Two lemmings who do not jump over the cliff!!

I was not unduly surprised to get this note from Jack, the second Jake, in our midst:

"FYI I have had a Mac since the MACPlus. I have substantially upgraded my present machine (not a MACPlus!!) and help other Mac users with their problems. I even used a MAC laptop in my in house consulting on a Windows based network with no problems in the 1990's."

I made my entry into the Mac arena before the MacPlus when I got an Apple IIc for the Microelectronics Laboratory in 1984. Here are the specs of an Apple IIc with a picture of that machine which I bought from the University when it was auctioned off in 1994.

Apple IIc
Codename: ET, IIb, IIp, Pippin, VLC, Elf, Yoda, Teddy, Chels, Jason, Lollie
CPU: SynerTek 65C02 CPU Speed: 1 MHz (IIc)/4 MHz (IIc+)
FPU: none Bus Speed: 1 MHz (IIc)/4 MHz (IIc+)
Data Path: 8 bit ROM: 32 kB
Onboard RAM: 128 kB Maximum RAM: 1 MB
Monitor: Standard 9" Green monochrome, optional LCD panel.
Maximum Resolution: 40/80 text, 40x40 4-bit, 80x40 4-bit, 140x192 6-color, 280x192 1-bit, 140x192 4-bit, 560x192 1-bit
Floppy Drive: 140 kB 5.25" (IIc)/800 kB 3.5" (IIc+), floppy port
Serial: 2 Speaker(s): mono
Power: 18 Watts
Introduced: April 1984 Terminated: November 1990

The Apple IIc was the first compact computer.

I moved on the Mac 512, followed by the MacPlus, Mac SE and the Mac Portable. By then the rest of my laboratory staff had all followed my lead. We had Macs everywhere in use in critical applications in all the major research projects of the laboratory as the laser modification of integrated circuits and developing of high temperature superconductors and also to the normal desktop work of both staff and researchers.

I did not buy a home computer till 1991 December. I invested in a Mac PowerBook 170. I carried it with me on my work cum holiday trip to India in December 1991.

I can still remember when I was lecturing to a huge audience in a hotel in Madras, the power went off. Since I had the portable computer in front of me, the rest of the lecture was continued with my booming voice with my face showing up in the eerie computer light.

The active matrix black and white screen of the 170 is the best I have used. The 170 is still my most trusted machine. I have bought two of the same model from auction sites for a few Euros each and morphed them into one, with lots of spare parts available, so that it is ready my desktop always.

PowerBook 170
Codename: Road Warrior, Tim
CPU: Motorola MC68030 CPU Speed: 25 MHz
Bus Speed: 25 MHz Data Path: 32 bit
ROM: 1 MB
RAM Type: unique Minimum RAM Speed: 100 ns
Onboard RAM: 2 MB RAM Slots: 1
Maximum RAM: 8 MB
Level 1 Cache: 0.5 kB Screen: 10" Active Matrix
Maximum Resolution: 1 bit 640x400 Slots: modem
Floppy Drive: 1.4 MB SuperDrive Hard Disk: 40-80 MB
ADB: 1 Serial: 2
SCSI: HDI-30
Audio Out: mono 8 bit mini Audio In: mono 8 bit mini
Speaker(s): mono Gestalt ID: 21
Power: 17 Watts Weight: 6.8 lbs.
Dimensions: 2.25" H x 11.25" W x 9.3" D
Minimum OS: 7.0.1 Maximum OS: 7.6.1
Introduced: October 1991 Terminated: October 1992

(Technical information is from the Apple History Site.)

I have a couple of MacPluses on my storage shelves but they have been gracefully retired. I bought myself an iMac a few years ago. When a power surge blew that, the insurance company let me get a great eMac. This is my main computer today. However, also sitting on my table are also two of the very best vintage Macs, the model called Performa 6400. One is continuously playing music using Apple's great iTunes software. The other is used to keep me informed of the latest cricket scores, etc., while it also serves as my back-up computer. When audio commentary is available, it comes through this machine. (I don't have time to be sitting in front of a TV to watch anything!!)

All my computers are hooked together through my local Ethernet network and the PowerBook communicates to the others through AppleTalk.

I dictate a lot of my stuff into one of the machines. Another machine reads back to me much of what I want to read but never have the time.

