tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101412062024-03-08T06:19:22.827-08:00Kahat Kabir Suno Bhai Sadho...This is a place where I rant about things that pique my intellect.Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-33319002646365303032009-03-17T20:58:00.000-07:002009-03-17T20:59:12.095-07:00How to be an effective mentor/coachLast night I attended a seminar on 'How to be an effective mentor/coach', which was being presented by Mike Shalloway. Mike has been a coach for more than 10 years, and has lots of valuable insights on the subject. <br /><br />He starts by talking about our biases in teaching - how we think somebody is smart if that person easily grasps what we are trying to teach. And if somebody does not understands or takes too long, then we tend to feel that the person is stupid. 'Different people have different styles of learning', says Mike. If somebody is having difficulty in following us, it usually means our style is wrong for him. <br /><br />Just because we have more knowledge and experience than people we are coaching, doesn’t make us smarter. Our students could be smarter than us in other domains. The idea is to accept that we are not giving them any knowledge. That knowledge is already there, hidden. 'You just need to evoke that knowledge in them', Mike says. Make them experience it for themselves because they won’t understand or learn it if they just believe you. 'Its actually a journey together', somebody suggests from the audience. <br /><br />So where does one start about evoking that knowledge? Mike gives an example from a game of Pick Up Sticks. He says, to win, one should always start by picking up the top most stick. 'After you pick the top stick, a most amazing thing happens', he exclaims. The difficult sticks that were at the bottom of the pile now become the easy top sticks. In our journey together, we need to look hard to find a place where we can both start from. A common knowledge, the simplest concept, the top stick. With our knowledge and experience we can then steer them in right direction and reach the end together. We might learn something new in the process ourselves. 'I always get deeper understanding of the subject when I am teaching it', Mike tells us. <br /><br />So what is the biggest motivation for the job? 'A deep commitment to the success of the person you are coaching', he answers.Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1112857751624208992005-04-07T00:09:00.000-07:002005-04-07T00:39:57.493-07:00USC<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rohita/8693555/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos7.flickr.com/8693555_f8f9eba998_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); margin: 2px;" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" > <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rohita/8693555/">USC</a> Uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rohita/">Rohit</a>. </span></div>I spent 2 years at University of Southern California, Los Angeles, doing my graduate studies. Looking back I think I must have spent 90 percent of the time in labs and libraries. I had no life besides studying, no car besides Garg's and Puri's, and no money to go out. But I think I had the best time of my life there!<br /><br />With Google's help, I have mapped out the little life I had in the little box on the right. There are 11 notes I added on the picture. Click on the picture, and goto Flickr. There hover your mouse on the photo, and see if you can find all 11 of them.<br /><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1112600655647449712005-04-04T00:42:00.000-07:002005-04-04T00:44:15.650-07:00Jim Corbett's Jungle Lore - VICorbett is not without humor. One of my favorite stories in the book is this one.<br /><br />“The younger members of the two large families who spent the winter months in <span style="font-style: italic;">Kaladhungi</span> numbered fourteen, excluding my younger brother who was too small to take part in the nightly bonfire or to bathe in the river, and who therefore did not count. Of these fourteen, seven were girls, ranging in age from nine to eighteen, and seven were boys, ranging in age from eight to eighteen, of whom I was the youngest. This handicap, of being the youngest of the males, saddled me with the task that I disliked intensely, for we were living in the Victorian age and when, for instance, the girls went bathing in the canal that formed one boundary of our estate, which they did every day except Sunday – why girls should not bathe on Sunday I do not know – it was deemed necessary for them to be accompanied by a male whose age would offer no offence to Mother Grundy. The selected victim being myself, it was my duty to carry the towels and nightdresses of the girls – for there were no swim-suits in those days – and to keep guard while the girls were bathing and warn them of the approach of males, for there was a footpath used by men on their way to collect firewood in the jungles, or to work on the canal when it needed repair or cleaning.”<br /><br />“The entering of running water while wearing a thin cotton nightdress is a difficult feat, if the proprieties are to be maintained, for if the unwary step into three feet of water and sit down – as all girls appear to want to do the moment they get into the water – the nightdress rises up and flows over the head, to the consternation of all beholders. When this happened, as it very frequently did, I was under strict orders to look the other way.”Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1112600530109410162005-04-04T00:39:00.000-07:002005-04-04T00:42:10.113-07:00Jim Corbett's Jungle Lore - VOn Fear in jungle, Jim Corbett writes ...