If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.
~\cite{Rabindranath Tagore}
~\cite{Rabindranath Tagore}
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
New batch registers at IITB
The whole of India once again has representation at IITB, the new M. Tech CSE batch has it all!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Probabilities and possibilites
Couple of days back, we had a super time discussing the Monty Hall problem. This problem is born from the yesteryear game show "Lets make a deal". You can even play a simulation of this game here.
This is a game of probabilities, a possibility with a higher probability is the one that is expected to happen, and assumed to happen. We are taught that the higher probable thing will happen in all likelihood, but the lower probable thing is also a possibility that can occur.
Now if the low probability occurrence is the one we desire, then we tend to hope against hope that somehow it would happen. My relationship with "hope" is intriguing. Even if I know that the probability of an event is 0.01, I will still keep hoping for it till its last deadline, till it finally becomes clear that there is nothing remaining. Each time I realize that this is my bane, and yet the next time, I again bet on the event with the low probability with the same zeal and vulnerability. Another self-wrecking streak in me, would you say?
This is a game of probabilities, a possibility with a higher probability is the one that is expected to happen, and assumed to happen. We are taught that the higher probable thing will happen in all likelihood, but the lower probable thing is also a possibility that can occur.
Now if the low probability occurrence is the one we desire, then we tend to hope against hope that somehow it would happen. My relationship with "hope" is intriguing. Even if I know that the probability of an event is 0.01, I will still keep hoping for it till its last deadline, till it finally becomes clear that there is nothing remaining. Each time I realize that this is my bane, and yet the next time, I again bet on the event with the low probability with the same zeal and vulnerability. Another self-wrecking streak in me, would you say?
Saturday, July 12, 2008
define: sacrifice
As per Ayn Rand's book Atlas Shrugged (written in my words here):
A mother who forgoes buying a hat in order to afford some milk for her baby is not making a sacrifice; simply because she is buying the milk for the baby that she values more than a hat. However, if there were a mother who thought that buying a hat is more valuable, and yet bought milk for her baby as if its her duty to do it, THAT would be a sacrifice.
In the above context, it is argued that sacrifice is not good. Her philosophy argues that we should do something only if we really want to do it; do it only because we hold its value higher than something else. And if we do something because we think its important, then we shouldnt consider it as a sacrifice of that something else.
Interesting philosophy for sure.. but it needs some more thought before mapping to our world. Firstly, we need to define what sacrifice means to us, not philosophically I mean, but realistically. What does the dictionary say sacrifice is? I googled and was amazed at the vast semantics the word "sacrifice" held! The one definition that we might all think of is, "the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim."
There were few others definitions also like "surrendered or lost in order to gain an objective" and "a loss entailed by giving up or selling something at less than its value". Observe that the former talks of gaining an objective while the latter talks of ending on a loss! I just realized that I had no idea what the word sacrifice meant, or rather that never before had I actually given this word any serious consideration...
A mother who forgoes buying a hat in order to afford some milk for her baby is not making a sacrifice; simply because she is buying the milk for the baby that she values more than a hat. However, if there were a mother who thought that buying a hat is more valuable, and yet bought milk for her baby as if its her duty to do it, THAT would be a sacrifice.
In the above context, it is argued that sacrifice is not good. Her philosophy argues that we should do something only if we really want to do it; do it only because we hold its value higher than something else. And if we do something because we think its important, then we shouldnt consider it as a sacrifice of that something else.
Interesting philosophy for sure.. but it needs some more thought before mapping to our world. Firstly, we need to define what sacrifice means to us, not philosophically I mean, but realistically. What does the dictionary say sacrifice is? I googled and was amazed at the vast semantics the word "sacrifice" held! The one definition that we might all think of is, "the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim."
There were few others definitions also like "surrendered or lost in order to gain an objective" and "a loss entailed by giving up or selling something at less than its value". Observe that the former talks of gaining an objective while the latter talks of ending on a loss! I just realized that I had no idea what the word sacrifice meant, or rather that never before had I actually given this word any serious consideration...
Friday, July 11, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The Can-Would story
The title may not have made it very clear, but this post is about the following two English words, "can" and "would" with respect to their usage while framing requests.
I dont know whether its the case only with Indians or whether it happens everywhere, we often use the word "can" where we actually mean to ask for a favour like "Can you close the door?" or "Can you lend me this book?" Are we really asking him if he "can"??? Isnt the question really a request, and therefore, shouldnt we rather say, "Would you close the door?" or "Would you lend me this book?"
Literally, "can" implies ability to do something and "would" is about choice. Would that person want to do such and such a thing? Ofcourse he can close the door; did u think that he would lack the strength to heave the door shut???
