About all my past July 4th weekends

Wanted to start writing regularly. Starting with a random topic: About all my past July 4th weekends.

July 4th is American Independence day. But Americans love referring to it as "July 4th" instead of Independence Day. 

2011

I don't remember anything about my first July 4th in 2011. I was in grad school at that time. When you are in grad school you don't pay much attention to long weekends. In fact, Saturday and Sunday aren't special days either when you are in grad school. Any random day could turn into a great day depending upon whats going on in school: Midterm, end of the semester, the professor gave a deadline extension on your assignment, grades are out and you got a few As.

2012

This was the first 4th of July I have some memory about. I graduated in May of that year, my friend Vignesh and I took up our first job just a few weeks earlier in Atlanta. This was the very first long weekend we encountered after joining work. 

I had only a bicycle at that time, I go to work in bicycle. During that long weekend, I looked up on google if there were any bike trails nearby to go to. I noted down the path on my mind and went for the ride. I had a basic Nokia mobile at that time. While coming back I lost my way and asked for directions to a random person. After instructing how to get to the main street, he said "Happy 4th of July!". I had no idea how to respond to that, It did not strike to me that July 4th was the American Independence day and it is a special day. I was thinking, maybe this person always wishes people by the date, like how people say "Happy Friday". 

Took me few days to realize why he wished that way. That was 2012. 

2013

This year I am all aware of what July 4th is. We planned ahead to go to Vegas for the July 4th weekend. Vignesh was so mad at me for picking a convertible. Nevertheless, we all enjoyed that trip. Vignesh, Panneerselvam, Naveed and I went to Vegas for a 3 day weekend. The weather was burning hot but we did not care, we were young and wild. 

Everything is real in this picture.

2014

My cousin sister's family visited me from Chicago this year for July 4th weekend. We rented an SUV and visited LA to see Disney Land and Universal Studios. We saw the fireworks somewhere around Los Angeles and then again a second Fireworks inside Disney Land. People who visit Disney Land are really serious about Fireworks. Everyone started gathering about 2 hours before the actual fireworks. But we moved away from the crowd and started walking towards the exit. My nephew Sidharth(A kid), really wanted to use the restroom. We were scrambling to find a restroom but the fireworks took us by surprise. Sidharth forgot that he had to use the restroom when the fireworks started. As soon as the display stopped, it hit him again and we are all running to find the restroom. That was a fun weekend with family. 

That's my nephew Sidharth, at the back of Mitsubishi Outlander. He is excited about cars. You can point at any random car on the road and ask him what it is, he would know both the Make and Model of it! Except how to pronounce it. He would go "Tyo Tyo" which means Toyota

. 

2015

This year we had no plan to go anywhere. We cooked tiger rice at home and packed it in a Tupperware. Made coffee and packed it in a thermos. We randomly drove to Crissy Field beach. View of the golden gate was amazing that day. Sat on the beach for an hour. Took photos on the DSLR with a shutter remote. While sitting on Crissy Field beach, we saw people riding bicycles on the side of the Golden Gate bridge. Decided to do the same, we went to a nearby bike rental place. Got 3 bicycles and rode it across the bridge. When in Marin headlands. I took out my drone with anticipation of taking some great shots of the golden gate. That camera was very low quality and with all the trees there was no view of the bridge. After a few minutes of flying, the drone fell into the bushes.
How can we abandon the drone? So Muthu and I went into the bushes searching for it, we found it after few minutes of searching. But, we both got scratched on our legs by Poison Ivy. Went to hospital and took several weeks to heal after some strong tablets.

Muthu the Bedsheet Batman.
July 4th, 2015

2016

Golden Gate and Marin Headlands

Lots of friends visiting from out of town. We decided to go bike ride in Golden Gate again this year. We rented bikes at the same place as last year and rode as high as Varanam Airam spot where Surya proposes Samira Reddy. Hills were so steep while coming down the hill our bikes went too fast to control. One of our friends tripped down while riding downhill. Rushed to the ER, all was fine in the end.

2017
We were not doing anything special this year. It came down to watching fireworks in nearby Santa Clara park with Family. I was a little bit nervous until the end of the end of the day because last two July 4th I had a brush with hospitals. Hoping everything should be fine. It was.

Fireworks in Central Park, Santa Clara

2018

This year we took a drive up to Stinson Beach north of San Francisco. Perfect weather for hanging out at the beach. Lots of families, kids, and dogs having fun at the watch of lifeguards on the shore. Our next point was the Point Bonita lighthouse. We took a lunch stop and before our next drive. During this drive, we had some intellectual conversation about how to sense other people's comfort zone while choosing what topics to make jokes out of. Everybody in the car participated including Shadow. Shadow is our friend's pet dog which can sense what we are talking about and occasionally licks you if he thinks you are sad. We all realized how grown up we are by the end of the conversation.  After some driving, we reached the lighthouse location, but it was closed. We could not get a glimpse of the lighthouse because it was well hidden behind a mountain. But at least we got a good sight of the Golden Gate from an angle we haven't seen before. It was our friend Vignesh's birthday the next day. So we surprised(He somewhat guessed it) him with a birthday cake and returned back home. 

