Universe and its mysteries

We, as human beings, are always driven by the desire to discover the roots of our existence. Are we made of stardust? Did we evolve from apes? What is that super particle that can make anything? (Thinking Alchemy anyone?) These are some questions that intrigued human beings for centuries.

The more curious of the lot experimented with organisms around us. And some with things (elements/substances). The adventurous explored every corner of earth - and oceans - and some even beyond earth in search of roots of life. While the quest continues, there's a lot we know now more than some centuries ago and a lot more we don't know!

That's what I sought to ponder over today.

Let it be a futile exercise to summarize our disillusionment. The deepest of the mysteries that surround us are astounding!

The atomic/sub-stomic models of elements, for instance, went through different representations. Some called it like matter as ether and some calling it seeds-in-watermelon-like. Some finally zeroed on orbital model of electrons revolving around nucleus with positively charged protons and neutral neutrons. And then Planck, Maxwell and Schroedinger added radiation and uncertainity models which created a confusion between particle as a entity or wave. EPR paradox called out spooky phenomenon across sub-atomic particles that surprisingly revealed some unpredictable linking. It came to be famously known as quantum entanglement later. This phenomenon also allowed us to design computation layer which uses the dynamics of quantum states especially the superposition to augment/challenge the existing classical computing architecture (look more about quantum supremacy here). Stephen Hawking brings attention to second law of thermodynamics stating particle systems forming unique seemingly disordering mixtures of their own. He strongly feels this, in turn, also asserts the big bang model of a more ordered system tending to form a less ordered system.

Traditionally we observed systems and phenomenon on electro-magnetic dimensional spectrum on a time scale. Einstein's general theory of relativity introduced the space-time dimension, which was initially very hard to wrap heads around. This eventually led to the re-interpretation of Newton's law of gravity.

Gravity, on the other hand, proved to be the most mysterious of all the particle phenomena. Our minds and system analyses are boggled by the manifestation of gravity on celestial bodies. It looks like it is not simply an acceleration "g" as we all have known it. Instead, it represents the curvature of space-time that is formed by the presence of a mass.

As always, Physicists are not the souls to let the systems be. They had stayed busy building their nuclear reactors and hadron colliders to let us understand the fundamental phenomenon - fissions and fusions. Trying to answer questions like "What initiates the high energy reactions in the stars?" "How does gravitational field span out at different stages of a star's existence?" "What happens if stars collide?"

Our quest, is fuelled by the research and capabilities that we built to get beyond our homes and probe our dearly neighbour, the moon. And fuelled further by the strong hope to find living beings like us, we built inter-planetary probes. Our spectroscopy evolved to such an extent that we deployed telescope satellites to observe astronomical phenomena.

Some physicists argue that so far, the biggest mystery that surrounds us is the lack of a unifying theory that links general theory of relativity to quantum mechanics. This is so challenging that the events like black-hole mergers of the big bang model universe had to be studied more closely using specialized high-precision scientific facilities like Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatories (LIGOs) to study gravitational waves from supernovae. One of the long term plans of space agencies is also to deploy LIGOs in space.  We will study more about astronomical events like formation of black-holes in the coming days.

With advances in AI, statistical modeling, natural language processing, image processing, spectroscopy, life science and material science, it is very likely that we make leaps in explaining such phenomenon in greater detail. However, to validate our understanding, we are quite limited in our ability to travel or communicate to distant celestial realms that can boost our understanding.  Multi-dimensional analyses and spacecraft technology needs an overhaul to extend our presence on to the edge of our known celestial zones few light years away. 

My graduation journey and lessons

Often, I ponder about how my grad school (Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani) moulded me for facing the real world.

Here's a quick list of areas I observed, appreciated and learnt at grad school. Hope this helps you too!

1. Making your own timetable:
Most challenges/activities in life don't come planned but for all those scenarios where you have the time and need to be organized, this definitely helps. You need to know what your areas of focus are, how you are going to approach and who you are going to consult. The registration system corners you to think and do this.

2. Freedom to choose your mentor:
Just because you are registered in a class doesn't necessarily mean you are bound to attend the professor's lectures. You can hear from friends, try out others as well and start gaining momentum with a mentor/professor of your choice.

