1. January 201 3 | Issue 6
The WordsmithForging Tomorrow
Price 2
Because
YOU
Care
Getin touch with usat
newsletter.cummins@gmail.com
A - Arvind Kejriwal. The common man
who not only entered politics but went
ahead and formed a government in the
capital.
B - BrahMos missile - India successfully
test-fired the 290-km range BrahMos
supersonic cruise missile from the
Navy’s latest guided missile frigate INS
Tarkash off the Goa coast.
C - C N Rao, eminent Indian chemist
working in solid-state and structural
chemistry was awarded the Bharat
Ratna prize along with Sachin Tendulkar.
D - Died - Nelson Mandela,
Margeret Thatcher, Former
Prime Minister of the UK (April
8 2013), Uncle Vernon, Peter
‘O Toole, Paul Walker,Farookh
Sheikh( in order of
awesomeness)
E - End of an Era - Sachin
Tendulkar. Facebook and
Twitter didn’t let the man retire
in peace. More than 20,00,000 likes and
a million posts on the “God of Cricket”!
He was the first sportsman to be
awarded the Bharat Ratna.
F - Floods in Uttarakhand, haiyan. The
devotees of God were taken as his own
when the clouds burst in Uttarakhand.
G - Germany. Angela Merkel was elected
Chancellor of Germany for the 3rd time.
She also broke her hip this winter in a
skiing accident.
H - Harassment. Tehelka Editor-in-chief
comes under the scandal scope with
accusations of assault. After Delhi’s
horrifying rape case, the country spewed
more examples of violence against
women.
I - IceCube. A nuclear reactor by the
name was built a kilometer under ice on
the South Pole. The reactor is aimed at
recovering neutrinos from the beginning
of time.
J - Jan Lokpal bill. Backed by Anna
Hazare and Arwind Kejriwal’s AAP, the
bill is hotly debated in its departure from
the original Lokpal and whether it will be
drafted at all! Delhi CM (newly
appointed) Kejriwal promises by the first
week of February.
K - Kabaddi, International Winners, beat
Pakistan in the finals. The game gained
some well deserved attention from the
Indians, finally! Chak de India!
L - Lance Armstrong - Well its not just
about the bike anymore, literally.(read:
drugs and more).
M- Muzzaffarnagar riots - Its not only
about innocent people being brutally
killed imore about how we as a society
failed to live in peace and yet again did
anyone benefit out of it? Mention not!
N - Nokia bought out by Microsoft.
O - Origin of confessions pages- The
world suddenly seemed gripped by an
inexplicable urge to “spill” , a fact
demonstrated by the epic number of
confessions pages on facebook. From
the book to the page- everyone’s
obsessed!
P - Prix, Indian Grand-The show was
stolen by Sebastian Vettel at the Budhh
International Circuit, and how! Winning
every single at the 3rd Indian Grand Prix
(even the practice races!) , his doughnut
celebrations earned him a reprimand
even as he clinched his fourth world title
in a row.
Q - Quarter, India’s economic growth
accelerated in the fiscal second quarter,
spurred by higher output in both industry
and agriculture and a rebound in exports,
suggesting that the economy has
bottomed out.
R - RBI’s 23rd Governor. Raghuram
Govind Rajan took charge the Reserve
Bank of India on 4th September 2013
succeeding Duvvuri Subbarao. Rajan’s
hobbies include fighting inflation,
keeping interest rates low and to
throwing over the current banking
structure in India. FYI, he has an
electrical engineering degree from IIT
Delhi.
S - Shutdown! The American senate and
president had a standoff over borrowing.
yea, it was big news./Sherlock seemed
l
egit: The hottest thing since dinosaurs./
self ie word of the year
T - Telangana was declared as the 29th
state of India amidst controversies,
politics and the blame game.
U - Uruguay legalized weed.
/unnuthupentium new element
discovered
V - Vishwanathan Anand, World-champ
no more.
W - Winner, Miss USA, Indian Nina
Davuluri- The Miss USA 2014 pageant
created ripples worldwide as the first
Asian American (who is also of Indian
origin) was crowned Miss USA 2014.
From bringing Bollywood fusion dance
on an international stage to battling
xenophobia, she has done it all.
X - XOXO. The year that flooded with
whatsapp emoticons and facebook
stickers!
Y - Yo Yo Honey Singh, flopstar of the
year. After the million or so restraining
orders, he was forced to write songs
about pictures of blue eyed girls he
googled.
Z - Zareen Cheema. The Mars Mission.
Our first year student made us proud by
thinking and doing something out of the
box, to be frank, out of the world!
Review 2013
The US has
returned to India
three ancient
sculptures of
10th Century
A.D. , smuggled
into the US by
art dealers and
accomplices.
India's
supercomputer
PARAM Yuva II,
developed by the
C-DAC, has been
ranked 44th in
the world among
the most power
efficient
computer
systems as per
the Green500
List.
Fiat struck a
$4.4 billion deal
to gain full
control of
Chrysler Group
LLC, but doubts
remained over
whether the
Italian carmaker
can use the
merger to cut
losses in Europe.
