Wish you a Jolly New Year 2010!
First thing, I found 2010 most comfortable to type of all the years I have typed so far. So I predict a cracking year for, well welll, some or the other guy. And we will finally stop the awkward practice of putting letters between numbers (remember the 'k' in 2k7 2k8 etc?)
People wishing around new year must be great guys, I never felt like going out of my way to wish anyone. Hey don't groan, I already wished you.
As far as resolutions go, I always thought it wasn't an Indian thing. Who started it at all? Anyways they generally end up being 're'solutions-repeated solutions and I already have too many reminders & sticky notes on me.
Coming to reminders and stuff, I have recently realized the magnitude of my forgetfulness. I had parents reminding me at home and friends surrounding me at college, but I am now out. A poor little innocent forgetful thing in the big busy complicated outside world (Well not exactly, but you get the swing).
I go into a room with something in my hand. If I accidentally find something new or talk about something I didn't plan to, I will surely forget it. No exceptions. This theory hasn't failed once.
I have one for you.
I have to lock the room in which we work(design dept.), before leaving. At first I used to forget to switch off the AC. I then remembered to. Then I to forget to lock. Gradually, I got over it. Then once, I forgot to give the key at the gate while leaving(others come early in morning, so they need it before me). So I made a plan, I kept the key in my hand till I got to my cycle. Then I hanged the key onto the left brake's handle before I got on so that I'll not forget about it after I put my earphones on(I listen to songs on the way home). But tragedy. I still forgot.
I realized there was a key to my brake when I was nearing home, I couldn't even go back (office is 10 km away). This is amazing given fact that from my cycle to the company gate, it is barely 100 metres. What can you call this? Instant memory loss!?
This is just one example. Many already know that during PS, I bought a pendrive. I then went to the ATM and by mistake drew Rs 4000 instead of 400. Consequently, I forgot my new pen drive there. I went and bought a new one next day. And stopped going to an ATM with a pendrive.
Its become so bad that I have started accounting forgetfulness into my daily calculations. While doing stuff I am not particularly interested, I always feel I forgot something and more often than not, I do.
So this new year, may I remember. May I forget forgetfulness. I already wished you a great year right?
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Put 3D models in ppts - Great presentations!
Found a way to put 3D models into presentations. Found it long ago actually, sharing now. Might help someone, who knows.
But it does make presentations attractive!
http://www.esnips.com/web/3Dmodelsinpptpdf .....examples here
Requirements:
1.A 3D modeling software (UG, ProE, CATIA etc) or Google SketchUp.
2.Deep View (Software to embed 3D models by Right Hemisphere)
3.Microsoft Office
You are done!
As soon as you install Deep View (http://www.righthemisphere.com/products/client-products/deep-view), it will go in as a plugin into Microsoft Office Powerpoint(It will appear as 'Deep View' in the main menu on top). This plugin will allow you to embed 3D models into your presentations.
You can insert models of the file extension .rh only.
For this, you have to open your 3D model using the Deep View application and then save it as a .rh file. Check out the file formats which Deep View supports – http://www.righthemisphere.com/_base/static/img/products/callouts/91_deep-view-6.0-supported-file-formats.pdf . You can generally go through the site, http://www.righthemisphere.com
The computer in which this file is present should atleast have Deep View Minimum installed, for the 3D model to work.
I presume you can publish a pdf also using the Deep View Menu in a ppt.
In pdf's you can insert 3D models directly but you'll need Adobe Professional. This feature is there since Adobe Professional 7. But I don't remember about the 3D file formats Adobe Pro accepts.
But it does make presentations attractive!
http://www.esnips.com/web/3Dmodelsinpptpdf .....examples here
Requirements:
1.A 3D modeling software (UG, ProE, CATIA etc) or Google SketchUp.
2.Deep View (Software to embed 3D models by Right Hemisphere)
3.Microsoft Office
You are done!
As soon as you install Deep View (http://www.righthemisphere.com/products/client-products/deep-view), it will go in as a plugin into Microsoft Office Powerpoint(It will appear as 'Deep View' in the main menu on top). This plugin will allow you to embed 3D models into your presentations.
