Are you lost?

Did you ever think or feel like you’re lost? Like you don’t know what to do next, where to go to, where to head now or what next you should be doing with your life, career, debts or relationship.

You are in the middle of this crowd, everything around is blurred to you, you can’t think straight, you’re getting random mixed thoughts about everything else but not of that one thing which is the cause for your worry, you have this fear inside of you of being lost (or mostly of failure) and it seems like everything around you is falling apart or will fall apart.

Yes, right. Welcome to the lost zone. I have been there too – couple of times.

Whenever I had that moment I used to think what’s happening, is it going to be like this forever?
But, I noticed every time, just after 10-15 mins, that it would go. It just passes away.

Now a days, whenever if anything bad happens or something worries me or I feel like lost, I know it will pass away. Nothing is forever. Right? It’s just a matter of time.

And, if you compare your situation before and after you were in that lost zone, you’ll find that:

• you are more rational than before, 
• you know what you want,
• what you need to do, 
• you know that one thing that you now have to focus on. 

Getting lost is good, I guess. It’s a way of finding and knowing things we really didn’t know or we thought we didn’t know - but most of the time, those things which were right in front of us the whole time but we could not see.

Ever seen a traveller saying he is lost? Actually, he is not lost. He is just on his way to find a direction (may be a new one). A new arrow sign saying yes, that’s where you should head.

That’s what life is about. Getting lost and finding a direction (not on purpose). So, the next time you think or feel like lost or really get lost, remember this:

We are never lost. We are only on our way to find a new direction. And sometimes
in life, it’s good to be lost. :)

SACHIN | THE GOD OF CRICKET | MEDIA RELEASES

Wondered what it would be like to have Sachin's autobiography book published? How would it look like if it ever published? Or if the complete DVD footage of Sachin's last test match released? His last play, his last message, his final moments - people would crave to have thier copy. Or what if a biographical movie based on his life comes out in the near future. Well, that wouldn't surprise me, at all. He deserves this.

So, I tried my hands at it. Here's what I got: Sachin's autobiography book cover. DVD of his last match with complete footage, behind the scenes and exclusive interviews. And, a movie poster.

Sachin's Autobiography Book "THE GOD OF CRICKET" Cover

Sachin's Autobiography Book "THE GOD OF CRICKET" Full Cover |   499

Sachin's Last Match DVD Optical Disc Cover
"AN END OF AN ERA | SACHIN'S FAREWELL MATCH"

Sachin's Last Match Standard DVD Case |   699
"AN END OF AN ERA | SACHIN'S FAREWELL MATCH"

Sachin's Last Match Limited Edition DVD Case with Sachin's Signed Lifetime Booklet
"AN END OF AN ERA | SACHIN'S FAREWELL MATCH" |   999

"THE INDIAN GOD" Movie Teaser based on Sachin's Biography

"THE INDIAN GOD" Movie Poster based on Sachin's Biography

Disclaimer: These media releases are neither official nor sponsored. Should be considered fan made. 

All trademarks and logos used are the property of their respective owners.

Multi-tasking is a lie

Multi-tasking is a lie. At least in case of humans, it is. We have been fooled into believing that we can multitask and we should be doing so. Big advertisements and banners advocate this aloud. 1.5 Ghz Dual core, 4GB RAM, blah, blah and blah.

The false promise

Companies invest heavily in the idea of multi-tasking so that they could sell whatever they want and customers fall into vicious cycle of the need to buy more luxurious cars, secure devices, faster smartphones and what not – even if they don’t need it!

But who really even cares! They sell so that they could benefit and we buy because we can afford. That’s it. Instead of worrying about if we would really use the product, we measure whether buying that is within our financial reach or not. Usability of products has been replaced by affordability and one’s social status. And buying habits are now driven by the parameters to fit into the society.

Well, that’s how business and marketing is done in this world. And we will continue to consume in the same way until we pause and reflect.

Back to multi-tasking

If you are wondering how multi-tasking an illusion in case of humans is, you have to understand what multi-tasking really is and how it differs.

Simply put, it is the ability to execute more than one task at the same time. A/c to Wikipedia, “In computing, multitasking is a method where multiple tasks (known as processes) are performed during the same period of time, i.e. simultaneously.”

