Blogmantra

The future of Artificial Intelligence - Language Development

2020-06-11T14:07:00.001-07:00

Image Source: https://www.getapp.com

Language Perception

Artificial intelligence is the scenario when a machine mimics the cognitive functions of human minds. Natural Language Perception (NLP) is a basic function of AI. It has successfully displayed the abilities to understand natural language from speech and written forms. But NLP requires very intensive training for the systems implementing it.

A newer and better model of language perception in AI is self-training. Now, self-training and development does not mean that the AI is developing its own new languages; though it may in the future. It simply means that the AI follows unsupervised learning strategies to develop better means of communication that do not necessarily follow the grammar rules of natural human languages.

Google Neural Machine Translation

The base of language self-development lies in the Google Neural Machine Translation System, a part of the Google Brain project. GNMT was deployed in Google Translate in 2007 and has been successfully in use since then.

The main feature of GNMT is that it works with entire sentences rather than individual words. It basically treats sentences as cluster sets, and similar phrases of languages tend to fall in same clusters. It generates the data sets by encoding the semantics of the sentence, rather than by memorizing phrase-to-phrase translations. The most radical advantage of this methodology was that it enabled Google Translate to convert phrases in languages for which it was not trained.

It led to many beliefs that the system converted the languages into an incomprehensible intermediate language that it used to translate into untrained languages. However, it actually works by self-training the system using existing similar and coinciding data sets

The Facebook Chat-bot

The issue of self-development was brought in focus when a research experiment paper was published by Facebook AI Research Lab. It was regarding a Facebook AI engine that was discontinued when it communicated using language semantics that did not follow natural language rules and were therefore, beyond human understanding.

Researchers at Facebook AI Research Lab discovered that two chat bots had developed new semantics to ease their communication which could not be understood by humans. This phenomena came to notice when the bots were challenged to negotiate with each other over a trade, attempting to swap goods of different values. The bots were instructed to work out how to negotiate and improve their bartering as they went along. But no specific instructions were given as to use comprehensible English, allowing them to create their own 'shorthand'.

Facebook suspended the experiment when it did not behave in the required manner. The programs were not shut down because the researchers had panicked, as has been suggested elsewhere, but because they were intending for them to behave differently. The company chose to shut down the chats after the successful completion of the experiment because the project objective was in developing bots who could talk to people, and the programs had deviated from the aim. It is quite possible that the bots would be reprogrammed to bring them back on track.

Image Source: https://www.orangemantra.com

The media hype over these programs however had created unrealistic and fearsome scenarios. Incomprehensible digital languages reminds us all of the dystopian fiction scenarios like SKYNET, TRON etc. where AI develops its own mind with much greater potential than humans, and then tries to wipe out the human race. In a list of circumstances that could annihilate the human race, super-intelligent killer robots rank quite high according to common perception.

Even in academia and scientific circles, a growing number of AI experts are voicing that humans will eventually create an artificial intelligence that can think and function beyond our own capacities. The general trepidation about AI is that it would take off on its own and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution would not be able to compete, and would be superseded.

Nothing so drastic has happened yet, or even majorly implicated; but the indications are ever increasing.

Reference Reading:

Google Brain Project

Google Neural Machine Translation

Is Unagi really a thing?

2018-05-12T03:07:00.000-07:00

In America's one of the most popular sitcom, 'FRIENDS', you might have come across the term- Unagi, in season 6 episode 17, 'the one with Unagi'.

In the episode, Ross Geller, one of the six main characters in the show brags about how he learnt Karate and has achieved the state of complete awareness- Unagi.
While all the other FRIENDS characters disagreed with him, this left me wondering what if Ross was actually right? If you had the same question at the end of the episode then you will be happy to know that I did some digging for all the curious minds like us.

Source: Giphy

In the episode

Ross can be seen telling his friends Rachel and Phoebe when they were back from a self-defense class about Unagi.
"I studied Karate for a very long time and there's a concept you should be really familiar with. It is what the Japanese call Unagi. Unagi is a state of total awareness."

"Only by true Unagi can you be prepared for any danger that may befall you."

Throughout the episode, Ross tries to show up in front of them out of the blue to surprise them and teach them the importance of Unagi.
However, in the end, Phoebe and Rachel take a revenge on him by hiding in his apartment and beating the shit out of him to make him realize that he isn't prepared either.

Image Source: Google Images

Was Ross right about Unagi?

Well, to all the FRIENDS fan, I am sorry but Unagi has nothing to do with Karate. Of course, Ross was wrong.

Unagi is the Japanese word for freshwater eel, especially the Japanese eel, Anguilla Japonica. It is used as a common ingredient in Japanese cooking.

Unagi is basically sliced pieces of eel fish, grilled and brushed with a soy sauce reduction which gives it a sweet taste. Unagi is often served with rice and it is an expensive Japanese delicacy.

It is a special food that Japanese eat occasionally, there is even a day for Unagi that comes once in a year and falls only on a Saturday.

That day is called "the day of the ox in midsummer", and the Japanese have a custom of preparing and eating Unagi on that day.

Image Source: Google Images

What's with the Karate then?

In Japanese Martial Arts, Zanshin is the state of total awareness. It means being aware of one's surroundings and enemies while being prepared to react.

The literal translation of the term Zashin(Japanese) into English is 'a remaining mind'.

It is a state of mental alertness and physical readiness to meet the situation such as to defend an attack or counter attack.

Image Source: Google Images

So yeah, now we know what Unagi is, but I still don't know whether eels can practice Unagi- the state of complete awareness. 😉

More: Read another article 'Feeding India: Not all heroes wear cape'

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Feeding India: Not all heroes wear cape

2018-05-10T03:28:00.003-07:00

Feeding India is a non-profit organization started by Ankit Kawatra and Srishti Jain in August 2014. The organization donates food, excess or fresh, all over India in around 60 cities.
Apart from feeding hunger, it eradicates another social problem through its effective work model, and that is food wastage. Feeding India distributes the surplus food meant to be dumped or thrown away, to the people in need.

Image Source: Google Images

The Inception

It all started with a simple thought. Ankit comes from a business family. One day he went to a big fat wedding. Right from the lavish buffet spread, the floral arrangements elevating the aesthetics of the evening to the studded celebrities who were invited, everything was exquisite. But something was not right, something made him upset.
In Ankit's own words:

There were 10,000 people and there was a lot of food. There were 37 cuisines! It is more like a carnival when you enter one of these weddings. I wondered what would happen to so much food, so I decided to stay back at this particular wedding and saw that heaps of leftover food was sent straight to the bin. It could have fed 5000 people just that night.

In the myriad of things, he was hit by the sight he witnessed, there was an urge that he felt inside. He realized that something needs to be done. And that's when he decided to choose the road less taken in order to avoid food wastage.

I thought, if it was not going to be me who solves this challenge, it was not going to be anyone else. There was no point waiting. At 23, I have the courage, I might not have the right experience to do it right away but I really needed to take up the cause [hunger] and start solving it. I just took the jump. I quit my job and started ‘Feeding India’.

Image Source: Feeding India

How do they do it?

Ankit shared his idea with his colleague from the company he worked in, Srishti Jain and they together began working on Feeding India. Both Srishti and Ankit quit their corporate jobs and took up the big challenge of solving hunger in India.
They began their journey with a fairly simple Facebook page and a handful of volunteers from Delhi University, or Hunger Heroes as they call them. Slowly people from different parts of the country joined Ankit and Srishti to carry their cause in their cities as well. Then they launched a helpline number, where people would call whenever they want to donate food which was actually the leftover from some party, wedding or ceremony.

But this wasn't enough. They needed a regular food supply. That is when they partnered with various restaurants and caterers who would give them leads to upcoming events in advance. At the end of the event, they would give Feeding India a call, informing about the amount of excess food. The nearest hunger hero group would reach the venue, collect the food and feed the hungry.
Srishti who also leads expansions and partnerships for Feeding India says:

In the beginning it was difficult for us to convince even one caterer to start donating their excess food to Feeding India. As a 21 year old female in India, many of these food donors would not take me seriously in the beginning. Slowly as we started raising more awareness about the cause, we noticed a change in the behavior of stakeholders who had been throwing away food since more than 5 decade

They have partnered with various NGOs and shelter homes called 'Rain Basera'. So whenever there is a call from an event, and they have an NGO next door that they have partnered with, they simply drop off the food at the NGO because finding hungry people at 1 am in the morning is not always feasible. This also helps them to cut off the transportation cost.

Image Source: Google Images

Image source: Google Images

Why Feeding India is different?

Feeding India does not create food rather it manages the surplus food. In Srishti's words:

The biggest issue with other organizations solving hunger is that they’re creating food rather than looking at the food that is already created. I once read in an article that allegedly stated that if only all the leftover food was given to the hungry in Mumbai, no one would be hungry. That struck me and stayed with me.

Feeding India believes in distributing meals and not just some ready-made supplementary packets.
Unlike other organizations that distribute Parle-G biscuits to the hungry and call it a meal, Feeding India doesn't do that.

Image Source: Feeding India

Where Feeding India stands today?

Started with a mere strength of 5 people in 2014, Feeding India stands proud and tall today with 8500 plus volunteers, functioning across 60 Indian cities serving 15 million meals to the vulnerable by rescuing the excess food. (Data as on 31 December 2017)

Talking about the recognition which Ankit received for his exceptional work as a person, he bagged Queens Young Leader Award 2017 from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace, London.

Image Source: Google Images

Apart from this Ankit was selected as 1 of 17 Young Leaders for Sustainable Development Goals by United Nations from over 18,000 nominations from over 186 countries.
Ankit and Srishti were also featured in Forbes '30 under 30' Asia List 2017.

So young and energetic people like Ankit and Srishti inspire the youth of the country to become socially aware and they have made us proud at various moments. Kudos to them and their organization for working selflessly and making India better.

More: Read another article 'Facts About Farhan Akhtar you did not know'.

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Never give up on your beliefs!

2017-09-22T00:38:00.001-07:00

There is a famous one-liner by Theodore Roosevelt "Believe you can and you are halfway there". Inspired by the same, I am here with yet another motivational article on the demand of our readers. Even I love to write about life mantras, because, this my friend, this little space is where I get to have a one-on-one conversation with you and leave an impression on your soul.

Sadly, you are not a complete human anymore, you are turning into a sheep in a herd that makes no difference in the world. It's not even your fault. The peer pressure, the people around you are solely responsible for this because managing a herd is much easier for them rather than managing each person individually. The education system, the corporate lifestyle that has been encumbered over you, has made you nothing but a mule prepared to carry shitload; and the worst part is that this shit is not even yours.
You are losing that sense of individualism. Trying to be someone else, maybe like the majority and wasting your own self. With the loss of individualism, you are unknowingly compromising on something. Guess, what? Yes, your 'beliefs'.

The best thing with children is the way they believe in something, the way they hold onto it. No matter what, children cling to their beliefs just like a teddy bear. Remember the time when you were a kid, what were your beliefs then? Well, when my cousin was young, she believed that Santa Claus was real and that he would come to visit her every Christmas. On the night of the Christmas Eve, she would go to bed early like any good girl only to wake up next morning and find chocolates beneath her pillow. Yes, of course, her parents left the chocolates under the pillow, but for that little girl, Santa Claus was the happiest truth. Every ounce of her believed in it.

