Evil Google
Posted: January 19, 2012 Filed under: Technology | Tags: malpractice Leave a comment »Guess what our beloved Google has been up to. One followed closely by the other, there were the following two reports.
First, there was the small matter of leeching from a Kenyan business:
Since October, Google’s GKBO appears to have been systematically accessing Mocality’s database and attempting to sell their competing product to our business owners. They have been telling untruths about their relationship with us, and about our business practices, in order to do so. As of January 11th, nearly 30% of our database has apparently been contacted.
[…] I did not expect to find a human-powered, systematic, months-long, fraudulent (falsely claiming to be collaborating with us, and worse) attempt to undermine our business, being perpetrated from call centres on 2 continents.
And then, there was the matter of vandalizing a competing Maps platform to Google Maps:
Preliminary results show users from Google IP address ranges in India deleting, moving and abusing OSM data including subtle edits like reversing one-way streets.
Two OpenStreetMap accounts have been vandalizing OSM in London, New York and elsewhere from Google’s IP address, the same address in India reported by Mocality.
And this is the company who’s motto is ‘Don’t be Evil’.
Football (soccer) players help clean cricket stadium
Posted: December 1, 2011 Filed under: Sport, State of Things... | Tags: administration, Football, funding Leave a comment »This happened in Indore, which will host the 4th ODI between India and West Indies in a few days:
But to beautify the stadium for the game, the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association has roped in a local A division football team that is made up of 5-7 state level players.
[…]
Such is the state of affairs that the footabllers are paid a petty Rs. 2.75 for every seat they clean in a stadium that can hold a 26,000 capacity crowd.
No, don’t tell me it’s about being a poor country with not enough money. It’s not about having the money. It’s about how we use the money that we already have [1,2]. I know, this isn’t a national club, but a local division team. But even they should have better sources of funds than “Rs. 2.75 per seat cleaned”.
Of course, no one watches football (soccer) in India as they watch cricket (edit: and of late, even the soccer craze has been hijacked to an extent by European and Latin American football, which is far superior in quality), but don’t blame cricket for the ailments of other sports either. Cricket is popular—and commercially successful—because we’re actually pretty good at it. We’re terrible at football; we’re terrible at hockey (this account of India’s Olympic successes stops at Moscow 1980—we’ve only recently begun to rediscover ourselves in the midst of a major overall in hockey administration); of course no one wants to watch their teams while they suck at their sport!
If one remembers, India was extremely interested in Tennis for a few years recently when we had players to be proud of—Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, followed by Sania Mirza, Rohan Bopanna, Prakash Amritraj. They were—or promised to be—good, and India flocked to their support. They haven’t been doing anything exceptional for the past few years, and once again, interest in tennis has waned in India. (edit: India even loves football, but how many prefer the Indian kind? How many would instead spend sleepless nights watching the EPL, for example?)
It takes great administration, and foresight, and grit, and patience, to invest in a sport in a country and develop it to a point where it becomes successful enough and commercially viable enough to sustain itself. We don’t lack the talent; we’re a big enough nation, with interests varied enough, to engage in a number of sports (heck, we even have a national rugby team!). But we need the right people to administer the sports—and think more of their charge than of their own pockets.
As we’ve already seen in politics, public service, and even daily life, we’re too corrupt for our own good [1, 2, 3]. The same applies for sport administration—which, of course, is done by the government, and its politicians. (Cricket administration is equally corrupt—they’ve just managed to be rich enough that they can function despite the corruption.)
And at the end, the people who suffer are those who have to perform manual labour, at the cost of their chosen profession, to buy supplies. Pathetic.
Elephant stories
Posted: November 19, 2011 Filed under: Social, State of Things... | Tags: India, temple, tradition Leave a comment »Excellent elephant stories from India, by my friend Revathy. (If you’re fond of those cultural cliches about India, one of the stories will help. 