You can insert models of the file extension .rh only.
For this, you have to open your 3D model using the Deep View application and then save it as a .rh file. Check out the file formats which Deep View supports – http://www.righthemisphere.com/_base/static/img/products/callouts/91_deep-view-6.0-supported-file-formats.pdf . You can generally go through the site, http://www.righthemisphere.com
The computer in which this file is present should atleast have Deep View Minimum installed, for the 3D model to work.
I presume you can publish a pdf also using the Deep View Menu in a ppt.
In pdf's you can insert 3D models directly but you'll need Adobe Professional. This feature is there since Adobe Professional 7. But I don't remember about the 3D file formats Adobe Pro accepts.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
'Quantum' by Manjit Kumar - Book Review
‘For those who are not shocked when they first come across quantum theory cannot possibly have understood it’ - Niels Bohr
‘God does not play dice’ - Einstein
The book’s name is Quantum by Manjit Kumar. I was literally compelled to write a review, I could not keep it within myself.
Before you go on, assuming you are even remotely interested in science, take my word and go read it. It is a thrilling experience to say the least. It is worth many times over its price. If I were in college, I would have irritated every guy to hell till they read it.
Warning: There are some spoilers below.
A friend suggested me that the book was an awesome read. I chanced upon it at a bookstore in Bangalore. After getting used to reading pirated ebooks, I was still contemplating on buying it when I opened a random page. This was the excerpt that caught my eye.
(On first discovering transformation of one element to another due to radioactivity)
“ ......Soddy recalled how he stood stunned at the thought and let slip, ’this is transmutation’. ‘For Mike’s sake, Soddy, don’t call it transmutation’ warned Rutherford. ‘They’ll have our heads cut as alchemists’. ”
That pretty much sealed it. I bought the book. The humour and intensity in it caught my attention. I sat on it first thing I was free.
‘Quantum’ potraits a journey of discoveries that reinvented physics starting late in the nineteenth century, ushering in a scientific revolution that dispelled long-standing notions about matter and sparked off a new age. And this was when physicists started resigning to the thought there was nothing worthwhile left to discover. The shock was yet to come. It starts with discovery of quantum, quanta in plural by Max Planck. It depicts how it led physics, especially theoretical physics in a quest to define reality. It was a wonder world, following a genius that was Newton. 'Newtonian' was a religion and it changed. Frankly, it sped light-years ahead.
Learning concepts about atomic structure, electrons etc during school and college is one part. Getting to know what was behind all these things, how big they actually were and their immense influence on future generations is an altogether exquisite experience.
What the author has done exceptionally well was to give space for the role of each scientist depending on relevance. It gets you up and close with their personalities, their achievements and transports you to that place and time. Their long-lasting and game-changing influence on coming scientists also is well depicted. It is something you savour bit by bit. You sometimes wonder at how people really were. We generally expect scientists to be boring people coming out with amazing results from laboratories that propel them from obscurity to fame. That they do overnight miracles. But it is pleasantly surprising to see how personal or emotional it is for them. It is their life.
The book maintains the intensity throughout. There was not a single paragraph I felt was boring or avoidable. All this is amazing given the fact that it is just an assortment of history interspersed with attractive description, not a piece of fiction. This is something everyone as a kid would have wanted or will want to read. There is no physics jargon to confuse and tire the reader. Even a layman can read it but if you know about what is discussed, which students generally do, it will be a fantastic experience.
It is also stunning that most of the instrumental discoveries and significant works were by the young men of that age. You just can’t imagine how much youth weighed in. Fuelled by fresh imagination. This was also another notion about scientists that was found untrue.
And these weren’t single-man achievements who found out the secret key. It progressed with essential contributions from bright minds at each and every step. No wonder Einstein once said that he was seeing beyond standing on the shoulders of the giants of science.
