This is the biography of Professor Stephen Hawking,
A quick intro about this remarkable human being:
“Stephen Hawking is considered the world's foremost living theoretical physicist. He is an expert on black holes, whose stated intention is to unify quantum mechanics with Einstein's general theory of relativity, forming a single theory to explain the origin (and end) of the universe. Hawking, a professor of mathematics at Cambridge University, is the author of the best-selling book A Brief History of Time and something of a celebrity: he has made guest appearances on the TV shows Star Trek and The Simpsons. Hawking has suffered from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's disease) since he was a young man and is confined to a wheelchair.”
Prof. Hawking is not only confined to a wheel chair but cannot speak…he communicates through an artificial voice synthesizer using his two fingers, one of the few responsive parts in his body.
The biography is fascinating, essaying the intense self-determination of the professor against his ill-fated destiny.
This man has travelled across the world in his wheel chair, delivering some of the most cutting-edge discoveries on the origins of the universe through his lectures, despite the illness diagnosed by a doctor when he was in his college.
Doctors, at that time, had pronounced that the young man wouldn’t see more than two summers…but now the professor has crossed his sixties and still carries his mission with an higher level of enthusiasm than ordinary folks like us.
What are we going to do for our planet?
P.S: I am reading Galileo, the biography of Galileo Galilee, the 16th century scientist, mathematician, artist, philosopher who pronounced that earth revolves around the sun with evidence and was prosecuted by the holy church for committing this ‘secondary sin’.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Why gender-neutral terms are still biased
We are used to terms like flight attendant/ airhostess, actor/actress etc.
Now, it is no more politically correct to call the job roles as such.
The way it has been corrected is by using one gender term over the other and that is where the bias comes.
Hence forth, you should call every role by the male gender format i.e., flight attendant, actor etc.
I am amused…
Why not the female gender format for all?
What the hell will happen if that is followed?
Still some ‘old world’ (I would call that out of the world) notions, values and order is followed in this otherwise ‘equality’ filled world.
Now, it is no more politically correct to call the job roles as such.
The way it has been corrected is by using one gender term over the other and that is where the bias comes.
Hence forth, you should call every role by the male gender format i.e., flight attendant, actor etc.
I am amused…
Why not the female gender format for all?
What the hell will happen if that is followed?
Still some ‘old world’ (I would call that out of the world) notions, values and order is followed in this otherwise ‘equality’ filled world.
What is ‘Illegitimate’ about the son?
U.A.E has announced an amnesty program for illegal workers (workers without proper papers like passport, visa etc.) and thousands are waiting for their turn to get some breather.
Most of these ‘illegal’ workers (mostly from the subcontinent) are illiterate, daily wage labourers who have been misled by agents and are waiting for their chance to legitimise their residence status or rush back to their country.
It is a humanitarian move by the government to announce this laudable scheme.
Gulf News, the leading UAE newspaper, regularly reports ‘human interest’ (I hate this media term…is there an ‘animal interest story?) stories.
A few weeks ago, the same newspaper wrote about two Indian amnesty seekers begging for money on the roads to buy their air tickets to go back home.
Now, it has published the story ‘Mother with illegitimate child in tow seeks amnesty’
Please read the story http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Immigration_and_Visas/10138328.html and tell me what is illegitimate about the child.
It is so disturbing and makes me wonder whether we have lost all our empathy for fellow homo sapiens.
Are we trying to make every story 'newsworthy' and 'worth a sound bite'?
Most of these ‘illegal’ workers (mostly from the subcontinent) are illiterate, daily wage labourers who have been misled by agents and are waiting for their chance to legitimise their residence status or rush back to their country.
It is a humanitarian move by the government to announce this laudable scheme.
Gulf News, the leading UAE newspaper, regularly reports ‘human interest’ (I hate this media term…is there an ‘animal interest story?) stories.
A few weeks ago, the same newspaper wrote about two Indian amnesty seekers begging for money on the roads to buy their air tickets to go back home.
