Reflections of Thought

For the charities - Shakuntala Devi Puzzle

2011-07-06T11:25:00.003+05:30

I tried to solve a puzzle today, that I stumbled upon, after a long hiatus. For starters I found my Quant skills to be missing. Only to realize later that what I really was missing was being organized.

Puzzle from 'Puzzles To Puzzle You' by 'Shakuntala Devi'

For The Charities (45):

One day when I was walking on the road in NewDelhi, a group of boys approached me for donationfor their poor boys' fund. I gave them a rupee morethan half the money I had in my purse. I must havewalked a few more yards when a group of womenapproached me for donation, for an orphanage. I gavethem two rupees more than half the money I had inmy purse. Then, after a few yards I was approached bya religious group for a donation to the temple theywere building. I gave them three rupees more than half of what I had in my purse.At last when I returned to my hotel room, I foundthat I had only one rupee remaining in my purse.How much money did I have in my purse when I started?

Solution:

I found the best way to go about solving this one would be to have two columns. 1. Current balance. and 2. Money given for charities. The key is to keep track of money remaining after donating some to charity each time.

1. Let's say the original amount money in purse to start with was 'n'. -- Col1
2. Charity money donated to boys fund was n/2 +1 = (n+2)/2. -- Col2
3. Money remaining is (n - (n+2)/2) = (n-2)/2. -- Col1
4. Charity money donated to women's fund was ((n-2)/2/2 + 2) = (n+6)/4 -- Col2
5. Money remaining is (n-2)/2 - (n+6)/4 = (n-10)/4 -- Col1
6. Charity money donated to temple fund was (n-10)/4/2 + 3 = (n+14)/8 -- Col2
7. Money remaining is (n-10)/4 - (n+14)/8 = (n-34)/8 -- Col1

The last fraction's value is given to be '1'. From this it can be deduced that the value of n is 42. Thus, the original amount of money in the purse was INR 42.

All that is required to know to solve this puzzle is basic fractions know-how and being organized.

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

Driving etiquette #1

2010-08-29T20:09:00.003+05:30

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

Fellow riders/drivers et al. Indicators on your bike / car are not just decoratives No, really! . Please use them judiciously, when you intend to make a turn. Also, diligently turn them off when you do.

One must also use indicators when changing lanes. Oh, wait I know what you must be thinking where on earth do they follow lane driving eh?

Drive safe!

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

"A walk to remember" - A movie to remember

2009-09-07T10:07:00.003+05:30

This is simply one of the most wonderful movies that I have watched. A simple story about love and the amazing transformation it can bring about in lives of people. A story too good to be true.

A song from the movie - "Only Hope":

A poem that is quoted (from Bible) in the movie:

“Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous, love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offense, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes. Love does not come to an end.”

IMDB link - Love is true, if not for real, in movies like this.

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

Innocence Lost - Food for thought

2008-09-28T10:16:00.006+05:30

What is Innocence?

'Artlessness' and 'Purity' are synonyms of the word innocence, meaning lacking a knowledge of evil.

I often wonder, if I have lost the wonderful quality of innocence, you would often find in the eyes of a child. Innocence, the trait often referred to as 'child like innocence' seems to have vanished in me along the way. Where do you draw the line between innocence and ignorance?

Does gaining worldly knowledge make you devoid of innocence or does it drive away ignorance? I wouldn't really know answers to all the above questions, that seem to be doing rounds in my head for sometime now. But, from what I have recently noticed, I seem to have lost the quality of deriving joy from small pleaures of life. Watching a TV ad recently, where a kid is immensly happy when he is bought an ice-cream worth 5 rupees by his mom, reminded me of my childhood where in buying myself an ice-cream would have made my day. For some strange reason, there isn't quite the same joy in buying a much better, tastier and healthier ice-cream shelling down extra bucks now. What has changed in me, which has caused this? Is it because now, I know there are other pleasures in life which I long for, probably yes. In that case would preserving my innocence have helped me remain happy forever? What do you think?

