Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from April, 2017

Get wasted!

Mumbai. I have lived in this city for more than two decades. It is a place I call home. Unfortunately, it is a city full of garbage, bad stench, polluted water bodies. The problem of solid waste management is an urgent one here (and in general in India, I think.) The other day I was traveling from Borivali to Powai at 7am in the morning. The streets were already buzzing with people out of their homes traveling to reach their work places. A middle aged woman waiting at the bus stop, a young kid walking in his school uniforms, a well-dressed man adjusting his hair in the rear-view mirror of a parked rickshaw, an elderly gentleman cycling with a pile of news papers rolled behind on the carrier. They were out on the streets to earn their living. They would probably return home after another 12 hours or so. A population that works so hard hard deserves a better life. For that matter, healthy and clean environment is a right for any population. I think as a citizen of a Mumbai, which ho...

Not in my prime!

I turned 35 today. So not in my prime anymore! I will be back in my prime when I turn 37 though! :) (Sledge hammering the joke for the benefit of the reader. :P Also, joke courtesy S.) I wonder what the world would be like in another 35 years! If I were to bet on the following, here's how I would do it. (I am willing to spend maximum Rs 100 on any bet and I know inflation will make it negligible, but just play along, won't you?) Humans on Mars? Rs. 50 Machines >> Humans? -Rs. 100 No way Machines can match humans. I hear whispers from ML researchers saying "Challenge accepted" :) NP vs. P question resolved? Rs. 0, but at least 10 other central questions in complexity theory resolved? Rs 100. Time travel? Rs. -100. Isn't there some paradox there? A better society for women? Rs. 50 One hopes. See how sure I am about Humans on Mars!! :) Men being able to have babies. Rs. 100. There you biologists, go for it! In you I trust! Being gay (or for that ...

Learning how to learn

More than a year ago I went through a coursera course titled Learning how to learn. It is taught by Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski. See this link if you wish to go through the material. I totally loved the course. The course gives you reasons why learning may become tough and simple ways to get around the common difficulties. It also presents simple ideas to make the process of learning and therefore working more efficient. Do give it a try!

Summer

Mumbai summer has officially started! That basically means that the temperature is rising above 35 degree Celsius every day and it is humid as hell. But it also means you can hear the call of the native birds (e.g. koyal, coppersmith barbet) the whole day, mangoes are here (yay, yay, yay) and the teaching activities for the semester are coming to an end! Happy summer to all! If you are in Mumbai, don't miss this yummy treat!  Alphanso!