Ankush's Den .....

Time for more proverbs or can I say semi-pro verbs

2011-05-28T09:11:00.001-07:00

Beggars can't be choosers. Besides, making good choices is probably not their forte.

Behind every great man is a great woman. Behind her is the guy's wife, and boy is she pissed.

The best defense is a good offense. And gun turrets.

Better to light a candle than curse the darkness. Save the cursing for when the candle spills hot wax on you.

A penny saved is a penny earned, but if you're counting the pennies, you're screwed.

Neither a borrower nor a lender be. Just take the damn thing.

Where there's a will, there's a way to contest it.

Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.

Good things come to those who wait tables.

Haste makes waste. Donuts make waist.

Honesty is the best policy, but the premiums are unaffordable.

If we were meant to fly, we'd have wings. If we were meant to be too fat to fly, we'd have wings with ranch sauce.

Love is blind. This explains why it feels like it keeps whacking you with its cane.

Misery loves company. Especially this one company I used to work for.

Nature abhors a vacuum. So does my house.

Time wounds all heels.

Forewarned is forearmed, but oblivious is elbowed in the gut.

If you can't beat them, join them to a chair with duct tape. Then beat them.

Money is the root of all evil. So money does grow on trees; you just have to dig for it.

Blood is thicker than water. But give it a good scrub and the cops will never know.

Charity begins at home. Or so my neighbour kids told me when they begged 5 bucks off me.

Cleanliness is next to godliness. But it's even closer to annoyingliness.

The early bird catches the worm. So sleep in, unless you like worms for breakfast.

Discretion is the better part of valor. But it's the most critical part of cowardice.

Don't punch a gift horse in the mouth.

It takes one to know one. But it doesn't take anything to know nothing at all.

Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and the world laughs at you.

A person is known by the company he keeps. Especially the CEO.

A picture paints a thousand words. But they're really tiny and hard to read.

A rising tide lifts all boats. Then it smashes them on the rocks.

Crime doesn't pay. But the perks are awesome.

He who hesitates is lost. You can tell because he's looking at a map.

It's no use crying over spilled milk. Acid, however, is worth a complete breakdown.

Let sleeping dogs lie. But torture the cats for the truth.

Many hands make light work. But electricity makes lights work.

A friend in need is a friend in debt.

A good man is hard to fine.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So don't even start or you'll be walking for friggin' ever.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. But not as dangerous as a little dynamite.

I think that's enough for today..... more to come soon.

Age-Old Logic

2011-05-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

When my present research is over, there will be no more aging.

Obviously I am not proposing stopping people from growing old. We’ll always have older people around, driving slowly in the left lane with the blinker on, saying completely inappropriate things in loud voices, and telling the rest of us that we don’t call home often enough.

But what I can and will change is our age.

Time marches on, minute by minute, day by day, and year by year. Even when it seems like time is standing still, like when you’re in line at the bank counter or you’re sitting next to someone on the train that’s talking on a mobile phone in tedious detail about every one of her children.

Even then, time is racing by, pushing us further toward the cliff of our existence into the chasm of our not. And as the years roll by, they add to our age, one by one. Another birthday cake eaten, another year gone.

Some try to cheat the system by simply telling people the wrong number for their age. But everyone knows. And it's rather sad.

But there’s a better way. Why change the number when we can change the number system?

For millennia, humans have used the decimal system, in base 10.

I suppose this came from our having ten fingers available, but that makes it a cruel joke that we’re taught not to count on our fingers in school.

But haven’t we lived with that system long enough? Don’t you think we’ve gotten smarter in the last couple thousand years?

Did Plato have reality TV? No, he just had reality.

Did Copernicus have the internet? Of course not; he just had the galaxy.

Did Benjamin Franklin have glasses? Well, yes, but they probably looked a lot dumber than today’s designer glasses and certainly cost far less.

And he certainly didn’t have contact lenses that he could lose, tear, and have to replace every few days.

So isn’t it time that we had a shiny new number system, too?

In fact, we should have several to represent the fact that our society is complex, diverse, and horribly bad at math.

My research concludes that, our age can be kept artificially low by increasing the base that we count in.

For example, if you are about to enter your 40th year, then you might tell people, truthfully, that you are 37 (in base 11). Or if you are feeling particularly spritely, you can tell them that you’re having your 28th birthday (in base 16).

Or if you’re feeling young and completely nerdy, you can say that you’re 2A (in base 15).

The system also works in reverse. If you’re only 14 and you feel you really really need that six-pack of beer, then you can tell the clerk at the 'Modern Wines' that you’re 22 (in base 6).

No longer will people have to construct elaborate and pathetic lies about their age; they can simply tell the truth while using the power of Math.

Remember: It’s not how old you are, but how old you feel...

hoping for the best is to realistically consider the worst..

2011-05-22T07:21:00.000-07:00

Some doctors will predict the worst possible outcome for their patients.

Whenever I go to my doctor, I try to envision the worst-case scenario for my latest injury. For a neck issue, I went with paralysis.

For my shoulder, I opted for amputation. And I make a habit of telling my doctor that I’ll see her the next time my body falls apart, unless I’m dead.

My doctor seems to find these predictions alarming and rushes to assure me that the surgeon is not going to amputate, or that my cold is not lethal. But I find it comforting to know the worst that can happen and to verbalize it.

Sure, I probably just have a sore throat - but what if it's an early indicator of Bubonic Plague? Or what if that slight headache really is a brain tumor?

The optimist would say that you should look on the bright side. See the positive aspects of any situation and hope for the best. I do consider myself an optimist. To me, the glass is always half full. But I wouldn't drink it because it could be laced with cyanide.

My method of hoping for the best is to realistically consider the worst. Then things can only get better from there. And if things are as bad as I predict, I have the satisfaction of being right, which always feels good.

For example, maybe amputation is an extreme outcome for a sore shoulder. But what if the injury takes a long time to heal? Or what if it requires surgery, which can have risks and complications?

These would be unfortunate to one simply hoping for the best. But in my world, they’re not so bad compared to hauling out the bone saw and hacking off the limb.

With me, doctors will clearly outline the bleakest possibilities for patients. For example, doctor might say, “You appear to have a cough, Mr. Naik. This may just be the cold that is going around, but it could also be the beginning stages of any number of terminal diseases.

You should put your affairs in order just in case. See you next time, unless you’re dead.

Sure, these consultations might be a bit of a shock at first. But imagine, after each illness recedes, how wonderful you’ll feel just to be alive.

Until the last one, of course. Your doctor will eventually be right about the worst case scenario, which will give them that satisfying "I told you so" feeling.

That'll be nice for them.

Doomsday.... and am really excited..

2011-05-20T23:02:00.000-07:00

Apparently, the world is coming to an end today.

And I’d just gotten used to the place. It seems worth spending a few minutes preparing ourselves.

I mean, the world only ends once.

Here are some tips for how to deal with "The End":

Brush your teeth. There’s nothing like starting on a long journey and realizing your breath stinks. And who knows when you’ll see a tube of Crest again?

Put a lot of food out for the dog. Hell, just open the rest of the bag out onto the floor. We’re going to be gone for a while.

Make sure the stove and coffee pot are turned off. Check them twice. Three times. You don’t want to worry about that for the rest of eternity.

Bring comfy shoes: We always want to look our best, but nobody looks good when they’re hobbling along for miles because of the blisters. And you don’t want to break a heel in all the kerfuffle.

Pack light: The holy book has never been clear on the baggage rules. Will we be able to check bags? Does the first bag cost $25? Is there enough room in the overhead, or do we have to take up precious leg room for our carry-ons? Better to pack light and avoid the hassle.

Leave the parka at home and bring a windbreaker instead.

Take those pills: We don’t know what the travel accommodations will be like, so if you’re at all prone to motion sickness, it’s best take your pills in the morning. Besides, they might help you sleep. It could be a long journey

Bring something to read. Long flights with no entertainment are so tedious; don’t risk it.

List your accomplishments: Just in case there’s an opportunity for an upgrade, you might want to list out all of the good things you’ve done in your life. Just for a reminder (they probably know already). If they do have a rewards program, these will probably be your points. And you don’t want to travel in coach if you don’t have to.

Get some good sleep the night before. It's always more fun to travel when you're well-rested.

Lock your door and sit on the curb. Like the stove, don’t wonder whether you remember to lock it. And go outside to sit on the curb and wait. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if they stopped by to get you and you didn’t hear them because you were in the bathroom? Don’t run that risk.

That's all I can think of.

I need to go check the stove and coffee pot.

See you tomorrow....

red wine makes a metal compound superconductive.... I knew it

2011-05-13T23:45:00.000-07:00

Yoshihiko Takano (R), professor of Japan’s National Institute for Material Science and researcher Keita Deguchi (L) display a superconductive metal compound, which is seven times higher when dipped in red wine than for ethanol or water at his laboratory in Tsukuba city, suburban Tokyo on March 10, 2011. – AFP Photo

TSUKUBA: Japanese scientists at a boozy office party stumbled across a discovery they hope will help revolutionise efficient energy transmission one day: red wine makes a metal compound superconductive.

The researchers plan to showcase their surprise findings later this year, the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the phenomenon of superconductivity, the zero-loss flow of electricity through certain materials.

The “eureka” moment came when National Institute for Materials Science researchers found that an iron-based compound became superconductive after being soaked in alcoholic drinks such as beer, wine and sake.

Red wine was the hands-down winner in producing the desired physical effect, although no-one is quite clear yet on how exactly it worked, said researchers at the institute in Tsukuba, east of Tokyo.

The ratio at which compounds became superconductive was seven times higher when dipped in red wine than for ethanol or water. It was four times higher for white wine and three times higher for beer, sake and whisky.

“The better it tastes, the more effective it is,” the institute’s lead researcher Yoshihiko Takano said, while allowing that taste is subjective.

“There may be a connection between the substance we humans sense as a taste and the substance that induces superconductivity.”

“It is as if a detective was tracking down the culprit in a suspense story — the guy is in the glass, but we still don’t know if he is acting alone or conspiring with others.”

The team hopes the find will help in the quest to one day unleash the potential of superconductivity to build power infrastructure that reduces energy use and mankind’s reliance on climate-changing fossil fuels.

When an electric current passes through a conductor such as copper and silver, part of the charge is lost as heat, a loss that increases with the distance the charge travels.In superconductivity — first discovered in mercury in 1911 — electrical resistance suddenly drops to zero in some metals when they are cooled to near absolute zero (-273 degrees Celsius, -459 Fahrenheit).

This also produces a strong magnetic field — an effect which has found applications, including in MRI body scanners.

To achieve zero-loss power transmission now, cables encased in tubes can be cooled with liquid nitrogen to make them superconductive — but the complex and expensive technology has not been commercially used on a large scale. Power companies have run only small-scale and pilot projects.

The dream is, however, to one day find materials that can become superconductors at room temperature, which would allow zero-loss transmission of power over vast distances.

“This may sound like the stuff of dreams, but electricity generated by solar power in the Gobi desert (of China and Mongolia) could be transported to the other side of the globe,” said Takano.

“The sun is always shining somewhere on Earth, and the dream is for electricity to be transported to far-away places with no power loss.

“Imagine there is a ring of superconductive cables along the equator with solar cells attached at certain places. If there were branches, clean electricity could be dispatched to the remotest rural areas.” Mamoru Mohri, a former astronaut who heads the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo, said advances in superconductivity could ring in “an era in which we don’t have to burn as much fossil fuel”.

Takano’s team made their discovery when they put tablets of an iron-based compound called Fe(Te,S) into alcoholic drinks at an office party a year ago.

The team found that after being soaked for 24 hours in red wine or other alcoholic beverages, the compound became superconductive when cooled to about minus 265 degrees Celcius (minus 445 Fahrenheit).

Takano plans to present his findings at a European conference in September in The Hague, near Leiden where Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovered superconductivity 100 years ago.

Reiji Ogino, power-industry analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, said the hunt for new electricity transmission methods has sped up as the world looks to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

“I’m looking forward to seeing a technical breakthrough,” Ogino said — but he cautioned that it remains unclear how much it would cost to replace existing transmission networks.

Tomoaki Fujii, who heads equity research at Morningstar Japan, said superconductivity is “a technology with high expectations”, but said that it is “a bit too early” to start buying related stocks just now.

“We haven’t seen superconductivity used for electricity transmission even 100 years after it was discovered,” he said. “And we would have to see how smoothly it could actually be utilised”.

The mystery of antioxidants...

2011-03-23T23:12:00.000-07:00

A young lady just rang to ask if I was interested in antioxidants.

“Passionately,” I said, and she told me she was happy to hear it, because she
wanted to tell me about the antioxidants in Nescafé.

“We hear a lot about the benefits of antioxidants these days,” I ruminated, “but there is nobody speaking up for the oxidants. We would, after all, have no need for antioxidants if there were no oxidants, an indisputable fact for which I have always felt that oxidants never receive the credit they deserve.”

“Be that as it may,” she said, “most people do not realise the antioxidant
benefit of coffee in general and Nescafé in particular and...”

But before she could continue, I found myself interrupting somewhat ungallantly, with a thought that had suddenly occurred to me: “If coffee contains antioxidants, does instant coffee contain instant antioxidants?” I asked. “If it doesn’t, I fear it could lead to you making and drinking the coffee before the antioxidants arrive, leaving them turning up late when the cup is empty and being flushed away with the washing up.”

“I’m sure that doesn’t happen,” she said. “In fact, the benefits of the
antioxidants in Nescafé...”

But my mind was becoming absorbed with a topic I had introduced earlier. “It’s a bit like antibiotics and probiotics, I suppose,” I said.

“I remember a couple of years ago when several probiotic foods appeared on the market, the antibiotics were furious. ‘We are performing a valuable function fighting disease’, they said, ‘and our biotic opponents ought not to be allowed to call in a mercenary force of probiotics to support them.’

Outright war was only averted when a probiotic spokesorganism came up with
a peace plan involving the partition of the biotic empire into separate regions
of influence for the antibiotic and probiotic movements.

Of course, if the antioxidants were to join forces with the antibiotics, it could force the oxidants into an alliance with the probiotics, leading to a drastic increase in tension.”

“I hadn’t thought of it like that,” my caller replied, “but I am sure that drinking a cup of...”

“And where, we must ask ourselves,” I interrupted again, “do the antiperspirants fit into all this?

Given the potential power of the antibiotic and antioxidant alliance, they would find it hard not to sign up for a grand, anti-everything league, finally giving up the position of neutrality they have held for so long, thanks to there being nobody specifically marketing perspirants as such.

Come to think of it, with the antibiotic and antioxidant alliance calling themselves the AAA, as they surely will, this seems bound to drive the other AAA, the Amateur Athletic Association, into the arms of the probiotics and oxidants, and since athletics is a highly effective way of producing perspiration, that makes it even more likely the antiperspirants will join the other antis.

Very worrying. I think “I need a cup of coffee.”

“Antioxidant Nescafé?” she offered.

“No,” I said: “I hate instant coffee.” And we left it at that.

Why is India still Turbans & Camels?

2011-02-28T01:59:00.000-08:00

Most books on India have a disproportionate number of pictures and stories from Rajasthan.

To outsiders, the idyllic world of camels, cows, colourful saris and handle-bar moustaches seems to convey a more authentic feel that the rest of homogenized India.

While relative proximity to the nation's capital has helped, I feel that the Rajasthan theme is rather overworked and it is time that writers and cameras moved on. Simply being drawn to the visual appeal of Rajasthan is rather superficial.

To me, local culture in other regions is equally rich. Reflecting on William Dalrymple's essay on the oral tradition of Rajasthan titled "Homer In India" (The New Yorker, Nov 20, 2006, Issue 38), I feel I might need to alter this view.

A young Harvard classicist named Milman Parry had a brilliant theory that Homer's works, the foundation upon which all subsequent European literature rested, must have originally been oral poems, and that they contained certain recurring formulas that he thought were a product of traditions of oral transmission.

He believed that to study Homer properly you had first to understand how oral poetry worked, and that since Yugoslavia was the place in Europe where such traditions had best survived he caught a ship to Yugoslavia in 1933 to prove it in the field. Parry was described as a sort of "the Darwin of oral literature".

He writes:

While I was staying at Rohet, I heard about what seemed to be the most remarkable survival of all: the existence of several orally transmitted epic poems. Unlike the ancient epics of Europe--the Iliad, the Odyssey, Beowulf, and the Nibelungenlied (the basis of Wagner's "Ring Cycle")--which were now the province only of academics and literature classes, the epics of Rajasthan were still very much alive.

They were preserved by a caste of wandering bhopas--shamans and bards--who travelled from village to village, staging performances.

It is perversity that the most backward, conservative regions are often culturally the richest? More than any other part of the country, large chunks of Rajasthan remained under the authority of the local hereditary rulers. It was only after the abolition of the privy-purses in 1971 (Thanks to Indira Gandhi) that the age-old feudal structure started to really erode. This raises a difficult moral question.

Moreover, the Gujars are very often illiterate, and illiteracy seems an essential condition for preserving the performance of an oral epic. It was the ability of the bard to read, rather than changes in the tastes of his audience, that sounded the death knell for the oral tradition. Just as the blind can develop a heightened sense of hearing, smell, and touch to compensate for their loss of vision, so it seems that the illiterate have a capacity to remember in a way that the literate simply do not.

This was certainly the conclusion of the Indian folklorist Komal Kothari. In the nineteen-fifties, Kothari came up with the idea of sending one of his principal sources, a singer from the Langa caste named Lakha, to adult-education classes.

The idea was that he would learn to read and write, thus making it easier to collect the many songs he had preserved. Soon Kothari noticed that Lakha needed to consult his diary before he began to sing. Yet the rest of the Langa singers were able to remember hundreds of songs--an ability that Lakha had somehow begun to lose as he slowly learned to write.

In the Yugoslavian case the recordings survived, but the actual oral tradition did not. Death of oral tradition takes along with it an entire subset of culture, leaving behind only a skeleton of words preserved in mummified form on CDs.

Sad, but can it be preserved in a living form? If it can, then what about the moral implications as suggested above?

I agree that it is a bit of a leap to generalize from oral tradition to culture in general; but, are more developed regions of India culturally shallower than more backward regions like Rajasthan?

Local culture in other regions are equally rich, but not as well preserved. If so, then I should not begrude Rajasthan's pre-eminent position on the covers of those books.

When I read about traditions dying, I feel that I am personally responsible in a way.
Yet, culturally we are relatively better off as this paragraph from the essay suggests,

Anthony Lane noted in this magazine in 2001, in the aftermath of the attacks on the United States, that the people of New York again and again compared what had happened to them to films: "It was like 'Independence Day' "; "It was like 'Die Hard' "; "No, 'Die Hard 2.' " In contrast, when the tsunami struck at the end of 2004, Indians were able to reach for a more sustaining narrative than disaster movies: the catastrophic calamities and floods that fill the Mahabharata and the Hindu tradition in general.

But then, we might have much more to lose too.

Signal acquisition module targets audio and vibration testing

2011-02-01T12:10:00.000-08:00

ADLINK Technology Inc. has released the PCI-9527, billed as their first 24-bit high-resolution dynamic signal acquisition module specifically designed for audio testing, acoustic measurement, and vibration analysis applications.

The PCI-9527 features two 24-bit simultaneous sampling analogue input channels with a sampling rate up to 432 KS/s, two analogue output channels with update rates up to 216 KS/s, and one external digital trigger I/O connector.

The PCI-9527 has a dynamic input range of more than 100 dB, an adjustable input range from ±0.316 V to ±40 V, and analogue inputs that support software-configurable features for AC or DC coupling and integrated electronic piezoelectric (IEPE) sensors for interfacing with an accelerometer sensor and microphone.

Overall, the PCI-9527 offers the flexibility needed to create a variety of automated test systems.

Potential uses of the PCI-9527 include production testing for television sets, MP3 players, and other multimedia devices where high-quality sound is essential.

It can also be integrated into monitoring systems for mission-critical machinery, such as turbines in a power station. Defects in the metal components of the turbines would generate abnormal sounds and vibration in operation, which would require high-dynamic range audio equipment to detect.

The PCI-9527 includes drivers and SDK support for mainstream Windows operating systems as well as third-party applications, including LabVIEW.

ADLINK also provides the Dynamic Signal Assistant APP Utility, an application designed to assist system integrators in validation and reduce overall design cycle time.

Image courtesy: ADLINK

More info @ ADLINK website – PCI-9527 product brief

DrDAQ low-cost USB data logger

2011-01-23T05:03:00.000-08:00

DrDAQ from Pico Technology is far more than just a data logger plugged on USB. With its software complements Picolog and PicoScope, DRDAQ doubles as a signal generator and an arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) too.

Thanks to the built-in sensors for light, sound and temperature you can start using your USB DrDAQ Data Logger straight out of the box.

The USB DrDAQ also has an RGB LED that you can program to show any 1 of 16.7 million colours. When you want to do more with your DrDAQ you can, thanks to the external sensor sockets.

DrDAQ is ideal fore use in colleges and labs because it also contains a basic oscilloscope or spectrum analyzer. By running the supplied PicoScope software DrDAQ becomes a single-channel scope with a 100 kHz bandwidth, 8-bit resolution and the ability to measure voltages of up to ±10 volts. Both PicoLog and PicoScope are fast and easy to use. USB DrDAQ also includes 4 digital input/outputs.

In input mode these give you even more monitoring options. When used as outputs they enable DrDAQ to control external devices.

Two of the digital I/Os include a pulse-counting function when used as inputs, and a pulse- width modulation (PWM) output capability.

DrDAQ is manufactured by Pico Technology (distributors worldwide).

More info @ http://www.picotech.com/distrib/us/

Hot swappable 2-channel 2-wire multiplexer with bus buffers

2011-01-14T08:20:00.000-08:00

Linear Technology’s LTC4312 is a hot-swappable 2-channel 2-wire bus multiplexer that allows one upstream bus to connect to any combination of downstream busses or channels. An individual enable pin controls each connection.

The LTC4312 provides bidirectional buffering, keeping the upstream bus capacitance isolated from the downstream bus capacitances. The high noise margin allows the LTC4312 to be interoperable with I2C devices that drive a high VOL (> 0.4V).

The LTC4312 supports level translation between 1.5V, 1.8V, 2.5V, 3.3V and 5V busses. The hot-swappable nature of the LTC4312 allows I/O card insertion into, and removal from, a live backplane without corruption of the data and clock busses.

If both data and clock are not simultaneously high at least once in 45ms and DISCEN is high, a FAULT signal is generated indicating a stuck bus low condition, the input is disconnected from each enabled output channel and up to 16 clocks are generated on the enabled downstream busses.

A three state ACC pin enables input and output side rise time accelerators of varying strengths and sets the VIL, RISING voltage.

Flat panel antennas offer superior directional characteristics

2011-01-09T07:10:00.001-08:00

The PN Series of panel antennas from Antenna Factors is designed for long-distance directional communication in wireless link networks.

Operating in the 2.45-GHz band with 16 dBi of gain and a directivity of 23° in both the horizontal and the vertical planes, they offer better performance than typical Yagi antennas, increasing the range and reliability of wireless link networks.

The sleek, attractive flat panel package is rugged and fully weatherised, making the antennas equally suited for indoor or outdoor applications.

Each antenna includes complete mounting hardware for standard masts. In its present range the PN Series panel antennas deliver both value and outstanding performance.

Image courtesy: Antenna Factor

More info @ Antenna Factor website

Upper Airway Stimulation device offers hope for sleep apnea sufferers

2011-01-04T07:46:00.000-08:00

Loud snoring is not just a tiring irritation for partners but can also be a sign of sleep apnea.

The National Institutes of Health reports that more than 12 million Americans suffer from the most common of the three varieties – obstructive sleep apnea, where the upper airway is repeatedly blocked during sleep.

There are a number of treatment options already available and Minneapolis-based Inspire Medical Systems is about to add a shocking new addition to the treatment options on offer.

The new system – which is about to enter clinical trials – electrically stimulates the nerve at the base of the tongue to keep it from blocking the air's journey to and from the lungs, and so offers the patient a good night's sleep.

An apneic can experience a cessation of airflow for more than ten seconds, but is generally partly awoken to take a breath. Even so, this lack of sound sleep can lead to other problems.

Persistent oxygen starvation often results in daytime fatigue, lack of concentration and decreased alertness and can go on to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Depression, muscle pain, inefficient metabolism, diabetes, impotence and a host of other ailments are also associated with sleep apnea.

One of the main causes of the most common variety of the condition – obstructive sleep apnea – is caused by the tongue and throat muscles becoming too relaxed and blocking the airway. Most sufferers are treated using a system known as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), where air is blown through the nose throughout the night and which can be very effective if used all the time.

But such a system is not for everyone and studies have shown that the technique is often abandoned by a significant percentage of sufferers.

Using well-established technologies from the fields of cardiac pacing and neurostimulation, Inspire Medical Systems has developed a system specifically to help those who are plagued by that troublesome tongue. The Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) therapy designed by Inspire Medical Systems stimulates the nerve that controls the base of the tongue with a small electrical pulse during sleep, to keep it toned and in place.

A pacemaker-like device is implanted under the skin, near the collarbone, and a wire is fed to the problematic twelfth cranial nerve. A sensor detects when the sufferer takes a breath and instructs the implant to stimulate the nerve.

The system is adjusted so that the tongue receives just enough current to keep it from blocking the airway but not enough to disturb sleep (or result in any rude mid-snooze gestures) and a remote allows the patient to activate and deactivate the system. A timer can also be set so that the zapping is delayed until after the user is asleep.

Inspire Medical Systems' hypoglossal nerve stimulation technology has just recently been given the all-clear for Stimulation Therapy for Apnea Reduction pivotal clinical trials by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and will soon be heading to key sites throughout the U.S. and Europe.

However, sufferers reading this might like to note that only those who tick all of the right boxes will be accepted into the trial, so cases where some other tissue causes the problem will not make it through. The results of the study will form the basis of a pre-market approval application to the FDA.

Source courtesy: Gizmag

Haptic exciters simulate mechanical key movement and act as audio drivers

2011-01-01T07:26:00.000-08:00

HiWave Technologies PLC (formerly known as NXT), a provider of electronics solutions for audio and haptics, has announced combined haptic touch and audio exciters for touch panels and screens used in industrial, home automation, automotive and consumer electronic products.

Applications include pad computers, hand-held and integrated displays and controllers.

When used with HiWave driver modules, a pair of NXHX14C exciters disperses bending waves evenly over the surface of touch panels so that users experience the sensation of depressing mechanical keys when they touch the panel surface.

The simulated mechanical movement enhances the human interface, enabling faster and more accurate keystrokes.

The same transducers also convert the touch screen into a flat panel loudspeaker with nominally flat response from 200 Hz to 15 kHz.

This eliminates the need for separate loudspeakers and amplifiers, enabling more compact products with fewer components. It also reduces bill of materials and manufacturing costs.

The exciters are designed for use with touch screens up to 19” and are available in 1-W and 2-W (RMS) versions with nominal drive impedances of 4, 8, 16 or 32 ohms.