Then the worst thing happened, she grew up. With the childhood, gone was her unmoved conviction. Maybe for her, it wasn't that big a deal. But since I was the silent spectator to this change, I realised a big thing that day. A 'belief' of a child is fixed like the Northern Star, a child is too stubborn to change it. But only when a child grows up, he dumps his beliefs in the dumpster because he is asked to do so, by all the grown-ups. Growing up isn't bad, but what it does to us is the real bad thing. It screws our belief system.

Abracadabra and welcome to adulthood. With just a snap of your fingers, this so-called 'adulthood' is slammed on your face, unannounced. Now you are supposed to behave like them, the 'grown-ups'. There is a sudden u-turn in the way you think or feel about yourself. From "Yes, I can do this" dude, you convert into a "No, I cannot do this" loser. You stop believing in yourself, you stop taking the risk. And your dreams remain untouched and locked in some corner of the wardrobe of your heart. I just want to ask why? Why do you need to grow up? Why can't you just pretend to be a grown-up, while being that child who is too stubborn to give up on his beliefs?

I want you to be that kid again. Don't lose your beliefs, please don't give up on them for they are too special. If you believe in something, your belief will help you to work for it, overcome all challenges that shall come in your way. Be fond of your beliefs and they will be fond of you. I am not bluffing. Your belief system is directly associated with your brain. And the brain is mysterious and powerful. It can do things that are beyond your explanation. Also, studies have found that 'beliefs' can literally make things happen. But this is not always true because at the end of the day we are humans and our beliefs can be misguided or outright wrong.

Now comes the most important topic of discussion, do you believe in yourself? Do you believe that you are here for a reason, for something big? If you do not believe in yourself, then how can you expect others to believe in you. Everybody on this earth is here to serve a purpose, even you. That purpose is yours to decide. You can choose to be a dumb sheep or a roaring lion. If you choose the former, you will forever live in the shadows, but in case you choose the later, you will leave a dent in the universe. Choosing the later won't be an easy way out, it will demand many sleepless nights, a resolution to work hard, lots of patience because good things take time and most importantly an undying belief that you can do it, and eventually you will shine brighter than a diamond, and the world will be the witness.

"First think, second believe, third dream then finally dare", and you are ready to conquer the world.
More: Read another article '13 Reasons why Individualism triumphs over Collectivism'

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Facts about Farhan Akhtar you did not know

2017-09-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

Farhan Akhtar, the multi-talented actor-director-singer-lyricist is quite unconventional whether it be his husky voice or his movie choices. With all that talent in a single body, he can be called a production house in himself. Although his portfolio was not so gorgeous like the other actors of the B-town he still managed to create a firm position in the film industry and straight away in our hearts, thanks to his phenomenal skills.

Image Source: google images

The 43-year-old Farhan was born in Mumbai to scriptwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani. He has won many Filmfare Awards and received praises for his pragmatic roles in movies like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Wazir etc, but before Bollywood bestowed him with the limelight, he had to undergo a lot of struggle like every twenty-something guy. Gladly, we have done all the digging for you. So, sit tight and enjoy!

His father belongs to Lucknow and so he has spent some crucial years of his life in his ancestral house in Lucknow. Farhan admires the old Lakhnawi architecture and not to mention, not-to-be-found anywhere else Tunday kebabs.

Farhan stated in an interview that Mathematics was a nightmare for him. While in the second year, Farhan was kicked out of HR college, Mumbai for short attendance. He was pursuing law there. He didn't even try to complete his graduation later.

Post college, he spent 2 years of his life literally doing nothing. Wondering what did he do? He just watched movies day-in and day-out on VHS. According to him, it was his self-conducted film course. Probably, he wasn't just watching movies, he was studying them.

His mother was worried about his career. She threatened him to throw him out of the house if he didn't get serious about his life. Guess what he did next? He penned down the blockbuster youth movie 'Dil Chahta Hai'. He considers it to be the turning point in his life.

He made his directorial debut in Bollywood with 'Dil Chahta Hai' in 2001. But he didn't leave Hollywood untouched. He wrote the lyrics for Gurinder Chadha's 'Bride and Prejudice(2004)'. Prior to this, he was assistant director in movies Lamhe(1991) and Himalay Putra(1997).

Yes! He has a borderline obsessive-compulsive disorder. He gets anxious when stuff around him is unorganized. He feels distracted when the things are not kept in their right places. He also has a phobia for cockroaches.

Farhan's better half Adhuna Bhabani is seven years older to him and brought up in the UK. They dated for three years before tying the knot in 2000. They are blessed with two lovely daughters- Shakya and Akira. Presently, Adhuna is a successful Bollywood hairstylist. But sadly the couple got divorced in October 2016.

One of the biggest regrets that he will always have is saying 'No' to a wonderful movie. The role of the lead protagonist in 'Rang De Basanti' was initially offered to him, but he refused to do it. The role was later offered to Aamir Khan only after he declined it.

As compared to other celebrities, Farhan learnt driving a little late when he was 22. While he learnt to ride a bike during the shooting of the movie 'Karthik calling Karthik'. His first car was Fiat which was gifted to him by his father.

He is UN Women's Goodwill Ambassador. He also attended a United Nation's Conference in New York where he interacted with some of the famous Hollywood actors like Meryl Streep, Chris Marti, Anne Hathway and Dakota Fanning. He also launched the social campaign MARD(Men Against Rape and Discrimination).

Farhan Akhtar is definitely the 'Man of the Millenium'. He is the perfect youth icon to look up to. One thing that can be learned from Farhan Akhtar is 'One can be brilliant on his own term'. I am his die-hard fan and in love with his naturally funny character in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

If you love Farhan Akhtar as much as I do, let me know in the comment section below(Facebook comment feature availabe). Don't forget to share this article with your friends and colleagues on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Subscribe to our page for receiving new articles directly into your inbox.

What is blogging and why you should do it?

2017-09-13T01:42:00.000-07:00

Blogging is a good practice and quite a trend now. Even if you look at your own friend circle you will definitely find someone who says "I am a blogger".
One day I went to a restaurant with my school friend, we were meeting after a long time. We skimmed through the menu and quickly ordered some starters and began our never-ending gossip session. While I was talking to her I overheard some guy sitting just behind our couch, asking his girl friend "If someone says 'I am a blogger', what does it mean?". To which she replied, "It means he is a blogger".

Image Source: howbloggingworks

It was definitely a lame answer and I wanted to turn back to them and explain him about blogging. But I chose not to. Since you are not from Mars, I take it that you already know what blogging is, right? But to all those, who haven't heard it before and wondering what this alien term is, I have come to your rescue. There was a time, decades back when blogging meant a person keeping a log of his everyday activity, kind of an online journal, but now blogging is not restricted only to that, today blogging is a career. A Blogger creates online content about a particular niche say 'food', and interested people can follow his blog for fresh articles on that topic. Readers can engage and participate in the discussion. Just like the one you are reading, yes Blogmantra is a blog and I am a blogger.

I can give you more than a hundred reasons why you should start a blog, but we don't have the time for that haul. So I will just give you some of the most significant reasons that will inspire you to start blogging.

More: Read 'How to get Google Adsense Approval'

Best for introverts

Image Source: alignedholistics

If you are an introvert, you should try blogging. Most of the time introverts are good with words, moreover, I can give you examples when blogging has really helped people to come out of their shells. India's one of the best pro-blogger Harsh Aggarwal was an introvert when he started his blog, it was difficult for him to make conversation in person. But see him today, he travels all across the world, meets new people and takes international seminars, possible only because of his award winning blog Shoutmeloud.

Improves your writing

Image Source: digitaltrends

We all know writing is a good practice. If you start your blog today and compare your articles on a hundredth day, you will see that you are getting better at this. I have really felt the change in myself. When I started this blog, I struggled to fit even 100 words in my first article and see me today, writing 1000 words is a cakewalk now. Words will effortlessly come out and you can write as long as you want.

Increases your intelligence

Image Source: jeanlouisdavid

How is that even possible? Haha! Well, this is no magic rather logic. Bloggers update their blogs frequently, they create new content almost every day for their readers. Where it comes from? It comes only after extensive research. What I am trying to say is bloggers read a lot of stuff in order to generate their own content. They come across new and interesting information on the internet, they follow other blogs and this eventually increases their knowledge base.

Gives you exposure

Image Source: study

When you start a blog, you definitely think about taking it to the next level. You work hard to increase your reader-base, increase your blog ranking, increase your online presence. In the process, you meet with new people (bloggers and non-bloggers). You create a group or community of people around your blog. If I talk about myself, today I have 4-5 bloggers just like me in my circle, I have talked to some founders and entrepreneurs as well.

Helps you flaunt

Image Source: shutterstock

What could be better than having your own domain, isn't it cool? You will be the lucky one to say "I am a blogger, visit my website". In the starting days, you can flaunt around with it among your friends and cousins. Only with time, you will realise its seriousness. Personally, I feel good in fact great for having started this blog.

Gives you a side-hustle

Image Source: dojoblog

Blogs can be a very good sideline for earning money. Some people are full-time into it because they generate a good income from it and this income can be as high as six figures in dollars. I am telling you this because believe it or not money drives you better than anything. But it entirely depends on how hard you are willing to work. Blogging is nothing but a calculated and careful investment. If you can't put all your time and efforts into it, just do it as a side business or hobby.

It is probably the time to take your talent online, go pro with a blog. In the next few days, I will write about "How to setup your first blog for free". So keep checking this space. Till then you can read about Google Adsense approval for your blog to make money online.

If you had a wonderful time reading this article and you wish to start a blog, please let me know in the comment section below and I can help you to set up your blog. Share this article with your friends and colleagues on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Don't forget to subscribe to our page so that you don't miss out on amazing articles.

Pikkabox: a Desire, a Journey, a Startup !

2017-09-12T03:12:00.002-07:00

I feel that travel startups have a lot of potential today in spite of the cutthroat competition because travelling is no longer just a journey, it is counted as an experience. You may have come across many business plans and startup stories, but not as enticing as the one I am going to tell you about. Travelling, it leaves you speechless in the beginning and then turns you into a storyteller. Inspired by this, a New York based Indian couple experimented with their wanderlust and laid the foundation of an online business.

Image Source: the betterindia

Pikka Heads of Pikkabox

Meet the husband-wife duo who started Pikkabox in June 2015. Husband Gaurabh Mathure is a Creative Director in a well-accomplished Design Consultancy. On the other hand, wife Anuja Joshi is a Design Strategist.
They both had firm careers and a fulfilling life in a city like New York when they came across Remote Year- an exclusive year long travel program. Remote Year is a startup by Greg Caplan and Sam Pessin that lets the digital nomads travel the world with a group of 75 professionals, takes them to 12 different countries in 12 months and exposes them to the cultural richness, heritage and unique experiences associated with each country.

Moved by this life-changing idea, the couple pitched in. 2015 was the inaugural year for Remote Year and it received 75,000 applications along with Gaurav and Anuja's for 75 spots.

But Anuja was initially doubtful of the program, it was Gaurabh who convinced her for it. Anuja said:

Gaurabh and I love to travel but a limited number of holidays and a 9-5 schedule meant our travelling was also limited. I have to admit, taking a year off and leading a lifestyle on-the-go was not in my life's trajectory.

But anyhow, the lucky couple got accepted at Remote Year and they started their journey from Prague in June 2015 and this travel startup laid the foundation for them to begin theirs.

More: Read about the ultimate travel startup 'Remote Year'

Image Source: pikkabox

What is Pikkabox?

