Segmentation Fault

Birthday Wishes and Bacteria

2009-03-10T16:15:00.003+05:30

It amazes me to see the number of attempts which humans make to justify their pathetic existence and give it a semblance of meaning.

HA (Human Algorithm): Eat and grow until the genitalia are mature enough to produce more entities which again follow the same HA (the eat-grow-fuck-die cycle).

In what way is this different from what a bunch of bacteria do in their lives ? nothing .. there is absolutely no difference except for that a bacterium need not justify to itself about what it is doing unlike the humans. We cannot accept the fact that our lives are essentially meaningless and strictly limited to the HA and hence we develop concepts of purpose and ambition, we feel a sense of accomplishment in what we achieve ... all this is mere a smokescreen to distract ourselves from the very core and fundamental meaninglessness which haunts us.

Our ego and our bodies have evolved in such a way that our whole life goes into satisfying these which enables us to forget questioning why the hell they exist in the first place... our body is merely a slave to the chemical 'dopamine' .. our whole life goes away in the quest to keep its levels high and this is the master trap .. when our brains are overflowing with dopamine we find that the feeling experienced is the very purpose of life. When we 'achieve' things, our ego 'discovers' the purpose of its existence ... fuck .. all this is so well planned that I cannot believe that evolution was random. It is almost as if someone or something has written our genetic code in such a way that we being drunk with dopamine or involved in a unending quest for it, never ever realize that whatever we are doing has no true purpose which we can fathom.

Me writing this blog, people sending each other birthday wishes, attempts at seeking power and all actions not directly related to the HA are but nothing but desperate attempts at finding meaning in this large and random shithole we found ourselves in.

Leaving a Mark

2009-03-03T01:40:00.004+05:30

Time: 14:30 ... just before I dozed off.
Place: Humanities Lecture in the HSS Department with a bunch of zombies listening to a cabbage.

I was thinking about the four and a half years spent in this zoo and a question came to my mind --> "Did you leave your mark in IIT ?"

Yes I did ... on the benches.

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

2008-10-25T23:44:00.001+05:30

Nothing can beat the heavenly Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani in taste and it is my favorite dish. During my visits to Hyderabad I make sure that I visit a restaurant named Paradise (it can almost be likened to a pilgrimage !), famous for its Hyderabadi cuisine and enjoy the succulent portions of chicken with fine quality long rice. The biryani is had with a side dish named Mirchi-ka-Salan. I have tried out a number of biryanis here in Mumbai and all of them suck big time (taste like pickle rice) including the ones claimed to be authentic Hyderabadi Biryani. It seems that the object of my desire is destined to remain miles away from me :(

Free Weights vs Machines

2008-10-11T15:02:00.000+05:30

I think most people who work out face this dilemma -> Concentrate more on free weights or on machines ?. Let me attempt to describe them both before giving my method of slotting them into my routine.

Free weights such as dumbbells and barbells are essentially unconstrained weights and training with these is a more natural way of building muscle mass. Using free weights not only train the target muscles in question but also develop the stabilizer muscles which maintain balance during the movements. In the classic barbell flat bench press, for example, the target muscle group are the pectorals, however, it also trains the stabilizing Serratus Anterior muscle present on the side of the chest. A machine bench press on the other hand places the stress entirely on the pectorals by eliminating the destabilizing forces. Also, using the bench press machine one can get away with non uniform strength in the arms (lifting more with one hand) while the barbell is more punishing but ensures even strength development.

I start off my routine with the free weights as it is my strong belief that muscular development must happen evenly and not by concentrating all power on one muscle group and thereby gaining uneven strength and increasing the risk of injury. This also brings us to the topic of compound exercises, which basically train more than one muscle group at once. These exercises are really important in strengthening uniformly and here are two classic examples -->

Push up/Press Down --> This classic compound exercise build the pectorals, triceps, shoulder muscles and various stabilizer muscles including the serratus muscle. It can be done at home, at work or anywhere when there is no access to a gym. On average, with the correct form and motion, one lifts about 65% of one's body weight during a push up. So, if I am 75 kilograms, I lift a weight of about 49 kilograms (108 pounds) which is awesome. The weight in the body itself can be used for resistance training .. if you cannot pump iron then pump yourself ! Here is a nice link --> 100 Pushups

Pull Up --> This exercise is not recommended for beginners for one must develop a lot of strength in the biceps and upper back before attempting it. This is a routine which involves lifting the entire body weight using the strength of the back and biceps muscles. Here is a link for more info --> Pull Ups

Coming back to machines, I find that since they are good at focusing strain on target muscle groups it is best to do them towards the end of the gym visit when the muscles (especially the stabilizers) are tired. The peck fly and pull down machines are the ones I usually use at the end of my workout and work my muscles till exhaustion. Machines are indeed useful but I feel they must be used judiciously while stressing more on free weights and compound exercises.