The system quickly switches between each computing task to give the impression the different applications are executing multiple actions simultaneously. [source]

The computer can have multiple CPU or cores to handle a number of tasks at a time. Therefore, computers have multi processors capable of doing many jobs at one time. But, note that even the computer processes one thing at a time by switching over from one task to another over a period of time to complete the requests made by the users.

Multitasking does scheduling of tasks as to which task will be the one running at any given time, and when another waiting task gets a turn and this is achieved by using a concept of threading.

Say you are working in MS Word, doing web browsing and listening to music, all that at the same time while eating mouth-watering Chocolate Cupcake. The CPU handles these processes in time slots with each application accessing a separate processor core simultaneously.

So, if two tasks are handled at the same moment, then it is by two different cores or processors. In case of single core/processor only one task runs at any point in time and the CPU is actively executing instructions for that task, having done the scheduling of a number of tasks to be performed after another. So in one second it is executing an MS Word instruction and in the next, it executes the processes to handle web browser instructions. Therefore, in real sense we are actually doing only one task at a time (handled by multi-processors).

Multi-tasking in humans

However, multi-tasking in humans is different from that of computers. Instead of an impression of doing multiple jobs at the same time, we, humans can only fast switch between jobs with our attention. We don’t have multi processors to handle a number of processes having access to each different processor to execute different processes.

Let me clear this with an example. Suppose you are reading something, listening to music, and checking your facebook notification on your phone all at the same time. Another common example that we all usually do can be taking phone calls while typing an email (or doing something else) or driving and listening to music or washing dishes and talking.

We think we are multi-tasking. But, if we really think over it for a second we are not actually multitasking. We are only doing one task at a moment (uni-tasking). To clear this out, let’s take the above mentioned situation. When you are reading a book for, say, 1 minute, all your focus is on the text; not on anything else. And during that time music also kept playing in your earphones but your focus was only on the text of the book, not on the music. When you listened to music, you aren’t reading (focusing) on the text anymore. That’s switching happening there, not processing (doing) two tasks at the same time. It’s a very minute and subtle process that we barely notice. Happens in microseconds.

And didn’t you ever notice when you were talking on the phone while doing something else at the same time that you only listened to what the other person was saying in chunks – not the whole conversation? That’s because your mind was processing something else at moments. Your attention was sought by that other thing you were doing. And whenever you switched your attention back to the voice on the phone line you processed what the other person was saying.

Conclusion

Needless to say, our mind can only do (process) one thing at a time. Think of it as working in time slots. In human context, there is no such thing as multitasking at a given moment - it can only be realized for a span of time. So, you might say we multi-tasked for a period of time but in real sense we focused only on one thing given at one time.

At last, multitasking in humans can result in time wasted due to human context switching causing more errors due to insufficient attention. So…

Apparently, we are practicing distraction in multitasking. We switch back and forth between things with our attention. And the more we multi task the less efficient we will be.

Truth Revealed

Editor's Note: This is a guest post by my friend Siddharth Bansal.

What is "Truth"? Is it a misconception? In a way, it is! But, does it rise to a more subtle and psychological level or does it represent just a plethora of facts?

No. The "truth" does not comprise of facts alone. It is an attribute, an ability and most importantly a concept waiting to be understood. It is "acceptance". The moment we accept something, it becomes the truth to us. 

To explain things in a better way let's consider this example: When Charles Darwin first came up with his evolutionary theory he was almost put to death for the crime he never committed which was blasphemy (devil's worship). It was totally absurd for people to react so aggressively. But in the end it all came down to acceptance. And it always has been like this. Disagree? Pick any case, you'll find out. What you accept, becomes the truth for you.

The Resemblance

Anger is an outcome of lack of patience, which makes it a derived entity - not an independent one. Same is the case with truth. It is highly dependent, varying and an outcome of acceptance. What is true to me now may be the biggest lie of my life in near future. Truth is like time, shifting and moving as you and I breathe. While we all breathe.

Truth is the biggest lie.

So, deceivingly, truth is a misconception of the highest order. Truth is a lie well accepted. And, do not be confused between facts and the truth. Osama bin laden has been behind many mass murders, this is a fact but considering him a terrorist is again a matter of truth and acceptance. 

