tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64682409528245294802024-03-14T01:48:34.448-04:00Stochastic me!Apparently, 80% of blogs are named after "random".Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-21827832017769176722012-01-16T14:03:00.004-05:002012-01-16T14:03:36.171-05:00Can we do anything to provoke changes in Indian cricket?As always, a disappointing away series for the Indian cricket team leads to calls for an overhaul in the scheduling, selection, preparation and execution processes. Grassroots level changes are called for. All these, as we know very well, are you going to be forgotten as soon as India wins an ODI match (not even a series) or the IPL begins (one or the other Indian team is bound to win). <div>
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I, for one, am tired of going through this cycle time and again. We all know the BCCI needs to make some stern calls like the English/Australian boards. Can we do anything to ensure things changes?</div>
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As long as BCCI feels comfortable about the influx of money, they are not going to one damn-thing differently. I guess the only way to get attention is to hit their earnings. An empty Eden Gardens did provoke some discussion and talk. If only we can take it further through constant reminders. Just imagine the effect if a significant chunk of the viewers decide to boycott watching a few games. </div>
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I decide to boycott at least 50% of the IPL games.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-48659743508402168262011-04-06T10:09:00.000-04:002011-04-06T10:09:36.744-04:00Behind every successful woman is an ex-boyfriend<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Why? It takes a bit of getting dumped (or dumping) for women to let go of their natural instinct of letting their relation be the center of all thought-process.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-14484732270927447142011-02-21T14:07:00.000-05:002011-02-21T14:07:40.192-05:00Life is a series of rooms<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Life is a series of rooms, who you are stuck with in each room defines your life. --- House series.<br />
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Doesn't it capture the importance of communication and social behavior?</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-50969084095363478932011-02-16T12:21:00.000-05:002011-02-16T12:21:46.243-05:00ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Calendar<a href="http://ravibits.webs.com/">ICC Cricket World Cup 2011</a> displays the calendar in an extremely convenient fashion. Good to know it is made by a BITSian :)<div><br /></div><div>Have fun!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-53509374047834752232011-02-16T00:51:00.000-05:002011-02-16T00:51:56.479-05:00blogthis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">For those of us who are not aware of Google's chrome extension blogthis, it basically allows people to blog webpages with a couple of clicks. Interestingly, they do not allow blogging the blogthis extension webpage. :)<br />
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Well, I am glad Google doesn't support VMs inside VMs. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-56405996553980960552010-10-13T17:49:00.000-04:002010-10-13T17:49:08.767-04:00Pandora, Bollywood stationIndeed, the Bollywood station on Pandora feels like the radio that I grew up listening to. A good collection of songs, old and new, mixed well.<br />
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Go Pandora!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-2833573567408024772010-10-08T08:43:00.000-04:002010-10-08T08:43:54.811-04:00Do blog posts (their frequency) follow a power-law distribution? Why?Writing is known to be a streamlined channel for peoples' thoughts; blogging (micro-blogging too, of late) provides a platform where people can share their thoughts with the general public.<div><br />
</div><div>Time and again, the pattern shows up. The pattern where people blog very often for a short duration of time, and hibernate for a relatively long time. I feel the time-between-two-posts follows a power-law distribution. It would be nicer if one could validate the same; the knowledge would definitely help blog service providers in efficiently using their resources.</div><div><br />
</div><div>However, my interest lies in understanding why people go through these cycles of activity and no-activity. Is it because people have their own reasons to blog, and those reasons surface only from time-to-time. If that is the case, wouldn't it be amazing to conduct a survey on why people blog in the first place? Do people even know their prime motivation for blogging? I definitely don't. This reminds me of a conversation with a friend who studies communication. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Apparently, in communication classes, the students are taught that each blog is supposed to have a theme/purpose. Though the merit of such an argument is questionable, how many of us actually set out with a purpose in mind?</div><div><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-72350355190780083602010-09-11T11:49:00.000-04:002010-09-11T11:49:23.823-04:00WaterLet be a river, a lake, or the ocean, water bodies are known to be wonderful stress-busters. The best thing I have done in recent times is renting this place that overlooks the Wabash river. Here, I find myself sitting in the warmth of my room on a cloudy Saturday morning sipping the morning dose of hot badam milk. For a brain that is constantly running (unproductive most of the time, nevertheless running), I find myself blank and completely relaxed. Only if I could manage a massage here.<div><br />
</div><div>For those of you who argue on still vs moving waters, here is my two cents. Water is just amazing, it calms you irrespective of whether it is calm or rapid.<div><div><br />
