Hi again, facebook.

A twenty year old acquaintance asked why... had to give in.

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Hypocrisy rules... hic hic ;-)

O tempora...

The REMINISCENCES brought back fond memories and a smile :-)

We are officially colder than outer space!

We've finally made it, and word is out-

Cern lab goes 'colder than space'

Certain evidence that there's plenty of room at the bottom, albeit a different kind than his surmise. The only glitch- it takes 27 km of just a little painful electrical circuitry, vacuum plumbing etc etc and 5-7 trillions of electron volts only, to reach 1.9 K (For the uninitiated, the kelvin, eponymous with Lord Kelvin, is the fundamental SI unit for temperature measurement and each signifies the 273.16th fraction of the the thermodynamic temperature at the triple point of water at atmospheric pressure). All this in a bid to hopefully recreate, at sub-atomic scales, what supposedly happened during the Big Bang.

Now Surely, you must've been joking, Mr. Feynman!

For everything else, congrats folks and wish you luck!

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Interesting find from the article - Higgs boson, a.k.a "God particle"

A albino; B black.

Referencing a true incident I witnessed sometime in the whereabouts of four weeks back or so. Happened during a routine CUMTD ride, from the grocery store for the most mundane purpose of restocking. There are only four of us in the bus. "A" family enters (mom, big "A" kid, little "A" kid) and sits on one of the right row, followed by the "B" family (mom, little "B" kid). They take a seat in front of mine, on the left row. Bus gets going, and in a matter of a couple of minutes, little kids "A & B" get to know of each others' presence and are thrilled. Observer is guessing that they may be classmates from school or play sessions. The "A" kid, as a matter of instinct, walks across and seats himself next to "B". Both of 'em get into their mischievous grooves and the unstoppable giggles ensue. "A" mom just happens to notice and, for what rhyme or reason I'd say, is furious with her ward. The obvious rebuke follows and "A" kid is made to sit in isolation, with only just enough room for the eye contact. "B" mom as a matter of silly reaction deals with poor li'l "B" kid. Observer is shocked, but not surprised!

A few minutes pass.. "A & B" kids start exchanging glances, and their lovely giggles. Observer smiles, is mildly pleased. Gets thinking, as usual. What are they - all of 5-6 years? Their innocence shrugs things off and they bond with each other, irrespective of what they are! Reminds me of a high school poem that was thrust upon us, by William Blake and titled, "The Little Black boy". Little "A" or "B"- all creatures great and small. Observer wonders how wonderful it would be if a few grown-ups could do with losing a lot of their maturity and gaining even just the trifle of the childish innocence..

"A" mom and "B" mom are such perfect archetypes which constitute practically everything that makes up for the social dichotomy. Observer connects this to many of the "B"s in general, who may be feeling basically insecure and, for example, bunch up by themselves at the back seats of the MTD everytime; even despite the "A"s being liberal and totally receptive these days. He thinks the social dichotomy stems from something deep rooted, and may be linked very closely to the economic disparity too. There lies a fundamental issue.

Home town liberal in the running, that glimmer of hope, hopefully, in what could be a landmark event going into the history books. Even so, like all issues "fundamental" for that is why they truly are, this dichotomy could well be irreconcilable.

Observer read somewhere that the pronunciation of the word "colourful" lip-syncs perfectly with the magical "I love you". But there's just so many issues surrounding colour. Also in a recent (genetically one in a million) development, Germany just got a pair of newborn black-white twins.

The futility of so many things, even just "human"! Sigh.

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Sorry about the cliche. Not in the best of "speirit".
Other futile matters - sparrows. Just noticed a little one lying dead on the staircase. Felt miserable.

Illegitimi non carborundum

Basically, the funda is...

Cost of getting there on time... priceless;
For everything else, there's... er... two-two-one-gee! :)
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Thanks to phdcomics and the second cousin (the Onnu vittu periappa payyan, to be precise) :)

Joie de Vivre

Perhaps the most suitable title to a post of mine yet and with good reason, I suppose. Today was the second time in two weeks. There "he" sat, at my doorstep. I choose to address "him" as "he" cause I don't have the heart to address "him" as "it" (although "it" would sound rather cute) and, I could not discern "he" from "she" in this case. Plato didn't bother to either, as far as Love and Beauty were concerned in his most celebrated symposium . So, there "he" was, at around 7pm, all of not even a handful but "his" mite mightier than many a might! Just as Cecil Alexander had sung his hymn- All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small,...