Mumbai’s
Chhatrapati
Shivaji
International
Airport recently
got a new jaw
dropping ,ultra-
modern
terminus, thus
increasing its
housing capacity
by four times.

2. 2
“You can skip to video in
5..4..3..2..1…Skip! Skip this ad!” The most
irritating things about watching videos
on YouTube…advertisements! It is rather annoying to see ‘DIY
hairstyles’ when I am hoping to watch a ‘Installing virtual machine
on Windows’ video. And then, when I am watching Sherlock on TV, I
am compelled to watch Bollywood superstars endorsing everything
from under garments to luxury watches, lowering the IQ of the
whole living-room every time they open their mouth .
Chetan Bhagat too, makes his debut here, sadly, he chooses a
matrimonial site! He takes the phrase ‘people who live in glass
houses should not throw stones at others’ to a completely new
level(Got married to his IIM girlfriend, now throws stones at
us…”Find love , arranged by Shaadi.com!”). Inspired by Indiana
Jones, a ghostly knight should now keep reminding him, “You chose
poorly!”
But then, there’s the other side of the grass, the greener
side. As I lay on the sofa, after a tiring day at college, I saw a
beautiful TV commercial that brought tears to my eyes. Google’s
‘Reunion ad’ where a girl reunites her grandfather with his
childhood friend, who now lives across the border, is unconventional
. And this isn’t all , ‘Helping Women Get Online(HWGO)’ initiative by
Google has another set of superior quality ads. As I watch my mother
video-chatting with my sister, it reminds me of the HWGO ad. SMART
advertising(Smart Meaningful Articulate Relatable Thoughtful) is the
new trend in the ad-world.
Winds of change are now here to stay. An ad showcasing a
man supporting his wife’s decision to work after marriage , in a
male-dominant society, is impressive and a 100 times better than a
matrimonial site hiring a bestseller author for an endorsement.
‘Tanishq’ enthralls us by replacing fair, excessively decorated bride
with a simple, dusky, single mother. It is worth being one of the best
ads of 2013.
Dove’s ‘real beauty sketches’ outshines all other cosmetic
brand commercials . Give the fairness & anti-aging creams a break,
real beauty doesn’t age nor fade. Coke continues its “Umeedon-wali
dhoop, Sunshine-wali asha” campaign. We hope for more realistic
creativity in the ads of 2014. Though Ramesh-Suresh like no-brainers
& Katrina Kaif sipping mango juice like ads will coexist!
Chetan Bhagat in
Prachita Mane
T.E. Comp
The Dirty Picture
Media and entertainment are
no longer mutually exclusive. It would
be fair to say that media is
entertainment and entertainment is
media. That fine line between media
and entertainment has been blatantly
abused and their association has
transformed into a symbiotic
relationship albeit a perilous one.
Showbiz thrives on rumors,
secrets, hypocrisy in an intricate game
of ‘smoke and mirrors’.
And nothing stimulates
this game better than
the media. The (fourth)
estate that is supposed
to challenge the pertinence of gossip,
sponsors it. So showbiz and media
have become mutually dependent
‘frenemies’ who support and sabotage
one another for “entertainment”. So
while the media takes advantage of
our gullible nature, there are those, in
turn, who exploit the use and
availability of the various social media
platforms like Twitter. With the help
of these sites, fans and others who
have chosen to follow their electronic
presence are able to connect with
them in ways that were previously
unavailable. There used to be a layer
of mystery that shrouded movie stars
now, with a click of a mouse you can
know the details about their lives,
what they ate, who they fell in love
with, who they revile.
But when I use the word
‘entertainment’ it is just not limited to
Bollywood. It is how the media has
cunningly yet successively taken
advantage of serious and not-so
serious affairs to boost ratings.
Everything is a circus of false morality
and twisted labels.
Media is constantly being
updated in the form of Twitter,
Facebook or news channels. This has
made the world a very small place.
The dynamics of information sharing
has reached its breaking point. The
question is whether the media is
merely stating facts, as they are
supposed to or they are trying to
torque public view.
The Tehelka scandal shook
the very roots of the morals for which
it stands. But wasn’t the media a bit
too fast in giving Mr. Tarun Tejpal a
bad name? Before all the facts were
out, there were debates and status
updates denouncing his character.
This is just one of the many character
assassinations the media is responsible
for, all done to raise
awareness (read
viewership).
Indirectly our likes
and dislikes are
conformed gently. Carefully worded
articles and witty images suggest the
author’s opinion, the same opinion
echoed by readers later. An opinion
voiced by many people at a time is
bound to have you inclined to the
same thought sooner or later. It is the
reader's responsibility to verify the
facts
At the end of the day,
newspapers and other media
platforms exist to sell their product
and make a profit. They cater to the
needs of the public and if the public
wants juicy gossip, then juicy gossip is
what they will publish. It’s just a
vicious, self-destructive circle. An
analogy could be made between these
national newspapers and the
Wordsmith itself. In the beginning,
the Wordsmith was created to be the
voice of our college; a highly
intellectual platform to exchange ideas
and opinions, a newspaper that
idealized the very principle of
freedom of speech and press. But the
in the end we were forced to write
about Deepika Padukone’s legs to
garner interest and sell the newsletter
(which sold like hot cakes mind you).
