The One Ring

Manage Energy, not Time

2011-06-17T21:22:00.001-07:00

Many people, myself included, often wish there were more hours in the day. "If only there was time, I could do everything I want to. I wish I could do so and so, but there's just not enough time." Recently, I'm starting to realize that we have all the time that we need. Time is not the scarce resource; energy is.

For the last several days, I kept a time log. Every fifteen minutes, I would jot down what I was doing. No matter how mundane, I made a note of it. As I expected, the exercise was revealing. I easily spent an hour or two each day just surfing the web... without consciously intending to. And it doesn't happen all at once. Fifteen minutes on Quora here, a quick ten minute glance through my Facebook newsfeed, and the minutes add up.

Why do I do this? Whenever boredom strikes and I'm not quite sure what to do next, I've developed the default habit of just finding content to consume. A quick cmd+T and pick one of my recently viewed sites, and I'm off. The tiny moment of boredom filled with an enticing news article or video. As far as I know, I'm not alone in having such a voracious appetite for information. But most people think the way to solve this is better time management. I posit that a better solution is energy management.

It's not that I need more time in the day, it's that I need more useful or high-energy time in the day. It's when I'm feeling low on energy when I most easily succumb to a quick news break. The goal then is not to aggressively time-manage, but to cultivate prolonged high-energy periods. How can we do this? I'm still searching for good techniques. Currently, I'm experimenting with yoga and breathing exercises to make myself feel more present as I go about my day. Have you found anything that helps you feel more energetic during the day?

--Arkajit

Four Years

2011-06-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

Before MIT (Infinite Corridor, CPW '07)

After MIT (Killian Court, Commencement '11)

One journey ends and another begins... To all those I've met along the way, thanks for being a part of it. You'll be in my heart; take care and I hope some of our paths cross again. To Mom and Dad, thank you for your love and support.

Love,
Arkajit

Kindness of Strangers

2011-05-31T07:27:00.001-07:00

I may not have always depended on the kindness of strangers, but I'm pleasantly surprised, nonetheless, when a stranger lends me a helping hand. I've had bike problems the past couple of days, and three strangers helped me in small, but significant ways.

Yesterday, I was trying to fix a flat on my bike. The innertube had completely deflated and snaked its way out of the back tire. The complete bike novice that I am, I had no clue how to fix it. So I decided to instead take the bike over the local bike shop. The only problem: the bike shop is about a mile from my dorm, and the flat on the bike made it infeasible to roll. So I was faced with the prospect of carrying the heavy bike a mile to the shop under the blistering noon sun. I could only carry it a few dozen feet at a time before taking quick breathers. I tried rolling the bike only on the front wheel, and while that made the load a bit lighter, I was still anticipating a long slog to the shop.

I'd only made it halfway down dorm row, when two facilities workers spotted my plight. They were likely busy with their own work and had no ostensible reason to take an interest in my problem. But they did. One asked me about what happened and I told him I was on my way to the bike shop. He commiserated. His friend took a look at my wheel and wondered if he couldn't get the innertube back inside the wheel so that I could at least roll the bike to the shop instead of carrying it. He turned my bike over and proceeded to do exactly that -- the tire was still flat, but at least, now the innertube wasn't dangling oddly outside the wheel. I could now roll the bike on both wheels -- what a relief! They gave me a few more tips and wished me good luck. I thanked them heartily and was on my way with a considerably lighter load.

This morning, I took my newly fixed bike out for a spin around the river. The attention of a third stranger headed off another potential bike calamity. Halfway through my ride, I was stopped at an intersection when a biker next to me pointed out to me that my front wheel was loose. He indicated a latch at the hub of the wheel that had come undone. A very small act, but nonetheless, one I'm very grateful for.

There are two lessons I could draw from these stories. One is that I need to learn more about proper bike maintenance ;) But, second, and more importantly, I'm reminded about the ultimate goodness of humanity. On the news, we're bombarded daily with stories of all the atrocities humans commit against one another. But it's refreshing to take stock of the small acts of kindness that don't get as much airtime, but which people perform everyday. It makes me smile and reminds me of the importance of kindness :)

--Arkajit

On Creation and Storytelling

2011-05-27T16:28:00.001-07:00

To create something great is to tell a good story. And how do you tell a good story? Ira Glass of This American Life has some great tips about this in a set of videos on storytelling. Most of Ira's tips are important not just for journalists and novelists, but for anyone involved in any type of creative endeavor. Painters tell stories with their brushes, programmers tell stories with their code, entrepreneurs tell stories with their products, scientists tell stories with their papers, engineers tell stories with their inventions. Here's how they do it.

First, they build a story out of anecdotes and reflections. Anecdotes are the linear sequence of events at the heart of the story: first this happend, then this, which made me say this, so on.. They ask little questions and answer them. This builds momentum and keeps the listener thinking: "What's next?"

But an anecdote alone does not a story make. Moments of reflection tell the reader why the story is important: "Why is it worth my time?" Good storytellers seamlessly interweave anecdotes and reflections.

Second, they make a lot of stories and kill the ones that suck. Getting rid of bad stories is as important as writing new ones. Killing the bad stuff makes the good stuff shine. Good storytellers edit ruthlessly.

Third, they have a killer taste for what's good. Often they know what's good, before they can make good stuff themselves. Early in your career, the stuff you create sucks. And you know it sucks because it doesn't live up to your great taste. But don't quit here. Good storytellers create. A lot. Until the stuff they create doesn't suck as much.

Fourth, they get over the beginner's pitfall of imitating creators they love. The world doesn't need another Shakespeare; it needs your new creations. Good storytellers find their own voice.

Now just go write, film, photograph, paint, build, code, design, research, invent,... just go create.

--Arkajit

Last MIT exam

2011-05-04T18:55:00.001-07:00

Today, I took my last exam at MIT. 18.443 (Statistics). It's been a long ride since my first MIT exam in 8.022 (Physics) nearly 4 years ago. I remember Prof. Josh Winn asking as he handed out the physics exams, whether this was anyone's first MIT exam. As it was early October, freshman year, this was true for several people. I nodded excitedly, as I dove into the first of many exams at MIT.

I haven't really looked back since. Between that physics exam four years ago and the statistics exam today, I've taken countless other exams, probably numbering close to a hundred. I don't remember most of them, but I hopefully still remember some of the highlights of the topics they covered.

Coming up next week: my last MIT problem set and paper. And the thesis. Really close to the end now and I'm starting to reflect on the experiences of the last four years at MIT, but more of that to follow the completion of my thesis :)

--Arkajit

Is it good to be first?

2011-04-23T04:14:00.001-07:00

Being the first business to enter a particular market is difficult. Often, a first-mover's biggest problem is trying to forge a market and create demand where it doesn't exist yet. Many fail to solve this problem, but even those that do rarely become the biggest players in the market they helped create.

Neither Google, Facebook, or the iPod were the first search engine, social network, or mobile music player on the market. But when they entered the scene, there was clearly a demonstrated, actual market for such products. These markets had been forged by prior entrants, but that didn't matter. Customers don't care who's first. Once they know they want something (thanks to the first movers), they want the best version of it. Google, Facebook, and Apple just came along and built a better product for a well-established market.

So the question stands: is it good to be first? Or is it better to wait out and see which markets really flourish and which wither? The first-mover has to focus on building the market, whereas the late arrivals can just focus on building the product. Is it really a wonder, then, that the second-mover builds a better product? Of course, the second mover faces his own challenge: converting customers to his product. And with high-switching costs, this can be an unsurmountable problem. But this problem seems easier than the first-mover's problem of creating demand. Why should you ever be first then? Can anyone think of examples were being first was the decisive advantage?

--Arkajit

Blueberry Coffee Cake

2011-03-27T14:41:00.001-07:00

Turned out fairly well for my first time. Next time, might want to make it moister and sweeter.

Recipe (adapted from food.com):

1) Create dough by mixing together

- 2 c. Bisquick

- 2/3 c. milk

- 1 egg

- 2 tbsp. sugar

2) Create toppings by mixing

- 1/3 c. Bisquick

- 1/3 c. sugar

- 2 tbsp. butter

- 1/3 c. bluberries

3) Spread dough on greased pan. Cover dough with toppings.

4) Bake at 400 F for 25 min.

--Arkajit

See the full gallery on Posterous

What's in a name?

2011-03-10T04:37:00.001-08:00

How do we know what an apple is? Does the abstract concept of "apple" mean anything to you until you've seen it, held it, tasted it?

Generalities are only useful when we have seen specific examples of what the general concepts represent. Then the general term or concept serves as an efficient notational shorthand for the example or idea as a whole. But until we feel what it means in our bones, the general term only serves to mystify and confuse.

I see this happen all too often in math classes and textbooks. Someone will define a concept and then compose that definition with another and another. If you understood what the first definition was saying, you could reasonably follow the compositions. But if you didn't, you'd be stuck trying to build a sandcastle .... without knowing or understanding what sand is.

I've had the same experience this year as I've embarked on my master's research on machine learning. In the first few months, I'd come across terms like "posterior distribution", "forward distribution", "expectation of the log likelihood", "marginalize the joint". And such phrases were absolutely meaningless to me. Now, I use the same phrases without consciously thinking about it and with a very precise image in my mind of what they mean. I'm so immersed in the terminology by now that I can still be surprised when a colleague blinks in confusion at my use of these phrases. What's the matter -- don't you have the same picture in your head that I do in mine?

This problem is even more pronounced when you're teaching. If you're a good teacher, you probably understand the material better than your students do (though, this is not always true ;). But that's not enough. A good teacher must also misunderstand the material as their students do. As a student, I was always delighted when the teacher seemed to get exactly what I was confused about and then clear that up. As a teacher, I now realize how hard it is and am impressed even more by former teachers who were able to do it. It requires getting out of your own head where you know exactly what an apple is and into the head of the student where an apple is just an assortment of five random letters.

As I near the end of my MIT career, I'm focusing even more on the art of effective exposition -- how to explain things really, really well. This semester, I'm teaching two classes and writing my thesis. Both are activities that are really challenging and transforming my understanding of what a good explanation is. I'm finding that it not only helps me understand something better when I explain it to someone else, but it often helps them too! I'm finding that I can't always anticipate what's going in my student or reader's head, but when I can, it makes a tremendous difference. And I'm finding, most of all, that I really enjoy explaining things clearly. I've still got a lot to learn and it's often hard and stressful (especially when I think I explained something poorly), but I'm loving the experience and hope to continuing improving at it.

--Arkajit

First Time Skiing

2011-02-21T19:07:00.001-08:00

I went skiing for the first time today at Pat's Peak in New Hampshire. I was a bit apprehensive before going as I wasn't sure what to expect. I was worried that I didn't have the adequate winter wear for the occasion and also concerned about injuries. I was able to make do with a regular winter jacket and jeans with track pants underneath. And as for injuries, I fell several times, but didn't break anything, fortunately :)

The morning started with me hardly able to put my boots into the skis and struggling to find my balance. After a beginner's lesson and a few trips down the steady beginner's slope, I started to get the hang of it. After several falls, I learned how to get up effectively: point your skis across the mountain so that you don't continue sliding downward and align your weight before standing up.