"He" was, going on and on. Violently flapping "his" wings, to get that elusive take off on "his first flight" although "he" seemed awkwardly far from it. Chirping away loudly, surprisingly for "his little stature"; I am not sure whether "his" cries were directed at "his mother" for "his" helplessness or that "he" wanted to tell me how unrelenting "he" is and that "he" would certainly make it. But "his" cries were pitiful. "He" had fallen off from "his" nest located atop the wall A/C unit in the apartment next door. Fortunately, "he" crashlanded rather safely; fortunately I spotted "him". For the next two hours, I tried all that I could to help "him" out. I held "him" on my fingers and could see that "his" perch was just about fine and "he" was raring to take off every other moment. Sensing that "his" mum was probably around looking for "him", I could from "her" cries, I left "him" just where "he" had fallen to see if "she" would pick "him up. And didn't "she" turn up within the wink of an eye?!

I have lost count of how many times I have watched documentaries on animal behaviour as if they were just another piece of information but when it happened live before my eyes - mom failing to get son going and hence abandoning "him" to the forces of nature, not very many things get as close to being that depressing. After it got dark and the silence out of the lack of "his" incessant chirping got me, I stepped out again to look for "him". The spotlight (from a torch) was there, and "he" promptly chirped everytime a flash dawned on "him". It seemed comical and cute, out of "he" being excited, I hope, rather than bewildered although I fear the latter was more plausible. Concerned that "he" might have exhausted himself, I brought "him" into the house. "He" felt so much at home. I fed "him" some water which "he" graciously gulped and when I let "him" free in the living room, "he" ran around until "he" found "his" bearings and headed straight for me! It was probably the chill and "he" wanted some warmth- what can better the assurance and warmth of a human palm?

Left with little choice, I decided to turn "him" in at the small animal care centre in the Vet Med School, just as I had done with another of "his" kind not so long ago. Fortunately, a couple of friends agreed to give company and to "his" luck, "he" hitched a brand new ride! Thanks to Arvind and Harini (and Bhu's entertainment), he is now in safe hands. Not to mention Harini's characteristic cuddling of the poor thing* at "his" plight, or beauty I gather :-) , and Anjan's jocular baritone rendition of "Olimayamaana edhirkaalam.." (read "bright future...", a tamil song) to the little fellah. Indeed, after Darwin. After handing him over, I just quipped- what a fortunate chap "he" is, to get a joyride to life!

Mention to be made of my friend Gowri, for her prompt and able assistance on a Saturday evening, in time of need. I remember vividly, and ironically, how we discussed of the disappearance of sparrows from around the Indian households in recent times. All thanks to the advent of the cellphone and illegitimately high signal strength as a consequence of which the radiation levels have driven the Indian urban sparrow to the point of extinction. But, I suppose I've done my bit, the little I could, in their interest.

Onto the higher plane... I don't quite understand the Chemistry I enjoy with small creatures and why this has been ordained. I have done this in the past- twice for sparrows and once for a little squirrel and not a thought crossed my mind. But after today, I'm thinking.... of-

A sparrow's joie de vivre.
"His" mom who abandoned "him" out of despair that I took "him" away from "her". "Her" futility!
And, the futility of humaneness!

Sigh.

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* For once, I choose to call- "the poor thing"!

And finally, giving in to blogging on IPL related matter...

Dhoni in a recent interview, on Lalu's remarks about his hairstyle, endorsements and cricket, ...

"It is important that I have got the attention of the man. I don't have anything to give him back. He is a great guy."

Howzzat?!

As the curtains came down on a good tour for his Super Kings*, GREram and I did a fairly detailed analysis of the IPL and Dhoni, in particular. Both of us distinctly observed that he seems to have the knack of getting his dark horses to perform under crunch situations. His logic behind opting for a Piyush Chawla and entrusting the final over to a Joginder Sharma or a Praveen Kumar during big matches against the Pakis and Aussies is remarkable. It is as simple and skewed as the pressure being on a Hussey to smash a Joginder out of the park for the amateur he is and his credentials' claim to the stakes! And boy, haven't his trump cards fetched him the the jackpots?! Any surprise as to how his so-called "strange" team selections, field placements and bowling changes have played on the minds of his counterparts. Interestingly, despite all the praise people are for this cool head, he actually admits to being tense during those moments but doesn't show that on the field, lest his boys' spirits flag. Got us thinking about the qualities that set apart a good captain from the pyrotechnocrat^ he is.

