CULTURAL QA 01-2023-13 BEING ACOMPILATION THERE MAY BE ERRORS
Q1 Do people only buy Chinese productsbecause they are cheap, or are some Chinese products actually good? A1 Kanthaswamy Balasubramaniam, Lawyer, Jan9 Yes and Yes Sadly the truth iseven today - People buy Chinese Products because they are Cheaper than theWestern Equivalents. It was the same for Japanese Products in the 1980s In India- Grundig,Zenith, Phillips, Braun always had far greater ‘value’ and was deemed to havemuch better quality than Akai, Sony, Sanyo and Panasonic The Datsuns,Toyotas and Nissans were regarded dubiously in the US when compared to theFords, Chevys and Station Wagons. A Grundig Color TV Imported cost Rs. 14000/- in 1985whereas a Akai TV Imported cost Rs. 8000/- A Phillips SoundSystem cost Rs. 4000/- in 1985 whereas a Magic Tone Sound System (Japanese)Imported cost Rs. 2,200/- The Worlds best selling TV - the Sony was purchased byAmericans solely due to its Price Eventually WesternManufacturers migrated to more High Tech Manufacture or went out of businessand Japanese brands became more popular for their quality even though they hadgood quality in the 1980s Same with ChineseBrands Already today - Chinese Brands are dominating because oftheir massive supply chain. Sure they may not have 5 nmChips but most other components are cheapest when made in China and China has ahuge market So most Westernbrands focus on the top segments while allowing China to completely dominatethe middle segments For instance Appledominates the $ 800 and above Segment , Apple and Samsung hold a near 60% Sharein the $ 500 - $ 800 Segment but Xiaomi dominates the $ 200- $ 500 Segment withAlcatel and Sony Ericcson almost a mile away. Eventually Apple orSamsung will focus on a narrower and narrower market segment while Xiaomi andOne Plus will dominate the Larger Chunk of the Market Segment. Its inevitable. Same withElectronic Brands Its MarketEconomics and thats how it works Chinese Products are like the Japanese Products of the1980s Today they cancompete only on a Price Advantage. People simply won’t believe they makeproducts of the same quality as the west - even if its 100% true. Yet like the Walkman - in some areas China hasinnovation and ensures its products have the best design and best quality -like the 5G Equipment - one area where China is regarded the top endmanufacturer My note- I purchased my first computer HP Pavilionpaying 78000-00 rupees in 2001. It had the power supply problem in 2002 and Iwas going to Dubai on a visit. I note down all the details and could oneexactly the same type of my computer. It was made in China. I looked at the old PSU after replacement- It was also made in China. Motherboard was replaced after a month of purchase. However with starting trouble andrepeated switching ON and OFF I continued with the laptop till 2008. In 2008 Ichanged to HP Laptop. I had a later thought like many others I would havepurchased an assembled computer spending about 35000-00 rupees only. My present Laptop ASUS cost me only 38000-00 rupees purchased in 2021. Q2 Are there any countries in the worldthat have railway systems which are not electrified? If yes, what are theycalled and how have they managed without electricity for running trains untilnow? A2 Nicholas Stone, Life long interest intrains. Fri There are at least two national rail networks which arenot electrified. Both are in Europe - Albania and Northern Ireland. Albanian Railwayshas a fleet of ČKD built diesellocomotives which haul rolling stock. There are limited freightservices. Currently, passenger services amount to one return service atweekends between two towns. In 1994, I travelled around Albania by train. The service was affordable, slow andused elderly second rolling stock. For the intrepidrail passenger, Europe’sonly other non-electrified national rail network - in Northern Ireland -holds more promise than the train travel around Albania. State owned NorthernIreland Railway operates a fleet of diesel multiple units for their domesticpassenger services. There are no freight services. Passenger services operateevery day at regular intervals from Belfast’s two main railway stations. I’vetravelled across Northern Ireland by train and can particularly recommend thecoastal line to Derry. Diesel locomotives hauled passenger coaches oninternational service from Belfast (Northern Ireland) to Dublin (Ireland). A Northern IrelandRailways diesel passenger train at Belfast Lanyon Place station. Trains inNorthern Ireland operate on the broader 1,600 mm track gauge which isincompatible with the standard 1,435 mm gauge used in Great Britain (England,Scotland & Wales). Q3 Can you use the toilet on the planebefore take off? A3 Shaunak Bhattacharjeee. SoftwareEngineer | Traveller | Foodie Jan 6 Those who aresaying that since the flight isn't