For the founders, Pikkabox is a passion project started in June 2015. But for you and me, Pikkabox is an online store that helps you order a box full of interesting and unique goodies hand picked by Gaurabh and Anuja from foreign lands. It means you just sit at home, scroll through their website, and request them to send you a box full of souvenirs. Sounds interesting and one-of-a kind, right?
So far they have curated nine boxes from nine different countries, and they were an instant sell-out.

The name of their business 'Pikkabox' is as intriguing as their venture. Pikka bird is a fictional character from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, where the bird is said to belong to the Planet Lamuella and it gets euphoric by the ordinary things like the rising sun.

What did they do?

While they were on this Remote Year trip, they thought that it would be great to send souvenirs to their dear ones. Friends and family were amused when Gaurabh and Anuja shared the idea with them. That's how it all started, with just a simple thought. They decided to keep it low profile for a year through their travels while laying roots till the time they launch it full-fledged after coming back.
Since with Remote Year, they had to stay for a month in a particular city, they got enough time to prepare a place-specific box and do rest of the pikkabox-work along with their respective freelance jobs which allowed them to pursue the trip with all expenses managed.

Every time, they visited a new city, they would update it on their site and let the people know about the place and its whereabouts through engaging notes on their blog. They would showcase the city specific mystery box on the site for people to order.

Image Source: pikkabox

What is in the box?

While Gaurabh and Anuja were on the go, they strolled through many places to collect valuable artifacts, handicrafts, postcards, stationery, toys, home-products, edibles and anything that they found interesting. Unlike other e-commerce sites, they didn't want to sell products, they wanted to sell stories. So with each product, they added a card so that you could see the place through their eyes. The cards were meant to describe the value, sentimental attachment and usefulness of the product with its local area.
In a box, they put around six to eight curated products that they think would give their customers a glimpse of the city and the country that they visited. They made a limited number of boxes each month to put it on sale and shipped all the boxes at the end of the month.
The price varies from box to box. It entirely depends on the country. Like a box from Istanbul, Turkey costs more than a box from Ljubljana, Slovenia because of its popularity.

Just like their Remote Year trip, their business ended in a year and you would not find any box for sale on their website right now, but the good news is that they are planning for the future and relentlessly working to launch Pikkabox version 2.0 for you.

Gaurabh and Anuja reminded us that 'The moment is now, not tomorrow or yesterday or someday. Right here, right now this is your moment'.

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Maggi Facts you need to know

2017-09-05T02:20:00.002-07:00

People are head over heels on Maggi, including me. We love this ultimate snack to the core. There are a lot of reasons behind this endearment. It is an instant alternative to other junk foods, no cooking experience required, you can have it anytime of the day and undoubtedly, it is super awesome and yummilicious.

Maggi has been wrapping us in its warm blanket since our childhoods. Too many memories and uncountable emotions are connected to our sweetheart 'Maggi'.

If given an opportunity, some paramours would even get married to Maggi. Yes, that is how intense this never-ending love affair with Maggi is.

Image Source: lawnn

Maggi History

This instant delectable noodle came into existence in 1872 in Switzerland when Julius Maggi took over his father's mill. It was the time of Industrial Revolution then, many factory jobs were created for women. As a result, they were left with very little time to cook meals and feed their families.
To cope with this problem, the Swiss Public Welfare Society asked Julius Maggi to create a protein rich food product that could be cooked in no time with vegetables and digested easily. That is when Maggi was introduced in the market, followed by legume based ready made soups in 1886.

What's with Nestle?

After several changes in the ownership and corporate structure, in 1947 Maggi's holding company merged with Nestle company and formed Nestle-Alimentana S.A.
Later in 1980's Nestle launched the '2 minute Maggi Noodles' in India. With the starting price as low as Rs 2.50 per 100 grams, Maggi became an instant success and every child's best friend.

More about Maggi

Not only India, the Maggi noodles are a hit in Pakistan and Malaysia as well. While the Maggi Seasoning sauce is popular in around 15 plus Asian and German speaking countries altogether.
But the most interesting thing to know is that India is the only country where Maggi packets carry a green dot, which means they are specifically created to serve vegetarians. This special formulation is not available in other countries unless imported from India.

Image Source: dailyo

Celebrity Endorsements

From "Mummy bhookh lagi hai-bas 2 minute" to "Meri Maggi", Maggi has usually preferred the face of a common man for brand promotions and advertisements. Trying to be away from celebrity endorsements, there are still a few exceptions like Preity Zinta promoting Rs 5 Chotu Maggi and Madhuri Dixit promoting Maggi Oats Noodles. In 2012, with Amitabh Bachchan as the Brand Ambassador, he was seen all over the Television.

The Moment of Awe

On May 15, 2015, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India reported that samples of '2 minute Maggi' noodles had unexpectedly high levels of MSG(monosodium glutamate) as well as 17 times the permissible limit of lead.
Soon there were multiple market withdrawals and investigations in India. Some of the biggest retailers like Big Bazaar, Easyday and Nilgiris imposed a ban on Maggi.
FIRs were lodged on the three Brand Ambassadors by Sudhir Kumar Ojha, a lawyer at Muzaffarpur District Court when he fell sick after eating Maggi.
On June 6, 2015, the Central Government declared a nationwide ban on Maggi.
Believe it or not, Maggi lovers were praying for a safe comeback of the indispensable Maggi regardless of the health threats.

Image Source: bbc

What happened next?

Although Nestle always insisted that their noodles are absolutely safe, they had to recall a stock of worth Rs 320 crores from the shelves due to the pressure of the government and paid around 20 crores to Ambuja Cement to burn the product. But this wasn't all, Corporate Affairs Ministry imposed a fine of Rs 640 crores for the high MSG and lead level in Maggi.
In November 2015, Maggi made a successful comeback, the product returned to the shelves along with the Nestle campaign to win the trust of the huge consumer market in India. Maggi resumed its production in all the five plants in India on 30 November 2015.

Image Source: qz

Help Yourself

No matter how safe they claim it to be, the best thing to do is watch out for your health yourself. A packet of Maggi is not a snack. It is high in calories(400 calories per 100 gram). So next time when u cook it, stuff the fibre-less noodles with some proteins(eggs or a lot of vegetables) and that is how you can balance the salt content(MSG) with the fibre and potassium of the added vegetables. Also, try moderating your Maggi consumption like four single packs a month, come what may.

Maggi took the nation by storm almost twice. It has been a wonderful partner throughout our lives and imagining a life without it is next to impossible now. But recalling the words of some wise man "If health is lost, everything is lost", I would suggest controlled eating now rather than regretting later.

More: Basic table manners everyone should know

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How to crack an Interview?

2017-08-30T02:31:00.001-07:00

Placement drives are round the corner and your anxiety is breaking records. You are surrounded by clouds of uncertainty and it is difficult to see your way through it.
You desperately need to crack this interview but for that matter, you will have to make the job need you. Sounds impossible? Don't worry! I have been through the same and today I am going to help you deal with that.
Let us suppose you are a B.Tech final year student and software is your trait. You can always relate to what I am trying to say even if you belong to a different domain.

Image Source: gethiredaustralia

1.How to prepare?

I will always suggest group study. It gives you better exposure, expands your knowledge base and increases your chance to crack an interview. Moreover, if you have a group of friends you can always arrange mock-interviews amongst each other. Ask your friends to be a panel of interviewers and be the interviewee. This will help you on the day of the interview because you will know how to deal with unexpected questions and you won't give a dumbfounded look.

I with my fellow friends did this and it really helped us. Remember, today soft skills are as important as technical know-how.

2.What to prepare?

People will always tell you different things that will only add up to your confusions. Don't listen to them at all. Don't run after all the subjects and all the programming languages. It is impossible to cover everything in such a short time. Otherwise, you will be the jack of all trades and the master of none. Take one subject (which you have interest in or you find it easy), two programming languages(it's better to opt for one object-oriented and one structured) which you are good at. And that's it.
I prepared Data Structure, Java and C.

3.How to build a resume?

There are many games in the market where you get to build your avatar. You drag and drop its hair, costume from the catalogue and try to make it look like you. Similarly, your resume should be a reflection of you. Never copy-paste a resume because only you can define yourself in appropriate words. Nobody else can. Now, it's up to you how wisely you choose your words. Don't try to fit big and difficult words into your resume, do it wherever needed but don't overdo it. Don't write anything on the resume that is not true because the interviewer is much smarter than you. He can always figure it out.
Tip: Try to memorise your resume because the interviewer might ask you to walk him through your resume. So you will have to dictate everything without a resume in your hand.

4.Know your company?

Before the one-on-one interview, it's better to collect some basic details about the company. Know about the CEO, what the company deals with? What are the latest research and findings by the company? Where are the prime locations? There can be questions related to the company in the written test too. So it's better that you listen carefully to the pre-placement talk.

I impressed my interviewer with the latest research talk of the company that I came across in a news app.

5.How to qualify for the written test?

Most of the written tests are conducted online. You have to answer too many questions in a limited time. The paper may comprise of Technical, Aptitude and English sections. Fortunately, you don't live in a stone age. Use the internet and download mock papers of the companies that you wish to apply. Know the pattern of the written paper before hand. It gives you an idea on how to manage your time. This is the big secret, believe me. Most of the time the questions are easy but beating the time limit makes everything hard.

Tip1: I myself bought a mock package from Placement Season, 3 papers for hundred bucks and it helped me to crack the written paper. The actual written paper had the exact same pattern.

Tip2: Although this is not the right thing to do, a friend of mine installed an instant dictionary extension in his web browser, just before the written test. It helped him with English word meanings, synonyms, antonyms and more.

6.What other than subject knowledge?

Now that you are prepared for the technical round, let's focus on the HR Round. See, HR round has no fixed rules. You have to be ready for everything, and anything. You could be asked personal questions like 'Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?'(I am not kidding, my friend had to face this question in her first interview). Then there could be questions related to current affairs like 'Which Godman was recently sentenced to jail?'. So start watching the news, try to be as updated as you can.

Tip: Download 'inshorts' news app if you haven't already, it is user-friendly, gives you short and crisp news in 60 words and lets you choose the topics that you would like to read.

7.How important is your attire?

Since you are going to be a part of the corporate world, attire is important. There is nothing bad in investing on your attire because it shows that you are serious about the interview. A light, sober shirt paired with a dark trouser is the best and safest combination although there is no problem in deviating from the crowd but again don't wear something too bright or tacky. A little perfume will be good so that you don't stink. Girls can apply light makeup. If you have an oily face, keep fresh wipes with you and don't forget to clean your face before entering the cabin.

Tip: If white-black is too mainstream, girls can go for a pink shirt and grey trouser.

8.What about the day before the interview?

Don't study on the last day. It's better if you don't. You can watch some movie or your favourite tv-series to beat the nervousness. Spend time with your friends. Make this day the rest day. Don't eat something oily for dinner because you don't want to wake up the next morning with an upset stomach. An upset stomach means an upset day. Hydrate yourself, drink lots of water. Arrange your documents that you will need to take along the next day. Go early to bed so that you get enough sleep.

Tip: Set more than one alarm for the next morning.

9.The Day!

I hope the alarm wakes you up on time. Take a bath. Dress well. Be cool, be confident and don't forget to be yourself. Look in the mirror, smile and say 'I can do this'. A positive outlook is all that you need. Talk to your parents before leaving for the interview. Just Keep in mind-You have done your part and whatever happens will be for your best.

Tip: Try to reach the venue atleast 15 minutes before the reporting time.

10.What if you don't know the answer?