After getting comfortable with the small starter slope, I progressed to the full mountain slopes. I did an easy green circle route three times and only fell a couple of times! I mostly just used the beginner's pizza wedge, but the trip down the mountain was still very exhilarating. The rush of the cold air past your ears and the slightly heightened sense of fear kept me very alert on the track. I only had one really bad tumble where I flipped over a full 360 degrees -- my knees got jumbled a bit, but that was the worst of it. Good thing I wore a helmet :)

I'm glad I got a chance to try skiing. It was a lot of fun and I think I'd definitely like to go again. Ice skating's still on the list.

--Arkajit

French Toastcake

2010-12-24T06:49:00.001-08:00

Or perhaps pancake toast? French pancakes? Pantoast?

I don't know quite what to call it, but it's delicious!

Simple Lessons from "Getting Things Done"

2010-12-22T07:04:00.001-08:00

I just finished reading David Allen's phenomenal "Getting Things Done". I'm still practicing and experimenting with his techniques as I try to implement his system. My implementation is still a work in progress, but I wanted to note a few quick, yet simple takeaways from the book:

Psychic RAM: Open loops (e.g. that doctor's appointment you've been meaning to schedule, that bill you have to pay, that errand you have to run, etc...) drain our mental energy when they are only stored in our heads. And it's counterproductive since our brain usually reminds us of these open loops when we are least likely to be able to do anything abou it. Instead, your psyche is bombarded with constant reminders ("Oh yeah, I should really do that."). Allen argues that you collect everything. Don't store all these commitments in RAM; commit them to disk, to a system that you trust ;)
Agreements with yourself: If you agree to meet someone for a date, and they stand you up, you feel bad, right? Well, those same negative feelings occur whenever you stand yourself up. You tell yourself you're going to finish that essay tonight and then you don't. Is it really a surprise that you feel torn up abou that? There are three solutions to this:

Make fewer, more meaningful agreements (i.e. don't just say "yes" without a thought)
Renegotiate agreements if circumstances change ("I was going to write the essay tonight, but I just remembered I have an exam tomorrow. That takes precedence and I choose to delay the essay")
Keep them. Just do it ;)

Next Actions: All big projects or undertakings are composed of single atomic actions. Often times, big projects or wishes will be festering in our minds because we haven't taken a few seconds to clarify what our next action is. You want to buy a house? "Gee, that sounds hard, better not think about it right now." Well what would get me one step closer to that goal? "Hrm, I don't really know what neighborhoods are good or what prices I should expect. How much down payment do I need? But wait, Bob just bought a house. He must have some good tips. Let's call him up and ask him about what neighborhoods he's looked at or what price ranges are realistic". Not knowing leads to not acting. So ask: "What's the next action here?"

As I said, I'm still working on transforming some of these techniques into daily habits. But I'm really excited to give this a try. I'm currently trying to build my collection centers around Evernote, Gmail, and Google Calendar. I've also tried having another dedicated Posterous for this and a private Twitter stream to capture quick thoughts, but I haven't been able to make those into habits yet. If anyone has had success with other productivity tools or happens to have a Pensieve, please share :)

--Arkajit

I do eat vegetables!

2010-12-10T14:15:00.001-08:00

Sent from my iPhone

Hello mobile

2010-11-26T16:20:00.001-08:00

Testing the posterous iPhone app.

Baking Breakfast

2010-11-12T12:46:00.001-08:00

Made banana nut bread and blueberry pancakes this morning. Even snuck in a quick workout while the banana bread was in the oven. My lab mates liked it, so I deem this culinary adventure a success :)

--Arkajit

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Note to Online Video Advertisers: Longer is not better

2010-11-07T07:24:00.001-08:00

Recently, I've noticed a trend: several online video sites are showing more ads for a longer period of time. I understand the motivation might be to capture lost TV ad revenue online, but I think this is misguided.

With a quick 30 second ad, I'll probably just sit through it since I don't have enough time to do anything else. But as you increase the length of the ad to 2 minutes or more, I can and will just switch tabs to quickly read the New York Times.

What works for TV doesn't necessarily work for online. People's attention spans are fundamentally more fragmented online than in front of a TV. On a TV, you can flip to other channels or leave the room, but you're slightly more cautious since you don't want to miss the return of the show.

Online, you can easily switch to another tab while still hearing the background noise of the ad. Just as you can filter out the background noise in a cocktail party, you can filter out the ad noise while you're away from the video and return when you detect that the show is back. Even if you don't get the timing quite right, it's easy enough to pause and scroll the timeline back a bit.

Shorter ads can be better targeted and more effective in grabbing users' attention. This is a lesson advertisers will have to learn well, especially as the TV and online worlds start to blend together even more in the coming years.

--Arkajit

First try at blueberry pancakes

2010-11-06T13:16:00.001-07:00

Sent from my iPhone

Travelling

2010-10-19T16:56:00.000-07:00

4:20 am PDT: wake up in CA, groggy, get read for my flight
6:00 am PDT: clear security at SFO, start waiting at the gate
7:00 am PDT: plane starts to board
8:00 am PDT: plane finally takes off
2:00 pm CDT: land in Chicago late, think I've probably missed my connection
2:15 pm CDT: finally after deplaning, find out connecting flight is holding for us, but it's on the other side of the airport
2:25 pm CDT: after a cross-terminal sprint, finally arrive at gate, board
5:45 pm EDT: plane lands in Boston
6:00 pm EDT: run after the Silver Line and barely catch it as it's about to leave the airport
6:30 pm EDT: exit Kendall T stop
6:45 pm EDT: open door to my room in Cambridge, start water boiling to cook dinner
7:00 pm EDT: finish unpacking, start cooking
7:15 pm EDT: finally have something to eat after nothing but unfulfilling airplane snacks all-day

Yum!

7:45 pm EDT: finish eating and washing dishes

7:57 pm EDT: finish writing this up

--Arkajit

John Mayer at Shoreline

2010-08-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

After work yesterday, I went to watch John Mayer perform at the Shoreline Amphitheater. Owl City opened the concert with a bunch of their favorites like Hello Seattle and Fireflies.

I first heard Owl City on Pandora a couple of years ago when they were still not widely known. I remember finding their style a bit eclectic, but fun. Seeing Owl City live was interesting for two reasons:

1) Owl City is actually just one person (Adam Young) who started out playing in his Minnesota basement. I had heard that before, but seeing it for myself was a whole different story. It was really quite amazing to see what Adam was able to create on his own.

2) The songs had very distinct beats that made it easy to move to the music. Seated on the lawn, I got a chance to practice some of the isolation moves I'd been learning in my beginning hip-hop classes.

After Owl City finished, there was a forty-five minute lull before John Mayer took the stage. I passed the time people-watching, digitally and otherwise. On the large screen in front of the lawn, there was an announcement inviting viewers to text in messages to a Shoreline number. These messages then scrolled by on a ticker-tape on the bottom of the screen.

It was almost like a live Twitter stream of people's thoughts except with some amount of anonymity. There were the expected shout-outs, the "I love you"s, the "happy birthday"s, and the "me + John Mayer = lovers"s. There were also some anonymous come-ons and snide comments: "to the boy in the green sweatshirt, I think you're cute and you could do much better...".

Besides being an entertaining way of passing the time, these snippets got me thinking. To the casual outside observer of these messages, the names are faceless and may as well be characters in a story. For any given message, there were probably only a handful of people who knew the context and stories of the people featured in the message. To the rest of us, it was just an anonymous blast, a stream of consciousness that probably would never get shared in person. How much of our days are spent internally voicing such thoughts that never get aired in public? And when they are aired in such anonymous mediums, are they still genuine or fictionalized?

Anyway, I stopped pondering such weighty questions as soon as John Mayer burst on to the stage with Vultures. My first impression of John was that he looked slightly crazy with his unkempt hair and old-school headband, but that he was also completely comfortable and at ease in his own skin. His musical improvisations and impromptu, unfiltered comments in between set pieces only made him appear more genuine and strengthened his connection with the audience.

I'll try to recount some of the ridiculous things he did, but probably won't be able to do them full justice. In the middle of one song, he broke off to do a series of faux rocker-poses "for the photographers" since every picture of him playing makes him look "like a damn fool". In the lead-in to Who Says, the first song he played from his new album, he asked us how many people in the audience thought he was high at the moment. "I'm not high... but that's what a person who's high would say..." And "I've done nothing but arouse suspicions... and myself...". And near the end of the concert, he unabashedly admitted that he'd had too much tea and had to go to the bathroom. Seriously, I can't make this stuff up.

John also gave the audience a bit of advice that resonated with me. "Eighty-five percent of the weight on your shoulders", most of what you worry about every day, is nothing. Burdened with self-consciousness, we often spend so much of our time fretting about little, inconsequential decisions, about how "our worst enemy" would rip us apart for it. Just let it go.

--Arkajit

Wicked!

2010-08-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I feel like being just a little bit Wicked! Not mean wicked, but crazy wicked. There are times when I'll be sitting at my desk, trying to work. But the more I try to concentrate, the more I just want to jump up from my desk, break into song, or do a little jig.

Today was especially hard since I just saw Wicked for the first time last night and my head was literally swimming in songs from the musical. It probably didn't help that I was listening to the songs on Grooveshark while trying to work. But I couldn't help it; they are just so good!

And several of the songs seemed to be simply beckoning me to break away from my desk and dance. Dancing through Life and Thank Goodness, especially, make we want to waltz every time I hear them. "I couldn't be happier..." that I finally got to see Wicked. I've been wanting to see it for the longest time. Now, if only I could be in a production of it... that would be wonderful :)

--Arkajit

Singing on a Bike

2010-08-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

This summer, most of my Saturday mornings have begun with a singing bike ride. Actually, several of my weekday morning bike rides to work have also featured similar musical numbers. And though I've been meaning to write about these rides for a while, I've never gotten around to it. So instead, I've decided to show you, rather than tell you.

These bike rides are really quite exhilarating. I find it quite freeing, especially when my hands are off the handlebars and free to gesticulate along with the music. I'll occasionally throw in a few simple dance numbers too, but that's harder to do with one hand holding a camera ;)

But when my hands are completely unencumbered, the bike's frame just becomes an extension of my feet. And at times like these, I'm often inspired to dance around turns while waving my hands maniacally :)

Oh, and I've found that these shenanigans are best-saved for the early mornings when there are likely to be fewer witnesses ;)

--Arkajit

Zeppelins Are Not Made of Led

2010-08-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 5 a.m. yesterday to go fly on a zeppelin. Yes, we had to drive all the way up to Redding. Yes, it took us at least 8 hours to get there and back. And yes, it was awesome.

--Arkajit

An American in Berlin

2010-08-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

I just arrived in Berlin on Thursday (07/22) morning. I had an interesting, if long flight. I sat next to a nice German couple returning home from holiday. They were kind enough to teach me some simple German words and sayings. There was also a very cool language game on the plane's seat-back computer that helped me pick up a few more helpful phrases.