taking off or landing, passengers can accessthe lavatory are clearly mistaken. Anybody who is a frequent flyer would know thatthe lavatory is out of bounds to the passengers when the aircraft is takingoff, landing, facing turbulence or in taxi mode. Taxi mode refers tothe time when the aircraft is on the tarmac and not moving. One of those timesis mentioned in the question which is before take off. Even though the aircraftis stationary, you cannot access the washroom at that time. It can only be accessed when theaircraft is at cruising altitude. If you have a hardtime figuring out which is the right time to access the lavatory and do notwant to get yelled at by the flight attendant halfway across the aisle andembarrass yourself in front of the crowd, look at the seat-belt sign. If it is on, you cannot accessthe lavatory; it is as simple as that! Q4 What are the new medical breakthroughsor new technologies that is changing old medical procedures? A4 Tiny Nair, Cardiologist at PRSHospital, Trivandrum16h In medieval England, people used to sprinkle ninhydrinpowder over the door lock before they left home.If a thief tried to break-in, they would haveninhydrin powder in their hand. Ninhydrin reacted with sweat and produced arather permanent red colour. Check the suspectshand, and the thief would be caught ‘red-handed’. Catching a rogue cancer cell hiding somewhereamong the 37 trillion healthy ones, standing shoulder to shoulder, is not that easy as catching athief. But now scientists have found a way to catch the cancer-cell literallyred-handed. They are called tumour markers Tumour Markers areeither fragments of cancer cells, their products, their secretions; but coming from a rogue cell, it isdifferent from a healthy product. Tumour markers are promising inreplacing painful biopsies sometimes in the future. Already many are inclinical use but search for others are on. Time is not faraway when a drop of blood, just about another anxious 15 minutes, and you wouldknow if you have cancer anywhere in the body. But till that comestrue, don't smoke, don't drink alcohol, avoid excess sunlight exposure andmaintain a health body weight by a good diet. Remember,smoking, alcohol, excess UV exposure and obesity are correlated with mostpreventable cancers. Right now,investing in a better Lock is preferable to looking for a pair of red hands inthe crowd. My note- Really the meaning of caught red handedexplained is a new information. How the doctor draws a comparison. He is a goodwriter also. When some bodyasked how he got the name Tiny Nair- he replied- When born he was tinycomparing to other new borns. Q5 What are some mind-blowing facts thatsound unreal but are actually true? A5 Amit Shakya, Studies Core Mathematics& Mathematical Physics (Expected 2026)Jan 12 Here we go, 1.Thehottest chilli pepper in the world is so hot it could kill you. 2.The entireworld's population can fit inside Los Angeles. 3.There are more twins now than ever before. 4.The fastest gistof wind ever recorded on earth was 253 miles per hour. 5.The best place in the world to see rainbows is inHawaii. Q6 What are some upcoming grand Hindutemples that are under construction? A6 Rohit Virmani, I Love India Jan 8 Some amazing upcoming Hindu temples that are underconstruction: 1. Chandrodaya VrindavanMandir 2. Shri Ram MandirAyodhya 3. Om Asharam Pali,Rajasthan 4. Umiya MataTemple, Mehsana, Gujarat 5. Tirupati BalajiTemple, Replica Jammu 6. Virat RamayanaTemple, Kesaria Bihar 7. Sri mandirHeritage Complex Puri 8. Mahakal Lok,Ujjain 9. Krishna LeelaTheme Park, Bengaluru 10. Sri MayapurIskcon Temple Q7 What makes Japan different? A7 Premjeet Yadav, Electrical engineeringstudent Jan 5 You know, thelittle things make Japan different. Here are 12examples of such differences; 1. Blind drinking culture Blind people nowcan know what’s inside drinking cans by reading the braille written on top ofthe can. 2. Saving natural resources A common type oftoilet in Japan is where youcan wash your hands with the newly added flushing water, and reuse it for thenext flush. 3. Street art Manhole covers inJapan are beautiful. 4. Consideration for others If you lose yourshopping bag on the streets, it’sprobable that someone will place it somewhere untouched and easy to find. Andno one will take it. 5. Location of fish Fish (Koi) aresometimes living in drainage channels in Japan. 6. Toilet courtesy With moderntoilets, you can maskpee and poop sounds with water sounds. 7. Umbrella policy Umbrella lockers,so you can leave it at the entrance of the building, and no one takes yoursaccidentally (no one would steal one anyway). 8. Neatness It’s common forJapanese people to have orderly manners. 9. Emergency procedures Elevator seatsthat can be used as a toilet in an emergency. 