A perfect blossom is a rare thing

Sakura in Tokyo from James T. Kirk on Vimeo.

Some thing that came into my mind for the first time after the terrorists attacks in Bangalore IISC in 2005. It came to my mind again and again after every terrorist attack. And after the Mumbai terror attacks I think I was able to complete this picture.

I don’t know if this is right or wrong? I was too busy completing the picture in my mind. May be you can tell me what you think…

Ingredients:

1. Three egg whites
2. Salt
3. Chat Masala
4. Chili Flakes
5. 1.5 tablespoons of Extra Virgin, Refined Olive Oil
6. Painstakingly acquired skill

Calories count: Roughly 140 cals

An interesting video tutorial (ignore the sponsor message) on how to make a perfect omlette:

Hi,

Yesterday I wanted to read this amazing short story by Isaac Asimov that I had read long ago during my MBA course. I did not know the title of the story and only remembered that it ended with the following line: “Let there be light”. So I googled “Let there be Light + Isaac Asimov” and stumbled upon this site (Recommend reading the story if you have time, otherwise try to follow the summary I have written below).

The short story I am talking about is titled “The Last Question”. It was originally published in 1956 by Isaac Asimov. You can read more about this short story on its Wikipedia Page.

The Last Question is undoubtedly the most fascinating short story and/or piece of science fiction that I have ever read. It addresses the ultimate question and what I believe gives the very meaning to our existence. While at the moment my mind is full of philosophy about human existence etc I will avoid going tangential.

Summary of the Story

Coming back to this story, it basically starts off with a question to which no one has an answer i.e.

“Can entropy be reversed?”

This question is posed to a super computer called Multivac which is the first true super computer with its own consciousness of sorts:

“Multivac was self-adjusting and self-correcting. It had to be, for nothing human could adjust and correct it quickly enough or even adequately enough”

On gaps of many millions of years this question is asked repeatedly by various people and they always get only one answer:

“INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR MEANINGFUL ANSWER”

Overtime the Multivac evolves into much more complex form and starts to exist in Hyperspace and across the cosmos connecting various galaxies in a manner which is best left to the whims of sci-fi authors. (I mean please read the story to get a sense; it’s very tough for me to explain this )

However even after all those evolutions; the main computer (called AC at the last stage of the story) is unable to find an answer to the question. For trillions of years the computer continues to collect data and try to solve this problem but is unable to do so. Read this short excerpt from the story:

“Cosmic AC,” said Man, “How may entropy be reversed?”

The Cosmic AC said, “THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER.”

Man said, “Collect additional data.”

The Cosmic AC said, “I WILL DO SO. I HAVE BEEN DOING SO FOR A HUNDRED BILLION YEARS. MY PREDECESSORS AND I HAVE BEEN ASKED THIS QUESTION MANY TIMES. ALL THE DATA I HAVE REMAINS INSUFFICIENT.”

“Will there come a time,” said Man, “when data will be sufficient or is the problem insoluble in all conceivable circumstances?”

The Cosmic AC said, “NO PROBLEM IS INSOLUBLE IN ALL CONCEIVABLE CIRCUMSTANCES.”

Man said, “When will you have enough data to answer the question?”

“THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER.”

“Will you keep working on it?” asked Man.

The Cosmic AC said, “I WILL.”

Man said, “We shall wait.”

Long after all humanity is gone due to exhaustion of all energy in the universe, the Cosmic AC continues to process data to find answer to this question. It finally finds an answer and then decides to demonstrate the solution as there was no human left to give the solution to.

It says “Let there be light”

According to Christianity, “Let there be light” are the words uttered by God after which Universe came into being (or let me say what I want to say: Big bang occurred and the natural processes unfolded and formed what we know and can see today)

What intrigues me?

Firstly any association of science and religion is something that I always find very interesting to read. And when it’s done by a master like Isaac Asimov, I have to write about it

Secondly it is very intriguing to read about various sci-fi concepts that are discussed in this story. Let me explain these and my thoughts about it by quoting from the story.

“Minds, not bodies! The immortal bodies remained back on the planets, in suspension over the eons.”

It instantly reminded me of two things:

1. Matrix: In this Hollywood blockbuster, most of the humans are plugged into the matrix and their bodies are actually immaterial. It is the prime program and the role of the mind in the simulated world that matters.

2.Bhagavad Gita: In Gita, Lord Krishna says that the loss of material bodies is not worthy of grief and one should not allow it to inhibit ones performance of duty. It is the soul that matters the most and the soul is eternal, indestructible and insoluble.

Well this is not to say that they borrowed from each other. I really don’t know about that. I am only trying to connect things in my mind.

