ESP ~ the 6th [mindsense] gadget of Jaguar cars !

NooravathuNaal (100^thDay) directed by Manivannan starring Mohan, Vijayakant, Nalini and Sathyaraj was released in 1984 ….the suspense thriller was of a psychopath who abducts young women and kills them.  In the film, they will see a weekly magazine with a cover photo of horse (much before the release of the magazine) and sooner the same will hit the stands …. More of such premonition would follow ……… including killings..In the 1990s, Malayalam films of Mammootty, Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi had good run in Chennai, especially in Saffire theatre… ‘Iyer the Great; was one such psychological thriller directed by Bhadran, starring Mammootty&Geetha.  The storyline was on ‘ESP’…..

Extrasensory perception or ESP, includes reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind. The term was adopted by Duke University psychologist J. B. Rhine to denote psychic abilities such as telepathy, clairaudience, and clairvoyance, and their trans-temporal operation as precognition or retrocognition. ESP is also sometimes referred to as a sixth sense.

Jaguar”.. .. ..Pantheraonca, is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in theWestern Hemisphere.  This spotted cat most closely resembles the leopard physically, although it is usually larger and of sturdier build and itsbehavioral and habitat characteristics are closer to those of the tiger. 

The luxury cars of Jaguar needs no introduction … sometime back Jaguar was quoted as stating that it would invest $2.4 billion in a new range of lightweight aluminium sports sedans and crossover SUVs aimed at the mass market, creating 1,700 jobs in a British economy showing signs of resilience. The spending is part of a move to launch more affordable models from 2015 to emulate the success of lower cost luxury vehicles made by its sister company Land Rover.  Jaguar Cars  headquartered in Whitley, Coventry,England, owned by Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC, is now a subsidiary of Indian automaker Tata Motors. Jaguar was founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company by Sir William Lyons in 1922, originally making motorcycle sidecars before developing passenger cars.

One fascinating thing about the Car is its logo ~ the  Jaguar logo comprises of a jumping jaguar above the company’s name, depicting speed, power and brilliance of the cars produced by the company.The Jaguar logo was created in 1935. The logo was first seen on a sedan called S.S. 100 Jaguar that was manufactured at the time. However, later, when the production of Jaguar cars commenced, the logo was changed to the eminent wild cat symbol, known as ‘Jaguar’, which looks like it is pouncing over the name of the company.There are many models and the Jaguar F Type costs around Rs.1.40 crores in India.  Jaguar XF is much cheaper – starting around 45 lakhs and rising beyond 1.5o crores. The latest brainwave from Jaguar - a car with a 'sixth sense' that reads your mind  !!!!

The newsitem in MailOnline on the car that can read one’s mind is fascinating;  this sixth sense would help save people by measuring how well its drivers are concentrating through their brainwaves.The aim is to reduce the number of accidents caused by drivers who are stressed, distracted and failing to concentrate on the road ahead.  It is stated that Jaguar will use a range of sensors in steering wheels and seats to monitor the driver.

The brainwave research project called ‘MindSense’ is to see if a car could effectively read the brainwaves that indicate a driver is beginning to daydream, or feeling sleepy, whilst driving.Currently, the most common method for monitoring brainwaves is close to the source using sensors attached to a headband. But this would be impractical in a vehicle. So Jaguar Land Rover is investigating a method already used by NASA to develop a pilot’s concentration skills and also by the US bobsleigh team to enhance concentration and focus. This detects brainwaves through the hands via sensors embedded in the steering wheel. The Jaguar Land Rover ‘Sixth Sense’ research project uses advanced technology from sports, medicine and aerospace to monitor the driver’s heart rate, respiration and levels of brain activity to identify driver stress, fatigue and lack of concentration.

Jaguar’s UK-based researchers are looking at other innovations that would reduce the amount of time the driver’s eyes are off the road whilst driving. This includes a ‘wellness seat’ in a Jaguar XJ which analyses the driver’s heart rate and breathing to monitor driver health and stress, touchscreens that predict which button you want to press as the user’s fingers are in mid-air, and a new vibrating and pulsing accelerator pedal that communicates hazards to the driver. They were being shown off at JLR’s engineering and research centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire recently. 