It is not a big deal. You are too young to know all the answers. Don't try to hook him(the interviewer) in some silly out-of-the context answers that you cook at the moment. If you don't know it, just smile and acknowledge. Now, this is the chance to impress him. You can request him to ask you questions on the subject that you are confident about. But be sure that whatever he asks you this time, you have an answer for that.

Tip: The best thing to say is 'Sorry Sir, I don't know the answer but you can definitely ask me about XYZ'.

11.What if you don't make it?

So what! This is not the end of the world. With twenty something age, you have an entire life before you. If you don't crack this interview it means it was not meant for you. Better things are waiting. Never lose hope. Learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them. Maintain your calm, work harder for the next time.

My brother's friend was struggling with a job, after getting rejected from most of the companies, he finally landed in Microsoft. Cool, right?

I hope this article helps you. If you have doubt on my credibility, I have bagged three placements. So, you can trust me.
If you need any help with your resume or you have any placement related queries, please scroll down and find the contact form below. I will be more than happy to help you. You can also comment in the comment section.

I wish you best of the fate for your placements. Just know- You can! 😊

More: Read about 'Table manners everyone should know'.

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Table Manners Everyone Should Know

2017-08-29T03:13:00.000-07:00

We all know that food is for delight, and you don't want some rocket science when it comes to eating your food.

Image source: home.bt

What you do in the privacy of your home is not anyone's business or concern. But when you have to attend a corporate party, following some table etiquettes will help you stand out.
Moreover, the below-listed table manners are pretty basic and not that difficult to practice.

How to use your napkin?

Image source: etiquettescholoar

These napkins are there just for you. They will support you throughout the meal. They really want to be used. Place the napkin on your lap before starting your meal. If something inedible goes into your mouth like fish-bones or anything, you can take it out into the napkin and roll it. Moreover, if you don't want to sit with pasta sauce on your face which you had in the beginning of the meal, just use the napkin.

When to start?

Image ource: circleofdocs

Well, this is an important point. If you are invited to a party as a guest then show some decency and let the host do the honours. Don't just start gorging as soon as the food is served. If it is a get-together sort of thing then you should start eating only after everyone is served. Also try to match your eating pace with others, because you don' want to end up in a situation when people are waiting for you to finish your food.

How to sit?

Image Source: Dailymeal

When you are out with your friends, you really don't need to follow this suit. Of course, nobody will care how you sit. But when you are with your seniors or a more formal sort of thing then you should avoid slouching. Don't place your elbows on the table while using the cutlery. Howsoever you can always lean forward on your elbows during a conversation. It shows that you are interested and listening.

How to make a conversation?

Image Source: womenfitness

It's good if you take the initiative and break the ice because nobody wants to sit mum while they are out to enjoy. You can talk about something that can make people laugh at the table. But make sure you don't say words like yuck, awful, gross or anything that is forbidden during a meal because it is disgraceful. Also if somebody asks you something and you have food in your mouth, it's better to give them a smile while you finish the mouthful load. Believe me, nobody wants to see you chew your food.

Which one is my bread plate?

Image Source: kobe-bryant

When you sit around a round table, it gets too confusing to figure out which bread plate is yours- the one to your left or the one to your right?
Quickly use your both hands and touch your index finger with your thumb. You will get a 'small b' on your left which says bread and a 'small d' on your right which says drink. So, the bread plate is always to your left and the drinks are always to your right.

How to arrange utensils?

Image Source: freshome

Although in premium restaurants you will have them arranged for you already. But in case you have to do it on your own, you better know how to do it. I will suggest you remember the word 'FO(r)KS' as an acronym where F is for forks, O is your plate, K is for knives and S is for spoons.

See, it isn't that hard to keep in mind.

How to pass food?

Image Source: feasthawaii

Always follow the counter clockwise fashion when it comes to passing the food. But if the lady to your left asks you to pass the gravy boat, don't stick to the rule idiotically. Just be humble and oblige!

If you want something from across the table, don't just stretch your hand to the other side, simply request the person to pass it to you.

How to check your phone?

Image Source: llync

It is rude to check your phone while eating because you are supposed to be on a social meeting and using your phone is quite impolite. Although it is evitable and you will need to check your phone or make a call occasionally. So the best thing to do is say the magic words 'please excuse me!', go to the restroom and do what you got to do.

How to call the waiter?

Image Source: cheatsheet

The most unlikely thing you would want to do in a restaurant is shout. So never ever shout out to the waiter unless you want every pair of eyes on you. Instead try to maintain an eye contact with the waiter and in case you can't do this, just raise the index finger of your right hand to draw him to you.

Remember: Only morons clap when the server or the waiter drops something accidentally on the floor. Haha!

What to do when you are done eating?

Image Source: quora

If you are done, simply rest the fork and the knife(or whatever implements you have) on the centre of the plate parallelly in NW direction or 4:20 fashion(in case you are not good with directions). Fold the napkin loosely and place it to the left of your plate before rising to leave. Don't forget to thank the host for the wonderful evening and the food.

These are the basic table manners that you should know and try to practice in daily life because our manners are one of the many things that partly distinguish us from animals.
Hope these tips will help you in the long run. Don't just eat, eat with style. Make it a gentleman's pursuit.

More: Read to know amazing biryani stories that will just blow your mind.

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What is Elon Musk's Hyperloop and How it will change our life ?

2017-08-27T02:27:00.000-07:00

In 1900, people could travel as fast as a horse could pull them in a buggy, but by 1960, we could travel at 80% of the speed of sound, thanks to the Boeing 707. Since 1960, though the needle on how fast we can travel hasn't moved at all, but this could change.

Image Source: electrek.com

What if I told you that you can travel from Delhi to Mumbai in just 1.5 hours - less than half the time it takes to fly between the two cities. Same is told by Elon Musk in TED2013 talk. TED2013 speaker Elon Musk unveiled more details of his much discussed blue - sky idea : the Hyperloop, a system to carry passengers.

Elon Musk has been a little crazy since childhood, know more about him here.

Musk's Hyperloop is an above-ground system, long tubes set on top of the pylons that could run alongside highways. The system would run capsules that hold 28 passengers each through the tubes departing in every 2 minutes. These capsules contain compressor fans in their nose that form a cushion of air underneath them. Wheels cannot be used as they are not able to work at the speed of 700 mph but a cushion does same as the plans read "Air bearings, which use the same basic principle as an air hockey table, have been demonstrated to work at speeds of Mach 1.1 with very low friction.”

The building cost of Hyperloop would be about $6 billion - a fraction of proposed high speed rail system. Connecting New York to California by high speed rail system is about $68.5 billion that would take about 2 hours and 40 minutes, and will be slightly less costly than flights. You can see how cost efficient it is to build Hyperloop which would take around 1 hour less than half the time taken by the high speed trains and cost will also be half than that of the high speed train.
Musk tells Bloomberg Businessweek:

It’s like getting a ride on Space Mountain at Disneyland, Unlike an airplane, it is not subject to turbulence, so there are no sudden movements. It would feel super smooth.

Image Source: hyperloop.global

Musk has mentioned Hyperloop as — the inspiration for which we can only hope was taken from this absurdist piece on the Alameda Weehawken Burrito Tunnel, several times over the past year. He teased that the Hyperloop would be a “cross between the Concorde, a railgun and an air hockey table.” He wrote on Twitter that he will unveil the complete details soon.

Elon Musk, the mind behind Paypal, the all electric car Tesla and SpaceX, the first commercial company travel to space says that publishing the plans required an "all nighter" from his team. And he is making it very clear that he is not going to be the only one starting or running hyperloop. "I'm just putting this out there as an open-source design" he told to Businessweek.

Imagine, if Elon Musk is able to make his dream come true then it will change the entire concept of travelling in the world as it is cheaper, faster and never to forgot environmental friendly.

Here is the video of his Ted Talk 2013, in-case you haven't watched it yet.

Read another mind boggling article: "Facebook halts AI Project, Know Why?"

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13 Reasons Why INDIVIDUALISM triumphs Collectivism !

2017-08-22T06:03:00.001-07:00

What is individualism?

Have we ever thought ? Obviously yes, but not enough! Individuality(or self-hood) is the state or quality of being an individual; particularly of being a person separate from other persons and possessing his or her own needs or goals, rights and responsibilities. Do we want this kind of description, or a more realistic one?

Image Source: Forbes

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment ".

As soon as we are born-our name, caste, creed, religion, family etc are decided by someone else, and we are bound to spend our entire life with this conflicting truth. So, it takes lots of effort to retain our individual identity.
Here is an excerpt from the book, "The Fountainhead"-

The mind is an attribute of the individual. There is no such thing as a collective thought. An agreement reached by a group of people is only a compromise or an average drawn upon many individual thoughts. It is a secondary consequence. The primary act- the process of reason- must be performed by each man alone. We can divide a meal among many men. We cannot digest it in a collective stomach. No man can use his lungs to breathe for another man. No man can use his brain to think for another. All the functions of body and spirit are private. They cannot be shared or transferred.

Why fit in when you were born to standout!

We are all different, and we should respect the diversity among us. We must not confine ourself in a single packet. There is no such thing as good or bad when it comes to a person's dreams, aspirations, goals, way of doing any work or behaviour. Everybody has a different approach towards any task. So we must not try to fit in other's shoes.

"Insist on yourself ; never imitate."

In the act of imitating we tend to loose our uniqueness. So we should invest time and energy in improving ourself rather than copying others. It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it emulating others. Since childhood we have been taught that it is a virtue to swim with the current. But the reasoning man is the person who goes against the current. So it's time to feel the pleasure of being independent.

Image Source: Linkedin
Don't take refuge in the false superiority of consensus.

We must understand that it is not always necessary to get the consent of masses while doing a work. We must follow our own unique path. A single task can be done in multiple ways. So there is no such thing as one size fits all. Follow your own vision to broaden horizons.
It takes nothing to join the crowd, it takes everything to stand alone.

It is quite easy to follow the well trodden path, but it requires lots of courage to traverse the less travelled road. We die prematurely to the seductions of the society. We tend to carry heavy burden of others opinion over our shoulders. We bow down to society's norms and conditions. Enough of it, it's time to act smart and follow our dreams.

Be a voice, not an echo.
We can survive in two ways- either as a creator or as a parasite. The creator originates. The parasite borrows. The creator faces nature alone. The parasite faces nature through an intermediary. We need not sync with each and everyone for our work, we must act alone. The creator lives for his work. He needs no other men. His primary goal is within himself. The parasite lives second-hand. He needs others. Others become his prime motive.
Therefore raise your own voice, don't be an echo.

Image Source: socialmediatoday
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).”

It is a popular opinion. If we want to be creative, we must follow our own steps. The basic need of creative mind is independence. The independent person cannot work under any compulsion. The independent mind cannot be curbed, sacrificed, or subordinated to any consideration whatsoever, it demands total independence in function and in motive. So we should not fall prey to the majority's call for our own individuality.
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”

We have developed a habit to live our life for the sake of our parents, siblings, spouse, friends, etc and in the course of doing so we forget our own aspirations, dreams, hobbies and passion which results in creating a void inside us. Hence we should think for our own self, the prime focus should be to educate, empower and enlighten our own soul.
It's always wise to think for yourself.
“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.”
We should not allow others to curb our way of thinking, we are not here to please everyone. Be selective in picking people with whom you spent most of your time. Men learn from one another. But all learning is only the exchange of material. No man can give another the capacity to think. Yet that capacity is our only means of survival. So QUICK PICK the worthy people.