I'd certainly love to hear back from you all on this.

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

The Onion Saga

2008-09-20T10:42:00.006+05:30

Onions add their own flavor and strong aroma to the dishes they are used in, but, anyone involved with preparation of one such dish would know that they'd make you cry like a baby. Ever wondered why they did that to you?

To find out read on, when you slice through an onion, there are enzymes that are released. These enzymes decompose other substances released and form acids while becoming gas/vapor. This gas when comes into contact with water in your eyes, forms a mild Sulfuric acid, among other things. Tear ducts in your eyes produce more water to dilute the irritating Sulfuric acid thus protecting your eyes.

What not to do? Do not rub your eyes with onion juice all over your hands.

Instead move your head away from the onions when slicing them in order to avoid the irritating gas.

What to do?

As a solution, peeling the onions before slicing them and chilling in the refrigerator somewhat reduces the release of gas due to the temperature changes.
From my observations that peeling the onions and keeping them in salt water reduces the release of the irritating gas.

If you want to get a little fancy, there are goggles available that would help you protect your eyes while chopping onions.

If you want to read more on this phenomenon, you'd find that here.

Happy Chopping Onions!

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

Turn your point and shoot camera into super-camera

2008-08-11T23:45:00.002+05:30

Very interesting post on lifehacker that explains how to turn your Cannon point and shoot camera into a super camera by replacing the de-facto firmware on it. Simple to follow and yields amazing results. I have just done this to my Cannon A640 and the difference is stunning. This isn't going to do any permanent damage to your camera, so you can always revert back to the proprietary firmware.

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

How does a lie-detector work?

2008-08-11T23:32:00.003+05:30

I had my bro ask me a very interesting question today, when watching a movie, "How does a lie-detector work?". And, I didn't accurately know how it worked. So, here I was on my favorite place on the internet, Google ;-) Not surprisingly here to ask question in perspective. Here is a very terse explanation on how it works: http://science.howstuffworks.com/question123.htm

A lie-detector or a poly-graph has multiple sensors recording various readings of the person and these readings are sketched on a plain paper. Change of person's state results in deviation from the standard. The accuracy of the lie-detector's results are subject to the reader.
You can find other interesting results on the same page. Enjoy reading.

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

Capturing an Image with a Digital Camera

2007-11-17T23:17:00.000+05:30

How does a digital camera take a picture?
What is a "lens"?
What is a digital camera's "sensor"?

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

Click better pictures from your mobile

2007-11-17T23:07:00.000+05:30

Learn how to click amazing pictures from your mobile phones.

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

Controlling your Digital Camera

2007-11-17T23:02:00.000+05:30

Title says it all ;)

The Transcript of the entire video is available at: http://www.videojug.com/interview/controlling-your-digital-camera

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

Digital Photography explained in simple terms

2007-11-17T22:58:00.000+05:30

Camera Exposure, Shutter speed and Aperture explained in very simple terms.

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

Digital Photography - Tips & Tricks

2007-11-17T22:46:00.000+05:30

The transcript of the entire video is available at: http://www.videojug.com/interview/digital-camera-tips-and-tricks

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

How To Take Digital Photographs

2007-11-17T22:36:00.000+05:30

How-To: Digital Photography

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

"Achmed - The Dead Terrorist" - Laugh your guts out!

2007-11-10T21:09:00.000+05:30

Here is presenting one of Jeff's most hilarious acts, watch and njoi:

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~cheerful M~

Do you tend to work late at office? Here is something worth reading coming straight from Mr. Narayana Murthy, founder Infosys.