After clearing passport and customs at the airport, I was in a taxi, riding through Berlin, through Europe for the first time. The first thing I noticed were the bicycles. At almost every street light and intersection, there was a cyclist riding alongside the cars.

Update (08/14):

I had meant to finish writing this blog post while in Germany, but I couldn't pull myself apart from Berlin long enough to sit down and finish this. In order to finish this before the trip becomes a distant memory, I'm transferring some of my hastily jotted notes here. They are mostly unedited and still organized in haphazard lists.

A quick list of the differences and similarities between Germany/Europe and the U.S.

Differences:

Bathroom Shower: the handle came out and then up and down, rather than from left to right
Window: opened from a hinge at the top rather than sliding up
Oh, also bathrooms are WCs
More bikes, more smoking
Most Europeans easily speak 2-3 languages: besides German, also heard a fair bit of French, Spanish, some Dutch, Italian, and Swedish
Water tastes weird: comes in bottles, usually has minerals in it (sparkling), and is often not free (one bottle cost ~4 euros!)

Similarities:

A lot of the same music

heard Into the Night blasting from a car the first night I was in the city
walked into a souvenir shop and heard Taio Cruz's Dynamite and Rihanna

Food was familiar

lots of pastas, chicken (hanschen) and fish were easily available
even went to a Faux-Sixties Diner one night and heard MJ's Bille Jean

I also hung out with a bunch of people who were also attending the conference. Some quick notes:

Group of researchers from Barcelona: practiced my Spanish with them, went out the first night and explored Checkpoint Charlie; also learned that work hours can be longer in Spain
Group from Lausanne, Switzerland: Julien had worked at Qualcomm, San Diego; Reza had traveled to SFO for conferences; they all worked on research related to location privacy.
Bunch of folks at the conference knew each other from before, many attended the same conferences
Went with the rest of the conference party on a boat tour on the river Spree
Had interesting discussions about PhDs and why people did/were doing them. Interesting questions that came up: does research area actually matter? esp. if you go to industry? just showing that you can become the world expert on some topic within a short (~5 yrs) time?

Besides meeting several people, I also explored a bunch of places (pictures on Facebook) all around Berlin, including Postdamer Platz, Alexanderplatz, Berliner Dom, Museums: National gallery, Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburg Tower, The Riechstag, Tiergarten (felt like entering the Forbidden Forest), Holocaust Maze Art, Nollendorfplatz, the Spree, and some abandoned WWII bunkers.

Me in front of the red bear in front of the Hotel Berlin.

Over the course of my several navigating adventures, I got pretty good at finding my way around the city with my trusty map. The map was well-worn from use, with rain splotches, creases and folds from being quickly folded and stuffed in my back pocket. Interestingly, most of my adventures happened at late night since I purposely tried not to shift to Berlin time. Thus, I actually found myself awake past midnight for a change :) The flipside was that I found myself in an afternoon slump and usually crashed between noon and 3 p.m. local time (Luckily, I was still awake enough to give my talk!).

While the night backdrop made my adventures that more thrilling, it also meant that I missed out on going to a lot of shops that closed earlier in the evening. For example, KaDeWe, the largest department store on mainland Europe, closed just before I got there a little after 9 p.m. local time.

Oh, and one last observation: on my strolls through the streets of Berlin, I saw lots of happy couples and people just seemed more cheerful overall. Why do I not see the same happiness on the streets of America? Perhaps, it's just that I'm not as attentive when I'm not in the excited mindset of a tourist? Or does this represent a more fundamental difference between U.S. and Europe (or the rest of the world)?

--Arkajit

The Fourth

2010-08-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

I actually went outside to see fireworks this year. Trippy, right? The fireworks show followed a performance of the San Francisco Symphony at the Shoreline Amphitheater. The symphony played pieces that spanned several decades, starting with the '20s and ending with the 2000s.

Several of my favorite pieces from the night were the Rocky theme ('70s), the Indiana Jones theme ('80s), and "Defying Gravity" from Wicked (2000s). But the highlight of the night was when the fireworks went up right behind us on the lawn as the Symphony began a rousing rendition of John William's iconic theme to Star Wars. Here are some of the better shots I was able to snap on my iPhone:

View of the stage from the lawn

Shots of the fireworks right above and behind us on the lawn

--Arkajit

World Cup: USA vs. Ghana

2010-06-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

The players mark their position on the field with an X. It's a distinctive shadow, four lines radiating out from the footballer in the center. A white dot of a ball bounces around from player to player. Ah, football! I usually don't watch Major League Soccer games as a rule, but the World Cup is a different affair altogether. It's amazing how much more fun this game can be to watch when the players are actually good.

I'm currently watching the USA-Ghana Round of 16 match. I just saw Landon Donovan tie the game with a brilliant penalty kick. And now both teams are in the hunt for the go-ahead goal. Will one team break the tie in regulation? In extra time? Or will we go to penalty kicks?

It's a bit sad that either the US or Ghana must exit the tournament at this stage. USA may be the home team from our perspective in the States, but Ghana, as the lone African team still in the competition, is the tournament's home team. And while I do want to see the US pull out the win, it's unfortunate that it would have to be at the expense of Africa's last chance at winning the tournament.

As I finished writing this, regulation time just ended. We're going to extra time. This should be fun! :)

Update (1:28): Ghana just went ahead 2-1. USA need some magic and good football now.

Update (2:01): Ghana wins. Well played by Ghana. Bad luck for the USA.

--Arkajit

Nostalgia

2010-06-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

When I woke up this morning, I started singing Disney songs. Initially, it was "A Whole New World" and other Aladdin favorites like "Friend Like Me". Then a bit of "Under the Sea" with a chorus of "Be Our Guest". Here's a bit of my morning in YouTube videos:

Awesome, the Christian in Christian Dior. And damn they don't make 'em like this anymore. Good thing we now have Pixar. I'm looking forward to Toy Story 3 unleashing another wave of nostalgia :)

--Arkajit

Why Do We Read?

2010-06-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

Yet again I found myself awake in the wee hours of the morning, a bit earlier than I had planned. And once again I felt compelled to write. Perhaps this is an indication of when my mind is most unencumbered and free to create.

What was I pondering today? Why do we read? What are the motivating factors? And as I formulated an answer in my half-sleeping mind, I thought that I should write it down.

I read for two reasons. The first, and most obvious one, is to learn about something new. This is the reading as pure information transfer view. When I read, I am, at least ostensibly, interested in what the author has to say. There's usually some nugget of information that I would like to glean from them. I can even classify reading for enjoyment under this branch of reasoning. There the information I collect from my readings has an intrinsic fun value to it.

The second, less obvious reason, is to learn how to write. And this is really one that can help you salvage an otherwise poor reading experience. Because even when the informational content of what I'm reading proves to be a dud, I do still notice how the piece is written. Word choices, turns of phrases, idioms, these are all things that you can really only learn through repeated exposure to them in the written word. A neat little phrasing here, a tight sentence there, like a scavenger, I keep what I like and discard the rest. Indeed, even essays completely lacking in information content and rhetorical devices can still teach you something: how you don't want to write.

If you don't already read to write, I'd encourage you to try it. At the very least, it'll make boring passages slightly more bearable if you have an ulterior motive for reading them. And it may even make you a better writer!

--Arkajit

Cross-Training

2010-06-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

What's new since the last time I was at Google? They now have a danceplex! And throughout the week they have tons of classes in a variety of dance styles. Super cool!

Today, I dropped in on a Capoeira class. Capoeira is a type of Brazilian dance form that doubles as a martial art. And let me tell you, it's harder than it looks. Actually, it looks pretty hard already. But from the first day at least, it seems even harder than that :)

I exercise fairly regularly, but I still found Capoeira refreshingly difficult. I showed up in a t-shirt and jeans, which I now realize was a bad idea. Within minutes, I was sweating freely and my shirt and jeans began sticking to me like tape.

There were some moves that required you to do handstands or cartwheels which were a bit challenging for me. But it was still a pretty enjoyable experience. It really augments my daily exercise routine in new, exciting ways. I think Capoeira could turn into a very useful cross-training program for me.

And while it's a good workout, Capoeira is still, at its heart, a dance form. There are moves and steps that are coordinated to the beat of music. And all the figures can actually be done with a partner. Just as in other types of dancing like ballroom, your moves mirror your partner's. Some of the moves are even reminiscent of figures from other dance styles. For example, we learned one simple side-to-side two-step that's very much like the basic step in Samba.

I'm excited to learn more about Capoeira and I hope I'll be able to stick with it over the summer.

--Arkajit

A Year in the Life

2010-06-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

Since I didn't blog much over the last year, I thought I'd just share the highlights of what happened:

Last fall, I joined MIT's ballroom dance team. Over the past few months, I've had a blast learning 19 new dances ranging from Standard-style dances like Waltz to Latin-style dances like Rumba.
I learned how to cook. The first thing I learned how to make was an omelet. Over the past few months, I've actually gotten fairly good at making several breakfast foods like omelets, french toast, and pancakes. And I've also experimented with several types of pastas and stir-frys. But I've only just begun my culinary explorations and hope to try out more dishes soon!
I learned how to bike. The last time I had tried to bike, when I was about five years old, I never quite got past the training wheels. What was different this time around? Google has free bikes all around campus :) By now, I'm actually good enough to partially bike to work.
I finished all the requirements for Course VI at MIT. My favorite classes of the year were 6.003/6.011: Signals & Systems and 6.828: Operating Systems.
I went to New York City for the first time. Thrice. Once for Ballroom. Once for my Google interview. Once with The Tech. The city is amazing and I'd love to go back there again.

--Arkajit

Transitions

2010-06-01T15:13:00.001-07:00

It seems that I'm always blogging during moments of transition. Start of a semester, let's blog it. End of a school year, let's blog it. Start of a summer job, let's blog it.

My theory -- or at least the one I like to tell myself -- is that I'm too engrossed in the day-to-day act of living at other times to actually bring myself to step back and blog about it. Transitions offer that natural break in the flow of life that encourages reflection and pondering. The rest of life is seemingly relegated to a stream of tweets. (Though, I don't tweet that frequently either.)

Still besides obvious transitions, aren't there any major life events to chronicle? Or does one week just bleed into the next? It often feels like that during the school year. But with the start of another summer, I'm hoping that I'll be able to blog more often and really capture those moments in-between transitions. That's the plan at least. Let's see how it goes :)

--Arkajit

4 a.m.

2010-01-05T04:55:00.000-08:00

I'm a really light sleeper. I woke up to the sound of a laptop's warning beep that it was running low on battery. The laptop was in the next room. Across a couple closed doors.

I couldn't fall back asleep and stayed awake in bed for an hour or so, just thinking. This blog post is already sounding very familiar, but I'll keep writing and see what it has in store.

