Well, I don't know about the end of life on earth, if you ask me for a fixed date, that is. But I can tell you for certain that it will happen sooner or later. What scientists can tell you with a lot more certainty though is that the earth is tilting. Well, it always was tilted at the angle of 23 and a half degrees. But all the melting ice is creating more water which is accumulating in a slightly lop-sided fashion, causing the weight of the earth to increase more on one side than on the other, thereby affecting the already existing tilt. They might need to shift the position of the poles in a few years, with the North Pole over Alaska, for example. What it means for the earth on the larger scale, I do not know, and I am not about to make any random dire predictions.
However, I do have something more to say about the idea of life, even as we know it (whatever limits that imposes), existing on earth, and on earth alone. Couple of weeks ago, scientists analysing a piece of comet grabbed by a NASA probe in 2004 found in the space rock glycine, an amino acid. That is one of the fundamental building blocks of life, and if it is spread all over space, there is little reason to think why the same couldn't be true for life itself. Such is how the scientists are theorising, and I more than agree with them. So much also for these damn creationists who imagine that some sculptor kind of god moulded them out of putty with his very own hands.
On the other hand, however, one must take science with a pinch of salt too. Take the case of man landing on the moon, for instance. When Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin Jr went on their triumphant world tour upon their return from our satellite, they also carried with them pieces of moon rock to gift to countries that they visited. So last week, it turns out that the piece kept in Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is actually only a piece of petrified wood, which quite surely is not from the moon. Expectedly, the US has offered no explanation for the Dutch discovery.
But then again, science is cool. Imagine, they have actually managed to image the chemical structure of a single molecule. Yes, image, not photograph. For those who understand elements of nanoscience, I don't need to explain why. And for those who don't understand it, I can't be bothered. But to me, it sounds really cool to think that it is possible to image not just the shape of a singe molecule but even chemical bonds!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Random rants...
Does hard work always pay off, even if only eventually? Or is hardly working quite enough sometimes to have a windfall? When indulging in diligence, where does one draw the line between utility and futility? Newton and physical laws apart, what reactions does one expect from actions when the reactions have only a very slanting relationship with the actions? Does one good turn deserve another? My grandma tells me that it doesn't work like that often, and I can only agree. Karma seems like a bit of a joke, if I be kind to the concept, and if I be brutal, then well, it is a lie. Unless of course, you drag in the concept of reincarnation too and then include actions from past lives in the karma equation. But I will leave you to decide all that for yourself.
An empty mind is not the devil's workshop, nor is it empty in a vacuum-ish sense of the word. An un-preoccupied mind (for that is what I think is usually referred to as an empty mind) has enough thoughts of its own which may or may not be regarded by devilish. But such a mental state tends to bring out the worse in us because idle thought is perhaps the worst enemy of our species. It often leads to the most productive and constructive sort of creativity too, certainly, but creativity can be destructive too. A so-called empty mind usually shows us the darkness within, and most of us have a tough time coming to grips with it.
The holy month for the Muslims is upon them and you and me. Fasting and feasting go hand in glove, chasing each other much like the sun and the moon. While Muslims try to be even better than they always are during this time which should cleanse their bodies and purify their souls, I wonder how many of the quam continue to indulge in unholy acts during this time, acts that perhaps provide them sustenance or have become fixtures in their daily lives. Even if they may be god's chosen people unto whom he gave his last and final and true word, I am sure there are still those among them who knowingly go against the light they have seen.
Stress can lead to acne, whitening of hair and impotency. The first, I seem to have largely escaped. The second, I have concluded, is an irreversible sort of process. The hair doesn't go back to being black once the stress leaves. The third, well, I really can't say since I have had no instance to find out for certain one way or the other. But it is surely a worrying thought. Someone enlighten me about what other physical changes stress can cause, and I shall check for those too if I can.
While Indians are known for their veneration of cows, it seems we are hardly alone. Check this out: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gkkgQupj_lWIxw_huyo_1FCL5OAAD9A7B0000. If the link doesn't work, just search for it. Cambodians worshipping a calf that has reptilian skin, and some woman getting cured after drinking water that was used to wash its dead body, after it died because excessive deification kept it away from its mother who could not feed it enough, leading to the death. Beat that, Indians!
An empty mind is not the devil's workshop, nor is it empty in a vacuum-ish sense of the word. An un-preoccupied mind (for that is what I think is usually referred to as an empty mind) has enough thoughts of its own which may or may not be regarded by devilish. But such a mental state tends to bring out the worse in us because idle thought is perhaps the worst enemy of our species. It often leads to the most productive and constructive sort of creativity too, certainly, but creativity can be destructive too. A so-called empty mind usually shows us the darkness within, and most of us have a tough time coming to grips with it.
