If I were an inanimate object, I would be CARBON

I am quite commonplace, much like the black substance you would associate with carbon. At the outset, I am average looking, and don't have anything special to offer that most others can't match or better (think coal). But with concerted effort and determination, I would become the backbone of the industrial revolution, and drastically enhance my value to society. And I wouldn't stop there. I would like to keep reinventing myself. I started off as the measly coal. Then, with some refining, I became denser charcoal. With more engineering and science to back me up, I found myself useful in every aspect of life, from the ever-breaking tip of a lead pencil, to the advanced nano-engineered forms such as graphene.

I am currently at a stage where much of life's challenges are ahead of me, very much like charcoal in the early 1900s. With my enthusiasm, initiative and sense of purpose, I plan to be at the top of my game, hopefully where graphene and carbon-nanotubes will be in the future.

However, if everything works in my favor, and I continue to better myself at every step, I could be a DIAMOND. But there is a reason why diamond is the rarest of carbon's forms. It takes years of struggle under the right set of circumstances to be the hardest material and most sought-after gem in the world. So becoming a diamond will always be my dream, and it will be nice for that dream to be realized. :)

Classroom2Classroom

We live in a world of gross inequalities in income, opportunities and living standards. We see people being discriminated against because they look different or pray to a different god. We see people adopt a high moral ground on certain issues, while blissfully ignoring other equally important issues. While some countries have been more proactive in improving the lives of their citizens, others have been far less so. We can blame the state machinery for this, as that comes naturally to us. OR, we can change ourselves and be open to new ideas. I believe one of the major roadblocks to the development of society is a fear of the unknown. This fear is deeply ingrained in us, because even though history may tell us otherwise, we believe in a safety net that is our current set of tried and tested so called ‘way of life’. Anything outside of this is considered a risk, and the majority of us don’t like risks. Yet, the out-of-the-box thinkers who do not fear change are the most celebrated people today. This leads us to question, how do we change ourselves to be more like these celebrated people?

To answer this question, let’s look at the origin of these so-called thoughts and ideas. When a baby comes into this world, it tries to absorb as much as it can as quickly as possible. It is a figurative empty box waiting to be filled with information and ideas. The ideas that filter into the minds of these babies as they grow into young adults are influenced by their parents, teachers, friends, media and a whole list of things. Fast-forward a decade; they now hold the reins to the future of the world they have come into. Many a great men have quoted, in more eloquent words, that the youth of the country will shape its future. And yet, the adults of today are the ones who will shape the thoughts and views of their successors.

Let us say that, in an ideal world, the youth did not have any preconceived notions about anybody else in the world, and are eager to learn more about the person next door, or people in a neighbouring country, or even halfway around the globe; what if we were able to make such a world possible, where a child is able to interact with any other child, in any part of the world? As it turns out, we already have such a system in place. It is called the internet. Of course, the implementation of the system, like any other, leaves a lot to be desired. These days, we can use the internet to do pretty much anything virtually, and we regularly surprise ourselves by coming up with more innovative ways to use this resource to our advantage.

Hence, I finally come to the point I am trying to make. Why not have classrooms in one part of the world that can connect virtually with classrooms in another part of the world? It is a simple test of concept. We provide each classroom with the tools necessary to interact in the public and private media, including video, voice-over, IM and email. It is amazing how much children can learn from each other, with just a little direction from the adults. And we don’t have to stop at that. We can have language learning programs where students of one classroom teach the students of the other classroom their language and vice-versa. The possibilities are endless. And the simplicity of it all is equally amazing. Individual students can interact with each other, share ideas, jokes, their aspirations and even classroom gossip. The curiosity that is ingrained in every child needs to be nurtured, so that they actually learn more than just what is in the textbooks. And what better way to do this than to let them see the world with their own eyes and learn by themselves, that the kids on the other end of the screen are similar in so many ways, while also learning to accept the differences in their respective cultures and outlook. Imagine a world in which a Spanish 3^rd grader understands the need to be kinder to their bull and oxen, or an Indian 9^th grader who realizes that there are fields other than engineering or medicine which are equally fulfilling. How much easier it would be to propagate such thoughts if we just let the Spanish classroom do a Google hangout with their Indian counterparts.

Let us not forget that the same people who have biases and misconceptions based on color, language, religion and culture will be raising children of their own. Paraphrasing quotes from many greats, babies are not born with the biases and misconceptions of their parents. They are passed on to them by their parents and other adults as easily as the water absorbed in a sponge. By just expecting the youth to change the world, when we ourselves sleep on it does not make us a healthy role-model. There is a need to rapidly change the way the world sees itself, without having to resort to wars and power struggles.  

