Do we really need Windows for desktop computers ?

As a humble member of the global teaching fraternity, I do a lot of work on the computer like accessing the Internet, download papers, write blogs, papers, cases, read articles from high quality resources of the web and so on.

All the while over the past five six years, I have been working on a Linux based USB on Ubuntu distribution, to log from my office windows machine through Linux OS and access the Internet. The experience is cool. 

No worries of safety, security, unauthorised access and so on. With double security checks for my Google cloud, it has never failed me the last twenty years, no fears of unauthorised access to the Google cloud. Everytime I access the net, a different IP address is automatically assigned, so it is the most safest way to access the net.

For all personal and office work yours faithfully uses only the Google office suite and access the Google cloud for storage of docs, 15 GB free and for Institute files  access the 100 GB One Drive, Linux based cloud from MS to store and access official files.

Anyway you look at it, yf has not accessed the hard drive on my local machine at College at least for the past 4 years, all the time working on Linux USB. (usually carry four USBs in my bag having four different distros, just for the fun of it). All important files are on my personal Google cloud or the MS office cloud. 

Perhaps yf is the only teaching faculty from Alliance University to work on Linux all the time, a practice  continuing  from my IIT Bombay days, thanks to my mentor and guru, Prof. Uday Gaitonde, a die hard Open Source Linux fan.

Using the Google cloud and Google AI for academic purposes have overnight, improved the quality of my understanding and research, better and more effective delivery of teaching material and finally effective student understanding and feedback monitoring mechanisms.

The cloud storage and working has actually simplified my access either through my mobile while travelling, a 10 year old HP laptop at home or the latest desktop machine from office. Thin client technology very much in action.

It is high time the University authorities start slowly discontinuing MS licenses in the uty asking faculty to work the Open source way, install Ubuntu or any Linux distros on all machines, or even use Linux on USB as the learning curve is so fast and steep. It is my sincere request to the uty authorities to use the money thus saved (Institute license for MS may be draining a couple of crores of rupees every year from uty funds) to buy better quality hardware, 3D printing machines, AI capability and so on.

George.

An interesting caption ..

This is one picture that has an interesting story behind it. 

Though Princess Diana died in August '97 and her mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, almost twenty five years apart, the relationship between the two women was not cordial. Diana's divorce from Prince Charles (now King Charles III) happened the previous year. Lot of rumours float in the air on the relationship between Diana and her mother-in-law.  

Diana's death is still shrouded in a veil of secrecy,  though Diana's relationship with her then co-rider Dodi Fayed in the Mercedes that crashed in the Pont D-l'Alma tunnel in Paris, is still not clear. 

With the death of the Queen mother, a chapter comes to a close. 

Google AI help in preparing Moodle elearning LMS quizzes

The past semester, I have been depending on quizzes to a greater extent as an effective tool that helps students to understand concepts.  The many (more than 10 for each subject each semester) elearning quizzes that I administer to students give fast feedback to the student on their understanding often helping students to do fast, quick and immediate course correction.

This semester I have gone for the kill, I am aiming for one quiz per session, usually administered after class hours at student leisure have helped students reinforce their learning and express satisfaction.

Quizzes also give students a competitive feeling. Since I make it a point to felicitate the top three rankers through class text messages, there is a sense of achievement also for the students.

Better understanding of concepts already taught helps students to look forward to the future concepts, enabling better learning experience for the students. Using practical situations to put questions to students helps students have better practical understanding.

The easy access of student test records at the elearning site nearing exam time, helps students to recollect facts and matters fast.

While preparing the quiz questions Google AI helps me with lot of practical applications and questions with concepts well explained simplifying the quiz questions setting time to less than 30 minutes for 20 questions.

The positive student feedback on the quiz administration from the students is an added motivation for me to go for more and more quizzes. 

George,.

HG Wells, Brief history of the world ..

HG Wells Brief History of the world was published in 1922. Though it covers global history till 1922, it does not include the second world war, which has been a decisive aspect in modern day developments.

The overrun of the Semitic civilizations of Asia and Europe by the Aryan marauders with the Huns, Visigoths and the like makes very interesting reading. Very less is made of the Indian evolution except for a brief mention of Ashoka , 200 BC and the Mughal Empire, 1300-1700 AD. 

No mention is made of the colossal material and wealth loot of almost $45 trillion 17x the current UK GDP, (click here for a WION link) by the colonial Britain from India in its 200 years of Indian subjugation, the first 100 years under the private East India company and the next 100 years reporting directly to the British throne.

It was good to read about the growth of Russia, Korea , Japan, Germany, France, UK, China etc in the book over the ages. The book has been aan eye epener for me.

George