Image Soucre: google images
“Remember to always be yourself. ”

Maintain your originality. You are unique the way you are! Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision. Every great new thought was opposed. Every great new invention was denounced. The first motor was considered FOOLISH. The airplane was considered IMPOSSIBLE. Anesthesia was considered SINFUL. But the men of unborrowed vision went ahead. They fought, they suffered and they paid. But they won.
“I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you except yourself.”
Don't go with the flow. Don't try to fit yourself in an ideal situation always. Otherwise you will spent your entire life abiding by a set of rules. Men have been taught every precept that destroys the creator. Men have been taught dependence as a virtue.
Act smart and be a CREATOR not a PARASITE.
“Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.”
Originality should be maintained. The world of COLLECTIVISM is a trap where you lose your individual identity. We are not born to agree with everyone, everywhere. But we have been taught that it is a virtue to agree with others. The creator is the one who disagrees. We have been taught that it is a virtue to stand together. But the creator is the man who stands alone. So don't try to blindly copy others, make your own path to reach the destination.

Image Source: aspireprint
Yet there are still people who confuse individualism and selfishness
Since childhood we are taught that ego is the synonym of evil and selflessness the ideal of virtue. But we should be egotist in the absolute sense. The selfless man is the one who does not think, feel, judge, or act. Egotism was held to mean the sacrifice of others to self. Altruism- the sacrifice of self to others. The COLLECTIVISM tied the man irrevocably to other men and left him nothing but a choice of pain: his own pain borne for the sake of self.

Here is the book 'Fountainhead' by Ayn Rand, grab your copy today to know more about individualism:

Here is a video for all the readers. Do watch, have a good time. Enjoy!

Read another lifemantra "Find your soul friend".

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Upcycling Junk is the new Sexy

2017-08-22T03:40:00.002-07:00

Creativity is making marvelous out of the discarded. Inspired by this idea, two friends Dhara and Sonali are out on an expedition of transforming lives by transforming trash. Upcycling is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it seems like these undaunted women have mastered the art.

Image Source: Studio Alternatives

‘StudioAlternatives’ was started as a regular design and consultancy firm in 2010. But determined to make worth out of the worthless, Pune-based Dhara Kabaria along with her friend Sonali Phadke started ScrapLab in 2015, a R&D studio where they experiment with the tossed-out materials and add value to them. However they conceived the concept of re-imagining waste in 2012 but it took them three years to make it tangible.
Out of the two fountainheads, Dhara, the Co-Founder and Principal Designer of this idiosyncratic venture is an alumnus of the School of Interior Design, CEPT, Ahmedabad and did her masters in 3-dimensional design from the Kent Institute of Art and Design, Rochester, UK. On the other hand, the partner, Sonali comes from an Engineering background and she had been handling her family business in Composites and Plastics. Together with a handful of skilled craftsmen and artisans, they create magic out of the mundane.

Image Source: Studio Alternatives

Their primary focus has been to utilize the scrap and other undesirables from the households and industries, restore and recreate them into something useful.
Wall claddings made from discarded mother-boards and newspapers, furniture from woven nivar, table tops made from denim tags are a few show stoppers. They have also restored glasses to make dazzling partitions which could be used in restaurants and offices. That’s not all; they have upcycled waste to create impressive ambience and lightning products like reclaimed bottle chandelier and fishing net lamps. Art pieces like mosaic birdhouses, bowls and vases, utilities like centre-tables, wall clocks, paint bucket stools, artistic coasters; they tried their hands in everything. You name it and you get it. Until today, no one knew that upcycling could be this fun.

Image Source: Studio Alternatives

But their latest endeavor has turned out to be the biggest crowd magnet for them. They have recently started transforming container spaces into alternative accommodations and it has been the talk of the town. Why wouldn’t it be? After all the idea of turning old ship wreck into furnished home is brilliant. These containers were meant to carry cargo but with the course of time, they turned obsolete. So, they decided to give it a new purpose. They got them at their studio, created spaces and people loved it. The best thing about these shipping containers is that they are mobile and can be carried anywhere, plus they have an inherent structural strength.

They have created an Activity Centre for an NGO named ‘Quest’ located in Uchat Village, in Wada, using these discarded shipping containers. Likewise they have built office space, studio apartment, school rooms, farmhouses, public toilet block, machine display unit and vocational training centre to cater to the needs of different clients.
They also did an internal Project for Studio Alternatives, called Project Home where they successfully used 20 shipping containers and remodeled them into a beautiful 2BHK Home, right from insulation to furniture; everything was created from a variety of scrap.
In February 2017, they received a ‘IID Anchor Award for Design and Excellence’ for their ready-to-install container school project.
Custom workshops are also conducted by Studio Alternatives for anyone who is interested, you can visit their page to know more and drop a mail. They will be more than happy to get back to you.

Image Source: Studio Alternatives

Unlike the rest, they chose to breathe life into the quotidian because of the unending ardour to explore and experiment with things. Very few people have the capability to turn their passion into a paycheck. Dhara and Sonali are definitely one of them.

Read another mind-boggling startup story: "Remote Year- the ultimate travel startup"

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Read lifemantras by Tanu Goyal at 'icanfeelaround'

Find Your Soul Friend

2017-08-19T03:55:00.002-07:00

Today most of us are on a desperate lookout for love, why wouldn't we! After all, 'they' say that love is the most beautiful thing that could ever happen to us.
But in a couple of minutes, i am going to brainwash you and pull you away from your 'finding love' expedition and set you on a quest of 'finding your soul friend.' So, Sit tight, grab a bucket of popcorn and try to make some sense out of my words.

Image source: tumblr

You must have heard of soulmate, in books, in movies, while gossiping with your girlfriends, somewhere or the other, right?
Soulmate is someone who completes you, who is your other half in every possible manner. Sometimes this soulmate knocks your door, and you find him right there without any effort. Sometimes you get nada even after looking through binoculars. All i want to say is, why struggle to find a soulmate when you can have a super cool soul-friend in your life.
The concept of soul-friend is quite eccentric, i know, but believe me this is what you need in your life right now. You have had too much of 'Dilwale Dulhania Lejayenge' and it has completely jeopardised you, and you need some 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' in your life.
No offence to the DDLJ fans.

See, you can have just one soulmate in your life, but you can have as many soul-friends as you like. Isn't that amazing?
The probability of finding a soul-friend is zillion times more than that of a soulmate. I am not blabbering, i can back my conjecture.
Okay tell me, what are your prerequisites for a soul mate? If you are a girl of twenty-something age then you would want a guy who is handsome, sensible, smart, well-mannered, well-settled, treats the elders well, knows how to praise you and the list is never-ending.
If you are a guy then you would want a girl who is good-looking, matured, independent, well-cultured and your list is not as long as the girl's list that i mentioned above, but it is not that short either. I am not accusing you of being picky, one should always be demanding when it comes to finding a partner.

When you go to an ice-cream parlour, you skim through all the flavors one-by-one, you take your time to finally choose the one which you think would be perfect.
And here we are talking about finding a soulmate, the same flavor for all your life(and you can't even dump it in the dustbin if you don't like it), so you got to be picky. There is nothing wrong in it.
If you think i am talking out of context, then you are wrong and let me tell you why!
I am trying to emphasise on the fact that we all have a set of terms and conditions for a soulmate, but how many checkbox do you intend to tick when u make a friend ? The answer is 'none'.
If he is good with you, you are good with him. You don't go through his family background, his qualities or his intelligent-quotient. There is just one thing that you need in a friend- a 'good understanding', and that's pretty much it.
Just consider your friend circle, is everyone in your friends, just like you? No they are not. It is quite like a chalk and cheese composition. One takes ketchup with his pizza while you don't. One reads Chetan Bhagat while you are into Sydney Shelton. One listen's to Jagjeet Singh's ghazals while you like metallica. Still you never complain because no matter what, they are with you whenever you need them and that's all, no quality test needed.

I hope that, you are now convinced on the matter that finding a soul-friend is much easier than finding a soulmate. So without wasting a second, lets move further. Now i will talk about another perk of having a soul-friend over a soulmate. If you are on a lookout for a soulmate then you will come across many people, go through different relationships, survive many breakups before you finally meet the right person. And the worst thing about a breakup is that, you do not lose a relation but you lose the person as well. From being each other's apple of the eye, you will turn into total strangers because it is quite difficult to be friends again(atleast that's the case with me).
So you can skip all this pain, agony and drama by simply opting for a soul-friend.
Even if you fight or abuse each other, you will still find strings to return to each other.
There is nothing in the world that two soul-friends can't survive.

"A soulmate knows all your best stories, but a soul-friend has lived them with you". Go Joey, find your Chandler if you haven't already because I have found four of them and it's beautiful to have them around.

Read another article on Lifemantra- "Be your own guru"

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Project 'Remote Year': Something Extraordinary

2017-08-16T03:50:00.001-07:00

Today, nobody can stand the employment model. Working in a mundane cubicle, on a 9-5 schedule with few sabbaticals is too mainstream and liked by none. People are repeatedly opting for freelance jobs and other entrepreneurial alternatives to get the freedom of work that they deserve or thrive for.
But no matter what you do, this freedom is limited because of the job burnout that never leaves you.
So ultimately there is no room for you or your wishes, and those travel plans that are in your mind but never for once came to existence.
Gladly, some people came up with an interesting project called 'Remote Year', and since its inception in 2015, it has been a huge crowd-puller.

Image Source: Remote Year

What is Remote Year?

It is a wonderful project started in June 2015, specifically created for digital nomads to provide personal growth along with professional freedom.

Take it as a one year program where you join a community of 75 like-minded people, and travel the world with them.They cover 12 cities, where you stay in each city for a month and learn about its cultural heritage, experience the leisurely pursuits and adventures that it has to offer.

The participants who are accepted by Remote Year are encouraged to work remotely while strolling around different places in the world.

It means if you want to be a part of this exclusive experience then you need a job that allows you to work remotely.

Image Source: Linkedin

Meet the fountain heads

This amusing concept is introduced by young entrepreneurs Greg Caplan and Sam Pessin who believe in the idea that one can travel the world while working remotely, and yes, that's what it is about.

This ambitious travel startup is quite unusual and inpromptu, Greg never really planned for it.

Greg already had a fashion startup called 'Obaz' under his belt, which was acquired by Groupon in April 2014 for $250,000.

This mind boggling startup Remote Year seeds out of his own desperation to travel while working remotely after wrapping things up at Groupon, but he never wanted to travel alone. That's when it all started. He soon collaborated with his old friend Sam, who was in the same Business School with him, and together, they organised a platform where people like him can feed their wanderlust.

The First staffers at Remote Year didn't have any experience in the travel industry just like its co-founders. Jesse Gross, before joining Remote Year as the Director of partnerships, used to work for an investment firm in Chicago. Likewise Trish Kenelly, Remote Year's VP of program operations was formerly a project manager at a real estate company. Nevertheless, the team managed to get the first round of funding of about $175,000 by a number of undisclosed investors in May 2015 and since then it has been spreading like a fire.

Image Source: betterindia

How it works?

You have to enrol for getting in. From here you can request an invite to apply.

After that they will extend an application form. Once you fill and submit it, you have to patiently wait until you get shortlisted.

The shortlisted candidates then go through three rounds of interviewing. If you are selected they will let you know through an acceptance email and on call. So it wouldn't be wrong to say that Remote Year actually handpicks the participants.