10. Restaurant menus Fake, plastic menuitems in front of restaurants that looks just like real food. 11. Bathroom etiquette Separate slippers for using the bathroom. 12. Egg retail Eggs sold invending machines is common in the countryside. And that’s my listof things that makes Japan a little different. Q8 Which is a fruit with one seed? A8 Shray Bhardwaj, Super Geek, AvidReader, Writer5h A fruit with one seed is called a drupe.A drupe is a type of fruit that has a hard stony outer layer (the endocarp)surrounding a single seed (the pit or stone) which is surrounded by a fleshyedible layer (the mesocarp). Examples of drupe fruits include: Peaches Plums Cherries Mangoes Olives Coconuts Almonds Pecans Pistachios Walnuts It's worth notingthat some fruits are classified as "drupes" while others areclassified as "stones" or "pits" depending on the size andthickness of the endocarp layer. Q9 Who was the first man on Earthaccording to Hindu mythology? (just like Adam according to Christians) A9 Subhashree Nayak,M.A from UtkalUniversity, Bhubaneswar (Graduated 2002)Jan 12 Manu is the first person on Earth, according toMatsyapurana. The name Manu, which refers to hisoffspring, is the source of the Sanskrit word Maanav, which means"human." Prajapati, another name for Brahma, and Shatrupa were the parents of Manu(another name of Saraswati). Manu's wife, Ananti, was made by God. The Hindu Mythology claims thatthese two are the world's parents. The Manu Smriti, an ancient Sanskrit system of law,is credited to Manu. Each Kalpa (Aeon), which consists of fourteenManvantaraas, is headed by Manu. Because each Manvantara lasts for the durationof a Manu, there are 14different Manus, including Swayambhu Manu, Svarochisha Manu, UttamaManu, Tapasa Manu, Raivata Manu, Chakshusha Manu, Vaivasvata Manu, SavarniManu, Daksha Savarni Manu, Brahma Savarni Manu, Dharma Savarni Manu, Ru Nearly 306,720,000years are contained within each Manvantara. That specific Kalpa comes to an endafter these 14 Manvantaras. 4.32 billion years are roughly equal to one Kalpa.There are numerous kalpas, and the current one is called Bhadra Kalpa.Vyuhakalpa was the one before it, and Nakshatrakalpa will be the one afterthat. The seventh Manvantara, which we are currently in, isknown as the Vaivasvata Manvantara in honor ofits founder Vaivata Manu. In the Vishnu Purana, Vaivasvata Manu—also known asSraddhadeva or Satyavrata—is mentioned. The Matsya incarnation of Lord Vishnusaves Vaivasvata Manu, his family, the seven wise men (saptarishis), and thefour Vedas from the great flood or Pralaya. All life forms have come to an end,but not the universe. Later, Vishnu appointed Vaivasvata Manu as theManvantara's ruler. Q10 How do we know that stars arebillions of years old? A10 Steve Baker,Senior Software Engineer(2013–present)Dec 19 Consider first ourSun. We know it’sgravity from the period of it’s planet’s orbits - so we know it’s mass. We know it’s lightspectrum from spectrography - so we know it’s composition. We know it’s energyoutput from the energy we feel from it here on Earth - so we know we know it’smethod of energy production. >From (3) we know that it converts hydrogen to heliumusing a fusion reaction. >From (2) we knowthe ratio of hydrogen to helium. >From (3) we cancalculate how fast it’s converting one to the other. >From (1) we cancalculate how much hydrogen it has left. And therefore weknow how old it is (from the amount of helium it’s made) and how long it’lllast (from the amount of hydrogen it has left). OK - so we knowthat OUR star is 4.6 billion years old - and that it’ll run out of hydrogen inabout another 5 billion years. Our star is about halfway through it’s lifetime as thestar we know. We actually know alittle more than that because we know that when it runs out of hydrogen, it’llstart to fuse helium instead - but by that time, it’ll have expanded in sizeimmensely and swallowed up Mercury, Venus and Earth - and will be cooking Mars. OTHER STARS: For other stars - we can measure theirbrightness - and examine their spectra - and come to similar conclusions abouttheir age. Now - it can getmore complicated - there are different kinds of stars - and (for example) RedGiants last a LOT longer - and the massive blue/white stars burn through theirhydrogen much faster than our sun. But with acombination of good astronomy and a knowledge of fusion reactions - we canconclude an approximate age and lifespan for pretty much any star we point ourtelescopes at. CONCLUSION: The PRECISE age of stars can be hard to be certain about- but we can certainly tell that they have lives in the billions of yearsrange. All the above QA are from Quora website on 17-01- 2023. Quora answers need not be 100% correct answers . Compiled and posted by R. Gopala krishnan on 18-01-2023 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1127450673.1837493.1674008995807%40mail.yahoo.com.
