When the Earth Jolts

http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/sympathy-for-japan-and-admiration/?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=OP-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-SFT-031111-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click

Watching the pics and videos of the earthquake hit areas, i cudnt help but notice that people were not going crazy as one might have expected them to behave while facing such destruction... I remember watching live streams from Hurricane Katrina (US, 2005) and Haiti last year and it was painful to see many embracing their inner demons and assailing other victims with their basic instincts run amok... in treacherous times they were, and my sympathies are for their losses, but as Japanese are showing right now, even victims have a choice of choosing their behavior under extreme duress...

Of course, people coming out to help and support each other is not new, and we have seen it being put into practice in India during Bhuj and Tsunami, but Japanese are better in that than us... and I do not think it is because of difference in fiscal states between India and Japan... No... it is rather because the social fabric of Japan remains strong, their sense of purpose as a nation and pride remain indelibly strong, and that creates a structure for them to conduct themselves in ways befitting of their beliefs...

Although there are countless things which ail Japanese society... I always thought the idea of seppuchu was a bit extreme... that a growing number of old people there are turning to be more lascivious with weird fetishes, and that the 'workaholic' culture is not stable in long term...
but
I have always admired Japanese for their sense of purpose, and their social fabric... i have always loved the idea that although they are pioneers in creating humanoids and geminoids, they have maintained respect for their age old customs, traditions and social hierarchy - to point that they can be accused of being completely inflexible... still, the intertwining of old with new is the best way to look into future and Japanese have mastered that in their culture...

In any case, this is not the last time i will bemoan about changes I wish to see in India and around the world... but it is time to think about what is happening in Japan... and pray for them...

May God placate the Earth...

The DNA of future...

Beautiful video and short but compelling narrative...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY59wZdCDo0

The dream of a better future lives on and thrives on shoulders of those who can think beyond our petty differences and realize that we all are residents of one terrafirma... that the mathematical probability of our accidental existence on this little 'pale blue dot' in the vast incomprehensible universe is so significantly small, that it is the most significant event in the known universe....

looking around its hard to imagine if peace is ever possible on this planet... it appears to me that 'peace' is as mythical as a unicorn or the one-eyed monster... and I can't help but wonder again and again, if war and discontent is in our blood? if its ingrained in our DNA? Is there an anger switch in our genes? a gene for jealousy?

we all have come long way since the early cave man discovered fire and made weapons out of rocks... and yet it appears that in spite of all the evolutionary progress, our aggression hasnt tempered down... and I know I can't blame evolution for this anomaly... evolution never really got a chance to change us in significan't ways...

i have read about 'ram rajya'... the mythical times when there was peace upon earth... I dont know whether it existed in reality or not... but look back at the history and one might realize that in reality there was never a long period of peace on this earth... if there is an anger gene, it never got a chance to mutate because there simply was never a time when its need wasnt there...

but now that we are in present state, living with traits which have been trickling down to us since centuries, what pathways lie before us to circumvent our problems and attain the higher goal of peace and progress??

For long I thought religion can provide us a guiding path... but the idea of religion has failed in my viewpoint... our sense of ingrained tradition and reverence to authority is so great that we cannot look beyond the veils of tradition to realize that all religions speak a common language... Every time the discussion on philosophy of religion begins, it ends up in arguments over supremacy of ones religion over another... this road has been walked upon too often and now its time for trying something else... and one simple solution against religion is have larger faith in science...

the conflict between science and religion has long been overstated... for long have the speakers of religions spoken in ardor of the cold and non-emotional state of science as an existential threat to our society and general way of living... and like many others, I believe that this threat is fueled by what they do not understand and perhaps by their fear of being castigated by others... in reality, both science and religion aspire to answer some very similar questions... science is more spiritual than the spirituality imbibed in the idea of religion itself...

