I'm back from a long long break. In this period, I got married, bought an iPad,moved thrice and so on and so forth.
My tendency to crack sick jokes continues. Try writing 'kasturba Gandhi' in outlook and let the spell checker have it's way. You'll promptly understand what I mean.
Yes I am the sick man they show in the ad for tapedik in doodarshan. And if you had to refer to a dictionary to understand that, you are sicker than I am. I mean, with the amount of rich Hindi literature out there, (just count the number of chacha chowdhury and *astram books in circulation), it's a pity that our English vocabulary is bigger than hindi's.
On that note, if someone has a dense vocabulary, is that a compliment or not?
What I still struggle to understand is this: how can the person who just paid 50% of his last flat's price in black money complain about A Rajas and Kalmadis of this world? Or did I just mistake envy for genuine social concern?
Saw zindagi na milegi dobara the other day and I am still in deep thought. What would I do if I didn't have to work for a living?
It would definitely involve lots of travel, possibly a lot of writing and reading as well. Add to it, a large variety of food.
I seriously think it's a big deal if someone has clarity on this. At various points, my replies have included writing comics, cooking, teaching and travel.
Znmd is no DCH but it is worth a watch nevertheless.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Friday, June 04, 2010
Some experiments ...
I have tried these thought experiments on two smart people and I am glad with the results.
Of late, I have become a lot more sceptical about God and miracles and so on. When people try to bring any kind of logical semblance to the notion of God, Karma and things like that, I challenge them to a few very simple thought experiments.
Let's start with the assumptions first.
A coin toss is a chance event. Something beyond our control. Purely a chance event means that it is not pre-decided by some divine force, and it is beyond everyone's control, including God.
Suppose I am able to put a gun to your head and toss a coin. If it comes heads, I will shoot you. If it turns out to be tails, I will let you go. Now, who decides whether you get to live or not ? I am a slave of the coin and will do whatever it says. If the outcome is a function of your Karma, then the result of the toss is pre-decided, ain't it? That contradicts the assumption we started with. If it is not a function of Karma, then the single most important turning point in your life is not affected by your Karma. What use is Karma anyway?
If I were to attach no significance to the outcome of the coin toss, you would have no issues saying the coin toss is a random chance event. But as soon as we attach something of life changing consequence to its outcome, that clarity fades away. But the coin toss is still the same process!
My take on the whole subject is this:
I think what we experience in life is a function of chance. And by chance, I mean, the most critical things are beyond our control - also anyone else's, including God. We only work with probabilities, but we can never be sure we can achieve something with 1.infinite zeroes probability.
God exists because our cognition created it and it soothes a lot of people's minds to believe in Him. It gives them an anchor in times of distress. There is absolutely no role of logic in faith.
In fact I suspect there may be a role for evolution to play in this God business. Suppose there were two tribes, one with the notion of God and the other without it. The former would have a lot of beliefs built around God, prohibiting things the elders thought were not good for the community, and forcing the belief that a bad act will result in eventual after effects. The latter would not have this kind of a faith system. The former group is more likely to flourish and survive than the latter. The belief in God system seems to bode well for the community but we should know where logic ends and blind faith begins!
On a similar tone, on the subject of Homoeopathy : this link and this.
Of late, I have become a lot more sceptical about God and miracles and so on. When people try to bring any kind of logical semblance to the notion of God, Karma and things like that, I challenge them to a few very simple thought experiments.
Let's start with the assumptions first.
A coin toss is a chance event. Something beyond our control. Purely a chance event means that it is not pre-decided by some divine force, and it is beyond everyone's control, including God.
Suppose I am able to put a gun to your head and toss a coin. If it comes heads, I will shoot you. If it turns out to be tails, I will let you go. Now, who decides whether you get to live or not ? I am a slave of the coin and will do whatever it says. If the outcome is a function of your Karma, then the result of the toss is pre-decided, ain't it? That contradicts the assumption we started with. If it is not a function of Karma, then the single most important turning point in your life is not affected by your Karma. What use is Karma anyway?