“One by one Man fused with AC, each physical body losing its mental identity in a manner that was somehow not a loss but a gain.”

Again it obviously reminds me of Matrix where the human bodies are fused with a main computer that simulates the virtual world for the human minds while drawing power from their bodies –  An interesting ‘symbiotic relationship’ which is certainly beneficial for both the parties. Machines get access to a virtually unlimited source of power while Humans are saved from their own self-destructive nature and get to survive as a race. As machines are a creation of humans they ensure (on behalf of humans) that the process of unraveling all the mysteries of universe goes on in a reasonable and unhindered manner while Humans (who are incapable carrying out the above mentioned process in an unhindered manner due to their self-destructive nature) continue to contribute to the same albeit in a tacit manner (assuming that the consciousness of the main computer is not derived from and/or is not the sum total of consciousness of all the human minds connected to it)

During the discourse of Bhagavat Gita to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra , Lord Krishna displays his original form which Hindus normally refer to as the ‘Virat Roop’. In the Virat Roop, the lord shows that he is responsible for everything that we see around us. He is responsible for the life, death, calamity, success, happiness, grief etc. Two cool points arise out of this:

1. Matrix’s main computer does the same kind of simulation that god claims to do for us in his discourse in Bhagavad Gita.

2. In Isaac Asimov’s short story, there is not much clarity about how the main computer (referred to as the AC) utilizes the minds connected to it but what is certainly clear that humans consciously submit their minds to the AC and that the minds are living in a virtual/simulated world where they are capable of interacting with any other mind irrespective of the physical distances between them. In addition, the AC somehow derived its consciousness from the collective consciousness of the minds attached to it. Consider the excerpts (below) from the story based on which I have made the above-mentioned conclusions:

“Man considered with himself, for in a way, Man, mentally, was one. He consisted of a trillion, trillion, trillion ageless bodies, each in its place, each resting quiet and incorruptible, each cared for by perfect automatons, equally incorruptible, while the minds of all the bodies freely melted one into the other, indistinguishable.”

“Zee Prime’s thoughts fled back to his own Galaxy. He gave no further thought to Dee Sub Wun, whose body might be waiting on a galaxy a trillion light-years away, or on the star next to Zee Prime’s own. It didn’t matter.”

I might make additions to this post if I have any more thoughts and free time like I had today (I thought out and wrote the whole thing in office coz there is no other work )

My favourite purchase last year was my Tag Heuer Aquaracer Calibre S Regatta. I have been using this wonderful watch for a couple of months now and would like to cover its features in this post.

While capable of complex chronograph functions, this watch is amazingly simple to use on a daily basis.

The hour and chronograph functions are displayed by the central hands (hour, minute and second). With no fewer than 230 mechanical components and five bi-directional micro-engines, the watch has the following functions:

• Intuitive chronograph legibility with tenth-of-a-second precision.
• Measurement of simple and intermediary time and two elapsed times.
• Retrograde date with a perpetual calendar to 2099.
• Countdown scale for regattas, configurable as desired from -10 to -1 minute.
• Anti-clockwise movement of central hands in “REGATTA” mode, then clockwise once the countdown is over, as the Chronograph is triggered automatically.

Some of the other features of the watch as reported on this watch’s product page on Tag Heuer website:

• Dial: Sophisticated and sporty. Luminescent markers for improved legibility in darkness. Monochrome TAG Heuer logo. “AQUARACER -- Calibre S -- 300 meters” inscription.
• Hands: Set with diamonds with polished facets and coated with a luminescent material for improved legibility in darkness.
• Case: Stamped in a block of solid steel with a diameter of 41 mm.
• Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
• Bezel: Fixed aluminum bezel with countdown scale (from -10 to -1 minute) for regattas.
• Case back: Screw-down case back assuring water-resistance up to 300 meters. Diving bell decoration stamped on case back.
• Bracelet: Triple-row bracelet in satin-finish, polished steel. Double security clasp with folding blade and extension system allowing for the piece to be worn over a diving suit.

If you are ever experienced the problem of seconds hand misalignment (which may occur due to shocks), the head over to this tutorial on a friend’s blog.

Also watch a Youtube video of this watch in action (describing the easy to use chronograph features):

While trying to keep alive, an effort to satiate my need for reading good science fiction, today I researched the internet to find an answer to a question:

Which book should I pickup to start reading Issac Asimov’s science fiction series, such that I extract the maximum benefit from the whole reading exercise?

According to Asimov’s note in the book Prelude to Foundation (a prequel to the original foundation trilogy), the entire foundation series comprises of fourteen volumes and a total of about 1,450,000 words! Therefore science fictions fans who are yet to read this series would want to be very sure of the reading order before they get down to business.

