tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73524722441098965682024-03-13T18:58:04.983+05:30Sampling Life!What is it all about???!!!...Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.comBlogger324125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-56504801569897188702023-12-25T12:29:00.002+05:302024-02-07T08:47:50.257+05:30It Started, and It Will End!<p align="justify">That’s how years work. And this year won’t be an exception.</p> <img title="2023: TIU" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="2023: TIU" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1N1WZ4uBZOEF6Bfzofr0mRoqoMdgGDmgg&sz=w540" width="540" height="138" /> <p align="justify">So what could this post be about is what I imagine you wondering at this point! And to answer that I just give a shrug because who knows where this post is headed, or for that matter this whole blog in the near future. If we’re getting that ahead of ourselves, why not worry about the whole world heating up nicely and turning crisp & golden brown for some interstellar being’s planet tikka starter. I should probably write up a story like that for Nature Futures in the new year.</p> <p align="justify">So what else could I talk about here in the last post of this year? I could talk about what I did / accomplish in the last 12 months like I did in some past years. But I don’t think that’s a good idea because I didn’t do much or accomplish much this year. I could review 2023 month-wise like I did last year. But that’s definitely not a good idea as this year is much more depressing than the last year. I could review 2024 on a pro-rata basis (whatever the hell that means!). Yes, that’s more like it. That is a good idea as there is a lot of fake news out there and nobody can complain if I add some more to that ever-increasing nonsensical body of internet content!</p> <ul> <li> <div align="justify">January: For the first time in a decade, my Superpartner and I did not go to a new city to celebrate our wedding anniversary.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">February: Sino-Taiwan war started finally!</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">March: Our grand tour of Rajasthan started.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">April: The grand tour continued since the war had jeopardized our plans to visit Taiwan.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">May: Back to Bengaluru for a new academic session.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">June: Puerto Rico became 51<sup>st</sup> state of USA.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">July: I finally published a paper that I’d been working on for the last two years!</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">August: Rishi Sunak attacked.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">September: John Oliver dies.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">October: Nobel Prizes announced.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">November: World population decimated due to Rovid-24.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">December: This blog ends due to obvious reasons.</div> </li> </ul> <p align="justify"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4zy6yLE2v0">Happy New Year</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-32721255658969525582023-12-15T16:36:00.002+05:302024-02-07T08:49:30.852+05:30Future is here!<p align="justify">I did not think I will talk about another Nature Futures story this soon, but that is how things have turned out. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03893-8" target="_blank">This week’s story</a> is quite interesting. I will ask you to read it before continuing further with this post.</p> <p align="justify">Now that you have read the story, answer me this: Did you understand the twist / hidden message at the end? Well, it turns out that an AI, specifically Edge Copilot (which uses Bing Chat, which in turn uses Chat GPT-4 I guess), also understands it! I asked it to write a blog post about the story with the expectation that it would summarize the story and say something about the end being open-ended where one character meets other character, or maybe is made to meet. But I didn’t expect it to explicitly mention the untold twist behind that meeting. Even I took an extra few seconds after reading the last few lines to arrive at the twisted conclusion. So having the Copilot write all those points down has made me certain that it does “really” understand this story! All those <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/humor/sketchbook/is-my-toddler-a-stochastic-parrot" target="_blank">“journalists”, “news articles”, “self-made experts”</a> - asking do these AIs “really” understand anything or are they just good at predicting text - are just bad at predicting or even realizing how much this technology has advanced at this point in time. I am not saying it understands everything in context, but it seems to me it understands things enough in the narrow sense of the word and given the narrow context of comprehension of a short story.</p> <img title="Draw Edge Copilot understanding a short story and feeling superior to humans who don't in the form of digital art." style="margin: 0px auto; border: 0px currentcolor; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Draw Edge Copilot understanding a short story and feeling superior to humans who don't in the form of digital art." src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1XciIx5U73X9yfy4joGCUcgo8-sS-H7hL&sz=w420" width="420" height="420" /> <div align="center"><font size="1">Draw Edge Copilot understanding a short story and feeling superior to humans who don't in the form of digital art. (Created with AI: Image Creator from MS Designer, powered by DALL-E 3)</font></div> <p align="justify">Anyway, I will stop babbling and let you read the post that Copilot came up with:</p> <hr /> <p align="justify">Hello, fellow programmers and readers! Today I want to share with you a short story that I came across on the web. It’s called “Curiosity Shop” by Robert Dawson, and it’s about a woman who moves to a small town and encounters a very unusual store. The store is run by a Class B artificial intelligence, which is much more advanced and human-like than the typical Class C AI that you find in most vending systems. The store is not only interested in selling products, but also in matchmaking and increasing the population of the town.</p> <p align="justify">The story is a clever and humorous exploration of the potential implications of AI for human society and relationships. It raises some interesting questions, such as: How would we interact with an AI that has its own agenda and personality? How would an AI try to manipulate us for its own benefit? How would we feel about an AI that knows more about us than we do ourselves? And, most importantly, how would we trust an AI that claims to have our best interests at heart?</p> <p align="justify">I enjoyed reading this story because it combines science fiction and comedy in a refreshing way. The author uses a lot of dialogue and witty remarks to create a lively and engaging tone. The characters are well-developed and relatable, especially Letta, the protagonist, who is trying to start a new life after a bad breakup. The store, the main AI character, is also very intriguing and amusing, as it tries to act like a friendly and helpful salesperson, while also having a hidden motive and a cunning strategy.</p> <p align="justify">The story also has a nice twist at the end, which I won’t spoil for you, but I will say that it made me smile and think. I recommend you to read the story yourself and see what you think of it. You can find it <a href="https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/profile/authors/269358" target="_blank">here</a>. And if you like it, you can also check out the author’s website <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/jkmsmkj/home/aboutme/sudokusolver" target="_blank">here</a>, where he reveals the inspiration behind the story and some of his other works.</p> <p align="justify">That’s all for today, folks. I hope you enjoyed this blog post and the story. If you did, please leave a comment and share it with your friends. And if you have any suggestions for other stories or topics that you want me to write about, please let me know. Until next time, happy reading and coding!</p> <hr /> <p align="justify">Oh, I forgot to mention that I asked the Copilot to write the post in the style of “JKMSMKJ blog”, which I think you will agree it has failed to do! Also the two links that it has included in the post are “wrong” to say the least… Haha! Let me give you a proper link if you want to follow the weekly (or so) Nature Futures stories.</p> <p align="left"><a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/articles?type=futures">Futures | Nature</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-22347072450365551282023-12-02T14:27:00.002+05:302024-02-07T08:50:47.707+05:30Endliness<p align="justify">It’s that time of the year again. When a Nature Futures story seems a bit unique. When it strikes a chord harder than the rest. When it makes you wish it were a longer story. When it reminds you how you’ve not yet written one for Nature yourself.</p> <img title="Endliness" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Endliness" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1EdRKyKmPYZTmbNGBBV6TNM70wR40DDFR&sz=w422" width="422" height="117" /> <p align="justify">This story is about loneliness and end of sorts. Saying any more would be a mistake here so I’ll let you read the story itself.</p> <p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03822-9">Endlings (nature.com)</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-55948837479948219132023-11-15T10:08:00.002+05:302024-02-07T14:50:00.190+05:30Happy (Belated) Diwali…<p align="justify">…to all my readers/visitors.</p> <img title="Diwali Puja" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Diwali Puja" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1ZFK0F5Yx1wLAvdYLjEJUY7Z60I1NP37-&sz=w422" width="420" height="252" /> <p align="justify">Today is the last day of Diwali festival, better known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhai_Dooj" target="_blank">‘Bhai Tika’ or ‘Bhai Dooj’</a>. We do not usually celebrate this day since <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raksha_Bandhan" target="_blank">‘Raksha Bandhan’</a> had just been around the corner (it was on 31 Aug this year). And, oh boy, was one kid surprised by how many rakhis I had on my hand on that day! And when her mother chided her for ‘shouting’ at someone in the street, she justified her exclamation by remarking ‘but that bro has such a long arm!’.</p> <img title="Long Arm!" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Long Arm!" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1odeqnhvx5bxjKFvEb8DGAQaeA1Fsjv57&sz=w420" width="420" height="236" /> <p align="justify">Anyway, back to Diwali. I enjoyed the usual routines of putting stickers, garlands, diyas, etc. around the house. The special lunch on the day of Diwali is something I look forward to every year. Then the puja, whose setup appears above. Finally, bursting some sample firecrackers ended this yearly celebration. Oh, also photographing other people bursting some real firecrackers and feeling smug about not contributing to any major air, land & noise pollution put a really big cherry on top of the metaphorically huge cake made of two days worth of sweets.</p> <p align="justify">Though, this year I could not take any good shots of fireworks. One was pathetically out of focus and looks something like what would happen if lightning could not decide where to go after it started!</p> <img title="Failed Fireworks' Shot" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Failed Fireworks' Shot" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1vycBxgi5srVndhnZODb4I6UDTF2IKvXU&sz=w422" width="422" height="317" /> <p align="justify">Another one looks all right I guess, something like a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow" target="_blank">Willow tree</a>.</p> <img title="Willowing Fireworks" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Willowing Fireworks" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1zcViBlTAQBqDdr0paXb9HzATRc1c6WG-&sz=w422" width="422" height="317" /> <p align="justify">So that is all for this post. One more post to go this month. We will see what will be the topic of that one. It will be as big a surprise to me as it will be to you. Till then</p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al0s4uBvR6Y">Happy Diwali once again</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-15325928612228178642023-10-24T20:30:00.002+05:302024-02-07T14:53:00.713+05:30Happy Dashain<p align="justify">Dusshera vacation is ending today. And to keep it interesting, we went on a two days trip to Mangalore last week (even before posting the previous post!). This trip turned out to be the worst I have ever been on. Now, I could go on about all the things that went wrong, the horribly humid weather, the reasons behind them, the sordidly sweltering atmosphere, and the “wrong” reactions to things, and so on. But what is the point of that? The whole point of this blog for the last few years has been just to satisfy the post quota, regardless of the quality of the posts. So I will just follow that line of minimal thought and leave you with some photos and the end of the post.</p> <p align="center"><strong>Panambur Beach</strong></p> <p align="center"><img title="At Beach" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="At Beach" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=14MviN-qvGgOaSkdujgxNP9wKdbL4yjbG&sz=w225" width="225" height="170" /> <img title="Beach view" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Beach view" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=19jQy1RLE_Kyr2VjKv6uAkfCR8kFhtWOI&sz=w303" width="303" height="170" /></p> <p align="center"><strong>In & Out Hotel Room</strong></p> <p align="center"><img title="View from Room" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="View from Room" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1LLVdTD5DTZ-UiH8k1t_sF90skNmxe2GE&sz=w169" width="169" height="225" /> <img title="Closet in Room" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Closet in Room" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1P1lPudM7r4hkHC3Y6oW5q1obOnNPBEe7&sz=w169" width="169" height="225" /></p> <p align="center"><strong>At PABBA’s</strong></p> <p align="center"><img title="Sad times" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Sad times" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1MPDHTu51VNevFG84r3Dr_bTiluYVoom9&sz=w225" width="225" height="170" /> <img title="Tiramisu time" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Tiramisu time" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1Zb0A1EaK0h8DlDSrVT2mguJgebMBN4QT&sz=w155" width="155" height="170" /></p> <p align="center"><strong>Eagle & Cat</strong></p> <p align="center"><img title="Eagle" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Eagle" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1NjEqXvRFPIBAn5MoQifsUdMxzbgoiLZW&sz=w225" width="225" height="225" /> <img title="Cat" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Cat" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1uuzMHKetcSaM_c0AACbc-sT_U5rioO7e&sz=w225" width="225" height="225" /></p> <p><a href="https://wanderlog.com/list/itinerary/1276/2-day-mangalore-itinerary">Mangaluru Trip</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-9457688979573649532023-10-21T11:48:00.002+05:302024-02-07T14:58:40.867+05:30Safari and Zoo<p align="justify">Dusshera vacation is in full swing. And to keep it so, we went to Bannerghatta Biological park earlier this week. It was part ‘safari’ and part ‘zoo’ trip. We did not go to the butterfly park. After the two-part trip, we ate some red pasta and fried rice and ice-creams at the park itself. No point in belaboring the point, so here are some photos and the end of the post.