At its heart lies the debate about reality between Einstein and Bohr, the two giants of modern science who had unimaginable significance on it in their own contrasting ways. Bohr said that physics was a description of ‘what we see’ while Einstein stubbornly stressed upon the fact that physics was knowledge of ‘what is’. It is a celebration of Einstein, the greatest genius since Newton, and Niels Bohr, the father of quantum mechanics. Also astonishing is the fact that the person who propelled all this by discovering quantum, Max Planck, was a staunch believer in Classical Physics. Any further description will be foolish, lest you should form a premature opinion. Prejudice is something that will be thrown out of the window by reading this book.
I am tempted to put in excerpts from the book to fire your interest but my sane half suggests me that you would enjoy better on reading the book, I really don’t want to spoil it. Just that you know, I can put in just a few lines and you will go running for a read. For anyone who is actually into physics, it would be a gross deprivation if they did not know what was already in the book. Its almost a duty.
In taking us through those two cruelly painful World Wars, depicting the predicaments science faced and the effects it had on its development, the author has done a truly commendable job. It is an exhilarating experience.
The tint of humour and drama are inherently present. You would have known many books on physics but would have never come across such lucid historical description on what has been its golden age. At every page I gaped and wondered. Sometimes I would stop reading, still drinking in the whole essence of what I read. I generally don’t re-read a book while its still incomplete. I did it while reading this, several times. I still revisit parts of it. The final quotation is more than worth its place, summarizing brilliantly and succinctly the quest of Einstein. Accolades to the author for compiling this compelling narrative.
The book went as far as permanently changing my outlook in many fundamental aspects. Brilliant, entertaining, informative, insightful and thought-provoking are only a few words that come to my mind. Sit back and enjoy. It will be on the list of ten best things you did this year.
And as one review on the cover says, ‘A super collider of a book’.
PS:Check out the net for more reviews and info.
‘God does not play dice’ - Einstein
The book’s name is Quantum by Manjit Kumar. I was literally compelled to write a review, I could not keep it within myself.
Before you go on, assuming you are even remotely interested in science, take my word and go read it. It is a thrilling experience to say the least. It is worth many times over its price. If I were in college, I would have irritated every guy to hell till they read it.
Warning: There are some spoilers below.
A friend suggested me that the book was an awesome read. I chanced upon it at a bookstore in Bangalore. After getting used to reading pirated ebooks, I was still contemplating on buying it when I opened a random page. This was the excerpt that caught my eye.
(On first discovering transformation of one element to another due to radioactivity)
“ ......Soddy recalled how he stood stunned at the thought and let slip, ’this is transmutation’. ‘For Mike’s sake, Soddy, don’t call it transmutation’ warned Rutherford. ‘They’ll have our heads cut as alchemists’. ”
That pretty much sealed it. I bought the book. The humour and intensity in it caught my attention. I sat on it first thing I was free.
‘Quantum’ potraits a journey of discoveries that reinvented physics starting late in the nineteenth century, ushering in a scientific revolution that dispelled long-standing notions about matter and sparked off a new age. And this was when physicists started resigning to the thought there was nothing worthwhile left to discover. The shock was yet to come. It starts with discovery of quantum, quanta in plural by Max Planck. It depicts how it led physics, especially theoretical physics in a quest to define reality. It was a wonder world, following a genius that was Newton. 'Newtonian' was a religion and it changed. Frankly, it sped light-years ahead.
Learning concepts about atomic structure, electrons etc during school and college is one part. Getting to know what was behind all these things, how big they actually were and their immense influence on future generations is an altogether exquisite experience.
What the author has done exceptionally well was to give space for the role of each scientist depending on relevance. It gets you up and close with their personalities, their achievements and transports you to that place and time. Their long-lasting and game-changing influence on coming scientists also is well depicted. It is something you savour bit by bit. You sometimes wonder at how people really were. We generally expect scientists to be boring people coming out with amazing results from laboratories that propel them from obscurity to fame. That they do overnight miracles. But it is pleasantly surprising to see how personal or emotional it is for them. It is their life.
The book maintains the intensity throughout. There was not a single paragraph I felt was boring or avoidable. All this is amazing given the fact that it is just an assortment of history interspersed with attractive description, not a piece of fiction. This is something everyone as a kid would have wanted or will want to read. There is no physics jargon to confuse and tire the reader. Even a layman can read it but if you know about what is discussed, which students generally do, it will be a fantastic experience.
