The Digital Bridge

The thought came to my mind as I was pondering over an interview given by Amitabh Bachan, (known as the 'Big B' of Bollywood) that I had watched a day ago. I remember back in the early 90's in the US, when people would make fun of Bollywood movies - of the couple running around trees, dancing and this included my own wife. Now Mr. Amitabh Bachchan correctly points out that the West no longer sees it as this. In fact, Bollywood is huge in the West, and especially the States where south east asian communities emulate Indian customs mostly influenced by Bollywood movies and songs in their wedding socials. Bollywood has given an identity to those without one. I know for example of Sri Lankan girls that do not even speak Hindi yet consider it cool to hang around their Indian mates, while emulate quite a bit of their contemporary customs. Now this reminds me of Ibn Kaldoon, the great Sociologist's words of wisdom, "the weak always imitate the strong..". He said this in relation to nations.

Here is the interview by Mr. Amitabh Bachchan - impressive eh!
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/07/14/amitabh.bachchan.bollywood/index.html

Now to expand on the title here, I think that the digital revolution has significantly contributed towards the social progress outlined above, which in my opinion is positive. A misunderstood culture has now come to be respected and emulated. So what is this digital revolution? The development of digital media has connected all parts of the world to where one can easily and cost-effectively get access to elements of a far away culture, as in music, film, speeches, events, documentaries, distance learning, political developments as they unfold as we have seen lately in Iran, etc. The internet remains the backbone of this marvel. First came the introduction and proliferation of compact discs (CD's) followed by successive development of portable media such as flash drives. The free internet remains the propeller of this revolution. I remember missing the old days of the world as seen through memories of my grandfather. I started getting on the internet and stumbled upon old Hindi movies, the golden age of Indian cinema as it is rightly known. I downloaded songs that melted my heart and this ultimately led to my fluency of the Hindi and Urdu languages! Imagine someone from a totally different country gaining the ability to speak fluently like its inhabitants, now isn't this unity? What a great case in defense of the internet and its positive effects on society!

I remember years ago, some of the Muslim clergy used to claim that mobile phones were a tribulation and a bad innovation. I found in the UAE for example, that some of the imam's of mosques had better phones than the one I owned! Positive innovations change our lives and our opinions follow. This is almost always true especially when the applicable opinions are negative at first. It would be foolish to think that opinions are rock solid and carved in stone. Opinions are in reality (and should be) progressive, and evolve with our knowledge, experiences and broadening of horizons.

There was an imam who in my opinion is 'cool' in the true American sense. He was in Tampa, FL and positively used his influence with the youth of the community and his sermons on Fridays were filmed to be published on his web site. Most people did not know about this but I knew the man was headed towards positive territory yet to be appreciated by the masses. He ultimately moved to another community in Texas and now runs his own blog, complete with audio, video and very useful information to all. In fact, I give him credit for mastering the art of blogging way before I got into it. I am not sure if I can share this blog with you right this moment for I have not consulted him, but trust me when I tell you that this is a success story I am happy to share to say the least.

I am glad and elated to share and declare that technology and the internet have contributed towards better understanding and love among people. For a moment in my IT career I was wondering if I was headed the right direction, studying abstract information that was far off from social sciences and day to day human life. Now I have a reason, a good one to continue unabated. Most of what we do fits into the big picture of social progress, prosperity and peace - at least let us strive towards this, right?

Life is a little more than each of us selfishly clinging on to partisanship and opinions. What about getting to know the world and broadening our horizons? Welcome to the age of digital bridges, you are now able to do exactly this, right from the comfort of your desk at home.

Broaden horizons and become a better global citizen. Wisdom is the key and it only comes through observation and this is directly related to one's access to information and phenomenon.

Television, CD's, karaoke, internet, computers, flash drives - all of it come under the concept of digital bridges, like the leaves and branches of a tree where the tree itself is the internet that runs to the roots of KNOWLEDGE, open-minded sharing of opinions, studies, research and exploration. Power to the world! Let us remember the inventors and celebrate the inventions of technology, right from the days of semi-conductors, transistors to all that became catalysts of the digital bridge - a great place to take a regular stroll.