Let us hope for a future, where an Asian person is not automatically assumed to be a Chinese, or where a follower of Islam is not regarded warily in the public eye. Let us hope that the assumptions and opinions that we have of somebody who appears or talks differently from us are no longer taken for granted, and that thoughts are formed independently through actual interaction between the peoples. 

There is a need to recognize that we have to learn to find and accept some ideas that seem blatantly audacious now, because in the future, even if we do go down in history as supporting a failed cause, we will still be remembered as the ones who dared to do it differently.

Two Short Horror Tales

I wake up in sheer terror. There isn't any butcher's knife tediously hacking through my arm. It was all a horrible nightmare! And then I felt a hand gently touching my cheek. A cold hand. I open my eyes. It is my hand. Was. 

-----------------------------

He could see dead people. Only he could. It all started with that blow to his head. But that was a week ago, he was healed now. What bothered him more was, nobody else would talk to him, or even listen to him. Not even his wife. And he wondered why.

Why 'HOT' Goddesses Never Made It Big

Disclaimer: I am neither a God man, nor a Devil worshipper. I'm just cooking up a scenario here.

If there are still any misconceptions about my motives, let me start by saying that my intentions towards pursuing such a line of thought are purely altruistic, and of course, like any any blogger, out of a need to increase my blog's view count. 

First of all, almost every religion's big or primary god is male. Of course, homo-sapiens males have been dominant over their female counterparts in all activities, outside of their homes that is. Barring those religions that existed in the BC era, like Hinduism and those in ancient Greece and Egypt, not many religions have featured female goddesses. Even in these ancient religions, the Goddesses always played second fiddle to their male counterparts. Take Hera, wife/sister of Zeus (See? Now you know how we multiplied from just Adam and Eve), or Parvathi, wife of Shiva. Both powerful goddesses in their own right, but never 'better' than their husbands. 

So, having established that we are a biased, bigoted species who have never given full credit to their uh, if I may, 'weaker' sex, lets move on to the fantasy world, which I shall henceforth refer to as "Miss World". In Miss World, the God is a she, and so is the Devil. Of course, this world also has its own share of non-conformists and heretics (hereticas, if I may). There are no god-men, only god-women. And there is Goddess, Allah (apparently, the word has no gender. look here) and more primary female goddesses. And there is the antithesis, the Deviless, Seitana (for lack of a better word) and other evil counterparts in other religions. Now, in the case of male power figures, we know what constitutes good and evil. The Satan makes a broth out of you in the deep depths of hell, while God lets you walk free in the mist covered, floating ocean of clouds called Heaven. Of course, the details of dress-code (or lack of it there-of) in both post-worlds is always blurry. Now, whenever you are in a position to do either good or evil, and the gains of doing one doesn't fully outweigh the other, the good angel (yeah, the winged one) whispers the good stuff in your one ear, while the Devil whispers evil stuff in your other ear (at least, that is what the cartoons have taught me). Flash forward to "Miss World", where all She represents all that is good, and the other She represents all that is wrong; now, you have a sexy angel holding on to your one ear, while an equally sexy devil holds on to your other ear. Now, according to most religions in our world, sex and alluring beauty are considered a Sin or Haram. Lets transpose those beliefs to "Miss World". In such a situation, the good Angel will have to convince the guy to do good without using her enticing looks or her seductive body - that will be a breach of contract with her Goddess/Allah/Alpha-female-dominant-god. On the other hand, the Devilla/Deviless will have a free hand in using her body/looks to her advantage. Then, naturally, every guy (except for the gay ones) on Miss World will turn evil, and all females on Miss World will have to deal with perverted, dirty-minded males. Now, that brings us to an interesting juncture! Is it possible that the concept of sex as a taboo amounting to, in some cases, sin, was formulated by a bunch of conspiring Male-supramacists in the ancient past to convince us that woman-gods are no good? When you consider that someone like me, who is no Socrates, can come up with a straight-forward (if slightly twisted) theory like this, imagine what a bunch of brilliant conniving men could have come up with in a pretty prehistoric era. 

Very easy. Imagine this scenario:

Wise Man: Hear thee, young lad. We shall, henceforth, only abide by His Holiness, the God. 

Country bloke: Oh Wise One, is that not a blasphemous thought? What if I am cursed by Her Holiness, the Goddess?

Wise Man: Oh you lost soul, you know not that Her Holiness, the High Priestess is conspiring with all women-folk to starve you of scrump (archaic for sex). You shall forever remain celibate unless we riot. And riot, we shall!