It is also stunning that most of the instrumental discoveries and significant works were by the young men of that age. You just can’t imagine how much youth weighed in. Fuelled by fresh imagination. This was also another notion about scientists that was found untrue.
And these weren’t single-man achievements who found out the secret key. It progressed with essential contributions from bright minds at each and every step. No wonder Einstein once said that he was seeing beyond standing on the shoulders of the giants of science.
At its heart lies the debate about reality between Einstein and Bohr, the two giants of modern science who had unimaginable significance on it in their own contrasting ways. Bohr said that physics was a description of ‘what we see’ while Einstein stubbornly stressed upon the fact that physics was knowledge of ‘what is’. It is a celebration of Einstein, the greatest genius since Newton, and Niels Bohr, the father of quantum mechanics. Also astonishing is the fact that the person who propelled all this by discovering quantum, Max Planck, was a staunch believer in Classical Physics. Any further description will be foolish, lest you should form a premature opinion. Prejudice is something that will be thrown out of the window by reading this book.
I am tempted to put in excerpts from the book to fire your interest but my sane half suggests me that you would enjoy better on reading the book, I really don’t want to spoil it. Just that you know, I can put in just a few lines and you will go running for a read. For anyone who is actually into physics, it would be a gross deprivation if they did not know what was already in the book. Its almost a duty.
In taking us through those two cruelly painful World Wars, depicting the predicaments science faced and the effects it had on its development, the author has done a truly commendable job. It is an exhilarating experience.
The tint of humour and drama are inherently present. You would have known many books on physics but would have never come across such lucid historical description on what has been its golden age. At every page I gaped and wondered. Sometimes I would stop reading, still drinking in the whole essence of what I read. I generally don’t re-read a book while its still incomplete. I did it while reading this, several times. I still revisit parts of it. The final quotation is more than worth its place, summarizing brilliantly and succinctly the quest of Einstein. Accolades to the author for compiling this compelling narrative.
The book went as far as permanently changing my outlook in many fundamental aspects. Brilliant, entertaining, informative, insightful and thought-provoking are only a few words that come to my mind. Sit back and enjoy. It will be on the list of ten best things you did this year.
And as one review on the cover says, ‘A super collider of a book’.
PS:Check out the net for more reviews and info.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Surreality of Telangana? Its here dude....
Perfect case of atrocious governance leading to a state with worse government. My take and I blurt.
I would like to not to bore you with long thought passages about the latest buzz in every Gult, the new state of Telangana(believe me, they are long and keep getting longer). Everyone must have had a mental image of it. Real for some, surreal for others. Its all real now.
But among the myriad thoughts erupting numerously every second regarding its cause and effect, I have some pressing ones I would like to present.
First thing. Pain. Everyone without prejudice would want our state united. Telangana should not have happened. Who knows.
May be its not so painful after all. Should we take it in the stride?
States were divided on linguistic basis, now its ethnicity? Is the country disintegrating? Where might this go?
And most importantly to serve Telangana's actual purpose, must we not make sure that this does not turn into a hate state, fighting for resources etc.? The most glaring (though highly exaggerated) example of hate lies right beside us, not in principle but in emotion. The fact that Telangana issue even reared its head was because of glaring injustice meted out to them by greedy politicians. So the enmity should end right here. Even its existence is unimaginable.
And it is true that smaller states mean better governance, so you have got hope. The most indigestible fact was about the person who will be its CM! Come on guys, you know of what kind he is. Can you believe hailing him as the father of Telangana, his statues in the state! Comparing him to the indomitable great Potti Sreeramulu! And God seriously forbid, asking for a district on his name! Horrific! I forced my mind to stop such atrocious thoughts. I wouldn't like to see that day. Opportunistic is only a decent word to describe him. All politicians are so, but here is the most audacious example of them. He did fast, but what other option did he have to survive? Another heist and people would have buried him. He also made sure everyday of his fast created inexplicable unrest in the state, claiming innocent lives. Let Telangana form but atleast you should have let him starve for a few more days(some may even say die).