Though sleep eluded me, I still felt very relaxed and calm. The days have been a bit trying lately, but I felt quite at peace while I lay awake. I felt less weighed down by my problems. It was a nice, introspective session. It was almost like I was sitting on one of those comfortable reclining couches you see in psychiatrists' offices. (At least the ones on TV shows seem comfortable; I can't speak for real psychiatrists' offices.) Except there was no shrink. Well, not unless you count myself. Yeah, it was a bit like speaking to yourself as if you were an outside listener. I must say that I was a pretty good listener. I bet I could charge fairly competitive rates if I went pro.

What was I pondering? People, mostly. And, you know, life. If you know me, you know that I get easily addicted to TV shows. I'm very careful about starting a new show, because I know that as soon as I do, I'll likely be hooked. I'm a sucker for a good story, whether it's a book, movie, or lately a TV show. I get pulled into the character's lives and I often frame my musings on life in terms of what I gleaned from identifying with a character on some show or book. I like to tell myself that the time I spend watching these shows is time well-spent understanding human character. Perhaps that's just a gross rationalization, but I'm going to stick with that for now.

My musings on life usually culminate with an outpouring of affection and love for people. All the day-to-day prejudices, angst, and feelings of anger just wash away. All the petty troubles that plague my mind during the day don't seem as important anymore. And I realize that the Beatles were right along. All you need is love.

--Arkajit

Sleepless in Boston

2009-09-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I just got back to Boston last night. And after a long day of wanting to sleep and trying to doze off in cars, airport sofas, and airplanes, I finally have a bed and I can't sleep. My mind is full of songs, scenes from my favorite shows, and other miscellaneous thoughts. So be warned that the rest of this entry may feel a bit like a stream of consciousness, like it's been lifted out of some first-person narrative.

What have I tried so far? Counting sheep? Nah, that never really worked for me (not even electric sheep). I did try to sing myself a lullaby, but no dice. Maybe it's just jet lag and I still think it's Pacific Time? (it is after all, only around 10:30 back in the Bay) But, hrm, I did stay awake for most of the previous night to catch my flight. And while I did catch some Zs in aforementioned airport and airplane, shouldn't I be more drowsy around now?

So now I'm trying to write. Maybe if I just put some of my thoughts on paper, it'll clear my mind. That makes sense, right? You know, maybe it'll work like a Pensieve and allow me to siphon my thoughts into paper? I'm thinking of this quote by Dumbledore:

"I sometimes find, and I am sure you know the feeling, that I simply have too many thoughts and memories crammed into my mind... At these times... I use the Pensieve. One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one's mind, pours them into the basin, and examines them at one's leisure."

Ah, yes, I know the feeling only too well. I could certainly do with a Pensieve.

You know what? I think the effort required to write coherent sentences is starting to have a soporific effect. I may not even have to write down all my thoughts. That probably saves you from tons of Buffy/Angel spoilers as that's my show of the moment.

What was I thinking about again? Smurfs come to mind. Yes, there's a particularly funny moment in Bones when Brennan wants a Smurfette doll, but Booth gives her a Brainy Smurf doll instead. I don't really know what made me think of that. Sometimes scenes from some of my favorite TV shows, books, or movies, just pop into my head and make me smile for a few seconds.

Weren't there some songs in the mix too? Oh yeah, I was listening to XM radio 20on20 on the flight. And you know what I realized? My life would suck without Kelly Clarkson. And I can apparently find God on the corner of channels 2 and 3 on the inflight radio. Also, I finally found out the name of this song that I can't get out of my head. And wow, Coldplay covered it? Well, here we are now, entertain us.

Ok, perhaps I ought to give this sleep thing another try. I think I've already filled this post to the brim with enough cultural references. How many did you find?

--Arkajit

Take Me Out The Ballgame

2009-08-01T16:18:00.001-07:00

Another first last night. I tagged along with a bunch of interns and went to watch the Phillies play the Giants at AT&T park. It was not only my first ballgame, but also my first sports game.

Back in middle school, I used to be a big sports fan and remember avidly following the Giants in the early 2000s, those blissfully innocent pre-steroid scandal years. Those were the seasons Barry Bonds hit home runs 500, 71, and 73; Rob Nenn was a star closer with an unhittable slider; Eric Gagne was the Dodger's pitcher I most loved to revile; A-Rod was not an overpaid Yankee, but a Texas Ranger; Livan Hernandez and Jeff Kent were Giants; Randy Johnson was not (he was, and always will be, the DBacks Ace); and, oh, there was a little thing called the World Series that we got within 7 outs of winning before blowing it (to the Angels of Anaheim, not Los Angeles).

But going into yesterday's game, I honestly couldn't name a single player on the Giants roster. (Though I am shocked to learn that the Big Unit plays for SFO now!) I didn't know any of the fan favorites (who's "Kung Fu Panda"?) and had very little knowledge of the standings.

And while I don't remember too much about the game (Giants lost 5-1 and didn't play too well), it was still a very interesting experience. What I do remember instead are the sights, smells, shivers, and surprises.

The hustlers on the corner of King and 3rd Street peddling tickets as we walked up to the entrance of the ballpark. The long winding ramp leading up to the bleachers. The view out to the bay from behind right field. The tickling sea mist. The shock that the players looked much closer than I'd imagined from watching games on TV. The pungent smell of the garlic fries. The absurdly expensive diet coke. Feeling really thirsty after having some especially salty popcorn. The really silly games they would play on the big Jumbo-Tron ("Is Barry Zito's jersey number higher or lower than 42?"). The infamous seventh inning stretch. And more that I can't remember now...

We were sitting out in left field just below the big catcher's mitt and the prominent Coca-Cola bottle. I could just make out home plate from there, but as nothing really happened for most of the game, I didn't really pay much attention to the plate. Instead, I chatted up some of the people sitting around me. I met some old friends and some new ones. A couple people behind me didn't really know the rules of baseball, so I had fun translating some of the game's events.

"It's a full-count. That means there's 3 balls and 2 strikes. Another ball and it's a walk. And another strike and he's out." I hope the rules didn't seem too arcane to them. At the very least, I never had to explain what a balk was. Most unfortunately, I can't say the same about my first experience with watching a baseball game on TV. Randy Johnson was pitching and kept throwing back to first base to check the runner there. This happened for at least five minutes while the commentators talked about whether Johnson was balking and explained the concept. It's a miracle that I kept watching... I imagine I must have been quite bored.

After the seventh inning stretch, I began to realize there was little chance the Giants would come back to win. Several of us pulled out our iPhones and consulted the Caltrain schedules. After some debating over whether we could make the next train that would leave in 10-15 minutes, we decided to make a run for it.

Ten minutes till the train leaves. Down the stairs to the ballpark's exit. Now rounding the corner around the ballpark's exterior, the bay to the left. Seven minutes. Leaping past the statue of Willie Mays at the front of the park as we arrived at the intersection. A quick sprint, two blocks down. Wind in my hair, pure exhilaration. Four minutes. Another block across. Three minutes. Hurry into the station, fumbling with my wallet, quickly purchase a ticket from the kiosk. One minute. Flash my ticket at the conductor. And yes, aboard the train with seconds to spare.

And we're speeding away, back home, back to Hogwarts... No wait, I mean the South Bay, sigh... T'was a fun night.

--Arkajit

Half-Blood Prince Movie

2009-07-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

I just saw the new Harry Potter movie last night. I had not planned to go on opening night, but I wound up with a free ticket and went on a whim. While it was pretty good, it wasn't quite what I expected. In the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit that my expectations were sky-high given the early Tomatometer ratings in the astronomic range of 98%.

Additionally, book 6 was probably my favorite of the series (a close call with book 3, Prisoner of Azkaban). Unlike the previous two books which were high on the action and thrills, book 6 slowed down and spent more time on character development. Also, it helped that book 6 also had a very poignant cliff-hanger of an ending. I'd thought the death at the end of Order of the Phoenix had been sad, but it hardly compared to how I felt about the death at the end of Half-Blood Prince (in contrast, I wasn't really as deeply impacted by any of the deaths in the last book).

That said, the ending of the movie wasn't able to evoke quite the same feeling for me; indeed it was over quite quickly and the effect didn't linger. Though, perhaps, it wasn't realistic for me to expect the same reaction given that the end was now longer a surprise or such a shock. There's also the knowledge of what happens in the last book which probably factors into the experience too. Maybe the death would have hit me just as hard in the movie if I were watching it before reading the last book.

The ending aside, the movie had tons of excellent scenes. The opening attack on the Muggle world was a good touch. Jim Broadbent as Professor Slughorn was quite good and the memories of Lord Voldemort were chilling. Even the romance wasn't overly sappy; I particularly liked the scene where Harry and Hermione comfort each other after she's saddened to see Ron snogging Lavender. I must note, however, that the Harry/Ginny kiss was quite weak and didn't have any of the spontaneity or passion that was evoked in the book; it was especially disappointing given how much they kept hinting at the relationship.

But my biggest gripe was that the film often appeared to be a string of scenes rather than a cohesive story. This was probably a casualty of the fact that there was no single large plot thread, but several subtle ones. While it worked fine in the book, it may have been less appetizing for movie audiences.

Nonetheless, I can't complain too much about a free show. And I'll still probably go see it again when it finally comes out on IMAX.

--Arkajit

Viva la Vida!

2009-07-14T12:27:00.001-07:00

Last night, I went to my first (to be precise, I went to a Ben Folds & Sara Bareilles Concert during MIT's Spring Weekend, but I'm counting this as my first real one since it was outside of school) concert: Coldplay at the Shoreline Amphitheater. Needless to say, it was quite mind-blowing.

As this was my first concert, I should first note a few lessons for posterity:

The main act doesn't start until a couple of hours into the show. So while I hurried to the Amphitheater after work to make the 7 p.m. start time, I needn't have. This is only true if you have reserved seats, probably not true for lawn seats. On the other hand, the opening acts weren't too bad, so it might be worth it to show up early.
I forgot to bring any pocket money, but it was probably just as well. There are concessions, but they are absurdly over-priced. The only thing that was tempting was Ben & Jerry's, but at more than $5 for a scoop, it was best that I didn't have any money.
You will be standing for most of the main act and probably singing along if you're a big fan. I luckily brought in a bottle of water which saved me from becoming hoarse before Viva la Vida. But I might have been better served with two bottles.
It probably goes without saying, but concerts are extremely loud. They don't lend themselves well to carrying on cell phone conversations. Indeed, I often found myself grateful that I wasn't too close to the stage. I was in the 26th row and it was still quite loud.

Coldplay burst onto the stage a little before 9 p.m. playing Life in Technicolor in the dark. A few seconds in, a spectacular array of lights illuminated the stage and the band. The concert had begun!

Coldplay started off with a series of hit singles such as Violet Hill, Clocks, In My Place, and Yellow. During the latter, they released several large yellow beach balls into the audience to add to the excitement.

After the singles, Coldplay relocated to the lawn to play a couple of numbers. And then at the 10 p.m. mark, Chris Martin and Company bounded back to the stage and launched straight into Viva la Vida with a flourish. I think I'd already drained my bottle of water by this time and my voice was starting to grow hoarse. But I still sang along :)

By the end of the concert, Coldplay had played every song from the album (except Yes for some reason; I guess it wasn't concert-friendly?) and also covered Michael Jackson's Billie Jean. Chris Martin came back for an encore and played The Scientist very soulfully on the piano. And the concert ended as it had begun: playing Life in Technicolor II (the one with the words) as the band faded into darkness.