</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-85920030504345339292010-09-10T23:35:00.000-04:002010-09-10T23:35:31.747-04:00Graph from "I hate luv storys"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HkPOtNAn_2L6_Z1PJ6Upt4PrE5Cy8nhLp9hSryIh1LdcyQEclA9m17xOuPf4bF9iw8lrf3q00RtOi-3QI5PnUD6iXq4OXe_HLNVZPemhZ1rzVmGpjr8Gv8NgrCTnnDDg06FKKqA6QkE/s1600/Graph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HkPOtNAn_2L6_Z1PJ6Upt4PrE5Cy8nhLp9hSryIh1LdcyQEclA9m17xOuPf4bF9iw8lrf3q00RtOi-3QI5PnUD6iXq4OXe_HLNVZPemhZ1rzVmGpjr8Gv8NgrCTnnDDg06FKKqA6QkE/s320/Graph.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-58450984135785944602010-09-10T22:57:00.000-04:002010-09-10T22:57:33.172-04:00Change is indeed the only thing constant!Ganesh Chathurdhi time again; and as always, I am reminded of the last year's celebrations. Though the celebrations and the people I celebrate with are mostly same, hardly anything else in life is the same.<br />
Life (professional and personal) completely changed. Goals and aims, the way I perceive people around me and the way they perceive me, have all changed. Interestingly, I like everything about it - life then, life now, and the journey through (happy and not-so-happy).<br />
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Of course, I do not completely understand the course of life. Not that it needs to make sense. From time to time, certain things make sense. Life might feel complete if everything makes sense, well, eventually.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-30884761685743218122010-07-27T22:20:00.000-04:002010-07-27T22:20:26.263-04:00What is our favorite sense?[... from a discussion with a friend]<br />
<div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div>While at the Monterey bay aquarium, we came across the <a href="http://www.google.com/images?q=hammerhead+shark&um=1&hl=en&client=ubuntu&channel=cs&biw=1920&bih=1061&tbs=isch:1,itp:photo&source=lnt&sa=X&ei=FpJPTIyrFYq6sQObtMzJDw&ved=0CA0QpwU">hammer head shark</a>. Wikipedia says - the hammer head shape is due to the nostrils at the end of the hammer head, and the nostrils (wide apart) assist the shark in attributing a specific direction to a smell. Quite interesting, right!<br />
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Among the sensory organs in humans and most animals, ears are widest apart followed by eyes, nostrils and tongue. Does it imply that we need to determine the direction of sound more than the direction of light or smell?<br />
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Interestingly, technological innovations in the entertainment world also follow similar trends -- radios, tape recorders, etc.; TVs, movies, videos etc.; and recently devices to emit a particular smell.<br />
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Coincidence? May be, but doesn't look like it.<br />
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PS: Entertainment here doesn't include recreational activities! :P</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-84703848811425732082010-01-26T10:12:00.002-05:002010-01-26T10:20:37.539-05:00How about different education for men and women?From the title of the post, I definitely sound like a sexist. May be I am. Here though, I am not arguing in favor of any sex.<div><br /></div><div>This <a href="http://beta.thehindu.com/health/medicine-and-research/article95048.ece?homepage=true">article</a> suggests women's brains are more complex and apparently do a lot of thinking. If it were true, by giving both men and women the same education (training to think and act on a variety of issues), aren't we under-utilizing women's brains. It could very well be the reason why women have all the time in the world to think about not-so-important issues.</div><div><br /></div><div>How about having different education systems for men and women (not disturbing their interaction), and let women teach women how to harness their lateral thinking abilities in a meaningful way.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-9410591187517296902009-07-04T00:09:00.000-04:002009-07-04T15:59:28.986-04:00Computerization demands extra verification<div style="text-align: justify;">Computers have crept into every nook and corner of our life. It comes at an expense. Extra <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">verification</span> might actually help deal with it well.<br /><br />For my 24<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> birthday, my girl friend gifted me an audio (radio, stereo) player for my car. I was really happy with it. Not even 2 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">months</span>, it got stolen when I parked it right next to my Department in the amazing city of West Lafayette. I thought it would be sensible to report the same to the cops and did so. The cop asks me to give him the serial number of the player and so I do.<br /><br />Next day, I wake up with a call from the same cop. Apparently, my player was already reported stolen. They didn't put it that way but the cops suspected me of theft from the "actual owner" of the player. It is only after <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">confirmation</span> from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">BestBuy</span> did they let me go.<br /><br />I felt we rely a little too much on the reports that are filed <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">electronically</span>. I strongly recommend extra <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">verification</span> in these cases. I suspect some guy has lost his car stereo player and the serial number got distorted either at source or at entry. A little <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">verification</span> as to whether he has already bought it would have not put me in a spot. And in case, it really happens, they would have had a way to track down how it got back onto the shelves of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">BestBuy</span>.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-25479632752314565472009-04-14T18:42:00.000-04:002009-04-14T18:46:27.577-04:00Questions from IndiaOne friend of mine already stole this idea from me.