<br /><br />“A wind was blowing, rustling the dry grass and dead leaves, and my imagination filled the jungle round me with hungry bears. During that winter nine bears where shot on that mountain. That I would presently be eaten I had no doubt whatever, and I was quite sure that meal would prove a very painful one for me. <span style="font-style: italic;">If a human being in normal health can die of fear, I would have died that night and many times since.</span>”<br /><br />“Whatever the human race may have been in the days of the cave man, we of the present day are essentially children of the daylight. In daylight we are in our element and the most timid among us can, if the necessity arises, summon the courage needed to face any situation, and we can even laugh and make light of the things that a few hours previously made our skin creep. When daylight fades and night engulfs us the sense of sight we depended on no longer sustains us and we are at the mercy of our imagination. Imagination at the best of times can play strange tricks, and when to imagination is added a firm belief in the supernatural it is not surprising that people surrounded by dense forests, whose field of vision at night is limited to the illumination provided by a pine torch, or a hand lantern when paraffin is available, should dread the hours of darkness.”<br /><br />“Animals who live day and night with fear can pinpoint sound with exactitude, and fear can teach human beings to do the same. Sounds that are repeated – as, for instance, a <span style="font-style: italic;">langur</span> barking at a leopard, or a <span style="font-style: italic;">cheetal</span> barking at a suspicious movement, or a peafowl calling at a tiger – are not difficult to locate, nor do they indicate immediate danger calling for instant action. It is the sound that is only heard once, like the snapping of a twig, a low growl, or the single warning call of bird or of animal, that is difficult to locate, is of immediate danger, and calls for instant action.”<br /><br />“Fear stimulates the senses of animals, keeps them ‘on their toes’, and adds zest to the joy of life; fear can do the same for human beings. Fear had taught me to move noiselessly, to climb trees, to pin-point sound; and now, in order to penetrate into the deepest recesses of the jungle and enjoy the best in nature, it was essential to learn how to use my eyes, and how to use my rifle.”Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1112600356588483952005-04-04T00:38:00.000-07:002005-04-04T00:39:16.590-07:00Jim Corbett's Jungle Lore - IVCorbett shot his first leopard at the age of 10. He writes ...<br /><br />“It is not possible for me to describe my feelings as I stood looking down at my first leopard. My hands had been steady from the moment I first saw him bounding down the steep hillside and until I pulled him aside to prevent the blood from staining his skin. But now, not only my hands but my whole body was trembling: trembling with fear at the thought of what would have happened if, instead of landing on the bank behind me, the leopard had landed on my head. Trembling with joy at the beautiful animal I had shot, and trembling most of all with anticipation of the pleasure I would have in carrying the news of my great success to those at home who I knew would be as pleased and as proud of my achievement as I was. I could have screamed, shouted, danced, and snug, all at one and the same time. But I did none of these things. I only stood and trembled, for my feelings were too intense to be given expression in the jungle, and could only be relieved by being shared with others.”Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1112600285768161262005-04-04T00:36:00.000-07:002005-04-04T00:38:05.770-07:00Jim Corbett's Jungle Lore - IIIThe vastness of Corbett's knowledge of the jungle is illustrated in this narration.<br /><br />“The method employed by otters in killing python, and also crocodiles, for sport – for I have never known of their using either of these reptile for food – is to approach, one on either side of the intended victim. When the python or crocodile turns its head to defend itself against the attack of, say, the otter on the right, the otter on the left jumps in – otter are very agile – and takes a bite at the victim’s neck as close to its head as possible. Then when the victim turns and tries to defend itself against its assailant on the left the one on the right jumps in and takes a bite. In this way, biting alternately and a little at a time, the neck of the victim is bitten away right down to the bone before it is dispatched, for both python and crocodiles are very tenacious of life.”Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1112600036550976612005-04-04T00:30:00.001-07:002005-04-04T00:45:19.670-07:00Jim Corbett's Jungle Lore - IIOn his Jungle Lore, Corbett writes ...<br /><br />“With the three lessons I have detailed, my jungle training – as far as my elders were concerned – was over. I had been shown how to handle and to fire a gun, and I have been taken into jungles in which there were tigers and bears with the object, I believe, of showing me that no danger was to be apprehended from unwounded animals. Lessons well learnt when young are never afterwards forgotten, and I have absorbed my lessons well.”<br /><br />“I have used the word ‘absorbed’, in preference to ‘learnt’, for jungle lore is not a science that can be learnt from textbooks; it can, however, be absorbed, a little at a time, and the absorption process can go on indefinitely, for the book of nature has no beginning, as it has no end. Open the book where you will, and at any period of your life, and if you have the desire to acquire knowledge you will find it of intense interest, and no matter how long or how intently you study the pages your interest will not flag, for in nature there is no finality.”<br /><br />“Few can compile a detective store of fiction, but all can compile jungle detective stories provided they have eyes to see more than the road they walk on, and provided also that they do not start with the assumption that they know all, before in fact they know anything.”Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1112599844796447822005-04-04T00:26:00.000-07:002005-04-04T00:46:05.766-07:00Jim Corbett's Jungle Lore - I<a href="http://www.nwf.org/productions/indiatiger/corbett.html">Jim Corbet</a>t is one of my all-time-favorite authors. I have read all his books, but the one I love the most is ‘<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0195651855/qid=1112599732/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-6002347-5715846?v=glance&s=books&n=507846">Jungle Lore</a>’. I have the first Indian edition of the book. It belonged to my dad who bought it in 1971 for 2.50 Rupees (which is roughly 5 cents)!<br /><br />Corbett loved the jungle. He is considered the greatest tiger hunter India ever knew, and the reason he was so successful was not only because he knew the <span style="font-style: italic;">Kumaon</span> jungle like the back of his hand, but also because he understood the jungle. He could understand the sounds the animals and jungle made, and himself make those sounds with great accuracy. He could look at the pug marks of animals on a mud path and tell a whole story of what happened there that morning. He had a sixth sense of jungle which he called his "jungle sensitiveness".<br /><br />This is my 6 part tribute the man, in which I am going to quote a few sections from the book.Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1110937187011234892005-03-15T17:39:00.000-08:002005-03-27T14:50:23.910-08:00San Juan Islands<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rohita/6627912/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos6.flickr.com/6627912_0a93d2ece7_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); margin: 2px;" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" ><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50503384@N00/6627912/">San Juan Islands</a><br />Uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rohita/">Rohit</a><br /></span></div>Nimish and I took a trip to San Juan Islands this weekend. I got crazy playing with my new camera. I took around 466 photographs, out of which 36 came out real nice. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rohita/6627912/">Here</a> are 9 of them for you to enjoy.<br /><br />These pictures where originally in color, but I converted them into black and white, just to see how they would look. To my surprise they turned out very nice, especially the one on the right and the potraits.<br /><br />Every one of these photos have been liberally touched by <a href="http://www.picasa.com/">Picasa</a>. Its a great photo editing tool, but I do wish they add a way to upload to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/">Flickr</a>.Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1110729432864388052005-03-13T07:51:00.000-08:002005-03-13T08:03:52.873-08:00Some Sommon Questions (Part-I)<strong>(Adventures of <em>Gopusingh</em> and <em>Damrulal)</em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br />Gopusingh: What is reason?<br />Damrulal: That which explains some phenomenon<br /><br />GopuSingh: Are all phenomena explainable by reason?<br />Damrulal: No<br /><br />Gopusingh: What phenomena are not explainable by reason?<br />Damrulal:<br />(1)Supernatural: Ghosts, witches, Magic<br />(2)Occurrence of incidents: Why at any point of time and space, a certain event happens and not any other?<br />(3)Fundamentals: The why of life, the why of Universe<br />(4)Reason can explain things only to a certain limit. As we try to inquire more and more, reason fails.<br /><br />Gopusingh: Why can’t such phenomena be explainable by reason?<br />Damrulal: Limitation of reason<br /><br />Gopusingh: Is there any other means to explain such phenomena?<br />Damrulal: None that I know of.<br /><br />Gopusingh: Can there be a way to explain such phenomena?<br />Damrulal: Cannot say<br /><br />Gopusingh: What if a way is found to explain such phenomena? What will happen?<br />Damrulal: Our knowledge will increase and we will have greater control over things.<br /><br />Gopusingh: Do we need such a thing?<br />Damrulal: Question is: Is it good to know the truth?<br /><br />Gopusingh: What is good?<br />Damrulal: Good is a matter of personal choice. What is good to me may or may not be good to you!<br /><br />Gopusingh: So the question : "Is it good to know the truth" becomes a personal question, right?<br />Damrulal: Right<br /><br />Gopusingh: So it depends on individuals whether they want to pursue or know the truth?<br />Damrulal: Absolutely<br /><br />Gopusingh: But if individuals did not pursue the truth, we would still be living in caves!<br />Damrulal: We would be.<br /><br />Gopusingh: So was it good to live in caves?<br />Damrulal: Personal question.<br /><br />Gopusingh: What is the significance of good?<br />Damrulal: An action or an object is said to be good if a person likes it.<br /><br />Gopusingh: What is "like"?<br />Damrulal: A single word for a positive impression on brains.<br /><br />Gopusingh: But there are things you often talk of that are good but you don’t like doing them.<br />Damrulal: Right.<br /><br />Gopusingh: So "an action or object is said to be good if a person likes it" is an incorrect statement, right?<br />Damrulal: Right.<br /><br />Gopusingh: What is a correct statement?<br />Damrulal: That which tells the truth.<br /><br />Gopusingh: What is truth?<br />Damrulal: Fact and its explanation.<br /><br />Gopusingh: What is a fact?<br />Damrulal: A correct phenomenon.<br /><br />Gopusingh: What is correct?<br />Damrulal: Fact-truth-correct: all mean the same thing.<br /><br />Gopusingh: Interesting. What do they mean?<br />Damrulal: (Long pause)<br /><br />Gopusingh: So you don’t know what is a correct statement, because you don’t know what is truth?