What a dirty picture indeed!
Smoky black, smoky brown, bronzed taupe, sheer purple, shimmering green and royal blue eyes shadows, creamy
and color riche kohl pencils, water proof extra long mascaras, smoke red, hot pink, deep plum and dark berry lip glosses
have always been found an abiding place in a woman’s closet! And all thanks to the huge cosmetic brands who have paved their ways
into every women’s heart. Here are some of the stories exhibiting how small ideasideas turned into big names.
L’OREAL PARIS (law-real) “Because you are worth it"
The Loreal group, based in Paris, is the largest cosmetics and beauty company. In 1973, when a social revolution and
a new spirit of feminism was in full swing, IION SPECHT thought of this original, unconventional, creative and yet
independent phrase. Specht was just 23 when she broke new ground with this advertisement. The brand stands for a
woman’s self-confidence, her decision, and her style and hence has been timeless always!
LAKME (lac-may)
“ON TOP OF THE WORLD”
It is Indian brand started by JRD Tata. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the then prime minister, was worried about women spending
the Indian money on foreign cosmetics. Hence Lakme was born. It was named after French Opera Lakme, French form of
Lakshmi.
VANDANA LUTHRA’S CURLS AND CURVES - “SHAPING CONFIDENCE”
Vandana Luthra had envisaged a country with women fit as fiddle and gracing confidence. VLCC began its endeavor
with slimming centers.
MAYBELLINE (may-be-lean)
“MAY BE SHE’S BORN WITH IT. MAYBE IT’S MAYBELLINE”
The company was originated by TOM LYLE WILLIAMs, 19 year old entrepreneur in 1915. He saw his
elder sister Mabel applying Vaseline and coal to her eyes. Williams, later, synthesized an eye product on
similar lines and created the brand MAYBELLINE after his sister’s name! The American brand sold
worldwide and today is owned by LOREAL
Cosmetical World
Surbhi Kalra
B.E. Mech
"Industry mein teen cheezen chalti hain, Entertainment, Entertainment
aur mein." - Silk Smitha
Malavika Panicker and Pallavi
Shrikanth
S.E. E&TC
" I t is the reader's
responsibility to
verify the facts"
Glamoria

3. 3
Mahatech 2013 the 10th mega business event was held at
New Agricultural Ground from 5th to 8th December. The event
though being one to enhance dealership benefited the students by
exposing them to the latest technologies trending in the industries
One such stall showed the improved Universal Testing
Machine and hardness testing machines with the use ofautomatic
controls and computer attachment which was manufactured in
such a way so as to make visible the specimen being tested. This
made the machine a cut above the rest with easy detection in the
dimensions and deformation. One of the most popular stalls was
that of Topaz touch screen switch panel operating the switch
board applications like lams, fans and also give a wide range of
light intensities and speeds with a mere touch, which worked on
sensors and transducers
The next section of the hall mainly was influenced by
instrumentation, controls, electronics, like UPS/invertor, LED
lighting, micro controller devices, CNC interface modules with a
power saving up to 30%. And rendering other benefits of being
maintenance free, increased life, reduced transmission losses.
Nedox introduced a ‘synergistic’ enhancement coating to protect
aluminium and its alloys against wear, corrosion, galling, sticking.
The benefits were hardness, toughness, adherence and dust and
other particles did not stick. It also had an increased impact
resistance and was a self-lubricating surface. Other machines and
materials that were on the display included hydraulic radial piston
pump, pneumatic cylinders, gas cylinder trolley, slat conveyers,
rotary tables, vibratory linear feeder, hydraulic press, hydraulic
SPMs, hydraulic filters, strainers, valves, rubber dampeners,
diamond tools and many more.
All in all the exhibition proved to be a great opportunity
for manufacturers and dealers along with acquainting learners
with one-step-up technology.
The word Ricorrenza means celebration in the Italian. So
here's to another great Gandhaar. The highlights of this year's
Gandhaar are non-professional Football League where all
football fans with two left feet will compete for the
Championship. This championship will be played by teams, the
E&TC FC,Mech United,Instrupool,Comp Palace and IT City.
Band night will see the Indo Gypsies, an Indo-fusion band
from the state's capital. Much debated rules of the Department
Show? Find out the details at your nearest Department Official.
Food,an entire meal on the evening the band plays.
Day 1 : Thursday, 6th Feb, 2014 – “Wakasa Ka Junoon”
Day-2 : Friday, 7th Feb, 2014 -“Sadda haq”
Day -3 Inter-College : Saturday, 8th Feb, 2014 - “Live free, Die Hard”
Day-4 : Sunday, 9th Feb, 2014 - “Globally Desi”
Gandhaar 2014
“There is greater interest among
scientists and technocrats in doing something for
the society. Let us mobilize their creative abilities
for social good.”
One line that aptly describes Tech For Seva, one
ofthe biggest events that happened in our college
campus last semester.