Most noteworthy and commendable aspect - Sportsmanship. That the Chennai Super Kings walked away with fair-play honours and a graceful huddle in defeat, testify aptly. There surely is something in this cricketer and captain's ability to deliver the goods, beyond Dada's luck, Sachin's trepidation or the fatigued Dravid's astuteness.

To the hopeless romantic (pun intended), having had a joyride on the shoulders of Kumara Sangakkara and Shaun Marsh, and who is ever so hopeful of captaining the Indian cricket team after Dhoni one fine day- dream on, buddy!

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* What a lousy name! Probably has its roots in the trademark of a 43-grade India Cements cement.
^ Ne'er heard such a word. Prosaic license, fair-play policy. Swalpa adjeshtu maadi (read kindly adjust)!

The reality id est Naattupura Paattu

I watched an interesting interview recently, on the popular Tamil show Koffee with Anu. The featured guests were Dr. Pushpavanam Kuppusamy and Mrs. Anita Kuppusamy. Both of them have cast indelible impressions in the field of Nattupura Paattu. For the uninitiated this is a form of Tamil folk music that is popular in the remote and largely unknown reaches of the countryside. Characteristic to this music are the precedence of the singers' voice over the accompaniments, they use very simple ones and minimally, and the social messages that the lyric conveys subtly but with strong reference to everyday life. Given the scatterbrain I am and my imaginative ways it is probably hard to believe that I was patient enough for an hour of "folk" and "country" stuff, but a handful of things the couple had to share during the show touched me deep down and gripped me.

Dr. Kuppusamy has established himself as a top drawer artist and a true representative of Nattupura paattu. He holds a doctorate in the genre and on the professional front, performs regularly to packed audiences besides singing in films. He also writes most of his songs and given his poetic skills, he seamlessly blends what his fans like with what he likes saying. It is not as easy as I just mentioned, to blend popular folk culture with "messsage" for that seldom goes down well with the folks, and it probably requires the talent of someone like Pushpavanam to do that so effortlessly. However, life wasn't as easy as how he scripts his verses. Kuppusamy, like many others, was born in a house filled with poverty in a small Hamlet called Pushpavanam. Consequently, responsibility came about at an early age. As he emotionally recollected on the show, he would walk 28 km everyday to his school (not the one across the street) just for the sake of selling his father's produce in the market en route for a paltry sum, but that probably meant the world to them! He so humbly complained that it would tire him down and that he would be too fatigued to concentrate on his lessons; in all probability, I'd be dead within half that distance the first time I walked! But he did this day in and day out for most of his schooling. How's that for committment, perseverance, motivation..?! I strongly believe that such underlying qualities are the seeds to assured success in life.

Anita first met Pushpavanam in the university, when he was pursuing his PhD. So accomplished she is in Tamil lexicon and the Kovai dialect that it is practically impossible to identify her as a descendant of the Chambal Valley without her actually admitting. Believe it or not, her life is an absolute thriller, as she had to flee her homeland as a kid and settle down far south when her family was attacked and her grandfather murdered by Bandit Queen and her gang. How she met him is an interesting story and as they shared with Anu, it was all about he being amazed at her Tamil and the way he used to rag her with having to recite his poetry. A few unpleasant exchanges between them over her being a last choice for his co-vocalist, and whatever has followed in their remarkably different lives is a natural consequence of placing cotton and fire side-by-side, as goes the adage in Tamil. Anita's frank admission, of how a person should accept his/her surroundings as they are warmly welcomed by the very same, of how she's learnt every possible handicraft she could for her independence, her vision of liberating women with her own self help group, and a never-say-die attitude are commendable, to say the least.

The rest of the show was by and large about their success stories and milestones in their careers, with both of them singing some of their favourite folk numbers. Each of their numbers had very simple and conspicuous messages that form the pillars of our society's ethos- fighting alcoholism, dowry, female infanticide, child marriage, the promotion of intercaste weddings to mention a few. You may find this to be a rather mundane thing on blogspot (!!!) but I think what is to be appreciated is their approach to the act itself- working at the grass roots in a small way to bring about an enormous change. That calls for no ordinary commitment for it is basically a thankless job. Moreover, they do so without compromising on any element of their music- humour, passion, emotion, poetry... It is worth mentioning that they've played their roles in providing a global presence for their art, viz., through performances at The Vatican and "jamming" with Scandinavians, who they once hosted, and identifying glaring similarities that connect between both these native music forms that are otherwise poles apart! At the end of the day their accomplishments outshine any award that can be bestowed, and probably are the best rewards one could hope for. Ironically though, Naattupura Paattu is an ailing art with few takers today, all thanks to urbanisation.