That students were a part of this 'revolution' worries me to no end.
And we should remember that Telangana has to pay for all the new ministries and ornaments created, so does Andhra.
Also ethically and culturally, is Hyderabad really a part of Telangana? Some might say yes, but I was thinking not. Then, suddenly among this haze I struck upon the heart of my misery.
"Where do I stand??!!"
I was dumbstruck. Not exactly an identity crisis, but very very.... you know. Coming back to Hyderabad, I have never seen myself as more than a Hyderabadi. And that too I realised now (I only knew about the Indian feeling till now). Ancestry in Andhra, born and brought up in Telangana and living now in Rayaseema(technically its Vadodara now but..). Moreover all reasons that justify Telangana are not in the context of Hyd. No, I don't want a separate UT, thats too messy. But am sad Hyd got into all of it. It is as much Andhra as Telangana.
Given I have never been affected and it would be unfair for me to undermine the effort and sorrow of millions. But the point is that I am on their side.
Also you have the grave danger of Maoists proliferating in the ensuing confusion. One of the most pressing issues given AP has been the role model in efforts to halt this menace.
Focus will be shifted from development issues no doubt but it has to get back on track asap. And if Telangana fails? Separated states haven't succeeded you know. Well those are thoughts we should not entertain at this time. Its a time for positivity.
Is politics all about sensing opportunities and playing with people's minds? It may go as far as instilling a permanent hate for politicians. This business has gone unpredictable. Some things really are out of our hands. May be I should'nt care and hope for the best. But remotely, some part of me is overwhelmed by sadness. Hope that will turn out to be unnecessary
Or maybe its our responsibility to force incompetent and/or unethical people into taking good decisions.
And over the years, the Telangana issue has garnered so many variables, some paradoxical, into its equation that it becomes deliriously confusing for single person, especially with my knowledge of it, to analyse and contemplate the whole of it in a lifetime.
Whats incredibly pathetic is the fact that politicians allowed Telangana movement since 1969!!! The reason is injustice and bad governance(thats what they say. If the reason is purely ethnicity, GOD help India). They could have focused and developed Telangana. Every single sod knows that and yet they let it happen! It is in the hands of the government bloody! A rise in movement, subdue it. Somehow. Another rise, subdue it again. But why the heck won't you prevent it from happening. Four decades is so much!
As I saw people around me and their opinions, it was majorly No with some Yes's to separate Telangana. But then something in both their tones revealed the same feeling, their concern for progress and development. 'Abhivruddhi' seems to be a word politicians use only while speaking, that too rarely. So I think the best thing would be to take what happens as good and move on. It may take a while. Remember the foremost function - fulfilling the purpose of its formation. It is not victory yet; it is a step, irrespective of right or wrong(we've crossed that line), which we should all make sure progresses to a success.
But one(silver lining) fact is it may be a long time before it actually comes into existence. Congress will delay it as long as it is politically possible.
But like the border now carved across Telugu heartland, the scar will always remain.
More in mind. But suffice with what you read. The thing is, am too sad to voice absolutes. Ah, I so didn't want it. Anyways.
Jai Telangana, Jai Andhra
Jai Hind!
(I have thus edited the post 7 times. It up to date now, don't worry :P)
I would like to not to bore you with long thought passages about the latest buzz in every Gult, the new state of Telangana(believe me, they are long and keep getting longer). Everyone must have had a mental image of it. Real for some, surreal for others. Its all real now.
But among the myriad thoughts erupting numerously every second regarding its cause and effect, I have some pressing ones I would like to present.
First thing. Pain. Everyone without prejudice would want our state united. Telangana should not have happened. Who knows.
May be its not so painful after all. Should we take it in the stride?
States were divided on linguistic basis, now its ethnicity? Is the country disintegrating? Where might this go?
And most importantly to serve Telangana's actual purpose, must we not make sure that this does not turn into a hate state, fighting for resources etc.? The most glaring (though highly exaggerated) example of hate lies right beside us, not in principle but in emotion. The fact that Telangana issue even reared its head was because of glaring injustice meted out to them by greedy politicians. So the enmity should end right here. Even its existence is unimaginable.