3. Relative grading:
In an absolute grading system, you only know how you perform. Relative grades tell you how your class performed. In a way, that is like simulating the real world. The problems you are solving today may not be unique. That's why you always have competition and you need to know where you stand against your competition. Relative grading prepares you for it. You cannot be satisfied with only your scores anymore!

4. Composable Curriculum:
What you want to specialize in may not be clear to you when you set off on the graduation journey. It is like travelling on a foggy road. You know things ahead of you only when you get to a point. Having that flexibility to pick what you want at a later point in your study can go a long way in keeping you open-minded and keep watching for avenues to explore. Imagine you have an option to switch streams after an year or so. Or may be you have an option to bundle your masters along with your bachelors? Cool, isn't it?

5. Theory, Practice and Industry Exposure:
What you study, learn and solve on paper has to show results during the exhaustive practical lab sessions. And this is how you fabricate a chip or deploy an application on production servers. Just because you made sure all the data-points, simulations and observations are correct doesn't mean your product is error-free. You can ask any production engineer to share their experience. I bet you get to hear their bitter-sweet experiences.

6. Network, Research and Placement Opportunities:
If not the admission or job offer for your next adventure, grad school gives you friends who pull you along, offer you a shoulder and celebrate with you when you succeed. Needless to say, you will be at a much better footing for making a job in your favourite company or pursue higher education further or explore a new career path.

7. Uncomprimising evaluation:
When you miss classes because of bad health, you need to have options to avail a second chance. If you are not satisfied with the evaluation, you need to have ways to request a re-consideration. These aspects establish trust and confidence in the evaluation system.

8. Student empowerment:
When you are in the driving seat, you see the road ahead. When you manage your day, your money, your time, your emotions and your resources, you take charge of your direction. Inclusive activities, collaboration, debate and decision-making become part of you. Starting from food, hostel, external meets, conferences and sports, you engage in the activities. These are the activities which empower you to become someone beyond being 'mere you'.

9. Art-oriented:
Music, literature, dance, painting, photography, poetry and other forms of art inspire your thinking. You will find hobbyists sharing your interests and form buddy groups which grow beyond grad school days.

10. Original-thinking:
The buddy-group and faculty condone plagiarism of any kind. They encourage understanding and thinking through your mind. Knowing what we know and what we don't helps us collaborate in meaningful ways. We also grow stronger as individuals who can ask relevant questions and gather necessary data for  accomplishing what we set out to do. 
 

Feedback

We all understand how important feedback is during communication and in the systems.

A use case
Imagine you can't see the mobile screen. You are trying to click something. How do you know if your click went through? You can't see the button enlarged! Do you hear your screen reader to read out your click action? Do you expect your mobile to give you a vibrate notification?

Another
You are having a conversation. You don't understand the other person's reactions or intentions. Do you observe or assume or ask? 

We give and seek feedback in many ways. By doing so, we also experience how it works and how it doesn't work every time we try. Feedback mechanisms are tricky indeed!

You run into all types of specimens (let me tell you I have been such a specimen myself) :
You come across those who are conducive to feedback. Some are paranoid. Some resist. Some ignore and some listen but don't care.

For progress, building a robust feedback systems that keep communication channels alive is a challenging task for any organization.

#feedback #progress #commitment #challenge

Negativity in everyday life

[Inspired by this post]

I always overlook the hidden negativity that creeps into our everyday life. To get beyond this negativity, we can't simply avoid these traits and do opposite things or go against our instincts. We have to focus on the action in the direction of our destination. These traits are like some land mines to watch out for when we tread our paths. These are probably influencing your journey. It's high time we start paying extra attention to these and go forward.


Making excuses:

Giving reasons for not doing. Justifying missed deadlines or inability to accomplish. Defending actions instead of being assertive about results.

Quitting easily: 

Not persuing enough till we really know it doesn't work. Being disappointed by initial setbacks. Fearing failure. Paranoid about avoiding embarassment.

Waiting for permission:

Am I stepping on the toes of another? May be it's not the area of my responsibility. I don't want others to be worried about my presence or my persona. I'm not authorized to do that. There are experts dealing with this already. I am not receiving anything anyway. In what way does it help anyone?

Seeking attention:

I may not be qualified enough but wait so are others. I want to take the centerstage no matter what. A little bit of attention won't spoil the plan. I drew a dot on that painting, I don't see my name in the acknowledgements! How mean! What motivation do I have?