)
Why the stadia are empty
Posted: November 18, 2011 Filed under: Sport | Tags: Cricket Leave a comment »So India is playing a cricket Test-series against West Indies. The latest match was played over this week at Kolkata, at what is traditionally known as a majestic cricket stadium: Eden Gardens. Kolkata is known to be cricket crazy, and mostly knowledgeable and appreciative of good cricket. It is almost taken for granted that whatever be the attendance at other stadia around the world, the Eden Gardens would be packed full for a Test match.
Alas. Eden Gardens was virtually empty. This has got the experts worked up once again, as it has been a concern over the past few years that Test cricket is losing interest and relevance in the modern day and age of T20 cricket.
As is the wont, everyone has jumped on to make an analysis of the situation (as, ahem, I am about to). Of the better of them, Harsha Bhogle quips:
Maybe Test cricket ought to be played by fewer teams; maybe, as has been suggested by some former Australian cricketers, you play less, but better, Test cricket; or maybe you seek to market it more humbly.
All of this, I think, is a case of hacking at the symptoms. The issue, I think, can be summed in one sentence: the focus for all cricket administrators has shifted—instead of trying to keep the game healthy, it’s only about making the most money possible. And no, it’s not one and the same. If you’re trying to make money, you make decisions that hurt you in the long run; if you’re trying to do a good job, the money comes in anyway.
Consider the current series: India is playing WI. When did these teams last meet? Only two series ago! Are the two teams very evenly matched, so that back to back test series, in the two nations, would be exciting? No, West Indies is far, far from its days of being a challenging team. Was there a big difference between the pitches at West Indies and in India, which would test the teams’ talents in different conditions? No, the pitches in West Indies, as well as those in India, are slow, low, and without life.
Why, oh WHY, would then hardworking people flock to see this Test series?
Consider the recent past. India went to England for a long series, comprising all forms of cricket. India came home licking its tail. It won, exactly, nothing. It was a big upset by England, over what is currently a “good” Indian side. Immediately following this series, what happened? England came to India for a series. Again, back to back. Well, in this case at least the teams were both good. But did England play Test cricket when in India? No, they played a bunch of ODIs. What difference did that make?
Why, oh WHY, would then anyone care at all about that series?
Consider the current Indian team. How many players have been on the injury list in the recent past? Look it up, it’ll take you a while to make a list. Virtually everyone has missed series because they are injured—even in the current series, where a bunch of players have returned from injury, Zaheer Khan is out with an injury. When was the last time India played with its first choice XI?
Why, oh WHY, would people throng to support its team, when half the team is injured and unable to play to its full potentials?
The focus, as I said, has shifted from running the game well, to making boatloads of money. Shift the focus back, and watch the difference—
- Trim the international ODI schedule. Unless the teams are evenly matched, don’t play long ODI series; it become meaningless and farcical.
- India has stumbled on to the IPL; great! Everyone makes boatloads of money in a short period of time. Keep the international calendar empty before and after the IPL. This allows everyone to participate, without having to miss their national duties, and lets everyone prepare both physically and mentally.
- Space Test series out. Please, no back to back series between the same two teams! Please, no back to back series with no breaks in between!
- Stop trying to make “batting wickets”!! Yes, the crowds love adventurous batting. But without a contest, even that becomes predictable and dull. Good batsmen can bat even on challenging tracks—and now it even becomes thrilling!
- Give players time to rest, recuperate, and recharge their batteries. Cricket is not cricket without its best players!
As with everything else, if the people who run it, and make money out of it, don’t care, it shows. And if no one cares, all the analyses won’t make an iota of difference.
From the same Harsha Bhogle article:
I am increasingly fearful that people talk about the glory of Test cricket like they do about world peace and Mother Teresa: because it is a nice thing to be heard saying.
If you think about it, the line about world peace and Mother Teresa rings true because no one really cares about world peace and poor and destitute children. No wonder!
Make cricket meaningful again; let the fans find a reason to watch. And the stadia will be full once again.
Update: A marquee football (soccer) match (it doesn’t get bigger than East Bengal v. Mohun Bagan in Kolkata football) at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium drew a 90000 strong crowd. As I said, it’s all about meaningful sport. Kolkata is as crazy about cricket too, but they’re a discerning crowd, and the game has to be meaningful.
(HT to Dad for the info about the football game.)