People do not believe me when I say that my 1991 PowerBook 170 is faster than most of today's Window's computers. This is simply because it does not crash and it allows me to get my work done. No virus protection required, no email viruses, no bugs, no trojan horses to worry about.

But that is what computing is all about - getting a job done. And above all, most of the software that I run on my 1991 computer also runs on my latest computer as well, important things such as my permanent diary called "Remember", my "Address Book", etc.

So, if Jack is still using his Mac, then he is the "Californian" lemming that does not jump off the cliff!!

P.S. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913):

Lemming \Lem"ming\ (l[e^]m"m[i^]ng), n. [Nor. lemming,
lemende; cf. Sw. lemel, Lapp. lummik.] (Zo["o]l.)

Any one of several species of small arctic rodents of the
genera Myodes and Cuniculus, resembling the meadow
mice in form. They are found in both hemispheres.

Note: The common Northern European lemming
(Myodes lemmus) is remarkable for making
occasional devastating migrations in enormous
numbers from the mountains into the lowlands.

I thought we had only one Elvis

Hey, Viney, I thought we had only one Elvis in our class, but it appears from the photo below that we have two and we also have a "Priscila" in our midst as well.

Jack and Toni in 1969 in Madison Wisconsin.

And am I glad that I put two Pune bloggers together - Sunil (57er) and Sadhana (54er) are now sharing their local telephone numbers. Naughty, naughty!!

Sunil and Kamal have finalised their plans to be in Finland and will stay with us from the 21st to 23rd of June. Any other Cathedralites making the journey to this spot - surely we have some adventure lust people in our midst.

Cathedral School Blogging is now established.

What mischief can this Arctic Wizard get up too next?!

My greatest hope has been achieved

I am so pleased with the result. After I have started blogging so many of you have found each other and I thank you for sharing your one-to-one conversations with me.

As so many have asked for some pictures of my better half and myself, I am pleased to share some with you.

I am the guy who is sitting on the ground with the scorebook in the 1959 School Cricket Team photograph. Here then is the photograph when I was caught child snatching in 1967:

And here are passport photographs of Annikki and me taken maybe in the late 1980's.

And here is one of me taken early last year (the glass in hand does not contain any alcohol!!):

One more set of grandparents

Yesterday was Percy's birthday. In return for the eCard I sent him, wishing him on behalf of ALL of us, he sent me his thanks plus the great news that the "baby" has become a grandparent.

"We became grandparents ...........Farah our daughter had a lovely daughter.....Lyela on the 19th of Feb.........."

I hope all of you will join me in wishing both the parents and the grandparents, Frainy and Percy, all the very best on this very very happy occasion.

There is nothing more satisfying than being a grandparent. Vijay Nayar in New Delhi recently wrote:

"Radhika is married and we have a granddaughter who is almost 6 years but orders us as she is 25."

And, like me, I am sure Vijay complies as demanded!!

Here is a picture of our two grandchildren, Samuel and Asha, both 7 now, about to blow out the candles on Asha's birthday cake, decorated by themselves, last summer, when we had a family reunion here in Oulu.

A grandparent has no real responsibilities, but sheer enjoyment. Annikki and I are enjoying our grandparent roles, sorry only that our granddaughter lives in Lincolnshire in England and we see her only during the summer holidays. We talk regularly on the phone now that international calls have become virtually free!!

Samuel, our grandson, is back in Finland after his year and a bit away in Newcastle. We have been having great fun. Yesterday we were tumbling in the snow like only 7 year olds can. His mother was horrified at the mess we had made with the pristine snow cover!!

Samuel is waiting to ride the first electric scooter that has arrived in Finland, made in China by an NRI friend of mine from Bangalore and shipped out to Finland as a prototype.

Here is a picture of my Zambian friend, Kamutaza Tembo, a graphic artist, who put it together for me, testing it out in the icy conditions. We have to wait at least another couple of weeks to take it out for a real spin. Absolutely soundless, it cruises along at 30 kilometres per hour and has a range of about 40 kilometres, which is just perfect for our small town of Oulu. Recharging time is short.

When we were younger series

After seeing Jack and Toni's picture, some of you asked me how some of us look presently. I am going, over the next few weeks, present a few pictures from my collection of how some of us looked like a few years ago. You are free to put up pictures of your own and I can then link to them - or if you cannot do that, please email me the snaps for my Cathedral School collection.