The truth tends to weaken us, it veils our vision. In our quest to find the truth what we actually seek is solace and term it as truth. It corrupts us. It is addicting to a point of no return.

The Application.

Magicians use this weakness of ours as their biggest weapon, they are the masters of a very specific kind of art. The art of playing with our ability to accept things. We see what they want us to see, we accept what they want us to accept which eventually turns into PoooFFF!!! Magic. The real meaning gets lost somewhere far behind amidst religions and superstitions. It all started there.

Now, do you think you accept the things I just told you? What would you say if I tell you that what I just told you, was the truth? Would you believe that?

Rise and reason because, "The truth is the biggest lie waiting to be accepted." Isn't it?

It's Time

It’s 6:39 in the evening.

 

1. In case you are out, go home. Get fresh.
2. Have a cup of coffee or tea or whatever you like to have.
3. Open the door and go out in the balcony. Lean over the grill with the support of your elbow while holding that cup with both your hands.
4. Is the weather amazing? Great! Look up. Look around. Witness the world. Take in the surroundings.
5. Be thankful to what Mother Nature holds for you. The clear blue sky. Light orange color of the dusk gradually scattering all over above you. Take it all in.
6. And hold the cup easy; as it is a part of you. Feel the warmth. Let it flow inside out. Feel it. Don’t rush. Let the world as it is. Still. Things won’t go far.
7. Let your thoughts flow freely. Notice where your mind and heart takes you and enjoy the moment. Feel the joy. Embrace it.
8. Listen to smooth steady music. Be free from all the noise (for a few minutes though). But, it’s okay. You deserve a break. You need it – some quite time for yourself.
9. Go on. Assign a time slot for yourself. For you alone – just you and your thoughts. And enjoy that moment. Every single day, for the rest of your life.

Image on Flickr

Shadows

We live under the shadows. Because it’s cozy there. We can lie lazy there for hours and procrastinate work (doesn't matter personal or professional, important or insignificant, big or small) most of time. We put things off for the later, reschedule agendas and push to-dos ahead in the calendar that we should be attending or doing right now.

Shadows keep you away from achieving what you have always dreamed of, what’s in your to-do list, what you can become, what you can serve and the change you deserve. We read a lot of help books. We search for how-tos. We say we have put our efforts. But we know that’s not enough.

"Easy never lead to an easy and happy life. Difficulties do."

And it’s not that we are afraid to work - sometimes we are only afraid to take the first step. For we fear. We fear what would happen (what lies in the future). We fear failure and from all that comes worries. A lot of worries. And then Bang! We put all that our mind, hands, legs and muscles have created up till this moment in a nearby black trash bin.  Next second, we again lay there in a 36 x 75 well cushioned – fascinating about a brighter, more successful and happier life.

But the real thing has always been outside the shadows. It’s under the Sun – where you move, sweat and work. When you mind-boggle a lot, generate ideas and work upon them. That’s where the light is. You just got to move your ass out of your comfort zone to get things done, to achieve the biggest and become the happiest. There is no other way to it.

Image: Rajiv Kumar Solanki/Follow him on Flickr!

With Power Comes Responsibilities

You know why I love to watch children play? Because, they only know innocence, happiness and fun. When I look at them and think how young they are, how innocent they are - they don’t know what is happening out there and they don’t even care. And that care-free mind-set I envy the most about them. They can do whatever they want without caring about submitting assignments, completing projects, getting a job, next-minute meetings, meeting deadlines, buying a house and paying bills, sabotaged relationships, health issues and everything else that is in this world.

Summer break has arrived with the completion of third year of my graduation (one more to go) and temperature here exceeds bearing level – 43 °C. Guess it’s time to head home now.

Before leaving, I was spending an evening sitting in my Hostel Veranda, watching small children of slum workers play. They had a poorly ragged, small baby carriage; riding it one by one. After 15 minutes of running, riding, playing and expending energy they eventually became thirsty. And fortunately, there was a gardener nearby watering the plants with a pipe. To no surprise, they ran to quench their thirst and the gardener helped them in having enough drinking water.

The minute children were finished drinking, the gardener didn't stop there. He had a little fun instead – he splashed water on the ground near their feet that got sprinkled back on them and then played with the kids with water. Who doesn't love playing with water in a scorching heat and that too when we are talking about children!

