Don't despair, its just an exam!

Its been long since i wrote. Haven't got the time since the internal exams began. The highpoint of the month was the National Science Fest, and the talk/lectures given by the scientists/scholars were amazing. Ok...hmmm.... Reading through my blog, i've realized that I only talk of myself. So I plan to write about something/someone other than me. Here goes...

The Indian Institutes of Technology. The pinnacle that anyone and everyone who wants to be an engineer aspires for (am really sad to add, anyone/everyone who wants to be a rich bank manager as well). If you're a student just getting out of your 10th board hullabaloo, I should tell you that an even bigger tsunami+earthquake is waiting for you right around the corner. The moment you decide that science is what you want to do (science, unfortunately is equal to engineering for most ignorant students), you'll be bombarded with advice, guffaws and awe at the same time, and with lots of calls asking you to join "abc" coaching institute to guarantee a place in the IITs. Wow!
Ok... lets be a little more structured about this.

About the IITs...
The Indian Institutes of Technology were set up by Pt.Jawaharlal Nehru some time after India got independence. The purpose behind the move was to get a steady stream of engineers/scientists who could build the new India. An India that would be scientifically advanced and a technological superpower. Pt.Nehru's vision was well guided ,to say the least. India did produce a steady stream of highly qualified engineers. Only that most of them decided to earn (much more) in foreign countries and help them realize all that Pt.Nehru had hoped for India. Not that all of them went but many did and that hurt.

The rat race
The entrance exam to get into the IITs has undergone many changes and I, being not around when they happened, can't comment on them. What i can comment on is the way that it is now. Its a gruesome affair. I have deep respect for all those who made it through with their hard work and sweat but its the sheer number of students who are clueless about their future while entering coaching centers that my heart whines for. Its as   if there is no other option on the planet except engineering if you've taken up science. Mostly its the parents who push their children but then the present state is really sad. The exam itself is very competitive and ensures that none but the best get in. But a large number don't (you need to slog like crazy or you're a genius) and then suffer not knowing what to do. "Of course", they say, "you drop an year and try again." Again, only the one's who've slogged like crazy get in (the geniuses are already through in the first attempt (: ). Once, i was part of this race as well. But then, wanting to do science all my life, the exam was taken less than seriously. Yes, the pressure was immense to perform because, apparently, it shows where you stand amongst a sea of students.
I didn't get through of course. You need to work hard to do that. :P

Options! Options! Options!
Now, people reading this, please don't despair if you don't get into the IITs. Brilliant if you do, congratulations, but most of you won't, no offence. But THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS!!! I'm not talking of other options in Engineering Colleges or AIEEE (i got a good rank in that one though (: ). What I'm getting at is the fact that you have a lot of pathways stretching in front of you. If you are an Engineer at heart, I'd suggest that you try hard. But if you're not, please look around. I'll give you an example. Destiny is smart. She's intelligent. But not hardworking. :P She didn't get a good rank.(She did clear UPTU, which is good). But generally, she did bad. But as I said, she's smart. She saw all the pathways lying in front of her and tried everything. She tried getting into ETE (become a govt.teacher, pays a ton) and then the entrance exam for the College of Art. (She did a lot many more but I'm not enumerating stuff. Just know that she's smart ). And she got through!!!. People slog for years (many more years than they slog for engineering colleges at least) before getting in! And she got through in the first attempt after a few months of preparation. Ok, enough about destiny. Can't help it. Sorry. :) What i was trying to get at is that you should try your hand at whatever suits you and keep your options open. Destiny knew she was good at art. But now its become her life and she's loving it. And so should you.

I realize i've written a lot and so i should stop. I hope you get what I meant. Please don't despair. Please. Leave comments if you wanna. Namaste.

PS : IITs have nurtured and produced one of the brightest minds in the country/world and all credit to them for being such an amazing establishment.

Art And Me...

For long I've wondered how art fits into the human thought. Accustomed to the rational way of thinking, I had never given art its importance. Now, when I read Dr.S. Chandrasekhar's views about it and my dear Destiny's work, I begin to realize how important art is to the human psyche and what a treasure trove I've missed all my life.

Now for all the math and physics people ranting how futile the exercise (art) is...here's something logical to think about. Art evolved much earlier in humans than math or (of course) physics. The abstract world that mathematicians live in is that part of the brain that was created and furnished by our artist ancestors. Yes, art is highly personal but think of some form of art that is universal and you end up with math.

