Going Easy on the Eyes

Keeping in harmony with my longing for dark themes in applications and apps that I use, it is only fair to my readers that I apply a dark velvety theme to my blog. If you notice that the text color of any of the old posts conflicts with the new background, please bring it to my notice via the comments or mail, and I shall fix them.

On a related note, wish MS had not removed the option of customizing the thematic windows colors in Windows 8. Now that I have most applications working with a dark theme that is easy on the eyes, having to switch back to see a prickly white Windows Explorer or another system window that cannot be customized is just plain annoying.

Update: An Opportunity to Teach

The classes have gone pretty well. I've rediscovered the trainer in me. Perhaps that is why I have promised my participants one more, final session on the coming Thursday, March 14, 2019. That's when I'll be introducing them to some advanced concepts.

I'll talk at length about Reflection in .NET, and provide them with a sample program to demonstrate its use.

Finally, I'll talk about dynamism -- the ability to dynamically create, compile and execute programs at runtime. In layman terms, the ability to make your program write and run another program on the fly! I've decided to discuss this only because I know these trainees may well be expected to use the concepts in their project. And while I'd have loved to provide them samples, I've been told not to.

Of course, they need to learn, discover and implement some things for themselves. That's when they would really learn, enjoy developing, and gain from the experience.

If they really walk that path, and ever hit a dead-end, all they have to do is turn around, and they'll see me. And if they've really done their homework, I'll propel them around the wall as best as I can.

An Opportunity to Teach

Over the last few days I've been basking in the warmth of a unique opportunity extended to me: training new recruits in a programming language I've come to love.

I call it a unique opportunity not because it is a novelty for me. In fact, I've been a corporate trainer for quite some time in my IT career since 1996, when I was also a consulting developer. I've also trained students, who came out fresh from varsities, in practical nuances that their scholastic syllabus hardly addressed.

I call it a unique opportunity only because this is the first time my current employers (from 2005) have ever asked me to take some time out of my otherwise hectic yet monotonous schedule to officially train four new recruits fresh out of their varsity, in a programming language I've recently taught myself and come to love.

Over the last week, I've really enjoyed myself teaching, preparing notes, and creating fully functional sample programmes to support my lessons.

I'm glad I took this opportunity when it came, and I'm glad I made the effort I did, because it has helped me as much as it may have helped my students. For one, it has given me time to reconcile and consolidate my knowledge.

I only hope that my current students have been enjoying the classes as much as I've been enjoying preparing for them. I hope they take home more than just knowledge, I hope they take home my experience. And I hope they use it to their benefit.

Review: Thugs Of Hindostan

The makers have spent a lot, but the movie fails to impress.

Sound/Visual effects: good (wish it had been 3D)

Everything else: silly, unreal, twisted.

Overall impact: 4/10

Book Introduction: The Archetype of the Number and its Reflections in Contemporary Cosmology

Title:          The Archetype of the Number and its Reflections in Contemporary Cosmology
Subtitle:     Psychophysical Rhythmic Configurations
Author:      Alain Negre
Publisher: Chiron Publications

Earlier this month, author Alain Negre emailed me a PDF version of his soon to be released book, and suggested that I mention it on this blog. I feel happy to do so. However, I was only able to quickly browse through the PDF in the last two days. The subject matter of the book is such that writing a review on it after just skimming through it would be unfair to the author. So, this post will serve more as an introduction to the work than as a review, though I do sprinkle my comments where appropriate.

Although the subject has been addressed in the past (for instance, The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra), this book is different in substance and approach. It takes a transdisciplinary approach to examine the relationship of science to spirituality, using the archetype of number. It builds on the work of Jung, physicist Pauli and von Franz, author of “Number and Time.” The premise is the fact that numbers have both quantitative and qualitative aspects, that they are basic archetypes i.e. empty structures of the (Jungian) unconscious extended in all dimensions of space and time.

Other topics like emergence and “dialectical physics” are also addressed. However, the author goes into some form of speculation when, for example, he applies Heraclitean “enantiodromia” (equivalent to the karmic law of action and reaction) to the evolutive universe.

The difference between science and symbols is clearly stated as well as an overview of a distinction between different levels of reality, indexed on the four logical possibilities of the Dharmic tradition of Indian logic, the Catuṣkoṭi (Tetralemma in Greek). These distinctions appear necessary in order to avoid confusion between science and the esoteric tradition such as alchemy, astrology, numerology.

What little I read seemed like quite decent work to me. The effort the author has put in the work shines through the pages. Of course, this is not a light-reading material (the topics under discussion do not allow it to be) and qualifies for more than just one serious reading. People with a keen interest in exploring the parallels and distinctions between science and spirituality may certainly take something home from this work, although I wouldn’t really call it an introductory level material (not sure if the author meant it to be).


References:

http://chironpublications.com/shop/archetype-number-reflections-contemporary-cosmology/

Excellent Answer!

Excellent answer by Prerna Singh! Wish more and more people would start using their brains and understand this simple concept. Then we would really have nation-wide peace and harmony.


Read Prerna Singh's answer to When will all of the loudspeakers in mosques be removed across India? Why should Hindus have to hear those prayers? on Quora

MovieReview: Ghazi Attack

Simply put:

Ghazi Attack = [U-571 + Crimson Tide] 

When I started watching the Ghazi Attack (fortunately I watched the TV premier, so didn't lose money), I was reminded immediately of the Hollywood flicks with the same story, and was even more surprised to see the exact same events unfold. Notwithstanding the claims that it is based on a true story, I found it too close a match to be shrugged off as coincidental. Therefore, I am forced to conclude that this is one more of the long list of Hollywood rip-offs. It seems these days the Indian movie industry simply lacks the creative edge to produce anything original that could beat Hollywood productions.