Earth Hour 2009 at IISE

Karin (Norway), Kienzen (Tibet/China), Khom (Nepal) , Julius (Ghana) , Louis The Cat and me from India organized the Earth Hour 2009 at 8:30 to 9:30 p.m local time today in the IISE campus in Kerala, India.

Earth Hour Patrol

After turning off my laptop, cellphone and desktop in the office I walked around the campus to find and turn off non-essential lights and electrical devices. At the guard house, I saw two lights one outside and other inside the guard house, I requested to turn off one of the lights. Later in the kitchen I found a blender and couple of mobile chargers plugged in. How strange, I don't even notice these things in other days. Perhaps events like Earth Hour does really make you ponder about things that we often take for granted.

Meanwhile Kienzen and Khom joined me after going through the dorm and requesting participants to observe the earth hour. Most of them were away at the party in Kovallam. Julius came out of his room and seeing us standing outside the dorm shouted at the top of his voice 'Turned off those damn computers'. I don't think anyone was running their laptops, they got the message loud and clear.

We moved to the open air amphitheatre and discussed for a while about earth hour, environment and power issues back home in our countries. It was great to see you out there in open braving the mosquitoes and united in a common cause.
Thank you, you are the best! .

About Earth Hour 2009

Earth Hour is an international event organised by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature/World Wildlife Fund), and held on the last Saturday of March each year, which asks households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change.

I Want My Father Back :: Documentary

Yesterday I took some time off and finished the review of Suma Josson latest documentary 'I Want My Father Back' and sent it off to the editors. I watched this one at the KAFISO Third National Short and Documentary Film festival recently.

I Want My Father Back

You can watch part 1 and 2 of this documentary below.

About the Documentary

"I Want My Father Back" - examines the crisis small farmers in India face as a result of globalization and government apathy. For the past ten years farmers have been committing suicide in Vidarbha, Maharashtra, as in many other parts of India. The main act of this tragedy started in mid 60's with the introduction of the Green Revolution. Earlier, farmers saved their own seeds and practiced organic farming. The money they invested on their farms was very little. But with Green Revolution farmers were asked to buy seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, forcing them to borrow, mostly from private money lenders at exorbitant interest rates. With every farming season their debt increased and over the course of years it led to a loan trap. The second phase of this tragic situation can be directly attributed to 'globalization'. Under the WTO (World Trade Organization) regime, which favors wealthy industrialized countries, the Indian government has eliminated or reduced its support to farmers, while Indian agriculture is invaded by multinationals. The introduction of BT cotton has created havoc in Vidarbha. The cost of these seeds is exorbitant and, contrary to the claims of the seller (Monsanto), the yields have fallen and the level of pesticide use has not dropped. The film raises these issues through interviews with ordinary farmers and activists and traces the lives of some of the farm families affected by suicides within the family

Notify-OSD Now Works with Orca

The message came in last night as I was leaving office. It was response to bug #333134, it was a request to enable notifications from the new Notify-osd system work with Orca screen reader.

Hi Arky,
I would like to believe that this is resolved in recent updates. Please make sure you are using the most recent version of gnome-orca and notify-osd.

Thank you guys! You really made a difference to all the blind users around the world. Now there is one more good reason to grab the jaunty.

Sita Sings The Blues

The ancient epic of Ramayana and the trials of modern life merge in this wonderful movie Sita Sings The Blues. Don't miss it. Download and watch it over the weekend.
What more this movie is released under Creative Commons, Yippee!

Trailer

Watch the trailer of the movie.

Interview with Nina Paley

Nina shares her ideas on copyright and the story behind the movie.

Full Movie in HD

Watch the complete movie in HD format.

Dell 65W AC Laptop Adapter Warning

This one is strictly for electrical engineers . The 40 odd Dell Vostro A840 laptop we have on campus sometimes stop booting with this warning screen. If you figure this out, do drop me a line.