In the night, met with another group of friends and visited Santa Clara County park for the fireworks. We knew we won't find parking, so we didn't even attempt to go to the park's parking. We stopped in front of a quiet neighborhood for few minutes to get a glimpse of the fireworks and returned back home. 

Shadow the dog

"What to watch on Netflix" list for Engineers and Entrepreneurs

Here is a list of items on Netflix I found inspiring and informative to watch. They are available to stream as of January 2017. I will add more items as I find them.


American Genius:
https://www.netflix.com/title/80058485


The secret rules of modern living: Algorithms
https://www.netflix.com/title/80095881

Distraction

TODO is filled up? Having distractions? bloggers and entrepreneurs suggest these tips:
Go back to 1900s
Put your cellphone in silent mode, Shut down your computer or disconnect internet if your work involves computer. Unplug your cable connection if you are working from home

Dry board
Use dry board and pen to draw something, at least use pen and paper instead of Computer. Do some simple math without using calculator to activate your brain.

Block websites
Blocking the distracting websites would be helpful up to some extent. If you are a avid gamer, uninstall all your games from your current account and install them into a new game account of same computer. Lock that game account with a very long password that you could not memorize, write it down and keep out of your reach. So even if you were tempted to play game you won't remember the password and you will be reluctant to lock down your speedy current account with multiple windows open just to play games. Better leave the password in home if you are planning to slog that day in office.

Get an iPad
An expensive solution would be to buy and iPad. Do all your fun browsing in iPad and come back to work once you are done.

Unit Test and Model exam schedule.

Final year BE/B.Tech 2010. St.Peters Engineering college

Unit Test 1:
February 1(Mon): Mobile Computing
February 3(Wed): High speed Network
February 8(Mon): Software Quality Management

Unit Test 2:
February 10(Mon): Mobile Computing
February 15(Wed): High speed Network
February 17(Mon): Software Quality Management

Model Exam 1:
February 22(Mon): Mobile Computing
February 23(Tue): High speed Network
February 24(Wed): Software Quality Management

Unit Test 3:
March 1(Mon): Mobile Computing
March 3(Wed): High speed Network
March 8(Mon): Software Quality Management

Model Exam 2:
March 29(Mon): Mobile Computing
March 30(Tue): High speed Network
March 31(Wed): Software Quality Management

Our final sem exam 2010
April 29(Thu): High Speed Network
May 03(Mon): Mobile Computing
May 05(Wed): Software Quality Management


_________________________________________________________________

6th and 7th sem result links

6th sem result link:
http://result.annauniv.edu/result/result.html

7th sem result link:
http://result.annauniv.edu/result/result10.html

8th sem result link:
http://result.annauniv.edu/result/re10.html

Some info about black box

With any airplane crash, there are many unanswered questions as to what brought the plane down. Investigators turn to the airplane's flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), also known as "black boxes," for answers. In Flight 261, the FDR contained 48 parameters of flight data, and the CVR recorded a little more than 30 minutes of conversation and other audible cockpit noises.

The cockpit voice recorder from the downed Alaska Airlines Flight 261, held by the robotic arm of the remotely piloted vehicle that retrieved it

These recording devices, which cost between $10,000 and $15,000 each, reveal details of the events immediately preceding the accident. In this article, we will look at the two types of black boxes, ­how they survive crashes, and how they are retrieved and analyzed.

The damaged flight data recorder from EgyptAir Flight 990


Although many of the black boxes in use today use magnetic tape, which was first introduced in the 1960s, airlines are moving to solid-state memory boards, which came along in the 1990s. Magnetic tape works like any tape recorder. The Mylar tape is pulled across an electromagnetic head, which leaves a bit of data on the tape. Almost all the black boxes used today contains solid state memory devices instead of conventional Magnetic tape devices. Black-box manufacturers are no longer making magnetic tape recorders as airlines begin a full transition to solid-state technology.



Solid state electronics used in Black boxes contains no moving parts and is completely crash proof (some times not!! that too when the particular plane crashs..!) Memory boards are located safely located inside crash-survivable memory unit (CSMU). In recorders made by L-3 Communications, the CSMU is a cylindrical compartment on the recorder. The stacked memory boards are about 1.75 inches (4.45 cm) in diameter and 1 inch (2.54 cm) tall.
(oh! thats very small..!). The memory boards have enough digital storage space to accommodate two hours of audio data for CVRs and 25 hours of flight data for FDRs.