Overall, quite an amazing experience for my first concert. The band also gave away free copies of a live album LeftRightLeftRightLeft containing some of the songs they played that night (also available for free download from Coldplay's site).

I think I have the concert bug now... would love to go to a U2 concert next! :)

--Arkajit

The Multi-threaded Cabinet

2009-06-18T15:49:00.000-07:00

Last week, I had some trouble with my desk cabinet at work. I seemed to have inadvertently locked my top drawer. After fiddling around with the cabinet a bit, the drawer had magically opened. This behavior left me puzzled and it wasn't until today that I figured it out. The cabinet is multi-threaded!

The cabinet is small, black with two drawers. Open either drawer alone and everything's fine. Now, try to open both of them at the same time. Race condition!

It turns out if you have one drawer open, you can't open the other drawer! It's locked, literally :P

I can't fathom what merited this particular design choice. Did the designer think something catastrophic would happen if I had both my drawers open at the same time? Nonetheless, it certainly isn't an intuitive feature, nor easily discoverable. But my mind is just a bit more at ease now that I've solved this particular conundrum. :)

--Arkajit

Pandora Pause Indicator

2009-06-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

A few months ago for a 6.813 assignment, I'd suggested Pandora as an example of a good user interface. But I'd noted that one thing that annoyed me was that it was hard to tell whether the player was playing or paused. There was a single play/pause button with one function highlighted in orange. Take a look at this snapshot from the old version of the UI and try to guess if the player is playing or paused:

Does the highlighted function showed the current state or the action that would happen if you pressed the button? (Highlight to reveal answer: current state) I'd always mix this up.

Now, it's true that most of the time, the auditory feedback of hearing the song play would tell you which state the player is in. But when your internet connection is flaky and you're trying to figure out whether Pandora doesn't have a connection or is just paused, the lack of state visibility was very annoying.

I later noticed that there was a hidden indicator in the form of a dynamic url change. When you click pause, the url is appended with a #/paused.

This of course isn't too visible, so I'm glad that Pandora just updated their interface to have a very visible pause indicator: a big black paused icon shows up on top of the song's icon. An incredible improvement in visibility -- well done, Pandora! :)

As an added bonus, the big paused indicator does double-duty as a button. It can be clicked to resume playback.

It is worth noting however that Pandora continues to show the current state (paused) rather than the action that will happen if you press the button (play). Contrast this to Hulu whose video player also displays a big black button when paused, except it displays the action (play).

--Arkajit

Cool Music Sites

2009-05-27T18:52:00.001-07:00

I love listening to new music, so I drew up a list of some cool music sites. I stumbled upon the first two a couple days ago. I've used the others for a couple of years now and am including them for completeness.

Just Hear It: type in any artist, song and get a quick list of youtube clips and music videos. The membership component is in private beta, but the search is still very handy.
Musicovery: pick a mood, a decade or two, and some genres and it will start playing that type of music. It also shows a nice visual graph of the songs its playing and similar songs it will be play next.
Pandora: create a personalized station by entering a favorite artist or song and it'll play similar songs on that station. Say thumbs up/down to make the station home in on the songs you really like.
Last.fm: a music social networking site, has good suggestions for music and presents several useful charts and other visualizations of your listening habbits. You can "scrobble" songs (i.e. have last.fm track them) you listen on your desktop or stream through their online radio.
Pandora-FM: this bridges Pandora and Last.fm together allowing you to scrobble your Pandora listens to your Last.fm profile. This was pretty useful since I'm often listening to music on Pandora and would like to track my listening habits (e.g. my most popular artist/track in the last week) with Last.fm.

I hope to get around to writing up a longer post comparing some of these services. And I'll update this entry with more links as I find them. Happy Listening :)

--Arkajit

Silly PHP, Trix are for Python

2009-01-28T10:43:00.000-08:00

I just discovered that when calling a PHP function, you can't specify functions by parameter name. This is really annoying when you're calling a function with several default parameters and you just want to change the last one. Since you can't just specify the one you want to change by name, you need to include all the other default parameters in order and just change the one parameter you care about.

Case in point, if you want to call htmlentities with $double_encode set to false and the other default parameters unchanged, you have to write

htmlentities("myhtmlcode", ENT_COMPAT, "ISO-8859-1", false).

This is phenomenally absurd. Makes me miss Python... :(

--Arkajit

Just Keep Vimming In Tabs

2008-12-29T11:22:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been using vim more frequently. Here are a few useful tricks that I've picked up.

So the feature for viewing multiple files in tabs has been around for a while, but I only just discovered it. You can open up multiple files in tabs with

vim -p file1 file2 .. fileN

You can go to the next or previous tab with :tabn or :tabp. And you can edit a new tab with :tabe file_name. Close all but the current tab with :tabo. Annoyingly, I haven't found a single command that just quits and closes all the tabs, but :tabo followed by :q will get you there.

Also, since I use a black background for my terminal, the default font color for the selected tab name wasn't visible. You can change this color with the following command:

hi TabLineSel ctermfg=white

Also I wanted to remap the gt command used to toggle between commands to the Ctrl-T keystroke which is closer to what I use for tabs in Firefox. This can be accomplished through

map ^T gt

but it is tricky typing in Ctrl-T because it's mapped to something else. You need to type Ctrl-V first (right before typing Ctrl-T) to make this work.

You can put all these commands in your .vimrc file so that they get loaded every time you edit a file.

--Arkajit

Python Silliness

2008-09-23T19:26:00.001-07:00

So I was implementing the K-Means and the Fuzzy C-Means algorithms in Python for a class assignment and something just wasn't working. I double-checked my logic several times and everything seemed right. And indeed, the logic was right, I just got into trouble using some Python shortcuts.

The * operator in Python is overloaded to allow you do cool things like

a = 'h'*5 # stores 'hhhhh'

So naturally when I needed to initialize a list of lists, I did something like

t = [[]]*3

and expected to get a list with three empty lists. Then here's where I made my error. If you do something like this

t[0].append('hi')

you might think you should get

t = [['hi'], [], []].

That would make sense, but what you actually get is

t = [['hi'], ['hi'], ['hi']]

and that can mess up your logic if you're not careful. What I really wanted was the more verbose

t = [[] for i in range(3)].

In retrospect, it makes sense that the * operator just creates more pointers to the object I'm multiplying, not completely new objects. Thus when I change the underlying object, I change all the copies. But still this wasn't entirely intuitive and is a nasty pitfall to watch out for.

--Arkajit

Harry Potter Politics

2008-09-16T15:02:00.001-07:00

So that was a looong hiatus, and I'm going to try to start blogging more regularly again. For most of the past year, most of my writing has been in the form of hard news stories for The Tech or the occasional essay for a HASS class. While I did have a lot of fun with that, I also feel the need for some more free-form writing as well, if for no other reason than for my own sanity.

To start things off, here's my first (of hopefully more) non-news piece for The Tech: Potter Politics.

--Arkajit

First Day of School!

2007-09-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

Following excerpt of Finding Nemo is from IMSDb.

NEMO

First day of school! First day of school! Wake up, wake up! C'mon,
first day of school!

MARLIN

I don't wanna go to school. Five more minutes.

NEMO

Not you, dad. Me!

MARLIN
Okay...huh?

NEMO

Get up, get up! It's time for school! It's time for school!
It's time for school! It's time for school! Oh boy! Oh boy!

MARLIN

All right, I'm up.

NEMO

Oh boy--whoa!

MARLIN

Nemo!

NEMO
First day of school!

MARLIN

[gasps] Nemo, don't move! Don't move! You'll never get out of there yourself.
I'll do it. All right, where's the break? You feel a break?

NEMO
No.

MARLIN
Sometimes you can't tell 'cause fluid is rushing to the area. Now, any rushing
fluids?

NEMO
No.

MARLIN
Are you woozy?

NEMO
No.

MARLIN
How many stripes do I have?

NEMO
I'm fine.

MARLIN
Answer the stripe question!

NEMO
Three.

MARLIN

No! See, something's wrong with you. I have one, two, three--that's all I have? Oh, you're okay. How's the lucky fin?

NEMO
Lucky.

MARLIN
Let's see.

MARLIN

Are you sure you wanna go to school this year? 'Cause there's no problem if
you don't. You can wait 5 or 6 years.

NEMO
Come on, dad. It's time for school.

MARLIN
Ah-ah-ah! Forgot to brush.

NEMO
Ohh...

MARLIN
Do you want this anemone to sting you?

NEMO
Yes.

MARLIN
Brush.

NEMO
Okay, I'm done.

MARLIN
You missed a spot.

NEMO
Where?

MARLIN
There. Ha ha! Right there. And here and here and here!

MARLIN

All right, we're excited. First day of school, here we go. We're ready to learn, to get some knowledge. Now, what's the one thing we have to remember
about the ocean?

NEMO
It's not safe.

MARLIN

That's my boy. So, first we check to see that the coast is clear. We go out and back in. And then we go out, and back in. And then one more time--out and
back in. And sometimes, if you wanna do it four times--

NEMO
Dad..

MARLIN
All right. Come on, boy.

-- Arkajit

The Dorm Key with a Thousand and One Uses

2007-08-29T06:55:00.001-07:00

You know that golden-colored key they give you when you check into your dorm? The one that's supposed to open your door? Well that's not all that it's useful for. Here are just a few of the things I can think of using it as:

Scissors: great for cutting through tape to open packages.
Screw-driver: doesn't work too well, but can be an ok replacement when you don't have one.
Nail-filer: does a pretty good job
Pendulum Bob: performance improves if placed on end of a lanyard
Fake Wand: same comment as above
Playing Darts
Playing Horseshoes
Playing Spoons
A Musical Instrument
Bottle/Can Opener
More...

So that's not quite a 1001 uses, but I'm sure you can think of some more. =)

-- Arkajit

The Potter Era

2007-08-22T21:46:00.000-07:00

So, this post has been a long time coming.

On a late night jaunt along the Charles River (yeah, so I may have forgot to mention that I'm at MIT now =P), I couldn't help but thinking that if I had Harry's Firebolt and I went flying over the Charles it would look exactly like the scene from the Order of the Phoenix movie where the Advance Guard is flying Harry across the Thames River. Of course that naturally led me to think of the logical counterpart of the much more difficult escape from Privet Drive in Book 7. Well now I was clearly in a Harry Potter mood (then again I always do have a few brain cycles committed to charting future HP possibilities) and I just had to write this entry with my thoughts on Deathly Hallows and the entire Potter Era. So from the very beginning...

When I woke up on a dull, gray Tuesday, our story starts. I was not yet 11 and I was at Stanford for CTY. As I walked through the campus, I saw people dressed in the strangest robes of the most shocking colors conversing in hushed voices: "You-Know-What is here at last!". Owls were flying in broad daylight. As a mere Muggle, I could not understand the clamor over the release of a new book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. But that night I returned to my dorm to find an unflinching tabby cat with square green markings around its eyes and a copy of Goblet of Fire waiting for me in a bundle by my doorstep.