What if- ...if I could be so blessed with even just a whit of the Kuppusamys' qualities and humility, and seek bliss?!

[Aside: I regularly follow this show, almost every week, depending on the invitees and their relevance to my interests and curiosity. If you're surprised that I do, let me just clarify by admitting that as a grad student I need to set aside time for things that are extraneous to the scope of my research- such as KWA. Nothing extraordinary that meets the eye or beyond about that show, I'd say, but I like Anu's style of chatting with her guests and getting them to open up free-form and do the talking rather than interrogate them over the irrelevant issues in their lives. Some of the most accomplished from various walks of life (including Anu herself, her bio-d has many-a-thing in it to testify that) have featured till date and I've certainly learnt a thing or two everytime. All this thankfully to the point of nearly becoming a fan of Anu and her show but not quite. I'd safely justify my stand thanks to a good friend of mine who is even more closely related to my blog and has absolutely adored her since his days of middle school! ;-) ]

KWA episodes I recommend: SPB - Gangai Amaren, Mouli - Y. G. Mahendran, Dhanush - Nayanthara, Parthiban - Padmapriya, Dr. Kamala Selvaraj, Sachu - Manorama, Prakash Raj - Prithviraj , Kushboo, Vivek - Sangeetha, Jayaram, Unnikrishnan - Pop Shalini, U. Srinivas - Sivamani, Anita Ratnam - Jayanthi Natarajan...
PS: Techsatish archives

Speaking my mind out...

"Nice post, keep up the good work!" - perhaps the most demoralising and nauseating comment from a so-called intermediate blogger to an amateur.

For your time, effort and pain and a whole lot of nothing you've had to contribute... thank you sir, but no, thank you!

In the name of Art

I happened to watch a couple of movies recently. I imagine both of them, in their own respective right, deserve all of their critical acclaim. Including whatever came from The Academy, no surprise. Somehow, I beg to differ in the way I'd like to reconcile my views...



No Country for Old Men - by the Coen Brothers.

A cold-hearted zombie-like toss of the coin, followed by "Call It", seems more like a punch dialogue from a typical Tamil film.

Otherwise, arbitness personified.

Fight Club - starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton

Two words - Mindless Violence!
For everything else in the movie, the protagonist could have been characterized as a Rules Ramanujam. It could've atleast scored on humour.



I think I better trust my own instincts, than be affected by reviews.
God save those who fell for Pitt or the Brothers.

C.A.R.S

இனிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு நல் வாழ்த்துக்கள்!

Today's urge to post is all due to an indispensable element of man's modern day urbane lifestyle. Once again, a casual conversation with my wise uncle on the grand occasion drifted into cars. My cousin (his nephew) has just been gifted a sporty hatchback and in the process, they may have to pull the plug on the Accord. Albeit it does appear that my aunt is finding it hard to let go of a machine which has served well and borne them for may a joy ride. My uncle just quipped- that he finds it hard to believe that a modern luxurious automobile depreciates more than fifty percent in just a matter of four years. I couldn't keep my wits about myself and burst out laughing with this comment- ".. that cannot come from somebody who owns the grand fifteen year old Premier Padmini!" I guess he found it hard to resist the sarcasm in my humour and laughed it off. Beyond that, the conversation drifted into the finer details and a few interesting notes, which I've excerpted suitably in the remainder of this post. While this conversation got me sort of interested, I got reminded of a few distinct things...

Two of my friends here in Champaign are on the prowl for stealing a deal on a couple of cars. They've browsed through all possible categories... hatchbacks to SUVs, two doors to sedans, convertibles to trucks and more! Failing to find one that would sate their likes, they've eased their preferences and have progressed to looking up CARFAX records for a few candidates. It sure does seem like for a second hand car, the choice of a vehicle that can commute, that is not very old, that has a few thousand miles under its belt, that is suave, and that comes at an unbeatable price is perhaps an open problem in optimization. I can immediately draw a parallel with the Indian way of buying cars. Nowadays, I guess there are hardly any that would care to consider seriously the prospect of going in for used automobiles. Unless of course out of diffidence of not having owned or driven a car before, and the fear of even the smallest mishap resulting in that heartbreaking tell-tale scratch. Only for your neighbour to cash in on the sight next morning to knock on your doors, enquire your sadness and offer their condolences, with their characteristic "Yenna iyere vandikki nalla adipattudthu pola irukkae. Ungalukku onnum illiyono? Sowkiyama thaane irukkael? Aparom, oru cup soodana kaapi kidaikkuma maami?"