Constant Engagement:

Have been slogging since past 20 mins, nobody bothered to pay attention to my laptop! I need to keep pinging all the time, why doesn't the other person ping? Can somebody take care of my cat? Hey you, I'm talking to you. Don't you go away like that!

Procrastination:

Will have to do it now! May be not today. May be tom. The next day, I have something more important. I need to stop doing this. Oh wait, why am I so bad at prioritizing? Will install an app for this. Oh gosh, am late already for a meeting.

Lack of resources:

I'm short of time. I'm short of money. There are not enough people. I'm not skilled enough. I need to focus more. I need to read more. I need to practice more.

Being in the comfort zone:

Wait, I don't need to do that. I'm fine here. Wait, that's too risky. What will happen to my finger nail if I type so hard? Why are you so upset unnecessarily? Chill!

Passing judgement without knowing the circumstances:

He's successful because he cheated or he got lucky or he's rich or she has looks. All government organizations are slow. All politicians are corrupt. Media needs catchy stories. Marketing campaigns have lies.

Plagiarism:

This comes in various forms. One common form being quoting ideas, concepts or results as our own instead of referring to resources. Or it can be showing others work as our own. Doesn't a code copy-paste need a license copy-paste as well? Doesn't the creator need due credit to their IP?

Are you dispelling negativity from your day?

Today?

[High five!]

Accessibility Awareness

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be not able to see the world? Or hear the world?

There are around 1b people with accessibility disorders globally. In India alone, there are 28m. 

Imagine doing one of your daily activities for instance walking from your bed to kitchen with eyes closed.  You get an idea of how much we take our senses for granted.

Global accessibility awareness day gave a glimpse of what members with physical challenges go through in their life.

They fight through most/all of these challenges

1. Mobility
2. Assistance
3. Guidance
4. Communication
5. Social stigma

We can collectively do a bit from our end to make their life better and make a small spark in their life.

Here are some ways which improve the inclusivity in things we do

1. Making the products we create/design/build, more expressive.  For eg., if you are building a pavement, slanting the edges so that a person travelling on wheel chair can descend. Making ATM kiosks, shops, apps, banks, ticket counters and other places include appropriate assitance technologies.
2. Having a member with physical limitation use/test/certify the things we use and understand how they would use it. For eg., engravings on keyboards, markings on pavements and so on.
3. Having explicit media extensions for those with disabilities. If we are building some web pages, making sure we support keyboard navigation or screen reader utility.
4. Having a political and social representation from the physically challenged group so we take into account the challenges they face in planning and administration.  

Smart Investment

Here's a small tip I thought will be useful for us.

Are you paying a premium every year and wondering how much you should expect after x years?

I have a javascript code snippet for you to play around with...


--js code starts--

var calculateCompoundInterest = function(principal, rate, timeInYears) {
  return principal * (Math.pow((1+rate/100),timeInYears))
}

var calculateRecurringCompoundInterest = function(principal, rate, timeInYears) {
  var finalAmount=0.0;
  for(var i=0; i    finalAmount+=calculateCompoundInterest(principal,rate,i+1)
  }
  return finalAmount
}

//fixed one time premium at 5% rate of interest for 11 years
console.log(calculateCompoundInterest(100000,5,11));
 
//recurring premium at 5% rate of interest for 11 years
console.log(calculateRecurringCompoundInterest(100000,5,11));

--js code ends--

Javascript and us

Programming languages are getting as sophisticated as us!

Javascript, for instance, has "callbacks" that let us call the operation back when the output is ready. According to Dr. Venkat Subramaniam, if you are waiting for a callback (like you wait for your girl to call you back), you will either be in a pending state (waiting in the stack of execution leaving way for all unimportant processing to take place) or an unprocessed state (till you end up with a white beard!). So, we typically set a timeout and proceed with our expected chain of responsibility.

Javascript also provides a very beautiful "Promise" object that can nicely wrap the callback paradigm. Promise let's you transition seamlessly between synchronous and asynchronous chains of execution. A promise clearly sets the expectation on whether you can

1. wait, 
2. throw an exception (error) OR
3. exit/proceed

Very much similar to real world promises.Only these promises are slightly better than the real world ones. At least, you can debug. 

