From shadows to the stars

Our geniuses at the IT and software companies have started a protest against "power cuts and the hike in the electricity tariffs". Those stupid 9 to 5 stuck ups. I just wish some people would think before doing something. It spares them a lot of embarrassment. Yes, there are power cuts and the price of electricity has increased. That is what happens when there is a SHORTAGE of anything. Remember when Petrol was 45 bucks a litre? It's not like the government is storing all the electricity just to hike the prices (as we all know from those wildly entertaining physics classes, energy can not be created, destroyed or stored). What do they want the government to do? It's bad enough there is a 12 hour power cut in the villages, they want them to completely be cut off? What is the protest gonna achieve anyway? Does it magically produce electricity out of lightning and cure the problem? Oh! I get it, they are saving electricity by not going to their offices! Good job g...

Do you know how lab rats are trained? When they do something they are supposed to do, they are “rewarded”. i.e. given a piece of cheese, or whatever. When they do something they aren’t supposed to, they are “punished” - an electric shock, maybe. So finally, a few kg of cheese and a lot of electric shocks later, the rats’ brains start to understand this. They only do what the scientists want them to. In other words, they are made to do what the lab scientists want by linking the action to something the rats like. This process is called conditioning. In human society too, there is a lot of conditioning. Most people say that the whole concept of parenting is the biggest example of conditioning. But I like to stray from the beaten path, if you know what I mean.  My favourite example of conditioning is the concept of advertising. The advertisement industry thrives solely on the process of conditioning. Let me explain it to you in a more detailed way. It’s perhaps best...

All teenagers driving bikes/ scooters in India must have one skill - dodging the sly and cunning Traffic Police. Of course, you can only escape their clutches so many times. At one time or another, they Traffic Police will get hold of you. If they get hold of you, and you dont have the necessary documents (license, registration, pollution check and insurance), the Traffic Police OWN you. Of course, I have heard of instances when even having all the documents doesn't help. Either way, you're not getting away without your pockets considerably lighter. Whether you chose to pay the official fine or bribe them is your choice. So when the other day, after I had obtained all the required documents, I was just wishing, praying that a Traffic Policeman would stop and check me. And after a couple of days, my wish was granted. A Traffic Policeman was about 30 metres ahead of me on one side of the road. Normally (when I didn't have my documents, i.e), I would make sure to mainta...

From the time I chose to drop out of Engineering and decided to join Mass Communication, I have been receiving a lot of unwanted and unneeded advice from the so called adults. I have pretty much not taken stock of those advice. But now it has become too much to bottle up. I'm gonna whine and complain for a bit, please bear with me. This is the only space i have left to vent my feelings. It has been more than 18 months since I have left engineering. In those 18 months, I was advised to learn a language or computer programming or stuff like that in which i have the least bit of interest. Apparently these things will help me in my future if i dont get a good career through the mass communication degree. Dont people understand that i chose to drop out of engineering only because i felt that i could have a good future through mass communication? I dont need those "skills". I know that my skill lies in writing. That is why i want to be a print journo. If i had continued ...

Been a while since I have posted the Random Observations. Today's topic largely deals with the ridiculing of Hinduism. For some, it might seem like a calculated attack rather than just random observations. They wouldn't be totally wrong, I must say. Here goes to the death of Hinduism and all other religions. RO #1 Have you ever watched the portraits of "Goddesses" on the exterior walls of temples? Have you seen the sculptures of these Goddesses? Don't you think some aspects of them are strikingly similar to a certain Pamela Anderson? If you haven't, do so the next time. RO #2 The Mahabharata is depicted and hailed as a triumph of "good over evil", the Pandavas defeating the evil Kauravas. The Pandavas though, cheated and played dirty (helped by "Lord Krishna") to defeat the Kauravas. Necessary evil? For those of you wondering how they cheated, here is one example. When Bheem and Duryodhan were in a duel, Bheem hits Duryodh...

I went to the ATM the other day. There was a queue outside it (like anything else in India). While i was waiting in the line, i noticed that one guy, after collecting his cash, started counting the notes. I felt a strong urge to burst out laughing, but controlled it, lest i appear insane. This is something very Indian. I dont think anywhere else in the world, anyone is counting the cash they get from an ATM! 1) The ATM being a computer will not commit an error. It will send out the exact amount you asked for, not less not more. You cant trust humans, but you can damn well trust an ATM.  2) Let us consider that miraculously (though virtually impossible) the ATM committed an error and sent out less money than you asked for. What the hell can you do about it anyway? Start beating up the machine until it coughs up the rest? Start screaming for the ATM guard (who must be sleeping) and ask him to pay up instead? While all this appears funny and idiotic, it is what give gi...