For all those who aren’t aware,Tech For Seva
(TFS) was neither an organization nor an
institute . It was a integrating platform where
people from three different fraternities came
together to help each other- the Science &
Technology Institutions (the Scientific Solution
Providers), the Corporate (CSR) (the Resource
Providers) and the NGO’s (the the Social Change
Agents).A national level conference on “Socio-
Technical conference on Inclusive and
Sustainable Social Development” at our own
college on 27-29 Sept. 2013.Conference was
blessed with scientists like Dr. Raghunath
Mashelkar, Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Mr.F.C.Kohli, Dr.
Vijay Bhatkar as patrons of the conference.Using
technology to improve areas as diverse as health,
environment, education, livelihood might be a
dream of many but most lack the resources to
achieve their dream. We at TFS aimed to catalyze
the creation and use relevant technologies for a
desirable future for all of us.
We, the students of CCEW were an active
part of the entire event.It all began in early
august when 10 students from E&TC department
along with Prof. A. Khade attended a meeting at
COEP. They worked out strategies along with
students from other colleges in Pune for
promotion of the event.Soon the number had
risen to an astonishing 150. For those 150 it was
all about learning through eperience.
The zeal and enthusiasm seen in
students/volunteershelped TFS emerge as a
forum which has currently drafted 3 programs
WWE Audit : WWE stands for Waste, Water and
Energy audits. The students themselves will
explore the existing resoures and identify the
needs , analyse the intake (in case of water,
energy) , observe the outcomes (the waste
generated) and also suggest a solutions to
minimize the footprint.
AndroSkool : We at TFS have drafted a program
called AndroSkool which aim at developing some
Apps which can be used by farmers , Bachat Gats
, Students and Educational institutes. This will
not only enhance the skills of students but also
promote self learning.
Animation school
: A small effort towards delivering the right
content through ppts using regional languages ,
audio editing ,etc.
To know more , or participate
,or if u have any suggestions:
Scan the QR code alongside or
contact: Neha Shaah (BE Entc)
9096396452,
neha.shaah@cumminscollege.in
Neha Shah
B.E. E&TC
Mahatech2013 wasalearning
experienceforstudents
Tanuja Sapkal
T.E. Mech
Ricorrenza!
Never trust atoms, they make up everything.
A prisoner's favourite punctuation mark in the period. It
marks the end of his sentence.
I wondered why the baseball kept growing bigger. Then
it hit me.
To the guy who invented zero- thanks for nothing!
Pun Intended
TFS will soon be a
forum.
College Connect

4. 4
How to Choose a Laptop
As an engineering student who is
perpetually and eternally hounded by insatiable
curiosity, I stumbled upon, to a website that
promised an hour of code to whoever was willing
to learn. This initiative was a collaboration
between giants of the tech world - Microsoft,
IBM, Facebook, Apple, Rovio Entertainment- to
name a few
The Hour of Code offered various
programs in all programming languages -Ruby,
Python, JavaScript at various levels, the tagline
being - “Anyone can code.”. Whether you are an
elementary student, an economics major or just
an old granny interested in getting with the
times, the Hour ofCode had it all.
For students interested in going beyond
the basics, there were university courses made
available from several prestigious universities
such as Harvard, Stanford, The University of
Berkeley and many others. Such initiatives to
teach all those willing to learn are equally
effective as a college
education. Across the
world, anyone who
has access to the
internet and a
computer to use can
learn something
new and exciting everyday . All we lack, perhaps,
is the initiative.
Another riveting concept is the MOOC or
“Massive Open Online Courses”. Websites such
as Khan Academy and Coursera bring us courses
from all over the world on all imaginable topics
-from Physics and Computer Science to Sociology
101 and History of America. Talk about the world
at your fingertips! Back at home, our reputed
IITs have their own website where lectures are
recorded and posted online for public benefit,
nptel.ac.in. You can learn all that you want to,
even if you aren’t at Powai, Delhi, Kanpur or
Kharagpur. Thus, media can go a long way to
fully unleash an individual’s potential, expose
and guide people onwards to strive and achieve
greater heights. After all, Knowledge IS Power.
However, sooner or later, a person
realizes it’s not just the books or grades that
make or break one’s chances of getting ahead in
college, (and by extension getting ahead in life),
but competing in an environment of smart,
competitive, like-minded people who are willing
to do anything to reach the top. College also
equips one to deal with the greatest mystery of
them all-people and their psychology!
College is much more than just passing. It
is a journey- a way of living and cogitating. It is a
mammoth experience that has the potential to
significantly change your life.
Niranjana Deshpande
F.E. Comp
Buying the correct Laptop can be as exasperating as finding the right
guy. So here is a quick guide for those who would like to make an intelligent
choice. Before you decide anything else, you need to figure out your laptop’s
portability and the specifications. Here are the main components to keep an
eye on.
CPU: Do not settle for less than an Intel Core i3 CPU. Power users and
gamers are recommended nothing less than a Core i7 system with a quad-core
chip. The current intel i7 processors give us 4-6M cache and clock speeds upto
3.80ghz. Keep watch for AMD processors as they combine CPU and GPU.