If I were to attach no significance to the outcome of the coin toss, you would have no issues saying the coin toss is a random chance event. But as soon as we attach something of life changing consequence to its outcome, that clarity fades away. But the coin toss is still the same process!
My take on the whole subject is this:
I think what we experience in life is a function of chance. And by chance, I mean, the most critical things are beyond our control - also anyone else's, including God. We only work with probabilities, but we can never be sure we can achieve something with 1.infinite zeroes probability.
God exists because our cognition created it and it soothes a lot of people's minds to believe in Him. It gives them an anchor in times of distress. There is absolutely no role of logic in faith.
In fact I suspect there may be a role for evolution to play in this God business. Suppose there were two tribes, one with the notion of God and the other without it. The former would have a lot of beliefs built around God, prohibiting things the elders thought were not good for the community, and forcing the belief that a bad act will result in eventual after effects. The latter would not have this kind of a faith system. The former group is more likely to flourish and survive than the latter. The belief in God system seems to bode well for the community but we should know where logic ends and blind faith begins!
On a similar tone, on the subject of Homoeopathy : this link and this.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Murderers exonerated again
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Can this get worse?
The taps are dry and I have spent the whole day out in the sun, so my shirt is far from dry. I am hungry but I am reminded of the long sweaty day whenever I lie against a pillow or on the bed. Even switching on the AC at full speed doesn't help much. I worry about how I will manage to reach office tomorrow without feeling like a crumpled, sweat-drenched shirt.
To add to it, Strato refuses to talk to me. Different people behave remarkably differently to stress situations. Strato just shuts up and stops contact with just about everyone, including me. I tell you, it strikes me like Bush's shock and awe therapy. Suddenly, I have no clue whether she has lost her cell or is sleeping or is not willing to talk. As hours pass, I come to understand that there must be something bothering her. Lots of cajoling ensues. She relents to talk, only on gtalk, and then on her insistence, I decide to let her be alone, hoping that it would calm her down.
All the dishes are lying on the sink, dirty from the last day and half. I had nothing else to eat, so I decided to cook some Maggi. Half way through the process, which is when I the tastemaker into boiling water, I realised that I am short of tastemaker. A potfull of colorless tasteless cooked Maggi now lies on the sink.
So here I am, dirty and hungry and lonely.
As part of damage control, I ordered sandwich from subway and decided to take bath in the half bucket of water that is still there in the bathroom, hoping that the water shortage problem will be solved by tomorrow. Suddenly, life is not all that bad. May be, a new day will come and taps will be flush with water and Strato will talk and the dishes will be clean again.
There are worse things which have happened, but too much gloom is not good for the reader count of this blog.
May you have a better day than I did.
By the way, I watched and enjoyed ICe Age3 today. The good feeling it generated, however, is suddenly lost somewhere in all this gloom and doom situation.
To add to it, Strato refuses to talk to me. Different people behave remarkably differently to stress situations. Strato just shuts up and stops contact with just about everyone, including me. I tell you, it strikes me like Bush's shock and awe therapy. Suddenly, I have no clue whether she has lost her cell or is sleeping or is not willing to talk. As hours pass, I come to understand that there must be something bothering her. Lots of cajoling ensues. She relents to talk, only on gtalk, and then on her insistence, I decide to let her be alone, hoping that it would calm her down.
All the dishes are lying on the sink, dirty from the last day and half. I had nothing else to eat, so I decided to cook some Maggi. Half way through the process, which is when I the tastemaker into boiling water, I realised that I am short of tastemaker. A potfull of colorless tasteless cooked Maggi now lies on the sink.
So here I am, dirty and hungry and lonely.
As part of damage control, I ordered sandwich from subway and decided to take bath in the half bucket of water that is still there in the bathroom, hoping that the water shortage problem will be solved by tomorrow. Suddenly, life is not all that bad. May be, a new day will come and taps will be flush with water and Strato will talk and the dishes will be clean again.
There are worse things which have happened, but too much gloom is not good for the reader count of this blog.
May you have a better day than I did.
By the way, I watched and enjoyed ICe Age3 today. The good feeling it generated, however, is suddenly lost somewhere in all this gloom and doom situation.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Revelation?
