Red stands for Violence and death while the Red Cross is the beacon of hope for many.

And as a parting shot a few more interesting contradictions I picked up from a  post on FB today from Ashutosh Kapoor.

  • In a  play / theatre you rush for front row seats , while in the same auditorium you want the rear seats to watch  movie
  • Soap removes oil , but no soap can be made without Oil.

Is life black and white or is it inevitable that you have to manage shades of grey.

There are no right answers , I guess contradictions is a part of life and its all a function of your own perspective.

 

 

 

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Creative Writing – A Project for your Child

7 Nov

The ICSE board had an interesting section on Creative writing. While most exams gave you a topic to write in the class 10 ICSE exam we were given  picture and asked to write about it. It was a wonderful exercise as one could stretch  ones imagination. Right there in a class of 30 you could see the students who had the creative spark early in life – while most captured the essence of the picture directly a few would give flight to their fancy and come up with a very different perspective that was entertaining.

I tried the exercise below with my children and was fascinated with the answers I got. Try it with your child and get them started on a journey of creative thinking.

WHAT IS GOING ON IN HIS MIND 

Write a creative essay in 250 words

Creative Writing Project

The End

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99% of the children will immediately write about the fear in the Man’s mind – the 1% creative guys will talk about what is going on in the Tiger’s mind. If that happens with your child – rejoice you just discovered a very creative kid at home.

 

 

 

 

Flipkart Vs Amazon – Who will finally be KING

7 Oct

I have been a loyal Flipkart customer since it started shop selling books. I loved the experience – it worked all the time. they exceeded expectations in delivering , refunding , the call centre picked up the phone in 2 rings – I love them and have strongly endorsed them over the last 7 years. Not only have they helped themselves but the country. As the harbinger of the eTailing revolution in India they have helped the country and the consumer.

Today a person in a remote location has access to products that he could not shop for in the past. Look at how the country has saved with Zillions of products being sold online –  we have saved so much petrol, electricity , traffic congestion in our already crowded markets and malls.

But I worry if Flipkart will survive in the near future. Here are 5 Reasons on why they may struggle.

1. History has not been kind to Indian Companies. Nirulas the pioneer in fast food business collapsed when McDonalds came to India. Thumbs Up succumbed to Coke & Pepsi. Pizza Corner has almost wound up as Pizza Hut and Dominoes continue their mad growth. Mad over Donuts stands no chance against Krispy Creme or Dunkin Donuts. CCD that ruled the length and breath of the country is slowly but surely collapsing in front of Starbucks and Costa Coffee…. the list is long but the ending is similar in every case. The Global Multinational rules and the Indian upstart bites dust from a position of leadership.

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2. Indian companies rarely go Global. When Amazon started within a few years they were in numerous countries – US, Canada, almost all of Europe, Australia , Singapore …….. . Flipkart has been around for 7 years , they currently have a run rate in excess of 3B / year – yet they operate only in India. WHY ? Is this being content with growth in India , lack of global expertise , or the desire to sweat it out till you have a massive IPO and then cash out.

3. Most Indian companies have the IPO syndrome – post the IPO – the quality / service all starts dropping rapidly. The founders and investors make so much money and there is so much joy and glee that the desire for enterprise building starts dropping. We have seen this often – Club Mahindra, Meru, Sobha .. all dropped on the service front after their IPO. Is this a case of Indian new age entrepreneurs being Sprinters Vs Marathon runners!  With the Flipkart IPO around the corner ( Post the success of Alibaba) – I just hope this does not turn out to be true.

4. Obsessed with Competeition. A quote from Jeff Bezos on his recent visit to India said it all – “Usually companies are worrying and obsessing about competition when they should actually be worrying and obsessing about customers. Our first priority has always been customers, and we are not worried about competition,” Bezos said at an event organised by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in association with Amazon.

The last 6 months Flipkart management has been taking a lot of potshots at Amazon, when their Global CEO was in town they took hoardings all the way from the airport putting up spunky taunting comments. Was this necessary?

5. Oct 6th, Flopkart –  What I experienced, what my fiends told me and what I read on the Social Media all indicated that Oct 6th was indeed a Flopkart. Was this necessary? Did it help the Brand or hurt it.

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The founders claim success

“Our teams and sellers worked days and nights to make this sale a success — and our efforts paid off. We got a billion hits on our site and achieved our 24-hour sales target of $100 mn in gross merchandise value (GMV) in just 10 hours,” the Bansals said in a statement.

Lets do the math – there are about 20M Broad Band HH in India and an additional 25 M 3G users. Even if we assume a 50% overlap between the two – thats about 30 – 35 M people who can access the Internet ( I am excluding Edge customers because the 3G speed on Mobile in India is so slow there is no way you can do online purchase on 2G) . I am not assuming that all of them were waiting to visit Flipkart on Oct 6th – lets take an optimistic number and say 50% were – To get a Billion hits how many times would these 15M people have visited the site – about 60 times each, that doesn’t sound feasible at all.

India is a country with a population of 1.2B – if there are 200M kids below the age of 10 – are we saying that every adult in the country visited the site once OR 500 Mn people visited it twice on Oct 6th – Sounds highly improbable given that we have an installed base of less than 50Mn PC’s and only 28% of the phones in the country are SmartPhones.

Even the figure of $100 M sale in 1 day does sound hyperbolic. I wish there was some mechanism to audit this data.

In Conclusion….

I am proud of Flipkart and the dynamic young founders who have made history – I just hope they beat the odds and history and continue to maintain their fantastic growth trajectory and sustain the revolution they have started in India. Like many I am a strong believer that we are seeing Chapter 1 of the eTailing business in India. In telecom we missed the Land Line bus and jumped to Mobile, similarly on retailing we are all set to move from Mom & Po General Trade to eTailing by skipping the Organised Trade bandwagon.

Lets hope that this time Flipkart leads the pack and not Amazon

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