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Calvin and Hobbes best brainy quips

Calvin is a sweet little smartass. He hasn’t aged in decades and neither did his wisdom. His simple conversations with his pet tiger appear cute and simple. Yet, profound at the same time which makes this cartoon strip timeless. Here I have collected and posted some of the best quips taken from Calvin’s innocent mind:

Hobbes: Do you have an idea for your project yet?
Calvin:  No I’m waiting for inspiration. You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in right mood.
Hobbes: What mood is that?
Calvin:  Last minute Panic.

Calvin:  Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that no-one of it has tried to contact us.

Calvin:  Reality continues to ruin my life. [Throw up his hands in the air, dejected ;)]

[Calvin walking on Snow, with contemplative expressions]
Calvin:  The problem with future is that it keeps turning into present.

Calvin:  Life’s disappointments are harder to take when you dont know any swear words.

Calvin: It’s hard to be religious when certain people are never
incinerated by bolts of lightning.

Calvin: In my opinion, we don’t devote nearly enough scientific research to finding a cure for jerks. [:D]

Calvin: (During a test.) As you can see, I have memorized this utterly useless piece of information long enough to pass a test question. I now intend to forget it forever. You’ve taught me nothing except how to cynically manipulate the system. Congratulations.

Calvin (writing, after being asked to explain Newton’s First Law of Motion “in his own words”): Yakka foob mog. Grug pubbawup zink wattoom gazork. Chumble spuzz. (speaking) I love loopholes.

Calvin’s dad: Being a parent is wanting to hug and strangle your kid at the same time.

Calvin: If people sat outside and looked at stars each night, I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently.

Calvin: Do you know where babies come from?
Hobbes: Nope
Calvin: Well, I wonder how one finds out!
Hobbes: Here, let me see the back of your shirt.
[untucks Calvin’s shirt]
Hobbes: You came from Taiwan.

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Getting driving licence in Bangalore Without broker

I will summarise the entire process of getting a driving licence in Bangalore. Without Broker / agent or any driving school. Before starting, here is the checklist:

  1. No matter wherever you are in Bangalore, choose KR Puram RTO (https://goo.gl/maps/fKCEV) for getting your driving licence. Personnel there are a thousand times more civilised and honest than others. I visited Koramangala RTO first, which is ruined by agents and corrupt officials.
  2. You’ll first need to apply for learning driving licence. After one month, you can apply for permanent driving licence.
  3. You would need an age proof and address proof, along with corresponding originals documents.
  4. Common age proofs– 10th class marksheet or PAN card.
  5. Address Proof is complicated. If you are an outsider, staying in a rented apartment, then you would compulsorily need 2 address proofs, both for your local address as well as your permanent address.
  6. Local address proof– A rental agreement carrying your name as “tenant” and your landlord’s name as “owner”, along with electricity bill in your owner’s name will suffice. Visit Kormangala’s BDA complex (https://goo.gl/maps/aeunM) to get your rental agreement for about Rs 170/-
  7. Permanent Address proof– Your Voter card or Passport mentioning your permanent address would suffice. If you are a localite, i.e, your permanent address is same as local address, then only permanent address alone will suffice. Check this page for comprehensive list on address and age proofs – https://sarathi.nic.in:8443/nrportal/sarathi/redirect.jsp?id=howtoll
  8. You would need a few passport sized photographs.

Preparations (Location- Your home)

  1. You’ll first need to fill an online form for licence. It’s a PDF form, that generates an application number. It only works in Windows with IE and Adobe reader. Mac wont work, Ubuntu wont work, http://browserstack.com wont work. I used a VM created in Parallels (on Mac) to create the following cheapest possible environment (in terms of memory and labour required) that works –
  2. 1) Windows XP service Pack 3,
  3. 2) Internet Explorer 7.0.5730.13
  4. 3) Adobe Reader 9.4.0 (Old Version of Adobe Reader 9.4.0 Download – OldApps.com – 26.35 Mbs).
  5. Open IE and visit http://www.rto.kar.nic.in . Click on “License e-Services”. Hopefully you’ll be taken to https://sarathi.nic.in:8443/nrportal/sarathi/HomePage.jsp (if they don’t change the port number, etc). Accept any security confirmation if prompted.
  6. Click on “Issue of a Learning Licence to me” which should take to https://sarathi.nic.in:8443/UF/pdfforms/NewLicence.pdf . Enable Adobe’s browser plugin to render this PDF on IE. You should get a form like:
  7. If you have to apply for both 2 wheeler and Car, check (2) “MOTOR CYCLE WITH GEAR (NON TRANSPORT)-(MCWG )” and (4) “LMV-NT-CAR-(LMV   )”
  8. After filling the complete form, click on “Submit”. You should see this message:
  9. Note down the application number. Now go back to homepage and click “Print Application Form” https://sarathi.nic.in:8443/nrportal/sarathi/form2.jsp. Fill details, save and print the form. Stick your photo.
  10. Buy a brown paper folder with ribbon (compulsory). Collate the application form as printed in step 9, Age Proof, Permanent address proof and Local address proof (if applicable). Tie all papers with the ribbon, and write your name, application number and date of birth on top of the folder.
  11. Exam preparations. You’ll be asked 5-10 random questions on traffic signs (maybe oral or written). Prepare these 3 sections:
  12. Mandatory Signs – http://www.rto.kar.nic.in/signs/MANDATORY/mandatory.html
  13. Cautionary Signs – http://www.rto.kar.nic.in/signs/CAUTIONARY/cautionary.html
  14. Informatory Signs – http://www.rto.kar.nic.in/signs/INFORMATORY/informatory.html
  15. Do prepare them well. You will be rejected if you dont pass the oral exam. (I was rejected, then I had to re-appear the next day.)
  16. We are now set to visit KR Puram RTO.

