The grapes are sour anyway!

Apparently, the feeling  of sour grapes is hardwired into the brain to make a loss, less tragic.

In other  words, the brain overestimates happiness and sorrow of gains and losses. 

Once the result is out, the winners do not seem as happy as they thought they would be and loosers not as unhappy as they thought.

'Synthentic' happiness makes you feel better if things go wrong, so that you can get up and do other things.

On the other hand, if the brain had not overestimated the joy of winning and the sorrow of losing, we might all become like Buddha and meditate our lives away, living under the 'awareness' that winning or losing doesn't make much qualitative difference.

I dont know about intelligent design but the design is indeed intelligent.

What will you choose?

"Whoa! So, that program will mean a lot of intensive processing" - a colleague

"Its not as if the computer gets tired doing hard work"

Thankfully, computers do not have emotions in them yet. And maybe we have some self interest in keeping things that way. Because otherwise, you will get 'robot rights' activists campaigning for better treatment of computers. If computers ever become intelligent, they may even go on strike.

The ultimate fantasy for humans would be the IBM Pollyanna Principle:

machines should work; people should think

But what if machines can start thinking too?

Movies like Matrix, have explored the concept of intelligent machines taking over humans, cultivating humans for their energy supply and providing a virtual reality to prevent an uprising.

So, the humans go about living their lives in the computer generated virtual world while the machines suck their real energy for sustenance.

Will such a world be better?

A world where there are no problems like war, poverty etc. Computer generated visual reality can give you what you want and make you happy. A world where there is no concept of 'fate'. Where you truly get what you deserve.

Computer games, I think are a step in that direction. Programs like Second Life are already providing a virtual world on the internet.

I think that the Matrix can be more real than this world - The Matrix

God must be happy!

Controlling Your Environment Makes You Happy

The power of perspective

An old farmer was hoeing in his field, when a traveler came along. He called out to the farmer, and asked him, "What sort of people live in the next town?"

To this the farmer replied with a question, "What sort of people live where you've come from?"

"Bad. Lazy, good-for-nothing louts. Selfish and untrustworthy - every single one of them. I'm glad I left them and moved away."

"Hmm," replied the old farmer. "I'm afraid you'll find people in the next town to be of the same sort."

This disappointed the traveler, who went on his way. After some time another traveler called out to the farmer, asking, "What sort of people live in the next town?"

"What sort of people live where you've come from?" asked the farmer.

"The best. Hard working, honest, and friendly. I'm really sad I had to leave them."

"Don't worry," said the farmer. "You'll find the same sort in the next town."

via Friendfeed

Tempting fate

I didn't agree with my cousin's post on Fate.

Hard and smart work does guarantee a level of success but to get escape velocity to become an 'outlier', you definitely need luck. I am not talking about serendipity but getting lucky of being at the right place at the right time to take advantage of a situation that will make you an outlier.

Ofcourse, you can increase your chances of getting lucky. But there is no guarantee because there is too much randomness in our lives.

Many successful people will agree that they were lucky. This is because they have seen other people who did the same things but did not get as lucky. It was interesting to listen to this talk on how ancient people used the concept of luck to remain humble and therefore expose themselves to more success.

It is ofcourse, inspiring to think that hard work leads to success. There is no other way. But once you become successful, it pays to believe in luck. 

It ain't over till its over.

Stupid megalomaniacs

Everyone wants a seaside home. But the seaside is only so much. What do the brilliant architects do? Make more seaside.

The above is, I am sure one of the biggest follies in architecture. Imagine the kind of person who would like to live there. 

The design is the biggest antithesis to the the idealistic architectural design ideas of Howard Roark in The Fountainhead:

Rules? Here are my rules: what can be done with one substance must never be done with another. No two materials are alike. No two sites on earth are alike. No two buildings have the same purpose. The purpose, the site, the material determine the shape. Nothing can be reasonable or beautiful unless it's made by one central idea, and the idea sets every detail. A building is alive, like a man. Its integrity is to follow its own truth, its one single theme, and to serve its own single purpose. A man doesn't borrow pieces of his body. A building doesn't borrow hunks of its soul. Its maker gives it the soul and every wall, window, and stairway to express it.