<br />Damrulal: You said a correct statement.<br /><br />(laughter)<br />(laughter<strong>)</strong>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1110518192133616612005-03-10T21:16:00.000-08:002005-03-10T21:47:19.163-08:00Spring's Here!With my new Nikon D70. Enhanced by Picasa. Posted by Hello <a href="http://www.hello.com/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif" alt="Posted by Hello" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/212/4055/640/DSC_0048.jpg"><img style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/212/4055/320/DSC_0048.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/212/4055/640/DSC_0041.jpg"><img style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/212/4055/320/DSC_0041.jpg" border="0" /></a>Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1109977498359171292005-03-04T14:56:00.000-08:002005-03-27T14:45:47.673-08:00Solving Cryptic CrosswordSolving Cryptic Crossword puzzles are easy if you know the <em>tricks</em> of the game. Lately I have developed a keen interest in them and have actually become quite good in <em>spotting</em> the clues. Let me show you how I solved one of puzzles that I found <a href="http://thinks.com/cgi-bin/cryptic-crossword.pl?puzz=69">here</a>. To appreciate each clue, first read the clue, think for a minute, and then look at the explaination.<br /><br /><strong>Across<br /></strong><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1. Speaker prepared to roar (6)</span><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">The word <em>prepared</em> hints that there is a anagram in the clue. <em>to roar</em> is anagram of <strong>ORATOR</strong>, which is another word for <em>speaker</em>.<br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">4. Fashion designer going round cold part of church (7)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);"><em>Going round </em>hints that a <em>fashion designer </em>is outside a <em>part </em>of the word <em>cold. </em>CHANEL is a <em>fashion designer</em>. C is part of the word <em>cold. </em>Putting C in CHANEL gives <strong>CHANCEL</strong> which is a </span><em><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">church.</span> </em><br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">9. Self-indulgent life of dolt upset by musical (5,4)<br /></span><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);"><em>Upset</em> hints that the word <em>dolt </em>has to be modified. <em>by </em>means that it is next to a <em>musical</em>. DOLC is modified form of <em>dolt</em>. EVITA is a <em>musical. </em>Place them next to each other, and we get <strong>DOLCE VITA</strong> which is a <em>self-indulgent way of life</em>.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">10. German painter in a southern state (5)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">The word <em>in </em>means that there is a <em>German painter </em>to be found in the words <em>southern state. </em><strong>ERNST</strong> is made up from last 3 letters of <em>southern </em>and first 2 letters from <em>state</em>.</span><br /><br />11. Increase fuss about outskirts of Detroit (3,2)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">ADO is another word for <em>fuss.</em> <em>Outskirts of Detroit </em>means that we should take first and last letter of Detroit - DT. ADO <em>about </em>DT gives - <strong>ADD TO</strong>, which means <em>to increase</em>.</span><br /><br />12. Disorder outside is undermining the state (9)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);"><em>Disorder </em>means that there is an anagram in the clue. Anagram of <em>outside is</em> is <strong>SEDITIOUS</strong>, which means <em>undermining the state</em>.</span><br /><br />13. Careful to take break in your old environment (7)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">The words <em>old enviroment </em>hints that there is old english involved in this clue. THY is the old form of <em>your. </em>A word for <em>break </em>is <em>in </em>between the word THY. RIFT means<em> break </em>and putting it in THY gives <strong>THRIFTY</strong>, which means <em>careful</em>.</span><br /><br />15. Dormant snake outside shelter (6)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">ASP is a <em>snake. </em>LEE means <em>shelter.</em> Putting ASP <em>outside </em>LEE, gives <strong>ASLEEP</strong>, which means <em>dormant.</em><br /></span><br />17. Treacle almost ruined wine (6)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);"><em>Ruined </em>hints that there is an anagram. The word <em>almost</em> hints that we have to take the complete word <em>Treacle </em>but without the last letter E. Solving the anagram <em>treacl</em> gives us <strong>CLARET</strong> which is a kind of </span><em><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">wine.</span> </em><br /><br />19. Courage demonstrated by constraining one who is uninhibited (7)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">The word <em>constraining </em>hints that the word<em> by</em> is holding a word for <em>one who is uninhibited.</em> RAVER means someone who is uninhibited. Putting it in BY gives <strong>BRAVERY</strong>, which means <em>courage.</em></span><br /><br />22. Dance in Spooner's very cold prison (9)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">BITTER means <em>very cold. </em>JUG means <em>prison. Spooner</em> means modify BITTER and put in JUG. Putting ITTERB in JUG gives <strong>JITTERBUG</strong>, which is a form of <em>dance</em>.</span><br /><br />24. A humorous writer or two (5)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">John Wain is a <em>writer</em>. Mark Twain is another <em>humorous writer</em>. So there are <em>two</em> writers in <strong>TWAIN</strong>.