Warning

The AC power adapter wattage and type cannot be determined.
The battery may not charge.
The system will adjust the performance to match the power available.
Please connect a Dell 65W AC adapter or greater for best system performance.
To resolve this issue, try to reseat the power adapter.

Ubuntu Installer :: Installation Failed Input/Output Error

Here is an update on the strange error on dell vostro 220s desktop problem reported on this blog sometime back. It was very puzzling but my hunch turned out to be right after all. I tested the latest alpha release of Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty) on this machine. The LiveCD booted but half way through the installation it died with a [Errno 5] Input/output error.

Splashtop makes a splash

Ever heard of Splashtop, I guess not. Ever wished had a computer that just booted in a jiffy, you bet. I found about this interesting company after reading the Linux Journal story titled Linux Gets Faster this morning.

Floating on bottles :: Boat Jetty made with waste PET bottles

The blind and partially sighted students at the International Institute for Social Entrepreneurs (IISE) at Vellayani were an excited lot. The focus of their excitement was a floating platform, a miniature boat jetty that was developed by the Mechanical Engineering Department of the College of Engineering, Trivandrum (CET). What makes this jetty unique is the fact that it was made out of used empty PET bottles.

A one-of-its-kind platform in the country, its frame is made of ‘Aanjili’ wood. There are 24 compartments inside the frame and each compartment has no less than 110 PET bottles. Altogether, the arrangement has as many as 2,500 PET bottles, each bottle expected to carry 1 kg.

Not only is it a good solution to use waste bottles, it also serves as a great platform to sit on, have group discussions or simply enjoy the serene surroundings and cool breeze of the lake itself. It also helps them to have a better and easier access to the lake for swimming and for getting into paddle boats and a kayak said Paul Kronenberg, who, along with his partner Sabriye Tenberken, established the IISE at Vellayani.
Read the full story

Fishlings in Vellayani Lake

Young fishlings appeared in the Vellayani lake (Thiruvananthapuram തിരുവനന്തപുരം (District). Amjad and me managed to get a few shots of them among the reeds. The great thing about living on IISE campus is that you can jump into lake for a swim on a hot day and get fish pedicure too. :0).

National Theatre Festival 2009 Kerala, India

Photos from the National Theatre Festival which is was held from March 1-11, 2009 in Thiruvananthapuram.

Opening Cermony at Tagore Theatre

Jyothish 's Macbeth

Habib Tanvir's Charandas Chor

Free Software Camp for Ngo's and Civil Society Groups in India

Free Software Camp for Ngo's and Civil Society Groups

NGO In a Box
5 day residential workshop on free software tools and methodologies
March 24 - 28 ,2009,Madhya Pradesh,India
Call for Participation

What is Ngo in a Box?
NGO-in-a-box is a collection of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) tools selected for use by non-profit organizations,along with workshops conducted to help users effectively deploy the software in their organizations.The software is distributed in down-loadable form and as a physical box set of cd's. Several customized editions of NGO-in-a-box exist to provide organizations with the software they need in relation to different topics and requirements.

This is a Call for participants for our 7th workshop.Make use of this free software camp to enrich your knowledge and help your organization effectively leverage free software without the licensing hassles.Learn about free software components and methodologies and how to enable it in your everyday work.

Limited number of scholarships are available for select participants based on past work,area of expertise and ability to spread the concept to other voluntary organizations.These participants will receive free training,food and accomodation.Travel expenses will be reimbursed at the end of the workshop.

For details of our previous workshops, visit http://ngoinabox.mahiti.org

Organizers: The workshops are being organized by Mahiti, Bangalore with the support of HIVOS, Netherlands and in collaboration with Tactical Technology Collective.

Participant profile: This event is geared towards the technology professionals working in Ngo's and similar voluntary organizations; consultants and tech support groups providing IT service and support to such non governmental bodies.

The workshop will cover the following broad domains:

1. Free Software: What to consider when migrating to free and open source software(FOSS), installation of a Linux operating system, commonly used office and internet packages.
2. Open Publishing: Desktop publishing, image editing, web publishing and collaboration, content management.
3. Audio Visual: Audio-Video editing and distribution, media capture, audio visual playing tools.
4. Security: Internet security, passwords, data storage and backup, communication and encryption.