2007-11-03T21:29:00.000+05:30

Infosys Chairman - Mr.Narayana Murthy's Speech on working late at office :

"I know people who work 12 hours a day, six days a week, or more. Some
people do so because of a work emergency where the long hours are only
temporary. Other people I know have put in these hours for years. I don't
know if they are working all these hours, but I do know they are in the
office this long. Others put in long office hours because they are
addicted to the workplace. Whatever the reason for putting in overtime,
working long hours over the long term is harmful to the person and to the
organization. There are things managers can do to change this for
everyone's benefit. Being in the office long hours, over long periods of
time, makes way for potential errors. My colleagues who are in the office
long hours frequently make mistakes caused by fatigue. Correcting these
mistakes requires their time as well as the time and energy of others.
I have seen people work Tuesday through Friday to correct mistakes
made after 5 PM on Monday. Another problem is that people who are in the
office for long hours are not pleasant company. They often complain about
other people (who aren't working as hard); they are irritable, or cranky, or
even angry. Other people avoid them. Such behaviour poses problems,
where work goes much better when people work together instead of avoiding
one another. As Managers, there are things we can do to help people
leave the office. First and foremost is to set the example and go home
ourselves. I work with a manager who chides people for working long
hours. His words quickly lose their meaning when he sends these chiding group
e-mails with a time-stamp of 2 AM, Sunday. Second is to encourage people to
put some balance in their lives. For instance, here is a guideline I find
helpful:

1) Wake up, eat a good breakfast, and go to work.
2) Work hard and smart for eight or nine hours.
3) Go home.
4) Read the comics, watch a funny movie, dig the dirt,
play with your Kids etc..
5) Eat well and sleep well.

This is called recreating. Doing steps 1, 3, 4, and 5 enable step 2.
Working regular hours and recreating daily are simple concepts. They are
hard for some of us because that requires personal change. They are
possible since we all have the power to choose to do them. In considering
the issue of overtime, I am reminded of my eldest son. When he was a
toddler, If people were visiting the apartment, he would not fall asleep
no matter how long the visit, and no matter what time of day it was! He
would fight off sleep until the visitors left. It was as if he was afraid
that he would miss something. Once our visitors' left, he would go to
sleep. By this time, however, he was over tired and would scream through
half the night with nightmares. He, my wife, and I, all paid the price for
his fear of missing out. Perhaps some people put in such long hours because
they don't want to miss anything when they leave the office. The trouble
with this is that events will never stop happening. That is life! Things
happen 24 hours a day. Allowing for little rest is not ultimately practical.
So, take a nap. Things will happen while you're asleep, but you will
have the energy to catch up when you wake.

Hence, "LOVE YOUR JOB BUT NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR COMPANY"

- Narayana Murthy

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

?Confused?

2007-10-24T00:18:00.000+05:30

Random Thoughts:
Time: 21:30hrs
Location: On the way back home from work, in the cab
State of Mind: utter confusion

How confused are you? Lets see if you could beat me to it :P

" To blog about this or not " marks the beginning of this post :)

Confusion...ahem... what are talking about? :P

Jokes apart, if there is something that has been there for me all through my life, I must admit its "my confusion". For me, life has always been utter confusion and complete indecisiveness. It typically marks the beginning and end of my day. Its been there for me from times I can recollect, both my best friend and my worst enemy.
There have been times when my confusion has saved me from getting into trouble and there have also been times when it has cost me dearly. I don't complain of it or regret of it, for, I know its just a part of me, that has grown up with me (in me).
Question time: Am I confused that I'm confused about confusion or am I just confused by the confusion that I'm confused? (quite a recursive (confused) question eh?)

On that note,
Do I sign off? Or do I write more? Darn, confusion man.... endless confusion......

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~confused M~

Zen Poem

2007-10-01T01:06:00.000+05:30

Here is a Zen Poem that I have come across today, it has already had a great impact on me , and I'm sure is here to stay for long:

To follow the path:
look to the master,
follow the master,
walk with the master,
see through the master,
become the master.

Now you know what you have to do, to become the master ;)

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

Can’t your kids be NORMAL?