while I am big fan of Sir Richard Dawkins, I do not completely share his arguments that religion is 'root of all evil'.... I find my viewpoint much more matched with ideas of our present 'his holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama'... A true seeker of truth and god, he has shown that how science and religion can live in a symbiotic relation...

one might argue that there is certain degree of authoritarianism in science... and that we have to take words of Einstein, Newton and many others as granted... so... yes like all religions, there is authority and tradition in science too... but this authority is by no means unchallenged, and their words are rarely taken for granted... in fact in science we know that those who are revered were by no means perfect and were fallible because they were normal people amongst us... they were not immortals, however their achievements and accomplishments have survived against the rigorous test of time...

in some ways, their beliefs were as magical as any religious story... the discovery of bulb and electricity gave the power to remove darkness in our hands... isnt it as powerful as story of a rock being stopped by Baba Nanak or story of the entire Govardhan parwat lifted by lord Krishna?... thats why am rooting for science... for it is a universal religion and transcends any border and free from prejudice of authority and irrationality....

n am hoping that someday... maybe someday science can provide us with some solutions... a flu shot against anger... a vaccine against jealousy... a pill against hunger... or simply a flu shot which opens our eyes and enlightens us and makes us realize that what separates us also binds us...

Of Paul and Football

as you might have come to know.... the world has recently woken up to tunes of gentle rolling of octopuses... considering the gulf is on fire, seems octopuses have chosen an alternative lifestyle - to be a psychic... :) and guaranteed they are not getting pina-coladas, but i dont suppose they have any crib notes on their current lifestyle
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/blog?entryID=5361798&name=worldcup2010blog&cc=5901&ver=us

forget mathematical models based on multivariate analysis to predict market predictions.... its time... for every1 to get new pets - octopuses....
its little wonder how these gentle creatures of underworld have escaped tentacles of mankind ;) (u get it how sweetly i introduced tentacles here - octopuses have tentacles and not men... funny :D well never mind if u dont find it funny, just read ahead)

considering one of the most technologically advanced countries believes in Paul, goes to prove the daily humdrum of science cannot breach the fabric of unknown to look as efficiently in future, as Paul can...

anyhows, with Paul have lately become fond of the idea of having octopuses as pets... in my opinion, they are better than dogs n cats... n here's why

the tentacles of octopuses, they are so strong that were u hanging on a rope like Sylvester Stallone in Cliffhanger, u mite use them to pull urself up... so they are life savers... what does a dog or cats tail do other than wagging?

octopuses are like mini vacuum cleaners with their small holes in their tentacles... so they are house cleaners

octopuses can kill sharks and that too with their bare hands ;)... so they are more awesome than you, me and all humanity combined together...

they are pretty intense dancers.. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUB4VvafnJ4)

you are down and hit rock bottom? just approach your friendly pet octopus.... with too many hands, they can hold you, your coffee and tissues at same time... aint that sweet

you are high and need some1 to hi-five??? you'll never find the friendly octopus out of hands to give u what u want...

Octopuses are psychics... period

and the list can go on... but hopefully you get my point...

so next time u r in a position of life n death... when there are situations beyond ur control... like the time when u cant decide what milk carton to choose - 2% organic or skimmed milk... remember Paul and ask for his advice and strength to carry you through such tough times...

till then, m logging off to head to Newport Aquarium to find my own personal psychic....

Of Dolphins and Sea Monster

This is a work of fiction and any resemblance between the characters and persons living or dead is purely coincidental.... (In any case, I am not famous or have enough money if you are planning to sue me. Although I do have a towel in my possession which I am very much attached to since last four years. It’s a good towel - just tender enough to slowly diminish my rate of settlement on chair to a level where I can firmly position myself without flinching and just hard enough to smack a spider on the wall. As anyone will tell you, a good towel is hard to find.)



(today)
Booooooooooooom.