Architecture:



Cockpit Voice Recorder:
In almost every commercial aircraft, there are several microphones built into the cockpit to track the conversations of the flight crew. These microphones are also designed to track any ambient noise in the cockpit, such as switches being thrown or any knocks or thuds. There may be up to four microphones in the plane's cockpit, each connected to the cockpit voice recorder (CVR). Any sounds in the cockpit are picked up by these microphones and sent to the CVR, where the recordings are digitized and stored. There is also another device in the cockpit, called the associated control unit, that provides pre-amplification for audio going to the CVR. Here are the positions of the four microphones:

* Pilot's headset
* Co-pilot's headset
* Headset of a third crew member (if there is a third crew member)
* Near the center of the cockpit, where it can pick up audio alerts and other sounds

Most magnetic-tape CVRs store the last 30 minutes of sound. They use a continuous loop of tape that completes a cycle every 30 minutes. As new material is recorded, the oldest material is replaced. CVRs that used solid-state storage can record two hours of audio. Similar to the magnetic-tape recorders, solid-state recorders also record over old material.


Flight Data Recorders:
The flight data recorder (FDR) is designed to record the operating data from the plane's systems. There are sensors that are wired from various areas on the plane to the flight-data acquisition unit, which is wired to the FDR. When a switch is turned on or off, that operation is recorded by the FDR.

In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that commercial airlines record a minimum of 11 to 29 parameters, depending on the size of the aircraft. Magnetic-tape recorders have the potential to record up to 100 parameters. Solid-state FDRs can record more than 700 parameters.! On July 17, 1997, the FAA issued a Code of Federal Regulations that requires the recording of at least 88 parameters on aircraft manufactured after August 19, 2002.

Here are a few of the parameters recorded by most FDRs:

* Time
* Pressure altitude
* Airspeed
* Vertical acceleration
* Magnetic heading
* Control-column position
* Rudder-pedal position
* Control-wheel position
* Horizontal stabilizer
* Fuel flow

Solid-state recorders can track more parameters than magnetic tape because they allow for a faster data flow. Solid-state FDRs can store up to 25 hours of flight data. Each additional parameter that is recorded by the FDR gives investigators one more clue about the cause of an accident.

7 Reasons No One Subscribes to Your Blog

While the number of subscribers isn’t the only important blog statistic, no one wants to manage a blog that has 0 subscribers. After all, it’s not exactly a sounding endorsement of your content if no one chooses to follow it.

 

So, it all leads up to the big question—why isn’t anyone following your blog? There isn’t one simple answer to this question. That’s why I’ve come up with this list of 7 reasons no one subscribes to your blog.

 

1. Your Content Sucks- Okay, so this might sound a little harsh, but one potential reason for a lack of subscribers is your content just isn’t that great. Most of the time, poor content is a result of “me too” blogging. Some bloggers are happy to play it safe rather than stepping out and saying something new. Before you post, always ask yourself if the content adds value to your field. If not, rethink your topic or your approach to it.

2. Your Posts are Advertisements- I could have included this with the first reason, but it deserves its own section. Sure, the ultimate point of your blog might be to promote your brand, but you shouldn’t be writing posts that are nothing more than advertisements. Here’s why: readers won’t subscribe to advertisements. Who wants to read post after post about how great your company is? Again, it’s all about adding value. Self-promotional posts don’t add value, and they won’t get you subscribers.

3. Your Subscribe Button is Hidden- Assuming your content is great, another reason no one is subscribing could be that they don’t know how. Think of your “subscribe now” button as your blog’s call to action. If it’s hidden, no one will ever take the action you desire. Instead, feature your subscribe button in an easy-to-see location above the fold. By making it easy to subscribe to your blog, you give yourself a better chance of boosting your subscriber base.

4. You Don’t Optimize Your Posts- While you don’t want your blog to turn into a keyword-stuffed, useless content directory, you also don’t want to completely ignore SEO. The search engines love fresh content. Simply optimizing your posts for relevant terms improves the amount of traffic you receive, and it increases your chances of earning new subscribers.

5. You Post too Infrequently- I doubt I’m the only one who’s unsubscribed from a blog because they updated rarely. Not only does updating infrequently lose your readers’ attention, but it also sends the message that you don’t really care about your blog. And if you aren’t committed to your blog, how can you expect anyone else to be?

6. You Post too Much- Now this might seem like a contradiction to the above point, but let me clarify. Posting a lot is good if all of your posts are of high value. Unfortunately, many binge posts lack quality. It seems they’re published just for the sake of keeping the blog in the forefront of the readers’ minds. And no one wants to be bombarded with constant posts that aren’t great.

7. You Don’t Market Your Blog- A blog is just like any other property, you need to market it to get it the attention it deserves. You can’t just sit blogging away in your little world expecting readers to suddenly show up. You need to promote your blog through social media sites, guest blogging, linking out, commenting, and other techniques.