<br /><br />When I call people back at home in India, they always ask the same questions. Here they go, in the reverse order of sensibility.<br /><ol><li>Is it day or night at your place?</li><li>What is the time? (as if they won't talk to me if it was an odd hour)</li><li>What did you cook today? ( For Pete's sake, I don't cook. Even if I do, it is not like I know what I cooked.)</li><li>When would you be visiting India again?</li></ol>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-16803281763501134172009-04-14T17:53:00.000-04:002009-04-14T18:42:45.416-04:00Round figuresI never understand why people associate a lot with round figures...<br /><br />Why is Sachin Tendulkar's 99 so different from his 100. Why can't people just talk about averages? Why do they talk about number of centuries, number of 5 wicket hauls? It is pretty weird.<br /><br />I do understand that there should be milestones to chase and celebrate. But, why associate so much to a milestone?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-81117828609924459132009-02-15T10:00:00.001-05:002009-02-15T10:04:08.356-05:00The Village Bride of Beverly HillsYeah. I am talking about the book by Kavita Daswani.<br /><br />My first read in that genre. It was a small book (size does matter, I picked just coz of its size) which talks about the culture tension through a traditionally wed Indian woman's life.<br /><br />Bottom line: Okay book. Good to read once. Very hard to read the second time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-19833157667384832612009-02-07T21:20:00.000-05:002009-02-07T21:31:49.750-05:00Do colours bring "colour" to life?<div style="text-align: justify;">For Americans - Colour = Color<br /><br />This is the beginning of February. It has been quite sometime (more than 2 months) since it is all white. It was much better when eye could see different colors - green, blue, yellow, red. As if to rub it in, Fall comes just before Winter.<br /><br />Back at home, winters were also very colourful. And, life is happier too. I do understand there are other aspects which make life more interesting. But, I was just wondering how big a role colour plays. Would West Lafayette be a lot merrier if it was colorful (but equally cold)?<br /><br />I wish there were a clear answer to this - is research not to find such interesting things? Or, rather, I wish I could find that answer if anyone had found it.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-52502515527640403652008-12-08T23:42:00.000-05:002008-12-08T23:52:29.393-05:00My brain is dying<div style="text-align: justify;">I look back into my past. I was this amazingly inquisitive, sharp kid. Now, I am such a douche bag. Did I do exceptionally well at deteriorating myself (my brain) or does it happen to everyone?<br /><br />I feel this amazing laziness in myself. Interest to do nothing. No more of that fighting spirit to achieve stuff and meet deadlines. What contributed to this? I see these options -<br /></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Age (Natural)</li><li>Internet addiction (Easy way to while away time)</li><li>Easy life (no need to fight it out hard to earn the basic needs)</li><li>Alcohol (though I drink only socially, I read somewhere that alcohol kills brain cells and that they are not created again)</li><li>Peer-pressure (learnt from undergrad that the one who doesn't work is the cool dude)</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-42821338391191387712008-12-08T23:29:00.001-05:002008-12-08T23:40:31.550-05:00Media, You woke up the leaders of the country!<div style="text-align: justify;">First up, I am extremely sorry for everyone who suffered from the Mumbai atrocity.<br /><br />It is interesting to see the political leaders take this issue seriously and trying to press for some quick action against those anti-social elements, who inflict pain on the innocent. Then, I wonder why we did not do the same earlier when other terrorist attacks happened in India. Most of them were blasts which happen just in a flash and what you see is only the aftermath. By the nature of the damage, they are no less compared to the latest attacks. With all due respect to those sincere hard-working authorities, for some reason, the political leaders of India never felt the pressing need, as much as they do now.<br /><br />The media has taken us through the attacks and everyone felt the pain through the attack. And, I would say that it definitely played a part in this timely action to solve the major issues. Thank you, media.<br /><br />Though it is sad that it took an attack like this for the authorities to wake up, corrective measures have started and we should all unite and fight it out against these terrorists.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-70346520071924724632008-12-04T10:00:00.001-05:002009-07-04T16:09:12.742-04:00Deer hunt - should it be allowed?<div style="text-align: justify;">One day, on my way from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">UIUC</span> to Purdue, I hit a deer at about 60 mph. It was a pretty bad blow to the car. Apparently, there have been a lot of deer hits during that time - the car rental guy and the insurance guy said so.<br /><br />The reason for the hits is supposed to be that the deer are running around to evade the bullets. It was the hunting season. While some are having fun hunting animals, there are others on the roads suffering brutal accidents.<br /><br />I would support not allowing hunting and cutting down on such accidents.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-84152032159896829672008-10-07T03:18:00.001-04:002008-10-07T03:33:09.437-04:00Internet or Drugs?<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">Theorem:</span> Straight and simple. Internet is more addictive, more than drugs.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Proof:</span> I have heard of people who go into rehab and consequently get out of drug addiciton. I never heard anything similar for the Internet.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Example Scenario:</span> I have an hour to kill before the class. What do I do?