Phone numbers

We all have them. Some of us have multiple. Services have come up to consolidate them. Yet, the question remains, do we still need them?

If you look at it historically, these numbers were assigned based on locality. It was like an address, where numbers which were close in proximity would invariably link up houses which near each other as well. In fact, they originally began not as the pure numeric codes we see today, but as alpha-numeric combinations where the lead alphabets would mention the city in which the number existed. This made sense when phones were tied down to the house.

Today's world, is very different. Cell phones outnumber land lines in most countries around the world. Cell phones have no geographic distinctions. A number just has to be unique across a country, with country codes obscuring the fact for internationally unique numbers. This still leaves us with often hard to remember convoluted combinations of digits. As humans, remembering seemingly unrelated numbers in one series, can be quite a challenge. This leads us to my original question.

Some of you may argue, that there is no need to remember phone numbers anymore. Every phone has sufficient memory to store and remember all the contacts you will ever need. To me, that is solving the wrong problem. In a world where everything is now moving away from the circuit switched networks that defined the archaic telephone system, to an IP based, packet switched networks, surely we can come up with a better way of addressing the myriad of devices out there. With the arrival of LTE, every phone will always have an IP address, that will globally distinguish its peers.

IP addresses bring us back to numbers. That is a problem that has been solved, however. Something along the lines of a URL or even like our email addresses would be a good choice. This is something, that most of us are used to, and will be relatively easy to remember should we every lose our phones.

An example could be something like phone://home.zoxcleb or phone://work.zoxcleb
phone: is just the protocol identifier, like FTP or HTTP. If you have multiple people at one house, you could update it to phone://personA.home.zoxcleb where zoxcleb is basically like the family domain for all phones. What do you do if you move out, and need your own "domain"? Obtain one and then update the address to forward your requests out for some time until you can update all your contacts. The address will also be service provider independent, just like today's websites are agnostic of the hosting service. This makes address portability a breeze.

Todays phone numbers may just be the status quo, but as the number of devices go up, we will eventually reach the threshold that 10 digits can support. Before we do, and have to add yet another digit, it might be worthwhile considering a change in the way we do things.

Its always the little things that count. Life is a journey so long, so convoluted, that as we unravel its mysteries, we are often left in awe of what it opens up to us. Moving along this path, sometimes at leisure, sometimes at a bustling pace, its not often we get to stop and have a look around. What we need is a pause button.

That's exactly what old friends are for. The people you knew when growing up are like bridges to worlds long lost in labyrinths of time. Sitting over dinner with people one has known for more than three-fourths of your life can be quite an experience. Especially if you haven't really spent much time with them in the last quarter. The stories that are told, the incidents remembered, the changes in people, the things people have gone through. In all this, the common thread is the people and the tiny quirks that we all manifested.

There's a reason its called the formative years. The bonds made then, are very different from ones thereafter. The experiences from then, really do (as much as Calvin would hate it) build character. No matter what you say, those days are the building blocks of what we all are today, and what we stand to be. We may change over time and not be recognizable to others who we grew up with, but its all a cumulative experience from day 1, and the effect, I feel, decreases over time.

Happy Birthday Rosette

Roads go ever ever on,

Over rock and under tree,

By caves where never sun has shone,

By streams that never find the sea:

Over rain by winter sown,

And through the merry flowers of June,

Over grass and over stone,

And under mountains in the moon.

One year. They say one travels far in one year. Who would have guessed, it would have been ten thousand miles! Today marks the first birthday. The first of many more to come. Together, we've roamed the country side, and visited cities. We've spent hours together, alone, and in the company of friends. Life in itself became a lot easier to live once we got to be friends. A small bump along the road, but a few days and all was forgotten. Today, I say Happy Birthday.

A very Happy Birthday Rosette!

The long and winding road
That leads from your door
Will never disappear

The Connected Professional

We live in a world surrounded by the ever present network. No matter where you go, the network is there to keep you company. At work, one is always tethered to the network, wireless though it may be. There is always the flow of emails, calls, online discussions, meetings, and calendar alerts. Sometimes, however, one wonders if we take it too far.

Just the other day, a guy standing in the urinal stall next to me, was doing his business, and his business. He was on a conference call. I just hope he remembered to keep it on mute! I've also seen a guy come out of the closed stalls to wash his hands, while holding his laptop.

Are we so used to being connected that even when when we have to go, we still cant let go? Or is there something more disturbing going on? For now, I just hope for a new policy.

The Bombay Connection

Its a city which boasts a population of 20 million people. That's about 2 thousandths of the world's total populace. Twenty million faces to choose from in nearly 7 billion. Yet, no matter where you go, you always see someone familiar. Its a little unnerving if you think about it.

The connections can be astounding. The more time spent dwelling on the intertwining threads and the more bewildered one can become. Just the other day, I met a person who went to high school with my friend from grad school, a friend of his from undergrad, was my classmate at school, and he works with a classmate of mine from grad school. All from Bombay!

What is it about this city? I've heard so many people complain that we Bombay folk are everywhere. At every turn, you'll meet someone from some part of the city. Its like a tie that binds, and draws us together.

If Music be the Food of Life....

.... then rock on

It all started quite simply over dinner. A conversation of upcoming events and things to do. That's when I learned of the BFD.




The Saturday began like any weekend should, slow and relaxed. After a few basic chores, it was time to get ready and head out to Shoreline Amphitheater. A quick stop at a friend's place, meet her friends, and we head out to grab a bite before the concert.

Eating brunch, a text arrives from another friend, who announces that parking is hell, and the Airborne Toxic Event will go on very very soon. A mad rush to finish, and then a final dash as we reach the amphitheater, allowed us to just make the start of the ATE. What followed next was a day full of live music.

Before I get into the lineup, one band that I will always remember. Mute Math. The last part of their set involved the drummer just taking the lead. All the bands music was centered around the drummer. He even got up and climbed part of the stage to play the "drums" on the metal poles that held up the stage. He then jumped into a mosh pit with his drum, and was well supported by the crowd as he played his drums. That drummer really stole the show :-)

As for the lineup of what I heard...
• Airborne Toxic Event
• Mute Math
• Metric
• Rebelution
• Alkaline Trio
• Taking Back Sunday
• Dead Confederate
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• 311 &
• The Offspring

Some of the music of these artists can be found here. All lovely music. Most of which I had never heard before, but will be sure to hear again.

Sitting in the bay, one is often made to forget where you actually are. All around, one sees shops, restaurants and people who will conveniently make it appear that you are back in India. The grocery stores, the chaat houses, the fusion restaurants, the floating languages, the constant cricket, everywhere you look there is something to remind u of India.

But this is not India. It takes a trip to India to figure that out. It takes a trip to Bombay to realize what you remember is not India, its Bombay. The smell of salt. Humidity which makes u sweat as soon as you shower. The walks by the sea. Watching the sun disappear into the vast expanse of blue.

Then there are the delicacies. The Chinese food here is simply amazing. In spite of the gazillion south Indian restaurants in the bay, one always misses Spring Dosa! Fresh lime soda, is another treat yet to be exported.

Sitting here and looking there, at the bay, one wonders, what is it that I reminisce about. Is it India, or is it the city that I came from?