Shivi, I wonder whether you remember you promised me the snaps and video from the last reunion in 1999. I have a good vieo but the technology of my video camera is so old that I do not know how to get it it my present computer.

I am sure Viney has a lot of snaps from his Roast and Toast get-together in Mumbai last December.

So please let me have them to share with our blogging lot (credit will be given to the source!!)

Here is a picture of Ooky, his lovely wife Rifka, along with my better half, Annikki, when we were in Mumbai a few years ago.

So let us have those snaps coming in.

Jack wants to know the identities of Dirty Dozen

I think it is sufficient to say that they are all members of the 59 class.

Tomorrow (28th March 2004) is our dear Percy Mistry's 59th birthday. He is the youngest of our Class of 59, whereas all the rest of us have now touched the magical age of 60. Percy, the baby, has still a year...

Anyone recognise Percy in this picture? I am sure that is no problem!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PERCY

At Jack's request, here is the list of 59ers who are reading the blog. You should be able to send out messages to them by putting in a comment in the Comments section.

Narayan Acharaya, formerly known as Seshachar and nicknamed Sexy
Shabir Ahmedbhoy
Bhupinder Singh Anand (School Captain 1959)
Sudhir Anand
John Beddow
John Billington (Class Teacher 1959)
Hasnain Chinwalla
Armeane Choksi
David Colaco
Adi Cooper
Bashir Currimjee
Vinay Dabholkar
Elijah Ooky Elias
Noel Ezekiel
O. A. Greogory (Chemistry Teacher 1957 - 1959)
Cliff Hammill (Taught the B section)
Jack Haskell
Abe Hayeem (School Vice Captain 1959)
Ellis Hayeem
Deepak Kaikini
Vikram Kamdar
Ashok Kapur
Venkatareddi Kurma - presently not online
Anjula Mansukhani (née Lakhani)
Jacob Matthan (Savage House Captain 1959)
Delbar Mendis (née Munciff)
Peter Miovic
Ramesh Mirchandani
Percy Mistri
Naubir Mohindar
Vijay Nayar
Farhana Poonawala (née Kably)
Narsys Punthakee (née Irani)
Anil Ruia
Vikram Savara
Viney Sethi (Palmer House Captain 1959)
Indarjit Shah
Pushpa Shiri (wife of Willie but was in the Girls' School)
William Shiri (Physics teacher 1957 - 1959)
Vijay Shivdasani
Ratan Singara - presently not online
Piloo Tata (née Dastur)
Arvind Thadhani
Abdilwahaab Zayani

To many correct - NO winners

Ok, after the last hint, 12 of you came in simultaneously (within 2 hours of each other to name the new 59er.

Yes, it is Jack (Jake) Haskell. We share the same nickname.

Jack Haskell with his wife, Toni.

Jack lives in California. His last job was as a Director in AMD, which is the company which is giving Intel a run for its money, smaller, but certainly doing its share in the field of chips. I don't see any Intel / AMD chips as my computers are based on the PowerPC chip from IBM / Motorola (?). However, there are thousands of gadgets besides computers, so I guess I must be using some of those AMD chips in my TV, video recorder, satellite dish receiver, microwave oven, etc. etc....

Keep visiting the blog as lots of interesting things are coming up as news about various year reunions, etc.

Gopa is back in Finland

Gopa is not a Cathedralite. But her mother, Sadhana Madhusadan (née Shah) is a 54er.

Her uncle, Inderjeet was part of the 59er group in the years before 1956. He has just sent me this email:

"My dear Jacob,

Looks as if it is an eternity that I am with an ex- Cathedralite. Come to think of it I do remember you as a cherubic guy tall well built but with a slightly thin voice and in Savage house. I do remember the time we went to Vasind with Thomson sir and Morecroft and you were saved. Jacob, memories die hard. I just want to inform you tht all the guys whom I shared the classroom with are still in my memory. In 1962 I was in touch with Vikram Kamdar and Virat Gidwani. More in my next.

Love,

Inder"

Her other late uncle, Randhir Shah, won the Best All Rounder in 56 and stood 1st class 1st in the Cambridge exams.

