Ok, I am in trouble.
Barely nine days to our exams, and I spent over five hours today trying to get the 'read / unread' feature going. Try it for yourself ! You can mark some of my messages as read or unread, and they will be either hidden or shown accordingly. Saves a lot of screen space, don't you think ?? And you only see the posts you haven't yet seen !!
Play with it - and tell me if you see any problems. But I don't think I'll be able to fix it immediately ...
Best 'o luck !!
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November 08, 2004
November 05, 2004
Typical study routine
... lie down ... pick up a book ... read two paragraphs ... get bored ... switch subjects ... read few more lines ... doze off ... get up, sit on the chair ... put on the computer ... headphones ... swing with the beats ... oh yes, read ... one more page ... continue ... until ... a really good song comes along ... increase the volume ... sing along ... hunt for more songs ... line up your favorite songs in the playlist ... wait for the *really good* songs ... oh yes, read ... listen to a few more songs ... suddenly realize the time ... curse yourself ... put away the songs ... turn off the computer ... lie down ...
God save me.
God save me.
November 03, 2004
Bush on the rampage
Damn !! Bush is winning. Not that I have anything against him. I am not even a Kerry supporter. I am least bothered about American politics, their policies will continue to SUCK no matter who is there at the top.
But it feels so nice to root for the supposed underdog, doesn't it? Why do we like the David and Goliath story? Because we like the notion of people overcoming difficulties, no matter how large they are. We all like to believe we'll succeed against all odds. Bollywood thrives on it - it's the quintessential Bollywood hero theme. Leaders (religious / political / social) also milk people using the concept of hope.
Hope. That's the word that keeps us going. It keeps the world ticking. If it weren't for hope, we wouldn't have the light bulb, or the telephone, or any of these things that we see around us. Damn, we wouldn't even be a free country, if our leaders wouldn't hope for it.
At least, hope is what I think is keeping ME going these days. I am lagging way behind in my studies ... but ... hum honge kamayab. Wish me luck, people. And best of luck to you too - in whatever it is that you are doing.
PS : Kerry was not an underdog, really. But I do believe the odds were stacked against him. American history has shown that a President usually gets re-elected for a second term. And if I were an American, I would probably have voted for Bush too. No one likes to change leadership at difficult times, unless you are sure the new leader is REALLY going to lead you out of trouble. And most Americans feel these are times of trouble for them. They should have a look at what their government has done to other countries.
But it feels so nice to root for the supposed underdog, doesn't it? Why do we like the David and Goliath story? Because we like the notion of people overcoming difficulties, no matter how large they are. We all like to believe we'll succeed against all odds. Bollywood thrives on it - it's the quintessential Bollywood hero theme. Leaders (religious / political / social) also milk people using the concept of hope.
Hope. That's the word that keeps us going. It keeps the world ticking. If it weren't for hope, we wouldn't have the light bulb, or the telephone, or any of these things that we see around us. Damn, we wouldn't even be a free country, if our leaders wouldn't hope for it.
At least, hope is what I think is keeping ME going these days. I am lagging way behind in my studies ... but ... hum honge kamayab. Wish me luck, people. And best of luck to you too - in whatever it is that you are doing.
PS : Kerry was not an underdog, really. But I do believe the odds were stacked against him. American history has shown that a President usually gets re-elected for a second term. And if I were an American, I would probably have voted for Bush too. No one likes to change leadership at difficult times, unless you are sure the new leader is REALLY going to lead you out of trouble. And most Americans feel these are times of trouble for them. They should have a look at what their government has done to other countries.
October 31, 2004
Happy Halloween !!
Happy Halloween to everyone !!
Hopefully, u didn't waste your whole day watching the Simpson's Halloween specials ... like me (!)
Hopefully, u didn't waste your whole day watching the Simpson's Halloween specials ... like me (!)
Picture of You
Didn't they say that I would make a mistake
Didn't they say you were gonna be trouble
People told me you were too much to take
I could see it, but I didn't wanna know
I let you in and you let me down
You messed me up and you turned my whole life around
Left me feel that I had no where to go
I was alone, how was I too know that
You'll be there, when I needed somebody
You'll be there, the only one who can help me
I had a picture of you in my mind
Never knew it could be so wrong
Why'd it take me so long just to find
The friend that was there all along
Who'd believe that after all we've been through
I'd be able to put my whole trust in you
Goes to show you can't forgive and forget
Looking back, I have no regrets cause
You'll be there, when I needed somebody
You'll be there, the only one to help me
...
...
[ Boyzone - Picture of You ]
Osama is back !!!
Osama is back to haunt America. And perhaps with intentions in mind. Not only has he repeated his rhetoric in his latest appearance, he has also commented on the political situation. This being election time, there is little doubt that his speech might have an effect on the outcome of these elections. I don't know which candidate is going to be affected and in what way, but I am sure political analysts are burning their midnight oil over this.
October 28, 2004
Some good words from Linus Torvalds ...
Nobody should start to undertake a large project. You start with a small _trivial_ project, and you should never expect it to get large. If you do, you'll just overdesign and generally think it is more important than it likely is at that stage. Or worse, you might be scared away by the sheer size of the work you envision.