Techniques and methodologies:To help you effectively communicate with your audience in india and across the world.

Date and Place: This event will be held in the state of Madhya Pradesh from March 24 - 28, 2009. Participants are required to attend the entire event, which means arriving at the venue on or before 24 March and leaving on 28 March evening. The exact venue will be communicated to successful applicants.

Last date for submitting application forms: March 5, 2009

Intimation of final list of participants by : March 10, 2009

Interested? Visit http://ngoinabox.mahiti.org and fill up the online application form

Gnome Default File Associations

One of the thing that's missing in the Gnome Desktop is an easy way of changing the default file associations. Especially for people with special needs like the blind and low-vision who access the Gnome Desktop using a Orca Screen reader. You can edit the mailcap file straight away to change the setting however that way for people who dabble in technical stuff.

The Davyd Madeley What's new in GNOME 2.8? page provides a nice preview of the changes in Gnome 2.8. The new MIME system looks the same as in the Gnome 2.24.1 . You still have to right click and use context menu, that a terrible idea for me. I rather like the accessible GUI like the Gnome Preferred Applications tool or the Nautilus File Management Preferences. I hope someone from the Gnome team can remedy this and provide single place to easily edit file associations.

Red Nose Day 2009

Red Nose Day 2009 is taking place on Friday 13 March and get ready to Do Something Funny for Money!.
For more information check out the Comic Relief website at www.rednoseday.com

Pre-install gNewSense on laptops and desktops

Some time ago I wrote about the tireless Grazinano Sorbaioli and his campaign to convince DELL to start selling a free software computer . I received an email from him this afternoon asking everyone to "vote to convince Dell to preinstall gNewSense on their computers."

Please read more about it here on this Ideastorm page.

The idea is to offer a line of laptops and desktop PCs whose hardware perfectly fits what this GNU/Linux distribution supports (and it doesn't support only a few hardware devices, notably some wifi chips and some Nvidia and ATI cards). It should be quite possible to build a system that doesn't contain any such unsupported parts.
The benefits of doing this is offering a choice for those who wish to have a completely legally free operating system working out of the box on Dell computers. There is a great number of people within the Free Software community who would appreciate having such a choice and would buy it for themselves and recommend it to their relatives and friends.
It would also certainly attract attention of the Free Software Foundation which would publicly commend Dell for offering this choice, which is very good for bettering Dell's reputation within the whole of Free Software and Open Source movements.
If Dell decides to do this, they should brand these boxes by the correct terminology, calling the operating system they are offering as "GNU/Linux" because the GNU Project, sponsored by the Free Software Foundation, started what we today know as GNU/Linux, a popular free operating system that rivals Microsoft Windows. Many of the core and essential components of the OS come from the GNU project.

KAFISO Third National Short and Documentary Film Festival 2009

In a few days I would be travelling to the Third National Short & Documentary Film Festival 2009. This film festival is organized by the Karimnagar Film Society (KAFISO), the local film society of Karimnagar town in Andhra Pradesh (India). Not far from this town I started attending film screenings at our local film club (or societies as well call it in India) at very young age and two decades later I now return as a Jury of film festival. Its been a wonderful journey ! .

My last visit to Karimnagar was during the Workshop For Film Society Organisers last year. I wrote my experiences here in this blog entry. During the workshop I raised one important question about the dwindling participation of youth in the film societies movement in India. Except in the film screenings and festival in some metros, you rarely find young audience at all. And I don't see any new film Societies starting these days either, most of the active ones like the one in my hometown are long defunct.

KAFISO has really taken the right step forward by organizing this film festival in two government college in Karimnagar town, SRR Government Degree College and Women's college in Karimnagar. I hope such screenings in colleges would encourage youth take to film appreciation. On the other hand the newly formed Sircilla film society is also part of this festival (That's a good start fellows!). Watch out for this space for more news from the festival side lines.