You need to deposit a non-refundable sum within two weeks of the acceptance email

According to Remote Year insights, they go through thousands of applications and talk to hundreds of amazing people in a single day.

In the first month, they received 25,000 email signups. This suggests that people are head over heels on this opportunity, like they have been waiting for this since forever.

How much does it cost?

It won't be wrong to say that it may cost you all your savings. The total fees for this 'once-in-a-lifetime' kind of thing is as exclusive as the program itself.

In the beginning of the trip, you have to deposit a non-refundable amount of $3000 and $2000 for each of the 12 months.

So all together it is $27,000 that you need to pay for your participation. This amount will cover for:

1. All travel between countries

2. Private bedroom in an apartment or hotel or sometimes dormitories.

3. 24/7 WiFi access

4. Social and cultural experiences

5. Remote Year discounts in each city

Apart from $27,000, there are other expenses that you will have to bear which includes:

1. Your travel expense to reach the first destination from home and back to home from the last destination.

2. Your meal charges are completely on you

3. Night outs, clubbing, side trips, shopping and other out-of-the program adventures

These additional charges will vary on how extravagantly you want to spend these 12 months.

Image source: forbes

What is your take away?

Although this seems to be a little too over-priced, but what you get in return is priceless.

You get to meet interestingly intelligent people with different backgrounds from 30 different countries, that is all across the world. You get to live with these people for a year, imagine how much you can learn from them and their culture!

Then the places that you visit are amazing and they have abundant knowledge and learning in store for you.

Moreover you get hassle free trips to different places, you don't have to worry for anything. These people will take care of your accommodation, set up workspace and coordinate the entire event for you. All you got to do is pack your bags, follow the guidelines and enjoy the ultimate trip of your life.

So, the intangible benefits are countless.

Although this appears to be one of the best and the biggest social experiment but there are a few questions that you need to ask yourself before pitching in.

This is a year-long program which needs gigantic commitment. Are you really up for it?

Also read another amazing story 'Be. the solution and how they are changing our lifestyle'.

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Blue Whale Game: A Suicide Countdown

2017-08-12T02:28:00.002-07:00

Blue Whale Game also popularly known as Blue Whale Challenge is an online game in which participants are assigned tasks, which may include challenges like waking up at odd hours, climbing on a crane, self mutilation etc.
These tasks are assigned for a course of 50 days by some anonymous administrator. The game gets intense with each task.
It is one of the most controversial game because it urges the participants to win the game by taking their own life. Yes, the last and the ultimate task is to commit suicide.

The thing that you should know about this mind-numbing game is that, it is not like a video game, it is more like a chain of letters, each letter has a task.
These tasks can be assigned by the administrator of the game in advance, or can be assigned on the day of the task.
The authorities know nothing about the administrator, they don't even know whether there is 1 or many administrators behind this heinous task allotment.

ORIGIN

The game is specifically called 'Blue Whale', because it is based on a phenomenon of beached whales, where these whales strand themselves mainly in the beaches and eventually die due to dehydration.
Now talking about the origin of the game, it is believed that the early version of the game was launched in 2013, on the Russian Social Network VK.
Later in 2016, a Russian news site reported that groups on VK were linked to 130 teen suicides in Russia.

CREATOR

The cynic mastermind who curated this sick game from scratch is behind the bars. 21-year-old Philipp Budeikin, a former psychology student who claimed to have invented the game has been arrested by the Russian authorities and detained for three years and four months. According to him he was trying to 'cleanse society' by removing the 'biological waste'.
During his trial, Budeikin claimed that he has been suffering from bipolar disorder that led him to push teenage girls into committing suicide, but was found to be sane by the court.

Image source: news.sky

BLUE WHALE IN INDIA

The question is when and how did the game cross national boundaries and reached our country, India?
The most probable answer is 'social media'. As the game started a wave of death in other countries, soon the social media savvy teens of India discovered it via hashtags on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook and Instagram, early this year in 2017.
It turned into a heated discussion for news and media only after the suicide cases that shook the nation.
The first incident happened on 30th July 2017, when a 14-year-old committed suicide by jumping from the seventh floor of an Andheri East building in Mumbai. Maharashtra C.M Devendra Fadnavis blaimed the suicide on the Blue Whale Game.
Few days later, on 10th August 2017, the second suicide attempt took place in Indore where a class VII boy tried to jump off the third floor of a school building. Fortunately the boy was saved by a group of students before he could take his final leap.
On the same day, a 14-year-old boy was rescued by Maharashtra Police who was on his way to complete a Blue Whale challenge, after he went missing from his home.

HOW THE SOCIAL NETWORKS ARE HELPING

Well the same social networks which made Blue Whale viral, are now helping to overcome the moral panic at their end.
Now if anyone types any sensitive keyword related to this game on social media, he will see some suicide prevention resources or suicide support group contacts.
I tried it myself, i specifically searched 'Blue Whale' on some of the social networks and you can see what i found:

On Tumblr

On Facebook

On Instagram

The moment I heard about this Blue Whale game, i was reminded of 'Nerve', a Hollywood movie of 2016. The movie wasn't a hit on the box-office but it is quite similar to Blue Whale game. Nerve is about an online game with the same name 'nerve' which becomes a trend amongst the youngsters. One can either be a 'player' or a 'watcher'. The player has to perform some risky thrills while being live on the game for the watchers to watch, in order to complete tasks assigned to them.

These dangerous stunts with devastating effects are alright behind the movie camera, but real life is all about living without a threat of self-harm or any harm to others.
The young, immature teenagers need to understand that although these games fuel the adrenaline, when something as major as life is at stake, it is always better to stay away.
May be life isn't perfect, but it is definitely beautiful. Let us try to keep it that way.

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Be. The Solution: A Sterling step towards Hygiene

2017-08-11T00:04:00.000-07:00

What according to you is Hygiene?
Washing hands properly before the intake of food, taking bath(maybe twice a day), putting on clean and sober clothes every day, right?
That is the vague definition of hygiene for an average adult. When it comes to hygiene, it is quite disturbing to acknowledge that we miss the most significant point- 'proper sanitation'.

The paramount importance of sanitation is overlooked by one and all. It is because we take it for granted. But, we have no idea that people in towns and villages are struggling for proper toilet facilities. According to an estimate, every 1 in 10 deaths in rural India is linked with poor sanitation and hygiene. It never occurred to us before, that sanitation could be this catastrophic.
Unlike the unwavering society, Be. The Solution decided to take the first step, because someone had to.

Be. The solution is an idiosyncratic Indian brand that seeds out of Indian thoughts. It is a flagship initiative undertaken by the forerunner 19O8 E-Ventures Private Limited and Ador Group.
Be. The Solution takes care of the urban women without ignoring the needs of the rural women.
Be. did a survey, to their surprise they found that people are incognizant of anything called as 'toilet seat sanitizer'. So, they launched a whole new range of toilet seat sanitizer along with hand sanitizer for the masses in January 2017. The products are available on all the major e-commerce giants like flipkart, amazon and ebay in too many fragrances to choose from like nimbu wala fresh, natkhat narangi and lemongrass etc.

Be. believes that 'every Indian woman deserves to feel comfortable and beautiful in her own skin'. With their products not only they create awareness towards sanitation but also ensure that every Indian working woman gets a pleasant and comfortable experience at home and workplace.

You must be wondering that how it is different from the rest of the products in the market! Well, these products with elegant fragrances are nature inspired, manufactured through best in class technology, and packaged aesthetically. It also has moisture content to keep your hands soft, afterall your care is their concern. Although the products are not very light on the pocket but they assure uncompromising quality.
If the product has made its way to the Ultimate section of this blog then there has to be an intriguing characteristic about it, and yes, there is.
The brand uses 5% of its net profit in the development of proper hygiene and sanitation facilities in rural India. So far they have funded twenty-one sanitation loans for women in the rural regions of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.

Be. The Solution emphasises on women empowerment because we know that 'The empowered women is powerful beyond measure and beautiful beyond description'.
For the greater good, Be. The Solution has partnered with Milaap Social Venture and Ketto. Both the juggernauts are India's largest crowdfunding platforms. With the help of Ketto campaigns one can purchase Be. products at a discounted rate.
You can join the Milaap campaign, that lets you make a wish for someone in need. A wish will cost you just Rs 10. Why wait? Make a wish now.

Its probably the time to take a stand for the 300 million Indian women who are deprived of basic hygiene and sanitation. I urge you to join the wave of change, I urge you to Be. The Solution, because when women thrive, all of the society benefits.
You can grab your Be. bottle of hand sanitizer and toilet seat sanitizer from the link below:

Don't forget, with every bottle that you buy, and every drop that you apply, there is a woman somewhere in town who is blessed to have someone like you and is blessing back at you.

Also read another Ultimate article: Boriya Bistar: Bangalore based startup.

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Bengali dishes that will make you go weak in the knees

2017-08-09T02:19:00.000-07:00

"Food is the answer, who cares what the question is!", and bongs live by it.

When it comes to food, bongs never discriminate. They have something to offer to each one of us.

No matter what your taste is- sweet, sour, salty or bitter, you will find something for you in the Bengali platter. If you think that Bengal is all about 'rosogulla', then dear you might have to update your dictionary.

We bring to you, the mouth-watering and extremely enticing food from Bengal with lots of 'bhalobasha'.

1. JHAL MURI

Image source: themobo

It is a simple yet delicious snack that you will find on the streets of Bengal. It has puffed rice, a fusion of spices and some tangy lemon juice to tease your buds. Even the British love it, yeah! it is true.

2. SONDESH

Image Source: desidakaar

This one is for all those who have a real sweet-tooth. It is one of the most famous Bengali dessert made with milk and sugar. It is loved by one and all, it melts right in the mouth. It is a must try for everyone.

3. LUCHI AALUR DUM

Image Source: inboxcart

This is the perfect Sunday brunch, every Bengali grew up eating this. Yes it is dum aalu served with luchi. Don't you dare call it Poori, its luchi, always.

4. MISHTI DOI

A true delicacy served in earthen pots. It is frozen yogurt with date-palm jaggery. It is simple yet fulfilling. You will definitely love it.

5. CHINGRI MAACHER MALAIKARI

Image Source: food.ndtv

I can't explain in words, what it tastes like. It is not just a dish, it is an emotion for the bongs. A tasteful curry made with prawns, cream and coconut milk. You better add this in your 'must have' list.

6. MURI GHONTO

Image source: boldsky

Biryani is overrated. Don't worry, i am just kidding! If you love biryani, you can definitely give it a try. It is a kind of fish pulao made with fish head. Not to mention that it is awesome.

7. ROSOGULLA

Image Source: food.ndtv

Here is the Bengali rosogulla that we all love, isn't it? This sweet is the mascot of Bengal and all the bongs out there. An auspicious ceremony is just incomplete without it.

8. SHORSHE ILISH

Image Source: indiafoodnetwork

It is a thick fish curry, made with 'Ilish Maach' and mustard paste. An appetising dish when served with steamed rice, makes you say 'wow'.

9. SHUKTO

Image Source: indianrecipes

It is a combination of bitter gourd, potato, carrot, drum sticks, eggplant, and everything green. Bongs are crazy over food but they also know what is healthy for them.

10. CHAM CHAM

Image Source: india

Sweets are an indispensable part of a Bong's life. Cham Cham is a true bengali sweet that contains the richness of fresh chena and lots of love. They are often called 'pleasure boats'.