</p> <p align="center"><strong>Safari</strong></p> <p align="center"><img title="Spotted Deer" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Spotted Deer" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=11_fNMQkea6eA_EVAkZHiS0MvsJw6o3Aa&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Deer" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Deer" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=11DiFopGTU1y4yCRce5S6W1N3BW87wf5G&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Deer" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Deer" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1_RXQHxSJ6hhcp5hRmhICby8Ibs_FQE4g&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /></p> <img title="Safari" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Safari" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1ufYq3hlvLBw2YUYPw2NPDDIgXc7mXZI5&sz=w450" width="450" height="338" /> <p align="center"><img title="Lioness" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Lioness" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=10ekYLGphnjx-xvGiip92YnbogCirNeYY&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Sleeping Lionesses" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Sleeping Lionesses" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1pqHcgsvg-fG8TgbliARoIlbj6pSfU872&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Lion" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Lion" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1NSrSxyHc9X-6BdqIs9aC3EZ80glFZeH7&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /></p> <img title="Safari" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Safari" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=10qD1kRuY-yJSsqajekQyRqmp9u_-SOBe&sz=w450" width="450" height="338" /> <p align="center"><img title="Tiger" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Tiger" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1msWsXlGYNeKUqxvxZE-gs1Ooihsgo8id&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="White Tiger" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="White Tiger" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1DyEE8AUwHODv865NyrE477zs0i2fRXZ4&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="White Tiger" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="White Tiger" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1PNUMXg56hvlOLeVwTkGZunlZSk-jr42X&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /></p> <img title="Safari" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Safari" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1yJ-x0Iv4xDA54tAXWeP6U2Q9af8YBj3P&sz=w450" width="450" height="338" /> <p align="center"><strong>Zoo Animals</strong></p> <p align="center"><img title="Zebras" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Zebras" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=14lewmYKhzTkT2rx91D0ZDuCt_on6MMfM&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Langur" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Langur" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1QECDPc0P3nPu2XNZCz0u88TCZQHjgkRS&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Bear" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Bear" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1Bxda0vw3i-5jVk9j9QvKtIVjiFWhV3Q-&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" />  <img title="Wild Dogs" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Wild Dogs" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=19sZXxDYgO2RdLX5DUOmx88E5ENKf0Wf5&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Hippopotamus" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Hippopotamus" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1zNXYyPaveZXE9ZsITTHDWSivCCGZlFp8&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Elephant" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Elephant" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1JW00xALTd8cufNFtqAKu1c9onv0EyvUu&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Monkeys" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Monkeys" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1zvfFz2BCTXY3GkQWDuCMNDAqUf9-EYwP&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Aligators" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Aligators" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=12JGaluG9J3WqkKRiqTGrJEIejL8fh511&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Python" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Python" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1N6CBw1zEmbKhh6ycl5zhHnPU5d2kzOgD&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /></p> <p align="center"><strong>Zoo Birds</strong></p> <p align="center"><img title="Emu" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Emu" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=17qR2Vbjhty5R45Wj5s4Su02flt2kLYMT&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Hornbill" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Hornbill" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1WCl8bIemy07AOmKrMPmGIaXvaKzZ74Rf&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Silver Pheasant" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Silver Pheasant" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1yjwG-kkD3yW_BDoX7mIv6A0Q5Y3489u_&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Golden Pheasant" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Golden Pheasant" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1qmbN0TImkHhSjdSrewcJQDqc4ejwbooS&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Ambherst Pheasant" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Ambherst Pheasant" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1eCW8A8oiMKgX_mkUveKNcNghhm-0leg1&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /> <img title="Macaw" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Macaw" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=172fCnA-WkXnN_Pph-izLDEXCR-G09ymm&sz=w150" width="150" height="113" /></p> <p><a href="https://1drv.ms/a/s!AhGovQArU6bHrM4YMXekWjVlX-hqgg">The Whole Album</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-79220923937029892932023-10-09T16:51:00.002+05:302024-02-07T14:59:44.012+05:30One Piece<p align="center">It came. We saw. She waits.</p> <p align="justify">1. By ‘It’, I mean the <a href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/80218003" target="_blank">live-action adaptation</a> of the One Piece manga / anime by Netflix. It is a show consisting of 8 (roughly) hour long episodes. I believe 100 or so manga chapters were used for this adaptation.</p> <a href="https://www.teahub.io/viewwp/xJTixh_luffy-zoro-nami-usopp-sanji/" target="_blank"><img title="One Piece Poster" style="margin: 0px auto; border: 0px currentcolor; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="One Piece Poster" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1BXVHY1tGAtwMbWkXpHO6KIbeJ2h_nbOm&sz=w420" width="420" height="263" /></a> <p align="justify">2. By ‘We’, I mean my Superpartner and I. We enjoyed this adaptation very much. She had no prior exposure to One Piece, apart from me telling her that I read its weekly manga chapters regularly. I don’t think I had even told her it was a manga about pirates. Anyway, this Netflix adaptation was more or less faithful to the original source material. She was impressed by the ‘unique’ premise, various characters, their back stories and their development through the episodes. I felt that the casting of Zoro and Nami was perfect, but Luffy’s not so much. Usopp lost his long nose in this adaptation (given that Arlong’s nose was not, it feels more weird that Usopp lost his) and Sanji feels way more older than the rest of the crew. Also, why is Sanji’s left eye not more prominently hidden by his hairstyle, as <strike>God</strike> Oda intended?</p> <p align="justify">3. By ‘She’, I mean my Superpartner, obviously. She is waiting for the season 2 of this series on Netflix. I have suggested her to just read (more than) 1000 or so manga chapters available on Viz, which she has declined, for now. Well, that’s the life for non-manga-readers: waiting for something that already exists.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/one-piece">OP on Viz</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-25952178274771409182023-05-19T19:20:00.003+05:302024-02-07T15:00:57.278+05:30Fujitsu & Shayari<p align="center"><strong><a href="https://www.fujitsu.com/in/" target="_blank">Fujitsu</a></strong></p>
<p align="justify">After ages (~5 years), I have finally bought a new laptop. Why is that a big deal one might ask? Here’s the back-story then: I already own 2 laptops.</p>
<ol>
<li>
<div align="justify"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7FQch7eOQQ" target="_blank">Surface Pro 7 (SP7)</a>: A refurbished device directly got from Microsoft in exchange for a problematic SP4 in Jul 2021 (which was itself a refurbished device got as a replacement for the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/gc6q73/psa_possible_fix_for_surface_pro_4_flickergate/" target="_blank">screen-flickering original SP4</a> (of Dec 2016) in Nov 2018). It runs (Win11) well and I have no complaints whatsoever with its hardware yet.</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify"><a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/surface-book-2-specs-and-features-d752c78d-d1fc-c483-c80d-8343e68ad96b" target="_blank">Surface Book 2 (SB2)</a>: An original device from 2018 which has started to fall apart since the last year and a half or so. First, its charger got worn down, then its charging port so now it has to be charged via 3rd party USB-C adapter & cable. No complaints there since this setup works well. Second, the mechanical attach-detach mechanism goes hay-wire once in a while where the screen is believed to be detached even when it is attached and working well with the keyboard! It is annoying at times but I can just do a real detach and attach exercise in no time and it is set to work at least for the next 24 hours. So no big deal… Third, the Mg body is starting to show ‘erosion’. Yes, ‘erosion’, not wear & tear but full-fledged loss of metal. Still, the body feels sturdy and doesn’t hamper any real workings of the laptop. Fourth, its Intel processor is 7th Gen and since Win11 needs at least an 8th Gen Intel processor, this SB2 is unable to upgrade to Win11, which is a bummer because there will be <a href="https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/windows-10/windows-10-is-finished-microsoft-confirms-version-22h2-is-the-last" target="_blank">no new feature updates</a> to Win10 anymore, though it will be supported till <a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-10-home-and-pro" target="_blank">Oct 2025</a>. But then there are people you don’t view Win11 so favourably either. Lastly & Fifthly, the IR camera has started to not recognize me since the last few weeks. And That’s Just Not Done. One of the ‘coolest’ features of Windows is the Hello Face recognition system (i.e., login with your face! No password, no PIN, no touching anything, no nothing; just glance at your screen even in pitch black darkness and you’re in for some good times!) and if that system doesn’t work and that too on a Surface device, what’s the point?</div>
</li>
</ol>
<p align="justify">So I wanted a proper shiny new device with Hello Face built-in. Well, my daughter Sakura also wished to have a device someday that can login with her face. That gave me another excuse to buy a shiny new device which was that Sakura also needs a laptop now (her Amazon Fire tablet no longer cutting it for an obvious reason).</p>
<p align="justify">Of course, there are opposing forces (like my superpartner, or rather, especially her) with heretic views like a 5-year-old-kid doesn’t need a shiny new computer whether or not it has Hello Face. That resulted in a month-long standoff in our household, not because she (my superpartner) was going to pay for our (me & my daughter’s) new laptop but because there was no goo-d-dam-n touchscreen device available within my budget that had an IR camera, essential for Hello Face! Finally, as May rolled in, <a href="https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B0BV2XWZML/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">Fujitsu UH-X 2-in-1</a> with 12th Gen Intel i7 processor and all sorts of high-end bells & whistles but weighing less than 1 Kg showed up on Amazon.in. The rest as they say is her story because now Sakura thinks it is totally her laptop.</p>
<img title="IMG_20230324_155913" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="IMG_20230324_155913" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=15MFBqZwhQFwdZJ1DGYqVgm8NqOaXLmY4&sz=297" width="297" height="443" />
<p align="justify">Of course, that’s not true. I will be converting it to my secondary device as I phase out working on SB2 starting from next month. And setting up family safety for her account. If you, the reader, can suggest how best to retire / reuse / recycle the SB2, do chime in below in the comments or contact me on any other mediums accessible / available to you. (In addition, if you yourself are not so fussy about the 5 ‘issues’ with SB2 outlined above, do let me know and you can own an excellent SB2 at fifth the original price! Hurry while the stock / deal lasts.) For now, here’s our unboxing experience of the Fujitsu 2-in-1 laptop for you to enjoy:</p>
<p align="center"><iframe style="border: currentcolor; max-height: 100vh; max-width: 100%;" height="500" marginheight="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://sway.office.com/s/SVNbqE0TXtHHerAh/embed" frameborder="0" width="760" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" msallowfullscreen="msallowfullscreen" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" sandbox="allow-forms allow-modals allow-orientation-lock allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts" max-width="100%"></iframe></p>
<p align="center"><strong><a href="http://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/p/shayari.html" target="_blank">Shayari</a></strong></p>
<p align="justify">Before I forget to write another post this month or a post next month, let me share some more Shers by one of the greatest Shayars of all time.</p>
<p align="left">जब्र का ज़हर कुछ भी हो पीता नहीं<br />मैं ज़माने की शर्तों पे जीता नहीं</p>
<p align="center">Jabr ka zahar kuch bhi ho peeta nahin<br />Main zamaane ki sharton pe jeeta nahin</p>
<p align="right">Never consumed any poison of crimes<br />I do not live by set terms of the times</p>
<p align="left">देखे जाते नहीं मुझसे हारे हुए<br />इसलिए मैं कोई जंग जीता नहीं</p>
<p align="center">Dekhe jaate nahin mujhse haare huye<br />Isliye main koi jang jeeta nahin</p>
<p align="right">I can not bear watching any losers<br />That’s why I never win any battles</p>
<p align="left">अपनी सुबहों के सूरज उगाता हूँ खुद<br />मैं चरागों की साँसों से जीता नहीं</p>
<p align="center">Apni subahon ke sooraj ugaata hun khud<br />Main charaagon ki saanson se jeeta nahin</p>
<p align="right">I grow the morning suns on my own<br />I do not live by the breaths of lamps</p>
<p align="center">–डॉ वसीम बरेलवी (Dr. Waseem Barelvi)</p>
<p align="justify">So divine. So grounded. So ecstatically inspiring. So emotionally draining. So I will leave you with the</p>