When I sit around with my darling Destiny and talk about her work, (she's specializing in Painting), I see how fulfilling the whole idea of looking at the world through your eyes and then letting the world know how it looks is. Mind you, the skills required to do so are extremely hard and I can't imagine myself , forever wielding a pen and writing equations, ever holding a brush (i'd love to though). Equations are beautiful in their own right, of course, but then art is much deeper.

Da Vinci is a great example of what I'm trying to explain = Scientartist!

I find Dr.Feynman's views seem extremely befitting now that I see all the art around me. I've started noticing how detailed the world is (through Destiny) and also knowing how it works at the finest levels (through Physics). I hope to get deeper into both realms, someday ending up someplace where I can't distinguish both anymore. Unification as the physicists would call it. Namaste.

My journey till now, with LINUX!

I have to admit. I was introduced really late. I was around 15, and thought I new more about computers than the average computer-owning person on the road. I was wrong by light years! I hadn't known LINUX yet! I knew a little about the history and how Windows came about, but as some pseudo-scientists would call it, Microsoft had monopolized my brain. Well... I am in love with Linux now. And when I see people struggling around with viruses and error messages, I haven't had a crash worth mentioning ( anything qualifies if it caused any discomfort) in all the years I've used linux, Ubuntu to be precise.Agreed, the OS can't be of much use unless you have an internet connection (for all the codecs and peripherals  you may need) but if you do have an internet connection and still are stuck with Windows, I do feel pity on you (not on people like Destiny though who are just starting out and don't wan't to experiment...yet (: ).
So, I'd point out a few things that make Linux so good...

1) Its free! Most of it at least. I know most of you reading this would shrug and say that you got your OS for free but then Microsoft would call you a thief ( though i totally vouch for what you've done ). And the Mac people would say that they got their OS bundled. But then you can't play around with it (more on that later).
Whats even more appealing is the fact that even the customer support is free, considering that most Linux Distributions don't have customer support. Its the community of people online who usually aid you. The least time I've had with someone from the other side of the planet helping me with the system is around 1 min. Compare that to the Microsoft Error Message that asks you to write a mail to them outlining the problem which you promptly click on 'Don't Send' knowing you haven't bought the software. Its no better with the people buying the thing either. Not that you'd require help so often in Linux but its better.

2) Its faster, looks better and does everything your Windows system does (if not more efficiently ). Gone are the days when you had to be more than a newbie to navigate Linux. The GUI is more work friendly and looks really cool (Mandriva Linux being the OS in question ). There are software applications to suite to your every need (of course free ) and even whole Linux OSes for specific needs. Whats even more cool are the really small linux systems. Damn Small Linux is aroung 50 Mb and is an OS you can carry around in your pen drive. Geexbox (around 16 mB) turns your PC into a media centre ! You don't even have to install it !

3) You can tweak anything and everything. Not that most people would do that but then it becomes an ethical question. Would you rather have intellectual property that you think you can (or random somebody) can better and suite it to your needs or would you take whatever that comes out of the production line ? I'd suggest that you read about FOSS and Stallman and then you'd know what I'm talking about.

I can't help a smirk when i see friends starting up anti-virus scanners whenever a pen drive is plugged in or whenever the 'bomp' sound comes out of a Windows system. I've left those days behind and I hope more and more people do. Namaste.

Metamorphosis of What ?!?

Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect - A novel by Roger Williams

It has been a day I'd rather not remember. :-( Depressing since it began. And then I had the (mis?)fortune of reading this (free) online book called "Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect". (Warning : Spoilers coming your way).
Its a nice read and gives an account of what happens once we reach the stage popularly known as Technological Singularity (MATRIX, Terminator anyone ?). You have to be stupid to read this book on a sad day. With lots of gore sex (there's even incest) and mindless graphic violence, the story does force you to think (when its not describing sex between a zombie and the protagonist lady). Would we turn into vegetables, if we had a generous God-like computer taking care of our every whim and need ? How much as I told myself that if I'd been in that world,  I'd be rather having a family and pursuing my hobbies, but given that in the story, you're immortal and more importantly, all of science is now known (huh?), I don't think anyone would be spared from the abyss that the story puts forth for every human soul, making everyone a masturbating vegetable. The book has a lot of things that speaks volumes about human lives and its messed up my mind for a few days at least.

For everyone whose going to read the book after reading this, especially people who know (and maybe like?) quantum physics, please don't pay attention to all the random stuff about it. Looking for gore scenes or interesting questions, either way, interesting read but not on a Monday. :-) Namaste.