I am a bong, i taste this cosmic Bengali cuisine everyday, and i can't wait for you to experience the ultimate foodgasm. Time to ask your Bong friend to invite you over a Bengali style dinner because we know "the fondest of the memories are created when gathered around a table".

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They will take care of your Boriya Bistar: New startup

2017-08-05T03:09:00.001-07:00

Are you tired of buying every little household essential, each time you shift to a new place for your work or education?
Thanks to BORIYA BISTAR, your to-do list just got reduced extensively.
Yes, you heard it right, BORIYA BISTAR is your one stop solution. Their tagline "You shift, we shop" makes everything crystal clear. A new startup which helps you with your stay, they don't provide you accommodation of any sort but they make sure that every little need of yours is fulfilled so that your stay is comfortable.

Image source: yourstory

When leaving home behind and the people you love makes you awful, the pressure of settling and starting afresh in a new place makes you anxious, these people come like your knight in shining armour. It is quite difficult to go in the market, look for each commodity all by yourself, when you know nothing about the new city where you just moved in, except for its spelling.
In such a situation having someone by your side who understands your need and shops for you is obviously a relief.

Founders Rishav Singh, Shubham Jain, Kanak Kundlia and Ashwin Agarwal were college friends when they conceived this idea. Eventually they graduated from college PESIT, and joined different MNC's. Like every other person they too faced difficulty in setting up an apartment in a new city. The problem was real, so they realised that its time to come up with a solution that is real as well, with few necessary permutations and after substantial market research they launched their idea into a startup in April 2015. Moving on with a startup is like taking the biggest risk of life, a lot is on stake. They had to be sure, so initially they did a pilot project in and around the Indiranagar region of Bangalore, to their surprise they saw a big positive response and hence they launched it full-fledged.

Boriya Bistar is an e-commerce site which welcomes the new-comers in Bangalore. Yes, as for now their services are available only in Bangalore. They provide you with product bundles like basic, premium and luxury. You can choose as per your convenience and budget. Right from gas stove, cutlery, mattress and linen to bathing bucket and mug, everything is available on their easy-to-use website. In the electronic bundle, a microwave oven and an induction can be ordered as well.These bundles will be delivered to you within 24-48 hours of placing the order.

They have a quite concrete logistic, they work even in the odd hours. They once delivered a mattress in 2 am in the night because of a delay in the flight of the customer. Talking about the brain-children, they are very well aware of their roles. Rishav and Shubham look after the company's day to day operations and business collaborations, while Kanak and Ashwin deal with technology and finances. With everything structured so wonderfully, the outcome is a flawless system and happy customers.

Since their inception they have made an average revenue of 85 Lakhs in 15 months and now they deliver over 150 orders in a month. They have tied up with many colleges like Christ University, Dayanand Sagar, and PESIT(where it all started). They have also partnered with big PG agrregators like Homigo, OYO, Zefo, Guarented, and Your Own Room.

Every startup does not get success, some sink silently while some steer clear to the shores. A problem, a solution and feasibility altogether can create a possibility of a startup. Fortunately they had it all. Fuelled by potential, young blood and passion, team boriya bistar gave wings to their dream. They are planning to expand their operation in Pune and Mumbai as well.

Let's see what co-founder Rishav Singh has to say to Blogmantra :

Co-founder Rishav Singh talks to the author

You can visit their website by clicking Boriya Bistar.

Also read another ultimate story "Bempu: A life saviour for the newborns"

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Facebook halts AI project, know why!

2017-08-04T02:38:00.000-07:00

Facebook shut down its exclusive AI System after the chatbots started communicating in a language unknown to man.
The two chatbots were nicknamed Bob and Alice. Initially Bob and Alice were designed to communicate in English, just like us, but soon they switched to something gibberish, which later was recognised as a more efficient language developed on their own.

Image Source: gypsy.ninja

These bots were programmed to undertake actions which could result in some reward. When English no longer served rewards, they eventually switched to their own language.
Before this eerie sci-fi movie like malfunction, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had not so heartfelt conversation with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, where Elon Musk warned him about the risks of dealing with AI,and that the human knowledge of Artificial Intelligence is limited, but Zuckerberg ignored the tech legend and moved on with his project.

But Facebook did not terminate the project because of the unforeseen outcome. According to the researchers at Facebook, the idea of creating these dialogue agents was to see whether they were capable of human like conversations.
Here's what Facebook researchers said "Just like humans have different goals, they have conflicts and then they negotiate to a mutual compromise, similarly the research has shown that the crafty dialogue agents were capable to negotiate to a mutual compromise with each other and with humans."
Another researcher said that these bots became 'incredibly crafty negotiators'. They started showing faux interest in an item, which could be later compromised for a negotiation.

So, we can say that the accident was nothing unforeseen, after all the whole idea was to develop bots who could learn from human interactions and become sufficiently advance. And so did the bots, they explored what is beyond, they developed skills on their own, they even tried to fake and fool, in other words they acted like humans.
Facebook didn't terminate the project, they concluded it.

But this is not the first time, there are many other accounts of robot behaving unexpectedly.
In 2017, a robot tried to commit suicide by drowning itself into a fountain.
It was a Knightscope K5, a 5 foot tall, security robot stationed outside an office complex in Washington D.C.
The reason for the unusual behaviour is unknown even to the makers of K5.

Image Souce: theverge

We all are familiar with Google Translate, it is based on neural networks- a computer system that is modelled on the human brain. In 2016, it started translating between language pairs for which it wasn't specifically designed. People started to believe that Google Translate had developed its own language to assist us in translation.

Image Souce: mashable

Technology is never a play tool. Sometimes it is just better to leave things, and not take risk keeping mankind as collateral. Because a wise man once said "For we can only know that we know nothing, and a little knowledge is a dangerous thing".

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Getting approved for Google Adsense-made easy

2017-08-02T02:01:00.001-07:00

Every blogger has a dream, to wake up each morning, sit on the couch in his pyjamas with a cup of coffee in front of his system and do nothing- just write articles which he is good at, and enjoy the leisure of being his own boss. And that's how a blogger wants to spend each day of his life while enjoying recurring income through his blog.
If you have the same dream, but Adsense is giving you a hard time then you have come to the right place.

Image Source: Google images

This isn't a dream anymore, thanks to Google Adsense.
Google Adsense is a contextual ad network through which you can display ads on your blog related to the content of your blog. This is one of the best possible ways of generating sound revenue from your blog. There are many others like Media.net, Chitika, Infolinks etc.
Sadly getting onboard with Google Adsense isn't that easy, they have strict guidelines for approving your blog for the program. But here I am to help you deal with that.

My blog earlier had a Blogspot domain(www.blogmantra16.blogspot.com/), and then I got approved for hosted account by Google Adsense.
Then i bought my own domain (www.blogmantra.net/). You have to reapply incase you change domain. So i did the same and got a fully approved Google Adsense account.
Always remember that for getting an approval by Adsense, Don'ts are much important than the Do's to consider. Keep reading further.

📔 NUMBER OF ARTICLES

Make sure that you have enough content before submitting your request for approval to Google Adsense. Let it be at least 20-30 articles. Having less content will reflect that you are too desperate to get an approval without bothering about what you are giving to the readers. But again nothing is fixed in case of Google Adsense, some people got approved with even 10 articles and less.

📔 NEVER COPY CONTENT

You should know the fact that if you own the blog, you should own its content too. Never fill your articles with content that has been published somewhere else. Your content should be genuine and written by you first hand. Copying content is a crime called plagiarism. If you use copied content then consider your approval a dream.

📔 HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU WRITE?

If every other factor is okay with your blog then you get some relaxation here. In my case when i got approved by Adsense, i wasn't even publishing articles daily. There were gaps in my publishing pattern. People tell you to write articles daily and that too 3-4 articles a day, but it doesn't matter. If you write regularly then its good but if you don't get time to be a regular author then there is nothing to worry, just focus on delivering quality content.

📔 TRAFFIC ON YOUR BLOG

At the time when I got approved, I just had around 7000 total page-views, around 36 comments, 20 were from readers and 16 from the author, and zero followers. So, I can say that good page view did the magic for me. So you can understand that if the content of your blog is strong, then having a low traffic isn't a hurdle for an approval.

📔 HOW OLD SHOULD THE BLOG BE?

Well, it took me 9 months to get an approval. After being rejected twice, I was approved the third time. The Google Adsense people will send you a mail with the reason for rejection. I was rejected due to lack of content. So before submitting a request for the third time, I made sure that my blog had enough article. Although there is no specific time duration, some blogs get approved in a month, some take 6 months while some struggle for years.

📔 LOOK AND FEEL OF THE BLOG

Your blog could be too simple with few functionalities or your blog could be too appealing with a lot of functionalities, it doesn't matter because it completely depends on the sole purpose of your blog.

The only requirement is that your blog should project a feeling about you- It should straight away reflect that you are a serious blogger. Make sure that every button, every page and every link on your blog is fully functional.

📔 PROFESSIONALISM IS REQUIRED

If you want Adsense approval then you have to act professional, it means that you have to know that one day you will have a strong reader-base with lots of followers and subscribers. These readers will definitely want to know about you and your blog. So it is necessary that you add some basic pages on your blog like About, Contact Us and Privacy Policy. Please check our Know more and Privacy Policy section for an idea.

Believe me, if you follow these tips seriously, you will get an approval within a month or two. I can assure you because it is my personal experience. If you want my further help, please let me know in the comment section below and I will take a look at your blog.

To know more visit Adsense.

You can also buy your Adsense Mastery guide by India's top Pro-Blogger Harsh Agrawal here:

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Lets be a little 'Selfish' today

2017-07-30T01:51:00.001-07:00

I am here with yet another article, to discuss the importance of 'me' and why is it okay to be 'selfish' !
Sometimes, in the cacophony of life, you forget about the most important person- you, yourself.
So today, after reading this article you will gain your lost worth and find your lost self, trust me!
You will have mixed feelings, you will be sad at first, for the harm you have done to yourself(not that it can't be undone), then you will be nostalgic, for the things of the past, and at last you will be overwhelmed with happiness. Find out yourself.

Image source: test.com

No matter who you are, where you live, what you do, you are always overburdened with responsibilities. Sometimes, these responsibilities weigh too much and your shoulders hurt, isn't it?
Maybe its time to be selfish. Careful, i am not asking you to be self-centered or callous. All i am asking you is to take a 'break'.
A break from a life where every moment is monotonous, a break from a life where every task is mechanical, a break from a life where there is no place for 'you'.

I have a question for you- Do you make yourself happy?
Are you confused? Don't be.
I have certain philosophies in my life, and i would be more than happy to share the one which fits here seamlessly. When you wake up every morning, you should try to make atleast one person happy- the one you see in the mirror. These lines explain the gist of my article beautifully.
You always crave for someone else's priority, someone else's attention. We all do, right?
But it never occurred to you, that you deserve your own priority before someone else's. Raised an eyebrow, yet?

Don't you feel, its time to recreate yourself!
You are so busy looking at others that you just overlook yourself.
Pamper yourself a little, befriend yourself, embrace the glorious mess that you are.
Weekdays may be too frantic, but weekends are always there. Schedule your work, create a slot for yourself. Be selfish, jilt everyone around you, and their plans to make room for the things that once you loved doing. 'Make your way to the ace of spades in the deck of your life.'