And it is true that smaller states mean better governance, so you have got hope. The most indigestible fact was about the person who will be its CM! Come on guys, you know of what kind he is. Can you believe hailing him as the father of Telangana, his statues in the state! Comparing him to the indomitable great Potti Sreeramulu! And God seriously forbid, asking for a district on his name! Horrific! I forced my mind to stop such atrocious thoughts. I wouldn't like to see that day. Opportunistic is only a decent word to describe him. All politicians are so, but here is the most audacious example of them. He did fast, but what other option did he have to survive? Another heist and people would have buried him. He also made sure everyday of his fast created inexplicable unrest in the state, claiming innocent lives. Let Telangana form but atleast you should have let him starve for a few more days(some may even say die).
That students were a part of this 'revolution' worries me to no end.
And we should remember that Telangana has to pay for all the new ministries and ornaments created, so does Andhra.
Also ethically and culturally, is Hyderabad really a part of Telangana? Some might say yes, but I was thinking not. Then, suddenly among this haze I struck upon the heart of my misery.
"Where do I stand??!!"
I was dumbstruck. Not exactly an identity crisis, but very very.... you know. Coming back to Hyderabad, I have never seen myself as more than a Hyderabadi. And that too I realised now (I only knew about the Indian feeling till now). Ancestry in Andhra, born and brought up in Telangana and living now in Rayaseema(technically its Vadodara now but..). Moreover all reasons that justify Telangana are not in the context of Hyd. No, I don't want a separate UT, thats too messy. But am sad Hyd got into all of it. It is as much Andhra as Telangana.
Given I have never been affected and it would be unfair for me to undermine the effort and sorrow of millions. But the point is that I am on their side.
Also you have the grave danger of Maoists proliferating in the ensuing confusion. One of the most pressing issues given AP has been the role model in efforts to halt this menace.
Focus will be shifted from development issues no doubt but it has to get back on track asap. And if Telangana fails? Separated states haven't succeeded you know. Well those are thoughts we should not entertain at this time. Its a time for positivity.
Is politics all about sensing opportunities and playing with people's minds? It may go as far as instilling a permanent hate for politicians. This business has gone unpredictable. Some things really are out of our hands. May be I should'nt care and hope for the best. But remotely, some part of me is overwhelmed by sadness. Hope that will turn out to be unnecessary
Or maybe its our responsibility to force incompetent and/or unethical people into taking good decisions.
And over the years, the Telangana issue has garnered so many variables, some paradoxical, into its equation that it becomes deliriously confusing for single person, especially with my knowledge of it, to analyse and contemplate the whole of it in a lifetime.
Whats incredibly pathetic is the fact that politicians allowed Telangana movement since 1969!!! The reason is injustice and bad governance(thats what they say. If the reason is purely ethnicity, GOD help India). They could have focused and developed Telangana. Every single sod knows that and yet they let it happen! It is in the hands of the government bloody! A rise in movement, subdue it. Somehow. Another rise, subdue it again. But why the heck won't you prevent it from happening. Four decades is so much!
As I saw people around me and their opinions, it was majorly No with some Yes's to separate Telangana. But then something in both their tones revealed the same feeling, their concern for progress and development. 'Abhivruddhi' seems to be a word politicians use only while speaking, that too rarely. So I think the best thing would be to take what happens as good and move on. It may take a while. Remember the foremost function - fulfilling the purpose of its formation. It is not victory yet; it is a step, irrespective of right or wrong(we've crossed that line), which we should all make sure progresses to a success.
But one(silver lining) fact is it may be a long time before it actually comes into existence. Congress will delay it as long as it is politically possible.
But like the border now carved across Telugu heartland, the scar will always remain.
More in mind. But suffice with what you read. The thing is, am too sad to voice absolutes. Ah, I so didn't want it. Anyways.
Jai Telangana, Jai Andhra
Jai Hind!
(I have thus edited the post 7 times. It up to date now, don't worry :P)
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