Today's Hindu has a good piece on the folly of these constructions.

The change we need

Looking at the shoddy candidates for the upcoming elections, I thought maybe this is what we deserve. Almost every candidate, including idiots like Sanjay Dutt, Varun Gandhi etc make it only because of their connections with the right people. 

And why not? The public apathy towards the government means that they don't deserve anything better.

Its a vicious cycle. Public indifference leads to bad legislators and bad governence leads to even greater indifference.

Therefore, I was delighted when I heard Shashi Tharoor was contesting in the elections. He may not be a 'grassroots' leader but he is surely going to lift the stature of Indian politicians and this can help break the cycle. 

It was also refreshing to read this article about Narendra Modi who inspite of his communal bias is probably the best bet for India.

In praise of aloofness

"But I don't think of you" says Howard Roark in reply to Ellsworth Toohey in The Fountainhead when the latter, his nemesis, asks him "Mr. Roark, we’re alone here. Why don’t you tell me what you think of me? In any words you wish. No one will hear us".

Aloofness, being detached from others, is perhaps the biggest favor one can do to self. 

The alternative way doesn't help in anyway. You cannot change others. And if you keep thinking about others, you will be living their lives rather than being you. But thats what happens with most people.

"I wonder what he thinks of me"

"That person is not treating me well"

"What can I do to make him like me?"

What a waste of time and energy!

Passion

I really enjoy watching people work with passion. Whether it is the over-enthusiastic liftman at office or the owner of a nearby restaurant sing on evenings to entertain people.

Loved watching the following interviews of probably the 2 most passionate people. Really interesting and funny.




Part 2

Amma

"There can be a bad son, but never a bad mother." was an oft repeated quote by our Principal during the 'Mathru Pooja' where students had to bring their mothers to school and offer prayers and the like.

I had 2 issues with that statement. It was female chauvinistic. Why not say  bad 'child'? There can be a bad daughter too, right? 

Also, the principal saying that, seemed like self-praise because she was also a mother :-)

Aside, how can a mother be so selfless when it comes to their kids? Even if the kids don't show much gratitude, the mother cannot help but come to the aid of her kids. 

A mother is truly one's god on earth. There can be a bad son, but never a bad mother.

Work matters

I am truly lucky to be in a profession which allows me to do what I love for the most part: writing code. I cannot imagine doing something I do not like. In fact, I don't do stuff I don't like :)

But that has not prevented me from thinking about what it would be for the construction worker working in the hot summer or even a banker sitting in an AC room poring over the boring transaction data. 

During the Renaissance, when everything, including life itself, was subjected to analysis, life itself was disassembled into what were considered fundamental but independent activities: work, play, learning, and inspiration.

Institutions were created in which each aactivity could be carried out independently. Factories were designed for work, not play, learning, or inspiration. Theaters and arenas were designed for play, not work, learning, or inspiration. Schools were designed for learning, not work, play, or inspiration. Museums and churches were designed to provide inspiration, not for work, play, or learning.

However, the transformation to systemic thinking has brought with it a growing awareness of the fact that the effectiveness with which any of these activities can be carried out depends on the extent to which they are integrated. Therefore, it has become apparent that a transformational leader must be able to integrate the various aspects of life in order to effectively pursue development. The transformational leader is one who can create an organization that reunifies life, who integrates work, play, learning, and inspiration.  – Russell Ackoff via http://bit.ly/oLsz2.

In other words, work should be fun, productive and inspirational at the same time. i.e. the 8 hours of work, or a third of your life, should not be 'work' anymore. 

That is why I think this is so true:

Passive consumption is the boring old form of entertainment. Joyous creation is the future of entertainment! -via http://bit.ly/XBKzt

Walking the talk

At a time of recession and when big corporations are facing charges of felony and excesses by top management, it is heartening to see some good companies brave the weather with grace.

One of them is Infosys.

"We may fire employees during the best of times but never during a crisis or a recession." said Narayana Murthy in a speech in 2004 when India was shining for IT companies. 

We can now see that, that commitment is being honored even in these trying times.

One Wish

"If there was one super power you could ask for, what would it be?" asked my roommate.