Her aunt, Prem Wach (née Vora), who lives in Switzerland, and whom I had the pleasure of meeting at Gopa's wedding reception in Finland is a Cathedralite of the 1947 era.

And now Gopa is a sort of adopted daughter of mine and Annikki after she married a Finn, Timo. they have settled in a town just outside Helsinki called Kerava. Gopa and I have a couple of chats every few days.

Gopa's mother-in-law lives not far from where we live in North Finland, so Gopa and Timo are always welcome when they come up north.

Gopa and Timo have just got back from India where they were visiting Sadhana and her husband, Madhu, a mallu like me. I had a chat with her and have welcomed her back to our small community of Indians here in Finland. I am sure she will be active on this blog considering her close association with our school.

We lose one from our midst

I was informed that Alex Colaco, third in the Colaco clan, who were such outstanding members of the Cathedralite family, passed on to be in the presence of Our Lord on 7th June 2003.

David, 59er, and second of the Colaco's who is one of our regular readers, informed me of this sad news in his email of this morning.

The Colaco's were the song birds of our school in the 50's. Michael, the eldest was Dame Scarlet in "The King of Sherwood", and he played Mrs. Mustapha (Aladdin's widowed mother) in "Aladdin and Out" in which next brother, David, was one of the Court Ladies.

Although I used to see Alex in church, as he was one of the younger boys, I was not personally familiar with him, but if he was anything like the elder two Colaco brothers, he must have been an outstanding character. Both the elder boys were in the Cathedral Church Choir during my time and led the choir with their melodious soprano voices. Michael rendered several solos where I used to sit enthralled and hope that I could sing like him.

I hope all of you will join me in sending belated condolences to the Colaco family, through David, in that we pray for Alex and his peaceful sleep till his day of resurrection when he will be once again reunited again with his loved ones.

Prakash - take note Hilary has a point. You are not alone...

"Hello!

How about making it a cause for Mumbai-ites all over the world?

My sister, Jane, and I were born in Mumbai (I was born in 1945 - Jane in 1940). It is really distressing to hear that Mumbai is becoming so smog afflicted. It sounds as bad a London used to be before the Clean Air Acts were passed. If you could identify the appropriate authorities and perhaps put together a letter that people could sign, we could start a campaign along the lines of the ones run by WWF.

I am a seasoned WWF campaigner and Panda Passport holder and would be willing to join a campaign to curb smog pollution in Mumbai (I can't get used to calling it Mumbai - it's still Bombay to me . . . !) I think the letter would need to be written by somebody currently resident in Mumbai as they would have first hand knowledge of conditions.

If you need to get an idea of the sort of campaign run by WWF, visit their web pages.

Internet campaigning is very effective and it would set the authorities back on their heels to have a lot of e-mails arriving from ex-Mumbai-ites all over the world, wouldn't it?

Let me know what you think.

All the best,

Hilary Minor - nee SIMON (Younger daughter of Nasib Haratoon Simon (Sammy Simon) - an old Cathedralite)"

Now I think some of us are deficient!!!

Even with the broadest of clues, all the replies received have been way off the mark.

...I think this picture of the Junior football team taken in 1956 which has many 59ers will now help you to pin-point who the missing individual is.


Even with the broadest of clues, all the replies received have been way off the mark. No, it was not my twin brother - I do not have a twin brother who was a 59er!!

I think this picture of the Junior football team taken in 1956 which has many 59ers will now help you to pin-point who the missing individual is.

(Photograph will be posted later)

1959 Cricket Team Photo

When people ask me what did Cathedral teach me, you just have to look at the photo of the 1959 cricket team and you will understand.

...There was harmony as we respected people for what they were and not what label they carried on their forehead.

Today's killing of the Hamas leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, whatever he stood for will, only cause more bloodshed around the world. And to say that a leader of a nation personally supervised this killing of this individual, or for that matter any other individual, shows what the world has become.


When people ask me what did Cathedral teach me, you just have to look at the photo of the 1959 cricket team and you will understand. There 13 people in the photograph and there are 3 Jews, 2 Muslims, 2 Christians, 1 Parsee, 1 Sindhi and 4 Hindus. (I am assuming Nalin Dharia is a Hindu?)

And while at school I never once thought about the religious background of a single one of these individuals. There was harmony as we respected people for what they were and not what label they carried on their forehead.