Each exciter consists of a 14-mm diameter voice coil mounted on plastic suspension. Overall height is just 11 mm.

Image courtesy: HiWave

More info at: HiWave website

It's a dog's life indeed

2010-12-29T00:22:00.000-08:00

You walk through the tall weeds, stooping down. Your hind legs propel you smoothly, your fore-legs balance you correctly. Your fur rustles in anticipation as you examine your prey from a distance. It moves slowly and sluggishly but it can be fast as needed.

You edge toward it as your father taught you, making little noise.

It doesn’t notice you.

You circle to the left, gliding out of the tall weeds and into the tall grass. The green, unshorn grass crackles and bristles beneath you as you motion forward as your keen sense of hearing alerts you to the presence of something behind you.

You glance backward; your slanted eyes take in a human visage. You pay no attention to the witless thing and move on, blinking as you readjust to the light of the field in front of you.

You circle back into the weeds, traversing slowly back and forth toward the creature.

Now you’re within ten yards of it.

You can almost taste its warm blood in your mouth as you near it. A few more yards and you’ll be ready to pounce.

You move ever forward, keeping as prostrate as possible. As you move into the next yard a manicured lawn appears beneath your feet. You dodge it because it offers you no cover and dash behind the nearest tree.

You circle around the diminutive grass and traverse into the weeds.

Now you’re behind it.

Approaching cautiously, you wait. It turns, nearly seeing you rustling behind it.
You get a slight chill as you move into the thicker weeds, just in case you aroused his suspicion.

Hunting was strenuous when you were smaller, but now you’re skilled. Your eyes absorb the light outside the dim shadows, getting a better fix on your kill.

It looks straight into your eyes and you into its. Now is the time. Your powerful hind legs thrust you forward.

Being a feline has its advantages. Your front claws now extended, you grind them into the birds body on contact.

It certainly was the time.

The bird pecks at your face as you claw and bite your dinner. It pecks you with all of it’s might, but you swat it as though it was nothing. Finally the bird gives up the fight, allowing itself to be won as a meal.

You tear at it with your teeth. The warm blood trickles down your mouth and throat.

You savor the occasion.

You gnaw at it for a few minutes and then decide to show your trophy to your owners.

As you walk into your house, you notice one of the smaller humans making grotesque noises and flees at the sight of you. You continue to the eating hall and scratch at your masters leg, dropping the bird at her feet.

You’ll never understand why they shoo you out of the house with a broom whenever this happens.

LED array delivers record 1050 lumens at 11 watts

2010-12-28T10:17:00.000-08:00

Cree’s new XLamp® CXA20 LED array is the first lighting-class array aimed at accelerating the LED lighting revolution and can enable a 60-watt A-lamp equivalent while consuming just 11 watts.

With a single, uniform optical source, compact 22-mm x 22-mm footprint, and simple two-screw attachment, the CXA20 array can simplify the manufacturing process for customers who require a single component in their light-engine design.

When used in a traditional downlight application, luminaires based on the CXA20 are delivering 38-percent more illumination than a 26-watt CFL or a 100-watt incandescent bulb, while consuming a mere 14 watts.

The CXA20 LED array delivers 1050 lumens at 11 watts, or 2000 lumens at 27 watts, with a 3000-K warm-white color temperature. Samples are available now with standard lead times with production volumes targeted for late Q1 calendar 2011.

For more info look at : http://www.creeledrevolution.com/

2010-11-10T05:59:00.000-08:00

Someone asked me what kinda music I listen to when I'm stressed.

While the list is big, here's one that may help you, my blog readers, nix away some stress.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3S4dBk4E1g&ob=av3e

Enjoy!

2010-11-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

So I began to wonder yesterday about what could be the loudest possible noise on earth; so I googled my question and this is what I came up with.

Top Ten Loudest Noises (Increasing order)

10. Rock Concert/Speakers:

A 400,000 Watt rock concert or a similar set of speakers mounted in a vehicle can reach ear-splitting decibel levels. Is it any reason most promoters recommend you wear ear protection to stave off the 135-145 decibel sound waves?

9. Fireworks

Though not typically heard up close, fireworks are still explosions and are very loud. The sound heard from the sky is pretty loud, though not damaging, but at the bursting point the decibel levels reach a staggering 145-150. Even tests are performed under strict sound proofing to avoid any ear injury.

8. Gunfire

Gunfire for anyone unfortunate enough to be standing near it can be quite damaging to the ears registering at a quite loud 145-155 decibels. This is the very reason why you should always wear ear protection when on a firing range.

7. NHRA Dragsters

Sitting next to a dragster as it fires up its engines and screams down the raceway can be more than just loud; it can be damaging to your entire body. At the 155-160 Decibel range not only will it severely to permanently damage your hearing, but it also vibrates your vision and makes it temporarily difficult to swallow. That’s why no one stands next to them.

6. Space Shuttle Launch (And my favorite)

When the rockets fire, it is wise and, in fact, fully enforced, that you stand at least a half-mile away lest you get inundated by 165-170 decibels of painful sound. Unlike many other loud noises, the shuttle rocket sound is constant as it creates the thrust necessary to lift it from the ground.

5. The Blue Whale

Blue whales mostly emit very loud, highly structured, repetitive low-frequency rumbling sounds that can travel for many miles underwater. These songs may be used for communicating with other blue whales, especially in order to attract and find mates. The call of the blue whale reaches levels up to 188 decibels. This extraordinarily loud whistle can be heard for hundreds of miles underwater. The whale is the loudest, and, the largest animal on earth.

4. Volcano – Krakatoa

The 1883 the Krakatoa eruption ejected more than 25 cubic kilometres of rock, ash, and pumice and generated the loudest sound historically reported at 180 Decibels: the cataclysmic explosion was distinctly heard as far away as Perth in Australia approx. 1,930 miles (3,110 km), and the island of Rodrigues near Mauritius approx. 3,000 miles (5,000 km).

3. 1-Ton TNT Bomb

Standing as close as 250 feet away from the impact, the resulting explosion from a 1 ton bomb creates a decibel count of 210. Without sufficient hearing protection, not to mention a complete sound-resistant bunker surrounding you, you could quite literally die from the intense vibrations that would literally shake you apart. Unless, of course, you were under the bomb.

2. 5.0 Richter Earth Quake

A sufficient enough quake to rend the ground in twain and destroy buildings, whole rock, and human life reaches a decibel level of 235. If you are caught in the epicenter and are unlucky enough to not be above the ground in a plane or helicopter, the intense noise and vibrations could kill you long before death by any falling object.

1. Tunguska Meteor

The Tunguska event was a massive explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya (Under Rock) Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai of Russia, at 7:40 AM on June 30, 1908. The explosion was most likely caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet fragment at an altitude of 5 to 10 kilometers (3–6 mi) above Earth’s surface. It was measured with the similar impact of a 1000-Mega-ton bomb with a decibel rating 300-315. This is often considered to be the loudest single-event in history.

Bonus: Lake Taupo Eruption

Lake Taupo is a large lake in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand. The lake is the caldera that resulted from a massive volcanic erruption in 180 AD. It is New Zealand’s largest eruption in 20,000 years. It ejected around 120 cubic kilometers of material, of which 30 cubic kilometers were ejected in the space of a few minutes. It is believed that the eruption column was 50 kilometres high, twice as high as the eruption column from Mount St. Helens in 1980. The resulting ash turned the sky red over Rome and China. This eruption was reportedly heard in China. Lake Taupo today, is one of New Zealand’s popular tourist attractions for its beauty and swimming. The fact that the lake is the largest fresh water lake in Australasia, and approximately the same size as Singapore, ensures it is a huge ‘must do’ component to many tourists.

2010-11-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

>Look there, ohonekanobione, what is that?
>That looks like a small cone.
>But it's swaying in the wind!
>You're right, it is!
>There seems to be so many of them, where are we?
>This is all alien to me; I have no idea whatsoever.
>Let's move faster, press the booster switch and increase throttle.
> I am, I am, but the apparent laws of motion seem to be different here.
>Let me handle it, you look out and make sure we're not being tracked or followed.
>Okay, krastymoki, but it does seem harder to exit than enter.
>I know, just make sure we don't lose altitude, who ever is down there will not like us snooping on them.
>Look, I can see some lights down below, what are they?
>They seem to be moving like us, but only they are lower in altitude than us.
>Yes, weird things going on down there!
>Hey, what is that?
>What is what, Ohonekanobione?
>Seems to me like a giant object flying far away from us.
>Ho boy, is this a weird place or what!
>You bet! I have never seen anything like this before.
>Me neither, but we have been given orders and we have to execute them.
>I wonder why Mastekyuman assigned us this task?
>I wonder too, I feel safer at home than wandering so far.
>I'm just glad, Mastekyuman didn't tell us to explore this place by walking.
>Me too, I don't feel safe even up here.
>This place looks so primitive, nothing like our place huh?!
>Oh yeah, we are miles ahead, this is just one big disappointment.
>What say we leave some mark on that ground there and vamoose?
>Good idea, what kinda mark should we leave?
>Hmm, try concentric circles with smaller circles around it.
>Okay, done.
>Let's scoot!

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>What was that, Rick?
>Alert the control tower!
>I saw them beaming at some trees earlier and then shine rays on a field nearby.
>Alert the chief, I think we have a UFO situation here.
>Okay, keep your eyes on the radar and keep me posted.
>Sure thing.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>Hey, they are beaming on us.
>Forget these primates, let's get out of here.
>Sure, weird planet huh, Ohonekanobione?
>Yes, our planet is a lot safer, and I don't think these people like us very much.
>Yeah, weird, and all we came to do was extend a hand of friendship.
>Guess that's outta the window.
>Yeah, let's tell the chief that this Blue planet is the least intelligent planet and that we found nothing significant except beings with 2 legs, 2 hands, 1 head; unlike us with 1 leg, 3 hands and 2 heads.
>Haha, Blue planet people sure are weird.

atomic no 64 - Gd

2010-10-30T03:48:00.000-07:00

Since I saw a funtional stirling engine recently, I made the mistake of entering the search term "perpetual motion" on youtube.com.

Then I lost an hour of my life looking at videos claiming to make perpetual motion engines out of natural magnets. These videos fascinate me because I presume they are all fake.

It seems to me that if any of these devices worked I wouldn't have to hunt around on youtube to find them. I'd already have one in my dad's garage charging his electric car.

So what is up with these videos?

One theory is that all of the inventors started out seriously trying to build perpetual motion machines, realized at some point they couldn't do it, and decided to salvage something out of the effort by making fake videos and getting some attention.

Another theory is that the so-called inventors never intended to do anything but create fake videos. But it sure seems like a lot of work for that. That option seems unlikely to me.

Lastly, we must entertain the possibility that the laws of physics have some sort of loophole, inventors sometimes find it, and the big corporations send around hit men every time it happens. That's why you never see the invention beyond youtube.com or some local news show. But that seems unlikely too. So it remains a mystery.

As I was googling around on this topic, I discovered that there is an element called gadolinium (Gd) that is attracted to magnets up to about room temperature, then it abruptly loses its attraction.

It seems to me you could build a generator using that principle. All you need is an external source of heat, and not much of it, to power the thing.

A natural magnet could attract the gadolinium, which creates some mechanical energy, and some portion of that energy could be used to introduce heat from the outside that makes the gadolinium non-magnetic and puts the device back to its original position.

Some of that energy from the return trip would turn off the outside heat source and the process repeats forever. It would only operate at about room temperature, but that's still pretty nifty.

The inside of my house, for example, is always at about room temperature, so there is no shortage of that environment.

Yeah, I know, someone probably already invented it.

Pre-historic Kalmadi does it once more...

2010-10-25T00:05:00.000-07:00

Noted Egyptologist Dr Hammerschmidst has claimed that a pre-historic equivalent of the Commonwealth Organizing Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi had managed to stall the construction of pyramids in 2750 BC

This startling claim was made in a book written by him called ‘Dummy mummies’ launched at a well-attended function in New York last week.

The book lists out a series of incidents that happened when the Egyptians were constructing the first set of pyramids. Amranakhalmadee, the corrupt Senior Supervisor of the pyramid project spent money by the donkey loads and missed many deadlines before his luck finally ran out.

“The domestic media of those days, represented by heavy limestone tablets came down heavily on Amranakhalmadee following which he lost the blessings of the royal family, soon enough. That is before he met with a gory end,” Hammerschmidst said.

According to Hammerschmidst, Amranakhalmadee swindled money, cut corners by using sub standard construction material and extended projects indefinitely to mint more money.

In the end, a publication published on red algae from an area now in Saudi Arabia took up the issue, causing much embarrassment to the Egyptian royal family. The domestic media took the cue and launched a relentless campaign for removing Amranakhalmadee.

Amranakhalmadee was then summoned by the family and banished to one of the pyramids under construction at that point of time He was supposed to spend the rest of his life there in solitary confinement as a punishment for his crimes.

But fate had other plans, as Amranakhalmadee died the very next day, when the ceiling of the poorly constructed pyramid collapsed on him, while he was shaving. Spin doctors of the royal family then took over and ensured that all references to the Egyptian pre-historic Kalmadi were removed.

"This should serve as a warning to all the Kalmadis out there who are out to make a fast buck by trading national pride for millions. Such guys will meet the same fate as Amranakhalmadee and there are no two ways about it", Hammerschmidst said.

Egyptian government has banned the sale of the book and is considering legal action against Hammerschmidst for making 'unsubstantiated claims' in his book.

"Comparing the supervisors of ancient Egypt with Kalmadi is downright disgraceful, depressing, demeaning and mortifying and I am stopping here since I have run out of synonyms.

There was no such character in our country at any point of time in history and the story that we have heard in the press and in blogs about Amranakhalmadee is a figment of the author's imagination.

His story is as real as Pakistan's commitment to the war on terror," a senior Egyptian diplomat in New Delhi told Humor Unplugged over a Skype chat.

2010-10-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

Tired of not knowing what kinds of foods to eat? Not sure how much fat, calories and sodium you should be consuming everyday? All the tips you need are here....

In addition to regular exercise, you'll also want to add some fat burning foods to your diet to help trim your waistline.

Foods that are high in protein and fibre are the best kinds of food to eat if you want to burn fat around your middle.

Did you know that it takes more energy to digest protein than it does to digest fat? So the more protein you eat, the more calories your body burns.

Eggs
Eggs are super high in protein and can help you burn that unwanted belly fat. They contain the vitamin B12 – a great supplement for breaking down fat cells.

You may have heard all the warnings about eggs and your health. That's because a couple of eggs will put you over the recommended daily amount of cholesterol.

Well, more recent studies have shown that dietary cholesterol has a minimal impact on blood cholesterol. Dietary fat is the real culprit. It's what raises your bad cholesterol levels.

However, if you're still worried about your overall cholesterol intake from eating too many eggs, you can remove the yolk and still benefit from the high protein contained in eggs.

Low fat dairy products
According to an article in Obesity Research, women who ate low-fat dairy products, such as nonfat yogurt and low-fat milk, three to four times a day, lost 70 per cent more fat than low-dairy dieters.

In another study done at Purdue University those who consumed 3 cups of fat-free milk gained less weight over the course of 2 years than those on low calcium diets.

So, not only do dairy products help you strengthen your bones, they can also play an essential role in burning that unwanted body fat.

If you are a regular consumer of milk and other dairy products, that's great, just watch your proportions and perhaps switch over to the low or no fat varieties.

Beans
While beans are often associated with the gastrointestinal disturbances they may cause, they are also very good sources of protein, fibre and iron.

Some of the best kinds of beans to eat are:
- Navy beans
- White beans
- Kidney beans
- Lima beans

And as always, limit baked and refried beans in your diet as refried beans contain tons of saturated fat, while baked beans are usually loaded in sugar. Sure, you'll be getting your protein but you'll also be consuming a lot of fat and sugar that you don't need.

Here's something else to remember. Be sure to cook your beans thoroughly because our digestive tracks are not adapted to breaking down some proteins that are contained in certain beans.

Tip: A vegetable called Edamame (pronounced ed-uh-ma-may) – an organic soybean in a pod often served at Japanese restaurants.

All you do is boil them for three minutes, add a pinch of salt and eat the soybeans out of the pods. They are surprisingly tasty and very good for you. One serving contains 10 grams of soy protein. The best place to find them is at a store that sells organic foods.

Oatmeal
While it may not be the tastiest thing you can eat, oatmeal definitely has some great nutritional qualities.

You may have noticed that many of the oatmeal brands are now boasting that eating more oatmeal will help lower your cholesterol level. That's because oatmeal is loaded with soluble fibre which helps reduce blood cholesterol by flushing those bad digestive acids out of your system.

The best kind of oatmeal to eat is unsweetened and unflavoured. While it's tempting to select the apples and cinnamon flavour and load it with butter and sugar – you really lose out on all the health benefits. If you must sweeten your bowl of oatmeal, do so by adding fruit.

Or add a spoonful of honey (much better for you than sugar) and a handful of raisins or dried cranberries.

Oatmeal is also beneficial in fighting colon cancer and heart disease.

Olive oil
Certain fats are good for you and your body needs them. Olive oil is one of those 'good fats'. In fact, it's so good that it helps you burn fat and keeps your cholesterol down.

Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat, a type of fat that researchers are finding provide outstanding health benefits. One ounce of extra virgin olive oil contains about 85 per cent of the daily value for monounsaturated fat.

So instead of taking a swig of orange juice in the morning, many dieters are picking up a bottle of extra virgin olive oil.

Whole grains
These days everyone seems to be screaming "No carbs!" It's as if the world has gone no-carb crazy and everyone is running from sliced breads and pastas.

Well the truth is, your body needs carbohydrates. If you go without them completely your body will start to crave them. So it's not a good idea to exclude all carbs because the right kinds are actually good for you.

It's the processed carbohydrates that are bad for you – the white breads, bagels, pastas, and white rice to name a few.

The above foods have all been processed, thus stripping out all the nutrients leaving you with loads of starch.

The key is to eat 'whole grain' foods because they haven't been processed and contain the fiber and minerals your body needs.

So don't be fooled by a loaf of bread labeled 'wheat'. Regular wheat bread is still lacking in vitamins and minerals. Manufacturers add molasses to it so it turns brown.

Don't let them trick you. The only kind of bread that's good for you is the kind that's labeled 'whole grain'.

Meat and fish
Turkey and beef are great for building muscle and boosting the immune system, but as always you have to be careful as:

Basted turkeys are usually injected with fatty substances while beef contains saturated fat. If you are going to eat beef, be sure to consume the leanest cuts you can find by looking for 'loin' or 'round' on the labels.

Salmon and tuna are also good sources of protein. They both contain omega-3 fatty acids which may sound bad, but are actually healthy fats. These two foods are also good for giving your immune system a nice boost and should be consumed at least thrice a week.

hecking an ego on the go ...

2010-09-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

It's nearly impossible to overtake someone on the roads these days, especially when both parties are on bikes, and even more especially when the bikes are among the more powerful bikes on the market today (loosely, those with engine capacities of 150cc and above), without seemingly causing untold agony and hurt to the ego of the person being overtaken.

I'm not on the road to race. If I overtake someone, it's because of that person being at that place at that time, causing him (or her) to be overtaken.

I would've done the same had that person not been there on the road getting overtaken by me.

So it's not a race, nor an ego boost for me. I am just riding, on my way to wherever I want to go. It's as simple as that!

It surprises me how easily this fact is lost on all of the wannabe road-racers and their egos. Can't a guy just weave through traffic at a little more than "normal" speed just for the heck of it? Does every such instance have to mean that it's a challenge to yet another street race?

I'm not a racer, nor do I pretend to be one. If I am really good at racing, I'll make that my profession, and spend my "off the job" days practicing at some race track.

However, that doesn't mean that I can't sometimes go beyond my comfort zone on the road when conditions permit. It seems like I'll have to carry a disclaimer board every time I want to do this, to prevent unnecessary risk to other road users.

Bloggers' delight!

2010-08-21T05:34:00.000-07:00

My family blogs. The whole gang.

And while we post away on irr/relevant topics we shoulder the responsibility of helping each other in what little way we can.

While we are on the subject of the 'Family', I must admit that my family is an unusual bunch. No, there is no domineering patriarch or an emotion supporting matriarch and an ever so lovable/ annoying twin brother who loves getting me in difficult situations and then comically helping me get out of it. He should do stand up, but I digress.

Rather, everyone takes equal importance in sharing different roles.

We have the Dad a.k.a Popz, a seasoned blogger, a lovable person, and a really funny guy with few if not many "dad-jokes" tumbling out alongside really funny one-liners and wicked jibes.

Then we have the Mom a.k.a huggles and to whom hugging comes easily. While I detest being called a 'momma's boy' by certain brats, I would like to confess to them that I'm an abnormal 21 year old who still plays childish games now and then and has invented several weird sounding names to address his mother.

FYI, I'm a hug person rather than a handshake person for as long as I can remember, thanks to her.

Then there is the Twin, the one fellow who not just looks, talks, walks like me but is also an extremely funny, annoying, and yet entertaining sibling. I have to say this even if tears well up in my eyes, that I would really miss him when we go our separate ways later on in life.

Well, that's my family. Small in size but big on love.

Kudos to the first family of awesomeness!

P.S : Here are their individual blog addresses.

Popz: http://naikmm.blogspot.com/
Huggles: http://whisperinthewoods.blogspot.com/
worsthalf: http://worldofalok.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Truth Revealed humorously...

2010-08-19T01:24:00.000-07:00

Not every conversation in the White House stays private. A passing maintenance man, an intern, and the public gets wind of what’s going on behind the scenes.

That is exactly what happened here, though I won’t be revealing any sources. Who knows when the next juicy bit of inside information will be revealed. I can also reveal some good news, at least one of these problems was solved before it got too messy.

The overheard conversation was between Karl Rove, Bush’s Brain, and George himself.

You’re not looking well Mr. President how do you feel.

Well I’m a little, you know indigestated, but I feel like my performance is way up.

You look, well, you look a little constipated.

I suppose I am, but a president needs to be at top performance you know and sacrifice at the country.

Why of course you need to stay at top performance, but what does that have to do with constipation.

It’s not real bad yet. I just need to work out some details on this performance thing.

George you’re not making much sense. What the hell are you talking about? George have you started doing something new without checking it with me first. Have you forgotten George. I’m your brain. They even wrote a book about it.

Yes I know Karl they wrote another god forsaken book about how smart you are. Well I’m pretty smart too. I read it on the Internets. Some Instapudding site said I was wiley and some others Americans called warbuggers like me too. They all said I’m plenty smart.

Yes George you’re smart but you didn’t answer my question. Did you do something new that you haven’t told me about.

Okay well yes I did that corked thing. You know to enhance my performance.

What corked thing, what are you talking about?

God Karl for being so smart don’t you even read the sports page. I mean I know it was illegal for Sammy to cork his butt, but that’s because they have a rule against it in baseball. I’m a president I’m not a baseball player if I can do something to enhance my performance there’s no rule against it. Sammy said he did it for his fans and I have fans too.

I don’t know how to tell you this George

Just say it like you always do Karllll.

Sammy’s problem was with a corked bat George not a corked butt.

Are you sure Karl

Yes George I’m sure.

Karl have our guys found any of the weapons we made destructive.

You mean weapons of mass destruction.

Yea those.

I told you about the mobile biological labs didn’t I.

Yes, but people are asking me questions I can’t answer.

Like what?

Well they want to know how a semi-trailer truck is a weapon. Were the Iraqis going to run over people or what.

No George they were going to use it to make bugs and chemicals and then unleash those against our troops.

Come on Karl, your telling me they had bugs and the bugs were on a leash and they were going to let them off the leash and that was dangerous. Our troops could just take their size twelve boots and stomp on the bugs. I need something more than that.

George the bugs are invisible. They are so small that people can’t see them.

You mean like all those other weapons you said they had and now we can’t find. I’m confused.

Never mind about the biological weapons just tell them the labs created chemical weapons, you know what chemicals are right?

Sure I’m not dumb you know.

Yes George. Tell them about the mustard gas they could have produced.

God Karl you’re telling me to explain about the chemicals and now you’re telling me about gas. I know all about gas. You know I’m feeling better after that cork thing though now I have a little gas of my own. It’s pretty bad but if you just hold your nose. Karl, why can’t people just hold their noses if they encounter this mustard gas stuff.

George mustard gas burns the skin it is really nasty stuff.

Yes, well mine sometimes burns a little too.

Never mind George just tell them that you’ll reveal the truth when we find it.

Yes, okay Karl I’ll tell them that.

Why Russians Don’t Get Depressed

2010-08-17T22:12:00.001-07:00

The saddest short story I’ve ever read is “The Overcoat,” by Gogol. (It starts out bleak and only gets bleaker.) The second saddest story is “Grief,” by Chekhov. (Nabokov famously said that Chekhov wrote “sad books for humorous people; that is, only a reader with a sense of humor can really appreciate their sadness.”) And then, if I had to make a list of really depressing fiction, I’d probably put everything written by Dostoyevsky. Those narratives never end well.

Notice a theme? Russians write some seriously sad stuff. This has led to the cultural cliche of Russians as a brooding people, immersed in gloomy moods and existential despair. In a new paper in Psychological Science, Igor Grossmann and Ethan Kross of the University of Michigan summarize this stereotype:

One needs look no further than the local Russian newspaper or library to find evidence supporting this belief [that Russians are sad] – brooding and emotional suffering are common themes in Russian discourse. These observations, coupled with ethnographic evidence indicating that Russians focus more on unpleasant memories and feelings than Westerners do, have led some researchers to go so far as to describe Russia as a “clinically masochistic” culture.

This cliche raises two questions. Firstly, is it true? And if it is true, then what are the psychological implications of thinking so many sad thoughts?

The first experiment was straightforward. The psychologists gave subjects in Moscow and Michigan a series of vignettes that described a protagonist who either does or does not analyze her feelings when she is upset. After reading the short stories, the students were then asked to choose the protagonist that most closely resembled their own coping tendencies. The results were clear: While the American undergraduates were evenly divided between people who engaged in self-analysis (the brooders) and those who didn’t, the Russian students were overwhelmingly self-analytical. (Eighty-three Russians read the vignettes; sixty-eight of them identified with the brooders.) In other words, the cliche is true: Russians are ruminators. They are obsessed with their problems.

At first glance, this data would seem like really bad news for Russian mental health. It’s long been recognized, for instance, that the tendency to ruminate on one’s problems is closely correlated with depression. (The verb is derived from the Latin word for “chewed over,” which describes the process of digestion in cattle, in which they swallow, regurgitate and then rechew their food.) The mental version of rumination has a darker side, as it leads people to fixate on their flaws and mistakes, preoccupied with their problems. What separates depression from ordinary sadness is the intensity of these ruminations, and the tendency of depressed subjects to get stuck in a recursive loop of negativity.

According to Grossman and Kross, however, not all brooders and ruminators are created equal. While American brooders showed extremely high levels of depressive symptomatology (as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory, or BDI), Russian brooders were actually less likely to be depressed than non-brooders. This suggests that brooding, or ruminative self-reflection, has extremely different psychiatric outcomes depending on the culture. While rumination makes Americans depressed, it actually seems to provide an emotional buffer for Russians.