I picked up the first three books to start reading them in order and I instantly fell in love with the black-haired, bespectacled boy (say that ten times fast, Fred) with the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. His story became my story. His joys my joys. His sorrows my sorrows. I most definitely grew up and learned many of my life lessons with Harry (and Ron and Hermione). Just to name a few...

How to choose your friends: carefully, especially beware blonde-haired sons of Death Eaters.
What to do when you're in a new place: try new things, like Quidditch!
Best way to make new friends: save them from a mountain troll.
How to deal with other people when they hate you, for example when you are widely suspected to be the Heir of Slytherin, or of cheating to enter the Triwizard Tournament illegally, or of lying about the return of a certain Dark Lord, etc...
How to cope with a troubled family life like say if your parents were murdered by the most evil sorcerer of all time, your godfather was wrongly imprisoned for 12 years, and your aunt and uncle force you to live in a cupboard under the stairs for 10 years of your life.
How to take an insane courseload: borrow a Time Turner! (Thanks Hermione.)
How to get a detention: Tell your hooked-nose, greasy-haired potions master -- "There's no need to call me, sir, Professor." Or better yet, call him a coward and he might even throw in a Levicorpus for free.
How to get lost: Follow Neville and/or keep walking up the 142 staircases that keep moving and changing.
How to get unlost: Borrow the Marauder's Map. (Thanks Moony, Padfoot and Prongs. No thanks to Wormtail.)
How to get whatever you need: Concentrating hard on what you need, walk three times back and forth past the blank stretch of wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy on the seventh floor.
How to figure out girls: err, scratch that, they're mental (Seriously, Hermione, listen to Ron for once. You should write that book on how they think =P)

So, I guess I didn't get to do a Deathly Hallows analysis. That'll have to wait for another post so I can do it full justice.

-- Arkajit

Harry Potter Magic Meets Science

2007-08-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

First, Invisibility Cloaks, now Wingardium Leviosa, what next? :) Check out this article:

Levitation has been elevated from being pure science fiction to science fact, according to a study reported today by physicists.

In theory the discovery could be used to levitate a person
In earlier work the same team of theoretical physicists showed that invisibility cloaks are feasible.
Now, in another report that sounds like it comes out of the pages of a Harry Potter book, the University of St Andrews team has created an 'incredible levitation effects' by engineering the force of nature which normally causes objects to stick together.

I See Dead People

2007-06-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

No, really I do! Or maybe I've just been seeing Haley Joel Osment a lot. Seriously, I can't believe it. In the past couple of weeks, by some odd twist of chance, I've happened across his three major hit movies. And I saw them in reverse chronological order (of when they were released), I might add: A.I. (2001), Pay It Forward (2000), and The Sixth Sense (1999). Regardless, they're still 6-8 years old which just shows how up-to-date I am on current movies.

But wow, the boy can act! Every one of these performances was absolutely spectacular. His vivid character portrayals even made me stick with an otherwise excruciatingly long, surreal A.I. for the full 146 minutes (wow was that really how long it was -- it felt like 180 at least, even longer than Lord of the Rings). His role as David, the "Mecha" robot child that can love, in A.I. was the first one I saw him in. It was certainly a moving portrayal -- David's innocence and naivete was a refreshing contrast especially against the snarky character of Jake Thomas, his organic brother (who I shall always remember as Lizzie McGuire's little brother). Besides, it's a space-age Pinocchio, and that certainly has its appeal as well. Osment's acting made David, as a robot, appear more human than many of the "real" humans in the movie, especially Brendan Gleeson's (of Harry Potter Mad-Eye Moody fame) crazy character at the inhumane flesh fair. And unlike in the other two movies, Osment is really the sole leading actor in this film -- there is no main old actor counterpart. Perhaps because of this prolonged focus, Osment's acting was even more remarkable in that he was able to pull the movie along with him.

While I loved his character in A.I., my personal favorite was his role as Trevor McKinney in Pay It Forward. Here he is complemented by the duo of Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt. But Osment is not one to be overshadowed and again delivers an extraordinary performance that makes him stand out. The concept behind the movie is quite intriguing in its own right. Trevor's 'pay it forward' concept puts an enormous faith in human goodness. He pays a complete stranger a favor and then instead of asking him to pay it back, asks him to pay it forward to three other people. And voila, we get a branching effect, (one could call it a 'favor tree' with 3^n 'favor leaves' at depth n). Osment perfectly captures the essence of his character again -- the shy, deeply emotional and intelligent boy. Osment really speaks to the audience with his eyes and his facial expressions. And the ending, well let's just say it's tragic and you have to see it for yourself *tear*.

That brings us to the final movie I watched, his breakthrough movie, The Sixth Sense. Though attentive movie-goers would have remembered Osment from his brief appearance as Tom Hank's son in Forrest Gump, this was the movie that first brought him to widespread recognition. And what a complex character Osment takes on in this movie! His interactions with Bruce Willis' character are really the center-piece of the movie. Osment's character speaks candidly and openly which is heartening when artifice and artificiality is the norm. The things that I loved about his performance in Pay It Forward - his facial expressions, his way of speaking to the audience with his eyes - drew me to his character again. Of course, the "I see dead people" line has become a cult favorite. But the scene I liked the most is when Osment and Willis are talking in the hallway of his school. Osment speaks with almost disturbing clarity, "You ever feel the prickly things on the back of your neck?...And the tiny hairs on your arm, you know when they stand up?". That scene epitomizes for me what makes his acting so great. It was well-deserving of the Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The movie is truly driven by the human emotions and superb acting of Osment and Willis. But "Tommy Tammisimo sucked big time".

Well, I'm certainly looking forward to his future movies and to see how he matures as an actor. :)

-- Arkajit

Google's New Clothes

2007-04-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

Google has gotten a new look! The change is in the search results as shown below:

I never thought it particularly needed one. Thankfully the classic home page remains pristine and uncluttered as ever. But in the results page, the links to other types of search such as image search, have been moved into the sidebar rather than being in a row at the top. Facebook also went with a sidebar when it changed its layout a couple of weeks ago. My feelings about the change are conflicted. I'm not too crazy about the new design. The original format already had the PPC ads along the right. But now with the added links on the right, the actual space for search results seems more confined. I guess this does start the results a little higher on the pager. And there are some cool new features, though. There's the related searches links on the left. And if you scroll down to the bottom of the results...

... links to a few blog posts! Google Blog Search integrated into the main search! Though, I think they could put these somewhere nearer to the top instead of having us scroll down to the bottom for it. So at least, there are some redeeming qualities of the new layout. And I'll probably get used to it before long.

-- Arkajit

CPW Day 3 & Pictures

2007-04-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I was going to wrap-up Saturday. But then I realized that it was mostly centered around dorm surfing. So I settled for a picture-oriented entry instead with pictures from the entire weekend.
I guess I had a bit of an obsession with the abstract sculpture and architecture at MIT :) I also had fun trying to find cool new angles and places to take pictures of buildings from. The rest of these pictures are in my facebook photo album.

And then there was Battle of the Bands on Saturday evening which was pretty awesome. I was right up in the front during Ben and Marilee's performance. So that means I had the speakers blaring about two feet away from me. During the "You Can't Get What You Want" song, I joined in the crowd with singing the chorus and swaying my hands from side to side. It was lucky that they chose that Rolling Stones song, since the only other song by them that I had heard was Satisfaction. The only bummer was that Tim the Beaver did not go crowd surfing and I did not have my camera on me :(

Oh also, Matt proposed finding anagrams of the name of Ben's band, The Red Decade. So the best I could come up on my own was "The Cared Deed". And then I ran it through an anagram machine like Ben suggested. Nothing too much better except for "Dated Cheered" which was pretty good. Another one that actually made sense was "The Dead Creed"; that one has more possible interpretations which I shall leave as an exercise for the reader. The full list of anagrams is here.

Sunday was the departure day, so there was only really time to do some breakfast-hopping through several of the dorms and spend the last of my TechCash at LaVerde's. I also swung by the Coop to get one of those drawstring backpacks :)

Well, ok, I think that wraps up CPW!

CPW Day 2

2007-04-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

I guess the day-by-day blogging thing kind of stopped after day 1 :) So this will have to be a recap. Ok, the weather was definitely MUCH better on Friday (and esp. on Saturday)! Nice cool, breezy winds, partly cloudy, sun would peek through at times. (I did not mean to just sound like a weather reporter.)

First, let me fill in a few of the gaps in Thursday that I was too tired at the time to write about. After meeting up with my host at tEp in the morning, he showed me his room which was very cool. He showed me the laser light show in his room, playing it to the song "Such Great Heights" by the Postal Service. There was also a hanging couch and beds hanging from the ceiling. The people were amazingly friendly too :)

Ok, in the afternoon, I hopped through a tour of the Stata Center, grabbed a pizza from the cafe there, then swung through a panel on housing and dining. The gaps and interstices of time were filled with meeting and talking with people :) Then I had dinner at McCormick dining hall while being serenaded by the MIT/Wellesley Toons. There was a math mixer that disintegrated into hangman and math joke session when a group of us ended up in the wrong room.

The main event was the icebreaker and cpw fair at night. Half-way through the intro, the Logs storm the stage and start singing like I said in my last post. During one of the songs, a couple of them were rotating their hands like a windmill and I've since been trying to replicate that with partial success :)

Friday started with a morning trek down the Harvard bridge from tEp back to campus, minus the hail this time :) The day was spent mostly in the anticipation of the meet the bloggers event in the evening. But I still got in another panel, a couple of open houses, a class, and watching a pick-up game of ultimate. This is around the time when my cell phone batteries finally gave up the ghost and I had to recharge. And then to meeting all the awesome bloggers and having some ice cream to top :) A couple of them were a bit unrecognizable from their pictures, but it was nice to finally talk with them in person.

Then the night ended with tangerine tours which unfortunately got aborted before the final destination. But not before climbing several hundred stairs (hands to the outside! aye, aye Jack!), crawling into unimaginably small recesses, and going through 'hell', i.e. the underground steam chambers.

Ok, Saturday next!

CPW Day 1: Or Bloody Hail!

2007-04-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

Wow! Walking all across Cambridge and Boston in often severe rain and sometimes sleet/hail = interesting , shocking experience!

First casualty is when I'm walking back across the Harvard Bridge over the Charles River and I get caught in a hail storm (or at least it felt pretty bad too me, though others assure me its worse in the winter). My umbrella is useless in the fierce wind and it is promptly destroyed. For the rest of the trek, I'm peppered with surprisingly sharp little bits of hail :( Second casualty is when I buy a replacement umbrella. After several battles in which I try to prevent it from being dismantled by the wind as well, I acquire several more nicks and cuts - from the umbrella this time. At this time, I decide umbrellas are clearly not working. So eventually I get a raincoat. Lesson Learned: Raincoat (w/ hood) > Umbrella given fierce winds.