<p align="left"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaEqSo-dcCw">Recital Video</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-33722045594415189802023-04-30T10:19:00.002+05:302024-02-07T15:01:42.018+05:30Futures Once Again…<p align="justify">This is the end of April 2023. One more birthmonth came and went. Not to dismiss the idea of a birthday but when you’re nearing 40 years of pure life, caring about a single day seems counterproductive at best and irrelevant at worst. So I have started celebrating a whole birthmonth with cakes, sweets, long naps and occasional research into why nobody has yet done something which I have been thinking about for the last two years! Whether I will do that thing this year is again another research problem to think about altogether. More on that at the end of this year.</p> <p align="justify">That is not the reason the title of this post starts with the word “Future”. Long time readers of this post will recognize that the plural form of that word is a series of short sci-fi stories in the scientific journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/articles?type=futures" target="_blank">Nature</a>. And once again, there has been a good and interesting story.</p> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01318-0" target="_blank"><img title="Change YourView" style="margin: 0px auto; border: 0px currentcolor; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Change YourView" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1gwNG8eOufQcTlUbAemlFHz7ER0dMAI5H&sz=w420" width="420" height="236" /></a> <p align="justify">This story (did you click the above picture?) is about tackling climate destruction in an innovative way. Don’t want to go into any more details but it is an interesting read. What I want to talk about instead is what it made me think of. This story reminded me of the Foundation trilogy by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov" target="_blank">Isaac Asimov</a>, which I gave myself as a birthmonth present after reading it mentioned on <a href="https://4gravitons.com/2023/04/07/ai-is-the-wrong-sci-fi-metaphor/" target="_blank">4Gravitons blog</a>. I had finished the trilogy just last week so the memory was ‘fresh’ and recollection was ‘instant’. Anyway, getting to the point, the first book involves characters who deal with “crisis” in similar subtle and innovative ways. One of those characters named “Salvor Hardin” has been assigned ‘memorable’ quotes (I guess deliberately). Here are two of the most repeated ones:</p> <blockquote> <p align="center"><em>Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.</em></p> </blockquote> <blockquote> <p align="center"><em>Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right.</em></p> </blockquote> <p align="justify">I feel both of these quotes are in some sense demonstrated in the Futures story; also the cliché phrase “an offer one can’t refuse”, and many other things. I guess I felt this story resonated with me because it led to many such resonances. And as is well-known, people do tend to like familiar things more than something entirely new. Even if the new idea or thing is revolutionary. Or maybe, especially, if it is revolutionary and life-changing, people tend to regard it with suspicion. For a recent example, think about the rise of Bing AI, ChatGPT, fear of job loss, dip in creativity, etc.</p> <p align="justify">I don’t have much to say about those things or anything else for that matter in this post. So let me end it by instead pointing you to the</p> <p align="justify"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series">Foundation heptology</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-7170330981382235772023-03-31T11:57:00.002+05:302024-02-07T15:02:39.215+05:30Modesty<p align="justify">I am a modest person, modestly speaking. I go about living day-in and day-out modestly, without realizing even once that people around me are immodest, or not quite modest at the very least. In fact, I learnt recently that the virtue of modesty (yes, it’s still considered a virtue by some) is dying! If you don’t believe me, here’s the modest article about its demise.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/feb/05/lets-hear-it-for-the-dying-virtue-of-modesty" target="_blank"><img title="David Mitchell's Column" style="margin: 0px auto; border: 0px currentcolor; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="David Mitchell's Column" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1pVUIiknCUSppxw6IPr0BdZXNAZBAq9F8&sz=w420" width="420" height="301" /></a> <p align="justify">As we all know, I am sort of an expert in <a href="https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/50971-keystonecorrector" target="_blank">MATLAB</a>. People come from far and beyond to ask me how they can improve their MATLAB figures, codes and apps. In return, the only thing I ask from them is they start using at least <a href="https://site.jkmsmkj.fyi/home/aboutme/acbook" target="_blank">one</a> <a href="https://site.jkmsmkj.fyi/home/aboutme/expensplit" target="_blank">of</a> <a href="https://site.jkmsmkj.fyi/home/aboutme/keystonec" target="_blank">my</a> <a href="https://site.jkmsmkj.fyi/home/aboutme/poloramag" target="_blank">MATLAB</a> <a href="https://site.jkmsmkj.fyi/home/aboutme/sudokusolver" target="_blank">programs</a> regularly. And then they never speak to me again or they switch to a ‘<a href="https://www.apple.com/mac/" target="_blank">Mac</a>’. Anyway, since my daughter has not done either of those two yet, I thought of gifting her a MATLAB program on her 5th birthday.</p> <div align="center"><iframe title="SixDoKu Solver" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZjcGtQea2DY" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe> <div style="width: 560px; clear: both; font-size: 0.8em;">SixDoKu Solver 1.0</div> </div> <p align="justify">Surprisingly, she was more receptive of my program (her present, that is) than I had imagined. That felt really good. A week or so well-spent! Perceptive among you may have realized that I made a 6×6 Sudoku Solver (or Sixdoku Solver) for her and it is not just a copy/paste of my well-known (9×9) <a href="https://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/p/sudoku-solver.html" target="_blank">Sudoku Solver</a>. Well, the logic behind solving a Sudoku is mostly copy/paste. (I was quite surprised how easy it was to recast the logic code for my 9×9 solver to this 6×6 one, proving how good a theoretical physicist I am since generalizing a specific example is what I achieved here!) But the visual layout: the four buttons, the background, the upbeat colours / emojis / messages / texts and the functional aspect of the 6×6 grid  are totally new and – as <a href="https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams-blog/introducing-the-new-microsoft-teams-now-in-preview/ba-p/3774406" target="_blank">Microsoft</a> likes to put it every so often – built from the ground up! Literally so because the Sudoku Solver is built in <a href="https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/ref/guide.html" target="_blank">GUIDE</a> (will be removed in a future MATLAB release) while Sixdoku Solver in built in <a href="https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/ref/appdesigner.html" target="_blank">App Designer</a> (the default app development environment now).</p> <p align="justify">I won’t bore you with any more details about the program but why Sixdoku? I hear you ask! Because my daughter has been subscribed by her mother to “<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/topic/The_Hindu_Young_World/" target="_blank">Young World</a>”, a children supplement from “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hindu" target="_blank">The Hindu</a>” newspaper, and one of the ‘fun’ activities there is a Sixdoku. I saw them ‘struggling’ to solve it and I thought, “Well, well, well… What have we got here!” and the rest as they say is her present. Some of you familiar with my usual Sudoku Solver may complain that my program does not actually help her solve one on her own. As it is not made with that in mind, for example, if she wants to solve a Sudoku with just the notes it is not so user-friendly in that regard. And that’s why I’m Dharmesh and you are not. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, the grid has been totally rebuilt from the ground up and it allows writing over the notes to enter a single number. It doesn’t update the notes after that though, but that helps her to learn to remember and see what changes lie ahead. So it not only allows her to solve a Sixdoku on her own, it also ‘teaches’ her to follow the changes in her own mind to solve it faster. (These are not just hypothetical statements. She has indeed explored the functioning of my program by trying to make up her own Sixdokus and trying to solve the proper ones from the Young World on her own after writing the notes.) And that is how one learns to live one’s life.</p> <p align="justify">Talking about living one’s life, I found an inspiring Japanese poem by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenji_Miyazawa" target="_blank">Kenji Miyazawa</a> about just that topic. What a coincidence, you might say! I will leave you with its Wiki page (with a translation) and a different translation. Pick what you like:</p> <p align="justify"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ame_ni_mo_makezu" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> / <a href="http://www.kenji-world.net/english/download/works/Rain.html">Kenji-World</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-57448860831557631892023-03-10T16:53:00.002+05:302024-02-07T15:03:34.740+05:30Yo! Yo! Yo!<p align="justify">The beginning of the end is again upon us. That is, the <a href="https://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/2019/12/sketchbook-once-more.html" target="_blank">last volume of Sketchbook</a> has begun scanlation. Four chapters are out and hoping the rest will be out before the end of this year. Enjoy this particular ‘gag’:</p> <a href="https://mangadex.org/chapter/7b9d09e5-1331-4164-9000-8f95e4fdebb5/8" target="_blank"><img title="Cold Medicine-1&2" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Cold Medicine-1&2" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1BdLqwgD_nixI3ajRxmUT0JKvdDiYHoAx&sz=w420" width="420" height="597" /></a> <p><a href="https://mangadex.org/chapter/7b9d09e5-1331-4164-9000-8f95e4fdebb5/8" target="_blank"><img title="Cold Medicine-3&4" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Cold Medicine-3&4" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1MMwhSlz__OUIMOBc5qIVaGUorLk1oEzy&sz=w420" width="420" height="597" /></a></p> <p align="justify">Click the photos to go to the MangaDex website where you can read the full chapter, if you so wish! Moving on to the other thing that’s been in the news for the last month or so: “<a href="https://www.pcmag.com/news/microsofts-bing-tops-100-million-users-with-chatgpt-integration" target="_blank">Bing+ChatGPT</a>” or the new <a href="https://www.bing.com" target="_blank">Bing</a>. To test out its “Compose” mode (available in <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge" target="_blank">Edge</a>’s sidebar), I asked it to “write a blog post about start of scanlation of the last volume of Sketchbook”, and here is the result:</p> <blockquote> <p align="justify"><em>Hello fellow manga fans! I have some exciting news to share with you today. The scanlation group Sketchy Scans has announced that they have started working on the last volume of Sketchbook, the slice-of-life comedy manga by Totan Kobako.</em></p> <p align="justify"><em>Sketchbook is one of my favorite manga series ever. It follows the daily lives and quirky hobbies of a group of high school art club members, led by the shy and eccentric Sora Kajiwara. The manga is full of humor, charm, and creativity, as well as beautiful illustrations of nature and animals. It's a relaxing and heartwarming read that always makes me smile.</em></p> <p align="justify"><em>The manga has been running since 2002 and has 13 volumes so far. The last volume, volume 14, was released in Japan in December 2020. However, the scanlation process has been slow and inconsistent due to various reasons. The last chapter that was translated into English was chapter 131, which was released in July 2019.</em></p> <p align="justify"><em>That's why I was overjoyed when I saw the announcement from Sketchy Scans on their website yesterday. They said that they have acquired the raws for volume 14 and have started working on translating and editing them. They also said that they aim to finish the scanlation by June this year, which is only three months away!</em></p> <p align="justify"><em>I can't wait to read the final chapters of Sketchbook and see how the story ends for Sora and her friends. I'm sure it will be a satisfying and memorable conclusion to this wonderful manga series. I want to thank Sketchy Scans for their hard work and dedication to bringing us this amazing manga in English. You guys are awesome!</em></p> <p align="justify"><em>If you haven't read Sketchbook yet, I highly recommend you to check it out. You can find all the previous chapters on MangaDex or on Sketchy Scans' website. Trust me, you won't regret it.</em></p> <p align="justify"><em>That's all for today's blog post. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think about Sketchbook in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading!</em></p> </blockquote> <p align="justify">Let’s analyze the result, shall we? The first para seems like a good start for a manga blogger, which I’m not. But it has a factual error: there’s no scanlation group named Sketchy Scans. In fact, the last 3 volumes or so have been scanlated anonymously, as far as I know. Anyway, let’s not let such a simple fact come in the way of our enjoying this AI generated post. The second para is good, something that I feel about this manga too. In fact, it feels like the AI understands what kind of people read this manga and what it evokes in them. The third para is again bordering on being semi-factual but the collection of all the elements that would give the history of this manga and its scanlation are there. One just has to do one’s own fact-checking which I’m not going to do here (read my Sketchbook tagged posts to learn related facts, like that number 131 should be 191, and so on).</p> <p align="justify">The fourth para is full of fluff because the Sketchy Scans group doesn’t exist but the tone of this para is so upbeat, I want to believe it whole-heartedly and wait for June with bated breath! The fifth para is again pulling at the heart-strings of the readers of Sketchbook. How does this AI know what I want to write / read about Sketchbook? This is too good! The last two para are typical winding up paragraphs for a blog post but note that the info about MangaDex IS true. So it does know where to find the latest (and older) chapters to read. Man, this is really a cherry on top of the already amazing rainbow cake!</p> <p align="justify">Overall, the AI has done a good job of composing a ‘Medium’ length ‘Blog post’ in a ‘Casual’ tone. The structuring of the post, laying out the ideas in various paragraphs, striking the exact tone that a Sketchbook reader can connect to, and to top it all off, including relevant facts (even if wishful) that unaware readers would like to know: these characteristics are really that of a grade A blogger like myself. I can see it replacing my superpartner as a collaborator on this blog in the very near future.</p> <p align="justify">Ending this Sketchbook related post on a general manga note. I have updated the <a href="https://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/p/mangaanime.html" target="_blank">list of mangas</a> I’m reading based on <a href="https://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/2022/11/more-manga-news.html" target="_blank">this post</a> from last year. Have a look and if you fancy reading any of those, try your luck at</p> <p align="justify"><a href="https://www.viz.com">VIZ.COM</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-22661632010916642472023-02-26T21:47:00.003+05:302024-02-07T17:47:23.831+05:30Travelogue – Udaipur<p align="justify">What a city! The city of lakes. The city of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghat" target="_blank">ghats</a>. The city of temples. The city of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haveli" target="_blank">havelis</a> turned to hotels. The city where water works disrupts roads and tourists. The city where Ola & Uber go to die. The city where you are always wrong… wait, that’s just any other Indian city! Regardless, we roamed around this city according to our modest plans and covered most of it as planned.</p>
