Laptop - ergonomics - home setup

Once the points made in the picture below are understood, it would be easier to arrive at a setup that works for you.

Good posture

Chair and writing pad

• If you have a comfortable chair or sofa with armrests, check if it is possible to place a wide writing pad across the armrests. The must extend beyond the armrests on the front and sides.
• Buy a pad that can support the weight of a laptop - plywood or cardboard writing pads with 0.5cm thickness are enough.
• Place the laptop on the pad and check if you can work comfortably (check if the feet, elbow, back and head are as given in the above picture).
• It must be stable enough to survive minor knocks that are inevitable.

Chair and table

Check if you already have a chair and table that fit the requirements. Otherwise, buy suitable ones.

• Buy a basic computer table with a pullout tray on which a mouse can be placed alongside the keyboard.
• Buy a chair that has height adjustment. If the room does not have temperature control, the chair's seat and backrest must allow circulation of air e.g. chairs woven with flat wire, wooden chairs with slits.
• Place the laptop on a few thick books. Or, buy a stand for the laptop - with the stand’s height in mind.
• Connect an external keyboard and a mouse to the laptop (USB port).

External monitor

Here's how to use an external monitor if your work demands one.

• Connect the monitor to the laptop via HDMI.
• If the monitor does not have speakers, sound has to be played via the laptop’s speakers or external speakers (select the device for sound output in the Operating System’s control panel). If you still have a problem, search the internet for a simple solution.
• Power settings may need to be changed so that laptop continues to be switched on when its lid is closed.

Kohli lbw b Hazlewood - did DRS get it wrong?

Australia vs India, Day 3 of Test Match #2.

The match is at a critical situation. The series is in balance.

Hazlewood to Kohli. The ball is on target but keeps low and Hazlewood appeals for lbw. The on-field umpire rules Kohli out - he must have thought either Kohli didn't hit the ball or that he hit it after the ball had struck the pad.

Kohli thinks it was the bat that hit the ball first and asks for a review.

The Third umpire confirms bat hit the ball, but is not sure whether it hit the ball first. So, as the DRS rules prescribe, he says the replays are "inconclusive". He leaves the decision to the on-field umpire.

DRS rules 3.3 (k) and (l) say what must be done next: "The on-field umpire must then make his decision based on those factual questions that were answered by the third umpire, any other factual information offered by the third umpire and his recollection and opinion of the original incident. The on-field umpire will reverse his decision if the nature of the supplementary information received from the third umpire leads him to conclude that his original decision was incorrect."

Returning to the match situation, the on-field umpire now knows that even the third umpire, who has access to UltraEdge and slow-motion replays from many angles, is unable to conclude whether the batsman is out or not. How then could he be sure about his original decision? When the umpire is in doubt, he cannot rule a batsman out. But he sticks to his original decision and sends Kohli on his way. Rarely does an umpire reverse his decision. What does this tell us?

Cricket and DRS

I was at the beach. Two guys came and settled down nearby with a pack of masala groundnuts. One of them seemed upset at how things had turned out for India in the cricket Test match against Australia. The other guy had a know-all look about him.

Small time player: Do we really need DRS?
Officer: Why not, we have the technology. On-field umpires need all the help they can get.

P: Then why doesn't the umpire himself consult the third umpire for LBW etc.?
O: He isn't allowed to, except for a few decisions e.g. run out, clean catch etc.

P: He is responsible for his decision, isn't he?
O: hmmm...

P: Why should the team be docked for the umpire's decision... I mean reducing the number of reviews if their appeal for review is turned down.
O: Because you can't repeatedly question the umpire's decision... time is wasted and you know time is money.

P: Isn't DRS about getting better decisions?
O: Of course, that's why they spend around US$100,000 on it for a Test match.

P: How many credible appeals are made in 80 overs, or in a day, roughly?
O: I don't know... could be 20-30 on a wicket that produces a result.

P: And a team gets only two chances if the two reviews are unsuccessful?
O: Yes, the teams have to get their decisions right.

P: Isn't that why we have umpires?
O: hmmm...

P: I think you should let the umpires get help from the DRS umpire on their own. To limit the time taken, you could give the umpires and the teams one review every 10 overs.
O: Sure, I'll inform ICC if they ask me.

Officer had emptied the groundnuts and got up for a refill.