Undoubtedly, the kids enjoyed it too. They sure had fun. There were smiles on everybody’s faces – on the gardener, the three kids and mine. An ecstasy. :)

By now, you may ask why I am telling you this. For, I learnt something that day. What did I learn? I learned that when you have power of something, you can use it to help others beside your prime responsibilities that come with that power. It can be power of anything. Can be power of money, power of politics, power of authority, physical power, power to extend emotional strength, power to simplify someone’s life or power to quench someone’s thirst.

In this case the gardener had a power; power of access to water and his prime responsibility was to water the plants. But he also used it to help others (quench little ones’ thirst). At the same time he found a way to had fun, though for a very short period of time in this so big busy world. And I see no harm in it. :)

So, the next time you possess a power, doesn't matter which power, just a power of anything, even for a little time, use it to help others beside the prime responsibilities you have because of that power. And what’s magical about your powers without moments of enjoyment and fun! Add fun around with your powers if you can (there’s no harm in having a little fun). And with it, create moments of happiness that bring smiles on faces – no matter what the age is !  :)

Everything Has A Center | Goodwill Theory

One of the things which I am not ashamed of accepting is that I am not much fond of studying or attend classes either. Reason: they are boring. If they are made more interactive and participative, that would somehow interest me. But, that's another thing.

What I am writing here is just about an another day in college. Third lecture was Antenna & Radar Engineering (ARE) - which surprisingly I liked over the rest and that too probably because of our professor. He makes the class interactive and studying fun while emphasizing more on the learning approach of teaching. And that day, we were to study dipole antenna. The professor drew an antenna electromagnetic field region on the white board. It looked something like this:

Dipole Antenna EM Field Regions

When he was done drawing the diagram, he said pointing at the middle of the circle, "This is the center." To be honest, I wasn't paying enough attention to what he was saying but that phrase struck me - I stopped for a moment, gave it a second and thought over it. I thought it wasn't just that field region drawn there that has a center.

For the next few days, I was thinking: how come only a circle has a center. Thinking in the classroom, while surfing, while eating, while walking... and I kept thinking about it all the time. And, I came to conclude that not only a circle, but other arguable geometrical shapes also have a center. For examples:

• A Circle: Has a center.
• Straight Line: The midpoint of a straight line is its center.
• An Arrow: Center towards where its head is directed.
• Triangle: Centroid, Incenter and Orthocenter are different centers of a triangle.
• Different Line Segments: Any random line can be differentiated at different points of time and in each case the segments represent basic geometrical shapes having their own centers.
• Random Shapes: Take any random shape. Take differential lengths. At each curve, each length can be seen as a geometrical segment and has a center of its own. For example, a serpentine line. It will have semi-circles with centers followed by straight lines having midpoints and then at last an arrow. Hence, at each point and segment there is a center.

Postulate #1: At any point of time any considerable object has a center.

However, that's not just it. This can be fairly extended to other phenomena of the universe as well, be it the nearest or the farthest, the smallest or the largest, living or non-living:

• An Atom: Has nucleus as its center, a very dense region consisting of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom.
• Physical Forces: Forces like centripetal and centrifugal force has a center around a curvature.
• Gravitational Pull: Masses are pulled by the Gravitational Force towards the center of gravity.
• The Earth: The inner core of the earth is approximately 1,220 km (760 mi) from the surface and primarily consists of iron-nickel alloy, temperature nearly comparable to the Sun - 5430 °C!
• Any Quantifiable Mass: Every object has a center of mass.
• Solar System: Our own solar system also has a center - The Sun.
• Galaxies: The Galactic Center is the rotational center of the Milky Way galaxy, located at a distance of ~27,000 ± 1,000 light-years from the Earth! The existence of a supermassive black hole at the Galactic Center of the Milky Way is strongly believed.
• Love: We all experience love. And in this case, the center is the person we love - our loved ones. The whole emotional and psychological behavior shifts towards this center.
• And Whatever You Are Doing: Yes! Whatever you do, you always have a center and that depends on your focus - where you are focusing at that moment. The center would be then, the thing/work you are focusing on. Even if you redefine your goals or change decisions or take different paths in life, you will always have a center. What is yours at this moment?