Lighting up lives

A wonderful Valentine's Day wishes to all you great folks out there. What am I doing on this valentine's day ? Ah! I woke up really late this morning (hit me, kick me but you can't wake me!) and missed out the the picnic trip to Veli lake near Thiruvananthapuram. It is one of few days in a week I get to be *very* lazy. And I am lovin' it!

Simon brought couple of copies of The Hindu news paper from the city. The Metro Plus section today featured a story about Paul, Sabriye and our IISE project. You can read the full story here Lighting Up Lives.

Linux Wx Notation Phonetic Keyboard layout for Devangari (Hindi)

Few hours ago WX notation phonetic keyboard layout for Devnagari(Hindi) has been included into Ubuntu. This closes the ubuntu #274024 and freedesktop-bugs #19753 reported last year. This is a great news for the Wx keyboard users, they can now have this keyboard layout by default in gnu/Linux.

While at University of Hyderabad I had copy the symbols file for the keyboard layout every time a new gnu/Linux system was installed. Its wonderful to see a solution developed for use inside our lab has been contributed back to the gnu/Linux community worldwide.

Why Buy This Shit !

Just found out that this expensive piece of hardware has turned into a brick because it wasn't charged for a while (Damn!).
Why do we buy this shit anyway?
Allow me to vent my anger with this yet another great news clip from the Onion News Network .

Affordable Braille Display ?

Steve talks about some of the frustrations working with braille displays in this live journal entry Bring On The Braille. I think he speaks for all of us. He writes,
I've been on a constant lookout for affordable braille display technology. For years, this stuff's been anything but. Spending over $2000 for a measley 12 cells is something I would never justify, and the price-to-cell ratio doesn't get much better with the more costly units. Prices have actually come down over the years, and it looks like it may be happening again.

The price is a big barrier. Why can't we have a device that is affordable to all. Braille displays isn't rocket science it is simple enough to build one with a arduino toolkit, I think Edward Rogers(does anyone have his email address?) has built one such device. What do you reckon ?

Velib Extreme

This morning I was reading the Beeb news about Paris Vélib . It is a wonderful project that would help curtail pollution and allow people lead a healthy life style. But now just after 18 months of its launch, the project is in big trouble. Why you might wonder?. Its because of the stupid stunts like this!.

Here is an extract from the story.

Vélib extreme

Hung from lamp posts, dumped in the River Seine, torched and broken into pieces, maintaining the network is proving expensive. Some have turned up in eastern Europe and Africa, according to press reports.
Since the scheme's launch, nearly all the original bicycles have been replaced at a cost of 400 euros ($519, £351) each.
The Velib bikes - the name is a contraction of velo (cycle) and liberte (freedom) - have also fallen victim to a craze known as "velib extreme".
Various videos have appeared on YouTube showing riders taking the bikes down the steps in Montmartre, into metro stations and being tested on BMX courses.

Its so sad that a very interesting project is brought to its knees. How Vile!.

Happiness

This picture has an interesting story. Behind that bewitching smile there is a women who has nothing to call her own. She wanted to help this blind child and would sometime give him food and little joy. When she heard about the Braille Without Borders school in Tibet, she brought the kid to the school and her joy knew no bounds knowing that child will be taken care of. This great moment was captured by Paul and whenever I am feeling blue I would look at this picture of happiness personified.

Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference

Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference is now available! Written by award-winning author Keir Thomas, Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference is a totally unique and concise guide for everyday Ubuntu use.

• Focuses on core competencies and background knowledge needed to be an expert Ubuntu user;
• Readable, accessible, and easy to understand—even if you've never used Linux before;
• 100% new and original! Written from the ground-up to cover Ubuntu 8.04 and 8.10.

Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference is available in print and PDF editions.

http://www.ubuntupocketguide.com/

GNOME Shutdown Menu Not Accessible

The accessibility problem of the GNOME shutdown menu is perhaps the most frequently raised question on accessibility (a11y) and the Orca mailing-lists and chat rooms. Orca screen reader doesn't speak up the contents of the shutdown dialog and its a pain to wait for next 60 seconds for the computer to start the shutdown process.