What explains these cultural differences? Grossman and Kross then asked students in Moscow and Michigan to “recall and analyze their “deepest thoughts and feelings surrounding a recent anger-related interpersonal experience”. Then, the subjects were quizzed about the details of their self-analysis. They were asked to rate, on a seven point scale, the extent to which they adopted a self-immersed perspective (a 1 rating meant that they “saw the event replay through your own eyes as if you were right there”) versus a self- distanced perspective (a 7 rating meant that they “watched the event unfold as an observer, in which you could see yourself from afar”). Finally, the subjects were asked about how the exercise made them feel. Did they get angry again when they recalled the “anger-related” experience? Did the memory trigger intense emotions?

Here’s where the cultural differences became clear.* When Russians engaged in brooding self-analysis, they were much more likely to engage in self-distancing, or looking at the past experience from the detached perspective of someone else. Instead of reliving their confused and visceral feelings, they reinterpreted the negative memory , which helped them make sense of it. According to the researchers, this led to significantly less “emotional distress” among the Russian subjects. (It also made them less likely to blame another person for the event.) Furthermore, the habit of self-distancing seemed to explain the striking differences in depressive symptoms between Russian and Americans. Brooding wasn’t the problem. Instead, it was brooding without self-distance. Here’s Grossman and Kross:

Our results highlighted a psychological mechanism that explains these cultural differences: Russians self-distance more when analyzing their feelings than Americans do. These findings add to a growing body of research demonstrating that it is possible for people to reflect either adaptively or maladaptively over negative experiences. In addition, they extend previous findings cross-culturally by highlighting the role that self-distancing plays in determining which type of self-reflection—the adaptive or maladaptive one—different cultures engage in.

The lesson is clear: If you’re going to brood, then brood like a Russian. Just remember to go easy on the vodka.

*I think cross-cultural studies like this are an important reminder than American undergrads are W.E.I.R.D.

2010-08-13T06:33:00.000-07:00

Your fleeting smile….
Whiff of summer warmth….
Remains in thought…
Ever ….forever…

Gut Bacteria Give Super Seaweed-Digestion Power to Japanese

2010-08-12T00:23:00.000-07:00

The old adage, “You are what you eat,” has a bacterial component.

In a neat confluence of human history, stomach bacteria and food, researchers have found that the intestinal microbes of Japanese people may be souped up for eating seaweed.

“In a marine bacteria, we identified an enzyme that is very specialized for degrading algal cell walls,” said Mirjam Czjzek, a biologist at France’s Station Biologique de Roscoff. “The only other place we find this enzyme is in the human-gut bacteria of Japanese individuals.”

The discovery, described April 7 in Nature, started with Roscoff biologist Jan-Hendrik Hehemann’s analysis of Zobellia galactanivorans, a common marine bacteria. In it, he found an enzyme that breaks down porphyran, a carbohydrate found in the cell walls of red algae.

The gene that codes for the enzyme has been found in one other place: the genome of Bacteroides plebeius, a microbe found in human intestines. However, not all B. plebeius strains produce the algae-crunching enzyme. It has only been found in Japanese people.

According to the researchers, the enzyme helps Z. galactanivorans eat red algae, which westerners know best as the nori seaweed wrapping around sushi rolls. At some unknown points and in some unknown stomachs in the Japanese past, the enzyme-coding gene passed from Z. galactanivorans and into B. plebeius. That lucky microbe would have benefited from a new-found ability to process red algae, spreading through its stomach environment and eventually through the human population, which in turn derived more nutrients from an algae-rich diet.

Humans are known to benefit from digestive enzymes produced by the trillions of microbes in each person’s intestines, but “I don’t think anyone’s ever shown an ethnic difference like this,” said Andrew Gewirtz, an Emory University immunologist who studies the role of gut bacteria in obesity. “It’s perfectly logical, and fits with ideas that scientists have kicked around.”

How much the new gene helps people digest seaweed hasn’t yet been quantified. The microbes’ fate in people with seaweed-free diets is uncertain.

The researchers also don’t know when the gene jumped from marine to human microbes, though Czjzek suspects it happened long ago. As for whether other people have seaweed-processing strains, the study isn’t absolutely conclusive. It looked only at the gut microbes of 18 westerners — enough to suggest a pattern, but not a final word, though the chances are probably low.

“Often the question comes, ‘I’ve been eating sushi for two years now. Do I have this enzyme?’ The answer is, these are very rare events,” said Czjzek. “In the early days, seaweed wasn’t sterilized. Nowadays, it’s cooked, roasted and prepared. The chance to have this type of transfer is much lower.”

That’s likely the case with most types of food, said Gewirtz. As for whether “that’s a good or a bad thing, it’s hard to say,” he said. But Justin Sonnenburg, a Stanford University microbiologist who wrote a commentary accompanying the findings, is concerned.

“Consumption of hyper-hygienic, mass-produced, highly-processed and calorie-dense foods is testing how rapidly the microbiota of individuals in industrialized countries can adapt while being deprived of the environmental reservoirs of microbial genes,” he wrote.

However, globalized diets do give people a chance to eat foods they wouldn’t have found before. “The next time you take a bite of an unfamiliar food, think about the microbial inhabitants you may also be ingesting, and the possibility that you will be providing one of your 10 trillion closest friends with a new set of utensils,” wrote Sonnenburg.

Image Courtesy: Javier Lastras/Flickr.

Alcoholism

2010-08-10T22:22:00.000-07:00

Brendan Koerner has a really fantastic article in the latest Wired on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). It’s a fascinating exploration of the organization, from its hallucinogen inspired birth (Bill Wilson was tripping on belladonna when he found God in a hospital room) to the difficulty of accurately measuring the effectiveness of AA:

The group’s “cure rate” has been estimated at anywhere from 75 percent to 5 percent, extremes that seem far-fetched. Even the most widely cited (and carefully conducted) studies are often marred by obvious flaws. A 1999 meta-analysis of 21 existing studies, for example, concluded that AA members actually fared worse than drinkers who received no treatment at all. The authors acknowledged, however, that many of the subjects were coerced into attending AA by court order. Such forced attendees have little shot at benefiting from any sort of therapy–it’s widely agreed that a sincere desire to stop drinking is a mandatory prerequisite for getting sober.

Yet a growing body of evidence suggests that while AA is certainly no miracle cure, people who become deeply involved in the program usually do well over the long haul.

In a 2006 study, for example, two Stanford psychiatrists chronicled the fates of 628 alcoholics they managed to track over a 16-year period. They concluded that subjects who attended AA meetings frequently were more likely to be sober than those who merely dabbled in the organization.

The University of New Mexico’s Tonigan says the relationship between first-year attendance and long-term sobriety is small but valid: In the language of statistics, the correlation is around 0.3, which is right on the borderline between weak and modest (0 meaning no relationship, and 1.0 being a perfect one-to-one relationship).

Koerner also investigates AA from the perspective of the brain. He focuses on the prefrontal cortex, that chunk of tissue behind the forehead that allows us to exert self-control, to order club soda instead of whiskey:

As dependence grows, alcoholics also lose the ability to properly regulate their behavior. This regulation is the responsibility of the prefrontal cortex, which is charged with keeping the rest of the brain apprised of the consequences of harmful actions. But mind-altering substances slowly rob the cortex of so-called synaptic plasticity, which makes it harder for neurons to communicate with one another. When this happens, alcoholics become less likely to stop drinking, since their prefrontal cortex cannot effectively warn of the dangers of bad habits.

This is why even though some people may be fully cognizant of the problems that result from drinking, they don’t do anything to avoid them. “They’ll say, ‘Oh, my family is falling apart, I’ve been arrested twice,’” says Peter Kalivas, a neuroscientist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. “They can list all of these negative consequences, but they can’t take that information and manhandle their habits.”

The loss of synaptic plasticity is thought to be a major reason why more than 90 percent of recovering alcoholics relapse at some point.

It’s now possible to see these changes in the prefrontal cortex at an extremely precise level. Interestingly, one of the most important changes has to do with how alcoholics (and addicts in general) process “prediction error” signals. In essence, a prediction error signal occurs when we expect to get a reward – and it doesn’t matter if the reward is money, sex, praise or drugs – and we instead get nothing (or maybe even a negative outcome).

The brain processes this disappointment as a prediction error. As Wolfram Schultz and others have demonstrated, such prediction errors are an incredibly efficient way to learn about the world, allowing us to update our internal models (all those predictions of good stuff) in light of our mistakes.

This is an essential aspect of decision-making, as it allows us to avoid the mindless repetition of mistakes. Just look at what happens to monkeys when their prediction error pathway is surgically disrupted. The experiment went like this: monkeys were given a joystick that moved in two different directions. At any given moment, only one of the movements would trigger a reward (a pellet of food). To make things more interesting, the scientists switched the direction every twenty-five trials. If the monkeys had previously gotten in the habit of lifting the joystick in order to get a food pellet, they now had to shift their strategy.

So what did the monkeys do? Animals with an intact prediction error pathway had no problem with the task. As soon as they stopped receiving rewards for lifting the joystick – this generated a prediction error – they started turning it in the other direction, which meant they continued to receive their pellets of food.

However, monkeys that were missing their prediction error machinery demonstrated a telling defect. When they stopped being rewarded for moving the joystick in a certain direction, they were still able (most of the time) to change directions, just like a normal monkey. However, they were unable to persist in this successful strategy, and soon went back to moving the joystick in the direction that garnered no reward. They never learned how to consistently find the food, to turn a mistake into an enduring lesson.

What do prediction errors have to do with addiction? One way to think about addiction is the abuse of a substance despite serious adverse consequences.

We think the alcohol will make us happy – and it does, for a few minutes – but the drug will also lead to withdrawal, hangovers, ruined relationships, an empty wallet, etc. In other words, the costs of the drink far exceed its fleeting rewards.

Why, then, do addicts keep on drinking? One possible explanation is that addicts can’t properly process their prediction errors, so that all those negative outcomes get ignored. (In other words, we’re like those monkeys who keep on pressing the joystick in the wrong direction.) The end result is that we never learn from our very costly decision-making mistakes.

A new paper in the Journal of Neuroscience by Soyoung Q Park, et. al. provides compelling support for this hypothesis. The scientists began by giving twenty “abstinent alcohol-dependent patients” a simple reinforcement learning task featuring green smiling faces (positive feedback) and red frowning faces (negative feedback).

The first thing to note is that it took the alcoholic patients significantly longer to figure out the game than a group of control subjects. Because the game was played inside an fMRI machine, the scientists were able to analyze the neural differences that led to the learning problems.

Interestingly, the alcoholic patients didn’t have a problem generating prediction errors in the striatum, the dopaminergic source of the prediction error signal. When they made a bad guess and saw the red frowning face, their addicted brains looked identical to brains of control subjects. Both groups instantly and automatically recognized their mistakes.

It’s what happened next that begins to explain the errant behavior of addicts. In the control group, this prediction error signal was quickly passed along to the prefrontal cortex, which used this new information to modulate future decisions. As a result, the control brain was able to quickly learn from its mistakes and minimize the number of red frowning faces.

The alcoholic brain wasn’t nearly as adept. Park et. al. found that, at least in this small group of addicted patients, there appeared to a connectivity problem between the striatum and the prefrontal cortex. As a result, when these subjects made a mistake, their prefrontal cortex wasn’t fully informed – there was a reduced amount of “feedback-related modulation” – and this lack of modulation correlated with 1) an inability to succeed at the simple learning task and 2) the magnitude of their alcohol craving. (This data extends similar results observed in smokers.)

In other words, the addicts who couldn’t internalize their prediction errors were the most addicted. This suggests that it is the inability to learn from mistakes – even when these mistakes are destroying our life – that makes addiction so damn hard to escape.

Now here’s some blatant speculation.

I think one reason AA is successful, at least for many of those who commit to the program, is that it’s designed to force people to confront their prediction errors.

Just look at the twelve steps AA uses, many of which are all about the admission of mistakes, from step number 1 (“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol–that our lives had become unmanageable”) to step number 8 (“Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all”) to step number 10 (“Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it”).

I’d suggest that the presence of these steps helps people break through the neuromodulatory problem of addiction, as the prefrontal cortex is forced to grapple with its massive failings and flaws.

Because unless we accept our mistakes we will keep on making them.

An Emptied Flask Makes for Empty Promises

2010-08-09T00:35:00.000-07:00

After four vodka tonics, you might feel determined to conquer fear and finally tell your married co-worker that you’ve been in love with her for years. But the next morning, not so much.

It may seem obvious to most of us that drunken promises don’t mean much, but apparently two German researchers weren’t so sure. Using 60 undergrads as guinea pigs, they designed a randomized control trial to test the effects of alcohol on a person’s commitment to unrealistic goals.

“People may indicate being determined to reach their goals after having consumed alcohol,” wrote the researchers in the August edition of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, “but once sober again, they do not walk the talk.”

After asking participants about their most-important personal goals, the researchers gave half the students vodka tonics and the other half plain tonic water with lime. To separate the true effects of alcohol from the psychological effects of thinking you’re intoxicated, the researchers went to great lengths to convince the entire group that they’d be sipping spirits, including sneakily smearing all the glasses with alcohol and pouring decarbonated tonic water out of a vodka bottle.

They must have done a pretty good job, as only two people from the placebo group realized they’d been duped (and one tolerant drinker in the vodka group thought he’d been tricked, too).

After four drinks, both groups were asked to rate their commitment level to a specific goal. Not surprisingly, inebriated students expressed strong commitment to their deepest desires, whether it was to hook up with a new friend or fly to France to visit a relative. But unlike sober participants, the drinking group didn’t lower their commitment level just because a goal was unrealistic.

“Intoxicated participants’ lack of considering their expectations particularly played out when chances to attain the goals were grim,” wrote researchers. “In light of low expectations, participants in the alcohol condition felt more committed to their goals than did participants in the placebo condition, whereas in light of high expectations, commitment did not differ between conditions.”

In other words, drunk people ignore reality and think they can do just about anything, a condition scientists have aptly labeled “alcohol myopia.”

Unfortunately, drunken courage didn’t translate into sober certitude. In a second, similar study, the researchers followed participants for three weeks after the experiment. Among the sober crew, the strength of a person’s commitment predicted how many steps they would take to achieve their goal in the following weeks. But among those who had been drinking, commitment didn’t correlate with future action.

The researchers say their results can help explain why people who don’t have high hopes for success are more likely to abuse alcohol. The study also helps clarify why weekend revelry never leads to dogged concentration on Monday morning. Or maybe that’s the hangover.

Image 1 Courtesy: Flickr/Jeremy Brooks. Image 2 Courtesy: Figure 1 from Sevincer and Oettingen, “Alcohol Breeds Empty Goal Commitments,” Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Vol. 188 (3), 623-633, August 2009. Reprinted with permission from the American Psychological Association.

Brain Scan Lie-Detection Deemed Far From Ready for Courtroom

2010-08-08T03:02:00.001-07:00

A landmark decision has excluded fMRI lie-detection evidence from a federal court case in Tennessee.

The defense tried to use brain scans of the defendant to prove its client had not intentionally defrauded the government. In a 39-page opinion, Judge Tu Pham provided both a rebuke of this kind of fMRI evidence now, and a roadmap for how future defendants may be able to satisfy the Daubert standard, which governs the admissibility of scientific evidence.

“It has no automatic binding force on any other court, but because it’s been so carefully done, it will very likely carry a lot of persuasive value,” said Owen Jones, a professor of law and biological sciences at Vanderbilt University, who observed the entire hearing.

The specific facts of the Tennessee case revolve around whether defendant Lorne Semrau, CEO of two nursing home facilities, intentionally had his employees fraudulently fill out Medicare and Medicaid forms. Semrau claims he acted in good faith and that the government directions were unclear; the government argues his companies made an extra $3 million by marking up a variety of services beyond their assigned value. The brain scans were intended to show Semrau is telling the truth today about his behavior in the past.

As Jones pointed out to Wired.com in May, with the fMRI scans, “the defense is attempting to introduce evidence of the brain’s current assessment of the brain’s former mental state.”

To get the brain scans into Federal court, the evidence had to meet the Daubert standard, so-named for the 1993 Supreme Court case that established rules for scientific testimony. Daubert has multiple prongs, but they don’t form a literal checklist: Judges are allowed to examine the evidence holistically.

Judge Pham, who presided over this evidentiary hearing, summarized his reading of Daubert: Reasonable tests to apply and ideas to consider include “(1) whether the theory or technique can be tested and has been tested; (2) whether the theory or technique has been subjected to peer review and publication; (3) the known or potential rate of error of the method used and the existence and maintenance of standards controlling the technique’s operation; and (4) whether the theory or method has been generally accepted by the scientific community.”

In walking through the use of fMRI in the case, the judge highlighted multiple areas where it did not meet the standard. First, he called attention to the difficulty of applying laboratory results about lying where the consequences of being caught are nonexistent, versus a real-world situation like the Semrau case.

“While it is unclear from the testimony what the error rates are or how valid they may be in the laboratory setting, there are no known error rates for fMRI-based lie detection outside the laboratory setting, i.e. in the ‘real-world’ or ‘real-life’ setting,” Pham wrote in his decision.

But Pham did not take his criticism too far. He could imagine, he wrote, that even if we didn’t know how well fMRI worked in the real-world, it could still be deemed admissible.

“The court notes that potential or known error rates is but one factor under the Daubert analysis,” Pham wrote, “and that in the future, should fMRI-based lie detection undergo further testing, development, and peer review, improve upon standards controlling the technique’s operation, and gain acceptance by the scientific community for use in the real world, this methodology may be found to be admissible even if the error rate is not able to be quantified in a real world setting.”

More damaging to Semrau’s case was that the neuroscience community has not accepted fMRI lie detection as ready for use in real-world situations. “No doubt in part because of its recent development, fMRI-based lie detection has not yet been accepted by the scientific community,” Pham plainly wrote.

Pham was also less than impressed with the scientific methodology employed by Cephos, the company who conducted the lie-detection test. After Semrau failed one of the two tests he’d agreed to take, Cephos CEO Steven Laken retested him a third time, claiming his client had been tired.

“Assuming, arguendo, that the standards testified to by Dr. Laken could satisfy Daubert, it appears that Dr. Laken violated his own protocols when he re-scanned Dr. Semrau,” Pham wrote.

On balance, Hank Greely, Stanford law professor and co-director of the Law and Neuroscience Project, did not find Cephos’ case for its product’s scientific accuracy compelling.

“It seems almost laughable that Cephos could parade this as a great method when, in this very case, they tried it three times and got one result twice and the other one once,” Greely wrote in an e-mail to Wired.com. “In the only ‘real world’ test we’ve got evidence about, their accuracy rate was either 66.7 percent or 33.3 percent.”

Finally, there was a small twist at the end of the Tennessee’s judge’s opinion where he cited a different evidentiary standard as a second basis for excluding the evidence, completely outside the scientific realm. Rule 403 of the Federal Rules of Evidence provides for the exclusion of evidence “on Grounds of Prejudice, Confusion, or Waste of Time.”

In applying rule 403 to this case, Pham compared Semrau’s situation to the case law surrounding polygraphs that are obtained by defendants unilaterally, saying they presented “similar issues.” In those cases, courts did not look kindly on tests performed solely to bolster the credibility of the witness without both prosecution and defense having been involved.

“Dr. Semrau risked nothing in having the testing performed, and Dr. Laken himself testified that had the results not been favorable to Dr. Semrau, they would have never been released,” Pham noted.

Furthermore, and the judge quoted extensively from the prosecution’s cross-examination on this point, Cephos only claims to be able to offer a general impression of whether someone is being deceptive. While they ask dozens of individual questions, Laken admitted that his company’s method could not be used to tell whether someone was lying or telling the truth on any of specific facts.

That is to say, Laken refused to say that Semrau was telling the truth to a question like, “Did you enter into a scheme to defraud the government by billing for AIMS tests conducted by psychiatrists under CPT Code 99301?” but was willing to say that Semrau was “more overall” telling the truth.

Given the slipperiness of that method, “the court fails to see how his testimony can assist the jury in deciding whether Dr. Semrau’s testimony is credible,” Pham concluded.

Laken’s unwillingness to testify to specific questions — and Pham’s acknowledgment of it — piqued Greely’s interest.

“That’s a really interesting critique of the Cephos method — and one that none of us had really noticed before this testimony because we hadn’t realized that Laken would say that he couldn’t give an opinion on individual questions,” Greely said. “If that’s Laken’s final position, it makes a courtroom use of this technology seem unlikely.”

All-in-all, the decision found multiple instances where fMRI evidence did not meet the standards of evidence in the United States. While that’s a victory for opponents of the use of fMRI in courts, like Greely, it might also offer proponents a clear path to shoring up the use of lie-detection scans.

“There will certainly be further litigation over fMRI lie detection in future cases. I expect that the companies marketing this research for forensic purposes will likely conduct new tests in light of the report recommendation to address some of the articulated weaknesses,” Owen said.

Image Courtesy: flickr/Stephanie Asher

IDT launches 3D video frame rate converters

2010-08-06T00:59:00.000-07:00

Integrated Device Technology (IDT) has announced what it claims is the industry's first motion-compensated frame rate conversion processors with an integrated resolution-enhancement engine for use in 120 Hz and 240 Hz television sets and high-definition video projectors.

The new IDT VHD1200 and VHD2400 devices feature advanced IDT HQV MotionSMART technology, which provides smooth motion and full-detail images while minimizing side effects seen with competitive solutions.

The frame-rate conversion processors are also 3D capable, providing smooth motion with minimal side effects, which is significant for 3D where varying side effects could be very distracting to viewers.

IDT HQV MotionSMART technology includes per-pixel processing, providing the capability to make intelligent localized decisions in the detection and processing of complex images and motion in video images.

The IDT solutions also feature cadence detection, which removes judder from sources with cadence, and a wide detection range to eliminate flickering when images move horizontally, vertically or diagonally on the screen.

The IDT VHD1200 and VHD 2400 processors are able to lock to a large range of motions to provide full detail with no judder on fast camera pans and small, fast-moving objects. The devices also feature the advanced HQV resolution enhancement engine for increased detail in high-definition images.

Image Courtesy: IDT

Space Food Turns Gross Within a Year

2010-08-04T03:20:00.000-07:00

CHICAGO — Most people find the palatability of in-flight entrees an oxymoron. But even frequent fliers seldom encounter more than a few such meals per week.

Astronauts, in contrast, may have to survive months in orbit dining on a really limited menu of processed foods and reconstituted beverages served from oh-so-glamorous plastic pouches.

Luckily, even the International Space Station can restock its pantry several times a year because these foods are relatively perishable. Which explains the problem NASA faces in planning for really long missions — like a trip to Mars.

Astronaut foods may appear indestructible, but many crew favorites don’t retain their nutrition or palatability for even a year, notes Michele Perchonok.

She should know. Perchonok manages not only NASA’s advanced food technology program, but also the development and preparation of foods for Shuttle astronauts. At the Institute of Food Technology annual meeting, on July 20, she described NASA’s limited larder.

Foods destined for Space Shuttle missions must have a shelf life of a year, and 18 months if they’ll be deployed on the International Space Station. Of the roughly 65 foods currently available for stocking spacecraft and deemed really palatable by NASA taste panels, 10 will lose their appeal within a year — turning off-color, mushy or tasteless, she reported. By the end of five years, Perchonok says, “we’re down to seven items.”

Servings of apples from a pouch packaged recently and sterilized with pressure-assisted technology (left) and from one 2 years ago (right) show the older serving doesn't pass muster.

Moreover, she adds, “studies have shown that if the acceptability or the sensory properties degrade, so does the [food's] nutrition.” Indeed, after one year, space food exhibits notable losses of vitamin A, folic acid (an important B vitamin) and thiamine (another B vitamin that plays a role in the body’s use of carbs and certain building blocks of proteins).

And nutrient losses don’t end there, Perchonok says. “Basically, after one year, we are out of vitamin C.”

Sure, NASA could supply astronauts with multivitamin pills. But that’s no panacea, Perchonok observes, since preliminary studies by NASA have shown that the potency of vitamins diminishes faster in pills than it does in foods.

Clearly, she says, these food-nutrient losses are “pretty serious.” So if NASA wants to be able to stock a spacecraft for Mars travel, “we’ve got a problem.”

Using current propulsion systems, the space agency has to plan on it taking between six and eight months to travel each way to Mars, Perchonok explains. Since Mars and Earth come close to each other only once every other year, crews “will have to stay on the surface for 18 months” before returning home, she adds.

Because glitches may arise or crews may be asked to help stock a Martian pantry for followup visitors from Earth, NASA’s goal is the development of foods that will remain both safe and appetizing for at least five years.

Canned goods have a good shelf life, but can’t be heated in microwaves — and are considerably heavier than the pouches that astronaut food is dispensed in today. And weight is a big issue. It constitutes about 15 percent of the payload of food, which is expected to weigh 10.6 U.S. tons for a crew of six heading out to Mars.

To keep the weight down, foods are eaten in their packaging. And today’s foil-lined pouches tend to work well when conventionally heat sterilized — but can delaminate when their contents are subjected to “pressure assisted” thermal sterilization, a new technique being developed by C. Patrick Dunne of the Army’s Natick, Massachusetts, Soldier R&D Center and his colleagues. Dunne’s consumers are military troops sent into the field with rations packaged as meals ready to eat, or MREs. (Dunne’s innovative pressure-assisted sterilization helped him win selection as an IFT research fellow, last year.)

MREs must have a shelf life of three years at 79 degrees Fahrenheit, Dunne reported at the IFT meeting, last week. And though the experimental pressure-assisted sterilization system he reported on is slow (able to sterilize just 10 MREs per half hour), he expects the technology eventually can be scaled up to a continuous processing of 50 pouches per minute.

The new technology’s real benefit is taste, he noted. A salmon fillet in Alfredo sauce processed with the new pressure-assisted technology not only tastes yummy, he says, but also “looks like a salmon that was poached — not like cat food.”

Taste is a particularly pivotal issue for astronaut food: Crews need to eat every bite of what they open up. Crumbs from cookies or crackers can make a mess and eventually get into someone’s eyes, Perchonok says. Wet foods that aren’t completely gobbled up will eventually go bad and stink up a spacecraft. Which can become especially nasty since astronauts don’t take out the trash every day but bring it back home with them or hold it for months until they can pack it into a craft that is destined to travel toward Earth’s surface (but actually incinerate in the atmosphere).

Bottom line, Perchonok says: NASA needs new ideas for lightweight, very air-tight flexible food packaging that can seal in freshness and sterility for at least three years. Luckily, there should be ample time to find such alternatives since travel to Mars is still many years away, Perchonok says: “Probably 2035 at the earliest.”

Image courtesy: 1) No, this is not where astronauts buy food. This is a funny photo I found on Flickr. 2) NASA

The Itch of Curiosity

2010-08-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

Curiosity is one of those personality traits that gets short scientific shrift.