(yesterday)
For months the DolphX News Channel had been locked into a debate which had invited every known famous Dolphin from all around the world.
'It's not gonna happen' chimed Dr Felicitious Closedoptica.
'I agree, it ain't gonna happen' said the all-knowing pundit Christopher Doodlehead.
'But if it happens, it will slowly take over our kingdom. We do not know what can come out of it? The legend of Mandolph talks of the giant sea monster which shall awaken one day and cover the entire world with a venom so dark, that there will be blood everywhere' - the lone voice of Dr Factodian Truthadux protested.

(* the legend of Mandolph... it was more of a myth now... the type of myth which everyone agreed was just a myth and decidedly false, yet there was a consensus that it should be feared nevertheless... That is the fate of legends... passing on from a generation to next and getting diluted every time until one day it becomes one of the ‘stupid and hilarious stories’ the grandpa used to foretell…

For long the Dolphin Kingdom had been living in perfect harmony with other inhabitants of the sea... The new born were taken care of... The shrimp and other food industry was regulated properly and everyone agreed happily paid their taxes to help the unfortunate few who had their fins or tails cut off in some unfortunate accident... yes, once or twice there were some impropriety... like the time Mrs. Readbeak ran off with much married Mr. Tukoto Kosami - father of Kosami klan of Japanese waters. But overall, it was very much a dull happy place. Food was in plenty. There was plenty of room and dolphins from around the world were invited with open fins… there was no anti- immigration law and racial profiling was unheard of… although the dolphins from Pacific were often ridiculed for their unbearingly voice modulations… There was just too much C-sharp in them which made them sing like a tuning fork… *)

‘The myth of Mandolph?? That is a heap of diggity-doogity goo goo my friend. No one believes it. There is no evidence of a sea monster. The only monster I have seen was my physical instructor back in high school and he made me clean all the reef one time. Now I know they are not the most intelligent of the species, but surely no one is so stupid to do a suicide as the legend says.’ said Dr Closedoptica.

‘I am sorry, but have you forsaken our own history in prejudice of our present times? Our much worshipped ancestors moved to land from the sea. But they had to return back to sea once again for they could not see the destruction caused by the upperdwellers. The Book of Mandolph specifically talks about the potential of upperdwellers to cause depredation everywhere they go. There savage desires know no bounds. Our wise ancestors had warned us that one day, the lust of upperdwellers will seep into our worlds and awaken the giant monster which will be the end of our world as we know it. WE NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR THOSE MOMENTS’ – said Dr. Truthadux almost screamingly.

‘I am sorry Dr. but there is no need to be so much in alarm. We have witnessed them over several centuries. Surely we have seen them over years. There is an agreement between them and us now. Look at the history, look at the number of their lives our kinsdolphins have saved. They have no business down here! Yes, sometimes some of our members have been captured, but then they were the ones who had breached to surface and trespassed onto forbidden zones. We cannot blame upperdwellers for the foolhardy actions of our kin.’ uttered Mr. Doodlehead .

‘Look, are you so blind to see the upperdwellers are already encroaching upon our lands? For months we have seen them putting their things in the sea. Have you looked at that long piece of tube drilling on our basin and slowly churning the sea. I am telling you, we do not know its motives. Don’t be so naïve to trust that upperdwellers are doing this with all the goodness in their heart. They do not care of us. It is about the lives of our children’ – said Dr. Truthadux.

‘I disagree, I think Dr Truthadux is raising an alarm which should not be raised. We threaten no one, we are the gentlest of sea creatures, the upper dwellers think we are adorable… yeah, that is what I have heard them say sometimes… surely they need us and the sea as much as we need it… There is no sea monster here! There is no reason to move an entire country just because of a myth‘ said Mr. Doodlehead.

‘Yes, We have already sealed the entire area and passed the order not to go around that tube. That should take care of things‘ said Dr. Closedoptica.