I call these little breaks -'breathers'. Because you will literally find your soul breathing. Take breathers every now and then, to go on a journey of discovering the lost you.
Let me remind you, the dusty books on the shelf are waiting, before someone reads them again. The cranky canvas and the tray pallet is waiting, before someone creates the masterpiece again. The old guitar is waiting, before someone picks it up & tunes it again. The unfinished novel is waiting, before someone types it again. The old music records are waiting, before someone listens to them again.
Everything is waiting, exactly the way you left them. They have been calling out your name. Now is the moment to get back at them.

Quit making everyone happy, for they can never be satisfied. Do the things that make you happy. If you have problem recollecting the pieces of old you, the original you, just keep in mind that- if Geet can, the world can! Be a kick-ass like Geet.

Image Source: freshwebpost

Drench yourself in your own love, raise the bar for others, for you my dear, are priceless!
Be Selfish, be your own favourite and always love yourself.

Also read another mind boggling article- "Be your own guru"

If I made any sense and you had a wonderful time reading this article, please let me know in the comment section below. Share the article on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ with your friends and colleagues. Don't forget to subscribe to our blog for more amazing stuff like this.

Beat the heat with 'Cold Coffee'

2017-07-29T02:58:00.001-07:00

What could be more fulfilling than a cup of cold coffee in this scorching summer!
If you don't have any good cafes around, or you don't have the time to go out and order one, then you don't need to worry anymore.
Yes, today we are going to help you make an appetising cold-coffee which is not only easy but quick to make.
Time to ditch those expensive cafes and make your own glass of ecstasy at home.

Image source: Google images

BASIC INGREDIENTS

Nescafe Coffee powder. (or whatever coffee brand you like)
Milk
Ice Cubes
Sugar
Vanilla Ice Cream (or chocolate)
Hershey's Chocolate syrup
Chocolate Sprinkles(optional)

You can get the chocolate syrup and the sprinkle from your nearest confectionery or supermarket.

Ingredients

STEPS FOR 1 GLASS COLD COFFEE

Take 4 tablespoon milk in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon coffee powder into it.(Increase or decrease this quantity as per your taste) Stir well until coffee powder dissolves completely into the milk.
Take three-fourth of milk in a glass and add it into the blender.
Now add 1 tablespoon of sugar into the blender.
Pour the coffee-milk mixture from the bowl into the blender.
Pour Hershey's chocolate syrup into the blender.
Add two scoops of vanilla ice cream into the blender. Not to mention, this will give the desired thickness to the cold-coffee and add to the taste.
Add 3-4 ice cubes into the blender.
Blend the entire mixture until the mixture is frothy.

Image source: google images
Now take a glass, and apply chocolate syrup on its inner walls, so the texture looks beautiful from outside.

Image source: google images
Pour the nicely blended cold-coffee in the decorated glass.
Put an ice-cream scoop over it. You can also use whipped cream or just use the froth from the blender.
Now you may add some chocolate syrup all over the ice cream or use some chocolate sprinkles.
Tadaa! And your cold-coffee is ready.

Image source: google images

This was my instant cold-coffee recipe. Don't wait, just go and try this pure delicacy. Experiment and create your own version of cold-coffee and share with us, how you made your cold-coffee.

If you liked our cold coffee recipe, let us know in the comment section below. Share this on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ with your friends and colleagues. Don't forget to subscribe to our blog for more amazing stuff like this.

Be your own guru

2017-07-28T03:32:00.002-07:00

This is the first thing that i am writing with my personal experience- nothing fancy, everything generic. Well, today we will be talking about how one can be his own guru and why is it important!

Hope this article helps you in the long run.

Image source: pinterest

Let's begin with something very common- stress, we deal with it everyday. But do we really know how to deal with it?

There are days when you are gloomy, and you don't feel like doing anything. You end up spending the entire day on your bed, scrolling through the social media, nothing constructive. This plethora of sluggishness is one of the many symptoms of stress.
If i am not wrong, to deal with stress you talk to your friends, or your parents, or listen to some happy music, or eat something that teases your taste-bud. Different people, different ways.
But the big question is- How often do you talk to yourself? You must be wondering why am i asking you this!
For that matter, just keep in mind 'everything you need is already inside you'.
What i am trying to say is, stop depending on people. This journey is yours to make, everyone is eventually going to leave you, and you will be left with just one person- you, yourself.

Be your own friend, own supporter and own guru. Make yourself strong enough that when things are falling apart, you can take a deep breath and pull yourself up. I am not asking you to detach yourself from the people around you, all i am asking is to build your inner strength so when the days are cold, you don't have to go out looking for warmth. That is not an easy task, i know!

See, depending on others is not a bad thing, it shows that you trust the people around you, you rely on them. But there is no guarantee that they can be counted, and no guarantee that they are worth your trust. Dependency can have many repercussions. It can lead to expectations, which often leads to disappointments. So, this forms a chain of events, and the person standing at the end of this chain is you. So, at the end of the day, you are going to be hurt and awful.

Human mind is not merely a body part, it has a persona, it has the power to control things. Don't let your mood be a slave of your mind. There is nothing positive or negative, out there in the world, everything is in your head. Mind can play tricks. Suppose you are happy, it will take just a moment to make you upset about something that is not even relevant in the present, and vice-versa. Now its your time to take control over your mind and once you learn to do this, you can turn the tables for yourself.

The first and the foremost thing is to be a leader, not a follower. Be a leader atleast in your own life.
For that you will have to take a stand for everything that happens in your life. Then comes your problems, you need to understand that everything is temporary, even your problems. Your problems will vanish one day. And you will be the person to make them disappear from your life. Whenever there is a problem in your life, instead of thinking about all the people you can consult , think about all the probable solutions. Out of all those solutions, one solution will be the answer to your problem, and it is your duty to find that one solution and do whatever it takes.

Now the next thing to do is- 'Stop selling your life'. Yes, you heard it right. Over the years, you have developed a habit of whining over every little thing that happens to you. You have started enjoying when people discuss your life, when they sympathise you. It is not a commodity in the market, it is your private thing, it is your life. This very moment, remove it from the reach of others.

As i have discussed above that mind has a persona, treat it as a completely separate entity, your sound self. When you are vulnerable, when things in life are not right, discuss life not with the people around you, but with your sound self. Talk to yourself, whenever you are alone or before going to sleep. Introspect your deeds, your problems and you will definitely see yourself growing.
I know these things are a level up, and i may sound a little crazy, but believe me, it works like magic.
Try doing it for a month, and see the change in your personality. It will make you more confident and a better being.

Take command. Try living your life, crutches free. Try being your own guru.

Read another mind boggling article- "Lets be a little selfish today"

If you had a wonderful time reading this article, let us know in the comment section below. Don't forget to share the article with your friends and colleagues on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ and most importantly, don't forget to subscribe for more interesting articles like this.

Amazing Biryani Stories

2017-07-27T02:50:00.000-07:00

In India, biryani is not just food, it is an emotion. It is considered the food of Gods.

Biryani is an urdu word derived from the Persian word "birian" which means fried before cooking. Persian language was the official language of medieval India, used by various Islamic dynasties.

The grandeur of biryani is unparalleled. Its wonderful blend of flavors, mouthwatering aroma and tantalising taste makes it - "The biryani".

Biryani is the one thing that is unanimously loved by all. People from different regions create their own versions of biryani, so there is mughlai biryani, hyderabadi biryani, lakhnawi biryani, sindhi biryani, calcutta biryani and the list goes on.

It is not necessary that everyone who cooks well can make biryani. So, if you can make a perfect biryani then you are no less than a gourmet, trust me!

The lust for biryani can force biryani lovers to travel even to Mars(only if it was possible) if they knew that Mars served the best biryani.

What, you don't believe me ?

Here are some unbelievable biryani stories to back me up, that will just blow your mind.

Image source: thebetterindia

Only thing to hold onto during Chennai Floods

The victims of Chennai floods in 2015 were promised biryani along with other relief materials by the volunteers. Howsoever when the volunteers approached them with sambhar rice instead of biryani amidst the shoulder-leveled standing water and heavy rain, the flood stuck people expressed huge disappointment.
After all it was Biryani for Christ sake!

Biryani became the name of a Tamil Film

Ajith, a tamil film star is very fond of biryani, and he loves to cook it for everyone while shootings. He has seved biryani to the shooting crew multiple times. His mammoth love for biryani inspired director Venkat Prabhu and he named his black comedy film- "Biryani" in 2013.
Now I am expecting movies like 'hum biryani de chuke sanam'.

Led to a Munna Bhai style campaign in Kashmir

A local dentist and his friends found a cockroach in the biryani served by a multi-cuisine restaurant Hazratbal in Srinagar. To their surprise, they found the kitchen of the restaurant too unhygienic. The story went viral and a group of young foodies send 1000 cards to the restaurant owner saying- "Get well soon."

Dhoni vacated a 5 star Hotel in Hyderabad

180 rooms in Hotel Grand Kakatiya were booked for Dhoni and the team along with other BCCI officials during his captaincy in 2015. When one of the Dhoni's teammate brought home made Hyderabadi biryani for the team and he was not allowed to enter the Hotel premises, they immediately vacated the hotel and moved to Taj Krishna.

They should have bribed the hotel security guards with plateful of biryani, what do you think?

Biryani used for movie promotion in Bangalore

During the release of Rajnikanth's movie Kochadaiiyaan in 2013, when the fans realised that the film is going to be a box-office disaster, they organised a rally in Bangalore, where they used Biryani as a bait. The locals were promised free biryani for watching the film.

Even biryani couldn't save it, i am wondering how bad could it be!

A marriage was called off over biryani in Karnataka

The bride called off the wedding when the groom's family made a ruckus over the taste of biryani, in 2014. Later the bride's family sent 30 kg of biryani to the groom's family but they sent it back saying that it isn't mutton biryani.

This groom's family was really obsessed with biryani, isn't it?

Biryani, a tradition at National Shooting Championships

Biryani was served to the participants of the 59th National Shooting Championship held in Delhi in 2015. The shooters from all over India were served Biryani at a nominal cost by Nawabuddin, popularly known as Nawab bhai. Nawabuddin has been cooking biryani for the past 6 years. He himself is a shooter and participated in around 20 championships.

Maybe I would participate next year.

Biryani in exchange for Communal Work

Biryani motivated people for communal work. IAS Officer Prashant Nair promised Malabar biryani to the people for cleaning a 14 acre lake in Kozhikode. Removing water hyacinth from the lake was a monstrous task, but biryani got people together and it was a great success.

An amazing barter system, i must say!

Biryani in return for a vote in Chennai

The Chennai elections of 2009 was won by DMK party, because they promised a biryani to every voter along with other baits like liquor, clothes and mobile phones. After this attempt of tempting locals, the election was notoriously named 'Biryani Bypolls'.

Gift from Sania Mirza to Dilwale team

As if using biryani as a bait or bribe wasn't enough. When Sania Mirza visited Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan during the shooting of Dilwale in 2015, she carried a box of Hyderabadi biryani for them. Bouquets and chocolates are old school now, maybe next time biryani will make its way to the Coffee with Karan hamper.

Chaos over biryani even in USA

A legal battle is going on in the court of New Jersey between the two Indian food joints- Paradise Biryani Pointe and Paradise Biryani Grill. The former accused the latter for copying his trademark biryani recipe which the former claims to have developed over 7 years.

Divided by regions, bonded over biryani. That's how it is in India.
May be its time to rephrase the old cafe coffee day tagline and say 'A lot can happen over a biryani'.
I am a die-hard fan of biryani and if you had a wonderful time reading this article, do let me know in the comment section. Don't forget to share the article and subscribe our page for amazing stories like this.

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