Now, it has published the story ‘Mother with illegitimate child in tow seeks amnesty’
Please read the story http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Immigration_and_Visas/10138328.html and tell me what is illegitimate about the child.
It is so disturbing and makes me wonder whether we have lost all our empathy for fellow homo sapiens.
Are we trying to make every story 'newsworthy' and 'worth a sound bite'?
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Oh God...We are Saggitarians and not Milky Wayans
All these years we thought that we are peaceful residents within the Milky Way galaxy in the cosmic plan of things and suddenly this new research says that we were swallowed by Milky Way and are actually from another galaxy.
Read more: http://www.viewzone.com/milkyway.html
Read more: http://www.viewzone.com/milkyway.html
Random Poetry - A.K.Ramanujam
Attipat Krishnaswami Ramanujan (1929-1993) was an author who wrote in both
English and Kannada. Ramanujan wore many hats as an author: he was a
playwright, folklorist, philologist, translator, and poet. In his academic work
as a scholar of literature he drew on his skills as a producer of literature.
His academic research ranged across four Indian languages: Tamil, Kannada,
Telugu and Sanskrit. He published about both classical and modern variants of
these literatures and also argued strongly for giving local, non-standard
dialects their due.
Still Life
When she left me
English and Kannada. Ramanujan wore many hats as an author: he was a
playwright, folklorist, philologist, translator, and poet. In his academic work
as a scholar of literature he drew on his skills as a producer of literature.
His academic research ranged across four Indian languages: Tamil, Kannada,
Telugu and Sanskrit. He published about both classical and modern variants of
these literatures and also argued strongly for giving local, non-standard
dialects their due.
- Introduction courtesy www.wikipedia.com
What he said
What could my mother be
What could my mother be
To yours? What kin is my father
To yours anyway? And how
Did you and I meet ever?But in love
Our hearts have mingled
Like red earth and pouring rain
- Translation of a Sangam poetry by A.K.Ramanujam
Still Life
When she left me
after lunch, I read
for a while.
But I suddenly wanted to look again
and I saw the half-eaten
sandwich,bread,lettuce and salami,all carrying the shape
of her bite.
- Original poem by A.K. Ramanujam
Self-Portrait
I resemble everyone
I resemble everyone
but myself, and sometimes see
in shop-windows
despite the well-known laws
of optics,
the portrait of a stranger,date unknown,
often signed in a corner
by my father.
- Original poem by A.K. Ramanujam
Random Poetry - Arun Kolatkar
I have always loved Arun Kolatkar's poems epsecially the Jejuri collection. I
thank Era.Murugan who introduced me to Arun's poetry.As usual, I encourage you to google (search the web) for more details about
this poet.The below introduction and poetry is published courtesy:
http://www.hcu.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/jtap/board/config.pl?noframes;read=9846
Poet: Arun Kolatkar
This is a poem by Indian poet Arun Kolatkar. Its a beautiful poem ridiculing
the commercialisation of pilgrimage at jejuri, Maharashtra.
Yeshwant Rao
"Are you looking for a god?
I know a good one.
His name is Yeshwant Rao and he's one of the best.
look him up when you are in Jejuri next.
Of course he's only a second class god and his place is just outside the main temple.
Outside even of the outer wall.
As if he belonged among the tradesmen and the lepers.
I've known gods prettier faced or straighter laced.
Gods who soak you for your gold.
Gods who soak you for your soul.
Gods who make you walk on a bed of burning coal.
Gods who put a child inside your wife.
Or a knife inside your enemy.
Gods who tell you how to live your life, double your money or triple your land holdings.
Gods who can barely suppress a smile as you crawl a mile for them.
Gods who will see you drown if you won't buy them a new crown.
And although I'm sure they're all to be praised, they're either too symmetrical or too theatrical for my taste.