Libraries like RxJS provide ways to listen on to a (emitted) stream of objects. This emitted stream is processed in various ways using map, filter and reduce. This will let us sanitize/cleanse, transform and aggregate UI data. This is more like extending the previous promise paradigm to a stream of objects. Can't wait to get hands dirty with some code!

Parting with some residual thoughts from Scott Davis on false dichotomies of perception. Not everything is binary, most real problems may not be "Rocks Vs Sucks". Strongly reminds me of my dear friend, who says "The real world is not digital, Naveen. It's analog!" True he is! 

Cool startups

Was at #sapstartupsocial on Apr 20 2017 and sat listening to and being inspired by mind-blowing ideas ready to unleash at full throttle given the resources and market opportunity.

Here's a small summary of what I got to witness at the pitches and sessions.
The ideas are not limited to these areas, of course.
This is just a satire ;-)

Nandan Nilekani's talk on what we need next and where we are headed really made me think about "Have data and do business" Vs "Do business and have data too". UIDAI APIs will change the game on identity data integration. These APIs can transform businesses and connect opportunities to individuals through authentication and trackability. 

GSTN is another major tax reformation/optimization that can cut through multiple verticals. No wonder GSTN attracted many questions and concerns.

Entrepreneurship

[I'm not a poet so read at your own risk ;) ]

Are you on?

For a journey that changes you
And that takes all of you

That questions everything you hold dear
And that becomes an unknown fear

A journey where everyday's new
A path which is chosen by few

A journey that reveals friends from foes
while crossing bridges full of woes

A journey that forces you to search deep (inside)
to prevent setbacks that seep (in)

A journey where you search for unknowns
till the dawn with frowns and groans

Where your obsession with funding
never guarantees right channels for spending

You learn what is worth
while you sail through dearth (of resources)

(Here's 3 cheers!)

For a journey that changes you
And that takes all of you

Age of AI and Women

[Disclaimer: I'm not an advocate of AI-ization. Neither am I a feminist - despite the fact that I'm posting this on International Women's Day - nor a male chauvinist. For the records, I'd like to call myself a chivalrous-technology-dude.]

I've come across a spectrum of women ranging from YOLO to most-patient-perseverant types. It surprises me how women manage to be so receptive and yet assertive while being so attractive. Congenial yet compelling. When I see them handle situations with a broad-mind, slightly unspecific, open for change with a readyness to change perspective, I see bias for less analysis. Hence a tendency of being more action-oriented. That takes me to the next point. This approach encourages more heart-oriented behaviour and (may be) hence highly encourages participation. This is a contrast and complement to a highly-focused, aggressive, competitive, heartless, goal-oriented-time-bound and unflinching - labelled as male-like - styles of approach.

AI on the other hand works with data. Unbiased (and ruthless) analysis mixed with history-based trend analysis marks AI. Add predictions to this analysis. And then more ability to learn from real-time data and auto-correcting your predictions. Isn't it how we all aspire to be when we do our investments or play a game? Look at the past and deal with present with a futuristic vision (over-simplified but you get the point?). I've also been hearing AI-ists talk and demo systems/bots which understand and respond to emotions. That's like a sci-fi flick coming live in our lives! Without being too optimistic or pessimistic about AI, I feel we should embrace our breakthroughs and focus them on space exploration, medicine, transportation, conservation of environment and many such areas. My (less) understanding limits my ability to imagine the possibilities AI can throw open!

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, it's high time you think about a lady and an AI bot as your co-founders!

Insta-gratify yourself?

Back in my blogger shoes in the new year!
With demonetization shaking the ground and great music souls RIP'ing, 2016 ended on a bittersweet note.

While stepping into 2017 with new perspective and expectations, as usual, started pondering over our motivations and fuel for every day.

Disclaimer: My introspective self is always ready with multi-dimensional questions (in CS/DS terms - don't bother if you don't know those abbrevations - like a n-ary tree which goes many levels deep).

What is your fuel?
Conversations with friends and family? Stuff you do passionately every day? Impact you are making in the lives of people around? Experience you acquire while doing all this...?

One thing that seems to ego-massage my inner-self everyday is marked in "red". Irony, isn't it?