The brainwave research project called ‘MindSense’ is to see if a car could effectively read the brainwaves that indicate a driver is beginning to daydream, or feeling sleepy, whilst driving.A Jaguar spokesman said: ‘Because the sensing is taking place further away from the driver’s head, software is used to amplify the signal and filter out the pure brainwave from any background ‘noise’'. The car firm is currently conducting user trials to collect more information on the different brainwaves identified through the steering wheel sensors and will involve leading neuroscientists in the project to verify the results.

Even if the eyes are on the road, a lack of concentration or a daydream will mean the driver isn’t paying attention to the driving task. They may miss a warning icon or sound, or be less aware of other road users so we are looking at how we could identify this and prevent it causing an accident.’ He said: ‘If brain activity indicates a daydream or poor concentration, then the steering wheel or pedals could vibrate to raise the driver’s awareness and re-engage them with driving’. To reduce driver distraction by minimising the amount of time the driver’s eyes are on the dashboard or ‘infotainment’ screen, a prototype car uses cameras embedded in the car to track the driver’s hand movements and this enables the system to predict which button the driver intends to press.JLR said: ‘This allows successful button selection to take place in mid-air, which means users wouldn’t have to touch the screen itself. Jaguar says the system could also use ‘mid-air touch’ to provide the driver with a sensation, otherwise known as ‘haptic feedback’, that their button selection has been successful.

This strange sensation is created using ultrasonic signals to create a touch sensation in mid-air without the skin needing to be in contact with any surface. These sensations could include a ‘tap’ on your finger or a ‘tingling’ on your fingertips. Such sensations could also be used to ‘communicate’ with the driver using pulses and vibrations through the accelerator pedal to increase the speed of response and to ensure the correct action is taken.

So there are cars fitted with gadgets of modern technology and here is a car where technology would drive you !!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

18^th June 2015.

stowaway cat travels 2200 miles Cyprus to Britain in shipping container

A stowaway is a person who secretly boards a vehicle, such as an aircraft, bus, ship, cargo truck or train, to travel without paying and without being detected.Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects (and sometimes people too !) across varied places especially borders of a State (Country). There are various motives, almost all illegal and banned in civil society. According to IMO, the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic, 1965, as amended, define stowaway as "A person who is secreted on a ship, or in cargo which is subsequently loaded on the ship, without the consent of the shipowner or the Master or any other responsible person and who is detected on board the ship after it has departed from a port, or in the cargo while unloading it in the port of arrival, and is reported as a stowaway by the master to the appropriate authorities".

How long and where they would hide gets redefined from time to time – and I had posted recently on the  news of stowaway falling to death from jet nearer Heathrow after 11 hour long journey from South Africa – and yet another one surviving such long arduous hazardous journey! It is believed the two men sneaked on to flight BA0054 before it set off from Johannesburg airport on Wednesday evening. The man who died is then thought to have hidden in the wheel recess during the airliner's 11-hour five-minute overnight flight to London.  .

A study made in 2012 found at least 76 per cent of so-called 'wheel-well stowaways' die during their attempt.  Those that do survive tend to be on short-haul flights which stay at relatively low altitudes. Many of those who die attempting wheel-well stowaways freeze to death during the flight before dropping to the ground.

A cat has nine lives is a common saying….it is stated that domestic cats fall from any height with a remarkable survival rate.  A study reveals that a typical domestic cat’s terminal velocity is sufficiently low, around 60 mph, that they can absorb the shock of the landing.  This isn’t to say they will absorb the shock without injury; simply that they are more likely to survive the fall than not.Specifically, according to a study done by the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 132 cats falling from an average of 5.5 stories and as high as 32 stories, the latter of which is more than enough for them to reach their terminal velocity, have a survival rate of about 90%, assuming they are brought in to treat their various injuries that may occur because of the impact with the ground. 