Yeshwant Rao, mass of basalt, bright as any post box, the shape of protoplasm or king size lava pie thrown against the wall, without an arm, a leg or even a single head.
Yeshwant Rao.
He's the god you've got to meet.
If you're short of a limb,
Yeshwant Rao will lend you a hand and get you back on your feet.
Yeshwant Rao does nothing spectacular.
He doesn't promise you the earth Or book your seat on the next rocket to heaven.
But if any bones are broken, you know he'll mend them.
He'll make you whole in your body and hope your spirit will look after itself.
He is merely a kind of a bone-setter.
The only thing is, as he himself has no heads, hands and feet, he happens to understand you a little better."
thank Era.Murugan who introduced me to Arun's poetry.As usual, I encourage you to google (search the web) for more details about
this poet.The below introduction and poetry is published courtesy:
http://www.hcu.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/jtap/board/config.pl?noframes;read=9846
Poet: Arun Kolatkar
This is a poem by Indian poet Arun Kolatkar. Its a beautiful poem ridiculing
the commercialisation of pilgrimage at jejuri, Maharashtra.
Yeshwant Rao
"Are you looking for a god?
I know a good one.
His name is Yeshwant Rao and he's one of the best.
look him up when you are in Jejuri next.
Of course he's only a second class god and his place is just outside the main temple.
Outside even of the outer wall.
As if he belonged among the tradesmen and the lepers.
I've known gods prettier faced or straighter laced.
Gods who soak you for your gold.
Gods who soak you for your soul.
Gods who make you walk on a bed of burning coal.
Gods who put a child inside your wife.
Or a knife inside your enemy.
Gods who tell you how to live your life, double your money or triple your land holdings.
Gods who can barely suppress a smile as you crawl a mile for them.
Gods who will see you drown if you won't buy them a new crown.
And although I'm sure they're all to be praised, they're either too symmetrical or too theatrical for my taste.
Yeshwant Rao, mass of basalt, bright as any post box, the shape of protoplasm or king size lava pie thrown against the wall, without an arm, a leg or even a single head.
Yeshwant Rao.
He's the god you've got to meet.
If you're short of a limb,
Yeshwant Rao will lend you a hand and get you back on your feet.
Yeshwant Rao does nothing spectacular.
He doesn't promise you the earth Or book your seat on the next rocket to heaven.
But if any bones are broken, you know he'll mend them.
He'll make you whole in your body and hope your spirit will look after itself.
He is merely a kind of a bone-setter.
The only thing is, as he himself has no heads, hands and feet, he happens to understand you a little better."
Random Poetry - Richard Brauigan
I am planning to randomly publish poetries from my favourite poets (as ever,
this list grows day after day).
These sample poems are from Richard Brauigan.I encourage you to google (search the web) for more details about this poet.
Color As Beginning
Forget love
I want to die
in your yellow hair
My Nose Is Growing Old
Yup.
A long lazy September look
in the mirror
says it's true.
I'm 31
and my nose is growing old.
It starts about 1/2 an inch
below the bridge
and strolls geriatrically
down for another inch or so:
stopping.
Fortunately, the restof the nose is comparatively
young.
I wonder if the girls will want me with an
old nose.
I can hear them now
the heartless bitches!
"He's cute
but his nose
is old"
At the California Institute of Technology
I don't care how God-damn smart
these guys are: I'm bored.
this list grows day after day).
These sample poems are from Richard Brauigan.I encourage you to google (search the web) for more details about this poet.
Color As Beginning
Forget love
I want to die
in your yellow hair
My Nose Is Growing Old
Yup.
A long lazy September look
in the mirror
says it's true.
I'm 31
and my nose is growing old.
It starts about 1/2 an inch
below the bridge
and strolls geriatrically
down for another inch or so:
stopping.
Fortunately, the restof the nose is comparatively
young.
I wonder if the girls will want me with an
old nose.
I can hear them now
the heartless bitches!