Before you start hitting me with all your perverted guesses, let me tell you I meant notifications on my mobile!
I seem to love those red notification dots flashing on my mobile every now and then. Whatsapp, Viber, FB, Instagram, Quora, Smule, Meetups... everybody seems to be obsessed with red as if you are saying... "Hey... here's a life changing message you got from somebody (whose number I haven't saved - not intentionally, of course) saying 'Good Morning. Have a nice day!' " Ah, I love the feeling when I grab my phone and click on that button which keeps flashing. Even if I lock my phone, that red dot ("My precious" in Gollum's tone) has an assistant (another blinking light at the bottom of my mobile. What an innovation! As if I'm a sailor sailing the distant seas and I see a lighthouse of hope in the form of this lifeline - a bloody blinking blue light )

I'm definitely not complaining! If you think I'm, I better clarify. I love those notifications despite my arduous failed attempts to stay away from them.

I tried

1. Disabling internet at every possible instance
2. Downgrading my data plan
3. Downgrading my wifi plan
4. Uninstalling apps
5. Disabling push notifications
6. Disabling read receipts to curb the urge to see if the person I have sent the msg to checked it or not
7. Repeatedly requesting friends to call and meet me persistently
8. Asking for real help through all those channels 

But I still love those beautiful red dots! 

"Precious, these hobbitses won't let us check those dots! Tiny stinky hairy hobbitseeeees!" 

Money works in many ways

[ Inspired by demonetization initiative in India and also my reading of Economics of Banking. I got to tell you both have been very painful. ;) I want this post to be a sort of cliched one. Am not very good with words and meter. ]

Money works in many ways
 
We save a penny here and a penny there
Our vaults get heavy and our ego too
We lose time to even count your pennies
We drive fancy cars and have great views from the window
Wear the best and look the best
Roam the world with a backpack and stubble

What does money want?

It loves movement from hand to hand.
It cannot contain in a locked safe!
It longs for value.
If you don't give it what it deserves, it goes sad and black!

What is money?
Moulded metal or printed note?
It pervades everywhere. 
It drives people insane.

Money works in many ways.

Money's made of the hope that we LIVE the next day.
However we want to.
Nothing more and nothing less.

Going high

We hear this everyday.

He's hit his high.
This drink gets me high.
You should always aim high.

When do you get high?

• When you score the best in exam and top the list? 
• When your team wins a volleyball match and you see the certificate? 
• Or when you get into the university you have only dreamt about 
• Or when you graduated successfully with a high paying job in a well-known corporate?
• When you play a tal with variation you have only heard but never tried before and see that spark in your teacher's eye?
• Or when your professor overlooks your late course application and approves your course after a tough debate and lecture on punctuality?
• When you give yourself a generous dose of a beverage or let some quirky smoke enter into your breath?
• Or when you hear a tune and bang your head for half-an-hour and realize it's just another well-known ragam? 
• Or when you give flowers and see the girl smiling mysteriously as if nothing had happened? And then have a non-stop-2-min-laugh about it as if how-dare-you-no-way!
• When you stumble upon a friend at a random place and start exchanging life events - present and past? 
• When you know you are right and button up for whatever is ahead?
• When you can't play a tune how-much-ever hard you try but play it flawlessly the very first time next day?
• While watching the movie you know you imagined this much better than what is shown?
• Or when you click a perfect portrait and your subject says thanks with the eyes?
• Or when you can't help but repeatedly thank the chef (and a friend) for making the lunch memorable?
• When you say something without validating internally and realize there's something cool about it? 

River of life

[ Inspired by Cauvery water issue and some personal experiences, of course ]

I'm life!

I don't come with a plan. I don't come with a schedule.
I have a destination but that's not my end.
I die everyday when I meet the ocean. I'm born everyday too.
I flood. I narrow down. I slow down. I flatten. But I never stop! 

There are bridges, which stay aloof.
They keep telling everyone to stay away from me and be safe.
They frown upon my vastness and depth.

There are dams, which try to stop and contain me.
They try to use me in ways - they think - that will help people.

My most valuable possession lies in my heart - the fishes, plants and micro organisms.
They fill themselves with me.
They are there for me wherever I go.
To an extent, may be, I exist for that love.

There are boats that flow with me and share some of my love!

People fight over me. I don't take sides.
I'm for those who need me.
People try to change my course. I oblige as long as I support my love.
I hate wastes from people and industries. They pollute me! They harm me and my love.

I AM life! 

Love,
A River

Grad School (Another short story)

[A story once written is never as beautiful the second time.]