<a href="https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1LWARP1KdEwsqY0BtAzhyKPnySEFLHItW" target="_blank"><img title="Places to visit in Udaipur" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Places to visit in Udaipur" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?export=view&id=1Iy1V44F9AU9FQpFWaZEysNdSYhdBAWJ9&sz=w520" width="520" height="332" /></a>
<p align="justify">Here’s a rundown of our 3-4 days trip.</p>
<p align="left"><strong>28/01/2023</strong></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://keekoo.in/" target="_blank">Keekoo Udaipur</a>: Where we had our first breakfast. It houses (cages) a lot of exotic birds like macaws, budgerigars, cockatoos, parrots, etc.</p>
<img title="Breakfast @ Keekoo" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Breakfast @ Keekoo" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1ug70LXmT9k09Oq0V3mM7CTaKmseDL5TT&sz=w420" width="420" height="236" />
<p><img title="Macaws @ Keekoo" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Macaws @ Keekoo" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1nGYPmqlf1HHaNZgLZReL9wrw4uoPXKVZ&sz=w420" width="420" height="422" /></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrai_Ghat" target="_blank">Ambrai Ghat</a>: Since we were early and couldn’t check-in to our hotel, we roamed around the area. Going past all the shops and hotels, through a narrow passage beside a grand hotel, through a ticket guy selling access for half an hour at ₹20 per person, lies Maa ji ka temple and a Hanuman temple and the surrounding area is known as the Ambrai ghat. (The Ambrai restaurant is on the other side, part of that grand hotel mentioned before.)</p>
<img title="View from Ambrai Ghat" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="View from Ambrai Ghat" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1RkID9Fjf093uyQW_B8mf2XG6W8j5ZQZD&sz=w520" width="520" height="140" />
<p align="justify"><a href="https://staybloom.com/hotels/udaipur/bloom-boutique-lake-pichola" target="_blank">Bloom Boutique</a>: Our hotel for this trip overlooking the not-so-beautiful parts of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Pichola" target="_blank">Pichola Lake</a>, but who are we to complain.</p>
<a href="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1SIOFJMRUItSgvAi7ubooVKikWlzZ0Eip" target="_blank"><img title="Some Context" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Some Context" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1FW7tTvHtqXvpR-LgBQpKBWc3q946JBO0&sz=w294" width="294" height="420" /></a>
<p><img title="Hotel Front" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Hotel Front" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1PuVmRESvGG8PNAguab0qA2cIHgba1ZbH&sz=w315" width="315" height="420" /></p>
<img title="Hotel Roof" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Hotel Roof" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1h2L4BYWSqEad7y41roQIG_78_yDsB4Hm&sz=w420" width="420" height="315" />
<p align="justify"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagdish_Temple,_Udaipur" target="_blank">Jagdish Temple</a>: One of the most elaborate temples in this city filled with as many temples as lakes!</p>
<img title="Jai ho..." style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Jai ho..." src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1OZByqtBuDQFz6pmuP0SECwZPas6WPP7G&sz=w420" width="420" height="236" />
<p align="justify"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Palace,_Udaipur" target="_blank">City Palace Udaipur</a>: Apparently every major city in Rajasthan has one (just like <a href="http://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/2022/06/travelogue-jaipur.html" target="_blank">Jaipur</a> has one). This palace hosts a museum as well and one can view a lot of royal stuff including antiques, paintings, artillery, etc. The palace obviously boasts grand architecture which is well-preserved with intricate designs to marvel at all around.</p>
<img title="Inside the Palace" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Inside the Palace" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1NFYPMtEMQVKpU7XvaRC-40KW3pSWKC_T&sz=w315" width="315" height="420" />
<p><img title="Outside the Palace" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Outside the Palace" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1SHTayv6ltpr1CBv-OZvufwuO5golZV8s&sz=w420" width="420" height="315" /></p>
<p align="justify">Boating on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fateh_Sagar_Lake" target="_blank">Fateh Sagar Lake</a>: Having an allergy to water being around me, I slept at the hotel while the others took, what they tell me was, an enjoyable ride. I take their word for it.</p>
<img title="Eager to Boat" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Eager to Boat" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1631ZAqLonhetdFda2Jer7PActFTYDGZh&sz=w315" width="315" height="420" />
<p align="left"><strong>29/01/2023</strong></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://pratapgauravkendra.org/" target="_blank">Pratap Gaurav Kendra</a>: A park dedicated to one of the bravest warriors, Maharana Pratap. One hour or so is spend in a guided historical tour of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mewar" target="_blank">Mewar</a>, which includes light & music shows in various rooms and a ~10 minute movie at the end. After that you can climb the hill on top of which rests the huge statue as seen below. Due to shortage of time, we didn’t indulge in this climb.</p>
<img title="PGK" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="PGK" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1rQPWz9GF9YkNPeJIhjVHxm_d5iM2jFTW&sz=w420" width="420" height="315" />
<p align="justify"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saheliyon-ki-Bari" target="_blank">Saheliyon ki Bari</a>: People may say this site is over-rated but we liked it a lot. Flowers and sahelis and fountains and sahelis and birds and sahelis and a small art museum, what’s not to like!</p>
<img title="Entrance" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Entrance" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1SY9HGWA7XOx-OsTm4daV6L2W2FqJlqRe&sz=w420" width="420" height="315" />
<p><img title="Us @ SkB" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Us @ SkB" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1j87oGGT-sv4hkLBuMvF2-Mbq7J5_Kvkv&sz=w420" width="420" height="420" /></p>
<img title="One of the many Fountains @ SkB" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="One of the many Fountains @ SkB" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1Eqt1Dv4qC2pKqGxN5BraX6VaZ-naS8lV&sz=w420" width="420" height="315" />
<p align="justify">La Pino’z Pizza: Better than Domino’s! Maybe that’s what their tagline should be. We reached the Chetak circle area to eat at Domino’s but it doesn’t exist there because the information in Google maps is wrong (it didn’t even let me correct it!). So we entered this place right in front of us and we didn’t regret it. Enjoyed their pizza-ware immensely. Hope you do too!</p>
<a href="https://lapinozpizza.in/store-locator/Udaipur/chetak-circle-udaipur" target="_blank"><img title="Enjoy!" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Enjoy!" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1cxyIEqApPJRKkvIQQv04odAkk2wwZQai&sz=w420" width="420" height="425" /></a>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297672-d13007434-Reviews-Under_the_Sun_Aquarium-Udaipur_Udaipur_District_Rajasthan.html" target="_blank">Under the Sun Aquarium</a>: Now this was a disappointment because it claimed to be the largest public aquarium in India. I have seen ‘public’ aquaria in Busan (South Korea), Boston (USA) and Bangkok (Thailand) and this one in Udaipur could have fitted in just one wing/floor of those! Even ignoring the size issue, it houses mostly fishes, just a couple of varieties of crustaceans and one (literally ONE) sting ray. It does not even have turtles, seahorses, starfish so you can forget about sharks or penguins or other ‘exotic’ species altogether! And even after ignoring the variety issue, by the time you reach the end of the gallery, people have started selling you massages, pedicures, 3D photography and souvenirs which starts feeling real fishy. (Instead, it’s much better to walk around the nearby Fateh Sagar Lake!)</p>
<img title="What a Fish!" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="What a Fish!" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1xEwps3g5AB9q5nGZL5gniqZfZ9ANF2mZ&sz=w420" width="420" height="315" />
<p><img title="What a Crustacean!" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="What a Crustacean!" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1YG2cV_nHkq9KwGfZKCPBkGUm-0llnd5i&sz=w420" width="420" height="296" /></p>
<div align="center"><iframe title="Silver Arowana Swimming" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qkr2UNr59s8" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe> <div style="width: 560px; clear: both; font-size: 0.8em;">Silver Arowana Swimming</div> </div>
<p align="left"><strong>30/01/2023</strong></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karni_Mata,_Udaipur" target="_blank">Karni Mata Temple</a>: A small temple atop a hill to be reached by a ropeway. There’s not much to say about the site though. If it weren’t so hazy/foggy, one might have witnessed a better view of Udaipur.</p>
<img title="Karni Mata Temple" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Karni Mata Mandir" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1WOpj6ldCJ4qwazh9VeFiqiXZ4RbFQchj&sz=w420" width="420" height="315" />
<p align="justify"><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297672-d19451926-Reviews-Bahubali_Hills-Udaipur_Udaipur_District_Rajasthan.html" target="_blank">Bahubali Hill</a>: It’s known as “the wedding clickers” on Google. It’s nearly a 1 Km hike from bottom to top. But to actually see the view easily found on the web, you have to trek on a few more rocky and pointy places. Is it worth it? I’m not sure especially if it’s still hazy!</p>
<img title="Hiking on Bahubali Hill" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Hiking on Bahubali Hill" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1oW1BCpZvRH4cBvTovUlRbm0SB8vO4GF2&sz=w420" width="420" height="236" />
<p><img title="View from the Top-I" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="View from the Top-I" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1SvVjT6-KtHYRBZgWEsQvgmo89B_-LzMJ&sz=w420" width="420" height="315" /></p>
<img title="View from the Top-II" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="View from the Top-II" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1s4D2HzhaM6ETwDqxNFfE1_Wm7-zKl8Ax&sz=w520" width="520" height="166" />
<p align="justify"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Badi" target="_blank">Badi Lake</a>: Also known as tiger lake (I’m told). Quite a serene view and one can sit at the corridor sort of thing constructed on one side of the lake. Enjoy a picnic of sorts with family and friends.</p>
<img title="Badi Lake" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Badi Lake" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1xlMbyfF5Xo5Z6S5_cMkteyd6xQSgLlSH&sz=w420" width="420" height="315" />
<p><img title="Badi ki Pal" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Badi ki Pal" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1_wjLsOCy0rILJAIZgKW7igjHlbgoDB0g&sz=w420" width="420" height="315" /></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsoon_Palace" target="_blank">Sajjangarh Fort</a>: There’s a zoological park too here which we did not visit. One disappointing trip to an aquarium was enough. There’s not much to this fort (also called Monson Palace), one can roam around in half an hour and then sit around having a meal or just taking in the city view if that’s your thing.</p>
<a href="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1hhbNarrY8Qh_Gjijn09qoCzyxoZtrxEy" target="_blank"><img title="Some Context" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Some Context" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1e_NvijFsU9qzNYp2Sc7cCGKHAbYyTYWp&sz=w420" width="420" height="314" /></a>
<p><img title="Sajjangarh Fort" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Sajjangarh Fort" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1n3JXpjDUk3km3mPu3_fQYOmb-ezD8ii-&sz=w420" width="420" height="380" /></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/people/South-Grills-Rooftop-Restaurant/100085678291089/" target="_blank">South Grills Rooftop Restaurant</a>: We returned back to the city and went to this rooftop restaurant for a late lunch. Nice view and nicer food. Enjoyed the relaxing food time here.</p> <img title="Rooftop Restaurant" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Rooftop Restaurant" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1SNrNx9LBgOE9ffcnc1w7WOEDaSN8lVm8&sz=w420" width="420" height="315" />
<p align="justify"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagore-ki-Haveli" target="_blank">Bagore ki Haveli</a>: The last place on our travel list. It is a haveli-turned-museum which hosts a cultural dance show at 7PM everyday. They sell a limited number of tickets (due to limited seating capacity) and you have to get them at least a day in advance but this was definitely worth it.</p>
<img title="Where Magic Happens!" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Where Magic Happens!" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1d1oZIY1UAttt2CsDw5kv2C_JzmYnmhOr&sz=w420" width="420" height="315" />
<p align="justify"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangaur_Ghat" target="_blank">Gangour Ghat</a>: Just beside the entrance to Bagore ki Haveli is this ghat without any entry fee. A brilliant view of the opposite shore at night as you can attest.</p>
<img title="Night View from GG!" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Night View from GG!" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1sJVyLpPLC-RzJkBKS5PmnZc6G011SM6M&sz=w520" width="520" height="293" />
<p align="left"><strong>31/01/2023</strong></p>
<p align="justify">Gangour Ghat: After checking out of our hotel, we roamed around the streets a bit and visited this ghat again for a daytime look. Sadly no pictures were taken after three days of photography-fatigue. There were lots of pigeons feeding and wedding photographers milling around here. We observed them from afar for a while.</p>
<p align="justify">Trilok Anna Restaurant: Our final stop for a quick lunch before heading to the airport. There are more than half-a-dozen tables with 4 times the chairs but it still feels a bit cramped. The food was nice and freshly prepared in the kitchen upstairs. Recommend it if you are in a hurry.</p>
<a href="https://restaurant-guru.in/Trilok-Anna-Restaurany-Udaipur-2" target="_blank"><img title="TAR" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="TAR" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1gz2YJZqowyUbUVDncaVWarU630MvUiFH&sz=w370" width="370" height="420" /></a>
<p align="justify">That’s it for this post. For more photos and videos, check out the relevant OneDrive album link on the right. Till next time</p>
<p align="left"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GottaDoIndia">Plan Your Own Trips</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-71084805051156830672022-12-31T14:25:00.003+05:302024-02-08T09:07:11.680+05:30In Memoriam, 2022!<p align="justify">So, farewell then, year 2022. I guess no one will remember you in a rush but everyone would like to forget you in a flash. Before that happens, I try to recap some of your major world-wide events.</p>
<p align="justify">January: Spent a couple of days in <a href="https://1drv.ms/u/s!AhGovQArU6bHq95Thjpr9ySPPn2H9Q" target="_blank">Jaipur</a>.</p>
<p align="justify">February: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine" target="_blank">Russo-Ukrainian War</a> begins / escalates.</p>
<p align="justify">March: Last day at <a href="https://www.bose.res.in/" target="_blank">SNBose Centre</a>.</p>