It strikes me as a really important mental habit – how many successful people are utterly incurious? but it’s also extremely imprecise. What does it mean to be interested in seemingly irrelevant ideas? And how can we measure that interest?

While we’ve analyzed raw intelligence to death – scientists are even beginning to unravel the anatomy of IQ – our curiosity about the world remains mostly a mystery. (According to one review of the literature, the amount of research on curiosity peaked in the late 1940s.)

Einstein would not be pleased: “I have no special talents,” he once declared. “I am only passionately curious.”

Nevertheless, progress is occurring; our curiosity about the brain is even leading us to understand curiosity.

One of the most interesting recent papers comes from the lab of Colin Camerer at Caltech, and was led by Min Jeong Kang. The experiment itself was straightforward: Nineteen Caltech undergrads were asked 40 trivia questions while in a brain scanner. After reading each question, the subjects were told to silently guess the answer, and to indicate their curiosity about the correct answer.

Then, they saw the question presented again, followed by the correct answer. That’s it.

The results of the fMRI experiment are an intriguing, if limited, glance at the neural processes underlying creativity. The first thing the scientists found is that curiosity obeys an inverted U-shaped curve, so that we’re most curious when we know a little about a subject (our curiosity has been piqued) but not too much (we’re still uncertain about the answer).

This supports the information gap theory of curiosity, which was first developed by George Loewenstein of Carnegie-Mellon in the early 90s. According to Loewenstein, curiosity is rather simple: It comes when we feel a gap “between what we know and what we want to know”.

This gap has emotional consequences: it feels like a mental itch, a mosquito bite on the brain. We seek out new knowledge because we that’s how we scratch the itch.

The fMRI data nicely extended this information gap model of curiosity. It turns out that, in the moments after the question was first asked, subjects showed a substantial increase in brain activity in three separate areas: the left caudate, the prefrontal cortex and the parahippocampal gyri.

The most interesting finding is the activation of the caudate, which seems to sit at the intersection of new knowledge and positive emotions. (For instance, the caudate has been shown to be activated by various kinds of learning that involve feedback, while it’s also been closely linked to various parts of the dopamine reward pathway).

The lesson is that our desire for abstract information – this is the cause of curiosity – begins as a dopaminergic craving, rooted in the same primal pathway that also responds to sex, drugs and rock and roll.

This reminds me of something Read Montague, a neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine, told me a few years ago: “The guy who’s on hunger strike for some political cause is still relying on his midbrain dopamine neurons, just like a monkey getting a sweet treat,” he said. “His brain simply values the cause more than it values dinner…You don’t have to dig very far before it all comes back to your loins.”

The elegance of this system is that it bootstraps a seemingly unique human talent to an ancient mental process. Because curiosity is ultimately an emotion, an inexplicable itch telling us to keep on looking for the answer, it can take advantage of all the evolutionary engineering that went into our dopaminergic midbrain. (Natural selection had already invented an effective motivational system).

When Einstein was curious about the bending of space-time, he wasn’t relying on some newfangled circuitry. Instead, he was using the same basic neural system as a rat in a maze, looking for a pellet of food. I’ll let the scientists have the last word:

Understanding the neural basis of curiosity has important substantive implications. Note that while information-seeking is generally evolutionarily adaptive, modern technologies magnify the amount of information available, and hence the potential effects of curiosity.

Understanding curiosity is also important for selecting and motivating knowledge workers who gather information (such as scientists, detectives, and journalists).

The production of engaging news, advertising and entertainment is also, to some extent, an attempt to create curiosity. The fact that curiosity increases with uncertainty (up to a point), suggests that a small amount of knowledge can pique curiosity and prime the hunger for knowledge, much as an olfactory or visual stimulus can prime a hunger for food, which might suggest ways for educators to ignite the wick in the candle of learning.

Image Courtesy: Wikipedia

Chip the Light Fantastic..

2010-08-02T06:41:00.000-07:00

Closeup of a silicon surface pockmarked with holes, designed to slow light passing through it. This "slow light" waveguide, designed by a team led by Yuri A. Vlasov of IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center, could be used as a buffer for optical signals and thus would be a crucial component of an optical (or "photonic") computer, or an all-optical network router.

Super-fast optical computers are a step closer thanks to research breakthroughs that may lead to silicon chips that can process information as electronic bits or flashes of light.

Two discoveries announced in the past week have sped the path to the fabrication of hybrid silicon chips with both electronic and photonic components.

The first discovery, published in this week's issue of the journal Nature, foreshadows a future in which computers may run at terahertz speeds and, paradoxically, light will move much more slowly than it does today.

The other discovery, published in last week's issue of the same journal, presents a new silicon-based microtransmitter that can send optical data at 100 Gbps -- one-tenth of a terahertz.

Both teams are hoping their discoveries will fit within the present manufacturing framework -- and can be built using the same techniques as silicon semiconductor chips (technically, "complementary metal-oxide semiconductor," or CMOS).

Both must also work around what is both the inherent strength and weakness of optical computing and communications: The bits are always moving at the speed of light.

Here is where something called "slow light" comes into play. Having been studied in elaborate laboratory settings for years, light propagating in optically dense media -- media that slow light's propagation speed down considerably -- has been an area of increasing interest in photonics.

Slowing an optical bit down enables a computer to better buffer and route information traffic in much the same way that stoplights and speed limits are essential to controlling the flow of physical traffic.

The challenge has been that the only substantially light-slowing media were laser-illuminated gas clouds or specially prepared ruby crystals, neither of which are well suited for a CMOS chip.

However, a team of researchers led by Yurii A. Vlasov of IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center announced this week that a grid of specially perforated silicon can slow the speed of light moving through its channels by a factor of 300.

"Instead of using atomic vapors and sophisticated equipment, we wanted to build a small (optical) circuit that doesn't require any lasers and is built on the same production lines where computer chips are built," said Vlasov.

David Lackner, senior analyst for the technology research and advisory firm Lux Research, said that Vlasov's light-slowing silicon could also enable a near-term application: an all-optical network router.

In internet traffic today, Lackner said, "It doesn't matter how quickly you deliver data across the Atlantic, because on either side of the Atlantic, you have to go through routers. And that's what slows things down."

It is the translation of a network signal from optical to electronic bits, he said, that is often the bottleneck.

Said Fred Zieber, analyst and president of Pathfinder Research, "Slow light can allow you to store, briefly, an IP packet of information without converting it to electrical signals."

Of course, computerized communications take place not only across thousands of miles but also across millimeter and centimeter scales.

James Harris, the James & Ellenor Chesebrough Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, said that as a chip's clock speed increases, electronics become better suited for computation and photonics better for communication.

"As electronics keeps scaling and becoming faster, the communications bandwidth demands become ever greater at lower levels, from LANs ... to chip-to-chip to finally on-chip, there will be a push to use photons and optical interconnects for the communications function," he said. "But I think we will have electronic computational engines for a long time into the future."

Harris was one of an eight-member Stanford team that announced the fabrication of a silicon-based optical transmitter in last week's issue of Nature. The CMOS-ready transmitter, one-thousandth the size of a human hair, encodes data as light pulses ("1") or empty space ("0") at the rate of 100 Gbps.

The Stanford team's device, built around a microelectronic shutter that opens and closes rapidly, was built for communicating across a motherboard or across the length of a computer chip. This, says Harris, is where the future of electronic-photonic hybrid chips lies.

"I believe that optical communications will eventually be integrated into and used at the chip level, and this will be part of the essential elements to continue to increase the speed and functionality of electronics," he said.

Jellyfish Eyes Solve Optical Origin Mystery

2010-07-28T01:01:00.000-07:00

Eyes are one of evolution’s marvels, described by Darwin as “an organ of extreme perfection.” But whether the animal kingdom’s kaleidoscope of eyes evolved from a common structure, or separately in dozens of forms, is a nagging evolutionary question.

Now a study of optical genes in jellyfish, which are descended from creatures that swam Earth’s ancient seas, long before vertebrates and invertebrates took their separate paths, suggests a common optical origin.

“Eyes have evolved in parallel many times, but they all go back to one prototype,” said University of Basel cell biologist Walter Gehring.

In a study published July 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers led by Gehring describe genes isolated from Cladonema radiatum, a jellyfish with highly elaborate eyes. The genes belong to a family called Pax.

In earlier research, Gehring found that a gene called Pax-6 is a “master regulator” of optical development, controlling eye formation in creatures as simple as fruit flies and as complex as mice and men. That suggested a common origin — but Pax-6 couldn’t be found in jellyfish, leaving open the possibility that eyes evolved independently in higher animals.

In the jellyfish study, Gehring’s team found several other Pax genes. When they transplanted the genes into fruit flies, the flies formed extra eyes. It’s not Pax-6 that appears universal, but rather the whole Pax family.

“We’re convinced that the eye evolved in one phylum,” said Gehring. “All the higher animals have Pax-6. The jellyfish have Pax-a or Pax-b.”

The next question is where Pax genes and their resulting structures came from. According to Gehring, they could have arrived in jellyfish through symbiosis with dinoflagellates — a family of single-celled marine plankton, some with human-like eye structures inside their single cell.

Jellyfish absorbed dinoflagellates, speculates Gehring, after dinoflagellates absorbed Pax genes from red algae, which had absorbed light-sensitive cyanobacteria. Gehring describes this as his “wild Russian doll hypothesis.” His team is now searching jellyfish genomes for dinoflagellate genes.

“Evolution is very conservative. It uses the things that function well,” said Gehring.

Images: 1) Eyes formed in fruit flies after the insertion of Pax genes from jellyfish./PNAS.

2) A Cladonema jellyfish; arrow points to an eye structure./PNAS.

Oil Spill on Track to Reach Atlantic No Later Than October

2010-07-25T23:00:00.000-07:00

BOULDER, Colorado — Oil gushing from the Deepwater Horizon site in the Gulf of Mexico will reach the Atlantic Ocean within six months, says oceanographer Synte Peacock. Exactly when is all down to an eddy that broke off of the infamous Loop Current southwest of Florida on June 12.

Peacock, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, usually studies how the ocean’s water absorbs atmospheric gases. But after the Deepwater Horizon platform exploded April 20, she realized her computer models could be used to follow where the oil gushing from the seafloor might end up.

Her simulations, announced in a press release June 3, made headlines worldwide. No surprise: The simulations suggested that, once the oil became caught up in the Loop Current, it would be funneled into the Atlantic within weeks.

Talking with reporters at NCAR on June 14, Peacock explained how some news outlets misrepresented her work by glossing over a few major caveats. Most important, the work simulated the movement of dye (not viscous oil) injected in the upper layers of the ocean (not the deep seafloor) for a total of two months (not the ongoing no-end-in-sight disaster).

The simulations underscore how complicated it can be to track the movement of subsurface oil. “We saw large differences in details in how oil dispersed, depending on local eddies and currents in the gulf,” she says. Still, “no matter what you do it’s very, very hard in our model to find a scenario where dye is kept within the gulf for a period of longer than six months.”

The Loop Current circulates clockwise off the southwestern coast of Florida. About once or twice a year, it pinches off an eddy that either wanders around the gulf before dying out, or eventually reattaches with the main Loop Current.

The unusual thing about the Loop Current this year, Peacock says, is that it was located much more to the south and east than usual when it pinched off its new eddy. Eddies have popped off in this location twice before in recent years, she says. One of those times the eddy wandered to the west, toward Texas, before dissipating. The other time it reattached with the Loop.

Where the new eddy goes will strongly influence exactly where the oil ends up, she says. When it does reach the Atlantic, she notes, the oil will not necessarily wash ashore on beaches in a goopy mess. The oil might stay far out to sea, or be extremely diluted by the time it gets to the Atlantic.

Her team is now working on simulations of what will happen if the oil keeps gushing for months to come.

Image Courtesy: National Center for Atmospheric Research

Old memories may get the boot from new brain cells.

2010-07-24T03:53:00.000-07:00

A new rodent study shows that newborn neurons destabilize established connections among existing brain cells in the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in learning and memory.

Clearing old memories from the hippocampus makes way for new learning, researchers from Japan suggest in the November 13 Cell.

Other researchers had proposed the idea that neurogenesis, the birth of new neurons, could disrupt existing memories, but the Cell paper is the first to show evidence supporting the idea, says Paul Frankland, a neuroscientist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Scientists have known that memories first form in the hippocampus and are later transferred to long-term storage in other parts of the brain. For some amount of time the memory resides both in the hippocampus and elsewhere in the brain. What’s not been known is how, after a few months or years, the memory is gradually cleared from the hippocampus.

Researchers have also debated the role of neurogenesis in learning and memory. The hippocampus is one of only two places in the adult brain where scientists know that new neurons form. On the basis of previous studies, many researchers think new neurons stabilize memory circuits or are somehow otherwise necessary to form new memories.

The new study suggests the opposite: Newborn neurons weaken or disrupt connections that encode old memories in the hippocampus.

Kaoru Inokuchi, a neuroscientist at the University of Toyama in Japan, and his colleagues used radiation and some genetic tricks to block neurogenesis in rats and mice that had been trained to fear getting a mild electric shock when placed in a particular cage.

Control animals, with normal neurogenesis, eventually were able to bypass their hippocampi and retrieve the fear memory directly from long-term storage. But animals in which neurogenesis had been blocked still depended on the hippocampus to recall the fear memory, the researchers found.

Running on an exercise wheel, which boosts neurogenesis, also sped the rate at which old memories were cleared from the hippocampus.

But that doesn’t mean new neurons aren’t necessary to teach old brains new tricks, says Inokuchi.

“Our findings do not necessarily deny the important role of neurogenesis in memory acquisition,” Inokuchi says. “Hippocampal neurogenesis could have both of these roles, in erasing old memories and acquiring new memories.”

Essentially, the new neurons may aid formation of new memories by keeping the hippocampus from filling up with old ones.

Frankland adds, “This is about as novel as it gets in the field of neurogenesis and memory. It pretty much represents an entirely new framework that other researchers will chip away at for years to come.”

Image Courtesy: Hippocampal neuron/NIH

Frankenfood Gets Supersized...

2010-07-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

For the first time, scientists have used genetic modification to increase the levels of multiple, rather than single, nutrients in a crop.

The first corn produced through the technique hasn’t yet been tested for dinner-table safety, but if it succeeds, it may signal the development of a new, super-nutritious generation of GM foods.

“The major message of the paper is that it’s possible to engineer crops with multiple nutrients,” said study co-author Paul Christou, a plant biochemist at Spain’s University of Lleida. “If you look at other nutritionally enhanced GM crops, up until now people have only been able to increase levels of one nutrient or vitamin.”

An estimated 40 to 50 percent of the world’s population suffers from nutrient deficiencies. The reasons for this are complex and sometimes political, but often involve reliance on a few staple crops that do not provide the nutrient balance common to mixed diets in the developed world.

Both conventional plant breeding and the high-tech activation of dormant genes are useful for adding some traits to crops, but they can’t provide a sufficient nutritional boost. Neither can traditional forms of genetic engineering. When researchers attempt to add more than one new nutrient pathway, the genes tend to become scrambled in subsequent generations.

The approach used by Christou’s group debuted last year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the same journal that published the latest corn research on Monday. It involves the bombardment of seed genomes with metal particles coated with desired nutrient-boosting genes. This produces a variety of different genomic configurations, some of which prove to be stable.

The researchers hope it will be more helpful than traditional techniques of nutritional genetic modification.

“We’re aiming to produce transgenic plants in which you can provide as many nutrients as possible in one and the same seed,” said Christou.

Christou’s team tested the technique on a variety of corn common in South Africa that’s known to produce low levels of beta carotene. Low levels of the nutrient can lead to blindness.

The resulting plants had double the usual amount of folate, sixfold levels of ascorbate and 169 times more beta carotene. At that level of expression, a single serving of corn can provide a recommended daily beta carotene intake.

The researchers are now experimenting with the addition of genes that enhance production of vitamin E, iron, zinc, calcium and other micronutrients, said Christou.

The study “shows the potential of this transgenic technology for accumulating genes that lead to micronutrient-enhanced crops,” said Rodomiro Ortiz, a researcher at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.

Further studies are needed to see if the new nutrients are correctly metabolized by humans, and if the plant is environmentally and toxicologically safe.

According to Christou, the research was funded entirely by public money. The team is trying to convince holders of patented techniques used in their process to allow researchers in the developing world to freely develop the technology. A model for this is the intellectual property guidelines of beta-carotene–enhanced Golden Rice.

“This is not a commercial story,” said Christou. “This is aimed at people in developing countries.”

Citation: “Transgenic multivitamin corn through biofortification of endosperm with three vitamins representing three distinct metabolic pathways.” By Shaista Naqvi, Changfu Zhu, Gemma Farre, Koreen Ramessar, Ludovic Bassie, Jurgen Breitenbach, Dario Perez Cones, Gaspar Ros, Gerhard Sandmann, Teresa Capella and Paul Christou.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 106, No. 17, April 27, 2009.
Image: The lower corn is transgenic; the upper is normal.

Image Courtesy: PNAS.

Secret Math of Fly Eyes Could Overhaul Robot Vision

2010-07-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

By turning the brain cell activity underlying fly eyesight into mathematical equations, researchers have found an ultra-efficient method for pulling motion patterns from raw visual data.

Though they built the system, the researchers don’t quite understand how it works. But however mysterious the equations may be, they could still be used to program the vision systems of miniaturized battlefield drones, search-and-rescue robots, automobile navigation systems and other systems where computational power is at a premium.

“We can build a system that works perfectly well, inspired by biology, without having a complete understanding of how the components interact. It’s a non-linear system,” said David O’Carroll, a computational neuroscientist who studies insect vision at Australia’s University of Adelaide. “The number of computations involved is quite small. We can get an answer using tens of thousands of times less floating-point computations than in traditional ways.”

The best-known of these is the Lucas-Kanade method, which calculates yaw — up-and-down, side-to-side motion changes — by comparing, frame by frame, how every pixel in a visual field changes. It’s used for steering and guidance in many experimental unmanned vehicles, but its brute-force approach requires lots of processing power, making it impractical in smaller systems.

In order to make smaller flying robots, researchers would like to find a simpler way of processing motion. Inspiration has come from the lowly fly, which uses just a relative handful of neurons to maneuver with extraordinary dexterity. And for more than a decade, O’Carroll and other researchers researchers have painstakingly studied the optical flight circuits of flies, measuring their cell-by-cell activity and turning evolution’s solutions into a set of computational principles.

In a paper published Friday in Public Library of Science Computational Biology, O’Carroll and fellow University of Adelaide biologist Russell Brinkworth put these methods to the test.

“A laptop computer uses tens of watts of power. Implementing what we’ve developed can be done with chips that consume just a fraction of a milliwatt,” said O’Carroll.

The researchers’ algorithm is composed of a series of five equations through which data from cameras can be run. Each equation represents tricks used by fly circuits to handle changing levels of brightness, contrast and motion, and their parameters constantly shift in response to input. Unlike Lucas-Kanade, the algorithm doesn’t return a frame-by-frame comparison of every last pixel, but emphasizes large-scale patterns of change. In this sense, it works a bit like video-compression systems that ignore like-colored, unshifting areas.

To test the algorithm, O’Carroll and Brinkworth analyzed animated high-resolution images with a program of the sort that might operate in a robot. When they compared the results to the inputs, they found that it worked in a range of natural lighting conditions, varying in ways that usually baffle motion detectors.

“It’s amazing work,” said Sean Humbert, a University of Maryland aerospace engineer who builds miniaturized, autonomous flying robots, some of which run on earlier versions of O’Carroll’s algorithm. “For traditional navigational sensing, you need lots of payload to do the computation. But the payload on these robots is very small — a gram, a couple of Tic Tacs. You’re not going to stuff dual-core processors into a couple Tic Tacs. The algorithms that insects use are very simple compared to the stuff we design, and would scale down to small vehicles.”

Intriguingly, the algorithm doesn’t work nearly as well if any one operation is omitted. The sum is greater than the whole, and O’Carroll and Brinkworth don’t know why. Because the parameters are in constant feedback-driven flux, it produces a cascade of non-linear equations that are difficult to untangle in retrospect, and almost impossible to predict.

“We started with insect vision as an inspiration, and built a model that’s feasible for real-world use, but in doing so, we’ve built a system almost as complicated as the insect’s,” said O’Carroll. “That’s one of the fascinating things here. It doesn’t necessarily lead us to a complete understanding of how the system works, but to an appreciation that nature got it right.”

The researchers drew their algorithm from neural circuits attuned to side-to-side yaw, but O’Carroll said the same types of equations are probably used in computing other optical flows, such as those produced by moving forward and backwards through three-dimensional space.

“That’s more challenging,” said O’Carroll. “It may involve a few extra neurons.”

Image Courtesy: 1) Flickr/Tambako the Jaguar. 2) PLoS Computational Biology.

Happiness/Sadness, Spread Just Like a Disease

2010-07-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

There may be a literal truth underlying the common-sense intuition that happiness and sadness are contagious.

A new study on the spread of emotions through social networks shows that these feelings circulate in patterns analogous to what’s seen from epidemiological models of disease.

Earlier studies raised the possibility, but had not mapped social networks against actual disease models.

“This is the first time this contagion has been measured in the way we think about traditional infectious disease,” said biophysicist Alison Hill of Harvard University.

Data in the research, in the July 7 Proceedings of the Royal Society, comes from the Framingham Heart Study, a one-of-a-kind project which since 1948 has regularly collected social and medical information from thousands of people in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Earlier analyses found that a variety of habits and feelings, including obesity, loneliness, smoking and happiness appear to be contagious.

In the current study, Hill’s team compared patterns of relationships and emotions measured in the study to those generated by a model designed to track SARS, foot-and-mouth disease and other traditional contagions. They discounted spontaneous or immediately shared emotion — friends or relatives undergoing a common experience — and focused on emotional changes that followed changes in others.

In the spread of happiness, the researchers found clusters of “infected” and “uninfected” people, a pattern considered a “hallmark of the infectious process,” said Hill. “For happiness, clustering is what you expect from contagion rates. Whereas for sadness, the clusters were much larger than we’d expect. Something else is going on.”

Happiness proved less social than sadness. Each happy friend increased an individual’s chances of personal happiness by 11 percent, while just one sad friend was needed to double an individual’s chance of becoming unhappy.

Patterns fit disease models in another way. “The more friends with flu that you have, the more likely you are to get it. But once you have the flu, how long it takes you to get better doesn’t depend on your contacts. The same thing is true of happiness and sadness,” said David Rand, an evolutionary dynamics researcher at Harvard. “It fits with the infectious disease framework.”

The findings still aren’t conclusive proof of contagion, but they provide parameters of transmission rates and network dynamics that will guide predictions tested against future Framingham results, said Hill and Rand. And whereas the Framingham study wasn’t originally designed with emotional information in mind, future studies tailored to test network contagion should provide more sophisticated information.

Both Hill and Rand warned that the findings illustrate broad, possible dynamics, and are not intended to guide personal decisions, such as withdrawing from friends who are having a hard time.

“The better solution is to make your sad friends happy,” said Rand.

Image courtesy: Morgan/Flickr.

Gene Makes Some Drink More When Other Boozers Are Around

2010-07-18T01:42:00.000-07:00

Here’s some not-so-sobering news for party people, barhoppers and clubgoers. Individuals who inherit a particular gene variant that tweaks the brain’s reward system are especially likely to drink a lot of alcohol in the company of heavy-boozing peers.

That’s the preliminary indication of a new study directed by psychology graduate student Helle Larsen of Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Adults carrying at least one copy of a long version of the dopamine D4 receptor gene, dubbed DRD4, imbibed substantially more alcohol around a heavy-drinking peer than did others who lacked that gene variant, Larsen’s group reports in a paper published online July 7 in Psychological Science.

“Carriers of the long gene may be more attuned to, and influenced by, another person’s heavy drinking than noncarriers are,” Larsen says.

Her study provides the first evidence that a gene influences human alcohol use in social situations.

Scientists have yet to decipher the precise brain effects of DRD4’s long form. Larsen hypothesizes that in the presence of heavy drinkers, the gene variant may increase dopamine activity in brain areas that amplify alcohol’s appeal as a rewarding social activity.

“If this gene-environment interaction stands, and I don’t see why it shouldn’t, there is every reason to expect the effect would extend to drugs besides alcohol, as well to many motivated pursuits,” remarks biopsychologist Kent Berridge of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who was not involved with the new study.

Sociologist Michael Shanahan of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill lauds the new study for ruling out the possibility that carriers of the key gene simply like to drink a lot of booze and tend to do so with other heavy drinkers. Instead, alcohol use jumped among volunteers with a long DRD4 gene who happened to see a stranger imbibe heavily for a brief time.

Larsen and her colleagues asked 60 women and 53 men to evaluate advertisements for an alcohol-abuse prevention campaign. Each volunteer entered a room that had been furnished as a typical Dutch pub, accompanied by a person of the same sex who the volunteer thought was another participant but who was actually working with the researchers.

In between two 10-minute evaluation sessions, volunteers and the researchers’ confederates were given a break. An experimenter asked them to sit at a bar stocked with peanuts, beer, wine, soda and mineral water and to drink whatever they wanted.

As instructed, confederates took the initiative and drank either two sodas, one alcoholic drink and then one soda; or three alcoholic drinks for women and four alcoholic drinks for men over a 30-minute period.

DNA analyses of saliva identified 31 volunteers as carriers of the long DRD4 gene, which contains an amino acid sequence that repeats seven times.

When confederates stuck to sodas or drank one alcoholic beverage, long-gene carriers and noncarriers alike limited themselves to an average of less than half a glass of wine or half a bottle of beer.

When confederates quaffed multiple alcoholic drinks, carriers of the gene variant consumed an average of almost two wine or beer servings, versus almost one serving for noncarriers.

These results held for men and women, all of whom said they drink socially, regardless of how much alcohol they reported drinking weekly.

Deceptive research techniques can backfire if volunteers see through them and don’t admit it to researchers. But when interviewed after testing, none of the participants guessed the study’s real aim or the confederate’s agenda.

Other researchers need to confirm these findings, Larsen says. Some attempts to replicate findings from other studies of gene-environment interactions have yielded mixed results, including follow-up work on a study by researchers from Duke University in Durham, N.C., that found that another gene variant promotes depression in people who experience stress.

Image Courtesy: Flickr/Mourner

Are you FBI material?

2010-07-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

You probably think that your chances of becoming an FBI agent are about as likely as becoming a pro football player or an astronaut, right?

Think again.

So how can you actually become an agent yourself? If you think it's all about how well you shoot a gun and conduct intense interrogations, you're wrong. According to the FBI, there are five different "entry programs"; through which job applicants can be considered for the role of Special Agent. And the surprising news? Some of the paths are anything but rarefied, special-ops kind of careers.

1. Accounting
If you're an accountant, you might not think of yourself as FBI material - but the Bureau begs to differ.

In fact, if you're a certified CPA with a bachelor's degree, and at least three years of accounting experience or the corporate equivalent, the FBI would be very interested in talking to you. Now that would be quite an interesting career change, wouldn't it?