In-Person Visit (Location- KR Puram RTO, Time 9:30am)

  1. Try to visit RTO before 10am. You’ll finish the entire procedure in less than 20 mins.
  2. Visit the Challan counter (counter “3”, if they didn’t change it), submit your brown folder, with application number. You need to pay Rs 30 for each vehicle type. For Car + Bike pay only 60/- (Carry change. They refused to accept my 100 rupee note.) Tie the challan on top of other pages.
  3. Visit 1st floor. The signing officer will tally your originals with Xeroxes and approve the documents if found in order.
  4. Visit room number 2, for the Oral/written exam. The RTO inspector will ask you to explain 5-10 random signs. If you pass the exam, he’ll approve your file and keep it with himself. You then need to visit after 3 business days and collect your licence.
  5. If you fail the exam, dont panic. Your folder will be returned back to you and you’ll need to re-appear for exam, the very next day. Before appearing for exam, you’ll need to re-visit the signing officer (step 3). He’ll stamp your file with new date. Then you can proceed for your exam.

 

  • Total cost- Rs 60/-
  • Total RTO Visits required- 2
  • Time Invested- 4-5 hours (including form filling and visits)

I have not completed 1 month yet, so haven’t appeared for Permanent licence. Will update the answer once I do so.

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Wikipedia’s Thank-you note received after donation.

I got this thank-you email for donating to Wikipedia today. I usually don’t read emails this long, but this email was compelling enough.. Wikipedia has truly helped me a lot in my learning, glad its there!

Dear Prakhar,

Thank you for donating to the Wikimedia Foundation. You are wonderful!

It’s easy to ignore our fundraising banners, and I’m really glad you didn’t. This is how Wikipedia pays its bills — people like you giving us money, so we can keep the site freely available for everyone around the world.

People tell me they donate to Wikipedia because they find it useful, and they trust it because even though it’s not perfect, they know it’s written for them. Wikipedia isn’t meant to advance somebody’s PR agenda or push a particular ideology, or to persuade you to believe something that’s not true. We aim to tell the truth, and we can do that because of you. The fact that you fund the site keeps us independent and able to deliver what you need and want from Wikipedia. Exactly as it should be.

You should know: your donation isn’t just covering your own costs. The average donor is paying for his or her own use of Wikipedia, plus the costs of hundreds of other people. Your donation keeps Wikipedia available for an ambitious kid in Bangalore who’s teaching herself computer programming. A middle-aged homemaker in Vienna who’s just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. A novelist researching 1850s Britain. A 10-year-old in San Salvador who’s just discovered Carl Sagan.

On behalf of those people, and the half-billion other readers of Wikipedia and its sister sites and projects, I thank you for joining us in our effort to make the sum of all human knowledge available for everyone. Your donation makes the world a better place. Thank you.

Most people don’t know Wikipedia’s run by a non-profit. Please consider sharing this e-mail with a few of your friends to encourage them to donate too. And if you’re interested, you should try adding some new information to Wikipedia. If you see a typo or other small mistake, please fix it, and if you find something missing, please add it. There are resources that can help you get started. Don’t worry about making a mistake: that’s normal when people first start editing and if it happens, other Wikipedians will be happy to fix it for you.

I appreciate your trust in us, and I promise you we’ll use your money well.

Thanks,
Sue

Sue Gardner
Executive Director,
Wikimedia Foundation
https://donate.wikimedia.org