Sometime back, Daily Mail reported that a  homesick cat used up at least one of its nine lives after surviving for six weeks stuck inside a chimney.The moggy, named Chloe, endured a 20ft plunge before going weeks without food and water behind the sealed up fireplace.The stricken pet had been trying to get back into her home while her owners Marianne and Patrick Wood were on holiday.She was pulled, barely alive from the shaft, six weeks later when the couple returned home and heard her cries coming through the walls.

The couple had arranged with a neighbour to look after Chloe in their absence, feeding her twice a day and letting her inside at night.But the homesick cat decided to try and break in to the house. Their neighbours spent a week searching for Chloe but to no avail. Mrs Wood even emailed them a photo of the seven-year-old cat from 10,000 miles away to be used on 'missing' posters.Then the day after the couple returned home they heard a pathetic meowing from behind the sealed up fireplace in an upstairs bedroom.   They used a knife to cut a hole through the sealant and found a skeletal-looking Chloe barely alive. The cat was rushed to a Vet, put on a drip and fed small amounts of food to help her build her strength up and returned home.

MailOnline of 22^nd June reports of another cat hiding in a shipping container and surviving for 3 weeks without food or water during 2,200-mile journey from Cyprus to Britain.  It was  discovered in a British warehouse after surviving a three-week journey in a shipping container without any food or water. The stowaway tabby-and-white cat, who has since been dubbed Miss Pickford, became trapped after wandering into the crate as it was being loaded in the port of Limassol, Cyprus, in February.It remained in the sealed container as the vessel sailed to Felixstowe, Suffolk - stopping off in Haifa, Israel, Antwerp, Belgium, Bremerhaven, Germany and Rotterdam, the Netherlands on the way.

The animal was discovered by staff from Pickfords, a removal and storage company, after they heard its meows as they unpacked the container at a warehouse in Kempston, Bedfordshire in March.The cat, who had made a bed for itself in one of the boxes, is believed to have survived by licking condensation from the walls. The team at Pickfords phoned the local Bedford Trading Standards organisation who caught the cat and took it to Bayton Lodge Quarantine Kennels and Cattery in Bedworth, Warwickshire.

Though it arrived in a bad condition, extremely thin, very dehydrated – it has made a miraculous recovery during her quarantine period, and was given flea and worm treatment, rabies vaccination and a microchip.The four-year-old feline is now being cared for at Cats Protection's Birmingham Adoption Centre and is looking for a new home.  The manager at the centre is quoted as saying -  'Miss Pickford is a very special cat to have survived such a gruelling ordeal.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

23^rd June 2015.

AM Subinesh ~ PV Maneesh ~ the real heroes - Nation salutes them !

The horrific memories of that night of 26/11 when the terrorists hijacked the police vehicle  and killed top cops and then went on shooting innocents haunts people. Nation needs to keep away from worthless debates – those on silver screen are not the heroes – they are just entertainers, if at all you like movies – no other importance they deserve !!

Comics are an integral part of every child’s growth – in our days we had the Ambulimama (chandamama) / Amar chitra katha.  Today’s kid are obsessed with Jetix of Walt Disney.  The children of the Nation must be reading about those who fought for our Nation, those freedom fighters who underwent untold harships and those illustrious   Bhaskar Kadam, Hemant Bawdhankar, Sanjay Govilkar, Tukaram Omble,  Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamte ,  Vijay Salaskar, Shashank Shinde, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Hawaldar Gajendra Singh – and the like who fought valiantly during that Mumbai siege.  There were so many unsung heroes too – for example the Fire Service of Mumbai whose personnel did not flinch once as they grabbed their gear and rushed to douse fire amid an intense gun battle.

1977  born Sandeep Unnikrishnan, rose to become a Major in the Indian Army serving in the elite Special Action Group of the National Security Guards (NSG) and  gave his life fighting  terrorists in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. His bravery was honoured with the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peace time gallantry award, on 26 January 2009. “Do not come up, I will handle them”, were the last words which Major Unnikrishnan told his men as he was hit by bullets while engaging terrorists inside the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower during Operation Black Tornado, according to NSG officials.