Since time immemorial "the car" has served as the ubiquitous status symbol. For why else would people in those days rave about their landlords cruising in the Mercedes-Benz, or for that matter the innocent maamis, who were resigned to their households perpetually, refer to the car as Pleasure?! As I continued my conversation with my uncle, he owned off the moment with one of his typical one-liners- "Ah the Fiats... they are timeless, vintage machines", much to my amusement. I visited memory lane for a second time... on how my father had once made the glorious purchase of his Padmini, how we'd anoint her (not with oil ofcourse) during every Ayudha Puja, the thrilling joy rides she'd given us even at low speeds... the countless times the battery had died and I had to lug it on the back of our Yezdi (the timeless one among bikes and still my favourite till date) to the servicing guy.. the smoking-out of the radiator, the second-gear jumpstarts... its a pity that new cars are such touch-me-nots for self-maintenance! No wonder the heavy heart with which he had to give her away for a song, after much and not just any coaxing from the three of us at home, before settling for a new Indica V2. And despite our remarkable experience with the Padmini, I was amazed when my uncle followed suit. My father still maintains high regard for his Padmini and hopes that one fine day Honda, out of god knows what misfortune, would come up with the offer of overhauling these oldies with retro-fitted MPFI engines and synchromesh gearboxes for him to "usefully" invest a lakh on.

On to a different perspective on Cars and their place in our lives, I can relate to a movie a watched with my aunt, uncle and little cousins. Disney-Pixars' CARS was expected to be a funny, loony, cartoon movie, but the architects wonderfully narrated and contrasted the modern American attitude towards cars (and also life). McQueen learning lessons from Hudson, and the neglect of the countryside towns and their laidback, easy go lifestyle touched a few "grown-up" hearts. Speaks volumes, for how what was universally considered a luxury transformed seamlessly into a pleasurable utility for every household, and of course in the extreme the gas guzzling, rubber smoking monsters that some lavish wastefully on. Speaking of the American attitude towards cars, their freeways, motoring and the concept of travelling, I can reminisce a conversation I had with my good friend Hemant here, over fine red wine, and he brought up this classic example from a Kannada movie on how they have captured perfectly the essence of both the desi culture and the american attitude.

Being the mechanical engineer I am, I find it hard to write off these fine timeless beauties, mechanical engineering marvels. After all they deserve their place in the evolutionary ladder of their own kind. At the same time it is hard not to give in, to all that modern day cars have to offer... sadly in some cases, it is all about engineering them to pander to their master's likes. To conclude, I'd like to top it off with a quote that my uncle so aptly mentioned in analogue during the Padmini v/s Accord debate- "Pitt is to Addington, as London is to Paddington".

Reservation

Landmark judgement, eagerly awaited. Has certainly tipped the scales and triggered off some ripples in the dynamics of the system. Got to wait and watch whether the greater good prevails over vested interests.

As for comments/opinions/ramblings, to whomsoever it may concern- sorry duh, ain't no expertise here. I've endlessly debated this among may social issues with a well-read, wise and elderly gentleman with a few decades of Civil Service under his belt. But as he aptly put it, the "social objectives" of the policy have some merit. Beyond that, thanks to my own "reservations", things are best left to the so-called experts. I Pass.

hasta la vista

Shanno se shaadi

Yesterday was something... hard to describe, especially because in a year long wait it wasn't hard getting drained out to the point of being lost for words.

~2:45pm.. 'You must be bold enough to make mistakes...'

most inspirational sir, truly!

Shall spend the better part of a few good years to come discovering exactly how, why and wherefore...

Cheers!

Precious "little" comment!

