Hello People!
I have got myself a new blog: Ink Scrawl. I will be posting henceforth to that blog.
The Url for Ink Scrawl: http://inkscrawl.blogspot.com/
See you there.
Friday, January 07, 2005
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Where do all the Jokes Come From?
I came across an interesting science fiction short story Jokester, by Isaac Asimov in Isaac Asimov -- The Complete Short Stories, Volume I. In the story, a humongous computer -- the Multivac -- explains why jokes are funny.
I found the story interesting for another reason. In it, the central character, Grand Master Noel Meyerhof asks Multivac a question -- "Where do all the jokes come from?"
Meyerhof claims to know (and tell) thousands of jokes, yet he has never made up one. He has either heard or read the jokes and then merely repeated them. And he finds that none of his sources of hearing or reading have made up the jokes either. They, like him, have merely embellished the jokes and contributed by (re)telling them. He has never met anyone who has constructed a joke. He has, of course, met many who have made original puns but none of the puns provoke laughter. All puns either make you smile or groan but don't induce the same kind of laughter that a (unoriginal and retold) joke does. And so he wonders, who makes up the jokes?
Come to think of it -- I too haven't met any person who has claimed to have made a joke. Most of the jokes that I know are variations of a few very recognizable themes -- with only the setting and the characters changing in the retelling. A joke is always "a good one that I heard the other day" or "a funny email forward" or a "good SMS that was sent by a friend." Have you come across a person who has claimed to have constructed a totally original joke?
In the story, the Multivac studies many jokes for patterns, considers all the data and comes up with an answer.
An answer that has a catastrophic effect on humanity.
I am not revealing the answer. Get hold of Isaac Asimov's short stories and find out for yourself.
But, where do all the jokes come from? Do you know?
I found the story interesting for another reason. In it, the central character, Grand Master Noel Meyerhof asks Multivac a question -- "Where do all the jokes come from?"
Meyerhof claims to know (and tell) thousands of jokes, yet he has never made up one. He has either heard or read the jokes and then merely repeated them. And he finds that none of his sources of hearing or reading have made up the jokes either. They, like him, have merely embellished the jokes and contributed by (re)telling them. He has never met anyone who has constructed a joke. He has, of course, met many who have made original puns but none of the puns provoke laughter. All puns either make you smile or groan but don't induce the same kind of laughter that a (unoriginal and retold) joke does. And so he wonders, who makes up the jokes?
Come to think of it -- I too haven't met any person who has claimed to have made a joke. Most of the jokes that I know are variations of a few very recognizable themes -- with only the setting and the characters changing in the retelling. A joke is always "a good one that I heard the other day" or "a funny email forward" or a "good SMS that was sent by a friend." Have you come across a person who has claimed to have constructed a totally original joke?
In the story, the Multivac studies many jokes for patterns, considers all the data and comes up with an answer.
An answer that has a catastrophic effect on humanity.
I am not revealing the answer. Get hold of Isaac Asimov's short stories and find out for yourself.
But, where do all the jokes come from? Do you know?
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Email -- Improving Your Narrative skills
A new study by a research team in the Netherlands, suggests that e-mail's hybrid nature -- combining talking and writing -- has its own benefits.
The study, to be published in the forthcoming edition of the International Journal of Educational Research is challenging the belief that e-mail and text messaging only have a negative impact on writing skills, reports canada.com.
I wonder about the impact that such "natural writing" will have on writing skills over a period of time? Will it mean the end of grammar and the art of writing as we know it today? While natural writing may ease personal expression, will it be effective when communicating with a large number of people and across geographies?
"You could say the writing becomes more sloppy, but you could say it becomes more natural. They tell stories, and are motivated because they have a real audience. They are expressing themselves."
-- Bregje de Vries, lead researcher, University of Twente.
The study, to be published in the forthcoming edition of the International Journal of Educational Research is challenging the belief that e-mail and text messaging only have a negative impact on writing skills, reports canada.com.
I wonder about the impact that such "natural writing" will have on writing skills over a period of time? Will it mean the end of grammar and the art of writing as we know it today? While natural writing may ease personal expression, will it be effective when communicating with a large number of people and across geographies?
SMSing while you Drive -- the Coming of the Multitaskers
I came across this (slightly old) post on Textually.org -- a blog that "covers the latest news on texting or short messaging (SMS) and multimedia messaging (MMS)" that talked about how a part of our coming generations might be successful multitaskers. The post quotes a study by Pew that reports that many youngsters today surf the web or play games while they use the instant messenger. Some even watch TV.
Does this mean that soon we will have a generation that will surf the web, text message, and maybe drive a car at the same time?
Does this mean that soon we will have a generation that will surf the web, text message, and maybe drive a car at the same time?
Tsunami Interactive Feature -- Asia's Deadly Waves.
Do Animals Possess a Sixth Sense?
The tsunami that hit south-east Asia killed about 24,000 people in Sri Lanka. Surprisingly no dead animals were found.
Though the tsunami waters entered the Yala National Park, Sri Lanka's biggest wildlife reserve, not a single dead elephant or leopard was found.
