Kurukshetra Blog

         It is a well known fact that the bigger the challenge, greater the complexity of a problem, larger is the reward or prize attached to it. Look at, the millenium problems , folks if you want an example .

       Well here, at K’ 08, the largest prize on show is the Online Programming Contest or The OPC as we like to call it.  This is one event that is open to anyone willing to take on the questions and the judges. The prize as already mentioned is huge….. It’s a cool US$ 2200!! Now winning the money won’t be any walk in the park. You’ll be obliged to take on some of the best coders and programmers from around the globe. Each team is required to have a max of 3 members. For those who believe in “There is no Glory without Guts”,  you are given the option of entering the contest as a Lonewolf.

         On your marks guys !! For on the 20th of this month K’08 OPC is set to blow you away. Work out your strategies well ahead of time. Do u believe in Dijkstra and his greedy algorithm or would you rather go for the tried and tested modular approach or do you like to mix up things with the dynamic approach…….  To each his own is what we at K’08 say.

Date: January 20th, 2008
Timing: 14:00 hrs Indian Standard Time
Team Size: Maximum of 3 (Lone wolves are welcome too)
Languages Allowed: C, C++, Java, Python
URL: http://opc.kurukshetra.org.in/

    Are you someone who boasts of his abilty of complete domination over your Windows xp? Are you one of those lazybones who do nothing but sit in front of your “comp” all day thinking about tuning and personalizing your PC? Are you the guy who thinks that whoever doesn’t get what he wants from ‘google’ isn’t worth to touch a system? Or are you just a normal guy who thinks you know a cut above the others about your PC and ‘googling’? If so, “Google XPress” is the place to be !!!!             Join in for this fun filled event where minds battle for supremacy, where the rule “Knowledge Is Power” holds 100% true! The event not only tests your ‘googling’ skills and XP expertise, but also requires some general computer virus knowledge, internet tips and tricks and of course - SOME LOGIC !!!             The event format is simple. You will be tested on all the skills mentioned above. Also, there are some fun filled ‘tests’ which would be a giveaway if revealed :). So Kurukshetra’08 is the place to be !!!             P.S. Dont be scared away by the first paragraph. All you need in your arsenal is some basic googling skills and elementary computer know-how   Some say Google is God. Others say Google is Satan.-          Sergey Brin.     

    You know i was thinking the other day about life and how it goes on in a seemingly monotonous fashion. We go from one event to another. We play a multitude of roles. We are sometimes the participants and sometimes the organisers. Hopefully(or not), we will someday be the administration as well… That got me thinking.. Y do we lead an existence like this?? What are we getting out of life?? Do we extract from life what we want or do we extract from life what we can?? And on that profoundly philosophical note( atleast i hope it is)….

 Xtractor at K’08

        This is a new event being introduced into the scheme of things of K’08 this year. The event is ” An Event for the participant, by the participant and from the participant.” Xtraktor is an event that allows the participants to turn host!! An individual or a team of 2  can send in their innovative ideas at organizing a unique fun-filled technical event. The proposed event is expected to be a single session event with activities not
extending beyond a day. Based upon the novelty of the idea, and extent of promise the proposed event holds, Top 5 teams will be short listed from which 1 will go on to host their very own exclusive event at Kurukshetra ‘08…

           It’s Named “Xtraktor” to show our understanding of the need of the participant to “xtract” something from his/her(well writing politcally correct statements sure does not make for neat sentences) experience at Kurukshetra’08. The most a partipant could do in a TechFest is to HOST an event which is far and above over winning prizes. It gives a hands on management experience. A never before rush in hosting an event and pulling it off splendidly with a very short prep time. It connects the participant’s ideas and opinions directly to an event and its functionality and we call it “Xtraktor” of ideas. Come and get a HANDS ON experience!!! HOST an event @ K’08 !!!

The meek will inherit the world. That is kinda hard to believe. Can we in this world imagine winning anything that we don’t fight for?? The world is becoming a tougher place by the day. The survival of the fittest theory propagated by Darwin seems to have more relevance in this world then the saying i started off with. Asimov’s ideas hold more towards Darwin and only through change and development can we take the world forward.

In this post we take a look at the various events available in the robotics section. With the prelims having already been held in Mumbai at VJTI on Nov 3rd for the west zone and in Bangalore at Dr. Ambedkar Institute on Dec 3rd for the south zone, things have started to heat up. The robotics event has generated a fair deal of interest and enthusiasm amongst the students community of the various Enginnering Institutes in India.

The four events at this year’s K! Robotics are Designer’s Quest, Freightocog, Solenpopsis and Catch Me If U Can. This years K! Robotics has something for everyone. The innovators and the ones teeming with creativity and curiosity have Designer’s Quest to look forward to. The AI enthusiasts have Solenopsis to exercise their expertise and compete against each other and the course. Its every man for himself in Catch Me If U Can. This event is sure to appeal to the Vroom Vroom enthusiasts who like their machines with a little power. Finally, the practical minded and the ruthlessly efficient have Freightocog to look forward to. Can u maximise the freight to be carried……?? Optimise the path to the desired location………??

As u can see this years K! Robotics has something for everyone from the efficient Traditionalists to the imaginative Modernists.. So make sure you turn up for the final SHOWDOWN from Jan 22 to Jan 25..

Well people for once you people can exceed yourself in any and every way and get away with it for Exceed - The Countrywide Robotics Challenge is here. Its been a long time since the last blog so you guys out there might (u should) have been wondering about what is going on on the K! front.

Well all you people out there who think a transistor is more important than a meal, that to getting your robot to do what you tell it to do is akin to achieving the HOLY GRAIL, who know the Laws Of Asimov inside out…………. Your time has arrived me lads. Parade ur bots, strut your stuff and get selected to the next’s wpor round in the quest for the Holy Grail of Asimov’s World.

Further we have a tie up with premier institutions across the country and the exceed prelims will also be conducted there for outstation participants.

Keep up the good work guys.We will meet you in your city!

And then there was something… Namely the Kuruk teaser is out. Yep people Kuruk has officially swung into the “in the makings” category. The teaser is quite ingeneous(even if we say so ourselves). In fact the casual observer fails to see the object of the poster. An event like Kuruk is worthy of more than just the passing “oh so casual” look.As it always sets standards, this poster is not an exception !

Towards that end this poster has gone a long way. Imagine a wide expanse of red portrait……….. well that’s it. Unless you count the little guy down there who is looking at this big wide portrait, symbolising the fact tht Kuruk is something really “BIG” and something to “LOOK UP TO” as well as “LOOK FORWARD TO”.It is made obvious by the contrast that can be observed between the size of man & the portrait next to the Big K’s portrait.

Quite imaginative don’t you think. But then what else can you expect from a team like ours…….. Well people TOODLES!

Check back for more updates.

…then Nothing inverted itself and became Something.

Just kidding. At first, there was, in fact, Nothing but then after several meetings and after many words exchanged and much work being done we’re progressing towards what promises to be an event worthy of the Anna University standard.

Apart from the basic infrastructure organization and planning work done, we’ve scored a two page spot on the administrative newsletter that will be sent out to all affiliated colleges. We’ll inform you when it’ll be out so you can ask your management to display it at your colleges.

A teaser has been designed and we’ll ask you to wait just for a bit before we publish it (a teaser for a teaser, how about that?).

Check back often, you’ll have updates as we get them.