</span><br /><br />26. Bolt I have inserted in right frame (5)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);"><em>I have </em>can also be written as I'VE. The word <em>frame </em>means that we have to take the first and the last letter of the word <em>right - </em>RT. <em>Inserting </em>IVE in RT gives <strong>Rivet</strong>, which means </span><em><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">bolt.</span> </em><br /><br />27. Revealing depravity, Dick the highwayman does not finish playing duet (9)<br /><em><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">Dick </span></em><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">Turpin was an English <em>highwayman. </em>Turpin <em>does not finish </em>means the word is TURPI. <em>Playing </em>hints anagram. Anagram of <em>duet </em>is TUDE. <strong>TURPITUDE </strong>means </span><em><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">depravity.</span> </em><br /><em></em><br />28. Bear with a blemish following us around (7)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">STAIN is another word for <em>blemish. Us around </em>means that the word <em>us</em> has to be inverted - SU. STAIN <em>following</em> SU gives <strong>SUSTAIN</strong>, which means <em>to bear</em>.</span><br /><br />29. In France I must have mostly Welsh gems (6)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">The word I <em>in france </em>is written as JE. The words <em>mostly Welsh</em> hint that we have to take most of the words from Welsh, and not all - WELS. Putting them together, <strong>JEWELS </strong>means <em>gems</em>.</span><br /><br /><strong>Down</strong><br /><br />1. Auto manufacturer meeting a lieutenant in "The Ancient Mariner"? (3,4)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">OLDS was an American <em>auto manufacturer. </em>Short for <em>lieutenant </em>is LT. So OLDS <em>meeting A </em>LT, gives <strong>OLD SALT</strong>, which means an <em>ancient mariner </em>or, in other words, an old sailor.<br /></span><br />2. Was sick girl set up? (5)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">Delia is a name of a <em>girl. Set up </em>hints that we have to invert Delia to give <strong>AILED</strong>, which means </span><em><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">was sick.</span> </em><br /><br />3. State fair without a tree (6,3)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">OREGON is a <em>state. Fair without a </em>means we need to remove the letter A from <em>fair</em> - FIR. <strong>OREGON FIR</strong> is a <em>tree</em>.</span><br /><br />4. Name of girl getting praise in secret service (7)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">LAUD is another word for <em>praise. </em>CIA is a <em>secret service. </em>LAUD <em>in </em>CIA gives - <strong>CLAUDIA</strong>, which is a <em>name of a girl</em>.</span><br /><br />5. A male representative (5)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">GENT means <em>male. A</em> GENT together will give us <strong>AGENT</strong>, which means <em>representative</em>.<br /></span><br />6. Chinese are able to sound extremely subtle (9)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">CAN means <em>able. </em>Nice means <em>extremely subtle. </em>NESE <em>sounds </em>like nice. So CAN <em>to </em>NESS gives us <strong>CANTONESE</strong>, which is a <em>Chinese </em>language.</span><br /><br />7. Most recent West Coast city trial (6)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">LA is a <em>West Coast City.</em> TEST means <em>trial. </em>Putting them together gives LATEST, which means </span><em><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">most recent.</span> </em><br /><br />8. Ruth's written about Gilbert and Sullivan overtures with a pen (6)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);"><em>Ruth </em>means PITY. <em>Overtures </em>means introduction to something. Introduction to <em>Gilbert and Sullivan </em>means the first letter of each word - GS. PITY <em>written about </em>GS give us <strong>PIGSTY</strong>, which is a <em>pen.</em></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">14. Terribly versatile family (9)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);"><em>Terribly </em>hints that <em>versatile </em>is an anagram. <strong>RELATIVES</strong> is anagram of <em>versatile</em>, and it means <em>family.</em></span><br /><br />16. By no means the cleverest, anyway (9)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);"><em>By no means the cleaverest </em>means somebody who is not clever. Somebody who is not WISE. Or somebody who is LEAST WISE. Putting it together gives us <strong>LEASTWISE</strong>, which means </span><em><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">anyway.</span> </em><br /><br />18. Be embraced by a giant like the Dalai Lama (7)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">TITAN means <em>a giant. Be embraced by </em>TITAN means that the word BE is inside the word TITAN. <strong>TIBETAN</strong> is a native of Tibet, <em>like Dalai Lama. </em><br /></span><br />19. Encircle damaged bridge (6)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);"><em>Damaged </em>is hinting that the word <em>bridge </em>is an anagram. Solving it gives us <strong>BEGIRD</strong>, which means </span><em><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">encircle.</span> </em><br /><br />20. Americans look for no revolution (7)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">SEEK means <em>look for. </em>NAY means <em>no. Revolution</em> hints that we have to invert SEEK NAY. This gives us <strong>YANKEES</strong>, which means <em>Americans</em>.</span><br /><br />21. Jack gets in cars - they're found on the Norwegian coast (6)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">J is short for<em> Jack</em> in cards. FORDS are <em>cars. </em>So J <em>gets in </em>FORDS will give us FJORDS, which are long narrow inlets <em>found on the Norwegian coast</em>.