Via Surplus Musings, I found this comic speech of the Rupublican Senetor from Alaska (link to 27BStroke6)

Some politicians invent the Internet, some just send it.

Drip Update Technology

You've heard of drip irrigration, right? Instead of flushing the crops with water, you irrigate them slowly, but constantly.

We have implemented such a system on Kamat's Potpourri for many years, and I have written an article about Drip Updates under our "Amateur Webmaster" section.

The drip-update forces us to think ahead and expose the pages to search engines before they are live.

See, that page is already indexed and is a top match for Drip Update Technology

Meanwhile, the real horror is happening in real life. In Mumbai, in Lebenon, in Palestine, and in Iraq.

As I have said before, the prime motivation was to provide an alternative to the ad-infested Sulekha News.

Review of Shyamchi Ayee (Shyam's Mother)

For the last few days, I have been reading Sane Guruji's "Shyamchi Ayee".

In the early pages of the book, I thought it was a super-sensitive work, almost to the tune of being childish, and bordering on worship of women. But within a few episodes (there are 42 of them) Guruji has transformed me into a super-sensitive cry baby. It is a delicate and beautiful story of Sane Guruji's own childhood set in pre-independence days of Konkan belt. It is indeed a masterpiece. The author brings out the Indian family value system though simple incidents and dialogues, and the profound thought and sensitivities are left to the reader to regurgitate and enjoy. I have been raving so much about the book that my wife just ordered the English version.

I hereby salute the genius of Sane Guruji. Of course, he was much more than a writer -- an educationist, a freedom fighter, socialist, and a reformer. Read Remembering Sane Guruji in Amma's Column.

I am also divesting my prejudice against the sensitive types. Although the sensitive people suffer more through life emotionally -- for instance, the author of the book committed suicide in real life -- now I believe that they live more fuller lives than those who have less sensitive personalities.

FYI: While I have not seen it, this book was made into an award winning movie with the same title.

Next on my list of classics to read: Dreams of Dumb Grandma (Mookajjiya Kanasugalu) by Shivaram Karanth.

Recently finished classics: "The Brothers Karamazov", "Parva" (The Epoch)...

See Also:
• Worship of Women
• Mother and Child: Pictorial Exhibition

See an aerial view of the house and the neighborhood -- that includes tennis courts, pool, lake etc. (link to Google Maps)

Update: August 17, 2006 This house is SOLD.

(via Private Message) Mr. Shankar Kantu of Nilekani in Sirsi passed away last week. He had been ailing for sometime.

May his soul rest in peace.

Like so many times, we happened to have a beautiful, story-filled photograph of his, although a candid one, of enjoying the breakfast served by his wife Mrs. Krishne Kantu.

© K. L. Kamat

Many years ago I visited the Kantu household. They were living as one huge joint-family then, with some thirty five members living together. My observations made then are still vivid, and some of them will be distilled in a novel I am writing (yes! see below).

By popular demand (they have been privately requested for years), I have decided to write a novel. I am very excited about it.

Although not known as a fiction writer, my dad wrote a novel in 1971, titled "Bhagna Swapna". It was his only novel, and has been out of print for a long time. The other day we got a fan-letter --"Please don't give this story to the movie makers" pleaded the letter, "They will spoil the beauty of the story"!!

"Would you please give your honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?"

The survey was a huge failure because...:

In Africa they didn't know what "food" meant.

In Eastern Europe they didn't know what "honest" meant.

In Western Europe they didn't know what "shortage" meant.

In China they didn't know what "opinion" meant.

In the Middle-East they didn't know what "solution" meant.

In South America they didn't know what "please" meant.

In the USA they didn't know what "the rest of the world" meant.

I've got a splitting headache.

First, someone wanted to buy Kamat.com. My question was why?

Then someone discovered an un-patched software (it is rare, since I write most of the software, so far we have been free from such attacks) and attacked our server. Apparently I have been running a very old version of Linux and Plesk. But my provider (Interland, I have been with them for five years, I understand that they have sold the business) says they can't upgrade, and the only alternative is to go in for a new server for almost three times the current price!

So I started a research to find an alternate host and I have discovered that I have been overpaying all along!

And the more I learnt about Webhosting business, the more confusing it has gotten. I think selecting a wife/soulmate is easier than selecting a webhost! So much drama, so many options, so many reviews... Whatever happened to the old fashioned way of doing business?

Old Fashioned Way of Doing Business

My family has been in the clothes business forever (over a hundred years). When Pach Hegde wanted a shirt, he'd come to the shop and just say "I need a new shirt". That's it! Then he would start reading newspaper or discuss the price of areca-nut.

We knew his budgets, what kind of colors and fabrics he liked. We knew his size. We would dispense the cloth and send it to his tailor Girgol with the word "Shirt for Pach Hedge, should be ready before the festival". The tailor knew where Mr. Hegde liked his secret pockets (Hegde had to carry big amounts of cash and travel overnight) and the size of Mr. Hegde's collar bone.

I know things have changed. Mr. Hegde is no more. There are no custom tailors in our neighborhoods. But I thought I'd remember this story to illustrate how the vendors and service providers understood the customer's needs and how the customers trusted the service providers with their judgment of what was in their best interest.

Thanks for offers of help with my server. What I have now is a self-managed dedicated server. What they want me to have is a manged high-performance server. Send your recommendations to

Update Aug. 5: I have found an alternate provider.