It would remain the carnage, the coordinated shooting not only killing 173 Indians but causing irreparable damage to  the Indian economy and psyche in its trail. The investigations revealed that the attackers had travelled by sea from Karachi, Pakistan across the Arabian Sea, hijacked the Indian fishing trawler 'Kuber', killing the crew, and then entered Mumbai on a rubber dinghy. Due to the sacrifice of Omble, a terrorist was captured alive, but for which many would have floated different theories and versions of the incident.  There were many heroes who sacrified their life.

This week, the  body of Sepoy A.M. Subinesh, who was killed during an encounter between the Indian Army and Pak-trained militants along the Line of Control in Nowshera sector in Jammu and Kashmir was cremated on the premises of his residence at Cheliya in the district with State honours and 18 gun shots by the Calicut Military Station.  Subinesh, 26, was a native of Cheliya at Chengottukkavu in Kozhikode district.  Indian Army personnel led by Calicut Military Station Officer Colonel P. Mohandas and the Kannur Territorial Army battalion received the body near the West Hill Barracks where a guard of honour was held in the morning. The body was then taken in a funeral procession in an open army vehicle. It was then kept in makeshift pandal at Muthu Bazaar for the public to pay homage.

Hundreds of people from all walks of life paid their last respects to the soldier who laid down his life battling militants. Subinesh was fired by terrorists close to the Line of Control in the forward areas of Nowshera sector on Monday. He was seriously injured in the fire-fight and died while being evacuated to military hospital. Subinesh had joined the army eight years ago. He was to reach home on December 5 for his marriage. It was fixed on December 20. Three months ago he had left for Kashmir after a leave.

~ ~ and among those who paid homage to the martyr was another real hero.

P V Maneesh is a perfect emblem of courage. Not just because he was a NSG commando, not just because he took part in the operation against terrorists at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai during the horrid hours of 26/11. More  because he showed courage to walk back to life from a debilitating head injury which he suffered during that operation. If he is not a hero, then hardly anyone is qualified to be one. And there is another trait that heroes share — camaraderie. Maneesh showed it in full measure when he visited the house of A M Subinesh, who was killed while fighting against terrorists in Kashmir.

But Maneesh and Subinesh had shared a much deeper bond. Subinesh used to call him regularly, checking on his health and was a genuine well-wisher. His presence through words was a massive encouragement for Maneesh, had been paralysed after injuries that he suffered from a grenade blast. He  recalled the action days in Mumbai and his subsequent struggles while touching base with Express.

Though the thought of people forgetting the contributions of soliders mildly irked him, Maneesh was quick to put it behind. “People may remember me for the action undertaken during the Mumbai terror attack, as it got its due attention from media. But there are many unsung heroes in all the defence forces, who may not have to sacrifice their life but continue to serve their country under difficult conditions,” he said.  Recalling the Mumbai episode, he said, “We received the call when we were in Delhi. Trained for such situations, we quickly geared up for the action and entered the hotel where the terrorists were camping. Just as the team killed a terrorist, a grenade exploded in front of us and the sharpnel hit my skull and I fainted.” Maneesh was in coma for a year and when he returned to consciousness he was paralysed. Several rounds of treatment followed. His determination helped him stage a comeback. But Maneesh still gets fits and needs others’ help occasionally. “Had it not been for my family and friends, I would not have recovered this fast,” he said. He is now attached to the 122 Territorial army.

Let’s raise a toast for a true hero then! ~ dear Maneeshji, Nation for sure loves and respects you and your ilk.  Great people you are !!!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

PS : the last part in blue reproduced from The New Indian Express  of date.

Delhi 22.5 crore heist - cracked and amount recovered in 12 hours !!

Newspapers are abuzz with reports of huge cash loss in Delhi. A heist is a robbery from an institution such as a bank or a museum, or any robbery in which there is a large haul of loot.   This is about a big heist committed by an employee of a security company and driver of an armoured van carrying the money.