"He's cute
but his nose
is old"
At the California Institute of Technology
I don't care how God-damn smart
these guys are: I'm bored.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
What I finished reading – Class Warfare by Noam Chomsky
I am a Chomsky addict.
About Chomsky (Just in case you don’t know already)
“Avram Noam Chomsky, Ph.D (born December 7, 1928) is an American linguist, philosopher, political activist, and a prolific author and lecturer. He is the Institute Professor Emeritus of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Chomsky is credited with the creation of the theory of generative grammar, considered to be one of the most significant contributions to the field of linguistics made in the 20th century. According to the Arts and Humanities Citation Index in 1992, Chomsky was cited as a source more often than any other living scholar during the 1980–1992 time period, and was the eighth most cited scholar in any time period.[1][2][3]
Beginning with his critique of the Vietnam War in the 1960s, Chomsky has become more widely known — especially internationally — for his media criticism and politics. He is generally considered to be a key intellectual figure within the left wing of United States politics. Chomsky is widely known for his political activism, and for his criticism of the foreign policy of the United States and other governments.”
About Chomsky (Just in case you don’t know already)
“Avram Noam Chomsky, Ph.D (born December 7, 1928) is an American linguist, philosopher, political activist, and a prolific author and lecturer. He is the Institute Professor Emeritus of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Chomsky is credited with the creation of the theory of generative grammar, considered to be one of the most significant contributions to the field of linguistics made in the 20th century. According to the Arts and Humanities Citation Index in 1992, Chomsky was cited as a source more often than any other living scholar during the 1980–1992 time period, and was the eighth most cited scholar in any time period.[1][2][3]
Beginning with his critique of the Vietnam War in the 1960s, Chomsky has become more widely known — especially internationally — for his media criticism and politics. He is generally considered to be a key intellectual figure within the left wing of United States politics. Chomsky is widely known for his political activism, and for his criticism of the foreign policy of the United States and other governments.”
- Thanks http://www.wikipedia.com/
If know more about Noam, please google.
This book is a set of interviews and Noam talks about his work, America’s imperialistic attitude, the (ill) effects of Globalisation and other themes.
I would suggest this book to be a definite 'starter pack' to know about Chomsky and his works.
This book is a set of interviews and Noam talks about his work, America’s imperialistic attitude, the (ill) effects of Globalisation and other themes.
I would suggest this book to be a definite 'starter pack' to know about Chomsky and his works.
What I am reading – From Certainty to Uncertainty by E. David Peat
I would rate this as the best ever layman’s guide to scientific thought of 20th century.
The book covers all the important scientific revelations that altered human thoughts towards the cosmos that we live in from the Theory of Relativity to Quantum Physics to String theory.
As the title suggests, the century (1900s) started with a common scientific feeling of certainty by the way of Newtonian/ Einsteinien theory which showcased that the length and breadth of the universe can be validated within a few scientific parameters and ended with an uncertainty theory in the form of Quantum Physics and String theory which has proven that indeed ‘reading’ the universe isn’t such an succinct task.
It’s really a compelling read with the author covering not only the scientific activities (read Physics) but also mathematical, literary, art, linguist theories that moved in sync with these thoughts.
The book covers all the important scientific revelations that altered human thoughts towards the cosmos that we live in from the Theory of Relativity to Quantum Physics to String theory.
As the title suggests, the century (1900s) started with a common scientific feeling of certainty by the way of Newtonian/ Einsteinien theory which showcased that the length and breadth of the universe can be validated within a few scientific parameters and ended with an uncertainty theory in the form of Quantum Physics and String theory which has proven that indeed ‘reading’ the universe isn’t such an succinct task.
It’s really a compelling read with the author covering not only the scientific activities (read Physics) but also mathematical, literary, art, linguist theories that moved in sync with these thoughts.
At last, the Bush's stooge is gone
Tony Blair goes (http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jun/26look1.htm) leaving behind a legacy of bushy subservient attitude.
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