Happy holidays!

Happy holidays everybody.

It Rained !!

Well after so long time it rained. I had almost forgotten that i was in Seattle. No matter how much we hate rains but I am sure rain makes everybody happy. The surroundings suddenly turn into a very beautiful palette. Temps fall and suddenly you long for a hot cup of tea and something spicy to go with it.. weather does have its own effects on humans.

But its not a pleasant experience for bikers when its raining, I rode to office today and had to take back roads since freeways were wet. You have to be extra careful when its raining when you are on your motorcycle. The turns are not that great, you have to reduce your lean angle, you cannot push the throttle while in a turn coz there is less traction and above all.. after couple of miles your helmet visor starts fogging !! not fun.

It was a small drizzle which will not last long and i guess we still have many sunny days left before the "Black" takes over.

All in all a very nice Monday !

RC (Radio control) Flying..

I was always attracted to planes and wanted to do something about it. I use to watch videos on youtube about those RC planes which people fly. RC stands for Radio controlled. Yes, it has a remote control which emits radio frequency and the plane flies. So i dived into the world of RC controlled aircrafts and soon discovered that its a whole new world. RC planes are expensive, you need to join a RC flying club to fly at public parks, you have to be a member of a national organization to join a local club. You have to adhere to safety codes while flying RC... there are many more factors to this hobby.

RC Planes are of different types with different controls. The full blown model planes are same as real planes with the reduction ratio of 1/3 to 1/6th of the actual aircraft. It has actual controls like rudder, elevator, ailerons, motor and even flaps. They work exactly on the same principle as the real planes work. Flying a RC plane is far more difficult than flying an actual plane because you are looking at a 3rd party view which is very difficult and confusing. When the plane is going away from you, you have the correct controls but when the plane is coming towards you .. guess what .. the same controls get inverted. The RC planes being smaller in size can change directions abruptly because of the wind confusing you enough to lose control and you may crash pretty easily.

The different types of RC planes are, electric (which fly on battery power) and fuel/gas type. You actually fill gas in it to run the engine and you control it via Radio controller. Then there are fighter models, WWII models, gliders, bi-planes.. and many more.. just think of it and its there.

The Radio controllers are different also. The basics are the 3 channel radio controllers and they go upto 14 channel. You actually need maximum of 6 channels to fly the most advance planes of today. You have to check the frequency at which other RC pilot is flying and you have to select a different frequency. If you select the same frequency as his or hers and you suddenly start interfering with his aircraft and he may lose control :) .. fun world huh !!

Its a very attractive hobby .... lets see where i go from here :)

Robotics.

Robotics

The term robotics brings many thoughts in mind. Its a very catchy word, maybe because we see lot of sci-fi movies and the word is related to it??Being a software engineer, i was always attracted to Artificial intelligence and Robotics and use to read a lot every now and then on the internet but everything was just theory. I use to wonder how those people who take part in robotics competitions, can create robots ??.

So i dived into the world of robotics and tumbled upon the exciting world of Lego mindstorm XT. Mindstorm XT is a robo kit from Lego which contains the robo brain called "Brick" two rotary motors, and 4 sensors viz. touch sensor, sound sensor, light sensor and ultrasonic sensor. The "brick" is completely programmable. We can write our own custom program, compile it and load the executable on the "brick" using a USB or Bluetooth and woooo the robot works as you want it... isn't that cool.
currently i am in the process of learning more about this kit and i am sure i am gonna buy it :)

so.. i will soon post a video of my own programmed robot.. stay tuned.

Motorcycling Unplugged !!

One word "motorcycle" holds many meanings for different people - fear, excitement, too much risk, too much wind, short life, freedom etc. etc. etc. but for me its shear passion and fun, worth the risk I would say. It was always my dream to get a bike and get on a bike. I was bit skeptical about getting a bike when I was in Los Angeles coz of the mad traffic and the speed. A place where people make fun of the 65 mile per hour limit signs on the freeways. I tried to get one when I was in LA but didn't do it, guess was not encouraged that much to break the barrier.

I moved to Seattle, Washington and I was more skeptical about the whole thing looking at the wet weather and cold winters. With a heavy heart I thought my "excitement" will be shelved forever. I had a heated discussion with my brother about pros and cons of motorcycling in Seattle and finally decided to do some research on it. If feasible, will get one ;)

So after around 3 months of research, evaluating the pros cons which models, price range, engine power, make and models we finally decided to buy our first independent motorcycles. I got a Vstar 650cc cruiser and he (my brother) got a sport model Kawasaki Ninja 250.
So after 3 months and over 2600 miles of riding, today I know why people are crazy about this machine called "motorcycle" :)

Looking back at life so far and some very beautiful words come in mind ....

“Jeevan ki aapa dhapi mein,
Kab waqt mila kuch der kahin par baith kabhi yeh soch sakuun,
Jo kiya, kaha, maana, usme kya bura bhala “

-Hariwanshrai bachchan.

and time goes on ... we continue to run ....

And the jail term begins.....

September is about to start and so is the winter. Winter in Seattle starts with a pleasant cool breeze and few drizzles.. and slowly slowly.. like a python tightens his grip.. gets harsh and harsh till the point you feel needles poking in your skin.
But even in that kind of windy weather... where you are not even able to stand still.. you ask a Seattleite "Howz it going ??" and he will say "Pretty good :)".

Start of winter marks an end to Picnics, hikes and camp fires, all other activities which can be done in the sun and without rains. There are certain activities that can be done during winter but for me, they are just dangerous. the only indoor activities i do, during winters, is .. gaming and reading :) .... for me harsh weather or winter or rains doesn't matter ..coz I love these kind of wild weathers but for some people, it’s no less than a jail term. A jail term of 7 months starting from Sept to March;

I love this jail term and the place which gives this jail term, Seattle. A place where software takes birth ... lives... and never dies. :)
I am ready for this jail term. :)