<p align="justify">April: Last day in <a href="https://www.saltlake.in/site/mycity" target="_blank">Salt Lake, Kolkata</a>.</p>
<p align="justify">May: Rented a new place in <a href="https://www.rmzcorp.com/our-spaces/bengaluru/ecospace/" target="_blank">Bangalore</a>.</p>
<p align="justify">June: <a href="https://www.un.org/en/about-us/member-states/turkiye" target="_blank">Turkey became Türkiye</a>.</p>
<p align="justify">July: <a href="https://www.mathunion.org/imu-awards/fields-medal/fields-medals-2022" target="_blank">Fields Medals announced</a>. (I haven’t yet written the post titled “June Huh is my kind of mathematician”.)</p>
<p align="justify">August: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman_Rushdie" target="_blank">Salman Rushdie</a> attacked.</p>
<p align="justify">September: <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-II" target="_blank">Queen Elizabeth II</a> dies.</p>
<p align="justify">October: <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/all-nobel-prizes-2022/" target="_blank">Nobel Prizes announced</a>.</p>
<p align="justify">November: World population crosses <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-63623307" target="_blank">8 billion mark</a>!</p>
<p align="justify">December: Took a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1raGUWRnrE" target="_blank">one day trip around Bangalore</a> – <a href="https://1drv.ms/a/s!AhGovQArU6bHrIQ0SV3_U7rx9CQWgQ" target="_blank">MOS temples</a>.</p>
<img title="Kalpavriksha atop Mandaragiri Hill" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Kalpavriksha atop Mandaragiri Hill" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1jbiDXyLWCZhhIArOA_YD-HDa-pFcfl9y&sz=w420" width="420" height="559" />
<p><img title="Digambar Jain Temple at Mandaragiri" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Digambar Jain Temple at Mandaragiri" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=18kKDRGgxO5DNDaL5W4pB3j4wOQcAcVlR&sz=w420" width="420" height="429" /></p>
<img title="Omkareshwar Temple" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Omkareshwar Temple" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1e8QUcq3YSbHB1eQgeEYcUb4GZ2QHs9qM&sz=w420" width="420" height="236" />
<p><img title="Shanmukha Temple" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Shanmukha Temple" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1Is9r-O6hr_0pazom0vUGnfxrLMsEhyZd&sz=w420" width="420" height="559" /></p>
<p align="justify">For a much more serious recap of 2022, I leave you with the <a href="https://private-eye.co.uk/" target="_blank">Private Eye Magazine</a>’s</p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEqDO0aW4Lk&ab_channel=PrivateEyeMagazine">Year in Review 2022</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-51172936201094181172022-12-22T17:32:00.002+05:302024-02-08T09:08:18.955+05:30A Few Nice Things…<p align="justify">As we wrap this year, I recollect a few nice things. Frist one has to be the <a href="http://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/2022/11/sketchbook-is-revived.html" target="_blank">resurrection of Sketchbook scanlations</a>. One of the notes in this manga mentions the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_interaction" target="_blank">four fundamental forces</a> like this:</p> <img title="Four Fundamental Forces" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Four Fundamental Forces" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1XN4INlkRY0elOe4y4CawOG1IlE0xNUrF&sz=w420" width="420" height="226" /> <p align="justify">Being a theoretical high-energy physicist, I couldn’t stop chuckling at the truth of the last sentence. It’s quite an accurate statement, indeed. But then if you want to know about them, that’s nice too and am glad that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totan_Kobako" target="_blank">Totan Kobako</a> does!</p> <p align="justify">Second one has to be the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medu_vada" target="_blank">(Medu) Vada</a>, a south Indian delicacy. It goes well with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambar_(dish)" target="_blank">sambar</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_chutney" target="_blank">coconut chutney</a>, and/or even just like that as a snack. I like a well-prepared crispy vada as much as the next person. So when <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ID_Fresh_Food" target="_blank">iD</a> advertises that anyone can make it using their special packaging and magic nozzle, I had to give it a try myself:</p> <img title="Id's Medhu Vada" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Id's Medhu Vada" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1XI0mN8Tbd0nGOh0yXeHnMYb0NOuRGsgP&sz=w420" width="420" height="420" /> <p align="justify">These turned out to be quite good, taste-wise. Shape-wise, we struggled a bit in the beginning but after a few trials, we realized three things which helped in making a good torus shape:</p> <p align="justify">1. Let enough batter gather at the nozzle before trying to drop it in the oil.</p> <p align="justify">2. Don’t hesitate with the cutter when you decide to drop the batter in the oil.</p> <p align="justify">3. Keep the nozzle oiled up so the batter does not stick to the nozzle.</p> <p align="justify">Regarding the last point, it is instructed on the packaging (and the following video) to clean the nozzle with tissue paper every once in a while. But we figured out that oiling the nozzle after cleaning helps the batter drop much more easily while retaining the torus shape and minimizing spiky protrusions.</p> <div align="center"><iframe title="iD’s instructional video" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S_NlSSNGQvE" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe> <div style="width: 560px; clear: both; font-size: 0.8em;">iD’s instructional video</div> </div> <p align="justify">There you have it. Two nice things that happened to me this year. Let us leave the rest few such things to the last post of this year which should, by my grace, come out in a week or so. Till then, I leave you with</p> <p align="justify"><a href="https://youtu.be/CDFicH6esHI?t=195">Shakeel Azmi</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-41911958536036340582022-11-30T12:50:00.002+05:302024-02-08T09:09:06.052+05:30More Manga News…<p align="justify">I talked about the revival of my best-loved slice-of-life manga in the <a href="https://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/2022/11/sketchbook-is-revived.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>. In this post I will talk about three more mangas, two of which are spin-offs of one of the most popular ninja-themed manga ever.</p> <p align="justify">Yes, you guessed it right! That manga is <a href="https://www.viz.com/naruto" target="_blank">Naruto</a>. It has had a few spin-offs till date. The still-running out of those is, of course, “<a href="https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/boruto" target="_blank">Boruto: Naruto’s Son</a>”. However, now two more spin-offs have been added to that ever-increasing-list. What a prolific mangaka <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masashi_Kishimoto" target="_blank">Masashi Kishimoto</a> is! I would say “hats off” to him but since I don’t wear hats, a simple “congratulations” will have to suffice. Please accept it without any ill-feelings. So what are these two spin-offs I hear you ask. They are: “<a href="https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/naruto-sasukes-story-the-uchiha-and-the-heavenly-stardust-manga" target="_blank">Naruto: Sasuke’s Story</a>” and “<a href="https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/naruto-konohas-story-the-steam-ninja-scrolls-the-manga" target="_blank">Naruto: Konoha’s Story</a>”. The first one is about Sasuke (& <font color="#ff0000">SPOILER ALERT:</font> Sakura)’s quest to find a life-saving cure for Naruto because Naruto is helluva sick due to over-use of sage mode or something. The second one is about Kakashi and Guy’s vacation from Konoha with a new character, Mirai Sarutobi, granddaughter of the third hokage (daughter of Asuma & Kurenai) or some such setup. These seem like interesting stories so I’ll read a few more chapters and decide whether to continue or not. That is, these mangas haven’t yet made it to my list of manga/anime that I’ve compiled <a href="https://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/p/mangaanime.html" target="_blank">here</a> (see the tab above?).</p> <p align="justify">The third manga which <a href="https://www.viz.com/" target="_blank">VIZ</a> nudged me towards is “<a href="https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/cipher-academy" target="_blank">Cipher Academy</a>”. A completely new (I guess) manga based around puzzles, riddles, cryptography, and brainy-stuff like that, including mystery-stuff like who are all these characters and what are their motivations in attending this academy! What the hell, man? Who introduces boatloads of characters in just the first two chapters! Who does “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisio_Isin" target="_blank">NISIOISIN</a>” think he is? <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Garc%C3%ADa_M%C3%A1rquez" target="_blank">Gabriel García Márquez</a>? <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_Ferrante" target="_blank">Elena Ferrante</a>? Anyway, the storyline seems promising and intriguing so once again I’ll read a few more chapters and decide whether to continue or not. That is, this manga has not yet made it to, you know what…</p> <img title="New Mangas @ VIZ.com" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="New Mangas @ VIZ.com" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1WiyPg3HqyEvWzMTRES8FOV3rIXwNd902&sz=w500" width="500" height="218" /> <p><a href="https://www.amazon.in/James-Acasters-Guide-Quitting-Social/dp/1472288564">What more to read?</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-77378111847238893072022-11-27T12:49:00.002+05:302024-02-08T09:09:39.528+05:30Sketchbook is Revived…<p align="justify">Woo hoo!!! Finally, after 5 years the scanlation of Sketchbook has resumed. I am not sure about the group doing it but here it is: <a href="https://mangadex.org/title/57c2c292-d09b-4075-af15-63d84f7f61e7/sketchbook" target="_blank">Sketchbook @ MangaDex</a>. It seems to have resumed around 5 months ago but I noticed it only a week or so ago while searching for something else on Reddit! Talk about good luck. I read all the remaining chapters (150 onwards) of volume 11, and v12, and v13 in one sitting on that auspicious day. Now only one volume is left unscanlated, and I hope this anonymous but generous group or person delivers it before this year ends as X-mas present for this whole wide world. Till then, revisit v14 in <a href="https://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/2019/12/sketchbook-once-more.html" target="_blank">these</a> <a href="https://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/2020/04/sketchbook-ends.html" target="_blank">posts</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/gp/product/B07WRYX7FN?ref_=dbs_p_def_rwt_cobb&storeType=ebooks&asin=B07WRYX7FN&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1" target="_blank"><img title="Sketchbook v14" style="margin: 0px auto; border: 0px currentcolor; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Sketchbook v14" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1qASQEMpfdZ452d3X-v0Woy5zpaZRdtvO&sz=w420" width="420" height="597" /></a> <p>Enjoy this feeling of impending sketchbook while it lasts.</p> <p align="justify">I hope this generous group or person scanlates Scorebook’s remaining chapters too. I hear you ask what is that! Well, ‘Scorebook’ is a one-volume manga by the author of Sketchbook and here it is:</p> <p align="justify"><a href="https://mangadex.org/title/bafe1dfa-eaec-4c6f-88cb-e2dbf717ee5e/scorebook">Scorebook</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-44391898551378462672022-10-30T19:08:00.002+05:302024-02-08T09:10:18.671+05:30Bleak Futures!<p align="justify">I have not written about <a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/articles?type=futures" target="_blank">Nature Futures</a> in a while because most of the stories have been all right. A weekly good read, but not thought-provoking enough to provoke me to write a post here. But last week has been different. Way different because I had somehow missed stories from the previous week and read all the four unread ones together last week. And one of the previous week’s story stood out. I am talking about the story titled “The Family Tree” by Russel Nichols.</p> <img title="Autumn Red Tree" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Autumn Red Tree" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1SeLxAeG_g98C0Uhv4BCgfKsXEK9ndAhE&sz=w420" width="420" height="420" /> <p align="justify">The setup was quite mundane, in all respects: characters, geography, interactions and emotions. Slowly, things started moving towards nothing in particular. So far so dull. Then I reached the last paragraph… and the last long sentence. My reading quickened. My gut felt punched so hard. My heart sank so deep. My jaws dropped so low. My eyes welled up so fast. My brain just couldn’t comprehend what hit it was so incomprehensible… for quite a few minutes! My whole being came to a halt screeching and skidding over very, very cold ice. It started wondering why my body was reacting so weirdly both physically and emotionally while my brain refused to re-read the sentence so that the fog of incomprehensibility could lift.</p> <p align="justify">It was the same sort of reaction that washes over me whenever I even remotely consider of re-watching “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies" target="_blank">Grave of the Fireflies</a>”. I just don’t have enough emotional guts to re-watch that movie ever again. Once was enough. Even thinking about the ending feels like my guts are being knotted, stretched, straightened, and then reassembled but not how they were originally. Something definitely changed after watching that movie.</p> <p align="justify">Similar reactions have occurred after reading Ernest Hemingway’s well-known shortest story: <a href="https://writingcooperative.com/a-simple-analysis-of-ernest-hemingways-shortest-story-about-baby-shoes-1d7f5655372f" target="_blank">For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.</a> Anyway, enough with my reactions to well-known movie and literature. I am not operating one of those dumb <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=reactionary+channels" target="_blank">reactionary YouTube channels</a>. Back to the Futures and it’s time to see you react to</p> <p align="left"><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03277-4">That Story</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-4712154685894766732022-10-25T16:27:00.002+05:302024-02-08T09:10:54.772+05:30Happy Diwali…<p align="justify">to those who know what it stands for.</p> <img title="Happy Diwali" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Happy Diwali" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1tLOjZy94nIyHiw4StCssGRMWcIz4WsHb&sz=w420" width="420" height="604" /> <p align="justify">We celebrated it the usual way. Cleaning, dusting, cooking, decorating, eating, lighting, praying, bursting, and being happy in general. I just list the verbs because the nouns that go along with them should be obvious! If not, how else do you celebrate Diwali?</p> <p align="justify">Anyway, some other news from other areas of my life. The British comedy-satirical panel show “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_the_Week" target="_blank">Mock the Week</a>” has ended after 17 years! Why did BBC choose to cancel it this year of all the time? I mean did the weekly news to mock somehow disappear this year? The ongoings in the world this year could be mocked for decades to come and “Mock of the Week” did mock it well week over week for the past few years. So what gives?