It still feels like a dream. He still has his wife's words ringing in his head, "It's time for her to become a woman." He has never left her all by herself for more than a week. Now he'll have to do it for a semester. He wanted to ask her how long their semesters are. 3 months? What if it's 6 months?

He pulled down at the university hostel. It's a simple building with girl students gossipping. He also spots the warden who spoke to parents during their induction session for newly joining students. His mind is switching between the present and his arguments with his wife.

He: There are 2 top-rated universities in engineering nearby. We can drive there in less than 3 hours. Moreover, what's the scope for a career in literature? A journalist? A writer? A teacher? It looks to me like she wants to run away from home!

His wife (Interrupts): The whole world is not made up of only engineers and scientists. Let the girl follow her interests.  

He: Do you think she has a boy friend?

His wife: Not any that I know of. Honey, she's our daughter. She can face the world. You are just over-thinking. 

He: It's a 10 hour drive from here. I want to be there with her and see all the on-boarding myself. 

His wife: Johnny has his mid-term. I need to be here. 

He realizes he went blank thinking about their conversation. She is still looking at him silently not interrupting his thoughts. Just like him, she is not able to speak.

The dad in him takes over. "You have all the stuff packed. Clothes, books, tab, mobile... ummm... some stuff your mom prepared. Make sure you check if the SIM is active by the evening", he speaks quickly trying to suppress his urge to ask her how long her semester is.

"It won't be too long, pa! I'm going to be home before christmas.", she replies as if she heard him.  He supresses his reaction. She continues, "Home's been my world. I want to see more. I will meet students from across the world. Learn. Make friends. Learn from professors. I looked up so much about this university and their curriculum in this area. I made more than 10 calls over phone and skype to my seniors from school".

"But, baby, you have never been out of home for more than a week." He regrets why he said that. She is in tears. He hugs her. She doesn't let go. He pats her on the back of her head.

After a pause, she starts "Honestly, pa, I don't think I can last a day here. More than anything else, I don't know how I can spend a day not fighting with Johnny. I'll skype you every day at 7 PM. Remind Johnny to pick another slot for basket ball. I looked up trains which come over to our place. May do a couple of trips home over the weekends before christmas. I know mom didn't want to come here because she doesn't want to show that she misses me." 
 

He takes a pen from his pocket and gives her. "This thing, honey. This little thing here is very powerful. This made regimes fall. This liberated many lives. This has pushed the limits of thinking, imagination, creativity and reality. Let this be the light for your future." He couldn't believe he just said some deep stuff. He guesses it's part of being a dad. 

She doesn't let him go still. He wriggles out and kisses her on the forehead. With a heavy heart, he steps back into the car. The warden comes swiftly and holds her hand.  She assures him that this young lady is going to be a strong woman. He drives a 100 yards and stops to see his girl walk into the hostel glancing backwards mirroring the heaviness in his heart. 

He never thought about how he'll feel not seeing her at dinner everyday. Johnny and his wife seem to have already prepared themselves for it.

A Short Story

He senses her moving sharply behind him. She's not speaking a word but he knows she's furious. She calls his friend, Vijay, who was sitting in the other room on a couch comfortably, with amplified artificial sweetness in her voice "Vijay, let's go out for dinner today. I didn't cook anything". Vijay, to his utter dismay, is grinning widely. She signals Vijay to come and help her with folding her clothes. While Vijay is still at his job, he goes to her and asks if she's fine. She feigns another artificially sweetened smile saying everything and everybody is absolutely fine.

He knows he's made a mistake. May be he shouldn't have told what's on his mind. He is not clear if she is angry about what he told or how he told. He wished girls (especially this girl) were more patient and explain what's on their mind. He feels as if he has crossed the line but doesn't know how!

He walks slowly to her while she's combing her hair. She sees him coming in the mirror. She chooses to look at herself. He tries talking to her while framing all the sentences in his mind. He just can't. He clears his throat loud so she could hear him. She simply ignores him as if she didn't hear anything. He brunts out another "Ahem" before he mutters "Sorry. I didn't think it'll make you so angry."

She turns to him immediately at a speed he has never seen her move. Her face is now red. Before he even realizes, a storm is upon him. She is at him, "We have been living in the same place for over an year. Our families know each other. We have atleast a 100 common friends on facebook. We hangout almost every day. Even Vijay knows what's wrong! Sorry for what? Why are things so complicated with you?"