I got a precious "little" comment today for one of my posts, titled "Legalised bits in Mech Engg." I must admit that for a rather ordinary, inconsequential and innocuous piece of writing, this comes as a total surprise. Speaks volumes for these "people" and their mindsets! Also gives an idea of the plethora of junk, in the name of information, that is floating around in the network. Reminds me of Senthil's golden remark in a popular cult movie of our time- "Information is wealth!" :P

As a litmus test for your time and interest and patience towards my lousy blog, please read all of that comment if you can "here"

I wonder why the proud author chose anonymity... hmm

Matter and Antimatter

Given the state that I am in now, since the Friday night binge at Jupiter's despite all the work that’s piled up on me, I am all but compelled to write and comment on my humble friend Greram's self-claimed juvenile attempt at penning "short stories". While he says that many a life can be made out of simply stating the obvious and has shown that his writing is consistent with that argument, I hope to clarify this at the end of mine and show that "it is ONLY the statement of the obvious which makes the career!" Ironically, I am going to say a lot on the grand occasion of "International Women's Day"!

Anyway, that wasn't the primary motive of this post. I just wanted to get into my destructive mode, put on an MCP^ garb and creatively destroy a budding writer-blogger's first steps into this new world. But no here's my disclaimer, for I am nowhere near taking my first steps either. I very much doubt if I ever will.

While this fine piece of art has been centred around the social evils of "Adam-teasing" and "Android harassment" which have left the world battered and bruised many times over, the story itself is rich in content and context. Come to think of our safety from the perils of venturing out alone, I can only look back at the sunny days of undergrad when we always did things together. All of the twelve precious stones (Agate through Beryl, Jade and Garnet) were so perfectly set up miles away to shield us from the imminent dangers of Opal. We went to class in groups, to the mess, juicy, canteen, gate, BHEL, Sangeetha's, Wild-West, Akash, Sippy, practically everywhere together... so much so, a strict vigil was in force with the 9pm curfew every night at Opal. Very occasionally, there were these mavericks who'd break the shackles and brave all dangers to go out their way, but as I say so I am reminded of a few golden words of wisdom from a distant second cousin- "men are mostly suppressed by their fear of solitude and, it will only be the beginning of your achievements once you get to conquer this fear". And so they were, these rare mavericks in exception of "the system". But it is still, by and large, a woman's world out there.

As life progresses, supposedly, Greram makes a beautiful case out of the mid-life crisis- what was earlier construed as only the conflict between the all mighty man and his workplace; SHE has found the weakest link in the chain, the chinks in her knight's shining armour and, by God, hasn't she made life ever so miserable?! Benzene deaths, male infanticide, android cycle, andropause, XX, XY, househusbandry, blah blah... the laws of the world real (or imaginary in the context) are so cruel you see. I'm crying out aloud... these MCPs are here... we've been pushed, bent, suppressed to the point of snapping... Newton's third law shall not stay aloof of all this!

Over to the icing on the cake- had to include relativity, matter, anti-matter etc right? The one significant thing this reminded me of the discourse I had once watched on Discovery Channel so many years back in which a wise old theoretical physicist and astronomer goes on to state how teleportation can be accomplished by travelling "faster than a speeding light ray" (I shall now replace this with the jargon FTASL for convenience :) ) from one starting point, through a loop, and back to the same. This way we can accomplish the impossible task of travelling backwards in time and by doing so, we can undo (just like MS Word) all of the miserable things that happened in the past. Just imagine if we could do something to stop the harassment of androids, the benzene deaths, the male infanticide and bring the female-male sex ratio in the society to a 50-50 equilibrium... wouldn't that be a moment cherished? Coming back to the "how-to" aspect of accomplishing time travel, that wise man gave a mouth watery example of how we could make things happen, as follows:

Take a pizza and remove a quarter slice from it; eat it if you'd like for there's little guarantee that you shall come out of this adventure alive. With the remaining three-quarter, join the radial edges so that you get a perfect three-quarter circular cone. Now, your mission would be to start travelling from a point A on the circumference to point B diametrically opposite and do so along the circumference, while your dear snail-paced friend light gets to take a shorter path by flashing straight down to the apex of the three-quarter circular cone at the centre from A and reflect off at an equal and opposite angle in a straight path to B. So the mission is straight-forward: "beat the time light takes, in your smart and only just slightly roundabout path". The analogy here is to the structure of black holes which are very similar to these three-quarter circular cones, and while there is no escape for anything (including light) when it goes down to the apex, the smart android can simply amble along the circumference FTASL to make history! The only other thing he mentions, in a miscellaneous disclaimer of course, is his surmise that in doing so we are most likely to enter a diametrically opposite parallel universe (of antimatter maybe) where things have been ordained to be the way androids would've liked and MEN have had their say. How I wish the android and his nemesis could take the best of both these worlds?!