Nowadays, performance laptops are equipped with an Intel Core i7 CPU. One
might naturally assume that this high-end CPU would have similar
performance to a Core i7 CPU in a desktop PC. Alas, not only would your
laptop be just a bit slower, but would be inferior to a Core i3 desktop CPU. So
reconsider, especially if you are replacing your desktop. If you are trying to be
financially conservative, you may want to go with AMD processors and/or
outdated Intel chips that aren’t on Intel’s roadmap anymore. All these work
fine, but you may not achieve the performance a geek craves. Nowadays
multicore processors are seen in almost every other laptop but the version of
the processor ,RAM and the cache go hand in hand, as they define your laptop
speed. Having a i5/i7 core but 200mb RAM and dual booting your laptop is as
good as cremating it. So it all boils to clarity -what you want your laptop for.
Don’t just follow the trend.
RAM: When it comes to RAM, even the cheapest notebooks have 4GB
these days. If you are equipped with 6 or 8GB, you’ll be better prepared for
high-end applications and multitasking.
Hard Disk Drive: For most users, a fast drive is more important than a
large one. Prefer a 7,200-rpm hard drive over a 5,400-rpm unit. Even if you have
several movies and games, a 320GB should provide enough space, but 500GB or
750GB drives are usually affordable, too.
Flash Cache: Any Ultrabook and several notebooks come with 8, 16 or
32GB flash caches you can use to increase load and boot times while allowing
you to store all your data on a large hard drive.
Battery Life: Nobody wants to be chained to a power outlet. If you’re
buying a 15-inch notebook, look for at least 4 hours of endurance. Those who
plan to be mobile should select notebooks that offer more than 5 hours of
battery life, with 6-plus hours being ideal.
Display: The more pixels you have, the more content you can fit on-
screen, and the sharper it looks. Always go for the highest resolution available
, if not, most mainstream notebooks come with 1366 x 768-pixel resolutions.
Graphics Chip: Mostly, an integrated graphics chip (which shares system
memory) will be fine for basic tasks, including surfing the Web, watching
videos and even playing some mainstream games.
Solid State Drives (SSDs): These drives cost quite a bit more than
traditional hard drives and come with less capacity (usually 128 to 256GB), but
benefits include faster boot and resume times, and faster application open
times. Since SSDs don’t have moving parts like mechanical drives, the rate of
failure is much less.
Hybrid or Traditional Notebook: Since the launch of Windows 8, a
number of hybrid laptop s double as tablets. In most cases, these devices don’t
provide as good of a slate experience as dedicated tablets or as strong of a
notebook experience. If you like the idea of occasionally using your laptop in
slate mode, a convertible like the Lenovo Yoga is a versatile choice.
The Brand Matters: Your laptop is only as good as the company that
sponsors it. Accurate and timely technical support is important. This year Sony
was first place, followed by Apple and Samsung. However, Dell laptops are
much sturdier- especially for first timers.
And the next time those pesky geeks ask you the laptop specs, mention the
processor speed and awe them with your in-depth knowledge of computing.
Happy shopping!
The Hour ofCode
Ketaki Joshi
T.E. COMP
College is much
more than just
passing. It is a way
ofliving
Tech

5. 5
Citizen Journalism
On 26 November 2008, all of India
watched in horror as terrorists from across the
border mauled Mumbai. Places like CST, Taj
Hotel, Leopold Café and five others were under
attack. Minute by minute detail of the ongoing
siege between the terrorists and the police was
shown by the media correspondents present at
the scene. However, watching with us were also
the orchestrators of the said attack who used it to
their benefit.
The reckless coverage of the terrorist
attack by the channels thus gave rise to a
situation where on one hand the terrorists were
completely hidden from the security forces and
they had no means to know their exact position
or even the kind of firearms and explosives they
possessed and on the other hand the positions of
the security forces, their weapons and all their
operational movements were being watched by
their collaborators across the border on TV
screens and being communicated to the
terrorists.
While it cannot be said whether the
security forces actually suffered any casualty or
injuries on account of the way their operations
were displayed on the TV screen but it is beyond
doubt that it made their job exceedingly
dangerous and risky.
In a stinging rebuke to the electronic
media, the Supreme Court said that driven by
commercial interests, TV channels put national
security in jeopardy by their 24x7 live telecast of
security operations against the 10
terrorists during the 26/11
attacks on Mumbai. Referring to
the transcripts of conversation
among the terrorists and their
collaborators sitting abroad, the
bench said there are countless
such instances to show that the
collaborators were watching every movement of
the security forces, which were trying to tackle
the terrorists under relentless gun fire and
throwing ofgrenades from their end.
At the heart of each justification provided
by the popular media is that old chestnut. The
media provides what the market demands. While
there is more than a grain of truth in this
argument, what is required is balance. In the
middle of investment dollar, the private news
media sacrifices plain and simple common sense,
basic journalistic ethics and media responsibility
at the altar ofthe TRP Devi. The sobering truth is
that with increased competition, the
commercialization of news is only going to get
worse, the sensationalization and intrusiveness
that we saw on 26/11 is, to a large extent, an
inevitable outcome of the ‘war for news’ and the
amount of money that rides on every minute of
telecast time.