2. Computer Science/Information Technology
If you'd like to inject a little intrigue and excitement into your computer career, you might consider working for the FBI.

Given that many investigations have now shifted into the digital world, it's no surprise that the FBI is looking for computer experts. Investigators regularly comb through massive amounts of digital data in order to find the clue that might solve a seemingly unsolvable crime or prevent a terrorist attack. So a Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Computer Science Engineering will help.

3. Language
Based on current Bureau needs, fluency in certain languages is absolutely critical.

With a four-year Bachelor's degree in any discipline - plus knowledge of Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Hebrew, Hindi, as well as many more languages, you can qualify for this FBI enrollment path, assuming you can pass a high-competency test.

So if you're fluent, you have a chance to put those skills to good use. And you thought those language classes your mother made you take weren't worth anything.

4. Law
Another way into the FBI is by becoming a lawyer. You must qualify by earning a JD from an accredited law school. Prior to law school, people generally earn an undergraduate degree in a discipline such as English, political science, or criminal justice.

5. Diversified
The FBI's fifth and final enrollment program could actually be called "other"; because it covers every other discipline that the Bureau deems valuable. Are you a psychologist, detective, scientist, or mathematician? This may be your ticket to becoming a Special Agent.

So if you feel you have all the necessary qualifications to be an FBI agent, then here's your chance.

All the best! ;)

Scientists solve chicken and egg riddle...

2010-07-14T22:26:00.000-07:00

Researchers in Britain have been credited with cracking the age-old conundrum about the chicken and the egg. But are they right?

After the publication of the rather dry-sounding scientific paper, "Structural Control of Crystal Nuclei by an Eggshell Protein," press headlines proclaimed the answer was... the chicken.

However, one of the paper's lead authors, Colin Freeman, from the University of Sheffield in northern England, told CNN that the result was not as conclusive as it seemed.

"I would argue that the concept of an eggshell came about way before the chicken, it's dinosaur or even pre-dinosaur thing. That's something to talk to an evolutionary biologist about probably," he said.

So how did a paper about "crystal nuclei" become proof that the chicken pre-dated the egg?

Freeman and his team, which included colleagues from the University of Warwick, were researching a protein found in eggshells called ovocledidin-17. It is also found in chickens' ovaries, but until the team's research its purpose was not clear.

Using Britain's national supercomputer, a machine dubbed HECToR based in Edinburgh, Scotland, they were able to simulate the process of biomineralization, or the production of minerals or solid materials inside organisms.

It was a world first and revealed that one potential purpose of the protein ovocledidin-17 is to speed up the production of eggshell within the chicken so that in 24 hours an egg is ready to be laid.

"What we have really identified is that the protein seems to accelerate the crystallization process so it can make that eggshell appear far quicker. In simple terms it accelerates calcite formation," Freeman said.

They also found that the egg can't be produced without the protein ovocledidin-17 in the chickens' ovaries, so that means that the chicken must have come first. Right?

"Obviously, it's not really what we were trying to get out of our simulations, but it's an interesting question isn't it?" Freeman said.

Rather than putting an end to bickering over the true order of the egg, the researchers were trying to understand more about how shell is formed so that they can apply their findings in other disciplines, including medicine.

"The quote my colleague John Harding always says is, 'could we ever be as clever as algae?'" Freeman said.

"They produce these wonderful shells that protect them in the North Sea. That crystal structure is far in advance of anything that we as humans can create in the lab," Freeman said, adding, "We can't make a human skeleton in the lab..."

Perhaps one day they will be able to.

And perhaps one day someone will conclusively put an end to the argument -- was it the chicken or the egg?

Richie Rich Octopus.

2010-07-14T01:28:00.000-07:00

So an Octopus, a mere sea creature who has been living in an aquarium his whole life has stuck it big. And here I was in the impression that hard work lead to satisfied living and wholesome life. Paul, the soothsayer has made it big, and the best part is everybody but him are aware of his good fortune.

Paul couldn't have lived in a better time, this being said, Octopuses don't live for more than 3 years and our Paul is very near his end, 6 months to be precise. Then again, that's probably a generous assessment of how long people will remember him anyway.

Up to $4.5 million for the endorsement of an octopus that ate a clam out of a box labeled with the flag of a match-winning team eight consecutive times? It's ridiculous, but when you consider the money paid to humans who have done far less than that to endorse a wide range of horrible products, it starts to make sense.

After predicting the Spanish national team's win in the World Cup, Germany psychic octopus Paul has become a world star among animals with his remarkable ability to tell the outcome of soccer matches. Now that the World Cup has ended, Paul the prognosticator will also retire from football forecasting.

Recently, Paul's aquarium in Oberhausen has received many fan emails and letters asking questions like, "Did my husband lie to me?" "Can I pass the math test?" "How long will Merkel's ruling coalition hold on?" and so on. They all wish to get the correct answers from genius Paul.

However, a spokesman for Paul's aquarium in Oberhausen said that Paul won't give any more oracle predictions – in football or in politics, lifestyle or economy. Instead, he will get back to his former job, namely making children laugh.

Actually, if there were no World Cup predictions, Paul would still be one of the most popular stars of Oberhausen. But since the South African World Cup, Oberhausen has become known to more people.

To commemorate his amazing achievement, the brilliant octopus Paul was presented with a golden cup honoring his prognosticating prowess and also got better food like Alaska salmon and crab in addition to shellfish.

I wonder if I had few more legs and predicted the winners of each match correctly as Paul did, would I strike it as big?

So keep an eye out for Paul the octopus billboards, TV ads and Happy Meal toys over the coming months. Followed by the most expensive octopus dish ever.

Lone man found floating in free space?

2010-07-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

Folks, before you freak out, let me assure you that these spacesuits are empty.

What you see here is 'SuitSat'. SuitSat also known as Mr. Smith, Ivan Ivanovich, Radio Skaf, Radio Sputnik and AMSAT-OSCAR 54 is a retired Russian spacesuit with a Radio Transmitter mounted on its helmet. The ARISS-Russia team is credited with coming up with the idea as a commemorative gesture for the 175th anniversary of the Moscow State Technical University.

The official designation for SuitSat is AMSAT-OSCAR 54, though it was nicknamed Ivan Ivanovich or Mr. Smith. The radio transmitter used a frequency of 145.990 MHz. However, the SuitSat-1 mission was not a total success. There were very few reports that actually confirmed the receiving of the transmission. NASA late announced that SuitSat ceased functioning after only two orbits due to battery failure, but there were reports suggesting that SuitSat-1 continued transmitting, though far weaker than expected.

Coming to home turf, StudSat, which is a student satellite conceptualized, designed and project managed by undergraduate students across India, is a picosatellite and the first of its kind in India. The StudStat was successfully launched on 12th July, 2010 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre into a sun syncronous orbit. This is the smallest satellite ever launched by any Indian organization indigenously. The mission is experimental in nature and the major objective is for the students to have a hands on experience on the design, fabrication and realization of a space mission at a minimum cost. The mission life is slated to be six months.

The satellite resembles a small cube of size (10 cm x 10 cm x 13.5 cm), weighing just about 850 gm and has a volume of 1.1 litres. The satellite has been launched in 700 km sun synchronous orbit. The satellite will perform the function of a remote sensing satellite and take images of earth's surface with a resolution of 90 metres, the best achieved by any "PICO" category satellite in the world. The satellite consists of the following subsystems

Communication sub-system.
Power generation and distribution sub-system.
Attitude determination and control system.
On Board Command and Data Handling.
Payload(Camera).
Mechanical Structure.

All the above subsystems are designed by students indigenously.

So if we are lucky enough to visit space as tourist in the near future, and if you see couple of spacesuits floating past you, you needn't worry. :)

10 Best Foods For Your Buck.

2010-07-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

Peanut butter
Why it's a 10 best : This popular pantry item offers protein and heart-healthy unsaturated fats.
Use it it: Snacks, sandwiches, sauces, and baking goods.
Cost: About 20¢ for 2 tablespoons

Eggs
Why they're a 10 best: Eggs are a good source of lean protein, and also contain vitamin B12, riboflavin and phosphorus.

Use them in: Omelets, frittatas and salads
Cost: About 13¢ per large egg

Oats

Why they're a 20 best: This grain helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Use them in: Baked goods, breakfast and to stretch ground-meat dishes
Cost: About 17¢ per ½ cup for quick-cooking oats

Apples
Why they're a 10 best: This fruit is a good source of vitamin C and is full of both soluble and insoluble fiber.
Use them in: Salads and baked goods; as a snack
Cost: About 60¢ each, depending on variety and season

Spinach

Why it's a 10 best: This leafy green is loaded with vitamins (A, C, K and folic acid) and manganese.
Use it in: Salads, pasta dishes, casseroles, soups and stews
Cost: About $1 for 5 ounces of fresh spinach

Beans
Why they're a 10 best: This tasty staple provides lean protein that’s full of fiber, calcium, folic acid and iron and other minerals.
Use them in: Salad and stews
Cost: About 35¢ per ½-cup serving (canned)

Frozen vegetables

Why they're a 10 best: They provide fiber and an array of nutrients, depending on which veggies you buy.
Use them in: Sides and casseroles
Cost: About 40¢ per serving

Sweet potatoes
Why they're a 10 best: These spuds are very filling (because they contain fiber) and a source of vitamins A and B6.
Use them in: Main and side dishes
Cost: About $1 each

Brown rice

Why it's a 10 best: Brown rice is a whole grain and a source of vitamin B6, magnesium, copper, zinc and manganese.
Use it in: Soups, salads and side dishes
Cost: About 37¢ per ½ cup (cooked)

Canned tuna fish
Why it’s a 10 Best: This fish is a healthful lean protein and contains omega-3 fatty acids.
Use it in: Sandwiches, casseroles and salads
Cost: About 75¢ for 3 ounces

2010-07-06T03:38:00.000-07:00

He'll definitely want to make sure he doesn't swim too close to the edge.
This man is the first lap swimmer in the world to enjoy such a view - 55 stories over the city of Singapore.

The £4billion Marina Bay Sands tourism development opened in the city yesterday, and the 150-metre long pool - three times the length of an Olympic swimming pool - was a highlight.

Infinity pools are designed to make it seem as though the water extends to the horizon. In reality, the edge of the pool is usually about an inch below the water level. The water therefore spills over the edge into a catchment below, and is then pumped back into the pool. The concept is said to have been inspired by the terraced rice paddies in Bali, Indonesia. They are often seen in luxury resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands.

The enormous hotel, which dominates the Singapore skyline, has 2,560 rooms and suites, a fleet of celebrity chef restaurants, shopping areas, theaters, a museum, a casino and a crystal pavilion.

The resort is set to employ 10,000 people directly and generate up to £48million each year. Entrance to the casino alone is nearly £50 a day - but an average of 25,000 people have visited the casino daily since its initial phased opening two months ago.

We need more such resorts, tourist hot-spots in India. What say readers?

Inventions that made millions!

2010-07-05T06:37:00.000-07:00

Walk of fame
Apparently, when unemployed Duke Hanson first saw these shoes his friend had got from a Canadian factory he didn't think the world of them but once he tried on the resin shoes, they felt super comfortable. Along with two of his pals, he made a deal with the Canadian company to be their sole US distributors. Three months later, he sold 1000 pairs at the Miami Boat Show. Crocs were a hit. They still are. Till date they've sold more than 100 million pairs of shoes. And to think Duke Hanson was just an unemployed dude on a boat! What a rags to riches story!

Moral of the story: So what if no one likes your idea? Go with your instinct and you just might hit jackpot!

Here's to other rags to riches stories that started of with just a simple idea…
Sticky business
They were two ordinary guys. Spencer Silver worked as a senior chemist in a research lab and painted in his free time. At his workplace, Spencer accidentally developed this reusable pressure sensitive adhesive. For three years he tried to promote his invention but to no avail.

Arthur Fry who worked with Silver used to sing in his church choir. Whenever Arthur put a bookmark in his hymnal it would slip down making it difficult for him to find the page he required. Then suddenly, he had a "Eureka" moment! Arthur realised that Silver's adhesive was the answer to his problem. Their company 3M patented the product and that's how Post it's were born!

Moral of the story: If there is a problem, there must be a solution somewhere. And get this; there are millions of people ready to pay for that solution no matter how insignificant the problem is.

Toy story
Did you know you could have an avant-garde idea while watching your child play? Ruth Handler did. While watching her daughter play, she noticed that her little one enjoyed playing with her infant paper dolls and giving them adult roles. So she wanted to create an adult doll for her. That was the origin of Barbie (named after Handler’s daughter Barbara).

She pitched the idea to her husband and his business partner who were running a small toy company Mattel but they weren't kicked about it. So she began developing the plastic doll on her own and in 1959 the first Barbie debuted! Barbie was a rage and Handler became rich and famous overnight. Thanks to her, today almost every little girl in every corner of the world owns one! In fact, Mattel claims that three Barbie dolls are sold every second.

Moral of the story: You can have a groundbreaking idea sitting on the toilet. You don't have to be electric-haired in a chemistry lab you know.

A stitch in time
Jacob Davis was a tailor with a painful customer. The guy kept coming to him with ripped pockets demanding that they be repaired. Jacob's dilemma was how to reinforce this guy's pants so they don't keep coming apart. Jacob decided to purchase metal rivets from Levi Strauss' dry goods store and used them in strategic places like the corners of the pockets and base of the fly. It worked like a charm.

Jacob wanted to patent his invention but he couldn't afford the $68 fee. That's when he approached Levi and the two went into business together. So the next time you wear a sexy pair of Levi's after you've swiped your card for Rs4000, remember that back in the day, a pair of jeans barely cost $1.50 and were meant for workers no less ;)!

Moral of the story: Have a nose for big business. When you see an idea that can make millions jump at it, even if it isn't yours.

Million-dollar network
How many of us care about anything other than boring professors, fashion trends and may be a weekend date when we are in college? Well, not Mark Zuckerberg. This guy was constantly tinkering around – developing music players, video games, all kinds of stuff. Of course, no one had heard of him till he joined Harvard. He along with a few classmates developed one of the biggest social networking sites in the world – Facebook – in their dorm room in 2004! Today this 26-year-old is sitting on a gold mine thanks to his genius.

Moral of the story: Don't wait till you are old and eccentric to put those gray cells to use. Start early and you will be a millionaire early!

2010-07-04T04:15:00.000-07:00

Back in 2006, just after completing my High School I was in a dilemma.

My dilemma was about what career I was going to choose after schooling. I was pretty sure about Engineering as I've always harbored an interest in this particular field. But the question was, what field of Engineering do I choose from?

The term 'Engineering' encompasses a myriad of fields. What branch do I choose, what does one do in those fields, what qualifications do I need to secure a seat in any particular branch, what kind of knowledge is required, what is expected of me and what are my responsibilities. These were some of the few, and I stress few questions I was faced with .

As time flew by, I got a chance to research, reason, and eliminate few branches that I was offered. One of them which I didn't reject, or for that matter accept was Food Technology Engineering. I did very little research on it and I must admit I thought of myself being a "bavarchi" or cook if I took it up.

Now lets look at why I didn't take it up.

Reasons for not taking Food Technology Engineering:

1. Male ego. Cooking is only for women, or so I told my self-taught mind. WRONG!
2. I will always have to be around food, and thus be in a kitchen, no matter how fancy. WRONG!
3. While I love working with tools, my tools here would be knifes, ladles, mixers, grills etc. WRONG!
4. While my peers, friends and college buddies discuss latest technologies in their respective 'manly' fields I will be merely talking about new advances in cooking methods. WRONG!
5. Family wise, I may be called the home-maker. WRONG!

These points that I've mentioned are the most 'politically-correct' points I could think of. Believe me, I was having a gala time giving well decorated reasons to myself on why I should never, ever take up Food Engineering. Some of my points, which I will never make public for the sake of some women readers, would make the fairer sex hate my guts for life. But I can add the word 'wrong' in capitals after my four years of living in India and understanding that we all perceive life in out own ways, but they may not necessarily be or workout that way.

Now lets look at what would have happened had I taken up FTE.

1. I would be in the forefront of food technology, developing technology for astronauts, air-force pilots, officers working for months inside submarines, off shore workers, Soldiers, workers on tanker ships etc.
2. I would travel the world, probably, if I'm an expert, and gain an inside knowledge on food in terms of nutrition, calorific value and know the best foods for different kinds of jobs.
3. This point is the most simple one. I would know how to cook. Anything, anywhere.
4. This one's the best of all, And I quote my Dad "you will never die hungry." Haha, classic.

I'm now a graduate in Telecommunications and yes, I have learnt how to cook some food for basic sustenance. But I've always wondered what life would have been had I chosen Food Technology Engineering.

Farting etiquette...

2010-06-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

Whatever size, form or shape, toilet humor has always brought a smile to people’s faces.

So, even if someone does not like the idea of a whole post on Farting Etiquette, what the fart? I’ll still write it.

Mankind (yes not womankind, but strictly mankind) have always harbored an admiration for the powerful forces of nature.

Wind energy is the next best thing to fossil fuels, and as long as there’s food and men (and a combination of men who hog food) on the planet, there will be farts (well what i mean here is public farting).

Breaking wind is an essential fart of human nature. The fart of the matter is, no one can hold it any longer than 2 hours. This is scientifically proven at the Mirror-Cracked labs.

But then there are certain etiquettes when it comes to unleashing our wind upon the unsuspecting public, and not many men adhere to it.

Well, I think am wrong - no man has ever adhered to it, and no man ever will!!!

So here is my helping hand to all the men with a guide which can help themselves aware of what needs to be done, when they cannot hold it any longer.

Here are few tips on how to behave while farting:

If you’re alone, then let it out loudly, smile and say, “Wow, what a fart!”
If in a meeting with 4 or more people and you very quietly let loose, then slowly start pushing your chair away from the person sitting next to you and give him/her a dirty look. Others will follow suit. This technique is called Farting The Blame.
If you’re standing in a crowded bus, then make sure that you start pushing your way through the crowd slowly but steadily, moving towards the door, while farting quietly, so that the stink is distributed evenly throughout the length of the bus. (Not applicable outside India)
If you’re with a girlfriend and you realize that you have to break wind, then play some music and tell your partner that you’ll dance for her. Unleash the wind energy quietly while dancing. She will never know. It’s easier for smokers - they can just light up to kill the stink.
If you’re with someone who’s irritating you and you just want them to go away, then do the sonic-boom.

I sincerely hope this small but comprehensive guide helps people in di-stress.

Incase you need any formal demo, please get in touch with my dad!!

Doing the right thing..

2010-06-10T06:24:00.000-07:00

I like choices.

I bet we all do. But somehow we seem to take pride in our ability to deny ourselves things.

I am not getting into the monogamous institute of marriage ( it need not be, depending on where or into what you are born or even what you choose to be). I know you would love to get my foot in the mouth and make me sleep on the couch for the rest of my life but I will refrain.

Take for example food. I do not understand vegetarians. Why would anyone choose to be a vegetarian? I don't know. Our dental structure clearly shows that nature never intended us to be that way. We were meant to eat what we get.

We were never meant to be choosy but in some weird quirk of evolution, cockroaches lost the battle to supremacy and the mantel of Lord of all that he surveys fell upon us and then some prehistoric monkey developed a taste for vegetables.

I don't get it. I like those guys who one day gave up meat because they decided on humanitarian grounds not to be part of taking life... but lets face it; Fried chicken is far more tasty than your soul.

What I do have a problem with Vegetarians is something I was discussing with a couple of vegetarian friends of mine. They haven't really helped in the ecological balance of earth, which they could have if they had enlarged their menu. You see, it’s my earnest belief that we tend to conserve what we think is important to us.

We seem, somehow, to have an aversion towards dying.

Now if the vegetarians increased their diet to include the salads made from the nut or leaves of trees from the rain forest or made soups from the root of the cedar, oak or silver wood, we would have had a greener planet.

Instead they left it to the meat eaters to protect and breed their meals on legs which now threaten to fart us out of our planet.

Vegetarians could have been the saviors of our planet. I have always maintained that, for wild life to survive we just need to start developing a taste for them.

A tiger steak anyone?

My plan to save our planet is very simple. I have been thinking... Yes, it does occur. Now we all know that death is a great business. Funeral services are the only business that can claim year long supply of customers.

Recession or not, people have to die. So, my plan is this. When we bury someone why don't we insert a seed of a tree into the corpse's heart? Think about it. You have one tree per dead person. You replace graveyards with forests. We can use the cremated ones ashes as fertilizers.

Personally I would like to be the worm food for a banyan tree.

Man, I’m so damn brilliant. Now all I have to do is create a religion around it so that you will take it seriously.

Nothing better than a little of brimstone, some fire and some infidels thrown in to motivate people to do the right thing.

Dying, Daily...

2010-06-09T00:57:00.000-07:00

Many are shocked, angry and aghast about the number of innocent passengers killed recently in the ill-fated Air India Express flight that overshot the runway and fell down a deep ravine.

But where is the similar sense of outrage over the 118,000 people who died on Indian roads in 2008 alone. The reasons are not far to seek.

While road deaths in many other big emerging markets have declined or stabilized in recent years, even as vehicle sales jumped, in India, fatalities are skyrocketing — up 40 percent in five years to more than 118,000 in 2008, the last figure available.

A lethal brew of poor road planning, inadequate law enforcement, a surge in trucks and cars, and a flood of untrained drivers have made India the world’s road death capital. As the country’s fast-growing economy and huge population raise its importance on the world stage, the rising toll is a reminder that the government still struggles to keep its more than a billion people safe.

In China, by contrast, which has undergone an auto boom of its own, official figures for road deaths have been falling for much of the past decade, to 73,500 in 2008, as new highways segregate cars from pedestrians, tractors and other slow-moving traffic, and the government cracks down on drunken driving and other violations.

Evidence of road accidents seems to be everywhere in urban India. Highways and city intersections often glitter with smears of broken windshield and are scattered with unmatched shoes, shorn-off bicycle seats and bits of motorcycle helmet.

Tales of rolled-over trucks and speeding buses are a newspaper staple, and it is rare to meet someone in urban India who has not lost a family member, friend or colleague on the road.

The dangerous state of the roads represents a “total failure on the part of the government of India,” said Rakesh Singh, whose 16-year-old son, Akshay, was killed last year by an out-of-control truck in Bijnor, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, as he walked along a highway to a wedding.

The government has responded as governments traditionally do — by setting up committees.

“We propose to introduce an amendment bill in the ensuing budget session of parliament to set up a National Road Safety Management Board to strictly enforce road safety rules across the country,” Nath said at an interactive session with captains of industry here.

Admitting that India had the unfortunate distinction of having the worst road safety record in the world, Nath said the Road Safety Management Bill to amend the Motor Vehicles Act was being drafted in consultation with the central law ministry.

“The proposed board will lay down certain standards and rules to enforce the law. We need a holistic approach towards road safety with international standards,” Nath told the members of the Bangalore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), which organized the session.

Ah yes. Another government department to solve the problems created, or at least ignored, by an existing government department. The story is endless, and endlessly repetitive. For instance, statistics indicate that in a particular year, over 600,000 drivers were issued with tickets for jumping red lights in Delhi alone.

The government’s response was to increase fines. Not enough, say traffic experts: “We have problems with signals, with road markings, signage, design failures, that is a large contributory factor,” added Baluja. “Signals you cannot see, behind bushes, they are not properly placed, if there are no stop lines, how would you know that you have crossed a stop line? “

All of that is the responsibility of the highways ministry — a responsibility it routinely abdicates, even as the minister in charge talks of ‘a bill to set up a board’ to solve the problem. What is needed, the World Bank has said even way back in 2007, is a complete, systemic overhaul of the system.

According to Sinha, the construction zones are not safe and at some sites large concrete blocks are used as traffic barriers, posing a major hazard. “If you happen to hit this block, you are dead,” said Sinha and proposed guardrail and plastic drums filled with sand or water instead.

He also said the whole highway system needs an overhaul and has put that in black and white in his report which was submitted to the World Bank last December.

“There are problems right from the planning stage, designs chosen, data collection of traffic volumes, planning, supervision and maintenance of highways. There is no accountability at all. The structure of NHAI itself is problematic as most of its engineers from state PWDs are on deputation. So there is no organizational loyalty, no accountability,” he said.

A government incapable of such systematic effort meanwhile tinkers with bills to set up more bureaucracies, and toys with increasing fines. To what end? What stiffer fines actually do is provide the under-staffed, poorly paid traffic police around the country with additional opportunities for corruption — which, in some areas, is even institutionalized, with rate cards and such.

It is not that we lack laws. What is really lacking is an organizational will to upgrade traffic infrastructure, and an official will to strictly impose those laws.

The problem is serious, and it is genuine — and yet, it does not get the attention it deserves, probably because the attritional toll our highways take is not as dramatic, as visceral as an air crash.

So try this: every eight minutes, one person dies in a road accident in India, and 10 are injured.

'Time to act' would you say?

What are the problems with traffic in India, as you see it?

What is it that the government needs to be doing, and isn’t?

And where does our responsibility begin and end?

All this and much more definitely calls for a debate in urnest at all levels of nation building.

habits....

2010-06-08T00:51:00.000-07:00

Habits fascinate me. They are the compound interest of life. Over time they become powerful forces, the currents that sweep you through your life's journey. They are behind much of your luck and karma, whether good or bad.

We, as people, are really nothing more than a collection of habits. (Just try to think of some aspect of yourself that doesn't ultimately boil down to some sort of habit.)

Common examples of the power of interest...

:Most people don't realize that the average person pays for their house 3 times due to interest.

:Mathematics graphically explain why you would be a millionaire if, rather than smoke, you put the money for 2 packs a day into long term investments. (a quick check on an the first compound interest calculator I found on google shows that about $5.5 per day at 9%(average return from stocks) over 50 years adds up to $2 Million.)

That same power is working a zillion times per day in our personal habits. Every little thing we do is usually part of a habit. It can be aimed at making life better or worse, or just aimed randomly.

Mathematics can also explain why your life would tend to be set back by major accidents if you made habits out of taking little safety shortcuts. For instance, let's say that every time you jay walk you have one chance in 10,000 of an accident.

If you walk to and from work and end up jay walking 5 times per work day, that's 1000 times per year. In 5 years you have a 50/50 chance of being hit by a car during a jay walk.

What if you do it for 30 years?

Multiply that by the countless little habits that make up our lives and...

WOW! We really do create our own luck.

2010-05-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

So here I am, back in my hometown of Al-Bahrain. The last 2 weeks in India were terrible with the heat being the worst I have ever experienced in quite a while. The temperature hovered anywhere between 109.4 to 116.6 degree Fahrenheit. Dorm rooms seemed like sauna rooms and the only place of comfort were the shower-rooms. Eight to Ten hour power cuts only made living all the more difficult. But I managed to live through it all and I'm here finally!

I hope to post more frequently now. I have lots planned for my stay here so hope to pen all my thoughts and experiences soon.

The various types...

2010-05-29T23:40:00.000-07:00

I have come across various people in my lifetime....err..I am sinfully young!!