</span><br /><br />23. Spare part in Oedipus Rex, tragically (5)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);">The words <em>part in </em>here hints that the answer is boken and is to be found in the words <em>Oedipus Rex tragically. </em>EX is from the last 2 letter of <em>Rex</em>, and TRA is from the first 3 letters from <em>tragically</em>. <strong>EXTRA</strong> means <em>Spare</em>.</span><br /><br />25. Entertain one of nine daughters of Mnemosyne (5)<br /><span style="color: rgb(85, 136, 170);"><em>One </em>means A. MUSE is the <em>daughter of Mnemosyne</em>. <strong>AMUSE</strong> means <em>entertain</em>.</span><br /><br />Here's the complete solution in the grid:<br /><br /><img src="http://thinks.com/crosswords/cryptic/69_sol.gif" />Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1108579335673410192005-02-16T10:33:00.000-08:002005-02-16T10:42:15.700-08:00Matrix and the Truth<em>As you most adequately put, the problem is choice. -The Architect in Matrix Reloaded<br /></em><br />All I remember about my experience when I watched the Matrix for the first time was that I liked its action and that it was talking about a concept related to software programs that I found a little difficult to get hold of. I knew I did not understand the movie fully. There was a guy who watched the movie with us who said he understood it, and I marvelled at his ability. Today I know he was lying. Not because he told me - I have never met him since - but because the style of story telling that Matrix has is such that it cannot be understood by watching it for the first time. The style is something that is not only unconventional but also not proper. Have you ever read a story where characters speak about something which is actually explained much later? Probably in some suspense thrillers, but even there, the suspense is carefully created. In Matrix, the narration style cares a damn if people understand it or not. They talk about something in scene-1, and we ignore it because we did not understand it, and then its meaning is revealed in scene-10, by which time we have forgotten what happened in scene-1. When the person leaves the theator he is bewildered. He comes back again, and understands scene-1 and realises he is understanding it more now. He comes back again and understands more, the meanings of more scenes. The movie, he says, grows.<br /><br />As per the rules of narration, this is not a correct way to tell a story, and more so in a movie where you can't go back unless you are watching it at home in a CD or DVD. But for some strange reason, this style of narration has worked beautifully for Matrix and people who have been even little curious after watching it and "chose" to watch it again are never tired of watching it. We may account the success of Matrix to this, apart from the fact that it has the action scenes that have thrilled the kids and those who did not understand the story. Action is an integral part of that movie. You cannot imagine Matrix without action. Though you can watch Matrix for action alone, but to call Matrix an action movie will be like reading Atlas Shrugged for its suspense or going to the caves of Ajanta-Elora for eroticism.<br /><br />Not just the narration style but even the story of Matrix is not an ordinary one. That the internet is full of Matrix related forums one of which has talked about the meanng of the name Rama-Kandra and finding out that Rama was the ancient Hindu God who was responsible for the victory of good over evil exemplifies the impact the movie has had on the people. Had the brothers named him Shiva-Kandra, it would have been the Hindu God responsible for destruction.<br /><br />Its very concept is unique and,I dare say, in a way tries to explain the world logically, and realises that even logic is not sufficient to do so. In a world where programs hack programs (the morally bad men), are deleted when they don't have a purpose (death), and talk of love and karma, one may wonder how exactly the "brain" of "God" may have worked to create our world.<br />Each character represents a philosophy in itself, an emotion, a ras. Neo is the avatar: the one, come in this world to save the people. All characters alongwith Neo give the air of an epic, the Mahabharta, and like all epics, its end is somewhat tragic: it's the triumph of the positive emotions, philosophies and beliefs of the characters, but also makes us realise that neither of these emotions, philosophies and beliefs are complete in themselves. Neo is all powerful, but even he was here just to solve a purpose. It does not have a single hero. Its villian is also not without morals.<br /><br />The second and third parts of the movie have received criticism, for the simple reason that they did not answer the questions that were raised- only asked more questions. The brothers are silent, which may be amusing to some and interesting to many. Nevertheless, no one has been able to understand the movie fully, the reason probably being that it is not meant to be understood fully. It has many levels, as one of the actors in the movie says, and very few are able to appreciate all levels. And it does leave many things unexplained and unanswered at all levels. Maybe the answers are there in the movie itself, hidden like those hidden doors in that building. Maybe the brothers wanted people to think about the questions it raised and answer it themselves with their own theories and imaginatons, which sure is happenning and will carry on forever. One may never know. But it sure is a movie that inspires and gives hope, a movie that says anything is possible and proves it. It is one of those things that will survive time: even classics die, but some things are there forever. As someone has said about the movie, "It asks more questions than it answers. Maybe that's what keeps things like the Bible alive." He had said it in critical tone, but I hope he understood fully what he said.