Nisadas

Passing along the highlevel road, I thanked my stars that the tank was full. Although, I might’ve just as well been better off with a diesel vehicle…

The vehicles belonging to these good people were probably the same ones parked along the road right upto Police Park.

Clearly, LIOC was doing better off than these guys…

Not long after my serendipitous discovery of MobilePress, I wondered how cool it would be if all the WordPress.com blogs that I visit via Achcharu/Kottu were more mobile friendly. Especially since I spend more time reading up on the blogs via mobile browser.

Turns out that WordPress.com has taken a move in the right direction. As of today (at least, as per this article “The Hero Is In Your Pocket” via Chanux) blogs hosted with WordPress.com will adjust for access from mobile devices. It also refers to two more mobile-friendly WP plugins – WPTouch and WordPress Mobile Edition which would be of interest to anyone hosting their own WordPress blog (like yours truly). I’m not aware if other blogging services like Blogger and Typepad have adjusted accordingly, but it’s good news with positive ramifications.

The future is most certainly mobile.

I’m fairly sure there must be some kind of demand for these things. With a heel of variable height, straps to hold the shoes in place and other features depending on the lady’s taste and enough protection to ensure that those delicate toes are well protected.

It’s either that, or there’s gonna forever be a new variant – the Cha-Cha-Ow!

Of course, 595 US dollars is a little too much for what I’ve got in mind…

Anyone in the footwear industry?

I know I really shouldn’t get hung up over this, but it just beggars belief.

See my post on how Daily Mirror has no clue about copyright, or even the Creative Commons licensing terms.

Now read what they have to say about the PTI allegedly copying their stuff:

The Colombo based reporter for the Press Trust of India (PTI), not for the first time has copied a story off the Daily Mirror website and published the same content with his byline without giving due courtesy to the original source. Not only is this unprofessional but also takes away the due credit that the original reporter deserves. Below is part of the PTI story while the original Daily Mirror story also appears on this page.

(Emphasis mine).

Priceless. Absolutely priceless.

UPDATE Cerno was the victim of a similar issue long ago. By the looks of it, no one in Sri Lanka actually gives a damn about copyright, or even the more liberal licenses.

Eat five fruits or vegetables a day! by st3f4n

A couple of days after reading on Indi’s blog about the effects of a low calorie diet and Rajaratarala’s posts about his latest misadventures in farming and the dietary habits of rural Sri Lankans, I came across the following TED talk by Carolyn Steele. (Embedded YouTube video. MP4 download available at the TED site).

It’s an interesting look at the intricate relationships between humans and our food and how all of this has affected the placement of cities.

Especially important I thought was the point on how our demand for food (which isn’t helped by the amount we waste) is literally eating into the rainforests. Given the limited amount of arable land, this will mean that we will have food production issues far greater than that the sort you would find playing Caesar or Settlers.

Given that the population of the world is on it’s way to the Nine billion mark by around 2050, food will definitely be an even larger item on the global agenda than it is today. If Carolyn’s “Militarized shopping spree” comparison to the growth of the Roman empire is anything to go by, the latest acquisition of farmland in poorer countries by richer nations should also ring a bell (The Guardian, UK).

This brings us to the subject of vegetarianism. Surely the ancient Indians were on to a more sustainable system when they espoused a vegetarian lifestyle. After all,

• A higher portion of grain goes towards meat production, so cutting down on that would also make more land available for agriculture for human consumption.
• A pleasant side effect for those with a hindu/buddhist/PETA mindset would be the significantly less slaughter of animals, not to mention the less animals being maintained for food in awful conditions.
• Fewer cattle may have an impact on reducing the amount of methane gases being released into the atmosphere and causing global warming, but that’s just taking it a little too far…

So there’s definitely scope for businesses in the food industry for the future, especially if they adopt newer methods and possibly focus more on the vegetarian option. Neville from the USA has had an interesting experience after switching, too.

But even if you’re not so hot about switching to a full vegetarian diet (it will take me a long time before I can truthfully say no to a breakfast of bacon and eggs), perhaps reducing your meat intake could possibly help the world, one step at a time. You might want to read up on Cerno’s guide to insecure meat eaters while you’re at it.

Post Script:

On a wholly different note, the Stormtroopers365 by Stefan set is just awesome!