I would put a full stop to my rambling at this point as I realize that by having sputtered`` out so many unqualified statements, I am very likely drawing the wrath of many a genius physicist whose sole purpose in life is to impose and immerse himself into the sub-atomic scales which have been hailed as bubbling with so much activity and promise nobody has ever seen or even fathomed, and in doing so, he battles day in and day out and with grants of billions to figure out Quantum Physics' key to teleportation, matter-antimatter, FTASL, time travel, and hence the magic potion that will purge all of the world's greatest social evil. That for me is the cul-de-sac!

Footnotes and References

^MCP - Male Chauvinistic #$% (see also 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

``sputtering - Marc Madou, IC308-NITT (see also)

Legalised "bits" in Mech Engg.

Accidentally came across this sensational reference which made the day(s) for every Mech. Engineer who successfully passed out from Alma Mater. Come to think about it, we had the luxury of printed and standardised bits for atleast 6 courses :-)

Finding this one masterpiece, by the much revered Kothandaraman and Subramanyan, on the U of I catalog was an absolute cracker.. reminds me of a 5 credit travesty we pulled off a good many years back, just like that!

Frustration..

... is in struggling to maintain a "Class 10" blog.
It is not a Cleanroom for heavens' sake!

Whose "Call" is it anyway?

Got the following article in a Macho Rulz email forward, as usual :-) , thanks to Surendran. Saving some words for better use later, I leave this one to mess with your sense of humour. Basically, I gave up on this one completely :D Read and savour all of it...

PS: It may seem too incredible to be true, but I'd take it for its lighter side.. like they say, "all's fair in love and war!" :P

Face-off updated..

Following up on my radical decision^ to quit the world's most popular, attractive and addictive network (arguably, of course), it appears that I may not be on the wrong side of the tide after all. Remarkably, facebook seems to have recorded its first losses - much like discount bookings in stock market! Are things waning?

Here's the story.


^Checked out of Facebook

Stumble[d]Upon!

StumbleUpon! made my day today! Here's how. May seem trivial to the bright and the elite, but much to my amusement, I came across something funny yet very thoughtful (given that I am a mechanical guy after all) in a random website hosting these quotes-

(Need I say anything in testimony of one Mr. D.H. Lawrence?)

• Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot.
  

• Design in art, is a recognition of the relation between various things, various elements in the creative flux. You can't invent a design. You recognize it, in the fourth dimension. That is, with your blood and your bones, as well as with your eyes.
  

• But better die than live mechanically a life that is a repetition of repetitions.
  

• I am in love - and, my God, it is the greatest thing that can happen to a man. I tell you, find a woman you can fall in love with. Do it. Let yourself fall in love. If you have not done so already, you are wasting your life.

The following (last) one totally cracked me up. Any of my 'chaddi dosths' or fellow NITTwits from pre-Chambana times would certainly vouch, in particular, for my unique sixth sense! Or is it one of the five? :-)

• I like to write when I feel spiteful. It is like having a good sneeze.

Three cheers to that grand sneeze!

Till next..

Face-off!

After much deliberation, I managed to pull the plug. I'm officially off facebook.. true, I'll sorely miss all of those vampires, slayers, superpokes, biting chumps, scrabulous, petrolhead,........., are you interested, name the actors from the hairstyle quiz, you're a hottie, which swear word you are,....... the list never ends!

Motivation- this. Courtesy, Arvind.

Cheers to the facehooked! Checking out...
Adios.

PS: Facebook, hotel california? Bah, humbug!

dé·jà vu

Here we go again! Doesn't this space seem ever so familiar? I mean six to eight months back I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd post, whether my blog would make impact, how many hot chicks around Chambana would visit (read "stalk!") my profile and silently sight adichify me here around campus grounds... well, well Mr. Prince Charming, we ain't on Mars. Are we? Sigh!

Anyway, for the n-th time I take pride cryin' out aloud- I'm back.. er.. not sure if I'd commit to say well and truly though! And lo beware, my foghorn shall spare none. I mean you've got to have the heart to face it. I know it sucks, but that's the best deal of reality I've got for you. And oh, before I forget, the usual disclaimers.. blah blah... may be deemed, rest assured, in place.. not to mention! :-)

God bless!

PS: Did I start off a sentence, given my immaculate Victorian writing, with an "And... blah blah"? Arrrrrrgh!