Today's killing of the Hamas leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, whatever he stood for will, only cause more bloodshed around the world. And to say that a leader of a nation personally supervised this killing of this individual, or for that matter any other individual, shows what the world has become.

You cannot stop bloodshed by shedding blood.

Narayan says Bangalore is calamity

Narayan Acharaya (Sexy, formerly Sesachar) a 59er has returned from a recent visit to his home town, of Bangalore. Bangalore is also my birthplace and my home town. Narayan wrote to say:

" I was recently in Bangalore to see my mother. I don't know when you last went there, but I was shocked at what automobile exhausts have done to that "Garden City". By the time of my departure, I was dreading coming down from my mother's fourth-floor flat to the fume-filled streets."

I fully agree with him. On my last visit to that city, in 2000, it took over 50 minutes to go from the north to the south, a journey, which a few years ago would have taken just 15 minutes. Luckily, I was in an air-conditioned car as otherwise I would have choked on the fumes.

I have noticed the same issue being raised by one of my regular correspondents from Mumbai, Prakash Thadani (69er) who wrote to me:

"Mumbai has become suddenly very warm with temps touching nearly 37 degrees. Mumbaites are all shocked to notice the heavy smog or fog enveloping our city starting around 11 pm till 9 am."

When I pointed out that Mumbai was relatively lucky as it had the evening sea-breeze to clear the smog in the evening, but that drastic steps would have to be taken, as was in London in the late 1960's, Prakash replied:

"About the severe fog and smog in Mumbai there is an active campaign going on to phase out petrol and diesel taxis. They are being converted into CNG Compressed Natural gas. All taxis over 15 years are not being allowed to ply. Even now they are stopping trucks and buses over 15 years old. All this is met with some opposition all the time. For 2 days truckers went on strike so there was no vegetables and grains coming into the city. The traffic police are always on the prowl. One has to get an emmision control certificate for any vehicle. The Cert is to be pasted on the windscreen but how many owners follow this? Then petrol pumps have this huge notice "No petrol for cars without PUC cert". But do they ever check your vehicle? if you are caught with an invalid PUC cert you are fined 100 rupees, but you can pay the cop 20 bucks and getaway. The BMC also has a drive not to burn any garbage in gardens and street corners, but daily uneducated gardeners continue to burn garbage. Not only that, this year, for Holi yesterday over 5000 trees were hacked and burned , but no one dared to speak up about it. Half the citizens of Mumbai suffer from bronchial asthma, yet, no one realises the hazards caused by all these practices. Even the educated in the city turn a blind eye to these unhealthy practices. I have been continuously writing letters to the civic authorities about these practices going on and even bringing it to their notice when it happens. But one lone voice how much can it be heard? Many more citizens have to get involved and create an awareness so that the gardeners and others do not carry on burning whatever refuse, whenever they like."

I am sure Mumbai Cathedralites are not indifferent to this. Why not put out a helping hand of encouragement to Prakash in Mumbai. is this a challenge for all other Cathedralites around India to take this as OUR CAUSE?

Mistakes will happen

Abe Hayeem was quick to give praise for the Cathedral blog. But the unnamed 59er was quick to point out that his forte in junior school was not cricket but football (soccer).

Abe Hayeem was quick to give praise for the Cathedral blog. But the unnamed 59er was quick to point out that his forte in junior school was not cricket but football (soccer). To help you along here is a further clue. Our 59er's brother is featured in this cricket team of 1959!!

Welcome Cathedralites to my Seventh Heaven Blog

Times are changing. I started my internet experience by searching for my 59er classmates on the internet. Then, I moved over to setting up my Seventh Heaven web pages. This was a great hit. However, due to pressures of time, I moved over to my occasional Newsy Notes. And now, having found this excellent piece of "Made in India" software for my Mac, iBlog (for computer idiots), I now move over to the in-thing - Blogging.

One new 59er has joined us since my last Newsy Notes. He was the one who introduced me to Chor Bazaar; he taught me how to make my first crystal and then valve radio sets; he then taught me to appreciate Jazz. Though one would say he was not accredited as being a sportsman in the later years, he has sent me two pictures in which he is standing tall in the Cathedral School junior teams for both hockey and cricket.

Can you guess who he is. A prize for the first correct answer!!