Do you remember big burly CBI Inspector – SP Balasubramaniam [yes, the great singer]  tracking down the container load of freshly printed bank notes worth 10 billion ~ that was ‘Thiruda Thiruda’ of Mani Ratnam released in 1993 featuring Prashanth, Anu Agarwal and Heera.  Many  heist films would  contain a three-act plot – preparatory plans, execution and unraveling of the mystery.  In cinema, you add heroine, love sequence and songs too.  Wads of Indian currency fresh from printing, gets stolen by a gangster – the container itself is moved by henchman – but the access card comes in possession of a singer.  SPB sets to track down – the pop singer comes across two small time burglars of a village who are already on the run – and Heera is the village girl who flees from home.  In the melee, at one point is container gets covered in haystack, with infights and people trying to cheat other.

In what was described as the biggest cash heist in the National capital, the driver of a cash transit van allegedly fled with around Rs 22.5 crore from southeast Delhi's Govindpuri area on 26.11.15.  The incident was reported in the evening when the armed guard accompanying the van asked the driver to stop the vehicle near Govindpuri Metro station so that he could relieve himself by the roadside, said police.  The driver, identified as Pradeep Shukla, told the guard that he would wait for him in a lane nearby and was last seen taking a sharp turn. When the guard returned, the vehicle and the driver were nowhere to be seen, said police.

The guard, Vinay Patel, informed the matter to the branch concerned of the private bank whose cash they were carrying and bank authorities immediately called up police.  It was reported that cash of around Rs 38 crore — was carried  from  Vikaspuri branch in the day, and the van (DL 1LK 9189) which headed towards southeast Delhi was carrying around Rs 22.5 crore.  A special Crime team of Delhi Police found and recovered the van from near a petrol pump close to the spot where the accused driver had deserted the guard. However, the boxes containing the cash were missing, said police.

Senior police officials who rushed to the spot after the incident was reported maintained that this was not a case of robbery but criminal breach of trust. Scores of pickets and police check points were set up across the city and checking was intensified at the borders to track down the accused, said police.

In what was developing to be the biggest heist, the driver  was arrested at a warehouse in about 12 hours after the theft.  Barring Rs. 10,500, the police recovered the entire amount in the swift operation that saw around four dozen police officers working tirelessly till the driver was nabbed around 4 a.m. on Friday. The police said Pradeep Shukla spent the money in buying alcohol, chicken, clothes and sacks to transport the cash. 

On the one night he was a crorepati,  Pradeep Kumar Shukla gave away some thousands to beggars and homeless people, hours after stealing Rs 22.5 crore in cash, said sources in the police. He spent nearly Rs 10,500 from the heist amount, some of it on expensive alcohol and food, they said.

Shukla (32), the employee of a security company and driver of an armoured van carrying the money, allegedly escaped with the vehicle Thursday evening. He dumped the van near Govindpuri Metro station and stashed the money at a warehouse in Okhla, said police sources. Shukla then hired a tempo, they said, adding that he was planning to take the money and escape with his wife and children.  On way, he reportedly gave  Rs 2,000 to a homeless person and distributed some of the cash among beggars, said sources.  Shukla also bought a cold drink and two plastic glasses from a shop near the warehouse. “He gave me a Rs 100 note and asked me to keep the change. I took only Rs 40 and returned the remaining amount,” said Ajay, the shop owner.  He duped the caretaker of a stating that the boxes contained high quality plastic boxes and gave him Rs. 3000/- too.   “There were nine steel boxes in the van and each had a plastic seal. He asked me to help him unload the boxes but I could not do so, as I am too old. He kept the boxes inside the warehouse and left. He said he would come back soon with a tempo to take away the boxes,” said Ram Surat.