Body Building is addictive !

2008-09-08T11:37:00.001+05:30

Nothing is as addictive as going to gym and working out as I found out recently. Once that initial barrier is cleared and once you start seeing those muscles bulge, even if ever so slightly, you get high !

I am basically concentrating on the muscle groups in my upper body and back. I have divided the muscle groups into two primary sets. The first set of muscles are usually worked in exercises involving the pushing motion - Chest|Shoulder|Arm (Pectorals|Deltoids|Triceps) and the second set are strained in exercises involving pulling - Lower-Back|Upper-Back|Arm(Lattisimus Dorsi|Trapezius|Biceps). It is very important to balance the pulling and pushing exercises in order to strengthen uniformly and to prevent injury. I must admit that presently my pushing volume is more than my pulling and I must fix that soon.

Set-I (Pushing)

Pectorals --> The large chest muscles are my primary target (pecs in females are boobs so .. :p). I am doing Bench Presses (flat and inclined) and using the peck fly machine in the gym. There is one exercise however which I truly love - the push up/press up. It is a simple, compound exercise (works more than one muscle group) which works on the pectorals, deltoids and triceps all at once and one can do it anywhere for it does not require any weights or special equipment. I can currently do about 60 push ups in reps of 10. Whenever I cannot go to the gym I keep doing push ups and my goal is to be able to do a 100 continuously !

Deltoids --> The Military Press does a good job for developing the shoulder muscle.

Triceps --> The Bench Press and Push ups work on the triceps and so I am not doing any specialized exercise for developing these.

Set-II (Pulling)

Lattisimus Dorsi --> These are the large muscles which span the back and I work on the Lat Pulldown machine to train these.

Biceps --> The best exercise for this is the Standing Barbell curl. I however prefer the Preacher curl because the supporting pad helps in cutting out the movement of the shoulder and elbow and thus isolating the Biceps completely. The pull downs and Barbell Rows that I do for the back also work the biceps.

Another important thing to know is Muscle Hypertrophy. After a strenuous workout, there are tiny micro tears in muscle fibers (damage). The body will then overcompensate by adding more muscle cells, fixing the tears and expanding the size of existing cells so that the body is not shocked or strained the next time by that amount of work. This is precisely when one's muscle grows .. not when one is in the gym, but later when one takes rest. Thus it is important not to over-train and to give proper rest to the body after training.

If you can't hump, then pump :p

Manchester United 2007-08 Season Review

2008-05-12T10:49:00.000+05:30

Amazing season ! I had my brain nearly dissolved when Heskey put that header just over the bar ... what a brilliant way for Ryan Giggs to equal Sir Bobby Charlton's record ... the Welsh Wizard who single handedly demolished Juventus at Turin sealed victory !

1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007 and 2008 !!

SAF is God

Looking back at the season

# We were at one point of time in the relegation zone (18th) for a few hours ... a nightmare start which included draws to Reading and Portsmouth and a painful derby day loss to City. Nani, the new blood from Portugal scored that blockbuster against Spurs and Ferdinand saves off the line from Berbatov and we got our first win !

# The chain of 1-0 wins in the EPL and CL followed when the ironclad defence simply refused to let in goals and this according to me was absolutely bloody season defining .... Rio, Vida, Evra and Brown (bows)

# Finally we broke free in the home game to Wigan in a 4-0 rout .. I still remember that Tevez goal which set it all off .. he ran and ran and turned one defender after another before finally slotting home. Our attacking machine was kick started and there was no looking back now (Ronaldo had scored only once until this match). We then followed this win by scoring 4 goals for a good number of games. We nearly beat Arsenal 2-1 before Gallas scored that heart breaking equalizer in injury time and the Gooners were celebrating as if they won the title.

# Saha, Tevez and Ronaldo were involved in the best counter attacking move this season (United's trademark strength) to slice up Blackburn at Old Trafford

# Anfield is our home away from home .... the scousers were finally confident that they would put one over us but Rooney and Tevez combined in one of the more intelligent set piece routines to seal a brilliant 1-0 win

# Ronaldo's freekick against Pompey !! OMG ! that match was a blitzkreig attack on hapless Pompey ... bang bang ... game over

# Carlitos Tevez .... if Ronaldo was our stock scorer .. this beast was our attacking engine + big match player. He slotted home some crucial goals in the dying minutes

Spurs away (injury time)
Lyon away (87th minute)

amazing season for him ... and in all probabilities his loan deal will be made permanent

# Another crucial point in the season was the 4-0 thrashing of Arsenal in the FA Cup. The gooners were leading by 5 points in the EPL and we had just suffered a most humiliating defeat to City on the 50th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster. Rooney, Fletcher and Nani destroyed Arsenal that day .... and their confidence was damaged and it showed ... they started dropping points and never recovered ... this was a crucial stage when United managed win after win in a most ruthless fashion

# Wes Brown becomes an unlikely scorer in the crunch match against Liverpool and the way Old Trafford erupts when we score against them is orgasmic ... those are the moments we cherish for life as United fans !