Here is a work around I use in Braille Without Borders IISE campus, the idea is to avoid the shutdown dialog prompting altogether. Here is how you turn it off. Go to System Menu and choose Preferences sub menu and scroll down to Power Management and select it (System > Preferences > Power Management). In the GNOME Power Management tool, select General Preference tab, change the "When power button is pressed is pressed" option to 'shutdown' instead of 'ask me'.

GNOME Shutdown Menu Not Accessible

Updated on 30 Jan 2009: Checked the shutdown dialog on Ubuntu Interpid Ibex 8.10, it is accessible with orca screen reader.

The accessibility problem of the GNOME shutdown menu is perhaps the most frequently raised question on accessibility (a11y) and the Orca mailing-lists and chat rooms. Orca screen reader doesn't speak up the contents of the shutdown dialog and its a pain to wait for next 60 seconds for the computer to start the shutdown process.

Here is a work around I use in Braille Without Borders IISE campus, the idea is to avoid the shutdown dialog prompting altogether. Here is how you turn it off. Go to System Menu and choose Preferences sub menu and scroll down to Power Management and select it (System > Preferences > Power Management). In the GNOME Power Management tool, select General Preference tab, change the "When power button is pressed is pressed" option to 'shutdown' instead of 'ask me'.

Namma Dhawani (Our Voice) Community Radio

A film made by the Namma Dhwani community radio team. Short and effective, showcasing potential of community radio in India

Strange Error on Dell Vostro 220s

Strange problem on one of the Dell Vostro 220s desktops , I suspect it has got to do with a faulty DVD drive

Scenes from the IISE campus

Imagine reading the Harry Potter under the magical glare of a corona or having a wonderful conversation while the jet plane leaves a long trail in the clear blue sky over the lake or the beauty of the benches created from the broken tiles.

Job: Computer Trainer (Computer Catalyst)

Our project is in dire need of a computer trainer (computer catalyst). If you live in Trivandrum (Kerala) and think you are the right one then write to us ASAP.

The International Institute for Social Entrepreneurs (IISE), based in Trivandrum, is looking for a talented professional in the field of computer training to work with an international team.

What is the International Institute for Social Entrepreneurs?

The IISE is the only institution worldwide that offers practical training to mainly blind and partially sighted visionaries, empowering them to become future leaders of social change. In a one year´s course, 25 to 40 international participants (aged 18+) will learn all communication, management and fundraising skills necessary to start up and run their own social/environmental projects.

The Institute is a new project of Braille Without Borders (BWB), a charitable trust now also registered in India. BWB was co-founded in 1998 by Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg. Sabriye, blind herself since age 12, is the creator of the official Braille script for Tibetan and the Centre for the Blind in Lhasa.

Read more about BWB projects and our philosophy of blind self-integration at www.braillewithoutborders.org

What is a Catalyst?

Catalysts are more than trainers or teachers. They are creative thinkers, instigators of action, great motivators and strong team players. Your computer skills and expertise will add golden value to our multidisciplinary team of catalysts. You will apply your experience to help visionaries improve their computer skills and expertise.

What is in it for you?

A unique opportunity to make a positive impact in society and change negative attitudes towards disability. A multicultural experience, working with an international team of catalysts and participants (20 countries already involved in year one) A beautiful, ecological and stress free working environment by the Vellayani lake (11 kilometers south of Trivandrum) Healthy food (fusion cuisine) and compensation offered – please note that we are a non profit organization, thus economic incentive should come last in your motivations

• Are you the right one?
• Are you a good English speaker?
• Are you a good communicator able to coach and motivate participants?
• Are you good at computer hardware and software fundamentals?
• Are you familiar with different operating systems such as Windows, Linux etc?
• Do you have sound knowledge in computer applications such as MS office packages, internet and emailing?
• Are you experienced in the field of computer training?
• Are you positive and passionately creative?
• Are you free from prejudice against persons with disabilities?
• Are you committed and willing to give your full energy to this social project?