When the warrior feels lonely
and the battle feels long,
he needs a dose of love
to feel renewed and strong.
But such are quirks of life
and rapid twists of fate,
that no one seems to bother
and life is a long long wait.
He hoped he wouldn't succumb
to the feeling of despair,
he waits and finds all over again
that life isn't really fair ...
and the battle feels long,
he needs a dose of love
to feel renewed and strong.
But such are quirks of life
and rapid twists of fate,
that no one seems to bother
and life is a long long wait.
He hoped he wouldn't succumb
to the feeling of despair,
he waits and finds all over again
that life isn't really fair ...
Saturday, July 04, 2009
A murder is a murder...
If it is committed by policemen, it is even more heinous.
What has happened in Dehradun is a clear case of murder. If Ranbir was shot dead point blank, he couldn't have been escaping. His call records can easily corroborate or disprove police's claim that he had criminal connections. A lie detector test of the prime witness can clearly establish the manner in which Ranbir was rounded up.
If the government wants to find out the truth, it is not going to be difficult. If this was a fake encounter, the police officers involved directly should be tried for murder and those who tried to brush up the case should be tried for obstruction of justice.
Isn't the police supposed to protect common men?
Is the common man's life of no value ?
This case calls for a speedy trial and a clear and quick justice.
Cold-blooded murder!
ref: TOI HT IBNLIVE etc etc
You might say that I am jumping into conclusions, but hey, the circumstantial evidence against the police's claims are just too strong ! There is a PRIME witness who refutes policemen's claim.
What has happened in Dehradun is a clear case of murder. If Ranbir was shot dead point blank, he couldn't have been escaping. His call records can easily corroborate or disprove police's claim that he had criminal connections. A lie detector test of the prime witness can clearly establish the manner in which Ranbir was rounded up.
If the government wants to find out the truth, it is not going to be difficult. If this was a fake encounter, the police officers involved directly should be tried for murder and those who tried to brush up the case should be tried for obstruction of justice.
Isn't the police supposed to protect common men?
Is the common man's life of no value ?
This case calls for a speedy trial and a clear and quick justice.
Cold-blooded murder!
ref: TOI HT IBNLIVE etc etc
You might say that I am jumping into conclusions, but hey, the circumstantial evidence against the police's claims are just too strong ! There is a PRIME witness who refutes policemen's claim.
Shekhar Suman says...
"To maintain your character as a woman is the most difficult task on this earth"...
What shall I say!
[Disclaimers : This has been plucked out of context. But still... He he]
What shall I say!
[Disclaimers : This has been plucked out of context. But still... He he]
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Mango fest and my first sub
I am enjoying a mango fest at home. Slice to drink, mango for snacks, mango shake for breakfast, mango ice cream for dessert! I'm lovin' it. It is surprising but Slice ads do seem to have enticed me into drinking Slice. And guess what I found - there is a substantial difference in taste between other Mango drinks (incluing Maaza and Frooti) and Slice.
I had my first subway sandwich! Incredible as it sounds, I never tried subway because I never associated healthy sandwich with good taste but I have been proven wrong. The first time I tried a sandwich of that kind was in Germany. There were these shops displaying 'Doner Kebap' - a misspelt version of Doner Kebab(or Kabab, what the heck). Those are not Kebabs as we know them in India, they resemble a big bun partly sliced and filled with shredded chicken and other sandwich stuff. I liked those but they were monstrous - I could never quite eat more than 50-60% of it in one go!
I have finished reading Blink! and I must say I need to go back in time and eat my words. I have liked this book a lot. Some propositions that it makes initially about what it is going to describe and detail made me categorize it as one of those Deepak Chopra genre books but it is far from it.
If I end up with enough enthu, I might write a better description of what this book is about. But I can't wait to start reading The Selfish Gene. It has long been on my reading list, having been inserted there at the recommendation of Kamlesh. He's one fellow you can depend on when you are in need for a book suggestion!
A very interesting (and in the words of Strato - gross) thing happened today. I planned to make egg curry for lunch and in order to avoid any potential disasters, I thought I would look up on the internet to see if there are any special things I must watch out for. Guess what Google Ads displayed (the ad on the right):
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