The media, in the narrative ways
they report terrorism, frame and
prime our attitudes, our cognitive
and affective feelings, towards the
terrorists. In trying times the media
brings the society together and
defeats the purpose behind the
heinous attacks. Watching common
people go through the ordeal, we feel a sense of
outrage towards the perpetrators of such tragedy
and in some cases such unity also pressurizes the
government into action. And while some scandal
at the coverage dished out is inevitable and
desirable, ifwe were indeed to compile a list ofall
the agencies of independent India who dropped
the ball on 26/11, the television media should not
be very high on that list.
The Media Effect
Vidushi Kumari
S.E. E&TC
A book written by one of our very own,
Madhuri Varma. Here's a sneak at the story.
" A self-narrative compilation of a girl named
Sakshi as she passes through the very designated
transits of her life. Life would have been a lot simpler
if the ‘event’ called Love favored coreligionists. But
unfortunately it’s not so. Sakshi’s life revolves around
her besties namely Revathi, Ryan and Jake. Ryan
and Revathi fall in Love even before they realize that
they are not from same religions to have a stable
future in their relationship. Meanwhile Jake finds
himself tangled in a relationship that he’s not
supposed to be in.
Sakshi’s life is molded and mended by all
these events happening around her as she finally
finds her man which adds yet another love story into
this compilation of a young urban girl trying to come
to terms with her life.Ryan and Revathi’s dilemma
over love and religion, Sakshi’s sometimes-smooth-
sometimes-bumpy life and Jake’s unfortunate
befuddlement all sum up to an exciting and romantic
assemblage." Price- Rs.200/- Book is available only
on order basis at present. To buy the book, contact
Madhuri Varma at writermadhuri@gmail.com or
9325638671.
Vidushi Kumari
S.E. E&TC
Desi
1.Manjha - Kai Po Che
2. Ambarsariya - Fukrey
3. Badtameez Dil - Ye Jawaani Hain
Deewani
4. Tum Hi Ho - Aashiqui 2
5. Piya Milenge - Raanjhana
6. Ram Chahe - Ram Leela
Angreji
1. Brave - SaraBareillis,
2. Suit and Tie - Justin
Timberlake,
3. Do I Wanna Know - Arctic
Monkeys
4. Temper Temper - Bullet for
my Valentine
5. YOLO - Lonely Island
6. Super Collider - Megadeath
2013's Best Music
Withincreased
competition,the
commercialization
ofnewsisgoingto
getworse
Sensation

6. 6
Recently at a party I was served beef. It was
quite by accident. While it is a delicious dish, eating
beef is considered a taboo in India. This led to the
following debate with a friend- What would be more
right? Following what one’s palate dictates or what
one’s morality does.
The dictionary defines the former as a sense of
taste. It is easy to understand how the tasting
process works but as to why we like a particular dish,
there are several theories. The most widely discussed
one is that we crave for those foods that are needed
by our metabolism. In this case the arguments
against palate outweigh those that are for it. For
instance the dairy products that we obtain are of
much higher biological and nutritional value than the
meat. But can it be considered immoral if we do eat
it?
The dictionary defines morality as good or right
conduct. On shifting the debate to right vs. wrong the
distinction between the two becomes obscure. Be it
Dan brown’s Inferno or Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged-
For ages people have written about the clash between
different ideologies. So who was right? The question
still persists. For a civilization to survive, the moral
code of conduct is aimed at the greater good rather
than concentrating on individuals. Keeping aside the
basic rules essential for maintaining law and order,
the concept of what is good for the masses has been
changing over the years. Consider the case of
Leonardo Da Vinci , in his days he was branded
draconian. But today he would hardly raise an
eyebrow. In fact, with a CV boasting of study of
human anatomy, conceptualization of helicopters and
weapons and paintings that are priceless , he would
be hailed as the genius of the century! Then can it be
said that scientific progress has resulted in a broader
outlook. That today we are more tolerant of human
fallacies than we were yesterday.
The answer again depends on where we look.
The Recent Supreme Court verdict on section 377 of
IPC has reminded us again of the dilemma. In another
example, Edward Snowden and Julian Assange may
be whistle-blowers for the world but in the eyes of the
US government they are guilty of espionage. But the
one thing we can say with conviction is that media
has definitely helped us find like minded people, so
that we are no longer alone in the battle of right and
wrong.
It is however interesting to note that
sometimes from the ranks of our own rises a rebel
who joins the opposite army shunning what he has
been brought up to believe right. So what makes him
rebel? Well that’s for another day to discuss.
An Unanswered
Question
Hello Everyone! As I complete one successful year
of study at Purdue, I look back at the myriad colors
I have seen with feelings of both pleasure and
adventure. I would like to share some of my
experiences and memories with you.
My third year in Engineering was the time when I
started getting a little concerned about what I would do after my graduation.