So start small, and think about the details. Don't think about some big picture and fancy design. If it doesn't solve some fairly immediate need, it's almost certainly over-designed. And don't expect people to jump in and help you. That's not how these things work. You need to get something half-way _useful_ first, and then others will say "hey, that _almost_ works for me", and they'll get involved in the project.
And if there is anything I've learnt from Linux, it's that projects have a life of their own, and you should _not_ try to enforce your "vision" too strongly on them. Most often you're wrong anyway, and if you're not flexible and willing to take input from others (and willing to change direction when it turned out your vision was flawed), you'll never get anything good done.
In other words, be willing to admit your mistakes, and don't expect to get anywhere big in any kind of short timeframe. I've been doing Linux for thirteen years, and I expect to do it for quite some time still. If I had _expected_ to do something that big, I'd never have started. It started out small and insignificant, and that's how I thought about it.
So start small, and think about the details. Don't think about some big picture and fancy design. If it doesn't solve some fairly immediate need, it's almost certainly over-designed. And don't expect people to jump in and help you. That's not how these things work. You need to get something half-way _useful_ first, and then others will say "hey, that _almost_ works for me", and they'll get involved in the project.
And if there is anything I've learnt from Linux, it's that projects have a life of their own, and you should _not_ try to enforce your "vision" too strongly on them. Most often you're wrong anyway, and if you're not flexible and willing to take input from others (and willing to change direction when it turned out your vision was flawed), you'll never get anything good done.
In other words, be willing to admit your mistakes, and don't expect to get anywhere big in any kind of short timeframe. I've been doing Linux for thirteen years, and I expect to do it for quite some time still. If I had _expected_ to do something that big, I'd never have started. It started out small and insignificant, and that's how I thought about it.
What is life ... continued ...
Someone made a comment on my earlier post, here's something that'll make him think.
Do we only exist at the physical level? If this is all there is to our existence, why do we think about it? What is it that makes us sentient? What is it that seems to live two or three inches behind our eyes and that looks out into the world? Why do we exist?
Without getting too philosophical [Sidd :)], we can reasonably assume that chemistry, maths or physics dont define our existence completely. Can chemical compounds love each other? Can they feel sad? Happy? Can they grieve when other chemical reactions have run their course? Can they wonder where they came from and where they will go? Can they "live"?
Eh, Pascal??
Do we only exist at the physical level? If this is all there is to our existence, why do we think about it? What is it that makes us sentient? What is it that seems to live two or three inches behind our eyes and that looks out into the world? Why do we exist?
Without getting too philosophical [Sidd :)], we can reasonably assume that chemistry, maths or physics dont define our existence completely. Can chemical compounds love each other? Can they feel sad? Happy? Can they grieve when other chemical reactions have run their course? Can they wonder where they came from and where they will go? Can they "live"?
Eh, Pascal??
October 27, 2004
What is Life ??
Our existence as a physical being starts at the moment of conception, when the nucleus of a sperm merges with that of an ovum, and a new DNA-pattern is formed. To put it very simply, the DNA in the cells merges into a new combination of molecules, which then splits in two separate halves. Both parts accumulate new material and, in the process of cell division, they grow back into an entire nucleus, and now now there are to cells. Then the whole process is repeated, again and again, forming new cells from 'raw' material. The building blocks are very complex, and we do not yet understand all the chemistry involved. But if we look at it this way, conception and growth of a human being is just an enormously complex chemical reaction, of which we are the end product. This reaction goes on and on, until we die. Then the body decomposes, and the chemicals bonded in it are released to be used again as raw material for other, similar reactions. In other words, at the physical level we are nothing more than a very complex chemical reaction.
There u have it. One of the biggest questions in life, has now been answered.
There u have it. One of the biggest questions in life, has now been answered.
October 25, 2004
Object Oriented ... Friendships
I am an object orientation (OO) freak. OO allows to model your program like real life, which makes programming a bit more natural.The few programs that I do write, are invariably OO. Sometimes, I feel my fascination for OO does more harm to my programs than good.
Anyway, the basic funda of OO is that your project is split up into objects. These objects strictly mind their own business - they dont, and shouldn't, interfere with other objects in the program. If an object 'A' deals with an object 'B', it has no business knowing what 'B' does with another object 'C'. Each object has it's own set of public 'methods' which is known to every other object, and some private data that NO ONE is allowed to see. As long as the objects retain their 'public' appearance, everyone in the project is happy, and life goes on smoothly. Internally, each object may undergo various changes, new private properties may be added, some removed, but what matters is the methods they expose.
This is supposed to model the real world, but I guess the real world could learn something from all this. Just replace the word 'project' with life, and 'object' with 'friend' ...
Just my two cents worth ...
Anyway, the basic funda of OO is that your project is split up into objects. These objects strictly mind their own business - they dont, and shouldn't, interfere with other objects in the program. If an object 'A' deals with an object 'B', it has no business knowing what 'B' does with another object 'C'. Each object has it's own set of public 'methods' which is known to every other object, and some private data that NO ONE is allowed to see. As long as the objects retain their 'public' appearance, everyone in the project is happy, and life goes on smoothly. Internally, each object may undergo various changes, new private properties may be added, some removed, but what matters is the methods they expose.
This is supposed to model the real world, but I guess the real world could learn something from all this. Just replace the word 'project' with life, and 'object' with 'friend' ...
Just my two cents worth ...
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