But those people whom I have come across in my span of life; are true gems!! Few are such glitterati types that your eye hurts; and few are such dull heads that you mistake the gem for a chalk stone. I am one among them too; so no need to panic... It is absolutely normal. I am normal!!! Am I not??

OK, lets get to the meat; its delicious!!

The Omni Potent Ones

The ever powerful ones; everything under my control types. "Uh!! No worries!! This is just a child's play you see. I'll take care. That man is just my buddy. We shall talk it out". You smile for the first time in that day when it has been a drudgery; believing this soul. Aaaah, did you smile too fast? You only realize its all words and no cake; when you see this same person sweating and shivering in front of his so called buddy!!!

These people get a high by exalting themselves and thus satisfy their ego!!!

The Ever Knowing types

Who has not come across such species? The blowing trumpet types; "Oh I know this. Its so easy. You don't know?" Oh my!! Oh my!! Did you just highlight yourself by pulling me down?? Get back and say "Oh no; how sad. Not everyone is as lucky as you to be getting knowledge like manna falling from heaven straight into your brain!!" You defer all theories of radiation, don't you!!!

And look straight into their eyes.

The Prying Eagles

Oh no!! I just ended up insulting poor eagles by personifying them. Who wants to get related to humans, huh?? After all, they are those cunning and selfish creatures.
These group of people are always interested in what others are doing. Did I hear my eyes are open, my ears could hear so how could I avoid?? These are the dangerous lots; they build a wrong impression and propagate ideas about you that when you hear them, you would feel like hanging upside down.

The Been There, Done That types

"I have been there!! I witnessed it" Mind you, literally. These sort of people seem to be there at the right place, watch the right event and meet the right people. Whats there yet that they haven't laid their hands on?? There's nothing as such, if there is; its an insult. They could yap off and go on and on and on...But I really admire them; for their talent to weave stories.

The soothsayers

These are people who always nag you with "See, I told you so. I knew this would happen. You didn't listen to me". They tend to be omnipercipience; have a perception of everything. How to deal with these people??? They are such a pest with those waste warnings all the time. Simple. Adopt their method and whenever you get a chance; just give back "I told you so!!"

The Cribbers

Nope!! This is still about people and not about horses which practices cribbing. These set of people are ever complaining; never enthusiastic; always sad. Now how many of you are wondering if its you!! :-P These people encourage negative vibes and are a deviation. Best is to avoid them; else you would find cribbing about the cribber to everyone and then you are THE cribber; cribbers' cribber; Grand father of cribber....Err I stop before you guys crib!!

The Hic!! Hic!! types

Err, naughty minds. Its not about liquor. Those people who are always on high spirits. Too much is too bad after all. A heavy thud on your back and before you realise that something like a pain was inflicted; you have "Hey man!! Wasssuppppp!!!" Just give them a weary smile and then you have "Oh man!! Cheer up; don't worry!!" Excuse me Mr, when did I ever say I was worried? And how dare you ask me to cheer up after giving me a hard knock? Get out of my sight!!!

The Always Brooding types

These are the most boring people one could come across. Always perplexed; as if trying to solve a mighty issue that could save the world. Those who feel they are facing the worse problems in the whole world and no one cares. The ones who would seriously scratche their heads when the others are celebrating the weekend with a beer bash. They tend to behave as if they are the only ones struggling with huge responsibilities while others are partying. Give them this piece of advice - "Atlas is actually waiting beside you so that he can take back the burden of the world that you seem to have on your shoulders. Care to give his property back?"

The Calm Tornadoes

Geeeez....Calm and tornadoes? Yeah you read it right. These set of people are calm but devastating. They are vicious; yet put up a all good, sorry and 'I for Peace' face. But their intentions and plan always results in tornadoes.

I am so very fond of people that I could categorise for eons if left. Before parting; one final incident. You folks decide what category must this person fall into.

An American instructor training on a technical product. Group of students out of which one's accent changed the moment he noticed that the instructor was an American. Funny part was this guy's accent got back to normal during breaks; once inside the class, his accent transformed. One such conversation -

American - "One of our customers is Lamborghini"
Guy with an accent - "Lamborghini!!? Whats that?"
American - "They manufacture tractors and cars, Italian"
Guy with an accent - "Uh oh!!! I have never heard about it. I just know HMT and Mahindra & Mahindra"

:-S The whole class was in splits.

Which category to put this unique sample into?

Anyways, enough of bashing people folks. As I said; I can segregate and go on and on. Oh by the way don't forget to count the number of "Me too" as you read :-P

Google... a part of us literally

2010-05-27T03:26:00.000-07:00

For most of us, Google is a big part of our daily lives, and I am no exception.

Even a simple thought on just about ”anything”, makes me automatically go to Google, type out my thoughts and voila! I get a million search results.

I am almost guaranteed answers to my questions, whatever they maybe. No wonder “Google” is now a verb and synonymous with search as is Xerox with photocopying.

From Britney’s shaved pate or Mallika Sherawat's hideous outfit at Cannes to valuable educational information, you can find it all in Google.

I can almost say, Google is like an emotional connection : whether its anger, joy, quest for something, thinking of someone, need to get a recipe. No matter what the question on hand, Google is like your unseen ‘Best Friend’ who has the answer to everything!

So how deep is the influence of Google?

Personally, a few months ago, the extent of Google influence hit me when my mother said ”Just go look for it on Google. You’ll find it” ! She firmly believes in the power of Google, thanks to Google reconnecting her with a long lost school friend of 33 years.

How?

On mentioning a friend who stayed in the vicinity, my brother helped my mother search for her — on Google. They punch a few details : surname, potential city of residence and hit search.

The Google magic worked. My mother had successfully googled her friend, who now happened to be in USA. The long lost friends now talk often.

Google is almost a modern day panacea…, a virtual entity that we all are so attached to; rather obsessed with, in a good way!

I’m sure most of you reading this are nodding in agreement with this.

Correct.. right?

Ever wonder what life would be without Google?

Any takers??

Tagged...!!!

2010-05-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

It’s been ANOTHER rush of few months since I scribbled here last, and after having decided that the general public has had enough of a break, I begin again.

But first, we've got business to take care of - I've been tagged - a fairly neurotic process in which energetic bloggers bung in cute little punctuations from their life, and end by inflicting a link on some other unsuspecting blogger, who in turn has got some punctuating of his own to do.

I am...............I wish I was.. really...the day I can say I am...that's the day I'll stop being.

I read……….. the writing on the wall way too often for my liking. Life seems to be a series of bloody ultimatums and unpleasant displays of cause-and-effect

I could … drink seven pints of beer at one go if I thought anyone cared.

I talk… wayyyy too much for anyone’s good.

I think… that all my perceptions of my self are exaggerated by the order of a zegallion times.

I peak ….. when I am beaten.

I swear… I’ll be suave some day.

I wonder… constantly about what I’ll be decades from now.

I will …… be someone I like someday.

I hate… an act that’s predictable.

I have … friends.

I haven’t …… done right by all of them.

I hope ……… I’ll set that right someday.

I laugh……… incessantly

I wear…… faces…facades…some which I like some which I don’t … all of which I can
avoid but don’t.

I play… not enough sport and too many games.

okay...that's enough....

I am… just another guy brought up in Bahrain and studying in India, trying to make it big and break the shackles of a small-town middle-class mindset.

I believe… that each day should be lived to its fullest and there’s no point in looking back on a day where you could not do that… Carpe Diem, baby!

I read… anything that catches my fancy, though I seem to be outgrowing fiction with every passing book.

I dance… only when I am forced to. And obviously I suck at it.

I sing… when I am happy or alone.

I cry… not that often, but usually for reasons not to be disclosed here.

I love… my bike. There’s nothing quite as refreshing as the breeze in my hair, whatever little is left of it ;). Also love to sleep… can do that anywhere, anytime!

I would give my arm… for hmmmm… nothing! Nothing can be worth more than what I can achieve by working for it. If I can’t motivate myself to work for something, it ain’t worth having.

I wish… I had wings and my legs never get tired. Then I would be able to walk or fly over every imaginable piece of land and water on this planet. There’s so much to discover… still!

I want… to die a contented being, full of joy brought by a life fulfilled.

I should… post to my blog more regularly. And definitely take a shot at one professional sport, at least.

I cannot… stand the sight of an open wound.

I would love to… be back to Nagpur sometime in future and do something for the people, maybe do something TO the people and make them more enterprising.

I will… get rich, or die trying :)

I hope… that someday I will understand myself.

I think… therefore I AM!!! What I am...

Chained to chain mails??

2010-05-25T11:51:00.000-07:00

When I say chain mail, I am sure everyone knows what menace I'm talking about, cos it spares no one.

Every bloke with an email ID is sure to have been a victim more than once, and the real sorrow is, unlike spam, chain mails are usually sent by someone the victim knows.

Tragic… Really tragic.

A few trademark mails play on people's emotions, where the subject of the mail is a non-existent little girl or boy with an unspeakable disease. Others play on people's fears, cursing them with bad luck if they don't forward.

The wonderful thing is that people still fall for these phonies. That is the hardest part. I sometimes have the same mail for about 10 times in my inbox, forwarded over and over to the same people, and I feel like screaming…

"Gimme a break!!!" Well, since I got the mail 10 times, and I haven't forwarded it even once, am I going to have bad luck for 10 lifetimes?

What? Microsoft is sharing its fortune. Bill Gates is going to give away a chunk of his shares if we forward the damn mail???

Where are your gray cells fellas?

No, you are not going to get a call from the love of your life if you forward a mail to a dozen people, you got to do it the old fashioned way, I'm afraid.

No one ever lost families or millions of dollars just by failing to forward a mail. If that was the case, Wall Street and the Stock Exchange would go broke. Every broker in the world would be busy monitoring the flow of chain mails and forwards. Just imagine that.

And no, your wish is not going to be granted at 12 midnight if you forward a mail to 50 people.

There would be no God anymore, people would be depending on software guys and techies to draft such mails and send them so wishes could be granted just by the click of a mouse.

Toasts to all.....

2010-05-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, when life stares you on your face and you refuse to blink half the battle is won.

Mad I might have been, unmanageably obdurate most of the time, and yet it is that stubbornness which makes a person incompatible that makes him or her fight it out for dear life when everything and everybody else seems far away.

With that perspective, which is not a stand openly bolstering intransigence of all kinds, let be begin! Those who are, have been and had been close to me know I will use my characteristically quaint expression to describe 2010: it has just been that kind of year and there are of course no complaints.

Well, hang on… this post has not built up just yet but something I wanted to write nevertheless.

The year of the ten as I called it is coming to an expected break in a matter of eight days and it is one of those years I will look upon with fondness and nostalgia on the one hand and a bit of reservation and caution on the other.

For never before in the last twenty-two years have I been treated by life to a palate of moods from all seasons. But then what has to be has to be…

Getting into real life seems a whole lifetime away now that I look at it, and for that matter so does the middle of July, or for that matter the end of July and the coming August Days. Before I know it, it must rank routinely or distinguishably as special too as I breeze through different intensities and decibels but without ever appearing to endeavor to do so.

And am sure, it is in the almost unconcerned passage of time that I will find some of the finest lessons during the course of the coming year.

The consequence also is that the passage of time highlights my own changes, some positive, some negative, others neutral.

The lessons have been vast and varied, the modes through which they have been imparted different and even their relevance probably bearing their own differentials. Yet getting deep into each of them and interpreting them to the last detail is some time, I figure, a futile effort, a waste of time and perhaps life itself.

That is probably the greatest of lessons I have taken from the course of the year - to go on when the tide is high, go on when it is low, go on when there is actually nothing exciting or goading, to, simply, go on. After all why would "no matter what life goes on" become a cliché if it did not have even a grain of truth in it?

Some wonderful ties have been severed; some strands strained and on more than one occasion even the people who have been part of them departed forever. (I guess inevitability dictates better than indispensability, the latter at best a passing assumption).

As always in those cases "it is the tomorrows" - the days after the setbacks that have truly tested what I am truly made of.

Now others have come in - some new and some who have chosen to exorcise the indifferent silences of the past to be with me during my life's darkest and most important hours.

But make no mistake about it there are no replacements in life for meetings and partings are not so preordained in a way to fill previous gaps.

The fanatical pragmatic friendships founded during the last four years were Prashant, Naresh, Ron, Swaroop, and Aroop from earth's daylight crust. All superb human beings who had the ability to make each one of us or for that matter all of us laugh together.

It has been their year in mine as much as it has been my own. Yet I look upon my past and those who belonged to it too with greater maturity than I have over the last few months and with more than a tinge of gratitude.

To names that come to mind and those that don't let this be the message: people who enter my life hardly leave it except in physical form, and are hardly ever completely forgotten.

Toasts to all!

2010-04-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

I think sportsmen aren’t sportsmen anymore.

My opinion was only solidified when I witnessed the live IPL ( Indian Premier League) cricket match the other day at the Jumta Stadium here in Nagpur.

Why I make such a statement is because, we the people and I mean majorly the people of the Indian subcontinent are die hard cricket fans. Its truly a religion in India.

I mean insulting a player or a team would nearly amount to blasphemy.
But it makes me feel that this attitude has been feeding the ego of those very sportsmen who we love to watch perform out there on the green field.

But these sportsmen pretend like they rule the roost and that they can call the shots.

All the players at the stadium were of course aware that there were about 2000 eager spectators staring, clapping and singing for them. But none seemed to even want to acknowledge their fans , the very same fans who they play for.

They have forgotten that its because of those people’s undying love and interest for the game that big sponsors are willing to pump in Millions of Dollars and thus helping them earn what they earn, which to my knowledge makes them richer in one game than any average spectator makes in five years.

And yet those people love their Idols, their mentor. Watching them play is like an event which acts as means to get away from a harried life that takes them nowhere.

Ego, Attitude, Brash behavior is what few sportsperson in India have accumulated in their persona in the last few years. I have seem some players treating excited fans like animals, telling security personnel to throw them out because they were singing some songs which according to that particular player wasn’t called for during the game.

I shun them, in the name of disrespect to fellow human beings. I, as a matter of fact decided to elude the game of cricket after seeing few live episodes of the so called ‘harassed’ players ditching their fans and making away in their luxury, bullet proof vehicles leaving fans, probably thousands stuck behind in a mob struggle to catch a wavering glimpse of their heroes.

How funny is this situation, we crib about what we love.

Lame ass poetry!

2010-04-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

Hi folks, I'd like to share with you this lame-ass limerick me and my fellow colleagues wrote to belittle one another, although it was just plain fun. Read and enjoy.

Me :
Together We Cry.

Ravi Popat :
Together we die.
Gotta work. Gotta play.
So till then, Cheerio, Goodbye.

Me :
Goodbye, Goodbye
I'll stay Sober, while you get High :P

Ravi Popat :
High my arse, high my arse.
In sobriety, time will thus pass.
Eye-lids falleth, yes, and so,
I'll sleep; that you should know.

Ankush Naik :
Rhyme rhyme is all I see.
We must all get a life, us three.

Ravi Popat :
U don't fit here, dude, you don't.
Why comment then, if you won't?
Life, you must get; not us two.
You would but ah! If only you knoo.

Ankush Naik :
I'm not going to indulge in a battle of rhymes with you,
I could beat u, trash u is more true.
Let's just assume we both are good @ what we do,
Better not tease me, u smart lil shrew.

Ravi Popat :
Lame as you were; proven that you are.
Your poetry, my friend, from witty its far.
Don't speak or read or tell or write.
Don't then complain, demean you if I might.

Ankush Naik :
Like your dp, your brain is as dark,
You can't bite, but can bark.
If you were smart you'd have ended this game,
My jokes may be bad, but my punches aren't the same( :P )

Ravi Popat :
Nice, nice. That one be nice.
Some wit, some humor, you be learning.
Be now just a li'l less than half as lice.
And some respect you be earning.

Ankush Naik :
Thank you, that praise was long due,
Take it as a lesson, take it as a clue.
We can still be friends, if u so desire.
We can learn from each other & talent we can admire.

Ravi Popat :
Truce and peace, me mind says.
But me mouth thinks otherwise.
Slander it blurts and thus betrays,
Me mind; Truce? Ah! It lies.

Continue me will, to take your case.
While thou still can, flee.
No marks, no prints, no leave trace.
If me finds, it'll be my glee.

2010-04-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

The world is my Oyster.

I have been told this several times by my Parents, Peers, Well wishers,
Uncles, Aunts and every other possible person.

It's unbelievable, but yes I can dream to accomplish anything I want to. I'm in a stage of my life where I have to think about where I want to be in the future and the best part is I can dream about doing and being anything I want to be.

Thanks to whom then?

Well, thanks to my parents who have given me the best gift of Education. And thanks to their undying devotion to my well being. They have just given me an opportunity to practically rule this world.

I want to thank my country, India as well, which emphasizes on good quality secondary education at a throw away price.

That dream of having a dream home, job, car now seems round the corner. I can confidently tell my Parents, Peers et al that I've done them proud. I was nervous, petrified, mortified, worried and every imaginable word describing fear and anxiety at first, but now 4 years hence I laugh at myself.

All this while I was learning, experimenting and now I've got the results. I've realized that I am who I want to be. The feeling is euphoric.

To all my well-wishers out there, I thank thee.

2010-04-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

As I watch from above, this day, like the rest of the other weekdays seems no different.

Alarm set for 8:00, 8:10, 8:20...9:00 am. Regularly snoozing the alarm until its just time to make it to the lecture hall. Returning from 4 agonizingly long hours of class and lying comatose till its nearly time for the dorm mess to close.

Back in the room, after a 20 minute hiatus and flopping back onto the bed. Switching on the laptop and playing some AC-DC songs, simultaneously juggling a Communications Engineering book and siphoning off a cold glass of lemonade. This summer is killing and a cold glass of lemonade seems to compensate the need to have hot pipping beverages in one's mug. Then as the clock strikes 6, the internet is made available to the entertainment hungry youth. Downloads begin and a plethora of topics are discussed before going to the aforementioned mess. Mostly it ends with blatant sarcasm about how awesome the food was.

This routine is same, all five days of the week.

Late nights, hunger knocks again. This is taken care of by hogging on some delicacies (read: sarcasm) and returning back to head to the toilet. Ho boy those delicacies really need to be checked by a health official.

Then comes the weekend. Time to go out and have some fun!

Returning late night and watching a movie in the comfort of the room is great. Serves like a getaway from those overtly excited, if not drunk friends. Getting up next day is the same as weekdays sans the alarm clock shouting its wits out. Surprisingly, be it weekends or weekdays, the time of waking up nearly remains the same.

The constant humming of the electric cooler is something that I've gotten used to. Helps keep the room cooler. Sometimes some hardware devices are tinkered with and eventually thrown into a pile of previously decapitated hardware stuff. Lots of friends visit and sometimes its like a mini-party everyday.

This is his life in a nutshell, by his I mean Ankush Naik's. Who am I then? I'm just a ceiling fan in his room.

Cheers!

Ungodly hour encounter....

2010-03-28T06:54:00.000-07:00

As I munched on my biscuits at 4 am, not particularly my favorite snack but nothing seemed good enough in the fridge. Various sitcoms downloaded from the net kept me on my seat rather than mope. I felt the sudden urge to abandon Jerry Seinfeld and his gang after about twenty minutes and decide to head out.

At 4 am things are rather quiet outside, a perfect time to be alone with my thoughts.

The sound of a stone hitting my window wakes me up from my new found euphoria. Startled I open the window to see my buddy, Nick, sneer and yell at me to come down.

"Drat", I said. What could Nick possibly want at this ungodly hour?

Nick was my best friend, and slightly retarded too. He came up with weird ideas at weird times. This time he had something on the same wavelength. Putting on a warmer shirt I stepped out to the cold, drafty night.

"I've got a plan that will blow the bonkers out of Mr. Barnaby" cooed Nick.

"What now Nick, what do you have in your convoluted mind?" I responded.

"Something that will be the icing on the cake, something that we've always wanted to do, something that will teach Mr. Barnaby never to mess with us, something......."

"NICK", I cut in. "Just tell me what is it that you've got in your head, spill it out will you?"

Nick ignored my impatience and said 'We are going to kidnap his pet parakeet'. Apparently Mr. Barnaby adored his pet and it was his only companion.

Mr. Barnaby was our Biology professor and he always favored the bright kids. We were just mediocre according to him. He had no kids himself, no wife and no family he could call his own.

"Nick you've gotta be kidding me, how on earth can we break into his house, let alone kidnap his bird?”

'I've got it all planned, we sneak into his backyard and enter through the back door. I have a pin which will help us disengage that old rickety door of his'.

'You're outta your goddamn mind Nick, you can never get me to go with you'.

'Well, then', said Nick, 'Stay here and be further humiliated by him. Remember when he scolded you for not dissecting that frog and the countless times when he has scolded you for no apparent reason. It's been two long years man, two goddamn years!’

He did have a point, I always loathed Mr. Barnaby, and he was a royal pain in the...

"Dude", Nick interrupted. "You in?”

I don't know what, but I said yes.

The next thing I know is we were approaching Mr. Barnaby's lawn and climbing over the wooden fence.

"Careful now, we don't want the spiteful old man to wake up and find us jaywalking on his backyard" whispered Nick.

"Just hurry up, man, I'm dying with fear here", I confessed.

We reached the backdoor. Nick wasn't kidding when he said that the back door was old. I could probably have knocked it down with a kick, but we decided to use our little pin instead.

"Creaaakkkkk" the door screamed. We held our breath as we entered Mr. Barnaby's house. The backdoor took us to a small kitchen. We tiptoed our way further into the house. Small torches kept us aware of that lay ahead of us. Beads of sweat were now streaming rapidly down my face. I felt the urge to tell Nick that I'd had enough, but we were too far into our plan to back out now.

"Where is that blasted bird?” said Nick loudly almost forgetting that this was supposed to be a secret plan.

"Shut up you spaz", I blurted in a whispering tone. "Let's just get on with it, shall we".

We entered another room which led us to what we believed was Mr. Barnaby's bedroom. Then, we saw the victim of our plan. The bird was sleeping in its cage. We knew we had to get it out of the house with pin drop silence. Nick proceeded to carefully pick the cage up. The bird, to our relief was still asleep.

The beads of sweat were now evaporating, the feeling of all is well was finally there. All we had to do now was to take the bird outside the house. Almost like a flash we heard the sound of a door opening. I and Nick stood still with fear.

Suddenly I heard myself screaming to Nick. "Run Nick, Run. It's Barnaby!”

We ran out, with the bird in hand. I was going to kill Nick. Apparently what Nick forgot to tell me was Mr. Barnaby used to go for late night strolls around his neighborhood twice a week and Nick thought that this night was when he could plan the break in.

We reached an old outhouse and decided to shack up there. We could hear the sound of someone following us all along. All of a sudden a dark silhouette appeared. And it appeared to be nearing us. We hid behind an old patio table. The bird which we had forgotten about was now cawing.

"Nick, do something. The bird will give us away".

Nick took out a Swiss army knife and silenced the bird. I swallowed hard trying not to think what Nick did. The sudden silence scared me beyond my wits. Then in a clear tone I heard Mr. Barnaby yell out our names. We were caught. Grabbing Nick's hand I pulled him up and ran. We ran for what seemed like ages until I reached my house.

Nick split from there and I hurriedly ran to my room, the sound of our stalker's footsteps still echoing in my ears. What I thought was mentally happening appeared to be happening now in real life. Someone was approaching me and shouting my name.

"Andy, Andy” wake up. You have to go to school, come on now, no more excuses. You have a long day ahead".

It was Mom and her voice seemed heavenly. Ah it was all a dream.

I was going to kill Nick anyways. He was very capable of such ideas.

"Two minutes, mom!" I said sleepily. I snuggled under my warm blanket. All is well I whispered to myself.

A sharp feeling jabbed my leg as I turned over to my side. It was a penknife and it was bloody.

This really was going to be a long day….

2010 is moving real fast....

2010-03-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

The year 2010 is moving fast, rapidly seems like a better word. I regret to say at this point of time that in my last semester in an Engineering University, I've accomplished very little in terms of applying my technological know how into practical use.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not as lazy as I may seem. It's just that I have never really tried to get my hands dirty. I consider it too menial a job for a 'soon-to-pass-out' Engineer like me. I guess that's where I've gotten it all wrong.

To quote my mentor, a.k.a my very awesome Dad, "If you'd like to have an expensive racing gloves, you've got to get your hands dirty first".

Somehow I've always interpreted it as "Me = Good (?) Engineer = Hire people to do the dirty work for me".

But from what I've heard, nobody will help you until you help yourself. I've heard that the world outside my safe Campus is not so friendly, and I have to prepare myself. I'd be happy if I knew how to but I don't.

My pass-out seniors are in their own busy world and looks like I have to seek help from my ever helping Parents. Probably even seek shelter, food and clothing from them till I reach a 'mature' age of 25 (Dad, Mom are you listening, don't freak out:-D)

I've tried to get my hands dirty sometimes though, although that may have been when no help/ slave/ victim was around: D

I've repaired the following:

Hub power supply (unsuccessful)
Web Camera circuitry (successful)
Various electrical fittings (mostly successful, sometimes ending with a minor electric shock)
Optical mouse (with the help of a colleague, one my most proud achievements till date)
Replacing the capacitor in my headphones (successful)
Changing the bush in my electric cooler's motor (successful)
Repairing an old water pump (unsuccessful)
Electric water heater (successful)

Although I can't put all this up in my CV, I could say for the least that I'm preparing myself for the tasks which I may have to do soon as part of my Profession.

I hope I'm successful in my endeavors. Wish me Luck.

Summer's wrath is kinder than people's wrath!

2010-03-22T10:51:00.001-07:00

Today, I went in search for a 12V pump for my electric cooler which has breathed its last yesterday evening. Once I got it, I frantically assembled it on my own. After all, that’s the minimum that’s expected of a finishing engineer.

Nagpur's 42 degree Celsius makes you want to take things under control rather than let someone do it for you. Seriously, without a hat, sunglasses & some suntan lotion, it's almost like going to war with the Sun God.

Yep!! The great Indian summer is here and it's here to release it full wrath on people of Nagpur..

After my successful tryst with my cooler, I went to a small restaurant called Indian Coffee House that serves excellent egg curry with Indian bread. I reached a cozy corner table and heaved a sigh of relief. Mostly because, the ten minutes drive to this place after the engineering success, sapped me off all my reserve energy.

I couldn't help but lick my plate off its contents within no time.

Moments into finishing off my Ice Tea, a small beggar boy appeared out of nowhere and started begging outside the restaurant's door. He had a plate that seemed to have been used for generations. I knew he was not looking for money because he was looking at the people eat there. He then looked at the manager, who of course was keeping a stern eye on the boy as the boy begged him to give some water. The manager blatantly refused.

Almost like magic the boy looked straight to me out of the thirty odd people sitting in the restaurant and begged me for the water kept on my table.

I beckoned him. He refused. Naturally, he was too scared to even enter the restaurant.

I signaled him and assured him that I'd give him the water. As he drew nearer, I asked for the biggest jug and emptied its contents into the boy's plate. He drank it on the way out, but the manager's aide pushed him out with such gusto that it made me want to give the aide a piece of my mind.