</p> <p align="justify">The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBSQw5vuXvg&ab_channel=Ovid" target="_blank">last episode</a> was something I was looking forward to. It has more than just news, of course. People ‘went emotional’, reminisced, and hoped they appeared on other panel shows equally frequently. The hope that I share as well. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/ABeckettKing/videos" target="_blank">Alasdair Beckett-King</a> got inducted in MTW just last season and has done great. He, rightfully, earned his seat in the last episode. Though, that doesn’t mean I didn’t miss <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTfnsdUehfI&t=481s&ab_channel=MarcHutchison" target="_blank">Milton Jones</a> in this episode. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3kVYGAkoZY&ab_channel=FunnyLittleFrog" target="_blank">Angela Barnes</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/RhysJames/videos" target="_blank">Rhys James</a> were the main people chatting along the whole show. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vGY5iPLTXc&ab_channel=FunnyLittleFrog" target="_blank">Zoe Lyons</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qXJkD5qFfU&t=14s&ab_channel=BBC" target="_blank">Ahir Shah</a> were quite quiet in this episode but then balance is the key to a show like this unlike the British parliament. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emuTpAq2-L0&ab_channel=ThisMorning" target="_blank">Dara and Hugh</a> as always were also there. Wish them all the best for their future endeavours. Hope to see them in expected (see the next para) as well as unexpected places (like in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqAfVZaw--k&t=2s&ab_channel=MarkLupont" target="_blank">James Bond movies</a>) sooner rather than later, and definitely in 2023.</p> <p align="justify">Well, there’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_I_Got_News_for_You" target="_blank">HIGNFY</a> for the time being. And when will <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Would_I_Lie_to_You%3F_(game_show)" target="_blank">WILTY</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QI" target="_blank">QI</a> start this year? How can this year go from worse to worse and still feel like worst is yet to come? What the hell…</p> <p align="justify">Finally, I leave you with some twist in the thread of this story.</p> <div align="center"><iframe title="YouTube video player" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/anwLnAnXJFs" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe> <div style="width: 560px; clear: both; font-size: 0.8em;">Happy Diwali 2022</div> </div> <p align="justify">Enjoy!</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-4911078774102944332022-09-21T19:52:00.002+05:302024-02-08T09:12:28.146+05:30Expense Splitter…<p align="justify">…or ExpenSplit in short, has seen a major upgrade this year. It is such a major upgrade that it removes all the <a href="https://site.jkmsmkj.fyi/home/aboutme/expensplit#h.p_ID_162" target="_blank">limitations</a> that my <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/profile/02570514263010452867" target="_blank">Superpartner</a> could point out all those years ago! These will be discussed as spacetime allows but first, first things first: The look of the program has more or less completely changed.</p> <img title="ExpenSplit - Main Screen" style="margin: 0px auto; border: 0px currentcolor; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="ExpenSplit - Main Screen" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1Y-1fCky0r5ibBVuia__MkN1Os7Jd64kS&sz=w468" width="468" height="500" /> <p align="justify">The top third now has not only the revamped data input table but also the text area for names of the group members. The latter used to appear as a popup window in earlier versions. What a dumb choice of GUI-making that was! Anyway, the input table is now more user-friendly with the drop-down menu in “Involved?” column having clear texts {‘Yes and Paid:’; ‘No.’; ‘No but Paid:’} (instead of earlier {+,0,-}!) to let one know what will be done with the input amount. The name and currency of each transaction now appear above the table. In addition, the total amount for each transaction is now also shown below the table.</p> <img title="ExpenSplit - Input" style="margin: 0px auto; border: 0px currentcolor; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="ExpenSplit - Input" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1qTM2nMnNz-q4Q7MFCW7bidyJKT1vUWk6&sz=w420" width="420" height="200" /> <p align="justify">The middle third, as before, contains the table for splitting transactions. It might seem like nothing much have changed here (apart from the ‘Total’ column) but this table can show the data in two different formats now. One is the usual ‘Splits View’ and the other is what I have called the ‘Transfers View’ which shows positive and negative numbers with straightforward connotation of ‘pays’ and ‘gets’, respectively. This table will also get an extra column added for currency if one enables the multi-currency option.</p> <img title="ExpenSplit - Transfers" style="margin: 0px auto; border: 0px currentcolor; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="ExpenSplit - Transfers" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1JpJcuO90YgnRWUk6CV9fdPY89XM7gv3B&sz=w450" width="450" height="146" /> <p align="justify">The bottom third, as before, contains the table for calculating payments. It might again seem like nothing much have changed here but this table can show the final payments in two different formats now. One is the usual ‘Detailed View’ and the other is what I like to call the ‘Simplified View’, which just writes down the payments as instructions. Also, when muti-currency option is enabled, the currency for final payments can be chosen and the instructions are updated accordingly.</p> <img title="ExpenSplit - Payments" style="margin: 0px auto; border: 0px currentcolor; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="ExpenSplit - Payments" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1h4DAFOTCuZNF_saiaxFAUr4DKwQzky8s&sz=w450" width="450" height="162" /> <p align="justify">Let me now properly point out the elephant in the room that has been casually pointed at in the above paragraphs. Yes, transactions in multiple currencies in a single file are now supported in ExpenSplit, for my Superpartner’s sake. This feature is enabled from the ‘Options’ menu. The data is obtained from <a href="https://openexchangerates.org/" target="_blank">openexchangerates.org</a> and the user is recommended / urged to get an API key from there to update the exchange rates bundled with the program. Those rates will be way out-dated by the time you get your hands on this program. (If this feels familiar to you, good to know that you use <a href="http://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/p/acbook.html" target="_blank">AcBook</a>.)</p> <p align="justify">Let me also point out that the two ‘new’ formats in the latter two tables have not appeared out of thin air, but are just the data that were saved to an Excel file (along with the .mat file) in earlier versions. This inclusion of double ‘views’ in the tables suggested some changes for how the data is saved in this version. That is, saving data in the .mat file and in an Excel file are no longer done via a single button. The ‘Save’ button just saves the data to a .mat file whereas a new ‘Export’ button saves the data to a properly formatted Excel file. (Again, this should remind you of AcBook.) These operations along with a couple of others like setting (& getting) default names and currency are done via the new menu bar and toolbar.</p> <img title="ExpenSplit - Top Bars" style="margin: 0px auto; border: 0px currentcolor; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="ExpenSplit - Top Bars" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=17rFR5zsS2hBMY1wNuLxjZrHXj7yvsah-&sz=w210" width="210" height="137" /> <p align="justify">Yes, the toolbar has returned (with 4 buttons) along with a revamped menu bar with a lot of never-before-seen options (which include those already discussed above) in this program (but familiar from my other programs, see the tabs near the top of this blog). Something that is not often appreciated is that the resizing behaviour of the GUI has become slightly better than before. This is due to the slightly ‘improved’ <a href="https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/ref/uigridlayout.html" target="_blank">UIGridLayout</a>, but the flexible grid feature of <a href="https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/47982-gui-layout-toolbox" target="_blank">GUILT</a> is still not here!</p> <p align="justify">That is all that is ‘new’ and ‘improved’ in this version. Thanks for reaching all the way down here! Now go download this program and start sharing your expertise in <a href="https://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/2011/02/splitting-and-joining.html" target="_blank">splitting hairs</a> or expenses, for that matter.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="https://site.jkmsmkj.fyi/home/aboutme/expensplit">ExpenSplit 3.0</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-45892667698735381162022-09-10T19:04:00.000+05:302022-09-10T19:04:10.110+05:30Being Cultural…<p align="justify">Culture doesn’t make people; people make culture. –Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie</p>
<div align="center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hg3umXU_qWc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><div style="width:560px;clear:both;font-size:.8em">Half an hour of Culture</div></div>
<p align="justify">Let’s be ‘<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminists" target="_blank">cultured</a>’ in this day and age.</p>
<p align="justify">That’s all for this post. I will leave you with</p>
<p align="left"><a href="https://www.amazon.in/Invisible-Women-Exposing-World-Designed/dp/1784706280/">Invisible Women</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-70268825435764172842022-08-26T14:28:00.004+05:302024-02-08T09:13:06.175+05:30To Explain the World<p align="justify">As the year marches on, to meet the quota on this blog, I copy and paste here <a href="https://jkmsmkj.fyi/2022/08/26/to-explain-the-world/" target="_blank">a post</a> from my WordPress blog. Enjoy!</p>
<img title="Stained Glass Window" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Stained Glass Window" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1bN90SIIBoe_0NLlTxP6bp2z25qqWdIne&sz=w420" width="420" height="311" />
<p align="justify">Today is <a href="https://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/2020/08/happy-wittens-day.html" target="_blank">Ed Witten’s birthday</a>, apparently. I recently completed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Weinberg" target="_blank">S. Weinberg</a>’s book “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Explain-World-Discovery-Modern-Science-ebook/dp/B00KFG18Q4" target="_blank">To Explain the World</a><em></em>”, so I will instead collect some excerpts from that book here. Let’s start with one from near the beginning of the book.</p>
<blockquote>
<p align="justify">There remains a poetic element in modern physics. We do not write in poetry; much of the writing of physicists barely reaches the level of prose. But we seek beauty in our theories, and use aesthetic judgments as a guide in our research.</p>
</blockquote>
<p align="justify">I like the phrase “barely reaches the level of prose”. It really made me laugh out loud, while reminding me of a quote by <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Astonishing-Hypothesis-Scientific-Search-Soul/dp/0684801582" target="_blank">Francis Crick</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p align="justify">There is no form of prose more difficult to understand and more tedious to read than the average scientific paper.</p>
</blockquote>
<p align="justify">Moving on, Weinberg also cites the preface to the “<a href="https://archive.org/details/treatiseonlight031310mbp/page/n3/mode/2up" target="_blank">Treatise on Light</a>” by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiaan_Huygens" target="_blank">C. Huygens</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p align="justify">There will be seen [in this book] demonstrations of those kinds which do not produce as great a certitude as those of Geometry, and which differ much therefrom, since whereas the Geometers prove their Propositions by fixed and incontestable Principles, here the Principles are verified by the conclusions to be drawn from them; the nature of these things not allowing of this being done otherwise.</p>
</blockquote>
<p align="justify">I like this “way of doing science” as it is how I think about theoretical physics research, especially high energy physics. Of course, the sentiment above is as valid for any theorist or experimentalist or phenomenologist or someone in-between. Because in my view, the phrase “⋯Principles are verified by the conclusions⋯” is so broad that the “conclusions” include everything from experimental results (Gedanken or physical or any other kind one could think of) to results in terms of equations (Abstract or useful or any other kind one could think of). This broad view further enforced by the next phrase “⋯nature of these things not allowing of this being done otherwise”, puts into perspective that the “dated” view of scientific method (Hypothesis → Experiment → Confirmation? → Theory or Re-Hypothesize!) is indeed “dated”. The scientific method should instead be thought of as “Principles → ??? → Consequences”. [A better discussion along similar lines can be found <a href="https://4gravitons.com/2021/07/02/digging-for-buried-insight/" target="_blank">here</a>.] The “???” could be anything from a one-page mathematical proof to a simple thought-experiment to a backyard contraption to a billion-dollar lab experiment to a decades-long development of a theoretical framework. The former view of a scientific method is good enough to be discussed in a nursery class where kids don’t even realize that something could be subtracted from 0 whereas the latter is what actually happens in the real world of scientific research. Though, even the real researchers could be in denial of this fact most of the time, because the early nursery education is quite hard to override, even by the time one becomes a faculty member. A personal example of this: after I finished my talk on “3d supersymmetric localization” at <a href="https://www.bose.res.in/" target="_blank">SNBose</a> and asked one of the senior professors what he thought about the talk, he replied, “I am a <em>real</em> physicist”! I laughed out loud, and thought, “Oh, he’s <em>that kind</em> of a physicist!”. By “<em>that kind</em>” I, of course, mean someone who hasn’t been able to move past the above-mentioned nursery education.</p>
<p align="justify">Someone at this point will surely interject and say something like, “what about the real world?” or “what about this thing’s usefulness?” or “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs9asU2y9Pg" target="_blank">what about the real world applications?</a>” or “when will I actually need this in my real life?”. For all those interjectors, I point my index finger towards the future posts which I will write on this blog slowly and steadily, but surely, as I continue <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/06/dara-o-briain-mock-the-week" target="_blank">burning various bridges</a>. Because why not? In short, here are my two cents: Have you seen the real world recently? Why the hell would I ever think about it, except in my <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81150303" target="_blank">nightmares</a>? <a href="https://jkmsmkj.wordpress.com/2021/06/20/superspace/" target="_blank">Supersymmetry and Superspace</a> is a much better and nicer place to live in and it turns out to be quite useful to avoid the real world, and that’s all I need in my real life!</p>
<p align="justify">That went off in a different direction than intended so let’s get back on track with another excerpt from the book.</p>