One could argue here that if he is capable of closing the door, he will obviously do it; whats there to think about it? Well, does that mean u r incapable of closing the door and thats why u r asking someone else to do it for u? Obviously not, right? You are merely requesting it as a favour, so dont lord it over them as if they have no choice but to relent to your wishes. Phrase a request like a request, and not as a command; so that when they do it, they will actually feel like they have done something to help you, and not feel as if they have been ordered around by you.
A basic point to understand here is that when you make a request, the opposite person has every right to deny. Why do u assume that he will do it if he can? The denial doesnt necessarily have to be, "Sorry, I cant". It can well be, "Sorry, I dont want to." We are raised in a society where we are always taught to help others. Therefore we often mistakenly assume that we can refuse to do something only on the pretext that we are incapable of doing it! Well, what about choice? Dont we have the choice to say no?
Well, when anyone asks you, "Can you forward this mail to so and so..?" would you buckle up and say, "Sure I can, but the real question is do I really want to..."
I dont know whether its the case only with Indians or whether it happens everywhere, we often use the word "can" where we actually mean to ask for a favour like "Can you close the door?" or "Can you lend me this book?" Are we really asking him if he "can"??? Isnt the question really a request, and therefore, shouldnt we rather say, "Would you close the door?" or "Would you lend me this book?"
Literally, "can" implies ability to do something and "would" is about choice. Would that person want to do such and such a thing? Ofcourse he can close the door; did u think that he would lack the strength to heave the door shut???
One could argue here that if he is capable of closing the door, he will obviously do it; whats there to think about it? Well, does that mean u r incapable of closing the door and thats why u r asking someone else to do it for u? Obviously not, right? You are merely requesting it as a favour, so dont lord it over them as if they have no choice but to relent to your wishes. Phrase a request like a request, and not as a command; so that when they do it, they will actually feel like they have done something to help you, and not feel as if they have been ordered around by you.
A basic point to understand here is that when you make a request, the opposite person has every right to deny. Why do u assume that he will do it if he can? The denial doesnt necessarily have to be, "Sorry, I cant". It can well be, "Sorry, I dont want to." We are raised in a society where we are always taught to help others. Therefore we often mistakenly assume that we can refuse to do something only on the pretext that we are incapable of doing it! Well, what about choice? Dont we have the choice to say no?
Well, when anyone asks you, "Can you forward this mail to so and so..?" would you buckle up and say, "Sure I can, but the real question is do I really want to..."
Weird Happening
A very, very weird dream compels me to write it down, for memory sakes I guess. I might have called it The Happening, similar to the Night Shyamalan movie, except that it was not the only happening. Besides, I wouldnt wanna get involved in any copyright issues. So I choose to stick with describing it as the Weird Happening.
The basic premise of the dream was that I saw myself as a different person from myself. It wasnt funny at the time it was happening, but it sounded very hilarious when I was narrating it to my friends. In my dream, I rationalized that this female - who looked extraordinarily like me - was my twin! But then I wondered why no one else around me knew that I had a twin. Then I really started to question myself.. growing up, did I actually have a twin? My brain started giving me scenarios wherein me and my twin had indulged in games together.. where were these memories coming from? And then what about my brother? Oh yes, he was there too! But in places where he is present, my twin is never there. And when the twin is there, my bro isnt.
Hey does this mean anything? Is it to suggest that my brother is my twin in spirit though younger in age. I am no Sigmund Freud and my attempt to unravel a dream like this may even seem pathetic to some.
Actually, there is no one interpretation to this dream of mine. Every time I think of it, I get a different meaning. The one I have written above came to me right now while I was penning my thoughts here!
The basic premise of the dream was that I saw myself as a different person from myself. It wasnt funny at the time it was happening, but it sounded very hilarious when I was narrating it to my friends. In my dream, I rationalized that this female - who looked extraordinarily like me - was my twin! But then I wondered why no one else around me knew that I had a twin. Then I really started to question myself.. growing up, did I actually have a twin? My brain started giving me scenarios wherein me and my twin had indulged in games together.. where were these memories coming from? And then what about my brother? Oh yes, he was there too! But in places where he is present, my twin is never there. And when the twin is there, my bro isnt.
Hey does this mean anything? Is it to suggest that my brother is my twin in spirit though younger in age. I am no Sigmund Freud and my attempt to unravel a dream like this may even seem pathetic to some.
Actually, there is no one interpretation to this dream of mine. Every time I think of it, I get a different meaning. The one I have written above came to me right now while I was penning my thoughts here!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Do not get me wrong, I am pro-reservation at all levels for the villagers.. I am pro-reservation of the Nehru kind, and if proper statistics are used. Its unfair to decide reservation percentages based on census data from 1952. Please please update your registers with the correct numbers that this century desperately needs..
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