How did these animals escape the tsunami? Do they possess a sixth sense?
Though the tsunami waters entered the Yala National Park, Sri Lanka's biggest wildlife reserve, not a single dead elephant or leopard was found.
How did these animals escape the tsunami? Do they possess a sixth sense?
Monday, January 03, 2005
The Longest Email Address in the Whole Wide World
The world's longest alphabetical email address is now offered for free.
http://www.abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
abcdefghijk.com/ is the longest alphabetical domain name in the entire world and email addresses on it are offered by Appwalk.com Technologies, Canada as a part of a new online initiative that encourages weird, and innovative ideas to be developed into online presence and services.
The blurb on the site lists the advantages of having the longest email address in the world:
Getting yourself one?
http://www.abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
abcdefghijk.com/ is the longest alphabetical domain name in the entire world and email addresses on it are offered by Appwalk.com Technologies, Canada as a part of a new online initiative that encourages weird, and innovative ideas to be developed into online presence and services.
The blurb on the site lists the advantages of having the longest email address in the world:
- People cannot remember your email address
Companies think that your email address is fake
Webforms do not work with your email
The only email address that would allow you to tease your friends for not being able to remember your email address!
Getting yourself one?
Friday, December 31, 2004
Hogmanay -- Welcoming the New Year
I first came across the quaint word and tradition of Hogmanay in Iain Banks' The Crow Road -- one of my favorite novels, replete with great characters, a lovely location, and a complex story that is excellently told (more on it later).
Hogmanay is the Scottish word for the celebration of the New Year in the traditional Scottish manner. From The Crow Road I gathered that the festivities start on the night of December 31 and go on till the morning of January 1, when the participants, totally sozzled, crawl into bed and get up with hangovers that are cured by drinking skoosh. As apart of the celebrations, you visit as many friends and neighbours as possible, carrying with you drams of whiskey as gifts. Needless to say, since then, I wanted to be a part of Hogmanay celebrations (one day I will).
A quick search on the net throws up a lot of information about Hogmanay. I found that Edinburgh is the venue of the mother of all Hogmanay parties. That the tradition of visiting friends and neighbors is know as first-footing and it involves being the first person to cross the threshold of a friend or neighbor and giving them gifts that are supposed to bring them luck. The customary gifts have now seem to be replaced with drams (one of the reasons why many of the sites also have sections devoted to hangover cures -- the most popular seems to be one called Hair of the Dog).
Hogmanay is a wonderful mixture of traditional practices and partying -- of having fun and wishing the best for those around you. I guess, that inspite of the tsunami and all the loss, life goes on and there will be (subdued?) partying and gaiety even in India. A good many of the people will be fortunate enough to spend the time with family and friends as they usher in the new year -- spare a thought and a wish for the thousands in India and elsewhere who have been affected by the killer waves.
Here's hoping that 2005 "first-foots" into everybody's lives with lots of good luck and happiness. Happy Hogmanay and a good new year to you all.
Hogmanay is the Scottish word for the celebration of the New Year in the traditional Scottish manner. From The Crow Road I gathered that the festivities start on the night of December 31 and go on till the morning of January 1, when the participants, totally sozzled, crawl into bed and get up with hangovers that are cured by drinking skoosh. As apart of the celebrations, you visit as many friends and neighbours as possible, carrying with you drams of whiskey as gifts. Needless to say, since then, I wanted to be a part of Hogmanay celebrations (one day I will).
A quick search on the net throws up a lot of information about Hogmanay. I found that Edinburgh is the venue of the mother of all Hogmanay parties. That the tradition of visiting friends and neighbors is know as first-footing and it involves being the first person to cross the threshold of a friend or neighbor and giving them gifts that are supposed to bring them luck. The customary gifts have now seem to be replaced with drams (one of the reasons why many of the sites also have sections devoted to hangover cures -- the most popular seems to be one called Hair of the Dog).
Hogmanay is a wonderful mixture of traditional practices and partying -- of having fun and wishing the best for those around you. I guess, that inspite of the tsunami and all the loss, life goes on and there will be (subdued?) partying and gaiety even in India. A good many of the people will be fortunate enough to spend the time with family and friends as they usher in the new year -- spare a thought and a wish for the thousands in India and elsewhere who have been affected by the killer waves.
Here's hoping that 2005 "first-foots" into everybody's lives with lots of good luck and happiness. Happy Hogmanay and a good new year to you all.
Igniting the Web -- Firefox 1.0
In an online survey on Desktop Pipeline for "the most important desktop tech event and/or product of 2004?" has "The release of Mozilla's Firefox browser" leading with 95% of the votes (as on December 31, 2004 -- 3.30 pm. IST ). Firefox 1.0 was released on November 9, and since then has clocked over 14 million downloads.
I have been using Firefox for over an year now -- since it was a version 0.5. Even when it was under development, I found it to be much better than Microsoft's Internet Explorer. It is faster and more efficient than IE and it is definitely safer. In addition, its features like Popup Blocking, Tabbed Browsing, and Live Bookmarks (RSS/Atom feeds) are very user-friendly features that microsoft hasn't been able to even come close to. And you can pack it with more features by simply downloading more extensions. I have virtually given up using IE. If you want to read an excellent review of Firefox and its features -- Firefox 1.0: The New World Wide Web Champ? -- on Desktop Pipeline.