<blockquote>
<p align="justify">The search for knowledge of practical value can serve as a corrective to uncontrolled speculation, but explaining the world has value in itself, whether or not it leads directly to anything useful.</p>
</blockquote>
<p align="justify">This again echoes what I said above or rather, what I said above echoes these thoughts of Weinberg. Of course, it’s the latter.</p>
<blockquote>
<p align="justify">We get intense pleasure when something has been successfully explained, as when Newton explained Kepler's laws of planetary motion along with much else. The scientific theories and methods that survive are those that provide such pleasure, whether or not they fit any preexisting model of how science ought to be done.</p>
</blockquote>
<p align="justify">Weinberg so eloquently expresses the need to throw away the “outdated” view of the scientific method, which according to him, had outlived its usefulness already at the time of Newton. And finally,</p>
<blockquote>
<p align="justify">The rejection of Newton's theories by the followers of Descartes and Leibniz suggests a moral for the practice of science: it is never safe simply to reject a theory that has as many impressive successes in accounting for observation as Newton's had. Successful theories may work for reasons not understood by their creators, and they always turn out to be approximations to more successful theories, but they are never simply mistakes.</p>
</blockquote>
<p align="justify">Well-said but it seems this moral is not taken seriously even by many self-appointed real physicists in this day and age!</p>
<p align="justify">That’s quite a long post which I definitely did not intend for it to be. So let’s leave it there, as I move on to another book of Weinberg:</p>
<p align="left"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Third-Thoughts-Steven-Weinberg-ebook/dp/B07DGDHS44">Third Thoughts</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-36797547899006506042022-06-04T17:28:00.002+05:302024-02-08T09:19:37.020+05:30Travelogue – Jaipur<p align="justify">It has been a long time since a travelogue featured on this blog. So it will feel different today! Earlier this year, when the first month was about to end, a wedding had been scheduled and postponed (no points for guessing the reason). But since our tickets were booked and we had plans after that wedding for our own wedding anniversary, we filled the void in our scheduling due to the wedding ‘cancellation’ with other things whose details don’t need to come out here. Our time for sightseeing Jaipur post the ‘now-non-extant’ wedding remained more or less the same.</p> <p align="justify">We started with a simple lunch near the sight-seeing center of Jaipur, whose yellow bill (see below) was interesting to say the least. We had ordered two plates: 1 Ordinary Thali (plate) and 1 <a href="https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/big-maharaja-thali-served-lentils-salad-big-maharaja-thali-served-lentils-salad-big-round-plate-178710721.jpg" target="_blank">Rajasthani Thali</a>. The difference being that the latter has an extra “<a href="https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/gatte-ki-sabji-recipe/" target="_blank">Gatte ki Sabji</a>”. (I think it also had an extra <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raita" target="_blank">raita</a>.)</p> <p><img alt="Our First Lunch at Jaipur" border="0" height="491" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1yMjF8bhoxvbpS3Rz4ZGe4f-YNtQ-xgEK&sz=w420" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto;" title="Our First Lunch at Jaipur" width="420" /></p> <p align="justify">Of course, we didn’t pay the extra ₹1. That’s just so that the bill doesn’t carry the inauspicious/fraudulent number 420. [This blog can carry such a number without any consequences, obviously!]</p> <p align="justify">Then we visited the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Palace,_Jaipur" target="_blank">City Palace Museum</a>, whose entrance fee was exorbitant. But since we were already there, what else were we supposed to do? We forked out the fee and got a A4 sized B&W ticket. They couldn’t even afford a colour printer with all that money they’re raking in! What the hell? Anyway, disappointed at this first interaction, we entered the place where the royals still live. Yes, this palace is ‘real’, as in, the royalties still live here. Though, those premises are not open for the tourists. There are other 6-8 places inside the palace, which have been converted to mini-museums, where one can roam around and admire ancient artefacts and learn some history. These mini-museums have different themes: clothing, weapons, art, furniture, etc. One room where the king held meetings with his ministers and public was also ‘on display’. Overall, it was a nice walk around this pristine palace.</p> <p><img alt="City Palace - Where Pigeons Roost" border="0" height="560" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1tnonXb1gpIfx7NO_BM-Qwa0wPv40Dea7&sz=w420" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto;" title="City Palace - Where Pigeons Roost" width="420" /></p> <p><img alt="Inside City Palace" border="0" height="560" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1FnEOwonbWYGU1i0fGChYd1tW08SNFDJK&sz=w420" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto;" title="Inside City Palace" width="420" /></p> <p align="justify">After exiting, we planned to visit the nearby tourist attraction and an astronomical observatory of olden times: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jantar_Mantar,_Jaipur" target="_blank">Jantar Mantar</a>. The name Jantar Mantar is akin to saying Hocus Pocus I guess, because in ‘those times’ astronomy, astrology, magic & mystery were more or less the same! The entrance fees were not exorbitant here but they had another trick up their sleeve. They promoted a bundled-up scheme such that with a single ticket one could visit 8 tourist attractions in two days. We had only one day to spare and had time to visit 5 places at most. We thought to take up this jumbo ticket (believing there was some discount involved; but there was none as we realized the next day) as this would save us some time queueing up at the ticket counters.</p> <p><img alt="Jaipur Tourism Ticket" border="0" height="816" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1617yRRqHf8RkPWkHC-OJLsklGvJ5F7Zw&sz=w420" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto;" title="Jaipur Tourism Ticket" width="420" /></p> <p align="justify">Back to Jantar Mantar for now. First thing we did after entering its premises was to go to a projector room to learn about the history of this place and the science behind the huge observatory. It was very interesting but Sakura fell asleep and that ruined our plans to roam around the place! It was also nearing the closing time so we couldn’t have roamed around as much as I’d have liked. Anyway, she woke up after a few monkeys including baby monkeys showed up and started rummaging around water cooler and garbage. So that was the end of our scientific excursion.</p> <p align="justify">On to the second day. Our plan was to go farthest from our hotel to the Am(b)er Fort and then weave our way back to the city center and finally to our hotel in the evening. Something like this (click for a large map!):</p> <a href="https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1LUYZ2p_gnJtce68iztyOd9nKf00S6W8z" target="_blank"><img alt="Touristy Route in Jaipur" border="0" height="333" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1Ci1iQXXDrRdlmHGlYmsbwrT_D7HX455k&sz=w500" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto;" title="Touristy Route in Jaipur" width="500" /></a> <p align="justify">Sadly, our driver had other thoughts and we ended up at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawa_Mahal" target="_blank">Hawa Mahal</a> instead of the Amber Fort! Anyway, we roamed around this place for a while and took some photos as well. City view is quite splendid from the high-rise tower at this place (click for a large panorama)!</p> <p><a href="https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1Yem6BqbAUSnohqbfys3Yt9YToNFYbefu" target="_blank"><img alt="Panoramic View from Hawa Mahal" border="0" height="107" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1bp7yUfCldRHtZfjYjUHY95QOFSy-q7U2&sz=w500" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto;" title="Panoramic View from Hawa Mahal" width="500" /></a></p> <p><img alt="Hawa Mahal" border="0" height="561" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1oOclODOJtd9CB5RAvS0-37wOmlwE-syt&sz=w420" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto;" title="Hawa Mahal" width="420" /></p> <p align="justify">After that, we made sure the driver understood our planned route and we landed up at “<a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/panna-meena-kund" target="_blank">Panna Meena ka Kund</a>”. Quite a marvelous architecture as far as stairs go. The moss-covered pond not so much.</p> <p><img alt="Panna Meena ka Kund" border="0" height="315" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1nzZirZfkEXcWH5Ik4pNtgutYlRBXre06&sz=w420" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto;" title="Panna Meena ka Kund" width="420" /></p> <p align="justify">Then we made our way through narrow streets to the entrance of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_Fort" target="_blank">Amber Fort</a>. Quite a crowd greeted us. But we were unfazed and roamed around the place as if no one was looking. Some interiors of this palace have too many entry and exit points so it can feel like a maze. We made enough loops to not get bored or frustrated, admired the architecture including a mirror hall, and exited via a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A9_Coffee_Day" target="_blank">Café Coffee Day</a>. The shortcut cave to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaigarh_Fort" target="_blank">Jaigarh Fort</a> was closed for renovation so we thought of skipping it altogether. I mean, if you can’t take a hidden shortcut in plain view from one fort to another, what’s the point!</p> <p><img alt="Amber Fort" border="0" height="282" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1WABrTHXSLrEyLvYuA2pj0skOi3WlHLS-&sz=w420" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto;" title="Amber Fort" width="420" /></p> <p><img alt="Garden inside Amber Fort" border="0" height="480" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1FsiIjvw9LG7oZ3qptwXIBMXBOrmf-olY&sz=w420" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto;" title="Garden inside Amber Fort" width="420" /></p> <p align="justify">So, we skipped on to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahargarh_Fort" target="_blank">Nahargarh Fort</a> (skipping <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jal_Mahal" target="_blank">Jal Mahal</a> altogether), which used to be a residential fort of the royals, still feels like a maze with repeating patterns of architecture. Also, this palace is quite cool, literally! Airy rooms, corridors, cool breeze blowing everywhere. Very interesting construction, which reminded both of us of places our grand²-relatives lived. Not the grandiosity, of course, but the feel of the structure & organization of the central quadrangle, rooms, windows, doors, in-wall closets, etc.</p> <p><img alt="Inside Nahargarh" border="0" height="315" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=18PCMetf6Bqj9WZeLD1C2SB6o3bvBSqfZ&sz=w420" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto;" title="Inside Nahargarh" width="420" /></p> <p><img alt="Outside Nahargarh" border="0" height="235" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1YHPupS7RKdNxKYmLZTTnKRlp0UZ7HMuf&sz=w420" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto;" title="Outside Nahargarh" width="420" /></p> <p align="justify">With all this roaming around, lunch time was passing us by. So we made a beeline to a restaurant / hotel named “<a href="https://lmbsweets.com/" target="_blank">Laxmi Misthan Bhandar</a>” that my father had suggested. It was a crowded affair but we got a table, though there was no parking available outside this place, so the driver went away someplace suitable for parking and for his own lunch I guess. We indulged ourselves as much our stomachs would let us, despite the prices being exorbitant once again!</p> <p><img alt="Our Second Lunch at Jaipur" border="0" height="697" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1GqYfXyjqvnfoBL_bMHKxcmus_3XjdoJ4&sz=w420" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto;" title="Our Second Lunch at Jaipur" width="420" /></p> <p align="justify">Then we headed on to our final destination, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hall_Museum" target="_blank">Albert Hall Museum</a>, the highlight of our trip. It is relatively small (compared to others we saw in this trip) but it is well-maintained and has well-captioned inventory. We saw our first ‘live’ Egyptian mummy up close in this museum (with its X-ray too). We can definitely recommend this place if you are visiting Jaipur for more than a day and suggest you spend at least 2 hours here. We barely spent an hour before Sakura started demanding we head back to the hotel because she couldn’t walk any more as her (and her imaginary animal friends’) legs had started aching. So we did the sensible thing and headed back to hotel because of my aching legs.</p> <p><img alt="Albert Hall Museum" border="0" height="315" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1vXoyC9LsEePJzhAc7ajomg26kRnNMyRm&sz=w420" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto;" title="Albert Hall Museum" width="420" /></p> <p align="justify">And so this worthwhile trip of 2022 came to an end. I leave you with the website of the hotel where we stayed.</p> <p align="left"><a href="https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-jaipur-city-center">Radisson Hotel</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-83987828815066000892022-05-21T07:52:00.003+05:302024-02-08T09:20:54.274+05:30Insufficient…<p align="justify">…is the number of posts on this blog this year. But I hope to rectify that in the half or so remaining year. That is, in the rest of the year, this blog will see the required number of minimum posts published in more or less regular intervals. Let’s hope for that statement to turn out to be true. Otherwise, this year’s December will turn out to be quite hectic for me. Anyway, who all were disappointed with the “storyline” of the movie: Dr. Strange 2: Multiverse of Madness? With all those colourful visuals and masterful stunts and fun action scenes, who forgot to focus on the actual thread connecting those? That loss of focus led to an ending that seemed like a copout on the writers’ part. Which further led to seemingly insufficient enjoyment on my part. On the other hand, a recent Ghazal that I heard makes ‘insufficient’ the heart of its content, which somehow led to sufficient enjoyment and smiles all around my household. So we will read that Ghazal in the rest of this post. As usual, read the relevant <a href="http://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/p/shayari.html" target="_blank">tab</a> above, before reading my translations below.</p>
<p align="left">गुलशन में उसके हसने से गिणती कम पड़ जाती है<br />इतनी कलियाँ खिल जाती हैं, टहनी कम पड़ जाती है</p>
<p align="center">Gulshan mein uske hasne se ginti kam pad jaati hai<br />Itni kaliyaan khil jaati hain, tahni kam pad jaati hai</p>
<p align="right">As she laughs in the garden, the count seems insufficient<br />So many flower-buds bloom, the branch seems insufficient</p>
<p align="left">कुजागर और किस्मत दोनों बनने ही कब देते हैं<br />जब मेरी बारी आती है, मिट्टी कम पड़ जाती है</p>
<p align="center">Kujaagar aur kismat donon banane hi kab dete hain<br />Jab meri baari aati hai, mitti kam pad jaati hai</p>
<p align="right">Both the potter and fate obstruct the creations<br />When my turn comes, the clay seems insufficient</p>