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1108522644235278712005-02-15T18:53:00.000-08:002005-02-15T18:57:24.240-08:00Keeping Programming FunWhen I first started with computers and programming it was my hobby. I had fun coding. But now after 9 hours of programming at work, I have little interest in coming home and working on my personal programming projects. I become upset with this fact. Have I ruined my hobby by turning it into a job?<br /><br />In your hobby you are answerable to no-one but yourself. Once you start doing it for a living - whether it's programming or photography or cooking or playing the trombone - you must compromise your art to pay the bills. You must work on what the client wants, to their specification, and deliver by their deadline. Ultimately, when someone hates their job, it's those things they hate - not the work itself but the constraints in which the work must be done.<br /><br />So how do we fix this? The most important thing we need to realize is that even geeks need a little non-geeky relief some times. Just poke around and try different things. A lot of figuring out what to do with yourself is just experimenting and dabbling in a bit of everything. Most of the time, you'll never want to do that thing again. But occasionally you'll discover something you are genuinely interested in. Doing different things can open up your horizons and give you different perspectives. It will expand your circle of friends to a group larger than just programmers. All of those will help you to enjoy your work more which just might make programming fun again.<br /><br />You can do so much with life! Go to gym, play some sport, get some exercise. Or see a movie, get into photography, try dating or go travel. Get outdoors, try skiing, mountain biking, off-roading. Or just relax, make dinner, read a book, hang out at a friend’s house. In short, choose ‘life’ over ‘work’. <br /><br />But if you still want to do programming, do something different. Start programming your side projects in a different language or environment. Do something you're not allowed to do at work. That is, if you're a games programmer, come home and write database-driven analysis engines. Or take the project assigned to you and completed it using new tools and techniques.<br /><br />Good developers like exploring new technologies and trying new things out. That's how they stay good developers. Smart companies allow for this. Some places, like Google, have formal policies saying that it's ok to spend a certain percentage of your time on personal projects. At others, it's an informal thing. You enjoy learning new things and this change of pace might just be the ticket.<br /><br />It's the thrill of discovery, mastering something new that you enjoy, and accomplishment that drew you to programming in the first place. You need to get all that back in the mix. The experience won't hurt your career either.Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1108348472418138432005-02-13T18:16:00.000-08:002005-02-13T18:34:32.420-08:00Mind, Soul and RebirthTo me there seems to be sort of a grandfather's paradox in the concept of a soul, mind and rebirth.<br /><br />The fact that all of us have a soul (and htat moves to another body) after death, is a central idea of Hinduism. From here the notion of karma arises. Instinctively, I would like to believe that there is a soul, and i probably do. That is what distinguishes us from machines and say plant life. We as humans can never create a being that can think. The fact that we (humans) can think, can be construed as evidence that we are more than just a living biomass of proteins and various other organic material. There is something more transcedental to a person, than what others can see or touch. This is in the end what distinguishes a person, from another person and makes everybody unique. <br /><br />The paradox is that if we all live after dying in another body, then how come the population is increasing. Does that mean that souls are somehow being multiplied??/? Because say 10000 years ago there would have been just 5000 humans , and now there are around 10 billion. So either there is some reproduction of souls somewhere, or there are people who do not have a soul............. <br /><br />Hindu literature says that being born a human is the ultimate gift, and that is solely governed by your karma i,e what u did in your previous life. If one was good in his deeds , then he is born a human next time around and if one does bad karma he/she can be born as an insect also. That could be used to explain the paradox in the sense that there are far more animals and insects doing good karma and dying... That is why they are born as humans. And since humans are the dominant species, other species are slowly decreasing in numbers. So there is a possibility, that sum total of all insects, humans, and animals maybe the same. Which is feasible, but it leaves us facing another question... Why is there crime in this world... Earth should have been a utopia, since other species are dying off and so only good karma is happenning. .......<br /><br />Also one should muse on the fact that who or what did create all these souls??? Most of us refer to that person as God and the scientists sometimes end up calling it the all elusive God's particle, that kickstarted the universe. All i know that the fact that i am thinking of such abstract thoughts, there is more to me than just living flesh and bone... A testament to the fact that there is some metaphysical thing as the soul. I just do not have all the answers right now.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1107976655478388432005-02-09T11:00:00.000-08:002005-02-09T11:17:35.476-08:00Sunset Boulevard Talk, Talk and then talk a little more. Never stop talking about yourself.
