Bangalore, Day 11

[bjarvis]

I must be fully adjusted to living in Bangalore: this morning (Friday), I slept in.

Over the past 10+ days, I've been waking up at 7:30am by reflex (my watch alarm set for 8am as a precaution), check my email, get scrubbed up enough to be seen in public and walk over to the office by 9am. This morning, however, I woke up, rolled over to look at my watch and was astonished to see it displaying 9:10am.

Fortunately, it's Friday here and all of the big work projects have already been tackled. In fact, I completed all of the writing tasks I had hoped to accomplish shortly after lunch Thursday. At the moment, I'm monitoring some processing jobs and updating some scripts, but otherwise expending most of my energy dreading a huge pile of stuff waiting for me at my data center back in Washington.

One of the curious side effects of being 10.5 hours out of sync with home is that I'm spending less time online. We talk a great line about how the Internet has made us a 24x7 world, but it really hasn't: the bulk of the transactions, updates & postings generated are done in the daylight hours of the writers. Since most of the people I follow on email, Facebook, Google+, LiveJournal and a host of news web sites are all in North America, there are precious few updates posted during my daytime hours in India. In effect, I get to do all of my reading & browsing within the first hour or so of my day before going to work and never have a distraction until my bedtime, just as folks in North America are starting their day.

debbieann commented on yesterday's post about the card key electrical control for my hotel room. The suggestion was that any card the correct shape would probably work just as well as my room's door key. Sure enough, the Cold Stone Creamery gift card I forgot to take out of my wallet works just fine at keeping the lights & outlets on. Yay!

I just finished reading "Rainbow's End" by Maury Klein, a history of the stock market crash of 1929. Wow, that ended badly.

Comments

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Cold Stone Creamery gift card?!?

Tsk tsk. A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips ;-)

Indeed, a lot of hotels use that energy saving idea… the problem however, is exactly what you encountered… some things need to charge while you're gone! HVAC systems are often now on a motion detector, which means in the middle of the night, when you're not moving, you'll slowly start to roast/freeze. It sucks.

[weekilter.livejournal.com]

In re: motion detectors I also noticed when transiting through CDG the last time I was there that the escalators are motion sensitive and only will run when you approach. I've always thought this was brilliant since you only need to have the motor kick on when there's an actual need to have the apparatus running.

On that note, I also noticed in my local QFC (Krojé affiliated market) that the cases for frozen foods only get lit when you approach them (even though the cases are lit by LEDs rather than fluorescent lighting.)

As far as _bad_ use of motion sensors I went to a meeting at Seattle University in the alumni building had motion sensors in the WC and I guess I didn't do my bidness with enough haste and the room was plunged into darkness before I had a chance to pull up my trousers, warsh my hands and exit the WC gracefully.

[wescobear.livejournal.com]

Bathrooms need a specific type of sensor that detects both heat and motion. And they need to be placed correctly to prevent unfortunate time outs. I have a client who we're fixing that for right now (the previous designer got it very wrong.)

Walmart is adding refrigerated case sensors system-wide in all their stores with groceries. It's an energy saving no-brainer.

[wescobear.livejournal.com]

If the occupancy sensor (motion detector) is aimed right, is sufficiently sensitive and has a long enough time-out, it should work just dandy. If.

[weekilter.livejournal.com]

BTW, excellent avatar. Looks like a relative of Reddy Kilowatt :)

[weekilter.livejournal.com]

How are you dealing with time difference? Did you have severe jet lag or did you adjust quickly? When will you return to the states?

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

No jetlag at all getting here, but I expect to be in a zombie-like state on the return trip. I'm outta here on a 2:30am (Bangalore time) flight Tuesday morning, landing me at Dulles around 1:30pm Tuesday afternoon.

[weekilter.livejournal.com]

Lucky you that you'll need to get to the airport by 00:30 :)

[cuyahogarvr.livejournal.com]

DON'T YOU DARE FORGET THAT CSC CARD IN INDIA.

[wescobear.livejournal.com]

My bad. I should have told him that almost anything will work with that switch. Cut up a piece of cardboard at the office and use that; there's just a spring loaded switch at the bottom of the slot.

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I tried the Cold Stone card because it was in my wallet as I was standing by the switch. I tried a business card later and that worked just fine too.

[weekilter.livejournal.com]

So, I guess this means a trick card would work too! :)