Seeking refuge

Whose shores are these 

Water so cold

And sand so hard

My heart so still. 

No sand castles

Our castles destroyed

Not running barefoot in the sand

But running away from motherland. 

No laughter no cries of joy

No lazy sunny afternoons

This shore so quiet

As tears lap the shore. 

To the welcoming shore

They said we will go 

Unwanted , unloved and unknown 

We have been washed up the shores. 

Why is this shore not mine

Why did  I inherit a land with mines

Why is three year old a refugee

Was I born to wrong parents. 

I feel the cold water coming back

To caress my cheeks so white 

Is it sea water or tears of humanity 

Both so salty. 

Not an iota but IoT

I did not know that the term Internet of Things (IoT) was coined almost 15 years ago. It is only recently that I have seen IoT is being discussed and commonly referred to. I recollect reading about RFID tags around the same time as the coining of IoT took place. These tags were going to revolutionize inventory management and many other Retail and logistics processes. The rider was - RFID tags should cost less than a Nickel, only then would it be feasible to be used extensively. The reason I mention this is, because in my opinion, it is a precursor to IoT. For the 'Things' to communicate to each other some such 'intelligence' like an RF tag is necessary.

I relate to IoT as a sci-fi concept from much earlier times. Where every inanimate object that we surround ourselves with is able to communicate with each other and take 'appropriate' actions. In an ideal IoT scenario my bed is able to calculate the amount of sleep I have had, it is integrated with my calendar and knows how soon I should get up. I get woken up by the bed - singing, screaming or shaking determined by the choice of the day. As my feet slip into my slipper, my kettle comes on and the water temperature in the bathroom adjusts to the optimal temperature that I seek. The Possibilities are many and as we fantasize or visualize.

And perhaps scary. Am reminded of a comic I read more than 4 decades ago. The robots take over the world. The robot decides everything for you. No you can’t have that second bite of cheese cake; not another shot of single malt; time to hit the sac - lights out; and on and on. Do we need that big-brother? Perhaps selectively required. We could end up a healthy race and wouldn’t end up spending a lot of our time searching for keys that were kept in a 'very secure' place. 

An ideal IoT world will not just be flat but everything within arms distance. Does that make future generations less active? My grandfather was a healthy nonagenarian. My father in his mid-fifties could beat me, a 17 year old then, in a game of badminton. Their health was vouched by their physical life and habits. IoT through devices wearable and otherwise will remind me to get off my seat and walk, scream when my cuppa has more sugar or the dinner plate has more calories, prompt me to walk those extra steps to achieve my daily quota of 8000 steps.

50 Billion devices are expected to be connected to the IoT by 2020. Only another 5 years, most of us will be around and we will know whether it will be 50 or 500 Billion. From the intelligent fridge that will order replenishment to the medicine bottle which will not only order replenishment but also remind the user to have the medicine, the possibilities are enormous. 50 or 500 billion is just a number.

cattle class

Cheap travel 

The terminal 

An apology for its namesake

Number two it is.

 

The gleaming tiles

The flashy lights 

Closer look shows the cracks. 

The passengers too 

Like merchandise at outlet store

Discounted and cheap

Giving a 'I am not here' look 

No fancy branded

Luggage here

Just the anonymous black boxes. 

The duty free another

Country cousin

With cheaper brands and sparse shelves

Empty nest

Etchings on the door
Still tell how you shot up in inches
The door you went out
Waits to get you in.
Your door has the labels
Your name so well drawn
The door is open not closed - your habit
Your swivel chair so still
So inviting the soft leather
The table un characteristically neat
Now the phone and skype connects us
When you are less busy
My dad called you busy bee !

Waiting

The thick glass keeps me cool
As I look at the groaning birds
Some waltz around
Looking for a nest
Others look to fly away
The master voice keeps them engaged
Birds are big
Birds are small
Their tails different shades
They carry many tales
I look for mine
With a palm so green
I can see others too with the palms on tail
Yes birds of same feather flock together

Coloured world

You believed my say of  a 

Black and white world  'ere you

Colour came with you

Disbelieved when

you saw some summers.

I still say I didn't lie.

Your endless stories

made me part of  your life

Your silence kept me out.

you are wiser now.

You have stepped off the nest
my world is missing some colours now

Steep Path

Much sought by all

the one tusked perches atop the rock

Huffing and panting I trudge uphill

Finite or infinite the steps

Seem infinite for me at fifty five

One foot up and the other foot too up

I stop to breathe normal

I contemplate which is easier

To the top or beat retreat

The old lady back so bent

Smiles at me and skips along

Two steps at once

Ashamed I follow but one step at a time

Drenched in sweat

I reach the abode

The black granite looks at me

Benevolently unsmiling

The granite is washed

Milk , honey, turmeric water

Flow down the monolith

Rivulets trickle down my spine

They itch their way down

The faithful accord decibel offerings

My ear drums vibrate

Why do we wake sleeping gods?

I descend back to earth

Each step less painful

The young man slides down the banister 

I resist temptation and stay sane

on terra firma  I thank the obstacle remover.