Get yourself a real browser in 2005, download firefox and rediscover the web.
I have been using Firefox for over an year now -- since it was a version 0.5. Even when it was under development, I found it to be much better than Microsoft's Internet Explorer. It is faster and more efficient than IE and it is definitely safer. In addition, its features like Popup Blocking, Tabbed Browsing, and Live Bookmarks (RSS/Atom feeds) are very user-friendly features that microsoft hasn't been able to even come close to. And you can pack it with more features by simply downloading more extensions. I have virtually given up using IE. If you want to read an excellent review of Firefox and its features -- Firefox 1.0: The New World Wide Web Champ? -- on Desktop Pipeline.
Get yourself a real browser in 2005, download firefox and rediscover the web.
Digital Inheritance
What happens to all the bits of digital information when their owners die? Who inherits the email? More importantly -- what if somebody needs to access financial and other information that is significant, but password protected? Online possessions are not like physical properties and do not have any laws that govern what happens to all the information once their owner has kicked the bucket. Should family members or other inheritors have an access to this information? With more and more of our lives going digital everyday, the issue of digital inheritance is going to be an important one in the near future.
The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Relief
The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami -- The SEA-EAT blog for short.
This community weblog has been set up bloggers in India and from elsewhere. The blog offers News and information about resources, aid, donations and volunteer efforts.
Meanwhile business houses in India have started mobilising relief for the Tsunami victims. Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) (the company I work for) has asked its employees to voluntarily contribute towards the cause. After cumulating the total amount of contribution from all employees on Jan 4th, 2005, a matching amount will be contributed by TIS. All contributions will go to the 'Tata Relief Committee-Tsunami Relief Fund' -- a fund set up by the Tata Group for its relief effort.
This community weblog has been set up bloggers in India and from elsewhere. The blog offers News and information about resources, aid, donations and volunteer efforts.
Meanwhile business houses in India have started mobilising relief for the Tsunami victims. Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) (the company I work for) has asked its employees to voluntarily contribute towards the cause. After cumulating the total amount of contribution from all employees on Jan 4th, 2005, a matching amount will be contributed by TIS. All contributions will go to the 'Tata Relief Committee-Tsunami Relief Fund' -- a fund set up by the Tata Group for its relief effort.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Teaching and Learning with Wikis
A wiki ( Hawaiian term for "quick") is an excellent tool for collaboration in an online environment. It is a collaborative site that allows anyone to contribute to it. Wikis being very open, they provide various means to verify the validity of any additions to the body of pages.
Inspite of its openness, the pages are usually balanced and provide comprehensive information -- there is hardly any disorder or confusion. Visit Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, to see how a wiki works -- it is one of my favorite resources.
Wikis are now even looked upon as useful tools for facilitating online education. Read this excellent paper Teaching and learning online with wikis by Naomi Augar, Ruth Raitman and Wanlei Zhou. The paper outlines basic wiki functionality and highlights the features that make wikis a valuable technology for teaching and learning online.
Inspite of its openness, the pages are usually balanced and provide comprehensive information -- there is hardly any disorder or confusion. Visit Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, to see how a wiki works -- it is one of my favorite resources.
Wikis are now even looked upon as useful tools for facilitating online education. Read this excellent paper Teaching and learning online with wikis by Naomi Augar, Ruth Raitman and Wanlei Zhou. The paper outlines basic wiki functionality and highlights the features that make wikis a valuable technology for teaching and learning online.
Opening my Universe a little more...
I got myself a blog in March 2004...set it up...and then put up a post saying "let me think what will go in here...till then this will remain under construction." And that is how it has been for so many days. All these days, I have been thinking off and on, about what I can blog. Literature...a blog only on whatever "literary" catches my eye or should it talk about "e-learning" -- my profession (at least for the moment). Maybe it should have whatever I keep reading about search engines and search engine optimization, an interest I developed in my previous job. Maybe one that links to all the great stuff that I read on the internet. Maybe I was just being lazy...
Meanwhile, I exhorted and convinced many of my friends to start their own blogs. And smiled whenever they asked me about my blog.
I have finally decided to jump into it. And no, I haven't yet decided what direction my blog will take. What I have decided to do is flag good and interesting pieces that I come across on the Net, add my two bits on whatever I feel like and generally cover all my interests...and see how it goes...
It is just the time to start doing something...open up my universe a bit more for others to see.
--mandar "emmtee"
Meanwhile, I exhorted and convinced many of my friends to start their own blogs. And smiled whenever they asked me about my blog.
I have finally decided to jump into it. And no, I haven't yet decided what direction my blog will take. What I have decided to do is flag good and interesting pieces that I come across on the Net, add my two bits on whatever I feel like and generally cover all my interests...and see how it goes...
It is just the time to start doing something...open up my universe a bit more for others to see.
--mandar "emmtee"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