His frown turns into a smile.
She doesn't wait for his reply.
While she walks off angrily with Vijay, he knows it's time for him to get into action. 

L-man & M-woman

(My amateur - supposed to be fun but actually not - super hero story)

Mother Nature (M) can't help but notice the imbalance in the world. Men and women are not attracted to each other anymore! They are distracted all the time with their gadgets - mobiles, tablets, smart watches, TVs - at home. When they are out of their home, they are after power, money and self-gratification. M knows that the world can't go like this far enough. M knows more than clearly that the fundamental source of all forms of positive emotions - friendship, peace, camaraderie, joy and celebration - is love. Only when people are in love, they feel good about themselves and others. That's the only way to restore humanity. She's so sure!

But how is that possible?

M has so many other responsibilities. The environment is polluted, so many species are going extinct, stars are dying, droughts, cyclones, seismic activity, volcanic activity... there are just too many of them. M needs to scale. So she decides to create a new super power, L-man.

L-man can make two organisms fall in love.

1. He can touch any two beings and they will instantly fall in love with each other. Remember, he has to touch both of them only then they fall in love. Just one touch is of no significance. ( I'm taking no questions there. That's how super powers work! )
2. He can be at many places at the same time. M thought this is important because she felt her creations are so many and growing!

The first few centuries L-man got to work, he was quite successful. He made things work like magic! People respond to his touch like crazy. They go sleepless, no hunger, feel insecure, deep think, trash talk, obsess, cry and what not! He also sees that the more they stayed in touch the better they feel. They seem to enjoy each other's company more after his touch. L-man also experiments touching beings of the same gender and that works too! M, however, isn't sure how that'll work for the next generation. She also needs to think about maintainability and sustenance, you see! She thinks it's not coming in the way of what she's doing so it's OK.

One fine day, L-man realizes a flaw in his activity. He is touching same beings multiple times forgetting that he had touched them already. When he spoke about this to M, she starts thinking deeply about it! M feels the need for somebody who can reinforce the power of L-man's touch into the lives of people. M is convinced there has to be an M Jr. She creates M-woman.

M-woman starts working with L-man to bring longevity to his touch.

These are their super-hero logos, OK?  

Lucia (Kannada)

Hola!
Movie review is not my thing.
That doesn't stop me from attempting this for a movie in the language that I don't usually watch (It's a Kannada movie)!

If you are planning to watch the movie, don't read this any further. (It's an old movie but definitely worth a try.)

The name "Lucia" is an apt implication for "lucid dreaming".
The movie revolves around the character who succumbs to the effect of a drug called Lucia.
First of all, the movie raises strong questions on Euthanasia, effects/side effects of drugs, aspirations, success, understanding intentions and compromises many of us come across in our lives.

For a not-so-regular watcher like me, the progress of the story is quick and crisp. The transitions from the common man working at a theatre (talkies) to his romantic interest and then to the actor and beyond happen at an enjoyable pace. Honestly, I didn't quite enjoy watching this movie so much because of the issues addressed in a very subtle way go deeper into the mind. Drug abuse, highly competitive movie industry, investigating circumstantial evidence, the love story and the back-stabbing keep you gripped.

The theme of the story is rooted around the protagonist Nikhil (played by Shivakumar), a celebrated actor yearns for the life of a common man. He takes to Lucia for reaching out to his yearnings and succumbs to the after effects of the drug. The support he counts on start showing their darker side and that pushes him deeper into the abuse. Major part of the story-telling picturizes his lucid dream of a common man with his romantic interest in Shwetha (played by Sruthi Hariharan).  

The movie consummates at the moment where the protagonist asks his girl "Is this really real?" (Is this love true? / Can I trust you?)

The screenplay which blends the imagination with reality is outstanding. It's very easy to leave audiences wondering what had happened in such a complex knitting of shots. For a regular watcher, there are some songs. Not all of them blend into the story though. There are some fun parts in the story as well. Especially when Shwetha attempts to teach English to Nikhil. For native Kannada speakers, the conversations in slang from Mandya (a city close to Mysore) are refreshing.

Have been hearing about this movie from my Kannada friends for a very long time and finally managed to watch!

This movie also happens to be crowd-funded!
Isn't that cool?