In the night, he reportedly brought a bottle of alcohol and some food stayed stating that the tempo would come the next morning.  Shukla lived with his wife and three children in a one-room apartment in Harkesh Nagar.  Despite his identity being released on television, he  risked a visit home. Also, he asked an unsuspecting neighbour to tell his wife that he would return.  Even though the national Capital had been sealed, the investigators in the Rs 22.5-crore heist feared that the accused driver may make his way out of the city. However, luck worked in the police’s favour through the 12 hours of investigation. Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi has announced a reward of Rs. 2 lakh for the policemen who played a prominent role in the probe.

Had things gone as planned by accused Pradeep Shukla, would have left with the cash, his wife and three children before midnight. But as fate would have it, he did not find his wife Shashikala and their three children at home. “After dropping the cash boxes at a godown in Okhla, he rushed to his home in nearby Harkesh Nagar. But the family had left for the market when he reached,” said a senior police officer. Having disposed of his mobile phone to avoid detection, Shukla had earlier used a landline phone to call his wife, but found the phone was switched off.  Police had been trailing him to the address available with his employers; meantime, another team went to his home town in Balia in UP.  Following meticulously, they reached his present residence.   Upon many enquiries locally, the Police nabbed the culprit in the godown with cash boxes. 

Each donation comprising Rs. 500 notes would be accompanied by remarks such as “tu bhi kya yaad rakhega” (you will remember this for long) and “le, teri kismet khul gayi” (your luck has shone). Shukla also spent some money on himself by buying clothes and getting himself a bottle of alcohol.  He had plans to go to Nepal with his family, stay for sometime, then return to India.   “When we asked him how he intended to spend the money, he said he would have used it all for donation. When we intensified our questioning, he revealed he had planned to invest much of the money into buying property,” said an interrogator.

A background check on Shukla has revealed that he was an eyewitness in a shooting incident reported from Zamrudpur in south-east Delhi earlier in February this year. Six persons were injured when a security guard accompanying a cash van owned by his previous employer opened fire during a brawl. Shukla, however, was not named in the crime. Police are yet to identify if he was involved in any other criminal cases before this.  The man reportedly was frustrated with his low income – now his wrongful desire has landed him in the jail, booked under Section 407 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) pertaining to criminal breach of trust.  He was remanded to 2 days police custody. 

The 60-year-old security guard, Ram Saras, sheltered the accused through the night, sitting near the cash for hours believing the boxes to be full of plastic.  Ever since police raided the godown, its 60-year-old security guard,, is a bitter man.  He says people in Okhla, where he is employed, now look at him with suspicion.  Ram Saras says that even his employer, the owner of the warehouse which stores electric wires, blames him for bringing in “bad reputation”.   Shukla had duped the storekeeper stating   he was tasked with moving boxes of high-quality plastic from Delhi to Benaras. He said using a private vehicle, instead of following the company’s directions, would save him Rs 20,000.  Shukla reportedly unloaded the boxes on his own using jute sacks to dampen the impact of the fall.

Minutes before the actual raid, a constable had passed by the godown. This alerted Shukla, who closed the godown gate. Ram Saras, still remained unaware.  But in the morning around 4 a.m., they were rudely wakened by Police, Shukla tried to escape.  According to Police sources, the heist of Rs 22.5 crore has revealed alleged lapses on the part of SIS, the private security agency hired by Axis Bank to transport the cash.  The security firm had not followed the rules set by the Delhi Police, which specifically state that a cash van can carry a maximum amount of Rs 5 crore at a time, said sources. Delhi Police are likely to register a separate case over violation of norms, they said. “According to Delhi Police’s norms, five persons, including one custodian, should be present inside the cash van when cash is being transported. But due to the staff crunch, there were only two persons inside the van,” added sources.  The Delhi Police’s Special Cell and the Crime Branch have also joined the investigation, said sources, adding that nearly 50 people have been questioned so far. The security firm’s staff, former employees who have guarded the van and bank officials are being questioned, they said.

A crime story has unfolded so soon due to good action by Police.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

28^th Nov 2015

Source : mainly, Indian Express;  - also Pioneer, Firstpost, The Hindu and Times of India.  Photo credit : Indian Express.