The aide then approached me and said something that shocked me. He said "Sir, Giving these people water is not the issue, the issue is that they come everyday and stand in front of the door and ogle at our patrons, who in turn reprimand us for not taking immediate action."

My mind caught just two words. “These people”.

How cruel are we humans, that we look down upon our own kind?

I was shocked over the aide's reply about how his patrons get upset seeing a poor boy watch them eat, rather than help the boy out.

I came out of the restaurant to see the boy sitting on the pavement. His parched feet lying uneasily on the road, which by the way, was reflecting all of the 42 degrees C of heat. When he saw me, he commented "Sir, please give me something to eat, I'm very hungry."

I'd rather not encourage begging, but this little boy of age 7-8 seemed so helpless.

I fished into my wallet and gave the boy a fifty rupees note. It looked like he'd never seen an amount like that, because his eyes were shining brighter than the sun's rays. I also went and bought him a bottle of water to quench his thirst.

As I was driving back, I realized that it was people's cold and indifferent attitude that made the boy's life seem miserable. Not the great Indian summer.

2010-03-19T05:40:00.000-07:00

With the current IPL fever going on and it being the only topic of discussion on the lips on my colleagues. I've decided to give the game of Cricket a dekko, now that my University exams are finally over.

While reading few articles on the net, newspaper and other media sources, I came across a piece of news that seemed interesting.

The article claimed that Adolf Hitler played Cricket!

And not only did he attempt at playing Cricket, the fascist dictator tried giving it a Nazi twist.

This story came to play when a British MP, Oliver Locker Lampson who was also a wartime veteran, right-wing zealot and a fervent admirer of Hitler met a couple of British officers who had been Prisoners of War in Southern Germany during the First World War.

Hitler came to them one fine day and asked if he could watch an eleven of cricket at play so as to become initiated into the mysteries of Britain’s national game.

They welcomed him and told him about the rules of the game. The dictator, having learnt the rules to the game assembled his own team, and challenged the British to a “friendly match”.

The story goes on saying that Hitler’s XI presumably lost to the British, even though they don’t really know which team won. The obvious result thus seems like the British won as Hitler immediately declared the game insufficiently violent for German fascists

Hilter, on the other had ulterior motives on learning the game. He wanted to study it as a possible medium for the training of troops off duty and in times of peace. He also wanted the game to be ‘Nazified’.

He however proposed altering the rules of the game for the benefit of the serious minded Teuton.

He specifically advocated the withdrawal of the use of pads which he claimed was un-manly and thus un-German. He also recommended a bigger, harder & heavier ball.

Hitler wrote mein kampf, I believe one of his inspirations came from his defeat to the British in the game of Cricket.

Prito's musings....

2010-03-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

"Haanji Sirji”… Prito screeched amidst the grating noise of the gearbox.

"Damn!cheapskate Nitesh!” he thought of his pan chewing, Laajo-wooing, potbellied owner of the rattletrap that used to pass for a truck about twenty years ago….the rattletrap which Prito now drove ….

“That drunkard Nitesh" spends thousands on lottery tickets but hands me a hundred and twenty rupees for the truck’s maintenance “rakh le yaar” he would go as if Prito could buy the Tata factory with the spare change…

But he had to be polite. Ever since he quit his secure job as a clerk in the garment factory citing ideological differences with his work supervisor, becoming a driver for Jai Mata Di transport brought him more prestige in his native Lakhana than a clerk’s job which paid him twice as much (at least officially). Prito mused for a bit while he screeched up another gear up the Khanki ghat and concluded that the people of Lakhana had an unnatural respect for size.

The villagers were fascinated by Sango who was rumored to be the tallest boy in the entire district. Speaking of size he thought his neighbour Gomti had the largest… ”CLANG!!!” his musings about Gomti were interrupted as he heard the unmistakable noise of a policeman’s lathi clanging on his trucks’ bonnet.

He slammed his brakes…slammed in manner of speaking since the truck didn’t do anything even remotely as urgent instead dissipating speed like a vessel of boiling milk simmering down.

He managed to calm down the juddering and decidedly nervous steering wheel and clambered down. His heart started hammering strangely and he mused again and realized this probably had to do with the bloody arrack in the back of the truck.

His stomach decided to shrink away from his hammering heart and sink down to his knees, which were setting calm beat of their own. He remembered the SP had decided to clamp down on arrack ever since Kaderbhai had decided to stand for elections.

The policeman rushed over with his lathi raised and face set in the kind of mean scowl that policemen are trained to use in the middle of a potentially fatal raid. He stopped and looked over at Prito and glanced with a curious respect at Prito’s left hand. Prito himself sportingly decided to share in the cop’s curiosity and did some glancing himself.

He realized the cellphone was still in his hand, and now that he thought of it, he remembered the burning sensation in his left ear from the tongue lashing Nitesh had given him. “Malik hain ya driver?” the cop murmured in an almost seductive baritone. “he-enn?” Prito murmured nervously, not quite matching the cop’s chocolate-rich tone.

“Aap Malik hain ya driver?” the cop repeated. The ‘aap” triggered off a whole chain of chemical reactions in his body, which calmed the knees and sent his tummy back to its original position. His body seemed to enlarge and steel crept into his tone “Tere se mathlab?”

He almost convulsed as he heard what he had just said. But the cop reacted, in almost a mirror image of his earlier physical change and he seemed to shrink as he said “Aa—aapki gaadi…” Prito decided to seize the moment much as his mother always said he was born to do and replied “haan hain tho? Akkal nahin hain tereko…ghaat pe gaadi roktha hain? Patha nahin hum kiske kaam se jaa rahe hain?”

Prito himself had no idea who he was referring to but decided that calling on a invisible higher power was called for. “phone lagaaoon kya?” he waved the cellphone menacingly.

The cop paled, as much as the madhya pradeshi sun allowed him to, “sirji …one look at you knew you were not a driver..! I was just trying to alert you about the dacoits in Khanki..!”

He clambered regally back into the truck and rested his head on the still-trembling wheel. After a minute, he got up, sent up a silent prayer for Nitesh and his next seven generations. If it weren’t for Nitesh’s suspicious nature, he would have never had the cellphone…he jumped as the phone rang “kaahaan pahuncha hain? Maa ke shaadi pe jaa raha kya?” as the familiar honey dewed tones of Nitesh screeched.

"Vai guru ki kripa hai" Prito muttered....

Life was again back to normal.

Dreams do come true.....

2010-03-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

It’s a lazy December afternoon and I think I’m having an affair.

No...not one of those if "is-there-or- isn’t-there" kinda nothing attractions.

There definitely is...and an intensely physical one at that. I have no idea how it started to get to this. It’s like most other things of this sort; just a sudden turn of events and no one’s really to blame.

Of course not everyone is going to see it that way.

But let me start from the beginning..

I was introduced to her, ironically enough, through my dad and his warped ideas. And like most things that dad has introduced me to, this one turned out to have out far-reaching consequences but damned if I realized it at the time.

She seemed completely awkward to me at first…on the verge of "un cool". Unfashionably voluptuous, she was loudmouthed and opinionated, but (and I say this from hindsight now) pretty smooth when she wanted to be.

She certainly wasn’t trying to be at her smooth best when I met her, and in a weird sort of way, I think that’s what did it for me in the first place.

In god’s well-intentioned but topsy way of working, she moved into my city and on the ground floor of my hostel within 2 weeks of that. .. She'd had it tough, I guessed, and she looked completely so out of place that I had to rescue her.

She condescended to yield to my tentative offer of helping her out. I introduced her enthusiastically to my friends, my colleagues, with unsurprisingly little success. She just wasn't the bubbly sophisticate they were used to. Well, one thing led to another, and we started spending a lot of time together.

She seemed to have some work in places close to my college, and we started commuting together – you know how it is –you slip into a routine like that where you wake up and go to class along with someone, and soon you find yourself waking up and going to class because of her.

Things started going kind of outta control after that, and I started dreaming about her, started buying her new stuff so she could look good, feel better about herself and fit into my life. I guess things were always simmering between us and we entered the zone without really meaning to.

It really hit me today how far we’d gone when I realized I didn’t care who knew about us. At 2 pm on an overcast January afternoon, in the parking lot of our admin building. Our meeting in quite sometime due to my hectic assignments and scheduled Mumbai trip (which I cut short to get back to her).

Slipping my hand into hers and drawing her close ...it seemed like what we were meant for..she responded immediately…..unusual for her….but she seemed like she was waiting for me..her body warm, and her curves waiting to draw me to her.

We held each other like that ..the only sounds being her gentle gasps, and my own head rushing so loud that I couldn’t..didnt want to hear anything else..I held her close…and I wanted to hear her breathe all day long…

Its been an hour since I got back…am lying back on my bed…my body still aching pleasantly…still throbbing from our intense time together..the smell of her on me and ….traces of her on every part of me……and in my head thinking…

”what the hell am I doing?” …and as I started to write this… my sincere attempt at least, I guess….

I am thinking about all of you….all of you in your snug lives... who’ll read this..and am thinking that she might be just a 180cc Bajaj Pulsar motorbike to all of you…

But she’ll always be a woman to me….

Mental stimulation for age reversal....

2010-03-02T23:20:00.000-08:00

Neurobiologists are providing the first visual evidence that learning promotes brain health and, therefore, that mental stimulation could limit the debilitating effects of aging on memory and the mind.

Using a novel visualization technique they devised to study memory, a research team found that everyday forms of learning animate neuron receptors that help keep brain cells functioning at optimum levels.

These receptors are activated by a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF); which facilitates the growth and differentiation of the connections responsible for communication among neurons.

BDNF is the key in the formation of memories.

The findings confirm a critical relationship between learning and brain growth and point to ways we can amplify that relationship through possible future treatments.

In addition to discovering that brain activity sets off BDNF signaling at the sites where neurons develop, researchers determined that this process is linked to learning-related brain rhythms, called theta rhythms, vital to the encoding of new memories.

Theta rhythms involve numerous neurons firing synchronously at a rate of three to eight times per second. These rhythms have been associated with long-term potentiation, a cellular mechanism underlying learning and memory.

In rodent studies, the team found that both unsupervised learning and artificial application of theta rhythms triggered BDNF signaling at memory creation sites.

This relationship has implications for maintaining good brain health and there is evidence that theta rhythms weaken as we age, and these discoveries suggest that this can result in memory impairment.

On the other hand, staying mentally active as we age can keep neuronal BDNF signaling at a constant rate, which may limit memory and cognitive decline.

Researchers are now exploring whether learning-induced growth signals decrease with age and, if so, whether this can be reversed with a new family of experimental drugs.

Mumppy and the fictional jackass....

2010-02-25T23:14:00.000-08:00

I vividly remember that Sunday.

The sun was blazing, though it was just the onset of summer. The park was brimming with happy families. Children frolicking in their bright and colourful summer outfits, parents lazing around the cafe, men sipping mugs of chilled beer, and security men, keeping vigil on the little monkeys around.

It was then, that I first saw her. Like, she had stepped right out of a fairy tale. Golden hair curled into little ringlets. Pink lips, a deep dimple forming in her cheeks when she laughed that tinkling laugh of hers.

The boys hovered around her like bees. They vied with each other, to crack jokes and make her laugh. One stylishly ran his hand through his hair, another leaned on the wall with a macho casualness, the third kept on his silly non-stop banter. She was patient with all of them.

I watched, silently, from a distance, knowing I didn’t stand a chance.

I was already, hopelessly in love with her. But didn’t have the courage to do anything but watch from afar.

’Oh! Unrequited love. How often will you pierce my heart?’

They say beauty is only skin deep. Why then, does nobody want to look beneath, and find the real me? The warm, caring, loving soul that lies deep within.

This is such a materialistic world, with shallow people.

My helplessness and anger made me feel hot, and the sun didn’t do much to help. So I decided to go for a swim in the pond. My stomach was rumbling.

It never fails to amaze me, this stomach…so irreverent to the emotions of the person. No matter what one feels - anger, sorrow, frustration – all of these take a bow before hunger pangs. And happiness, oh, that’s another excuse to gluttony.

The water was cool and refreshing, as I glided through it. I steered clear of the children, for their high-pitched chatter, cries and laughter that earlier seemed so endearing, now only aggravated the ache in my head.

I swam the entire length of the pond, when all of a sudden, I heard a shriek. The group of bees, er, boys, were gathered in a nervous bunch. People were talking in loud whispers.

“How did she fall? Does she know how to swim?”

“Mummy, are there dangerous creatures in the pond?”

“Mumppy, where are you?” (So, her name was “Mumppy”).

“Somebody save her. Please!”

Now was my chance. Nobody had noticed me yet. However, I was never one for limelight. I gallantly ducked into the water, and searched for Mumppy. Gnawing hunger pangs had already drained the bulk of my energy, and I couldn’t see much, but I didn’t give up.

‘If I could spot her, but once … if I could just get hold of her, and never let her go!’

And then, as if in answer to my prayers, I saw a bit of pink cloth moving gracefully among the weeds. I swam with all my might, and saw Poppy trying to swim upwards towards the light. It was very silent, there, in what seemed to be beneath the rest of the world.

My heart pounded with excitement. I couldn’t help, but admire her to heart’s content. Her golden ringlets waved slowly, her graceful hands and feet moved vigorously.

She looked charming … almost delicious. I dared to go very close to her. She caught sight of me. Our eyes met, and instantly locked. She opened her mouth … and let out a noiseless scream.

Then came this final rumble, from the depths of my stomach. I didn’t have a choice.

As I ate my lunch that day, I shed tears.

People called it “crocodile tears”.

The Cow & the Coconut Tree Saga!

2010-02-18T04:18:00.000-08:00

Whilst in the lecture hall today, our esteemed professor came upon a statement saying, we students follow the 'Cow & Coconut tree' paradigm.

Startled, we cooed in unison that we have never heard of that statement before and that we'd like to hear the Professor's talk on this new topic rather than the subject he was ranting.

He, after taking a long pause, went on to explain his new theory.

He claimed that we students never stick to any dedicated answer during any test given to us. We vomit an answer that we supposedly know, on a question that we supposedly don't.

He went on to amuse us with an example. On a certain test a boy was asked to write the characteristics of a Coconut tree. This boy, who in the prof's example represented us, knew all about the characteristics of a Cow instead.

So he went on to decorate his paper with his answer of the Coconut tree, but with a twist. He incorporates the Cow in his answer to make it look like he has nailed the question and toggles between Cow and the Coconut Tree to make it look like he has answered the question.

This was his answer, as far as I can remember, through his brief narration..

"A Coconut tree is a fruit bearing tree and it is a very tall tree. The Coconut tree also provides good shade. It's long leaves can be used for the making of the cattle sheds, they are popularly used in sheds as sun shades, housing the cows. Now a cow is a domestic animal that gives us manure, milk and meat. It can be used extensively in farming as well. The cow is a very docile animal, so docile that it can be tied to a coconut tree without disturbing or damaging the Coconut tree. A coconut tree is a very sturdy tree........."

That's as much as I could remember from the prof's exemplanary narration, but at the end of the story there wasn't one student who wasn't holding his stomach and laughing.

For once we felt he has nailed us right on the mark.

The Cow and Coconut tree paradigm! haha!

a little child within me....

2010-02-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

"Hey young man.. C’mon just grow up" How often have we heard someone say that. I hear it everyday when I am with my family at home.

"Ankush grow up, don’t behave like a small kid". I somehow don’t understand why a small part of us, still refuses to grow up? I have come across many situations where the child in me is very much awake waiting to explode.

Many a time, we find that we have a hidden child inside us which we refuse to bring out for obvious reasons.

In my case, being a performer in my own right, it becomes necessary for me to maintain a sense of decorum and decency when I am among some people. But frankly speaking, I still feel the urge to shout, scream, giggle, express, comment, sulk about every thing happening around me.

There were so many instances, when I have discovered the child in me. A soul inside me, which still needs child like attention, who loves to be pampered, who sulks for the silliest reasons, who still fusses around for things that can generally be ignored!

But still all that I hear is.... "Ankush, U are 20+... its high time u grow up".

Do we really need to grow up? Ask me. I hate growing up. Sometimes I feel I haven't achieved anything becoming so big. What have I really learnt watching elders around me? Especially, those who have never really grown up they are twice my age. I see a lot of them here in my campus too.

Here are a few things I love to do and am sure all 20 year old love it too

*I still love chocolates and expect dad to get me some every time he goes abroad.

*I still play cricket with my society friends aged 8-10.

*I still buy paper windmills when I spot them on the road.

*I still love sleeping on my grandma's lap.

*I still love my grandmother feeding me every time I fuss to eat.

*I still love playing monopoly with my friends and whine about not winning a game.

*I still love having pillow fights with my twin-brother.

*I still expect a gift every time I win an argument.

*I still bet on the silliest of issues.

*I still make paper rockets and boats.

*I still love doing craft work.

I bet all of us have a hidden child in us which never leaves us.

Try bringing it out in abundance, at least in the privacy of your own home and among your closest of family members.

Trust me, I have seen my grand parents really like it.... though they don’t openly endorse it.

A Very Happy Valentine to all the girls I know....

2010-02-14T01:34:00.000-08:00

Isn't it good that Valentine's Day this year comes on a holiday thats, Sunday the 14th?

Or is it just appropriate? I mean, I love Valentine's Day, mostly because it is all pink and hearts and smiles and hugs. But let's be real about it: it's a Hallmark holiday, made up for consumerism.

Today, beleagured young men line up to buy overpriced flowers and jewelry to show how much they "love" their partners.

I've never really been too much about the material gifts, though in my high school days I can admit I fell victim to the enormous pressure to make this day count.

I've received some pretty nice things over the years from various suitors, some expensive and some just thoughtful. Not all of them meant true love. In some cases, no real emotions were involved whatsoever. So be it. I'm sure it was fun while it lasted!

Some of my best V-Day memories involve my girlfriends in bahrain, strolling away with the rest of the lonely singles. And that's okay too. Love, for me, has always included both the romantic and the platonic and each is most important in its own way.

This year, we've decided against the traditional celebration. In these meager college years, this day equalled an excuse for a fancy dinner out. Last year, it was an extravagant trip to the majestic here in Nagpur, with some lovely gourmet eats. (It has also been long lines in restaurants where the very next day, you can eat the same food without waiting a minute. Long gone is the insanity of that!)

Now, we are going with pizza and an evening of "Fun" - or some romantic all-time absolute favorite film, inspiration for a fairy tale life of love if ever one existed. Not much different from other nights, really, because here in the midst of the damp hostels, that is what love...is.

Happy Valentine's Day to one and all. No matter the celebration you choose, may this day of love be filled with just that in all its treasured forms.

Unfortunately the mask does slip .....

2010-02-13T07:05:00.000-08:00

Have you ever witnessed any person with seemingly matured tone, and an incredibly sensitive attitude, suddenly turn around and snap viciously at his sub-ordinate, before turning once more back to you and resuming his cultivated persona?

In that split second he has let the mask slip and you have witnessed him do irreparable damage to the hours of build up he has executed for you.

For the true key-stone of our character is the way we treat those less fortunate than us, not our equals and superiors.

Why is it that we loose control of our anger only against those who cannot retaliate? Or for that matter unleash the demons within us, when nobody is looking??

Indeed it is these moments when you feel that nobody who really matters is watching and thats when you emerge in your true colours.

How you behave when your work is not supervised, how you treat your children who cannot or rather will not retaliate, how you hold up in the face of temptation really calls for your true strength of character.

Contradicting whatever I have written above, how can one's intention be tested unless they are faced with varied temptations?

How can one be really sure that they will not steal until they have been actually left with a treasure and are totally sure nobody would ever find out even if they flicked away a part of it? And lets assume that you have walked away from such a temptation once, what is the guarantee that you will do so the next time?

Thats a million dollar question which faces all of us in this multi faceted, disturbed and greedy world of today.

The truth lies not in the sparkling marble flooring that we display but in the dust that has been swept in abundance under the carpet.

It is only when the mask slips that the real individual emerges from down under.

All of us wear masks for each other as well as for ourselves. Nothing wrong with that, as long as the mask does not slip at the most critical moment.

There are a whole lot of good and bad within all of us and the fight between these two are a part of our daily lives, where the outcome depends on our upbringing, environment around us and the situations that we are put into.

The true test of character isn't in the existence of the bad within us but in the urnest ability to suppress it.

Yes!!!!! thats even when nobody is looking!!

Can you??

Sprinkles of Happiness on the ring road….

2010-02-09T01:24:00.000-08:00

I've been running for nearly over a month now. Daily 2 hour run from the University gate to wherever my run takes me. Just recently, I've discovered a route that expands into a huge 100 meters wide road. Part of this road contains small rings to approach closer parts of the city while larger rings take commuters to the outskirts of the city.

My daily run takes me about 2 hours, I run about 12-15 km at a stretch. I had never run on the ring road, especially this Hingna ring road. It's one of the arterial roads of Nagpur. But this 33 km stretch of road, out of which I ran 15 km, was a seemingly drab road to run on. But I had judged too soon.

Whilst I was running, I happened to see two young girls, maybe about 15-16 years of age happily conversing. From a distance I sensed that the two were using a lot of hand gestures, but as I drew near I observed that both the girls were verbally-challenged.

I slowed down, partly because I was tired of the arduous run & partly because I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing. They two seemed to be enjoying conversing to each other in their sign language and were totally oblivious to an ogling passerby like me. How beautiful it was to see them embrace what God had given them instead of cribbing on what God took away from them. It was a sheer delight and it put an immediate smile on my face. The smile was only going to become wider.

A little ahead I saw a man with three dogs. I must admit that I'm an ardent lover of dogs. One of the dogs was a Dalmatian breed; the other two were a Labrador & a Golden Retriever. Unable to contain my curiosity, I approached the man who happened to be their caretaker. His name was Pradeep. He told me that the dogs belonged to a local doctor who lived nearby & was a lover of dogs. I walked with Pradeep the remainder of the distance up to the owner’s house. I also took the liberty of playing with Oscar (Dalmatian), spirit (Retriever) and joey (Labrador). It was a pleasure to walk with these three amazing animals. And oh yeah, they didn’t even have a leash on, just a doggie-collar. Yep the smile was wider now.

A little ahead I saw a man, walking with a strange gait. As I crossed him he suddenly tipped to the left & fell, his head nearly missing some concrete blocks kept nearby for some construction. I uneasily helped the man out, who seemed about 55 years or so to me. The reason why I was apprehensive about helping him was because he was too tipsy to recognize the road from a garden. But I did guide him to a safer area where he fell asleep. Thank god for that.

All this happened on a stretch of just 1 km on the Hingna ring road.

A little ahead, I got to see a brightly decorated horse, prancing along the side of the road with its keeper. I spoke to the keeper and he told me that a white decorated horse is always used to carry the bridegroom to the bride’s house in Hindu customs. The horse was superbly tall & brightly decked. I wish I had my camera along with me.

The remainder of the run was very pleasant.

If you, as a reader of this blog do get a chance to visit India, please do make it top priority to walk on these roads. These dirt roads have many a story unfold in front of your eyes. There is never a dull moment here.

2010-02-07T20:49:00.001-08:00

Yet another day when the free slack in my activities is allowing me to diverge from my critical path.

In other words, am a bit free today. So another one of the flashes....

Talked to some old friends after 4-5 years... Orkut-facebook is Great!! Felt amazing how the distances of years can be erased in minutes.... in the same world where minutes are deemed sufficient to wipe away an era of trust and friendship...

Sometimes, I feel whether it is wise to sit back and let life take its course or to take control of it...

Though a staunch advocate of the latter, right now I seem to be favoring the former. Just to see what happens, if for nothing else.

So for a while, life itself will decide. Unless of course, I revert back to my usual self, which I trust more than life, luck or destiny. I suspect I will...

Hoping against hope, but still hoping for the best...

2010-02-02T03:08:00.000-08:00

Love thy neighbour? Not yet...

The Times of India has started a bold new campaign on this New Year... Love Pakistan. Some arguments and counter arguments are bound to come up there, but at the outset, I concede that I am on the side of naysayers.

I also dare say, this seems to be a gimmick but one with intent of doing something good.

It actually feels odd to see India, Pakistan and Love in the same sentence. And can anyone be blamed for this?

It is not just what we have been fed over the past 60 years of ‘hate propaganda' from the other side. Any well meaning individual who feels for the common man and especially for the armed forces will have this odd feeling.

Also, when all previous attempts of extending hands has met only cynicism and counterproductive results like terror attacks.

It makes common sense to be wary. The sadhu who keeps on tending the scorpion that bites back may not have to stop tending to the scorpion. But he definitely needs to take care of the sting before taking care of the scorpion.

After all these years of gore and attacks in my country having been repetitively propagated by Pakistan, I can still love the common people, cricketers, singers, etc on the other side of the border. But loving Pakistan... boss...

I know better than that. I love the likes of Karkare, Saluskar, Kamte, Nachiketa, Unnikrishnan, Suri and common Indians too much to love the hand that killed them all.

Lets all be bit more wary on this count....

2010-01-26T02:34:00.000-08:00

Whenever my wife and I have to attend a party, there is enough chaos before we leave home for the kids to roll their eyes and for the maid to pull out her hair.

Gifts would have to be wrapped and clothes have to be ironed and worn, with seconds to go before out designated time of departure.

When we finally get into the car, we're invariably quite late and there has been many an argument along the way, which has resulted in that much more tension.

An even tenser situation results, however, when we have a 'do' at out home and when we have to put our best performances as to please-all hosts.

The scene at our humble abode, just minutes before the guests are to arrive, resembles that of a busy bazaar. One of us is usually busy with the laptop(me), another is shouting at all and sundry while running around the house (my wife), the kids are on tenterhooks and the TV is blarring. The maid and the borrowed 'help' look as if they've had enough and are never going to be part of any party again.

Indeed the pressure is really on!

Opinion is divided about the precise moment when i usually coax myself to leave the computer and join the frenetic clean-up operation on such occasions. What ever be the truth of the matter, the fact is that there is a frenzied period of activity
just before the guest arrive that is akin to the last over of a T20 thriller.

Our best efforts to host the perfect party have the tendency to go awry, however, to a variety of disruptive influences. Sometimes unwanted visitors arrive minutes before the party is scheduled. On other occasions, long telephone calls hold up preparations. One gaffe is to underestimate the quantity of food required.

Some guest evidently find our food so delicious that they polish off bowl after bowl of the stuff. The result is that a few diners are left staring at empty pots on the table!

Even such errors are pardonable, but not what happened last time. A certain gentleman and his wife turned up for dinner one evening and we kept scratching our heads because they were not on our list. An examination of my cellphone later revealed that I had texted him the invitation, instead of the intended person with the same name.

P.S: the above is an edited version of an article I read few days back, it's simple and straight, yet an interesting read, familiar to what happens in our homes.

2010-01-26T02:30:00.000-08:00

Fools pretend to be intelligent, cheats pretend to be honest, foes pretend to be friends, and all of us go through such stress trying to be what we are not. We are so mindful of what others think of us. We fear hate and rejection.