Career counseling, job opportunities, campus interviews, applications for further
studies both in India and abroad filled our days. It was during this time, that I
attended a session by Mr. Craig Barnes, Executive Director for Technology,
Cummins Inc. He introduced us to the Cummins Fellowship Program and the
opportunities at Purdue. This kindled a spark of interest and I spent the week
digging up all about Purdue University. I was mighty impressed and decided that
this was my goal and thus the first step of my journey from Pune to Purdue
began.
Once decided then there seemed no time to breathe – applying and
scheduling for GRE, TOEFL, applications to the University, write-! ups and
statements galore. We went through numerous rounds of interviews – teachers,
HODs and Cummins officials -! and then started the nail biting waiting period.
Amidst assignments and submissions, practical and exams, one Monday morning
in November, I got the news that I had been selected for the Fellowship.
Yippee! In the blink of a moment, it was August and time to leave for
Purdue. We did all the usual things -! shopped till we dropped – ( clothes,
vessels, food et all and then discarded more than half the things as it exceeded
the baggage limit! ) With baggage, a tearful farewell and a feeling of fear and
excitement I left home, I would be alone for the very first time in my life.
The first few weeks were a nightmare – starting with being stranded at
the Newark airport for 3 days in the very first leg of my journey. All flights had
been cancelled due to thunderstorms! It was a new place, new country , nowhere
to go, scarce food and light pockets. But we sailed through and reached Purdue at
last. Here again it took us time to find a place to stay, stock up the provisions and
learn to cook, slowly we learnt the ropes. I must say the help extended by seniors
and the various Indian communities is worth a mention – right from picking us
up at the airport to helping us complete all the college formalities, medical
procedures etc. Purdue and most of the American Universities are highly
organized. Our entire program is documented in detail and shared with us , to
help us plan, understand and work towards our goals. Purdue University has a
buffet of courses and fields – from science, engineering and technology to arts,
management and humanities. Furthermore we have the liberty to actually choose
the subjects we would like to study.
Here at Purdue, I am specializing in ‘Discovery systems and Cyber
Infrastructure’. My courses include advanced data parallel systems, computer
networking, statistics, probability and data warehousing, to name a few. The
method of study here is very different from what we are used to. Students are
evaluated over the span ofthe semester. Final grades depend not only on the final
exams but also on the overall performance in all class assignments. The
methodology is more of application based than being theoretically oriented. Thus
there are many open-book tests, where a list of formulas and concepts are given
to us, but the real challenge lies in applying the right equation and solution to the
right problem!
Days are usually hectic, as we need to complete our research assignments
along with our course work. A lot of emphasis is given to writing and publishing
of papers. Other co-curricular activities also include participation in seminars,
conferences and workshops. I’ve also continued my interest in singing by
participating in various community programs. Most of the Indian festivals are
celebrated with a lot of zest and enthusiasm, giving us a feeling of proximity to
our home back in India.
I have now taken up my summer internship at Cummins Inc. and I am
currently working at the Seymour Engine Plant. This has been a great learning
experience for me, giving me a lot of exposure to the industry. The work culture
here encourages us to think and innovate. Ideas and suggestions are received
positively and even implemented. About 7 of my completed tasks have been
implemented real time in the plant. Some areas that I’ve been able to contribute
include test database integration, designing the intranet webpage and
improvement in performance of the engine assembly line. My proactive working,
involvement in activities, and providing IT solutions to routine issues has earned
me a lot of appreciation from my managers. The time at Purdue has been a great
learning curve at both academic and personal front. Besides enriching my
knowledge, it has made me a confident, independent and self-sufficient
individual. This is a once in a lifetime experience and cannot be missed for
anything.
-Shreeja Nandy
T.E. Mech
My Journey from
Pune to Purdue
Shruti
Umamaheshwaran
Ex-Student, CCOEW
Editorial

7. 7
Editors:Priyanka Chandna| Kalyani Gadgil| Shreeja Nandy| Ketaki Joshi| Purva Joshi| Prachita Mane| Noopur Maheshwari| Apoorva Ranade| Malavika Panicker| Mugdha Khedkar| Niranjana
Deshpande| Pallavi Shrikanth| Vidushi Kumari| Artists:Anupama Khangar
When Mark Zuckerberg wrote the code for the Facemash in his
Harvard dorm room, he never thought he would bring about such a revolution
in the world of social networking. The idea, however, of rating a female
student as “hot” or “not” wasn’t ethical enough (he hacked into Harvard’s
website to get images to populate his own website). Zuckerberg did face
charges for violating individual privacy & a security breach, but when he came
up with Facebook, we forgot about it like a bad dream.
The past is now back to haunt us , on a scale which is unimaginable to
internet users today. Actually, the threat has always been there, we’ve just
turned a blind eye towards it. A few years ago, Facebook launched an
application platform through which it could receive data about the actions of
its users on other websites. Discontinued 2 years later, the controversy was
never to die. In fact, Facebook’s privacy policies have been under the scanner
ever since.
Given the number & complexity of the changes in the privacy policies
over the past years, users seem to be at a risk now. The buzz is about
development ofFacebook’s smartphone application that is activated even when
it isn’t open on a user’s handset. The app , which would continuously follow the
user, may share information to an advertising company ; it may then show
people or events nearby or offers that might interest the user. Though it may
require the user’s permission, the loophole is that the initial versions ofthe app
may have already got your consent to run this feature. Yeah, you may now be
walking around with a spy in your pocket!