I have decided to share the reading order with my readers as one may end up spending some time browsing the next to compile this order of books. Here it goes:

As you can see that I have divided the chronological list into various series to which the books belong. So you start with The complete Robot from the Robot Series and end with Foundation and Earth in the Foundation series.

I also recommend that you check out the timeline for Issac Asimov’s Robots and Foundation series universe. It will give you a good overview of how the entire plot will unfold.

Sources used in compiling this post:

1. Cold Science Fiction
2.  Wikipedia – Robot Series
3. Wikipedia – Foundation Series
4. Wikipedia – Empire Series

Note: Through this article I do not intend to endorse or promote any religion. This post is purely an effort to present some truly thought-provoking questions which should be read and reasoned upon, by all of us.

After reading this post, you might ask why did I name this post “Celestial Questions”. This is because these questions were asked to Yudhistra (Son of Pandu and the true heir to the kindgom of Hastinapur) by the Dharmaraj (God of Truth) in the great India epic Mahabharata. (Recommend reading a summary of the story before proceeding)

During the final year (the agyat-vaas) of their exile, the Pandavas (i.e. five brothers and their wife Draupadi) were moving away swiftly from Hastinapur to avoid being discovered by the spies of Duryodhana (the villain of the story). If they were to be discovered, they would have to spend another 13 years in exile.

One day, after a bout of tiresome walking through the forest, the Pandavas stop to take some rest. They spot a lake nearby and Nakul (one of the brothers) is asked to fetch some water for everybody.
When he reaches the lake and tries to drink the water, a demon (yaksha) warns him that if he drinks the water without answering some questions, he will face dire ramifications. Nakul ignores the warning and dies after drinking the water. His brothers Sahdev, Arjun and Bhim go to the lake one after the other and meet the same fate. However, when Yudhisthra arrives at the lake and sees his mighty brothers lying dead at the shore, he decides to remain calm and answer the demon’s questions. Here are the questions that the Demon asks:

1. What is heavier than Earth?
Ans. Mother

2. What is higher than the Sky?
Ans. Father

3. What is faster than the winds?
Ans. The Mind

4. What is more in number than the twigs?
Ans. Worry

5. Who is the friend of a person close to death?
Ans. Charity

6. Where does Religion, Success, Heaven and Happiness reside?
Ans. Religion resides in awareness, success in charity, Heaven in Truth and Happiness in Chastity

7. What is a man’s Soul?
Ans. His Son

8. What has covered the Earth?
Ans. Ignorance

9. What is laziness?
Ans. Ignorance of religion is Laziness

10. Who is truly happy?
Ans. One who is free of debt

11. What is true cleansing?
Ans. The cleansing of the Mind

12. What is darker than the eye black?
Ans. Disrepute

13. What is the best Religion?
Ans. Compassion

14. What can prevent sadness and mourning?
Ans. Control of Mind

15. What is shame?
Ans. Keeping away from unworthy things

16. What is pity?
Ans. Wishing happiness for all

17. What kills a nation?
Ans. Slavery

18. What is the true test of Brahminhood? Dynasty, Character, Teaching or Knowledge?
Ans. Character is the true test of Brahaminhood

19. Is Religion in Logic? Is it in the words of the Sages?
Ans. Religion is neither in logic nor in the words of the sages. Truth of a Religion is in the heart of the believer.

20. What is the greatest wonder?
Ans. The greatest wonder is that each individual knows that death is the ultimate truth yet he/she believes that his/her life’s ultimate truth may not be death.

Satisfied by Yudhistra’s responses, the demon reveals his true identity as Dharmaraj (the God of Truth) and says that by his conduct and character, Yudhistra had not just established control over his mind and body but also conquered the virtues of tolerance and the imperfections i.e. hunger, thirst, mourning, temptation and death.

I will not elucidate my thoughts regarding the above-mentioned questions and leave the forum open for reader discussions.

‘lo. The other day I came across a big contest while browsing some of sites I read regularly, and simply could not resist sharing it with you.

HP (in association with Buzz Corps)is promoting its latest 20.1″ notebook i.e. The HP HDX Entertainment Notebook using a contest called “The 31 Days of Dragon”. Before I proceed further note that this contest is open to everyone from any part of the world.