(today)
The Sea Monster gushed forth from the beds of the sea… In a moment, the chest of the sea was ripped apart and laid bare as the ‘Sea Monster’ awakened from thousands of years of sleep… just as the legend foretold…

And then there was darkness forever…

Of Oil and Water

unbelievable...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/30/AR2010053002195.html?hpid=topnews

so let me get this straight
we can go to moon
we can build a bomb to nuke every damn planet/bacteria/virus on this condemned planet
we can wipe off entire forests, entire wastelands and marshes
we can make planes and robots which can go and excavate mars and find water there
we can make tallest buildings which defy gravity and blur sense of real with illusion

but we cannot fix a damn hole???

the keepers of green dollar bills and gold coins forget that this planet belongs to none, that it is a gift from ancestors to be passed on to coming generations...oil companies in particular have had a long tradition of devaluing human life for monetary gains and establishment of their world order... Atrocities by Shell in Nigeria and their role in death of Ken Saro, destruction of Ecuadorian rainforests by Chevron, Exxon Mobil and Indonesia... the list goes endless... I am reminded of a scene from the movie 'Blood Diamond' in which an african old man thanks god that the white people came and found diamonds... n then he wonders it could have been worst if they had found oil instead...

they keep on harping upon our dependence on oil... that there is no possible solution to circumvent our dependence on remains of algae and sea weed spread on ocean floor over period of billions of years...
seriously??? is finding such a solution that complicated...

for starters, why not imagine a place, what if there was never such an oil for us to use at first place? i believe in resourcefulness of mankind and m utterly sure that instead of keeping on burning wood and coal, we would have found a sound solution to this problem... maybe too many windfarms, too many geothermal vents...

Yeah US is leading on research for alternative methods of fueling... but it is stumbling... the right winged lunatic fringe of this country is totally devoid of any sense of real and it is they who are pushing this country on a brink of catastrophic edge... to me it almost seems that for India and rest of the world, there is not much time left... the sense of urgency to secure viable, long termed energy solutions which can overcome the dismayed projections of future need to be there and that too right now... What sort of planet are we planning to gift our coming generations? I pledge to do whatever it is in my power to make my impact on this planet as harmless as possible...

this is one of the saddest event I am witnessing in my lifetime...

Of Aliens and Earthlings

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/space/article7107207.ece

i guess one side effect of being a sc-fi lover happens to be dealing with thinking numerous ways we can get obliterated :D
m glad that a scientist as eminent as Stephen hawking is moving this concern beyond the realm of sci-fi though... the analogy he has drawn for relations bw aliens with us and native Americans with Columbus is hardly an outcome of some conspiracy theory and beyond possibility of probability... i definitely believe there are aliens out there... and i can bet my life that they are not all carbon based life forms... and I am not even going to discuss Drake Equation or Fermi's paradox in that context...
I think one of the biggest mistakes our scientists have been doing for very long time have been to search for extra-terrestrial life in form of 'life' as we see 'life' as... which is a grave mistake... same units of life form can be based on Silicon... or Iron in some unique bonding which we might not be aware of... already in last 5 years, we have come across several forms of extremophiles which have changed our thinking of life... and that's just on our planet...
if u think of life on this planet and think of how many ways we can get annihilated, perhaps you will bend down on ur knees and start kissing ground when the realization dawns on how lucky we are to be alive... and how our small inconsequential worries matter zilch when it comes to the big cosmos...
our planet is in peril... its a precarious territory...

i know for what i m about to say i may be ridiculed, and justifiably so... and yeah, we can all put everything on shoulders of 'God' and give up saying 'what is gonna happen, is gonna happen'... before m labeled as 'depressive soul' or 'negative thinker' or a 'doomsayer' let me assure u, m not... but at same time i also believe in being cautious and i think there r things which shud genuinely worry us and we shud think of what ever we can do about them.... and yet m positive that our survival over last millennium is no mistake... future is going to be exciting with many great things which are ready to explode and unfold in coming few years... n each of us need to be ready for making it better and making sure our probability of survival is as much as possible...