The holy month for the Muslims is upon them and you and me. Fasting and feasting go hand in glove, chasing each other much like the sun and the moon. While Muslims try to be even better than they always are during this time which should cleanse their bodies and purify their souls, I wonder how many of the quam continue to indulge in unholy acts during this time, acts that perhaps provide them sustenance or have become fixtures in their daily lives. Even if they may be god's chosen people unto whom he gave his last and final and true word, I am sure there are still those among them who knowingly go against the light they have seen.
Stress can lead to acne, whitening of hair and impotency. The first, I seem to have largely escaped. The second, I have concluded, is an irreversible sort of process. The hair doesn't go back to being black once the stress leaves. The third, well, I really can't say since I have had no instance to find out for certain one way or the other. But it is surely a worrying thought. Someone enlighten me about what other physical changes stress can cause, and I shall check for those too if I can.
While Indians are known for their veneration of cows, it seems we are hardly alone. Check this out: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gkkgQupj_lWIxw_huyo_1FCL5OAAD9A7B0000. If the link doesn't work, just search for it. Cambodians worshipping a calf that has reptilian skin, and some woman getting cured after drinking water that was used to wash its dead body, after it died because excessive deification kept it away from its mother who could not feed it enough, leading to the death. Beat that, Indians!
Thursday, August 06, 2009
The right and wrong to education
The government has passed the Right to Education Bill recently for reasons that should be obvious to most people. And being on the right side of my thinking, I am in no mood to argue against those reasons. The law provisions for compulsory and free education about class 8. Very good. However, some of the mandates laid down by the law are a little troublesome, to say the least.
Of the four important bits, let me get out of the way the non-tricky ones first. There is to be abolition of any selection criteria for granting admission to students. No interview for kids or their parents, no examination, nothing. Personally, I think this is a pretty good thing in theory, but of course, I also think and know that practitioners will find a way out. Since it is supposed to be random, you can choose who you want (based on inputs in the application forms, for instance) and ascribe it to randomness. Not too difficult. However, the law itself, I agree with.
Then there is the bit that reserves 25% seats in all schools, public or private or whatever, for children from underprivileged backgrounds. That is to say, 25% seats in all schools will cater to poor kids for free. Again, I agree with the law, especially since there is much lesser scope to weasel your way out of this one.
Now to flip the coin. The law further says that no student shall be failed, that is, retained in the same class for another year. Compulsory promotion to the daftest laziest stupidest along with the smartest brightest blah. Not that I am a fan of merit (if anything, I realise more everyday the falsity of the notion), but this blind promotion is going to only promote laziness and hence stupidity. Kids will have no reason to actually learn what they are taught.
And this last one... 75% of the managing committee of any school will have to be made up of either parents of students or appointed nominees. Again, I agree that parents should have some representation on the school's management, but 75%? What the hell will parents know about managing a school? Will they actually be able to always think beyond the conveniences (not needs) of their own child and actually think practically from the school's perspective too? You know, it will become a bit like an unwieldy democracy where too many of the 'masses' have too much control over how things are run. I wonder how existing schools will react to this one. I can think of only some more corruption.
Of the four important bits, let me get out of the way the non-tricky ones first. There is to be abolition of any selection criteria for granting admission to students. No interview for kids or their parents, no examination, nothing. Personally, I think this is a pretty good thing in theory, but of course, I also think and know that practitioners will find a way out. Since it is supposed to be random, you can choose who you want (based on inputs in the application forms, for instance) and ascribe it to randomness. Not too difficult. However, the law itself, I agree with.
Then there is the bit that reserves 25% seats in all schools, public or private or whatever, for children from underprivileged backgrounds. That is to say, 25% seats in all schools will cater to poor kids for free. Again, I agree with the law, especially since there is much lesser scope to weasel your way out of this one.
Now to flip the coin. The law further says that no student shall be failed, that is, retained in the same class for another year. Compulsory promotion to the daftest laziest stupidest along with the smartest brightest blah. Not that I am a fan of merit (if anything, I realise more everyday the falsity of the notion), but this blind promotion is going to only promote laziness and hence stupidity. Kids will have no reason to actually learn what they are taught.
And this last one... 75% of the managing committee of any school will have to be made up of either parents of students or appointed nominees. Again, I agree that parents should have some representation on the school's management, but 75%? What the hell will parents know about managing a school? Will they actually be able to always think beyond the conveniences (not needs) of their own child and actually think practically from the school's perspective too? You know, it will become a bit like an unwieldy democracy where too many of the 'masses' have too much control over how things are run. I wonder how existing schools will react to this one. I can think of only some more corruption.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