Peace!

Here are more pictures from the project in Puttalam. This was an area previously neglected with hardly any attention from the elite. Now it has everyone talking about it. I thought I was impressed with the drip system irrigation in the UAE, where as I found drip and sprinkler system irrigation in people's houses here in Puttalam! Granted they are largely an agriculture based population, yet the sophistication and progress with times is impressive in Sri Lanka. It is key to note that HE The President Mahinda Rajapakse has done much to promote home gardening and agriculture among the people.

A Project for the Future.

The hut on the right is a project someone has embarked upon to rent out to tourists as a possible side business. It is on the beach in Kalpitiya, Noricholai area of Puttalam, Sri Lanka. I was taken aback by the beauty of this place when I visited it in 2009. It is a 5 acre plot of land on the beach front. Fortunately for him his ranch watcher is skilled in agriculture. He grows various seasonal crops and sells them every few months. The entire property had a great irrigation system with the use of PVC piple distribution lines, a pump house with a rig and the works. I was impressed, for this is similar to my project in the desert. I said to myself this is something I would like to explore as an investment property in the future. Wouldn't be great to take an excursion once in a while and chill out in a property like this?

Workout - the routine missing in your life.

I have been a fitness buff from the military days of special training and all that fun, yet it is a shame it took me years to make this a habit. Well, here I am and working out is an inseparable part of my life now. I know this generates a load of interest yet find many people doing the wrong things to obtain the results they intend.

One friend noticed positive developments in me and phoned me the other day to ask what I do for a workout. I asked him what he does and he replied he works out every day, lifts heavy weights to gain muscle mass and totally skips his dinner to avoid getting a pot belly! Put me aback for a moment here... I inquired what his breakfast and lunch consist of and the reply was normal meals. I asked him how he plans on obtaining the required protein to build the muscle mass he is after and how he gets the energy without the carbohydrates. He was dumbfounded and admitted he now suffers from a lack of energy!

Well what do you expect? You need to get carbs for energy. I mean you need to still eat some carbs about an hour or two before a workout. He said his fat stored in the body will provide it. I said that is only a small percentage. When you work out some of the fat stored in your body is burned as fuel but not all of it. If you do not eat sufficient carbs your muscle will be burnt for fuel! Oops! This is the trick and the delicate area people fail to understand. So work out but make sure you eat intelligently and healthy!

Karaoke - Rediscovered!

I noticed karaoke was set up on certain days in the hotel where my gym is and could not help but walk in one day.. that changed my life! I have been naturally inclined towards goodies from the golden age of India, like songs from Mohamed Rafie, Lata Mangeshkar and a line up of artists from the yesteryear, along with Sinhala oldies from Sri Lanka. I listened, collected and compiled my own little collection and ultimately learned some of these songs. So here I am with an opportunity to sing along - wow! This is like blogging for the amateur publisher. I think it is a relaxing way to spend an evening or two a week with your friends especially when you are no longer in your teens. This is one of those activities you could take your family along and avoid the nags about how you abandon them for friends. A unique way to enjoy yourself with family.

A Great Country in an Imperfect World - America!

It is interesting how experience and education combined with exposure can refine our thoughts and opinions. I always knew that in the US was a great example for the world to follow but the years I have been out of the country has made me realize that there really is no other place that comes closer! Now let me justify before making broad statements here. For one, the tools in the legal system one has at disposal, i.e. the checks and balances as we call it in America. This in itself is a source of hope and confidence for everyone across the board. This is great to begin with after all, what is more important than your job - it means everything in todays world. Everyone has the opportunity to make it in America, granted of course that they are willing to plan one's life, set goals and work to achieve them.

On the other hand, we have countries that could be literally way ahead of the US considering the cultural and religious depth they possess but all that has been sidelined for reasons best known to them. The comparison here without digging too deep to sleep, highlights the early American spirit. This is a story of evolution and progressive effort. Untiring effort to build a nation from rags to riches. A story of work ethics, hard and dedicated labor towards sure success. The settlers fought the odds and united to build a great nation. God bless America!