Exit Poll Result and Actual Result

The results of the 2009 elections to the House of People in India, the world’s largest democracy has turned out to some extent to be in conformity with the exit poll predictions. The predictions could have been even more realistic if the number of electors considered for the exit poll were a little more significant compared to the total number of electors.

I wanted to project this fact to seriously consider the reduction of the cost of elections in countries like India where the savings in the cost could be utilized for developmental schemes. Exit polls clearly demonstrate how probability theory can be used in reducing the cost of elections as well as in simplifying the election process.

Details of this can be seen in the post dated 19^th January 2007: Role of Probability in Simplifying Elections

To Speed up Your Broad Band Internet Connection including BSNL Dataone

I have wasted a lot of time in trying to rectify the defects in my broad band connection, especially since my internet service provider supplies the connection through the telephone wires. On certain days it would appear that the connection is alright in the morning but after some time the tables would be turned! I would wonder whether the splitter or the router is creating the problem. The next moment I would wonder whether there is some thing wrong with my antivirus software. To make my suspicion stronger there was a ‘boot.com’ virus infection few days back, which I could repair without much delay.
Yesterday only I realized that it was the DNS server address which was the culprit. My network connection was configured (as is often the case) to obtain DNS server address automatically and the system was obtaining the DNS server address provided by the internet service provider. Unfortunately their DNS servers were often non-responsive and this was the real problem and not the telephone line or virus infection. Perhaps many of you might have experienced the same problem, without knowing what exactly the cause is.
It is here that the commendable service provided by openDNS comes to your help. You simply reconfigure your network connection to use the DNS server addresses provided by openDNS:
Preferred DNS server address: 208.67.222.222
Alternate DNS server address: 208.67.220.220
Before reconfiguring your network connection, keep a record of your earlier configuration (in case you want to revert back).
Configuring the network connection to incorporate the above openDND server addresses is quite simple:
(1) Click on ‘start’
(2) Click on ‘control panel’
(3) Double click on ‘network connections’
(4) Right click on ‘local area connection’
(5) Click on ‘properties’
(6) Select ‘internet protocol [TCP/IP]’
(7) Click on ‘properties’ button
(8) Click the radio button ‘Use the following DNS server addresses’
(9) Enter 208.67.222.222 as preferred DNS server
(10) Enter 208.67.220.220 as alternate DNS server
(11) Click OK
That’s all. If you were struggling with internet connection problems before the above configuration, you will definitely feel the improvement after incorporating the openDNS server addresses.

You may visit their site opendns.com for additional information including screen shots of configuring your local area connection. You will find the additional useful services offered by openDNS.

Garlic- The Invaluable Pearl

My mother who left this world at the age of 88 about 5 years back was a very good cook. She had a special talent in preparing delicious dishes using the minimum possible ingredients in surprisingly limited time. In his famous book ‘Seven Summers’, Mulk Raj Anand often makes references to the wonderful curries his mother used to prepare. Perhaps the dishes prepared by mothers might be the tastiest for their children. In the post world war scenario resources were very limited; but my mother used garlic in many of her ‘wonderful curries’. I believe that this single thing has contributed very much in boosting the health of the members of our ancestral family.

In ashtangahrudaya, the well known treatise on Ayurveda, garlic is described as amruth (elixir of life) on the earth. The health benefits and medicinal properties of garlic were known to the ancient Indian philosophers. Therefore it is an important ingredient in many ayurvedic preparations. Modern research has revealed that garlic has antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties. It is found to be a natural blood thinner and has the ability to reduce blood pressure. It renders protection against cancer.

Make a google search on ‘garlic benefits’ and you will be surprised to find the volume of results you obtain.

I have made it a habit to take two or three raw garlic flakes every day to get the beneficial effects of this wonder food stuff. It will be convenient to take it with your supper.

Voice Changer Software

An idea which was in my mind from the time of development of modern signal processing methods was their use in voice changing. I thought of it not for the possibilities of its misuses, but for recreating the voice of favourite singers like Muhammed Rafi and Mukesh who are no more. There are good singers who are not blessed with good voice. For them good voice changing software will be of great benefit.

If a good singer with an unpleasant voice can sing in front of a microphone and the audience can hear the song reproduced by loud speakers to be in the voice of their favourite singer such as Muhammed Rafi or Mukesh, the system will be very useful.

If you search the web for voice changing software you will find many products. I don’t know whether there are products which will be suitable for the purpose I mentioned above.

What differentiates your voice from mine? Pitch (frequency) and loudness are two important characteristics of any sound, but the quality (timbre) which indicates the overtone content in the sound is much more important in making ones voice unique. If you have a voice changer software specifically developed to create your favourite singer’s voice, how nice it would be!

Merry Christmas!

Microwaves, Lasers and Ultrasonics in Surgery

I have often wondered that the progress in different branches of Medical Science has not been enough compared to that in physics, electronics, communications, computer science etc. Perhaps those working in the field of Medicine may have difference of opinion. I have a strong feeling that the technological progress has not been fully applied in the field of medicine. This may be due to the insufficiency of cooperation among technologists and physicians. Generally physicians are busy with their routine work and they do not get enough opportunities and time for interaction with scientists in other branches. In fact, the really talented physicians are overworked and are unable to look into even their own personal problems properly.

Surgery is the strength of Modern Medicine. Technological progress has been applied to improve surgical procedures, but I feel that the application has not been enough. From long time back itself I have nurtured an idea of using ferromagnetic particles to execute the dilation of constricted blood vessels by injecting a bunch of such particles into the blood stream, subjecting the bunch to an oscillating magnetic field (thereby dilating the blood vessel) and recovering the bunch at a suitable collection point. Medical professionals may think of the feasibility of this in collaboration with engineers and technologists.

The use of laser, microwave and ultra sound in the medical field, especially in surgery, has been steadily on the rise, but the momentum is not enough. International cooperation on a large scale by deploying experts in various fields is a very important need of the world today.

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched; they must be felt with the heart." – Helen Keller

Atmospheric Noise Reduction in AM Radio Receivers

Compared to FM radio receivers, amplitude modulation (AM) radio receivers are very much susceptible to atmospheric noise interference. This is because of the fact that atmospheric noise is amplitude modulated. Most of the man made electromagnetic interference also is amplitude modulated. The undesirable noise interference in AM radio receivers and the instability along with noise patterns in the picture on a TV receiver connected to an antenna during thunder storms is a common experience. Similar problems encountered because of nearby electrical switching circuits (as for example, automobile ignition systems) also are common.

Even though I have not done any research in this field, I think the modulation envelope of the amplitude modulated noise signal may be more or less the same over a wide range of frequencies. If that is the case, it will be possible to extract this noise signal and phase shift it through the required angle so that it has a phase shift of 180 degrees with the noise signal appearing along with the received useful signal. After amplifying this phase shifted noise signal to the required extent so as to have the same amplitude as that of the noise signal appearing along with the useful signal, they are to be superimposed so that the net noise signal is canceled. The separate noise signal may be received from the lower or upper end of the transmission band. For the medium wave band, the required noise signal can be extracted using a separate tuned circuit at a frequency around 500 kHz or 1600 kHz. The phase shifting and the controlled amplification of the separate noise signal are to be done after demodulation. The superimposition of the signals also is evidently to be done after demodulation.

With modern operational amplifiers the above tasks may be simple.

So, Attention Electronics Engineers!