But what I have learnt so far is that trying to please others is like trying to move a mountain. There are very few people who are really happy with one's success.

Whenever I have achieved something, with the exception of my family and a few close friends, I doubt people have really felt happy for me. Hence I have acquired this care-a-damn attitude about what others think of me.

I hate to pretend and always try to be my own self. It's difficult but once you acquire this, it can be the most comforting and liberating attitude to have. I am still pretty popular because I am a kind of fun character to be with. But I doubt how many of them will be around when bad times come upon me.

It's easy to be the centre of attraction at the hostel mess table, cracking jokes and sharp, witty one liner. What is difficult is to find a person to talk to when you don't have any joke to crack.

Its easy to gather "friends" for the party a class topper throws, what is difficult is to find a friend who will listen and comfort you when you fail the exam. Its easy to find people for company for a stroll in the garden, what is difficult is to find a friend to accompany you during a hard trip under a burning sun.

And I realize that there will be times in my life when it will look like a hard trip, when I will have no wit to entertain anybody, when I would have failed. It is in these times when a true friend is needed.

And for this true friend, I would not need to pretend. The friend would not need me to be someone him/her desires, but would accept me for what I am. Who would like me not for being at an NIT, not because I may have a good job, not because I am a "so called" academic under achiever but would like me for what I am, and not for what I have done or not done.

It is so very difficult to find such a person, but to find him/her; you don't need to pretend to be someone else, but to just be yourself.

I know the above crap would not make much of sense, and is nothing new, but just wanted to write it down, just wanted to express how phony this world can sometimes be. It's a sea of pretentions....

The Power Of Positive Thinking.....

2010-01-25T08:59:00.000-08:00

I know a lot of people talk about “The power of positive thinking”, and how wonderful it is.

However, a lot of people think it’s a load of crap, and they’re partly right.

Let me explain… The thing is, thinking positive thoughts is very powerful, and can be a great thing for your life. However, there’s a difference between REAL positive thoughts, and denial and lying to your self.

Most people want you to be in a state of denial, where you’re telling yourself things that simply aren’t true. If you’re lying on your death bed, thinking that you’re in perfect health is a lie, and you’ll know it. If you have no money, thinking that you’re rich beyond your dreams is a lie. Lying to your self doesn’t work.

Here’s the trick: you need to think positive things that are TRUE. If you don’t have money, but you want it, and you need positive thoughts about money, try thinking “I like paying my bills on time.”, “I love having plenty of money in the bank.”, “I do good things with my money.”, etc.

If you’re sick, think things like “I’m becoming healthier every day.”, “I like it when I feel good.”, “I love having pain-free days.”, etc. Combine that with listing off the things in your life that are good, no matter how small they may be, and you start to change your way of thinking and looking at your life.

Make sure you really look for the good, even if a good thing in your day is that you got to eat food that you like, or heard a song you love. Remember, no good thing is too small to be thankful for.

So, no matter what people tell you, lying to yourself and being in denial is not going to make your life better. I know people that will see something bad in their life, or in another person, and they just pretend it isn’t there.

That is not going to get you anywhere. If something bad happens, denial won’t fix it. Accept that it is, and then allow yourself to think of what you would prefer.

As an example, if you get in a fight with someone, instead of pretending it didn’t happen, accept that it did, and think about how you would prefer your relationship with that person to be. It is crucial that you LEARN from bad things.

Every unpleasant event is a chance for you to change and grow. It happened to you or in your view, for a reason. You should learn from it so that it won’t happen again.

So, think positive things that are true, learn from bad things and mistakes, and experience the joy of growing into a wonderful and enlightened person.

New helmets with injury biomechanics built in....

2010-01-20T23:31:00.000-08:00

Your helmet protects your head, but what about your neck?

Whether you’re on a football field, in a boxing ring or on a race car track, you wear a helmet to protect your head from concussions and other brain injuries.

But what about your neck?

Today's helmets are extremely effective at protecting their wearers against head injuries in a collision. However, their design does not protect the wearer against neck and spinal cord injury in a head-first impact.

Estimating the number of cervical spine injuries from head-first impacts while wearing a helmet in sports is not straightforward.

However, because they are so debilitating and there is no cure for consequences of spinal cord injury, prevention is of utmost importance, especially if prevention can be offered through a helmet that is the same size and configuration as a common helmet.

A helmet under development in British Columbia answers that question with excellent engineering that allows the head to respond in a different way when it’s impacted head-first.

The new helmet being developed by researchers in the Injury Biomechanics Laboratory at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, has an outer shell that looks like most helmets available today, connected to a rotating inner shell that hugs the head.

In head-first impacts, the neck has to stop the motion of the torso immediately after the head stops, and often, the combination of the torso mass and speed can exceed the strength of the neck, leading to a broken neck. An injury to the spinal cord can lead to permanent paralysis.

"injury to the spinal cord results in a complete and irreversible loss of mobility and sensation in large areas of the body in up to 45% of all cases"

A lot of progress has been made to protect athletes from injury to the head, torso, and limbs through the use of helmets and padding. However, injury to the neck is still a serious problem in sports such as football and hockey.

Neck protection devices designed to prevent injuries from excessive motion of the head due to inertial loading in race car collisions, such as the HANS device, have been successful in the prevention of certain injuries to the neck.

However one dangerous mode of neck loading, axial compression arising from head-first impacts, remains unprotected in sports such as hockey, mountain biking, football, horseback riding, skiing and snow boarding. While these injuries are rare, they frequently lead to paralysis and a significant loss of quality-of-life for its sufferers. There is presently no cure for this type of paralysis.

Hence, injury prevention is of the utmost importance in these sports. Progress towards prevention has been made through rules that banned head-first tackling in football and checking from behind in hockey. We believe that further advances in prevention in any scenario where head-first impact happens to a helmeted player can be made.

There is an engineered safety device (the helmet) already in place in many sports which could have its role extended to prevent the neck injury. This is the concept embodied by the new helmet.

The spinal cord is one of the most sensitive and important structures in the human body. The cord contains thousands of nerves that connect organs and muscles in the lower body with the brain and cerebellum. There is much research being done to improve clinical outcomes from spinal cord injury but there is currently no definitive treatment or cure for it.

Injury to the spinal cord results in a complete and irreversible loss of mobility and sensation in large areas of the body in up to 45% of all cases. This is especially the case for spinal cord injuries at the neck or cervical level, where injuries can lead to the paralysis of both arms and legs.

Even though the cervical spinal cord is protected by vertebrae throughout the neck, these vertebrae are relatively weaker than those further down the spine, and most spinal cord injuries occur in this cervical region.

The high speeds and contact forces that make many of today's sports so demanding and exciting are also responsible for the large number of spinal cord injuries amongst players of all skill levels in many sports.

Just being aware of the new helmet and then procuring them to protect themselves, will go a long way in reassuring the users of the safety built into this incredible helmet..

Big, Elegant & an overall Badass Macaw.....!!!!

2010-01-19T04:53:00.000-08:00

I spotted this beautiful bird on one of my long runs towards the busier side of the city. The first noteworthy thing anybody would observe is the mere size of this bird. He’s huge! The cage he’s enclosed in is about 3 feet by 3 feet. The cage is 5 feet tall. This exotic bird imported from a south-eastern country is a perennial badass.

Check out what he’s doing in the picture below. It just seems to be hell bent to irritate humans around it.

He’s actually unhooking the metallic perch made specially for him. On asking the keepers to hook it back, they said they were tired of this bird as it was hell bent on being a constant headache to the pet store management. Smart bird if you ask me.

I clicked some more pictures of the macaw, see them and enjoy. This Macaw actually costs about Rs1,50,000 or equivalent of US$3750.

I liked the other birds they had there too, they were all beautiful, healthy and very attractive. Some of the pictures are attached below.

I managed to click all these pictures when the shop assistant began tinkering with his laptop. The cheapest bird comes to around Rs6000 equivalent to US$150.

The total Solar eclipse.... an experience to behold

2010-01-19T04:42:00.000-08:00

January 15th turned out to be a normal day, except for the Sun not being its “complete” self.

It was a long lasting, rather rare Solar Eclipse that lasted for about 4 hours. This Solar Eclipse was seen mostly in the south-east region of Asia and was observed as a ‘ring of fire’ in many parts.

The picture taken is rather poor in nature as I kept an X-Ray paper on my mobile phone’s lens to click the Solar Eclipse.

Here is the second picture I took, the sun appears only fractionally covered although it was significantly eclipsed at that point of time.

The difference in ambient sunlight was a sight to see, similar to a very cloudy day. The temperature didn’t seem to fall like I thought it would. Between lectures, I just managed to click these pictures at about 13:40 when the Eclipse was supposedly at its maximum stage.

I wish I had a filtered telescope. I used the dark bands on an X-Ray paper to shoot these pictures and the result as you can see is disastrous. Some colleagues of mine managed with better luck and far better digital cameras. I still remain a proud owner of these two pictures.

P.S The next Eclipse is slated to appear on 11th July this year.

Heridity brings Inheritance too....

2010-01-18T22:21:00.001-08:00

Just imagine for a moment that you are aware that you are going to inherit ABC diseases. And, you have been informed that your age is such that you are going to suffer from another XYZ disease soon... At this juncture how much pressure or work load you are capable of handling... Is it really fair?

I came across a website called 23andMe “personal genetics” company — which, for a fee, will take a bit of your spit and map out your DNA to learn genealogical details as well as your risk factors for certain diseases. What a life?

Some revolutionary thoughts which cropped up ....

Insurance companies will tie up with companies like 23andMe and do their client profiling. They would be able to know how susceptible their clients will be to specific diseases. They will now be in an added advantage to take decision as to which client should be covered or not. Genealogical details of clients might also help them in setting insurance premiums to their whims and fancies.

Marriages: In India, still exchanging bio data and photographs of would be bride and groom, is a tradition. How about additional documents stating all the diseases that he/she might suffer. Interesting isn't it! Makes good sense too...

If the groom and his parents have say supposedly, diabetes, then I think they may find getting a good bride close to nil. At least during the marriageable age.

Willingly to avoid marriage due to genetically passed on diseases is a good thing. This will ensure the next generation kids to be more disease free.

The real way to go in this technologically viable world is, to find ways and means to modify the gene structure to eradicate diseases which will make life more healthy and worth living.

Leave him alone... please

2010-01-13T12:42:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, I really detest the media for the role it plays in shaping public perception. After the 3rd one-day international against Sri Lanka on Dec 21, 2009, the picture shown here was clicked.

The description of the picture on a reputed cricket news website said, “Sachin Tendulkar makes a point to Dinesh Karthik after wrapping up the match…”

The facts of the case were that Tendulkar was batting on 96. With only a few runs remaining to be made, Mr. Karthik decided to have the heave-ho and promptly hit the ball over the boundary to score 6, and end the match. Hence, his partner was left high and dry on the other end at a score of 96, 4 runs short of another milestone, another century.

The picture, with its caption seems to suggest that the legendary man – Tendulkar, was remonstrating with his partner for denying him yet another feather in his cap – another one-day hundred.

Somehow, I refuse to believe that. A man who has served India at the highest level for 20 years, a man who has left a trail of broken records, and has found a place in the hearts of even his most ardent critics can surely not be guilty of such pettiness.

An anecdote about Tendulkar from India’s tour of Australia in 1991 says that he was batting on 99, when he was bowled by the fast bowler, Mike Whitney. However, the umpire ruled it to be a no-ball, thus rendering Tendulkar not out. Off the very next ball, the great man reached his century and walked up to Whitney, saying, “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Whitney.”

Whitney recounted this incident later, during a discussion on Tendulkar’s greatness. Bitter rivals like Shane Warne suffered nightmares of Sachin Tendulkar whacking them to all corners of the park. Captains like Steve Waugh shuddered at the thought of setting a field to contain a rampaging Tendulkar. And while the great man is always at his uncharitable best in the middle, he does spare a thought and a lot of help for the economically weaker sections, in need of support.

Of course, with the media trying to grab eyeballs, they have no qualms about trying to tarnish the image of a demi-god, just to generate a bit of controversy.

a) I don’t give a rat’s ass if Sachin actually made a point to Karthik. But, without adequate videographic evidence to support, you can’t interpret a still photo to mean that.

b) Even if he did scold Karthik, it wouldn’t lessen his stature in any way.

The bottom line is that I am not trying to agree/disagree with anyone here. But, my only point is that the media ought to be more responsible before carrying such reports.

Get into a food Regimen... for now and for a healthy future

2010-01-12T03:09:00.000-08:00

What you eat isn't the only determinant of your overall health status. There are plenty of other facets of your life that play major roles in determining how functional and energetic you are.

If you're consistently eating foods that nourish your cells and don't create cellular injury or inflammation, your diet can take a back seat to other high priority items, like getting enough rest, being physically active, being in a healthy environment, and spending time with people and projects that leave you feeling fulfilled.

If you're not eating the right foods for your health - foods that are injuring your cells and creating inflammation in your body with or without your awareness - then your diet deserves the bulk of your attention and resources, as taking care of other areas of your life while continuously crippling your body with your food choices is a recipe for chronic disease.

Figuring out what to eat to support your best health is a project that you best take on yourself, as no one else can observe all of the ways in which your body responds to the foods and beverages that you consume.

Put another way, it's virtually impossible for one specific dietary program to best support everyone because we're all unique in countless ways and we're always changing.

What is possible and effective for many is to follow a few specific principles that govern healthy eating, to continuously be mindful of how you're feeling, and to make modifications whenever necessary.

Sometimes, modifications may be called for immediately, as in the case of discovering a food allergy. At other times, you may find that changing life circumstances - like aging or even changing of seasons - require alterations to your diet to keep you feeling strong and healthy.

What follows are general principles of healthy eating.

1. Eat Nutrient-Rich Foods.

Nutrient-rich foods are naturally abundant in one or more of the following health-promoting nutrients:

• Healthy protein
• Healthy fat (including cholesterol)
• Healthy carbohydrates (including fiber)
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Enzymes
• Water
• Phytonutrients (nutrients found in plant foods)

Dark or brightly colored vegetables, fruits, and legumes are generally considered to be nature's most nutrient-rich plant foods that are typically well tolerated by the masses.

From the animal kingdom, eggs from healthfully raised birds and cold-water fish are good nutrient-rich food choices for many people.

Broths made from vegetables and/or bones from cold water fish or healthfully raised chickens are also deeply nourishing choices.

2. Minimize Or Avoid Consumption of Highly Processed Foods.

Foods that are predominately made of sugar, flour, and highly processed grains (found in many commercially prepared cereals) are generally low in nutrient value. Same is the case with vast majority of deep-fried foods like donuts and potato chips.

You may be able to indulge in highly processed foods without experiencing significant consequences to your health in the short term if your health is relatively good, but the more you stay away from this group of foods, the healthier you will be and feel in the short and long term.

3. Minimize or Avoid Consumption of Foods that Cause Cellular Injury or Inflammation.

Based on human health and nutrition, the worst offenders are:

• Pasteurized and homogenized dairy products.
• Foods that contain shortening or partially hydrogenated oils.
• Most varieties of highly processed luncheon meats, hot dogs, bacon, and sausages.
• Factory-farmed flesh meats that have been cooked to a crisp.

4. Chew Your Foods Well.

Chewing your foods until liquid takes burden off your digestive organs, and allows your body to maximally extract and absorb nutrients in the foods that you eat.

You aren't what you eat; you're what you fully digest, and thoroughly chewing your foods is an essential requirement for optimal digestion and health.

Whats with bottled water...

2010-01-09T06:23:00.000-08:00

There were experiments done on members of that long-suffering sector of society, identical twins, to prove that should one twin practically drown herself in liquid and the other be kept, hyperventilating with panic, away from the bottled water, then the condition of the skin and hair of both remained the same – one didn't turn to a fine dust and have to be vacuumed from the floor.

Which brings me to bottled water? How satisfying, how laugh-out-loud funny, how just plain all-round great that sales of bottled water are finally falling.

Status symbols are peculiar things. One minute you're up there with the angels, flaunting that prized nutmeg around your neck for the entire world to admire, the next - you're just wearing a bit of cheap spice on a ribbon

That's what happened in the 1600s anyway when that rare and exotic flavouring the nutmeg became the talk of the town. It became quite the fashion to wear whole nutmegs as jewellery, one dangling from each ear, a couple strung around the bosom area. That sort of thing.

Of course when the nutmeg bubble burst, when just anybody could afford to grate a bit of the stuff over their egg custard and onto their hot milk, and it didn't seem to ward off the plague after all, the sound of stale spice hitting the bottom of the bin was deafening.

Because nothing, absolutely nothing, looks sillier than a status symbol whose time has gone.

From a ridiculous peak when we grabbed one billion bottles a year off the shelves, finally we're walking right past that supermarket shelf and heading for the nearest tap instead. What a laugh…

There was always something ridiculous about the bottled water craze, it was always the modern-day nutmeg around the neck.

But how very, very fashionable it became, giving out ear-splittingly loud signals about status. A small bottle of water in the hand or on the desk said you were reasonably in control of your life, that you understood the rules of engagement: be a member of a gym, only eat calories with a guilty look on your face, drink water until it comes out of your – well, never mind.

But a litre bottle of water – now you're talking.

Walking around clutching a full litre meant you were totally, kick-ass, in charge of your life: you never ate, you never left the safety of the gym, and you poured the stuff down your throat until you squeaked.

It meant, in short, you were just plain better than other people.

For a time the world went completely bonkers.

Restaurants had water menus with different bottled brands to match different foods, water was even flown right across the world, to land on restaurant tables placed only feet from a kitchen capable of delivering lots of perfectly good stuff on tap - no matter that taste tests proved people couldn't tell the difference between the bottled stuff and water that had passed through several sets of kidneys.

Strange to tell, bottled water didn't even lose its allure when people began to say, in awed and disbelieving whispers, that they had read it wasn't actually necessary to drink eight glasses of water a day.

And that – and this was a paradigm shift akin to leaving the concept of a flat earth behind – the liquid contained in tea, coffee, fizzy drinks, beer and even food all contributed to keeping us full of life-giving liquid.

There were experiments done on members of that long-suffering sector of society, identical twins, to prove that should one twin practically drown herself in liquid and the other be kept, hyperventilating with panic, away from the bottled water, then the condition of the skin and hair of both remained the same – one didn't turn to a fine dust and have to be vacuumed from the floor.

Finally, the message is getting through – bottled water doesn't make us better people: carrying it around ostentatiously makes as much sense as adorning ourselves in nutmegs.

The truth is this: it's water, its great stuff, we're lucky enough to have it on tap.

End of story.

Recipe for a Happy New Year

2010-01-06T10:52:00.000-08:00

Take twelve whole months,
Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness,
Hate, and jealousy,
Make them just as clean and fresh as possible.
Now cut each month into twenty-eight,
thirty or thirty-one different parts.
But don’t make up the whole batch at once.
Prepare it one day at a time out of
these ingredients.
Mix well into each day one part of faith,
one part of patience, one part of courage,
and one part of work.
Add to each day one part of hope,
faithfulness, generosity, and kindness.
Blend with one part prayer,
one part meditation, and one good deed.
Season the whole with a dash of good spirits,
A sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play,
and a cupful of good humor.
Pour all of this into a vessel of joy,
garnish with a smile,
and serve with quietness, unselfishness,
and cheerfulness.

You’re bound to have a Happy New Year.

2010-01-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

I received an email the other day which had some pictures of a huge statue of Christ called Christ redeemer which is located in Rio de janero, Brasil.

Then I read that this statue has been declared as one of the Seven wonders of the World.

So after some research, I decided to post something about each Seven wonders of the World. Which one should I begin with was my dilemma. Funny as it may sounds I choose to start with the Roman Colosseum in Rome, Italy because I was thinking of having a pizza for dinner.

Anyway, here it goes.

The Colosseum or Roman Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheater is an elliptical amphitheater in the center of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering. Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started between 70 and 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus with further modifications being made during Domitian's reign (81–96). The name "Amphitheater Flavium" derives from both Vespasian's and Titus's family name.

Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. As well as the gladiatorial games, other public spectacles were held there, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions , re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical Mythlogy. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

It has been estimated that about 500,000 people and over a million wild animals died in the Colosseum games.

Construction of the Colosseum began under the rule of the Emperor Vespasian in around 70–72AD. The site chosen was a flat area on the floor of a low valley between the Caelian, Esquiline and Palatine hills, through which a canalized stream ran. By the 2nd century BC the area was densely inhabited. It was devastated by the Great fire of Rome in AD 64, following which Nero seized much of the area to add to his personal domain.

He built the grandiose Domus Aurea on the site, in front of which he created an artificial lake surrounded by pavilions, gardens and porticoes. The existing Aqua Claudia aqueduct was extended to supply water to the area and the gigantic bronze Colossus of Nero set up nearby at the entrance to the Domus Aurea.

The Colosseum had been completed up to the third story by the time of Vespasian's death in 79. The top level was finished and the building inaugurated by his son,, Titus in 80, Dio Casius recounts that over 9,000 wild animals were killed during the inaugural games of the amphitheatre. The building was remodelled further under Vespasian's younger son, the newly designated Emperor Domitian, who constructed the Hypogeum, a series of underground tunnels used to house animals and slaves. He also added a gallery to the top of the Colosseum to increase its seating capacity.

The Colosseum is today one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions, receiving millions of visitors annually. The effects of pollution and general deterioration over time prompted a major restoration programme carried out between 1993 and 2000, at a cost of 40 billion Italian lire ($19.3m / €20.6m at 2000 prices).

In recent years it has become a symbol of the international campaign against capital punishment, which was abolished in Italy in 1948. Several anti–death penalty demonstrations took place in front of the Colosseum in 2000. Since that time, as a gesture against the death penalty, the local authorities of Rome change the color of the Colosseum's night time illumination from white to gold whenever a person condemned to the death penalty anywhere in the world gets their sentence commuted or is released, or if a jurisdiction abolishes the death penalty. Most recently, the Colosseum was illuminated in gold when capital punishment was abolished in the American state of New Mexico in April 2009.

Here are some facts about the coliseum:

The height of each floor is approximately between 32 to 42 feet. The total height of the entire structure is roughly 144 feet. The size of the arena is 79 x 45 meters. In Latin "arena" means, "sand". The arena of the Coliseum consisted of wood and sand. There were tall nets along the sides of the Coliseum to protect the spectators.

The seats were arranged according to the social status of the spectators. The seats on the first three tiers from the top were usually reserved for the nobles while the common man used the seats on the fourth tier.

An important fact that is noteworthy is Coliseum is designed in such a manner that entire spectators could be dispersed in a matter of five minutes. The interior of the Coliseum is divided into an arena where the performance used to take place; podiums, and a cavea, where the animals were confined before the combat.

Important questions like who were the Gladiators and what happened in the arena are answered here:

The gladiators were made up of prisoners of war, slaves, criminals, and volunteer free men. The crimes that could lead one to the arena included treason, robbery, and murder, among others. Some free men became gladiators of their own free will in hopes of gaining notoriety and patronage among the wealthy citizens. By the end of 50 BC almost half of the gladiators were made up of free men.

Many gladiators were paid well for their presentation. Tiberius paid 1000 gold pieces to each ex-gladiator for one performance. The free man, Publius Ostorius, a famous gladiator at Pompeii, survived 51 fights. Some women even volunteered in hopes of winning fame but they were banned from fighting by Severus in 200 AD.

The games in Rome are known today as the bloodiest exhibitions of public entertainment known to mankind. Men, women and children flocked to the Colosseum to watch the bloodthirsty fighter's murder one another. They even cheered them on and screamed for them to kill a warrior lying almost dead on the ground. The gladiators had no problem killing one another because being a gladiator was an occupation for social outcasts and barbaric men.

The gigantic Colosseum, built around 80 AD, seated 50,000 people. The people came from all over the Roman Empire and regions of Africa, Italy, and Rome. The games became a way of entertaining the wealthy, as well as the common people. Most would sit all day and watch as men fought with one another and also with animals such as lions, bears, and even buffaloes.

More on the remaining Six in my next following posts.

2009-12-29T06:59:00.000-08:00

Strange with Christmas just over and the holidays going on I have nothing interesting to share this week, but hey! I'm a normal person living in a normal city. Extra ordinary things happen only once in a while. Anyway I thought I'd share something related to seafood. Once while watching the telly, I happened to come across a documentary that happened to show the process of manufacture of Smoked Salmon. So here it is.

Very often a Salmon and a Trout are misinterpreted as the same. The main difference that separates the two is the former is a migratory fish while the latter is a resident fish. Typically, salmon are anadromous, they are born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean, then return to fresh water to reproduce. However, there are rare species that can only survive in fresh water. Folklore has it that the fish return to the exact spot where they were born to spawn; tracking studies have shown this to be true but the nature of how this memory works has long been debated.

Salmon is a popular food and the meat is generally orange to red, although there are some examples of white fleshed wild salmon. Canned salmon in the U.S. is usually wild Pacific catch, though some farmed salmon is available in canned form. Smoked Salmon is another popular preparation method, and can either be hot or cold smoked. Traditional canned salmon includes some skin (which is harmless) and bone (which adds calcium). Skinless and boneless canned salmon is also available.

Salmon is smoked to mainly enhance its flavor. The smoke houses defrosts the fish for 15 hours in running water that's just 2 degrees above freezing. This cold water thaw prevents bacteria from forming.

The next process is called filleting. Here they slice off the collar, the fish version of the neck. Then the fish is cut in two halves called fillets from what's called a control bone, the fish equivalent of the spinal column. The fillets are then trimmed using a razor sharp knife slicing off the fins and any excess fat. After this the fish will be ready for Curing, a preservation process that also enhances taste. Workers coat the fillets with salt and a mixture of 26 spices, then they let them sit for roughly an hour. This short cure time will limit the salmon's salt content to just 1%. To stop the curing process they rinse it off with cold water and then glaze it with maple syrup to neutralize any remaining salt residue.

The fillets are then fed into a huge smoke oven. Workers then load its combustion chamber with saw dust. Maple tree saw dust for the first 8 hours, Cherry tree sawdust for the next 8 hours and Apple tree saw dust for the last 8 hours. This sequence is a major factor is flavoring the fish. They then douse the fire with water to generate smoke, this process is called cold smoking, because the oven temperature is 10 degrees Celsius, much lower than the industry norm of 25 degrees. Smoking at 10 degrees Celsius takes about 24 hours, 3 times as longer than any regular method, but some say that it makes the fillet more moist. When the fillets are taken out of the oven they are thoroughly cooked, but still have the consistency of raw fish.

The fillets then go into a skinning machine which neatly removes the skin without removing any excess flesh, then its into a freezer at minus 3 degrees Celsius, this firms up the fillets, making them easy to slice. They are then manually cut into pieces about 2 mm thick. The fillets are then placed in a tray made of aluminum coated cardboard, aluminum blocks the fat from seeping through. To kill off any remaining bacteria they vacuum pack the wrappers, then deep freeze them for about an hour at about minus 35 degrees Celsius. They store and ship it at a milder minus 18 degrees Celsius where this preservative free salmon stays fresh for a complete year.