Contest Info: There are 31 participating web sites, with the sponsorship of HP where HP is working with them to offer 31 prize packages – one a day for 31 days during a period from 09 May through 08 June 2008. Here are the details of the price package (which btw is worth well over USD 5000 in retail value):

• Display: 20.1″ diagonal WUXGA High-Definition HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen (1920×1200)
• Operating system: Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)
• Processor: Intel Core2 Extreme Processor X9000 (2.80GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
• Memory: 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• Graphics Card: 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS
• Personalization: HP Imprint Finish (Dragon) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
• Networking: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
• Hard Drive: 500GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (250GB x 2)
• Optical: Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
• TV & Entertainment Experience: Integrated HP HDTV Hybrid TV Tuner and 4 Altec Lansing speakers + the HP Triple Bass Reflex subwoofer
• Primary Battery: 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• Productivity Applications: Microsoft Office 2007, Corel PaintShop Pro Photo X2, Corel Painter 4, Ulead VideoStudio 11.5 Plus
• Games: Viva Pinata, Microsoft Flight Simulator X, Microsoft Flight Simulator X Acceleration Expansion Pack, Gear of War
• Blu-Ray movies: The Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest, At World’s End.

And here is a list of websites that are running/will run a seven day contest between the following dates (begin – end):

08 May – 15 May www.the-gadgeteer.com
09 May – 16 May www.thedigitallifestyle.com
10 May – 17 May www.digitalhomethoughts.com
11 May – 18 May www.windows-now.com
12 May – 19 May www.windowsconnected.com
13 May – 20 May www.geekstogo.com
14 May – 21 May bink.nu
15 May – 22 May www.mediablab.com
16 May – 23 May www.last100.com
17 May – 24 May www.labnol.org
18 May – 25 May www.notebooks.com
19 May – 26 May www.slashdotreview.com
20 May – 27 May www.neowin.net
21 May – 28 May www.geek.com
22 May – 29 Mau www.lockergnome.com
23 May – 30 May www.planetx64.com
24 May – 31 May www.thegreenbutton.com
25 May – 01 Jun www.istartedsomething.com
26 May – 02 Jun www.bleepingcomputer.com
27 May – 03 Jun www.hardwaregeeks.com
28 May – 04 Jun www.geeknewscentral.com
29 May – 05 Jun www.geekzone.co.nz
30 May – 06 Jun www.thetabletpc.net
31 May – 07 Jun www.gearlive.com
01 Jun – 08 Jun www.gottabemobile.com

Some of the website site where the winners have already been declared are:

02 May – 09 May www.absolutevista.com
03 May – 10 May www.arstechnica.com
04 May – 11 May www.osnn.net
05 May – 12 May www.jkontherun.com
06 May – 13 May digitalmediaphile.wordpress.com
07 May – 14 May www.bostonpocketpc.com

So I suggest you to head over to these website and track them to win the super prize package. For details about the contest please visit here. There is an RSS link and an OPML available so that you can track these sites conveniently.

In addition, most of these site have very good articles which techies and computer enthusiasts will definitely like. So go now and start participating, I am also competing

Hi,

It has been well over a year since I posted something new on my blog. However, now I shall try to be more active than ‘usual’. Frankly, another article describing my experiences or rather whereabouts (during 2007) should have come after my last post on world politics which was way back in December of 2006. Writing about 2007 will take a lot of time and commitment. However, I will write about it once I have enough time and back date that post so that it falls between this post and my previous post (that’s the advantage of maintaining a diary on the internet ) 

Definitely un-absolutism.

Careful study of the ancient texts (Gita is particular) shows that the ancients had the knowledge of parallel universes and time travel (I do not imply that they were able to travel in time because I frankly don’t know about that). Concept of parallel universes is an excellent point and it kind of refutes my thought and the ancient texts themselves.

“Death of a body/ moksha of a soul is an absolute and death it self is the ultimate truth.”

With reference to the issues like:

Israel/Palestine/Syria/Egypt.

India/Pakistan/Kashmir/US/China

LTTE/Sri Lanka/India/Norway

Congress/BJP/Left Front/Third Front/The common man

There is nothing absolute and there will be no absolute because of the imperfections in intelligence (wrt mankind). The very way we have evolved, developed systems, sub-systems and setup a way of life is imperfect and “un-absolute”. To elucidate this, here is a simple observation:

At the dawn of the age of reason (the time when the ape became intelligent and started calling himself man) every one was equal and today the society is divided into haves and have nots. Why?

The system and its users are imperfect.

Stephen Hawking once said that developing a theory of every thing will be like knowing the mind of god. I believe that our mission is to work for removal of imperfections and make the un-absolute absolute. However, our inherent imperfections, hypocrisy and inability to resolve/ accommodate conflict of view-point will never let that happen or at least it seems like that). When I am really pissed-off, I say “intelligence is a bane”.

P.S. I am not a pessimist though I may appear to be one because nothing is absolute.

Meanings for “absolute” (ref. answers.com): Perfect in quality or nature; complete, total, utter, unqualified, unconditional, unlimited, supreme, fixed.