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<br />You dont have a job, talk. You are in debt, keep talking. An old, delusional, suicidal woman's chimp dies and she keeps you as a replacement, please talk away. Even if you are DEAD, don't let that stop you from talking!
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<br />But this movie is not all about a man talking about his life (or his death). This movie is actually about ghosts! How the ghost of bad scripts looms over a wannabe Hollywood script writer. How the ghost of long gone stardom looms over an old silent movie actress. And how seeing that psychotic ghost of his ex-wife-cum-employer turns a director a bit crazy too.
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<br />So for the three ghosts we present you with three Oscars !!!
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<br />The movie should be named "How *Talking* movies KILLED me!!". Takies killed the silent movie starlet, and all the talking in the movie killed me!
<br />Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1105836595289790042005-01-15T16:18:00.000-08:002005-01-15T16:49:55.290-08:00Digital Fortress <p class="MsoNormal">I just completed reading Dan Brown's Digital Fortress. Boy that’s one bad book! If Da Vinci Code was 10, this one is a 3. I have tremendous respect for Dan Brown and his works. I think he is a genius in writing. But I think he didn't quite get it in his this first novel.
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<br />The story is too dramatic. The whole Crypto section of NSA blowing up, a language professor running around in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region> trying to find a ring, the cat-and-mouse chase between him and his assassin ... everything is too dramatic. Which is why the plot becomes predictable.
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<br />Plus he doesn't talk about cryptography as much as he should have. Maybe because its a difficult concept. Explaining it to a general public is hard. If you try to go deep into the subject, you might loose the audience. On the other hand, explaining symbology in ancient paintings and buildings is easy. As you go deep into the subject, the readers become more fascinated. Mystery-in-the-History is a crowd puller, especially if its also controversial.
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<br />Digital Fortress has no mystery, no history, and no controversy (well a little controversy over NSA's job, but nothing that excites the readers). It has just drama!</p> Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10141206.post-1105663456166410872005-01-13T16:20:00.000-08:002005-01-13T16:56:45.686-08:00Captain CookI couldn't sleep last night. So I started reading a history book that was lying around in my apartment. A random page that opened was on Captain Cook and his voyages.
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<br />Fasinating! Captain Cook made 3 voyages. In the first voyage, he discovered New Zealand and Australia. One of the stories on that trip was, he offered a drum of rum to the first man to sight land by the day, and 2 drums of rum to the man who sight land by night. There was a 12 year boy on board who claimed the prize - Nicholas Young! (Imagine a 12 year old drinking all that rum ... :-)
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<br />In his second trip, Cook went around the continent of Antartica. He didn't go deep south into the land. He was smart enough to realise that there is no economic value in Antartica. But he did made detailed map of the region.
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<br />The 3rd trip was where he lost his life. He was commitioned to find a route to China from North America. Many thought that there exist a land which connected the two in the very North. So Cook traveled all the way to Artic Circle, but couldn't find the joining strip. While returning he anchored at Hawaii. The Hawaiians recieved him warmly. Everything was fine until a boat (cutter) was stolen from Cook's ship. Cook suspected the Hawaiians, and kidnapped the King of Hawaii. A fierce battle followed in which Cooks was killed. His crew retrieved the pieces of his body with great difficulty, and burried him in the sea. A tragic end of a such a great genius!
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<br />One of the ships that Cook made all his voyages was called - Endeavor. I am so facinated by Cook's adventures that I am going to find a model kit of this great historic ship, and try to build it. Should be fun!
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<br />Rohithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488122421063533139noreply@blogger.com1