To me, it would be getting information at the speed of thought. Imagine being able to complete reading a book within seconds. Or, getting your queries answered with Google directly into your brain. Or being able to fly an airplane just by 'downloading' the instructions. Being able to navigate around any place.

What would you ask for?

Journey is the reward

It was pretty dis heartening to read the story of the 'Slumdog' kid actors who returned back to the slums after their moments of fame in the Oscar wilds.

"I don't want to sleep on the floor anymore. I want a proper bed and live where the air does not smell of poo. I have seen what it is like in America. Here, there is garbage everywhere, people get angry, swear and shout. I have realised how bad life is here. I just want to get out." -- Slumdog Kids Back To School

On the other hand, you have someone who is the opposite of a 'slumdog' fantasising about life in the slums:

I strongly believe that the west has much to learn from societies and places which, while sometimes poorer in material terms are infinitely richer in the ways in which they live and organise themselves as communities - Prince Charles

Then, you have a self made man say this:

I was brought up to believe that there’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow – that you put your head down and work hard during the journey and then finally at the end there is comfort and wealth.

I disagree with all that now. I don’t believe there’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Even if you die with Rs. 1,000 crores to your name, you don’t take the money with you. So at the end you have absolutely the same you started with – zero.

Hence I now believe that the pot of gold is not the end of the rainbow – but that the pot of gold is the rainbow itself. All that we have is the journey. There is nothing else. - Mahesh Murthy

Why Sales Managers are paid more?

Gandhigiri

The basis of Gandhigiri is to bring about change in your opponent by patience and sympathy.

Its root meaning is holding on to truth, hence truth-force. I have also called it Love-force or Soul-force. In the application of Satyagraha I discovered in the earliest stages that pursuit of truth did not admit of violence being inflicted on one's opponent but that he must be weaned from error by patience and sympathy. For what appears to be truth to the one may appear to be error to the other. And patience means self-suffering. So the doctrine came to mean vindication of truth not by infliction of suffering on the opponent but on one's self. -  Gandhi

Basically, you are expecting the other person to change by sheer patience and self suffering and hoping that his basic human decency will show up eventually which will bring a change in his behaviour. 

But do we really have the patience and energy to wait for the other person to change? Do we even care if the other person changes, as long as the obstacle is removed? The examples in Lage Raho Munnabhai movie did not resonate well with me.

For e.g. in the movie, 'Gandhi' advices a home owner to continously clean the door which his neighbour uses as a spittoon which ultimately makes the neighbour to give up his habit.

The philosophy perhaps works best when you have no other option. For e.g. if your opponent is more powerful than you. Like the British rule in India, Civil Rights Movements etc. 

But for everything else, its like wasting time trying to teach a man eating tiger to eat grass whereas a cage would have been a better and faster option. 

Getting into IT

While applying for engineering, I had 2 likings: Computer Science and Mechanical; and my board exam results decided that Mechanical was the branch I had to take.

Growing up, I was always amazed by machines. The way every component in a machine aligns itself in synchronous motion in perfect alignment is just fantastic. Like all beautiful artifacts, the design of something like the engine is so simple that it masks the cleverness behind it. 

But after an hour of filing metal in the sweaty Workshop in my college in my first semester, I had already started disliking Mechanical Engineering. 

It was obvious that I wasn't 'cut' out for it. The manual labour in the workshops was one big deterrent and then my shabby drawing skills. Drawing was one reason I didn't take Biology in Plus Two and it was the most appreciated skill in Mech undergrads  with most of the subjects requiring intimate portrayal of machinery and design on paper. 

Also it is prohibitively expensive and hard to build things and experiment. For e.g. you can conceive a design for a highly efficient hybrid engine, but the time and money it will cost you to assemble the parts and then experiment with it doesn't seem worth it.

The air conditioned computer science labs were much more welcoming. A field where everything is abstract, it only requires logical and analytical skills to become good at. You only need a computer to build, test and experiment your design. Also, I loved programming to the extent that some of us from school would write small gaming programs during holidays and compare them.

I was lucky that IT companies were desperate enough to hire from all branches of engineering in the year of 2004.