River crossing

We're Linux

From a competition run by the Linux Foundation (Link)

The winner:



1st runner-up:


2nd runner-up:

Pinnochio Paradox

Chinese food == Linux ??

Funny and informative talk by Jennifer Lee of NYTimes on how "chinese" food in America is not really authentic Chinese food. Fortune cookies, one of the distinctive symbols of Chinese restaurants in USA, is of Japanese origin!! A similar 'localization' of Chinese food has happened in India with the "Manchurian" dishes. And, as described the talk,
this localization phenomenon is wide-spread around the world.

Jennifer compares the growth, variety and spread of Chinese food to that of Linux. And, McDonalds is the Microsoft of food!!

Jennifer is also the first person I have come across with a number in her name "Jennifer 8 Lee". I wonder if its the Chinese equivalent of King George VIII.

Forecasts

If you follow financial news, you will often come across the terms "profits exceeded the forecast" or "profits were below analysts' forecast", especially while discussing quarterly/annual results. The stock price fluctuates accordingly. I keep thinking to myself "why can't the analysts get it right?". Most news articles, however, are written to implicitly imply that it was the company's fault to not match the forecast. In my opinion, it should probably the other way round: we should criticize the so-called experts/analysts for their incorrect forecasts.

Some related thoughts on this:
* The analyst (or his firm) could possibly profit in the stock market by deliberately supplying misleading forecasts. My guess is that there are some regulations (from agencies such as the SEC) to prevent this.
* Is there a stock-price type indicator for the analysts performance: higher price for more accurate forecasts.

Poetry in perl

Though leaves are many, the root is one;
Through all the lying days of my youth
I swayed my leaves and flowers in the sun;
Now I may wither into the truth

written in Perl as

while ($leaves > 1) {
 $root = 1;
}
foreach($lyingdays{'myyouth'}) {
 sway($leaves, $flowers);
}
while ($i > $truth) {
 $i--;
}
sub sway {
 my ($leaves, $flowers) = @_;
 die unless $^O =~ /sun/i;
}

See more examples at Perl Poetry Contest

Wingsuit base jumping!

Watch this amazing video! Scary and thrilling at the same time. Apparently its from the movie "Seven Sunny Days http://mspfilms.com/store/844


wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

DIY Prescription Glasses

A neat invention by a Oxford Physics professor.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/dec/22/diy-adjustable-glasses-josh-silver

"Silver has devised a pair of glasses which rely on the principle that the fatter a lens the more powerful it becomes. Inside the device's tough plastic lenses are two clear circular sacs filled with fluid, each of which is connected to a small syringe attached to either arm of the spectacles.

The wearer adjusts a dial on the syringe to add or reduce amount of fluid in the membrane, thus changing the power of the lens. When the wearer is happy with the strength of each lens the membrane is sealed by twisting a small screw, and the syringes removed. The principle is so simple, the team has discovered, that with very little guidance people are perfectly capable of creating glasses to their own prescription."

the paradox of india

These images symbolize the strange mix that is today's India: a country with centuries of history and tradition leaping head-first into the modern technological and scientific world.

P.S.: Pictures from ???? I lost track of the source of the pics :( Will update if I come across them again

Unusual buildings

Dome House, Florida


Ryugyong Hotel, North Korea


Habitat 67, Canada


Basket building, Ohio USA


Kansas City Library, Missouri USA

UFO house, Taiwan

More can be found here: http://unusual-architecture.com/

Presidential breakfast cereals

Obama and McCain breakfast cereals: More details here

Exploiting depth in photographs

These are some photos that exploit the lack of depth in a photograph. These clever angles make for interesting pictures because they capture a 3-d world on a 2-d medium. I think the technical term for it is 'perspective distortion' - objects closer to the camera appear larger than those in the background.

More such pics can be found at http://www.flickzzz.com/2008/08/no-photoshop-here.html

2008 US Presidential Elections ... the story so far in 2 minutes

Time for Some Campaignin' | Funny Jokes at JibJab

haha... visit http://www.jibjab.com/originals for more.

using AI for animation

This presentation talks about using an 'evolutionary' method to generate animations through simulation. What is fascinating is that the models use neural networks to adapt their behavior i.e how to react to different stimuli. A very interesting use of AI. This animation technology has apparently been used in GTA4 and the latest EA Madden. (Note: the talk was filmed in 2003).

An aspect that caught my eye in the presentation was this: when the different stages of the '2 legged walking model' was presented, I noted how similar it is to the various stages of a baby learning to walk - kicking, standing up, walking a few steps and falling , and finally, able to walk without falling down.

Hiding an elephant: via Photoshop

A "photoshop" contest with the theme "Hide an elephant". The entries are very creative and some are hilarious. Check out http://www.worth1000.com/contest.asp?contest_id=19677&display=photoshop

Learning to appreciate classical music

and the concept of 'shining eyes'. A brilliant talk by Benjamin Zander.





Or visit this page. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html

Corn starch - defying the laws of common sense physics

Corn starch + water seems to defy the usual properties of a liquid. I wonder if there is a more practical application of this phenomenon. Maybe something like an impact protector shield.

India - Old and New

The Naagin (Man Dole Tan Dole) original song (1954) and the new one from Decibel (2007).

Confidence in "Who wants to be a millionaire"

Watch this clip from Who wants to be a millionaire. The contestant, John Carpenter, is attempting the million dollar question. He is so confident of his answer that he uses his lifeline to call his dad and say "I'm about to win a million dollars". Now, thats confidence for you. And a touch of showmanship and a touch of arrogance!

sudoku in court

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/10/australia


A three-month-long drugs trial costing $1m (£485,000) has been abandoned in Australia after it emerged that jurors had been playing sudoku for almost the entire duration of the hearing.

The accused, two men who were facing possible life sentences on drugs manufacturing and firearms charges, spotted members of the jury playing the puzzles. While one of the accused was giving evidence, he noticed the jurors were writing vertically and not horizontally. The second accused man saw the same thing.