http://kailash.balnac.com/blog My brain dump: programming, energy modeling & random rants + crap Sun, 04 Jul 2010 21:42:49 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The exact nature and complexity of people really surprises me. One assumption that often employers make is that money drives the motivation of their employees, the good old carrot and stick theory. I have seen many organisations use tactics like appraisals and performance bonuses to drive better performance. Most organisations aim ... http://kailash.balnac.com/blog/?p=268 I have always been impressed and proud of Mauritius' rich cultural diversity. Our forefathers have hailed from different continents, and at the same time have brought along their own culture with them. I am utterly impressed and proud when I see how the essence of their culture has been preserved. ... http://kailash.balnac.com/blog/?p=222 MIT Professor, Dan Nocera, believes he can solve world's energy problem with an Olympic-sized pool of water. Provide cheap energy to the developing world and predicts the end of the power grid as it would become cheaper to produce your own energy. He and his team have actually discovered a ... http://kailash.balnac.com/blog/?p=219 Rejoice iphone users! After some lobbying by mauritian iphone owners, Apple has finally launched Mauritius' own iphone App Store. Uptil now I have been using South Africa's App Store to buy applications for my iphone. It was one of the few which accepted mauritian credit cards. We can also now create iphone ... http://kailash.balnac.com/blog/?p=214 I just got entangled in a spending spree that started off out of no genuine need. Sigh! December 2008, I was wondering how I could put my flimsy end of year bonus to good use. I thought now would be a good time to start to overindulge myself. After a half ... http://kailash.balnac.com/blog/?p=194 2009 did bring a few developments. Careerwise I had a taste of the good and the bad. I do not feel that I have achieved anything of significance during the year. It was like I choose to lay back and let the world go its own way instead of actively ... http://kailash.balnac.com/blog/?p=189 Tonight I had the opportunity of discovering, what I consider, a hidden treasure. A silent comedy of Charlie Chaplin, Modern Times (1939). I had no idea that a silent film would have that kind of effect on me. The background music and facial expressions of actors were more than enough ... http://kailash.balnac.com/blog/?p=184 One thing that really caught my attention in this year's annual meeting between Tertiary Education Commission's (TEC) top management and TEC funded MPhil-PhD students/Postdocs, was the speech from Hon. Bhushan Domah, chairperson of the TEC Board. The well respected figure of the judiciary made a plea for more professionalism within all ... http://kailash.balnac.com/blog/?p=174 I am a ardent follower of the concept behind the french saying "L'habit ne fait pas le moine". Ever since I have resumed full time studies, I have never missed an opportunity to dress up casually, usually the a pair of cheap jeans, t-shirt, my alltime favorite "ubuntu" sweater and ... http://kailash.balnac.com/blog/?p=164 I am to say the least dissapointed by the Mauritius Blog Tracker since it has been revamped. I know that it is more colourful than the default wordpress theme but I am kind of nostalgic of how easy it was to read the aggregation of Mauritian Blogs on the homepage itself. ... http://kailash.balnac.com/blog/?p=147