Country bloke to another bloke: Me-thinks there is much truth is the Wise Man's words. Lets riot! Burn Her Palace to the ground! Make the women-folk our slaves!! 

Ok, I admit that was inspired from Shakespear's Julius Caesar (a horrible rendition at that). But the argument would sway any of our uneducated pre-Christ forefathers. (see the bias again, fore'fathers'). So, now we know why we have Gods and Satans and Forefathers and Patriarchs. Its because sex, or the threat of their not getting it, is a pretty strong driver in the men's psyche. 

And tathastu!

Electronic Love

Circuits, ICs and devices,

Like you, they are all priceless.

Your touch makes my brain cells short-circuit,

You look my way, and my world is all of a sudden brightly lit.

You recharge my battery in seconds,

And your company is enough to keep me going till d very end.

You turn the place to zero Kelvin when u enter,

And you make me a super conductor.

Every time you pass by the aisle,

My eyes go wide like transistor dials.

If only you'd say the word,

The one word that would make my impulses surge,

9 pm under the neon light,

Please say yes, don't break my heart tonight.

Avagadro's song

A long long time ago,

There was an avagadro,

He made a law without a flaw,

That made chemistry grow.

Avagadro achieved this goal,

By inventing the Mole,

He defined the Mole to be the whole,

Of Six times ten power 23.

Avagadro...

Avagadro...

And the legendary Mole!!!

NOTE:

Lorenzo Romano Amedeo Carlo Avogadro di Quaregna e di Cerreto, Count of Quaregna and Cerreto (9 August 1776, Turin, Piedmont – 9 July 1856) was an Italian savant. He is most noted for his contributions to molecular theory, including what is known as Avogadro's law. In tribute to him, the number of elementary entities (atoms, molecules, ions or other particles) in 1 mole of a substance, 6.02214179(30)×10²³, is known as the Avogadro constant.

 

Game of Blowing Up

Lets play the game of blowing up,
The game of boom and bang,
With TNTs and Plastic bombs,
And rockets, guns and tanks.

Where Saddam sprays all his mustard gas,
And Kim Jong Il whips South Korea's ass,
While you and I sit by and drink,
Coffee with creme and ice..

When Osama knocks a building off,
Bush shoots missiles at caves and rock,
Hezbollah lets fly rockets off,
And Israel flattens them out...

Then Russia loses an atom bomb,
Filched away by some Nazi clown,
Who sold it to Ahmedinajad,
And next, there's no Israel..

The US blamed the Russkies,
Who pointed at the Chinese,
The Chinese blamed the Indians,
Who said, "Its the damn Pakis"...

The blame-game runs out of steam,
And UN starts investigating,
While the furious Israelis,
Blows up the Palestine.

Now that Jerusalem is all blown up,
There's no dispute to crib about,
Then Cuba discovers a lost missile,
From Ninteen Sixty-Two...

Now America's pissing her pants,
And Chavez and Co. shake Castro's hands,
And Florida becomes a No-Man's Land,
As the missile comes crashing down.

The raging US sinks the Cuban isle,
And points Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles,
At the Russkies and the China-men,
As we crunch on soda ice..

While Moscow goes up in flames,
The EU kicks out the Greeks,
And we brew more trouble,
And leak the role of the Nazi.

Now the Brits and the French decide,
To go for Ahmedinejad's hide,
They target Iran from satellites,
And all but one hit the mark.

But, where's that one among many?
Oops! That just landed west, in Germany.
And the Germans, in response,
Blast every nuclear reactor in France.

Now the US brings peace to Europe,
And hosts a friendly football cup,
In a neutral venue, thats Argentina,
Even Russia comes to play...

When everything seemed so calm and quiet,
And every cheering face beams with pride,
Korean North loses to the southern side,
And Kim Jong Il loses his mind.

The tyrant drops a mini-nuke on the ground,
And runs and hides in a Chinese town,
Now Argentina, with US drones,
Destroy numerous Chinese homes.

India sits alert, waiting for a Chinese attack,
The Pakis take over Kashmir behind their back,
Now India brings Karachi to the ground,
And is rewarded with terrorist strikes all around.

The game had gone on long enough,
And yet, the Australians are unaffected by the ruckus,
So you and I test our new hydrogen bombs,
And vaporize Sydney and Melbourne.

Now who is left,
What shall we do?
We are the winner,
And there's nothing else left to prove.

Not so fast there, folks,
Lets find life elsewhere in the universe,
And play the game once more.