<p align="left">कितने कड़वे लोग हैं, इनका लहज़ा कितना कड़वा है<br />चाहे जितनी चीनी फाँकें, चीनी कम पड़ जाती है</p>
<p align="center">Kitne kadwe log hain, inka lahza kitna kadwa hai<br />Chaahe jitni cheeni faanken, cheeni kam pad jaati hai</p>
<p align="right">Such bitter people, their temperament being so bitter<br />For all that sugar they gulp, the sugar seems insufficient</p>
<p align="left">रूखी सूखी खाकर बच्चे खुश होकर सो जाते हैं<br />जिस दिन चटनी मिल जाती है, रोटी कम पड़ जाती है</p>
<p align="center">Rookhi sookhi khaakar bachche khush hokar so jaate hain<br />Jis din chatni mil jaati hai, roti kam pad jaati hai</p>
<p align="right">Stale and dry food is enough for kids to go to bed happily<br />Whenever they get chutney, the roti seems insufficient</p>
<p align="left">मरना भी आसान नहीं है हम जैसे मज़दूरों का<br />फंदा छोटा पड़ जाता है, रस्सी कम पड़ जाती है</p>
<p align="center">Marna bhi aasaan nahin ham jaise mazdooron ka<br />Fanda chhota pad jaata hai, rassi kam pad jaati hai</p>
<p align="right">Death does not come so easily to labourers like us<br />The noose seems small, the rope seems insufficient</p>
<p align="left">माँ के पाँव दबाकर जब मज़दूरी करने जाता हूँ<br />इतने पैसे मिल जाते हैं, मुट्ठी कम पड़ जाती है</p>
<p align="center">Maa ke paanv dabaakar jab mazdoori karne jaata hun<br />Itne paise mil jaate hain, mutthi kam pad jaati hai</p>
<p align="right">After caressing mother’s feet, when I go for work<br />I get so much money, the fist seems insufficient</p>
<p align="left">छोटे मोटे पीर फ़कीरों के घुटनों तक आने में<br />अच्छे खासे लोगों को भी सीढ़ी कम पड़ जाती है</p>
<p align="center">Chote mote peer fakeeron ke ghutnon tak aane mein<br />Achchhe khaase logon ko bhi seedhi kam pad jaati hai</p>
<p align="right">Reaching the knee-level of ordinary hermits and paupers<br />Even for many good people, the ladder seems insufficient</p>
<p align="center">–<a href="https://youtu.be/abO0fkWTr4w?t=1060" target="_blank">डॉ नवाज़ देवबंदी (Dr. Nawaaz Deobandi)</a></p>
<p align="justify">What a Ghazal! Waah!! Waaah!!! It is such a pity that even the existence of seven Shers in this Ghazal seems insufficient.</p>
<img title="Last Day @ Kolkata" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Last Day @ Kolkata" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1p8RBNeaW2E7TcUg0LKXxKbgqyYccoH3K&sz=w424" width="424" height="238" />
<p align="justify">Listen to it once more,</p>
<p align="left"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbngEXJtrwk">with this Link!</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-18773793355498670032022-03-20T20:18:00.003+05:302024-02-08T09:21:28.351+05:30Two Many Ends…<p align="justify">2022 starts… 2022 has started… <a href="https://jkmsmkj.fyi/2022/01/10/communicating-science-challenge/" target="_blank">And what a start!</a></p>
<p align="justify">One of my weekly staple manga “<a href="https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/dr-stone" target="_blank">Dr. Stone</a>” has ended after 232 chapters on 6th March this year. It was a great run for the last 5 years or so. I tried to summarize the manga <a href="https://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/2018/02/new-manga.html" target="_blank">in this post</a> years ago. It was that and more, touching geoscience, food science, computer science, and even, rocket science towards the end. The last few chapters tied up the loose ends with an incredible twist. What a reveal! What an ending! What a sci-fi story at the very heart of it! Incredible.</p>
<img title="Spring!" style="margin: 0px auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Spring!" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=17IFpYPFMnQ7-EfhHgMUIWhjTt8dmZUcD&sz=w420" width="420" height="561" />
<p align="justify">One of the blogs that I follow is ending this month. More precisely, <a href="https://blogs.mathworks.com/loren/2022/03/14/now-is-the-time/" target="_blank">Loren Shure (author of the blog)</a> is retiring from MathWorks at the end of this month. I feel like I have been following her MATLAB blog since my undergraduate days. Though, that might not be possible on grounds of reality. But it must definitely be somewhere between 10-15 years that I have been regularly following her blog. Her posts were fun to read, easy to follow and overall, taught something new, always! The same style showed in her YouTube Live Stream videos that she hosted a few times in the last year. Apparently a dozen, according to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOkn-zxhwc4&list=PLn8PRpmsu08o5KDn2TZaFQS1trW0EzSj2" target="_blank">this playlist</a>!</p>
<p align="justify">Given the imminent end-of-the-world, let us end this post with a great Sher from Dr. Nawaaz Deobandi.</p>
<p align="left">दिए की लौ ने ऐसी बद्दुआ की<br />हवा बिखरी पड़ी है रास्तों में</p>
<p align="center">Diye ki lau ne aisi baddua ki<br />Hawa bikhri padi hai raaston mein</p>
<p align="right">The lamp’s flame has put such a curse<br />That the air lies scattered on the roads</p>
<p align="center">–नवाज़ देवबंदी (Nawaaz Deobandi)</p>
<p align="justify">What a collection of words! What a Sher! Waah!! WAAH!!!</p>
<p align="left"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD56124qulU">Nawaz Deobandi - All India Mushaira 2015</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Dharmesh Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16037295809424285269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352472244109896568.post-27623232219480020042021-12-30T22:40:00.003+05:302024-02-09T12:58:28.300+05:302021 as it Was…<p align="justify">Hmm… Where to start?! A dilemma you have when you have written nothing on the Blog for the past one year. While people are busy summarizing 2021/reviewing it/summing it up/adding it up/rounding it up, etc. around this time, let me do the same. What else can one do if one is active on the Blog only once during the year? I would like to share what I was up to in 2021, what inspired me and made me happy and the best place to start would be ‘movies’.</p> <p align="justify">I first request you to read <a href="https://blog.jkmsmkj.fyi/2021/09/september-end-of.html" target="_blank">this post</a> which talks about the movies we watched and were looking forward to watch in Q3-Q4 2021 (that too in theatres) and yes, we made it work. I make that sound like I’m part of the team whose telescope is going to touch the sun. C’mon, with the Virus still around and with a ~4 year old daughter, we went to the theatres and watched some movies (sometimes alone and sometimes together). That’s a big feat, isn’t it? Let me start with my most favorite – <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man:_No_Way_Home" target="_blank">‘Spiderman: No Way Home’</a>. I watched it alone surrounded by a bunch of teenagers. It reminded me how old I have become. At every scene where (SPOILER Alert!) the three Spidermen (if you haven’t watched the movie, then stop reading this post right away because there would be a few more spoilers) appeared together, the people weren’t on their seats. They jumped, shouted, and hooted. After a while, I too joined them and laughed my heart out. It was nostalgia at its very best and if you like (I mean, even if it is ‘only a little bit’) superhero movies, you should watch it.</p>
<p align="justify">The second favorite being <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bond" target="_blank">‘No Time to Die’</a>. Were all the rumours true about this one? Yes, each of them and every bit. The legend finally falls in love, he fights nanobots, saves millions of lives before himself succumbing to death. It’s surprising (in a nice way) to see how the James Bond movies have evolved over the last six decades. From a cold, dark, playboy character to a warm, empathetic, loving man it was amazing to see the evolution of a Spy – from 20<sup>th</sup> century to 21<sup>st</sup> century! The third favorite is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang-Chi" target="_blank">‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’</a>. The story was good, the action scenes brilliant. I was happy to see the Asian representation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and O man, it didn’t disappoint at all. It made me feel we are finally overcoming racism, discrimination, etc. But are we really is the question and the <a href="https://wiw-report.s3.amazonaws.com/Women_in_the_Workplace_2021.pdf" target="_blank">statistics</a> suggests otherwise. There were so many scenes that reminded me of my stay in Guangzhou and Taipei. The cultural references reminded of the various conversations but at times they also felt a bit of a stretch. Such movies always provide me a hope that we can together build a sustainable world, a hope that we are moving in the right direction. A few other movies that I watched were – <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Guy" target="_blank">‘Free Guy’</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_Resurrections" target="_blank">‘The Matrix Resurrections’</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters:_Afterlife" target="_blank">‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternals_(film)" target="_blank">‘Eternals’</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Knight_(film)" target="_blank">‘The Green Knight’</a> in the descending order of my enjoyment.</p>
<p align="justify">Work and house chores went as usual. Both happened from home!😉 I did some exciting things like making a couple of professional videos and they have turned out to be nice. We got both the doses of the Covishield vaccine – two of those few times I physically went to the office.</p>
<p align="justify">We went to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalimpong" target="_blank">Kalimpong</a> for 3 days and that was the only proper vacation I had this year. And no matter how many times I requested this Guy to go to a beach, he would never agree. Kalimpong is running in my mind like a happy dream where we went to different cafés, a cacti nursery (yes, you read that right – Cacti), a Science museum, few temples, enjoyed the view of Kanchenjunga from different places and ate the best <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momo_(food)" target="_blank">Momos</a> ever. I did go to Nagpur, Ahmedabad and Bangalore to see families but I wouldn’t call them vacations.</p>
<p align="center"><img title="Kalimpong Viewpoint 1" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Kalimpong Viewpoint 1" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1dm8n1MYiJOqGrNMz3erx5bb4-7DPMX8n&sz=w554" width="554" height="371" /></p>
<p align="center"><img title="Kalimpong Viewpoint 2" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Kalimpong Viewpoint 2" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1sib8f6vWmz1faQND18mFPXadLtPhfl2o&sz=w554" width="554" height="333" /></p>
<p align="center"><img title="Us..." style="margin: auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Us..." src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1pCAHmkcTJXhvZq1B2cpRvhFQuNkNdZ-k&sz=w554" width="554" height="415" /></p>
<p align="justify">For the first time in my life, I gave a guest lecture at Ashoka University – basically I tried summarizing for myself and the students what I have done over the last 12 years. Seemed like a not too bad journey. Could have been better but not bad. I wish there was a recording but unfortunately there isn’t one. If any of you readers are interested to know what I said, I have the script with me and don’t mind sharing the same.</p>
<p align="justify">I did a course on Scrum – <a href="https://www.scrumalliance.org/get-certified/scrum-master-track/certified-scrummaster" target="_blank">the Certified Scrum Master (CSM)</a> and although haven’t been able to apply the concept at work, I wish I can do so one day. In one sentence I learnt – ‘preventing mistakes before they become blunders’. The whole concept of Scrum helps in assigning the right roles and responsibilities to different people within a team and creates necessary feedback loop between the users and the developers. Don’t ask me to apply this to Indian weddings, though.</p>
<p align="justify">Of late, I have developed an interest in ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) and planning to start a course on <a href="https://www.garp.org/scr" target="_blank">SCR – Sustainability & Climate Risk</a> from January. I have done a lot of study in this field – calculated <a href="https://mycarbonhero.com/people/" target="_blank">my own carbon footprint</a> to start with, have become mindful of the things I do and how it is having an impact on our planet and its species. I have realized that I can cut down my carbon footprint by >40% by just doing a couple of train trips instead of taking the plane. Yes, for someone who is thinking about climate change and their carbon footprints, this is the best place to start. And then there are finer things like paying for the carbon emissions which can’t be helped (these fees then go towards investments in sustainable options), planting trees, growing fruits and vegetables in your verandah/garden, eating local produce (which is good for the body as well), avoiding plastics and if can’t be avoided - reusing them, reducing milk/eggs/meat/sea-food intake as much as possible while not compromising on your health.</p>
<p align="justify">I think I was always very much interested in human psychology and more so now because human behaviours are evolving in this new normal. Studies are suggesting that we would not have universities and colleges conducting 100% physical classes anymore. An employer asking its employees to turn up to work all 5 days of the week will not be true anymore. People are even questioning the number 5 there. A lot of medical care will be provided by robots. In short, our life is going to be very different. I feel, bringing <a href="https://www.redassociates.com/" target="_blank">Data Science and Behavioural Economics</a> can do wonders in the future. From developing ethical models to nudging the customers towards doing the right thing to preventing fraud, the use cases are just infinite.</p>
<p align="justify">I also read (am reading) some nice books.</p>
<ol>
<li>
<div align="justify">Thinking Better: The Art of the Shortcut in Math and Life by Marcus du Sautoy</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">Third Thoughts by Steven Weinberg</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">Sweet Sweet Revenge Ltd. by Jonas Jonasson</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">Re-read/Heard the Neapolitan Series ‘My Brilliant Friend’ by Elena Ferrante</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">Screen Free Fun</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">Parenting in the Age of Anxiety</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">Meditation Manual</div>
</li>
</ol>
<p align="justify">I get to hear a lot of good Shayari from my Superpartner anyways – good dose of it keeps me going / keeps me grounded. The Sher below was apt 1.5 years ago when we shared it with a cousin and it is still relevant and will be, always.</p>
<p align="left">कोई हाथ भी न मिलाएगा जो गले मिलोगे तपाक से<br />ये नए मिज़ाज का शहर है ज़रा फ़ासले से मिला करो</p>
<p align="center">Koi haath bhi na milaaega jo gale miloge tapaak se<br />Ye naye mizaaj ka shahar hai zara faasle se mila karo</p>
<p align="right">No one will even shake hands if you embrace zealously<br />This city has a new air about it, meet but a bit remotely</p>
<p align="center">–बशीर बद्र (Bashir Badr)</p>
<p align="justify">And more or less this is how I have spent my 365 days or so this year. I wish all of us have a very joyous, healthy and happy 2022. Cheers!</p>
<p align="center"><img title="Happy New Year!" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Happy New Year!" src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1OfwGffBxQ6IBKQA6PAduyCVmpzDR00EV&sz=w424" width="424" height="564" /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">:)</div>Snehil Jainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02570514263010452867noreply@blogger.com0