Pandas in Python
UN SDG
We have one rule in our workplace. No TLA! Wonder what TLA stand for? If you knew you got the pun. For
those who like me asked what that stands for; it stands for the Three Letter Acronym. That rule is exactly
for the purpose that we put ourselves into with the title of this section, UN SDG! What the heck is it?
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; as we see it and understand it – Is the foundation for our
existence on this pale blue dot for the decades to come. As technologists, we have a lot to contribute to
achieving those goals. Often these days on the internet there is so much interlinking that content flow is
hindered. We do not want that to happen to you. So, the following is the list of titles for those goals –

1. No poverty
2. Zero hunger
3. Good health and well-being
4. Quality education
5. Gender equality
6. Clean water and sanitation
7. Affordable and clean energy
8. Decent work and economic growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced inequalities
11. Sustainable cities and communities
12. Responsible consumption and production
13. Climate action
14. Life below water
15. Life on land
16. Peace, justice and strong institutions
17. Partnerships for goals
Now why are we talking about this and how is it related to you as developers? Stay with us on the flow we
will comfort you with the right reason for how you can contribute.
The ambition fulfilled
One of our developers who joined us a year back was credited her first salary. The beam of a smile when
you see that message from your bank and the balance up-tick for the first time in your life is precious. We
all can remember that moment in our lives. She decided to reward herself with a new smartphone for this
achievement. It was an ambitious step for her towards financial independence. Staying current with the
trends of this generation and blending with the values of past generations she did not put all her earnings
rather used only a modest budget and put it on EMI. Fast forward a few months she met accidentally
dropped it while getting out of the rickshaw at the office entrance. The deliverables and stand-up meeting
were on her mind, so she did not bother much about checking her phone after the drop. She had a habit of
listening to music while cooking. Later that evening at her home she noticed her phone volume was low

and pressing the volume button did not help her much. So, she had to wash her hands and increase the
phone volume using the settings app.

Lost the right to repair at modest terms
The following weekend she visited a service centre with her phone, hoping it would not cost her much. But
we all know her hope was misplaced. The technician at the service centre informed her the entire side
panel of the phone will have to be replaced. It was not a simple replacement of the 2 volume control
buttons. That would cost her nearly 40% of the phone's value. The news was a shock for her. Dejected by
the information she returned home and was consoling herself that she could still adjust the volume by going
to the settings.
The problem statement
After a few hours, she was not happy to navigate to settings and adjust the volume. She felt that it was
okay while listening to music but while she is on video calls too many clicks were getting troublesome for
her. She was pondering what could she do. She tried voice assistants but during the call either they were
slow or the person on the other side of the video call could listen to the command and often got confused.
She had a couple of options at her hand to address the growing problem –
1. Pay the repair cost and get the side body panel replaced.
2. Sell the phone to a used phone dealer and get herself a new one on the same loan terms.
3. Compromise by getting a shortcut on the home screen to volume controls instead of navigating into
settings every time.
The awakening
The first option was not financially viable for her. The second option felt wrong for some reason.
In our office, we were running a campaign to raise awareness of the sustainable development goal. The
wrong she felt with the second option was due to that awareness. The second option punched goal 12 –
Responsible consumption and production on its face. First, the used phone might not have fetched much of
a sum that she could do a loan transfer to the new purchase of a different phone. It was also irresponsible
of her to dispose of the phone for a minor issue, imaging the cost of dismantling the battery, PCB and many
other sub-components. A similar quantum of cost goes into producing a similar phone for her new
purchase. The process of dismantling and producing a new phone also flies in the face of Climate action
and Life on land; they are goals 13 and 15 in the list above. As many of the components are
environmentally harmful and get filled on the land fill harming the life on land.
Being a developer, she should be able to find a way out if the hardware fails in a recoverable way. Isn't it?
Her solution
She decided to build an MAUI (cross-platform Microsoft offering for building a mobile app) app which she
will have on the home screen. The idea for the app was to invoke the volume control of the device to adjust
them. By placing the app on the home screen, she should have all the flexibility during the call, but she
might not be still hands-off during cooking as she will have to touch the screen. She decided to use a hybrid
approach for her situation, the app during calls and to use a special voice assistant button on the phone
during her cooking time.
AudioManager audioService =
AndroidApp.Application.Context.GetSystemService(Context.AudioService). JavaCast<AudioManager>();
audioService.AdjustVolume(Adjust.Same, VolumeNotificationFlags.ShowUi);
The modest two lines above target the Android phone she had. It invokes the OS's volume controls and
shows the exact same way the volume controls did. She could take this to any level of customisation. Might
have a fancy UI to mimic the 2 controls. The minimalistic approach she took solved her own problem and
contributed to goals 12, 13, and 15. Even if it was a drop-sized contribution the change of her mind and

approach to solving with compromise on ease is the mindset that UN SDG wishes to accomplish for
humanity and we in organisations spread the word to get that traction.