If you answered YES to all above questions, please immediately send your application to BrailleWB (at) gmx.net

Atheros AR242x Wireless on Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex

The new Dell Vostro A840 laptops that we ordered came with Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) pre-installed. However when I installed the latest release Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex), the Atheros AR242x wifi card didn't work right away.

The solution to get this card working is available on WifiDocs > Driver > Atheros on Ubuntu Wiki.

The ath5k module from the linux-backports-modules-intrepid package on Ubuntu backports will do the magic for you.

Running Bug Jams and Packaging Jams

In this month's Ubuntu developers Youtube video channel (06 January 2009), Daniel Holbach explains how to run a bug and packaging.

References

• RunningBugJam - Ubuntu Wiki
• GlobalBugJam - Ubuntu Wiki

Hotel Keralafonia

Living in kerala has its own advantages, like discovering this crazy adaptation of the classic 'Hotel California '. Thanks Murali!

If you like to sing along, then here are the lyrics.

On the road to Trivandrum
Coconut oil in my hair
Warm smell of avial
Rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance
I saw a bright pink tube-light
My tummy rumbled, I felt weak and thin
I had to stop for a bite
There he stood in the doorway
Flicked his mundu in style
And I was thinking to myself
I don’t like the look of his sinister smile
Then he lit up a petromax
Muttering “No power today”
More Mallus down the corridor
I thought I heard them say

Welcome to the Hotel Kerala-fonia
Such a lousy place,
Such a lousy place (background)
Such a sad disgrace,
Plenty of bugs at the Hotel Kerala-fonia
Any time of year
Any time of year (background)
It’s infested here
It’s infested here

His finger’s stuck up his nostril
He’s got a big, thick mustache
He makes an ugly, ugly noise
But that’s just his laugh
Buxom girls clad in pavada
Eating banana chips
Some roll their eyes, and
Some roll their hips
I said to the manager
My room’s full of mice
He said,
Don’t worry, saar,I sending you
meen karri, brandy and ice
And still those voices were crying from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them pray

Save us from the Hotel Kerala-fonia
Such a lousy place,
Such a lousy place (background)
Such a sad disgrace
Trying to live at the Hotel Kerala-fonia
It is no surprise
It is no surprise (background)
That it swarms with flies

The blind man was pouring
Stale sambar on rice
And he said
We are all just actors here
In Silk Smitha-disguise
And in the dining chamber
We gathered for the feast
We stab it with our steely knives
But we just can’t cut that beef
Last thing I remember
I was writhing on the floor
That cockroach in my appam-stew was the culprit,
I am sure
Relax, said the watchman
This enema will make you well
And his friends laughed as they held me down
God’s Own Country? Oh, Hell! 

Photo Shoot On Vallayani Lake

Thorsten, Jessica and me at the photo session on Vellayani lake near the campus.

Shipwrecked!

Pre-Shoot Misadventures

First Dunk! Come back we have left Thorsten behind Second Dunk! There goes my glasses! Ah found them. Arr that looks too big for me.

5 year old Aren Teaches Tux Math

5 year old Aren explains what Tux Math is all about. Funny thing is, he manages to find his way around simple sums, though he's not yet learning arithmetic of that kind in school. Blame it on trial-and-error, and the fun spirit that games bring in. Of course, this is Free Software!

My Tamil Ponnu

What's with gals and gadgets? Ponnu takes a liking to my phone, snatches it from my hand and breaks into this wonderful laughter. Ponnu means 'girl' in tamil.

New Year's Post

What a year it was, a little high and little lows and whole bunch of controversies of course. And to top it all I decided to stay back in kerala after the International Film Festival of Kerala 2008 with Paul and Sabriye of Braille Without Borders at their International Institute for Social Entrepreneurs (IISE) campus.
Thorsten captures my exploits so far through his wonderful imagination.