MAN vs MACHINE <= /title> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"country-region"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"City"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"place"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceName"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceType"/>  <style>  </style>  </head> <body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple style=3D'tab-interval:.5in'> <div class=3DSection1> MAN vs</span= > MACHINE<o:p></o:p> <o:p> = </o:p> <o:p> = </o:p> To accompa= ny someone nominated by Railways, to take full advantage of the free excursion provided by Railways, to talk only about Nature, Architecture, Art and Hist= ory without mentioning a word about Railways- that would indeed be the height of ungratefulness to the world’s largest establishment. Therefore, I off= er my gratitude to our country’s most profitable organization (in spite of = 100% of its employees getting fully paid and only 10% of them actually working) = by posting a few rudimentary facts about a kind of Railway I have never before seen or had even heard of. <o:p></o:p> As soon as we arrived in <st1= :place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on">London</st1:City></st1:place>, Shanker (who was familiar with the European ticketing systems from his stay abroad) bought us both an Oyster Card each. For those unfamiliar with this method, it is a kind of pre-paid travel card there, th= at provides considerable savings for passengers who make several journeys on different types of public transport. Hardly two days had passed and going by the number of times we had touched in and out the cards on the electronic r= eaders at the entrance and exit of platforms and buses, I’m sure in future, = the British government would think twice before allotting such paisa vasool schemes to foreigners, especially Indians.<o:p></o:p> We were standing at the <st1:PlaceN= ame w:st=3D"on">Canary</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Wharf</st1:Pl= aceType> underground Metro, waiting to board the train that would take us to <st1:pl= ace w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on">Greenwich</st1:City></st1:place>. The tra= in, liveried in red and blue with gray doors, hurtled into the station looking = very much like an automated toy. The moment I saw it I was overawed. But the pic= ture somehow seemed incomplete. Then I realized what the flaw was. This toy̵= 7;s remote control lay in some invisible hand. As opposed to one end, both the = ends of this train were fully glazed, providing an excellent forward and rear vi= ew for passengers. ‘Where’s the engine?’ I asked. ‘Thi= s is the DLR’, Shanker said. <o:p></o:p></span= > I don’t mean to sound = like a Railway geek but sometimes its annoying abbreviated terms get on my last ne= rve. In fact, for years I thought that the acronym for what my husband is right = now was FNCO. ‘So, what is a DLR?’ I asked. Sh= anker didn’t think it necessary to de-abbreviate. Instead he simply said th= at there was no driver in the train. I gasped. I knew something was missing but – the driver? It was like a surgeon missing from the Operation Theatr= e. ‘And you expect me to ride on this?’ I asked. For an answer he = just grabbed my hand and pushed me inside the driver-less train. <o:p></o:p></sp= an> When we were seated, he explained t= hat this was modern skill at its excellence and he wanted me to be a part of it. Wha= t he didn’t know was that where technology was at its best, my imagination= was also at its worst. Don’t get me wrong. I am adventurous but I am also practical. I know the difference between a Doctor’s skilled hands and= a robot’s perplexing laser controls. A computer to help out in organizing thoughts as= in writing is fine by me. But a computer taking you for a ride sounds no less dangerous than an explosive wired onto your back. In <st1:place w:st=3D"on"= ><st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place>, where even freight tra= ins are fully ‘drivered’, derailments a= re not uncommon. What if this driver’s computerized controls suddenly got ja= mmed? But Shanker was cool. He went on to elaborate further. ‘Only this morning, they took us on a tour in these trains&#= 8217; he said. ‘All these DLR rakes are computerized. These trains have been running for almost fifteen years now. And don’t you worry. There is a= PSA on each train.’ He didn’t de-abbreviate that either but by now I was past caring.<o:p></o:p> The entire ride was a nightm= are. But back home it not only felt like a remarkable experience but also warran= ted an immediate application in our very own Bharat= Mahaan. I asked both son and husband why this marvelo= us technology could not be applied here. ‘Mummy’, my son said, ‘these fellows invent all sorts of things because they lack manpower. You think we don’t have the know-how? It’s just that we don’t need it.’ With the ratio of Population Vs. Unem= ployment, that answer sounded logical enough. However, Shanker&#= 8217;s question was more intelligible. ‘Computers and Indian tracks? You thi= nk they would go together?’ <o:p></o:p> Of course not! A computer could nev= er be warned of a planted bomb in the fertile soil in its permanent way. It could never be informed of innocent gang men working overtime. It could never gau= ge the need for hurrying passersby to scurry across unmanned tracks. It could never recognize the sudden urges of urchins to relieve themselves in the world’s largest exposed restrooms. It could never be familiar with our cattle’s need for a stroll in the what-they-think-are-parks. It would also rarely understand the hara-kirical tendenc= ies of people who find our Indian Railway sleepers the finest beds to sleep on. <o= :p></o:p> Yes, probably he was right. But I a= lso couldn’t help taking my thinking a step forward. A computer could als= o never be lured into intoxication. It would never require the extra than forty win= ks a human driver sometimes demands. Thus it would always remain alert. A comput= er would never be underpaid for its incessant services. It would never be unapprecia= ted for its hazardous occupation. It would never be dissatisfied with its unrewarding duties. Thus it could never be bribed! <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p>= Glossary:<o:p></o:p></sp= an> DLR- The = Dockland Light Railway, is a light rail public transport metro for the Docklands are= a of <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on">London</st1:City></st1:place>.= It has no driver’s compartment although there is a small desk where the controls of the electronic system is mounted. This is concealed behind a locked panel at each end from where the PSA can drive the train in an emergency. <o:p><= /o:p> PSA- The Pa= ssenger Service Agent is responsi= ble for patrolling, checking tickets and making announcements in the train. He = also takes control of the trains in case of computer failure or emergency.<o:p><= /o:p> WRM – Working Railway Man- any Railw= ay employee reading this article (Accounts or otherwise) automatically qualifi= es for one among the 10% of the government servants that actually works. <o:p>= </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <sp= an style=3D'font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>Nargis Natarajan= . <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> </div> </body> </html>

MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Location: file:///C:/0865B225/Man_Vs_Machine.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" MAN vs MACHINE <= /title> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"country-region"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"City"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"place"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceName"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceType"/>  <style>  </style>  </head> <body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple style=3D'tab-interval:.5in'> <div class=3DSection1> MAN vs</span= > MACHINE<o:p></o:p> <o:p> = </o:p> <o:p> = </o:p> To accompa= ny someone nominated by Railways, to take full advantage of the free excursion provided by Railways, to talk only about Nature, Architecture, Art and Hist= ory without mentioning a word about Railways- that would indeed be the height of ungratefulness to the world’s largest establishment. Therefore, I off= er my gratitude to our country’s most profitable organization (in spite of = 100% of its employees getting fully paid and only 10% of them actually working) = by posting a few rudimentary facts about a kind of Railway I have never before seen or had even heard of. <o:p></o:p> As soon as we arrived in <st1= :place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on">London</st1:City></st1:place>, Shanker (who was familiar with the European ticketing systems from his stay abroad) bought us both an Oyster Card each. For those unfamiliar with this method, it is a kind of pre-paid travel card there, th= at provides considerable savings for passengers who make several journeys on different types of public transport. Hardly two days had passed and going by the number of times we had touched in and out the cards on the electronic r= eaders at the entrance and exit of platforms and buses, I’m sure in future, = the British government would think twice before allotting such paisa vasool schemes to foreigners, especially Indians.<o:p></o:p> We were standing at the <st1:PlaceN= ame w:st=3D"on">Canary</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Wharf</st1:Pl= aceType> underground Metro, waiting to board the train that would take us to <st1:pl= ace w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on">Greenwich</st1:City></st1:place>. The tra= in, liveried in red and blue with gray doors, hurtled into the station looking = very much like an automated toy. The moment I saw it I was overawed. But the pic= ture somehow seemed incomplete. Then I realized what the flaw was. This toy̵= 7;s remote control lay in some invisible hand. As opposed to one end, both the = ends of this train were fully glazed, providing an excellent forward and rear vi= ew for passengers. ‘Where’s the engine?’ I asked. ‘Thi= s is the DLR’, Shanker said. <o:p></o:p></span= > I don’t mean to sound = like a Railway geek but sometimes its annoying abbreviated terms get on my last ne= rve. In fact, for years I thought that the acronym for what my husband is right = now was FNCO. ‘So, what is a DLR?’ I asked. Sh= anker didn’t think it necessary to de-abbreviate. Instead he simply said th= at there was no driver in the train. I gasped. I knew something was missing but – the driver? It was like a surgeon missing from the Operation Theatr= e. ‘And you expect me to ride on this?’ I asked. For an answer he = just grabbed my hand and pushed me inside the driver-less train. <o:p></o:p></sp= an> When we were seated, he explained t= hat this was modern skill at its excellence and he wanted me to be a part of it. Wha= t he didn’t know was that where technology was at its best, my imagination= was also at its worst. Don’t get me wrong. I am adventurous but I am also practical. I know the difference between a Doctor’s skilled hands and= a robot’s perplexing laser controls. A computer to help out in organizing thoughts as= in writing is fine by me. But a computer taking you for a ride sounds no less dangerous than an explosive wired onto your back. In <st1:place w:st=3D"on"= ><st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place>, where even freight tra= ins are fully ‘drivered’, derailments a= re not uncommon. What if this driver’s computerized controls suddenly got ja= mmed? But Shanker was cool. He went on to elaborate further. ‘Only this morning, they took us on a tour in these trains&#= 8217; he said. ‘All these DLR rakes are computerized. These trains have been running for almost fifteen years now. And don’t you worry. There is a= PSA on each train.’ He didn’t de-abbreviate that either but by now I was past caring.<o:p></o:p> The entire ride was a nightm= are. But back home it not only felt like a remarkable experience but also warran= ted an immediate application in our very own Bharat= Mahaan. I asked both son and husband why this marvelo= us technology could not be applied here. ‘Mummy’, my son said, ‘these fellows invent all sorts of things because they lack manpower. You think we don’t have the know-how? It’s just that we don’t need it.’ With the ratio of Population Vs. Unem= ployment, that answer sounded logical enough. However, Shanker&#= 8217;s question was more intelligible. ‘Computers and Indian tracks? You thi= nk they would go together?’ <o:p></o:p> Of course not! A computer could nev= er be warned of a planted bomb in the fertile soil in its permanent way. It could never be informed of innocent gang men working overtime. It could never gau= ge the need for hurrying passersby to scurry across unmanned tracks. It could never recognize the sudden urges of urchins to relieve themselves in the world’s largest exposed restrooms. It could never be familiar with our cattle’s need for a stroll in the what-they-think-are-parks. It would also rarely understand the hara-kirical tendenc= ies of people who find our Indian Railway sleepers the finest beds to sleep on. <o= :p></o:p> Yes, probably he was right. But I a= lso couldn’t help taking my thinking a step forward. A computer could als= o never be lured into intoxication. It would never require the extra than forty win= ks a human driver sometimes demands. Thus it would always remain alert. A comput= er would never be underpaid for its incessant services. It would never be unapprecia= ted for its hazardous occupation. It would never be dissatisfied with its unrewarding duties. Thus it could never be bribed! <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p>= Glossary:<o:p></o:p></sp= an> DLR- The = Dockland Light Railway, is a light rail public transport metro for the Docklands are= a of <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on">London</st1:City></st1:place>.= It has no driver’s compartment although there is a small desk where the controls of the electronic system is mounted. This is concealed behind a locked panel at each end from where the PSA can drive the train in an emergency. <o:p><= /o:p> PSA- The Pa= ssenger Service Agent is responsi= ble for patrolling, checking tickets and making announcements in the train. He = also takes control of the trains in case of computer failure or emergency.<o:p><= /o:p> WRM – Working Railway Man- any Railw= ay employee reading this article (Accounts or otherwise) automatically qualifi= es for one among the 10% of the government servants that actually works. <o:p>= </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <sp= an style=3D'font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>Nargis Natarajan= . <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> </div> </body> </html>