Which is the worst country you have ever visited?
India - I've travelled Kolkata, Sikhim, Delhi, Agra and planned on Western Coast to Kerala but the entire experience was too much, with white flag raised I got out of the country and would never return unless for some compelling reason.India is like a man-cave that has not been washed for years. It's messy, dirty, and smelly.Pollution, it's everywhere! Air, water, noise, rubbish on the streets. Public areas are treated like toilets so expect to see and smell piss and fecal matter (human and cow) on a regular basis.People - A lot like in throngs at bus/train stations, places of interest constantly pushing, shoving and queue cutting to get tickets, seats and space.Infrastructure - Disorganised and even the authorities have no clue going about it. Too many ruling subdivisions each having their own way and say.
Was it the Buddhist prayer "Om Mani Padme Hum" what inspired Lucas to name the princess "Padme" in Star Wars?
I can't seem to find anything confirming that, but from what I just found I would not doubt that you are correct. Also, George Lucas is a pretty intelligent fellow and does tie a lot of history and religion in his movies. Great question!
I volunteer at a hospital, but none of the doctors have any high end cars. Why?
I am a well-compensated medical specialist. Many of my colleagues at the hospital where I work do drive fancy cars, but a good number of them drive normal middle class vehicles like minivans, pickup trucks, or the odd Toyota or Nissan. Since I graduated medical school approximately 20 years ago, I have owned three cars. The car I bought as a resident was the flashiest and sportiest, the second one I bought was the most expensive (a BMW 3 series), and the one I own now is the most modest of the bunch (a Volkswagen Jetta).The reasons that I drive a more modest car these days are:1. As I have gotten older I better appreciate the benefits of living beneath my means.2, I have a wife and child to support. If I am paying $700 to $1000 or more per month on car payments that’s money that I can’t use to save for the kid’s college fund, as an example.3. As I have gotten older I realize that retirement is not something that’s far, far in the future. It’s right around the corner, and if I want to enjoy a comfortable retirement I need to save a lot more than the $18,000 or so per year that I can put into my 401(k).4. A relatively inexpensive VW is still a pretty nice car. It’s great for my commute and it has satellite radio, iPod connector, MP3 player, and CD player. I am never without some sort of entertainment in my car. Plus it has 4 wheel drive.5. I need a car that I can rely on as an appliance without getting too concerned about its appearance. My young son used to ding up the doors to my BMW in the garage when he would get in and out of my wife’s vehicle. That used to stress me out. I wouldn’t be thrilled now if my VW got dinged up, but it wouldn’t bother as much as it would if I were driving something really pricey like an AMG Mercedes or a Porsche 911. Likewise I don’t need a fancy nappa leather interior if my kid is going to spill juice all over it or grind chocolate chip cookie crumbs into the upholstery.
Why is the new Tesla Roadster so expensive?
There are a number of reasons:It has a 200 kWh battery pack. For comparison, the most expensive Model S, which costs around $100,000, has a 100 kWh battery. A Chevy Bolt, which costs about $40,000, has a 60 kWh battery. The upcoming 2018 Nissan Leaf, which costs around $30,000, has a 40 kWh battery. The previous Nissan Leaf had a 30 kWh battery. The original Nissan Leaf, including mine, had a 24 kWh battery. The new Roadster is a huge revolution in battery design, and Tesla says it will be able to travel more than 600 miles on a charge. For comparison, most other cars will go about 400 miles on a tank of gas. In the new Roadster, you could drive at 60 mph on the freeway for over 10 hours without stopping.It can go from 0–60 in 1.9 seconds, which is mind-bogglingly fast. For comparison, the Bugatti Veyron does it in about 2.4 seconds, and the Porsche 918 - until recently, one of the quickest accelerating cars in the world - did it in about 2.3 seconds. A Tesla Model S in Ludicrous Mode took a leisurely 2.8 seconds, which is only a bit faster than most Lamborghinis. In case you’re still not impressed, if you drop a car out of an airplane, it will be falling at 60 miles per hour in 2.7 seconds (not counting air resistance). The new Roadster is almost a full second faster than gravity! It also happens to be the fastest production car in history.It’s a full-on supercar!