2007-09-30T13:13:00.000+05:30

Is it so difficult for parents to digest the fact that their kids are just NORMAL??? Why can’t there be normal kids in this world? Why does every parent want his or her kid to be an achiever? Why does every kid have to grow up to be either a doctor or an engineer or and astronaut? How often does a parent realize the constraints of their kid? Do kids epitomize status of an individual like other entities for example real estate, money, jewelry, etc.? If no, why do parents have to show off about their kids? Why does one have to boast about his or her son getting into of the premier institutes of the country? Why does one have to show off about his or her girl getting a white-collar job in one of the “Fortune #” MNCs? Heck, don’t I have answers to my questions?
It might be just normal for every parent to expect their kids to perform extraordinarily well in all walks of like and grow up to be an achiever. I wonder how many of them realize the tormentation their kids have to go through to live up to their expectations. When schooling, you are always expected to top. When participating in a competition you are expected to win. You are to get into the best of institutions for your under-grad and grad. You are to get into the best of companies meaning a white collared job with a hefty paycheck coming your way every month. I’m not complaining about what is expected of us, but how often have failures been welcomed? How many of us accept failures in life with grace? Well the answer is almost none of us, rare are people who can and for all those “Salutations from the bottom of my heart”. But, for the rest of us, have we ever thought why is it so difficult for us to accept failures and move on? The fact is that we have never been trained to. Failure is just a part of life, so is success. When success gives you so much elation why not failure? We have almost forgotten the joy of playing just because we play to win. Yes, sad but true.
I have always been an underachiever and believe that I was never able to live up to the expectations of my parents and friends and this guilt kills me. This grows manifold when I come across people who have to show off their kids as status symbol. Fine, if you are kids are brilliant and grow up to become Abdul Kalam Azad or Sunitha Williams (no offense to these great people, I completely respect them) but, there are kids in this world who are just normal.
My plea: “Let them be”.

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~

My First Post.....

2007-02-11T21:07:00.000+05:30

Alas, I make my first post. I have been promising myself to make a blog for quite some time now, it has been there on many of my new year resolutions but only now "Has the time come". I'd want to use this channel to vent my thoughts, feelings, ideas and ideologies.
Hmm, it had to be something really interesting to start with. Here's what I'd want to talk about : "Thought!". Quite a topic to talk about, eh? I for one believe that if there is something that could travel faster than light, it has to be "your Thought". With all the scientific progress made over ages human brain remains mystical even to date. Much has been talked about it in religion and science has been trying to decrypt, indisputably the most powerful computer that could ever be built.
Even at this point of time, when I'm trying to assimilate my thoughts and write a few lines about human thoughts and thought process, my mind wanders in various other directions making it very difficult for me to make something meaningful. A question that has been haunting me for quite sometime now is "Is Mind different from Brain?". I'm not very sure about the answer though (may go google it after I'm done with writing :-) ). Our thought process is groomed right from our birth. Social grooming plays a very important role in moulding it. There aren't any good thoughts or bad thoughts (as we generally classify them). A thought is a thought, unique, amorphous and most often evanescent. It all depends on the way we interpret it. A Thought may be best defined as a temporary state of mind.
For people who believe in re-incarnation or rebirth, its been much talked about that there is a great deal of wisdom and knowledge (thoughts, actions and their results) passed-on over many a life times. I strongly believe in the same. We are here (materially present) to unlearn things, discard our myths and make progress in various other planes of life. We are so engulfed in our mundane life that we hardly acknowledge the existence of something higher than this. People even discard "experiences" in the fear of being called 'eccentric'. "Live life to the fullest" to realize that there can be something beyond it. And again its all about "Thoughts, dreams and coincidences".
I have tried to put my thoughts into words as they crossed my mind(or brain? ;-) ), and as said they have certainly been influenced by what I read, people who I have met, what I have learnt and what I have understood. Most importantly this is what I feel. I'm glad I could write something real good without much effort. Please feel free to post your comments and let me know what your mind thinks.

Let there be peace. .::V::.
Cheers to Life!
~M~