The weather glitch aside, a pretty fun day, running around, going on tours, watching panel discussions, fairs and so on. The Logs sang a few (awesome!) songs for us. And the highlight of the fair was re-enacting the lightsaber duel from Episode I: A Phantom Menace with duct-tape swords! But my sword movements were completely Empire Strikes Back Luke Skywalker :) Oh, and apparently I have some skill with throwing a soccer ball through a high target :)

Some picture(s) from when I actually remembered I have a camera:

The famous police-car in its new residence in Bldg. 32:

Well certainly an exciting day, but more to come yet! And somehow I'm not yet sleepy, but I'll try to get a few hours now.

-- Arkajit

April Fool's From Google

2007-04-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

Now presenting the latest Google product... Gmail Paper!

"Everyone loves Gmail. But not everyone loves email, or the digital era. What ever happened to stamps, filing cabinets, and the mailman? Well, you asked for it, and it’s here. We’re bringing it back."

"For every Gmail Paper we produce, the environment gets incrementally healthier."

"Keep it Secret, Keep it Safe" - straight out of LOTR when Gandalf says this to Frodo regarding the ring! :)

Haha, not a bad one as far as April Fool's jokes go! The Weasley twins would be proud! Happy Birthday to Fred and George!

-- Arkajit

Analysis of Deathly Hallows Cover

2007-03-30T00:50:00.000-07:00

You know, I knew I was forgetting something. I have been remiss. How could I have forgotten to mark such a momentous milestone event as the release of the cover for Deathly Hallows? (All these images are from Mugglenet and the Leaky Cauldron).

Here is the full version with the back-cover where you can even see Voldemort. In a word, ominous!

And here is the UK children's cover.

And for sake of completeness, here is the UK Adult's cover.

So time for speculations and a comparative analysis.

US Edition: (The best one of the lot in my opinion)

First impression is that this is the FINAL confrontation between Harry and Voldemort. Just hope it doesn't end like The Final Problem with Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls.

Following up on my theory that the Deathly Hallows is the name of a place, the background coliseum like arena seems to be it. In the full view of the cover we can see what look like stage curtains so this leads me to believe that it is an amphitheater of sorts. And Harry and Voldemort are merely players on a stage, perhaps on the hallowed battlegrounds of magical battles fought long ago, perhaps even as far back as the Hogwarts' Founders era. Further, Harry is raising his hand up in the air as if he is about to call a superior power to his aid.

*Begin parenthetical Star Wars references*
(Go Harry! Voldemort is just a big ugly walking carpet with scales instead of fur! No offense, Chewie - you're far more likeable than Voldemort.).

Noticeably absent in this picture is any other source of help:

No Ron (Han is frozen in carbonite!),
No Hermione (Leia has been captured by Jabba the Hutt!),
No Ginny (Luke, find a romantic interest you must! On this the analogy depends.)

Luke - I mean Harry - you must face Darth Vader - I mean Voldemort - alone. (No, Harry. I am your father! Don't listen to him Harry! Vader - ahem Voldemort - murdered your father!)
*End parenthetical Star Wars references*

And notice what seem like wooden ruins in the foreground. And are those shadows in the background? - perhaps shadows of hooded Death Eaters waiting silently on Voldemort's orders. Or are they the silhouettes of grave-markers, magical heroes who've died waging the eternal battle between good and evil on this hallowed ground? And aren't Harry and Voldemort gazing off to an external point not visible to us? Voldemort's outstretched hand seems like an attempt to stop whatever Harry is attempting to do. As a final note, Harry doesn't appear to have aged that much, so it looks like the plot-line will stay within the timeframe of a year or so.

UK Children's Edition:

What on earth is this travesty? Sorry, when did the target demographic become 8 year olds? About the only potential clues are what the other horcruxes might be. Most of it seems like buried treasure. Not nearly as emotionally captivating as the US edition cover. The only sad part is that it only shows the trio on the horcrux hunt. That probably means no Ginny ::sobs:: (Harry, you dunderhead! Have you forgotten that "the power the dark lord knows not" is love?!)

UK Adult's Edition:

Pretty straightforward and banal, yes? It's Slytherin's locket, the next horcrux Harry will probably destroy. Where is the emotion, where is the drama? ::yawn::

Verdict: Mary GrandPre has made a completely awesome cover once again! Poor UK children :(

And, though I'm now "deathly" scared for Harry, I really hope he survives. Or if he doesn't, we'll have to take comfort in what a wise man (Dumbledore) once said: "To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure". On second thoughts, Harry's mind definitely does not qualify!

Ok, all my thoughts on the cover for now.

-- Arkajit

P.S. A peeve (No not Peeves the Poltergeist!): You have failed me for the last time, Admiral Digg! A mere 368 Diggs for the cover art release? What?!

Top 1000 Books

2007-03-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

There was recently compiled list of the top 1000 books in library's worldwide as of 2005.

My Favorite Fun Facts:

* The Lord of the Rings: #8, yes!!!! (what were the AP English test-makers saying about not being of sufficient "literary merit"?)

* Sherlock Holmes: top mystery novel at #192

* If all the Harry Potter books were counted together, they'd be #5 on the list :) But here's the individual break-down:
#220: Philosopher's Stone (a.k.a. Sorcerer's Stone)
#263: Chamber of Secrets
#304: Prisoner of Azkaban
#350: Goblet of Fire
#529: Order of the Phoenix

This was the updated list through 2005, so that probably explains the absence of Half-Blood Prince which came out in the second half of 2005. The 2006 data is not yet available.

* Shakespeare: 37 works in the top 1000, but not counting sonnets, he only wrote about 38 plays! So he's got almost a 100% conversion if it's all plays.

* Austen's Pride and Prejudice is #32 (beat out Tolstoy's Anna Karenina at #67, ha ha :P)

* Gardner's Art Through the Ages made it at #287 - That makes me feel better about having to carry that huge book for Art History :). But it's been great so far (through Baroque Art).

One unfortunate bias is that about 3/4 of all the books were written in English, so many great translated works missed the cut.

List is sorted by tags at del.ic.ious. And more fun facts are also here - go forth and find them.

-- Arkajit

784!

2007-03-21T23:20:00.000-07:00

Page count for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is .... (dramatic silence) ... 784! Yay! It's slightly longer than Goblet of Fire and shorter than Order of the Phoenix. But it could have been longer... nonetheless, can't wait.

-- Arkajit

Veronica Mars

2007-01-28T14:50:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday, I just turned the TV on to check what was on and, I stumbled across the latest episode of Veronica Mars. I had heard a lot of good comments about the show from friends and I thought I'd see what it was about.

Anyway, an hour later, I was completely confused but, nonetheless, highly intrigued. As an antidote to my confusion, I started trying to catch up on the first two seasons of the show. It's absolutely amazing! Being an avid mystery fan, I was drawn in by the tight script and the intricate plot lines. I was surprised that the writers could fit in so many side-trails and clues to have a mystery per episode. I'm about half-way through Season 1 now, and I can truly say that the overarching murder mystery for the season keeps the suspense building. And I just love the many levels of characterization and the carefully chosen setting. When I'm watching the show, I can feel the setting and the characters come alive with the multi-tiered descriptions and portrayals. The high school/college setting just makes the story that much more dynamic for me.

Here's hoping that the show is picked up for a few more seasons at least :)

-- Arkajit

Disclosing Web Vulnerabilities

2007-01-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

Today, I was reading this article by Scott Berinato from a link I followed off Slashdot, and I was reminded of some of my own experiences with disclosing web vulnerabilities.

Recently, as I've begun to be introduced to the topic of computer security, I've started to notice vulnerabilities more frequently in my daily online experience. Indeed, I find it quite exciting when I find actual examples of the security concepts or potential vulnerabilities I've read about. It makes the concepts that much more real for me.

That said, I can still relate to the feeling of uncertainty involved with discovering and reporting security vulnerabilities. In trying to be helpful in reporting the vulnerability in an application to the author, am I in danger of being suspected of hacking? Is it then worth the risk and hassle of legal entanglements?

The last paragraph of Berinato's article was particularly ominous:

A gray pall, a palpable chilling effect has settled over the security research community. Many, like Meunier, have decided that the discovery and disclosure game is not worth the risk. The net effect of this is fewer people with good intentions willing to cast a necessary critical eye on software vulnerabilities. That leaves the malicious ones, unconcerned by the legal or social implications of what they do, as the dominant demographic still looking for Web vulnerabilities.

That is truly a scary thought as the potential implications are a decline in the security of the Internet and a loss of faith in its realibility.

-- Arkajit

Winterbells

2007-01-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

Cool Game of the Week: Winterbells !!!!

A friend recently showed me this awesome game and, I've been playing on and off since Tuesday to reach the target score of 1 billion points. I'm happy to say that I've finally surpassed that target and as you can see in the screenshot above, my current high score is over 87 billion!

The rules of the game are simple. You are a white bunny. Click to jump and then use the mouse to control where the bunny falls. Along the way jump on bells to keep going up. First bell gets you ten points. The nth bell you hit gives you 10*n points. So the point values increase by ten for each successive bell. And as you progress higher up into the sky, the bells get smaller in size and are more sparsely located in the sky making touching the bells that much more difficult. Along the way there are bonuses, flying birds! If you touch the birds, you double your score!! Object of the game is to get as many points as you can before you fall (game over).

Since I've started playing the game, I've come to realize that Winterbells is more than just a game - it's a metaphor for life! As you continue to climb up the sky, the stakes get higher. Each successive bell is a new harder challenge or obstacle that you have to surmount. Gravity is your archenemy: It tries to pull you down and thwart your success! And the birds are like the lucky breaks and fortuitous occurences in life. Sometimes the bird might be on the opposite side of the screen and you may have to take a risk by trying to reach it. Such is life :-)

Anways, give the game a try and see how high you can go!

Warning: Accompanying background music could be hypnotizing and prolonged exposure to the game could result in dreaming that you are the rabbit in Winterbells jumping from bell to bell! (I speak from experience ;P) Studies are currently being done to see if counting bells is more effective than counting sheep for falling asleep. Enjoy!

-- Arkajit

End of FoxTrot Dailies

2006-12-25T15:10:00.000-08:00

Nooooo! Last week of Foxtrot dailies :-(

Starting from Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006, we'll only have the Sunday Foxtrot comics to look forward to.

Hopefully, the last few dailies will be memorable!

-- Arkajit

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2006-12-21T21:05:00.000-08:00

Yes!!! The moment we've all been waiting for... the title for Harry Potter 7. While there's no known release date yet, speculation over at Mugglenet is that a 2007 release date is likely.

Well, after 17 months of speculation (since HBP came out in July 2005) over Book 7, we finally have a title to further fuel the theories.

An interesting note, googling "The Deathly Hallows" at around 9 p.m. PST tonight still yields no Harry Potter related hits at all! (Only exception is the lone google news link at the top to a news article about the book's impact on the market which is not really a true search hit.) Check out the top five hits below, all regarding All Hallow's Eve or Halloween.

Wonder how long that will last before the page fills up with nothing but Harry-Potter related sites?