i fervently believe that future belongs to science... if u look at the sci-fi movies like 2012, independence day, deep impact... one concept is central to all of them... in any impending gloom the governments around the world are going to do their best to make sure human race survives... and they do so by choosing 'few'... what r chances of getting picked among those 'few',,, well for one - either u need to be filthy rich like ambanis or offer something valuable to human race... be an eminent scientist, an eminent engineer, an eminent doctor, an astrophysicist, a neurosurgeon... (an eminent dancer? probably not).... yes, i know we cannot be that now... its too late for us... but this is not about us... this is about the coming generations - our children, our grandchildren... you want them to survive and carry on their shoulders the beautiful memories of this dying planet... they need to be 'best' n they need to be 'useful'... doesn't mean kids cant have fun... in fact i think no one has more fun than some1 who is involved in science n technology... they don't need to give up on waltz or music lessons... but we need to show them beauty of finding unknown...

as for ourselves... there r things we can do... i for one have been very cautious on use of plastic for long n try to use them minimally... n m going to minimize it further... its always sad to see whales washing on beaches, dying and having 10 gallon worth of plastic inside them... its always sad to see that there is a continent of plastic as big as Texas floating in pacific ocean... n not to talk of numerous ways global warming is effecting India and the whole world... it pains me to see a common man struggling to survive in the sweltering heat n ppl queuing up for mile for water which is rationed on daily use... n i have some other plans, which m not gonna divulge because they r too crazy to be disclosed :D

but somehow i feel safe too when i see likes of great leaders like dean kamen, ray kurzweil, al gore, narayan murthy, bill gates n so many others working and struggling to give us all a fighting chance to survive... when all of us are totally unconcerned n take everything around us for granted... we are safe because of ppl like them... n someday i wud like to see our children join ranks of such eminent ppl - who think of it as 'gaia' and love it as "na'vi" people did of Pandora...

yeah... its a lengthy diatribe... n probably m somewhat crazy :D

but well i cant shut up :D

so all the ridicule is formally invited... :D

Of Ethics and responsibilities

this article is clearly written by someone whose heart cries for these ppl n wants the corporations who bring some change...

http://www.nlcnet.org/reports?id=0034&t=1

hats off to the journalistic endeavor... particularly since getting pics outta places like these is huge task...
i guess the idea is that corporations dont give a damn about conditions of labor... but hopefully the ppl do...unfortunately ppl have short memories... its same as 'blood diamonds' n sweatshops in india... last year a story came off that gap clothes were made by underage kids in india n Gap to their credit ended their relations wid that firm in new delhi...

clearly it rattled microsoft n it did its investigation... n... so it emerged, some justice has been done...
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/infotech/software/Microsofts-China-suppliers-get-2-wks-to-end-illegal-practices/articleshow/5826500.cms

are they going to severe ties with this company? not sure for now... similar thing happened with apple corp 2 weeks ago n they cleared the company in question...no news if the corporation under scrutiny made any changes in their labor policy... somehow the whole story seems ironic... china is considered a communist place n republicans in america deride china for its policies which they believe lead to unionization... n yet what is happening inside the factories in china is clearly a result because of corporate greed n capitalism being forced down the throats of these workers...

wid no labor costs.. it means a mouse being sold at 70$... is clearly getting the company at least 40-45$ in profit (considering packaging+die +circuit costs)... n these ppl r getting probably 10 cents on that mouse... for greed everything else is too little... for microsoft in particular this wud be hypocritical... bill gates has set up billions of dollars to solve problems of world... seems as if all that money is labeled already with sweat of others...

earning 1200$ per year? 65 cents /hour? n working 80 hours per week? that is inhumane!

unfortunately we cant stop buying products... cant also say that we'll buy products of their competitors... samsung, HP, lenovo... they all seem to be using this particular vendor...
but wud i be willing to pay somewhat more money if i were to know that, that money wud directly go to benefit these ppl - Yes...

but for now, i m glad that bringing this fact to world attention has paid off... gives hope for future of this planet n ppl who inhabit it... :)