Movie's available for a watch at rental INR 50 (valid for 48hrs) or at buy INR 100.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7AhxgNDRB8

Interested in someone?

Of late, I'm thinking a lot about what triggers a romantic interest in you?

After a little bit of contemplation, good bit of observation, past personal experience and research from few blog posts, few books and a little bit of tinder & trulymadly ( ...panting now!), I think there are 4 categories in developing this sort of an interest. 

1. Physical attraction: You like the way the person looks. It could be the dressing sense, the colour of eyes, the hair style, the body language, the complexion or the build. You just like looking at the person!
2. Demisexual: You are emotionally attached to the other. The other person means a lot to you in your life. Intense, you cannot imagine your life without him/her. You seek each other's company to share your feelings. You acknowledge and value each other's mood swings. You are not happy when the other does not give you enough time and attention. You are upset when the other is down. 
3. Sapiosexual: You are convinced with a good bit of reasoning that this is the person who you like to be with. You treaded all the possible paths and in some way or the other your options converged to this person. You debate, you question, you play and you may (sometimes) mislead each other but you are a team, no matter what!
4. Spiritual: You believe that you are meant to be together for reasons you can't explain. Perhaps this is a divine calling. You may not belong to the same faith but you believe that a super natural power unites you. You believe things the other person believes in. You may not be from the same region, religion or may not even speak the same language but your faiths align.

    This diagram is created using creately and is copyrighted to me.  When you show this to girls I'm interested in, please make sure you mention that it's reproducible under NPL (Naveen Public License).

To verify my observations, I took some attributes as a thought experiment to verify this model. 

• For example, you are interested in financial status. It falls under sapiosexual circle because it shows that you are convinced that the other person can support himself/herself to earn a comfortable life style. However, it can be in any of the intersection regions with demisexual circle like you are certain that the other person will not think about a wealthier one (I just made this up. Don't judge me on this one, OK?) or it can get into physical circle as well as you can spend some bucks on grooming.
• Another example, you are interested in adventurous types. It falls under sapiosexual circle again because you are convinced that the other person can take risks to keep the his/her interests alive and possibly yours too. It, again, may fall into physical category as well, because the person may try physically challenging things and so stays fit. ;-)

To conclude, I feel our interests fall in the intersecting region of all the circles. That sweet spot, my friends, is difficult to reach! 

Hope you liked this read!
Let me know if you like it / don't like it.

A (fake) report on positive effects of unpredictable sexual behaviour

[ Disclaimer: All the ideas/statistics quoted in this article are purely fictitious. Any resemblance to characters in real life known or unknown is definitely not coincidental ]

Predictable sexual behaviour is popularly believed to foster trust, healthy relationship building, social security and team building. With sexual preferences evolving, this is an interesting time we relook various aspects of sexual behaviour.

Conversations (verbal/electronic communication) are the core focus of this analysis. There has always been a debate* on spontaneity vs consistency in the sexual conversations. A sample space from one of the most used dating apps were asked about their preferences on various aspects of their exploration of sexual preferences of their partners. A surprising 81.9% felt that clear, crisp and straight forward conversations are boring because they tend to be predictable. Universal facts (29.3%), daily personal events (61.4%), career achievements(32.2%) and passion of life(45.0%) are marked as major turn offs by the participants.

That raises and interesting question “With a person you haven't met before, what creates the spark of interest?”

Looks, understandably, remain in the top 53.2%.

What followed, stunned the team of researchers

Element of surprise (32.7%), Adventure – Complexity in reaching out to somebody (31.2%), Anticipation (25.3%)

This implies that the sample group favoured unpredictability as a major turn-on in their sexual exploration. This could be largely attributed to the fact that some values – Honesty, straight-forwardness, emotional transparency, intellectual honesty and so on – are pretty much understood and the participants consciously and carefully avoid conversations in these areas.

When asked to explain, unexpected delays during rendezvous or dates increased their feelings of intimacy because they share their care and rush of emotions clearly. Participants (roughly 67.1%) thus favoured a touch of raw emotions compared to conscious (and controlled) exchanges of ideas.

The transformation period from expressing interest to realizing the interest to a convincing level in both the partners is crucial for dating apps. The results of this study will uncover many potential research areas around the elements of surprise in budding relationships.

*Some random reference you needn't bother going through. Get back the topic now!