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">pre-Internet age:</span> Shall go say Hi to this guy and probably go to cafe. Or shall workout. Or catch some sleep.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Internet age:</span> Shall go change my Facebook/Orkut/MySpace/IM (read '/' as 'and') status. Report the same on twitter. Check mail every 2 minutes. Blog about the prized 5-minute conversation with someone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Remedy:</span> No Internet connection at home. Go for this mode where people can't access you that easily. No Internet, no mobile phone. This helps you realize what you are losing otherwise. :D</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-10763851389117798362008-05-22T02:03:00.000-04:002008-05-22T12:35:12.166-04:00Wait LessHow to stop a baby's crying in 2 seconds? How to peel the shell of an egg in 2 seconds? How to parallel park in 2 seconds? These and many more <a href="http://www.waitless.org/">here<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-16202134377818251882008-05-17T15:54:00.000-04:002008-05-24T13:05:40.791-04:00Can social networking sites make substantial amount of money through ads?<div style="text-align: justify;">Facebook is dubbed as the next big thing in the IT industry. It is supposed to be on the verge of going public. There are many people moving to Facebook to make obscene amounts of money as and when it goes public. People who missed the previous bus (Google) want to get on board. Let us look at social networking sites in general and Facebook in particular (just coz it is dubbed as the next big thing).<br /><br />It always intrigues me if social network sites can make money. If you see other ad companies, they bank on other things. Take Google Search for example. When Googling, people are looking for information and there are higher chances of they being interested in the relevant ads. Clear money.<br /><br />On the other hand, on any social networking site, people go to socialize. Meet old friends, reunite with family members, keep track of what others are doing etc. So, they are definitely not looking for any serious information. I agree there are people who, on seeing ads, would go click and buy stuff (even if they are not looking for it) but how big is this number. Ads clearly do not suit these kind of sites. And, I don't find any other way by which they can make money.<br /><br />When I mean money, I am not talking about money to break even. It seems Microsoft has valued a part of Facebook for a huge sum. And, extrapolating, Facebook is valued apparently at ~ 16 billion USD. Also, it doesn't bank on any strong technical finding. It just has a huge user base. But history has been showing - it might take long to divert the user base but it is very easy to do that.<br /><br />Needless to say, it is the same with any social networking site. It is very very hard to make obscene amounts of money. The existence of more of these is just cutting the small cake into many more pieces. With this said, I open the discussion. People are welcome to discuss/argue on this.<br /><br />Disclaimer: This is total speculation and as the blog title reads - Random Thoughts - it doesn't use any specific knowledge about any company internals. It is totally based on assorted discussions with friends - who again speculate.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-90280332415103392762008-05-12T12:31:00.000-04:002008-05-12T12:42:43.886-04:00Point & Shoot camera<div style="text-align: justify;">Hi guys<br /><br />I have been thinking of buying a point and shoot for a while now. Though it is not very slim, I liked this one - <a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=183&modelid=15657#ModelDetailAct">Canon PowerShot A720IS</a><br /><br />Let me know if you have any extreme opinions/reviews for this camera.<br /><br />Thanks a lot.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468240952824529480.post-58468178825040410222008-05-11T16:21:00.000-04:002008-05-12T20:24:36.587-04:00Are movie reviews true and reliable?<div style="text-align: justify;">Are movie reviews true and reliable? In other words, is the current movie reviewing system correct?<br /><br />My friends and I were contemplating going to this new movie - 'Iron Man'. I decide to go see how people have reviewed it on IMDB. It says 8.3/10.0. Sounds like a good movie, given the fact that the best review for any movie being 9.1 and only 73 movies having a better review than this.<br /><br />I watched this other movie - 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' recently and didn't like it much. (I would have personally rated it at 6, my idea of a movie rated 1 would be 'The Golden Compass') I check the rating and the rating happens to be 8.0? Wait a minute. Isn't American Gangster also rated at 8.0? Ain't this strange? 'American Gangster' and 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' equally good???<br /><br />Of course, I do understand that different people like different movies and the rating shown on any of the review sites is mostly an average opinion. Also, I have this feeling that people get this urge to vote only if they have some strong opinion about the movie, particularly when they have a strong positive opinion.<br /><br />This skews the whole opinion and makes the whole review process pretty useless. So, can't we have a good review system which helps everyone.<br /><br />When each voter votes for some movies, it is pretty possible that he is close to some other person's votes. Two people might have similar tastes, and one's review might make sense and be useful to the other. This correlation factor can be very easily computed and can be updated whenever someone adds a review.<br /><br />After this, each user would see two kinds of reviews. One shows average review and the other weighted review based on his correlation factor. Wouldn't that be cool and so useful?<br /><br />I don't understand why people do not have these kind of reviews.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2