The latest news is that Facebook wants to know why you are self-
censoring your posts! Two Facebook researchers published an academic paper
about “last-minute self-censorship” ,which in turn leads to loss of content for
the site. The fact that you type something in the text-box along “What’s on
your mind” or as a comment & somehow decide not to post it, just erase it &
let it go, would fall into this category. These bits of text you let go aren’t really
gone because Facebook may actually be viewing its contents & analyzing what
went wrong
So next time you 'like' a page on Facebook be careful; these pages
provide a link to your profile for other users. Er, you might not like the extra
attention! It just comes as a warning to be aware of what you ‘Like’ and what
you ‘Accept’.
Prachita Mane
T.E. Comp
Thirteen years ago, he stood in the same line that we stood in today,
struggling to get past the doors to listen to a speaker at Techfest, IIT
Bombay. And well today he was the reason behind the never-ending line at
the heart ofthe same institution he graduated from. A circle in his life, thus
complete.
Wikipedia introduces him as an Indian computer
scientist who is currently the head of Think Tank Team and
Director of Research of Samsung. Yes, most of us would have
viewed his TED talk but well watching him live was no less
than-MAGIC.The name, Pranav Mistry, an IITian who later
went on do do PhD. from MIT Media Lab. What Dr. Kalam
said to him years ago stayed with him forever; The future
starts today!
Beginning with the demonstration ofhis work, he took
out his smartphone, copied a YouTube video on his finger and
pasted it onto his tablet. Whoa! The video played! I was
baffled just like thousands ofothers. Little did I know that this
was just the beginning of all the unbelievable stuff he has
done. Next came the illustration of a project called “mouseless”, an
invisible computer mouse. He used his bare hands as a mouse. There was a
device attached to the computer which generated a layer of infrared waves
around the computer. When the fingers interrupted this layer, it acted as a
sensor and operated just like a mouse does.
Simple concepts of technology were put to use with a lot of
creativity and innovation. He designed a special device for his speech-
impaired friend which helped convert his sign language into English
sentences and helped him communicate with the world. He said the device
was based on the concept of sixth sense. Sixth sense for us, but a missing
fifth sense for him. This video was followed by another one. This
was about a device called Blinkbot. This device used blinking of
eyes as a sensor and acted as a robot. This tempted active people
to be lazy and helped lazy people get lazier!
After showing a few mindboggling videos of his work, he
revealed what drove him towards achieving his dream was his love
for magic. Like every small child, he was fascinated by magic. But
unlike all children, he strove to make it happen. For a layman, it
was magic. But for him, it was a challenge! A challenge which he
accepted and achieved success at a very early age. Towards the
conclusion of his lecture, he said “Have something that drives you
towards your dream! Thirteen years later, you might be on the
dias speaking before thousands. Remember, the future starts
today!”
A huge round of applause drowned his words, but they still keep
resonating in my ears.
THE FUTURE STARTS TODAY
Mugdha Khedkar
F.E. Comp
Sketch by:
Anupama
Khangar
(T.E. E&TC)
I nformation
is not
J ournalism
More about Media

8. 8
HoroscopesCAPRICORN:
The love of your life
will appear as a black
sheep. You shall
indulge in popcorn,
capris will make a
comeback.
AQUARIUS:
Your peers will expect
you to provide liquids
at all events. All the
nations will woo you
once you turn
eighteen. Thou shalt
be the brunt of “uranus” jokes.FOR THE
REST OF YOUR LIVES.
MUAHAHAHAHAHA.
PISCES:
Your sense of reality will
prove to be a balanced
diet for fish.
Compatibility with the
water bearers shall
prove to be a isotonic solution.
ARIES:
Breaking down doors will
be the one thing you’ll
always be good at.
ALWAYS.You will single-
handedly set aflame
precipitation./perspiration.
TAURUS:
Being a bull will result in
an almost apocalyptic
end of china. Loki shall
make you his queen.
Noserings will lead you
everywhere, getting you
places.
GEMINI:
You will have split-
personalities. Beware of
hooks. Silence will fall.
CANCER:
The cure will render you
speechless. If you find
yourself being broken free
from your shell , beware ,
thou shalt be cooked.
Walking will make you crabby.
LEO:
You will grab attention
no matter where you go.
Beware of crooks ,
especially on the
internet.
VIRGO:
You will dress to kill.
Feel no remorse about
mowing down humans you
dislike. Leave no clue or
Sherlock will find you!
LIBRA:
Success will come by sheer
fluke. Rejoice lazy brats!
Growing body fat will
however imbalanced the
success scales. Fabulous
year to hit the gym.
SCORPIO:
You will feel lost with
no sense of directions,
not a good time to
travel. Your influence
over your peers will
i ncrease, they will be in
absolute awe of you.
SAGITTARIUS:
You will be a
complete gadget-
freak & will find love
over the internet.
Patience will bear
fruit, don't be too
quick to release the
arrow.