But still it echoes what I first thought about when I heard the title - Halloween. After all, it's such a crucial date in the HP books, the most memorable being Halloween 1981 when Lily and James Potter were murdered by Lord Voldemort, the day before the story picks up in Sorcerer's Stone.

First, though we must determine if Deathly Hallows is referring to a place, a time or date - what exactly? I'm inclined toward thinking that its a place - perhaps the location of the final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort. I'd also think that if it is a place, it has some special historical significance for Harry. Could the story possibly end where it began, at Godric's Hollow? After all Hollow, Hallow - sounds similar.

And why "Deathly" rather than "Deadly"? I'm not sure if that's more common in Britain, but it seems to me "deadly" is the more commonly used term. This further leads me to think that it's a proper noun as in the name of a place.

Also since hallow means to consecrate or make holy, there's probably something sacred about this place. Perhaps even a deeper significance for all of magic, maybe the source of all magical power in the world or something crazy like that.

Ok, let me just end by making a list of a few questions that I would like resolved by the end of the series: (I tried to restrict myself to just the main burning questions. Of course, there are lot's of other interesting questions as well, but I have to wonder how much J.K.R. will leave open at the end.)

Peter Pettigrew: How did he turn to the Dark Side? Life debt to Harry?
Severus Snape: The most complex character in the series - What's his game? Which side?
Generally more Marauders Era backstory - maybe it will help in the horcrux hunt...
The Veil: I've got to believe that we're going to see it play a role again. SiriusBlackIsNotDead.com anyone? (actually surprised that no one has taken that domain name) :)
Harry: Horcrux or Not? Will he survive?
Shipping: Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione ?- had to add that in just for completeness' sake ;P

Can't wait!!

-- Arkajit

P.S. Oh, I just thought about what the old title may have been. Some time back, J.K. Rowling had said that she had come up with a new title that was a vowel and two consonants ahead of her current title. Well what if the original title was "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hall"? Then adding a vowel, 'o', and two consonants 'w', 's' gives "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"! If this is true, then the theory that this is a place seems even more plausible.

You Are...

2006-12-18T12:33:00.000-08:00

...Time's Person of the Year!

Yes, you, me, everyone. Did we call it or what? Keep up the blogging, podcasting, web 2.0 spirit!

-- Arkajit

Sci-Fi Spaceship Lengths

2006-12-07T22:59:00.000-08:00

Ever wondered how long Darth Vader's Super Star Destroyer The Executor is? Almost 20 km! Compare the lengths of spaceships across many different sci-fi series at Starship Dimensions.

Compared to The Executor, most of the other ships don't even match up. The rod-like spaceship Discovery in 2001: A Space Odyssey is only about 113 m in length. The regular imperial star destroyers are only about 2 km in length, though. The size disparity is clear in the picture.

And of course, if you remember the scene from the ROTJ where Admiral Ackbar says to "concentrate all fire-power on that super star-destroyer" before The Executor crashes into Death Star II, it's no surprise that the spacestation could contain a few hundred thousand super start destroyers.

I was, howewer, surprised to find out that the Death Star II had a radius about five times that of the first Death Star. While the original Death Star had an impressive radius of 160 km, the Death Star II trumps that with a whopping 800 km radius! Incidentally, that's only slightly short of the radius of Pluto which is 1180 km. And considering that there are several well-known moons in our solar system that are smaller than the first Death Star, Han Solo's characterization of it as "a small moon" seems justified as well.

- Arkajit

Math and Happiness

2006-10-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

There was an article on CNN today about a study done that relates students' confidence and happiness to their success in math.

On the surface, I was surprised by their findings that less happy students with lower confidence were better math students; conversely "confident students do worse in math". At the very least, they were contrary to my experiences, and I would have liked to see some of the actual analysis rather than the simple report of the raw data.

But I do see some possible ways to reconcile these results. From my own background, I can distinctly recall three major phases (thus far) in my mathematics education.

In the first phase - think back to your first contact with math :) - it is still a very novel thing, pretty cool and different from most other subjects you're used to, still very puzzle-like and playful. It's like learning a new language - at the beginning the new words and phrases are foreign, mysterious - you're fairly engaged.

The second phase is the downer. It involves much more rote computations and you start to get bored, frustrated, unhappy. Keeping with the learning a new language analogy, I liken this phase to learning the "grammar". Basically, this is where you pick up many of the fundamental computational tools you'll need in more advanced mathematics.

The third (final ?) phase, for me, began at the moment when I started higher mathematics and the now ingrained tools were applied in various contexts: pure mathematics, physics, engineering, computer science, etc... For example, I found myself drawn to the beauty and elegance of proofs, the synthesis of topics I've learned previously, and the amazing satisfaction of finally solving the problem. In this respect, this phase is very much like the first phase again where it becomes much more enjoyable again. In the language analogy, it's like finally being able to talk and use the language for extended periods of time - that's when the true beauty comes out.

Of course, I'm still very much in the middle of my mathematical journey and there may be more phases. Also, the phases sometimes tend to oscillate :P

So, anyway I think this is a possible confounding variable that needs to be considered when analyzing the results of the study correlating success in math and student happiness. For example, I can certainly relate to the phase two feeling of being very proficient at math from a pure computational standpoint yet not being very satisfied with the overall experience. On the flip side, proficiency with these tools, like a firm grasp of grammar in English, is essential to fully appreciate the language of mathematics. But in the end, the ability to imagine and play are just as vital for happiness in mathematics as in other fields.

-- Arkajit

More Products from Google Labs

2006-10-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

New product of Google Labs is out today: Google Code Search! I just started experimenting with it and it looks like it could be quite useful. It indexes many open source code projects and allows for regexp pattern matching (what else?). This is great! Now it's easy to find all the examples I need to learn how to use new functions or features. One thing I would have liked to see was a searchable index of library functions from popular languages, such as C, C++, Java, etc... It would be really nice to have that all in one place.

Incidentally, I also started using the new Google Reader, another product of the Google labs, last weekend. It is now a permant fixture on my home page - I actually don't even have to visit the actual Google reader site that often unless I want to add or change feeds. All the snippets appear right on my home page!

For now, I can only wonder what will come out of the labs next?

-- Arkajit

Space Blogging

2006-10-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Blogging has broken new frontiers: Blogs in Space! Ansani, the Iranian space tourist, begins her blog "A long, long time ago in a country far, far away ...". Awesome Star Wars reference!

As far as I know, there haven't been similar blogging milestones from other extreme parts of the world. So here are some new challenges for the blogging community:

Blogging From Under the Sea
Blogging From Atop the Summit of Mt. Everest
Blogging From the Moon
Blogging From Middle Earth
Blogging From Hogwarts
Blogging From Tatooine

So maybe those last three are best left to fantasy (I can just imagine Hermione saying "Honestly, are you ever going to read Hogwarts, A History. All those Muggle substitutes for magic don't work around Hogwarts!") :P .

But at least there could be records for highest/lowest elevation blogging, etc... It would be interesting to see how it would turn out. Though I'm not sure how feasible it is currently :)

-- Arkajit

The Man Who Saved The World

2006-09-26T22:29:00.000-07:00

Today is the 23rd anniversay of the day Stanislav Petrov a USSR colonel averted a potential nuclear disaster by refusing to believe computer warnings that the US had launched a missile attack against the Soviet Union. His judgement to disregard the warnings as false proved sound; the warnings were in erorr. But had Petrov acted on the warnings and notified his superiors, it is not a stretch of the imagination to think that the anxious Soviet command would have launched a full "retaliatory" counterattack and ensuring MAD.

Anyway when I first heard this story, my first reaction was that it seemed that it was straight out of War Games or any other Cold War era film built around the nuclear war hype. Another more recent movie that came to mind was Denzel Washington's Crimson Tide. I was shocked. These scenarios which sound so fantastical and hilarious when you're watching a movie were appallingly real. What was most disturbing was the eery similarity between reality and fantasy. Those who have watched War Games will remember that the plot also centered around a human decision to not accept a computer warning which was later shown to be in error.

Petrov's story was only declassified eight years ago and it is now set to appear in a documentary: "The Red Button & The Man Who Saved the World". Here's to Petrov and the hope that our luck will hold out.

-- Arkajit

Thirteen Digit ISBN

2006-09-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

The days of the 10 digit ISBN are winding down! Starting 1/1/2007, is ISBN-13. Luckily the new ISBN system has been made backwards compatible with the old one. It seems there was always a 3-digit EAN code prefix which was always 978. Now, they're just introducing another series 979. Since the last digit in the ISBN is just a check digit, that really only gives 1 billion extra ISBN numbers. Which makes me wonder, how long can the 13 digit ISBN last before it is exhausted as well? 2100? 3000? Will we still be relying on books at that time or will all our data have become digitized and books obsolete? Or will there be some new medium by then? Just some interesting questions to ponder.

On a side note, the method of computing the check digit of the ISBN is quite interesting as well. For the 10-digit ISBN, the check digit has to be chosen such that the dot product of the vector [1..10] with the 10-digit vector representation of the ISBN (including the check digit as the first entry) should be congruent to zero modulo 11! If the check digit has to be 10, the letter X is used as the digit. Now obviously the check digit is not foolproof, but since 11 is prime, it does a pretty good job. So I wonder if for ISBN-13, the check digit will be computed modulo 13+1=14 or 13, also prime. I'm inclined to suspect that it would use modulo 13.

Anyway, this leads me to my idea for an ISBN game. So one person picks a favorite book and then finds its ISBN. He gives the other person the ISBN without the check digit and he has to go and figure out what the book is. Right now the game is fairly trivial, but you can probably add some extra steps along the way to add to the challenge. Maybe the book title can be part of a clue for a larger puzzle and maybe one other digit (besides the check digit) could be hidden as well. That at least expands the number of possible matching ISBNs - there could be other hints given to narrow down the choice. I'll have to try this sometime :)

-- Arkajit

Beginning of a Journey

2006-08-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

According to Wikipedia, "the term weblog was coined by Jon Barger on December 17, 1997". The more familiar shortened form of "blog" didn't get coined until around 1999. So why did I decide to start my own blog now after nearly a decade?

I admit, though I'd heard of the concept fairly early, I didn't find it too appealing. I did experiment with running several group blogs, but none for my own personal use. I was fine with reading other people's blogs, but I never really had much of a desire to create my own. Why someone would want to share their entire life's story on the web was unfathomable to me.

That was until now.

After following quite a few blogs for a long time, I began to realize the benefits of publishing my own blog. First, it is strangely liberating to be able to write about whatever you want. Second, it is an easy way to gain perspective and defragment your mind. Finally, it creates a unique digital footprint for posterity's sake.

For most veteran bloggers, that's probably no epiphany. But now, I'm definitely ready to take the plunge and overcome my aversion to blogging. I'm giving it a shot. Web 2.0 is here - I might as well embrace it.

About the blog name: Lord of the Rings fans probably already realize the reference. But, yes it is a reference to the one ring to rule them all. Perhaps it sheds some light on one of my favorite books.

-- Arkajit