Postulate #2: Everything has a center.

This theory is called Goodwill Theory ; named after the professor whom we were talking about - who made me think about the centers. Thus, based on these two postulates, Goodwill Theory states that : "At any point of time every considerable object or thing has a center."

Bhartiye Television Ke Prabhav...

I don’t know why most of the themes of my posts/stories generate either while I’m on a journey or in the bathroom; though I am not very fond of the later one. This one struck when I recalled, from my deep memories, a phone call made to my Ma: She was watching some soap on TV and paid little attention to my voice. I swear I thought of breaking that screen right away.

Apart from a deep dive into my memories, if we are to believe a few surveys available over the net, South Asians spend an average of 23 to 28 hours a week staring the 60 years aged Idiot Box. Approximately 60 percent of all Indian households own a television; over 550 channels are available in the country out of which about 155 are pay channels.

Not to mention the genres this box enfold: the reality shows, dramas especially Sans-Bahu ones, news from all the corners, sports related and a lot of shows. Ewff… the list is stretched, rather not type here. But, can anyone tell me that apart from entertaining us what else does it serve? Does it showcase anything that add to one’s personality? Does it offer some practical guidance? Are those stuffs anyhow useful to its viewers?

Unfortunately, the answer is a big NO! The Indian TV shows today have a lot of negativity and undue explicit content even in the prime time slot. The biggest markets for these Indian TV channels are the housewives who have a good amount of free time on their hands. Be aware uninformed husbands! Anyways, these serials affect many parts of the society, directly or indirectly in many ways by disrupting the positivity in a household as our indigenous housewives watch the negativity for the whole day. Also, it brings inhuman and unhealthy ideas in the minds of all the audience members as more interest is being taken in watching these serials instead of doing one's own duties.

Movie Masalas seem to be of no use, just another time pass. Producers cry for sake of the society and proclaim that they try to reduce the anti-social elements and influence people through their air-transmits. But the picture is not always the same as it suggests. Sans bahu’s kichdis and ladaiyan broadcast how ladies fight over nonsense issues and have a twist every weekend in the midst of parallel blaming games taking place continuously and uninterruptedly. Aur sabse maje ki baat to ye hai ki har dusre din ek naya beta paida ho jata hai (funny thing is that every other day, a new baby is born)! The vicious plots and plans that the negative characters and the negativity of the various misunderstanding-filled situations is so much that it knowingly or unknowingly creeps into the mind of the people who frequently watch these serials. Individuals can create a parasocial or faux relationship with characters from their favorite television shows as a way of deflecting feelings of loneliness and social deprivation. For that reason, I am not able to see the advantage of these serials at all. So, just tell me what I’ll do by taking into account the how-and-why-abouts behind a virtual relationship?

Given that we all know the fixtures, inside stories and the marketing strategies employed to increase the TRP, a few reality shows are better than the rest who really search talents and give them a platform. While taking about the stunt shows similar to Roadies and Fear Factor India, nothing a person can gain by watching the stunts and abuses. Swayamvars, Big Boss Seasons and many such shows join the same herd. Simultaneously taking about the news feeds, please someone make me understand why news channels don’t have better stories to share with the world instead of those horrible reports alike how he did that magic and how come a snake can fly! Is this of any value? I don't think so.

Perhaps, there are many educational advantages one may explore. Television can be a very powerful and effective learning tool for all if used wisely. It can be a source of guidance to the youths through Discovery Channel, NatGeo, FOX, Topper and other educational shows. It can teach the complex social aspects of communication as well. I think broadcasters should focus more on this area rather than on useless subjects. If they are willing to make available something constructive and helpful to the society rather than rubbish garbage via broadcast media, they must change their prospects, views and orientations and utilize the full potential of the IDIOT BOX.

I think my next post will be "Facebook k Prabhav..."

I did it

In the middle of the class

I was writing a poem

Pen down done

I was wasting a paper.

Looking at my watch

I was counting the sand

Pushing my mind

I was thinking hard.

Ignoring the lecture

I was busy texting friends

If the prof sees me

I would get ruthless dents.

Foreseeing my incoming bad

I hid the cell back

Paying much more attention

I tore the paper apart.