# "Ronaldo ... the impudent devil who strikes like lightning" ... this was the cover page of a newspaper in Rome after Ronaldo evades his marker and rises like beast and scores a thumping header against AS Roma ! This was a defining win for United in Europe where our away form has been generally poor over the years (We only managed wins against Benfica, Lille, Lisbon and Kyiv until that match) ... Donnie Darko and myself watched this match together and we knew then and there that we had a real chance in Europe this year

# Finally we beat Arsenal in the League to shut them out once and for all ... the Hargreaves precision freekick was a season defining moment !! ... I had to face two humiliating defeats (September 2006 + January 2007) of United to Arsenal and a near win at the Emirates this season .... a 2 year wait ended this day. Beating Arsenal always gives a special feeling. I must admit however that they played some good football this year and probably deserved more.

# Tevez's reflex header in Blackburn ! ... Brad Friedel was having the match of his career ... United were a goal down and were making attack after attack pounding the Blackburn defence with no avail ... I remember watching this game in absolute frustration cursing Friedel and then Tevez comes up with this most precious of goals and the relief in the room was so obvious (I kicked a few chairs myself )

# Scholes stunner in CL Semi .... After a poor show in Nou Camp the pressure was on United not to repeat the Madrid experience. Cometh the hour .. Cometh the man ... and Scholes steps up from a poor clearance from Zambrotta and scores one of the most important piledriver of his career .. the way his boot continued to move after the ball left showed how magnificent the shot was !! United held on in the tense final minutes of the game to reach Moscow and a CL final after 9 years.

# Giggs wins the league for United ... no need for description ... watch it again and again ... a goal for the ages to come !

Best Heavy Metal Songs

2008-03-27T20:51:00.001+05:30

I will attempt to list down the best Heavy Metal songs that I have listened to so far in no particular order.

# Holy Wars ... The Punishment Due (Megadeth) --> This surely has to one of the all time top heavy metal songs ever made .. the lead guitar work in this song is out of this world.

# Sonne (Rammstein) --> Ich bin der hellste stern von allen .. he he.

# Overkill (Motorhead) --> This song gets your blood pumping.

# Hallowed be thy Name (Iron Maiden) --> Classic heavy metal, brilliant guitar and amazing vocals by Dickinson.

# Electric Eye (Judas Priest) --> Electrifying guitar by Glenn Tipton and KK Downing .. the opening sequence blows you away

# A tout le monde (Megadeth) --> Awesome song with haunting lyrics ... this song always gives me the high especially at the part when the machine like guitars step up.

# Asche zu Asche (Rammstein) --> Primal guitar.

# Ace of Spades (Motorhead) --> Two words, Lemmy Rocks ! Fast paced and razor sharp tune.

# Hammer smashed Face (Cannibal Corpse) --> Brutal song with supersonic guitars and gutteral vocals.

# Addicted to Chaos (Megadeth) --> Amazing power chords.

# Riding on the Wind (Judas Priest) --> Tipton and Downing at it again with powerful lyrics rendered by Rob Halford.

# Chop Suey (S.O.A.D) --> Brilliant song ... the song alters between a powerful machine gun pace and a haunting melodic trance.

# Paranoid (Black Sabbath) --> The song and album are clearly the defining elements of heavy metal music

# Du Hast (Rammstein) --> A brilliant industrial metal song.

Manchester United 2006-2007 Season -- Defining Moments

2007-06-02T22:55:00.000+05:30

The 2006-2007 season turned out to be a magnificent one for Manchester United and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. These were for me the moments that defined our season and yeah finally .... We have got our trophy back !!

# Old Trafford - EPL -- Date: 22nd October, 2006
Rio Ferdinand scores the second goal against Liverpool (2-0), his second goal against the scousers in two seasons and Old Trafford erupts like what I have not seen for a long time.

# Old Trafford - EPL -- Date: 4th November, 2006
Ronaldo free kick against Portsmouth ... it had tremendous power and wicked swing and the celebration was awesome

# Old Trafford - Champions League -- Date: 6th December, 2006
Vidic heads Manchester United into the knock out stage after being one down to SL Benefica ... what a header and what a center back Vidic turned out be.

# Old Trafford - FA Cup -- Date: 7th January, 2007
Larsson scores his Manchester United debut goal against Aston Villa (1-0), it was literally a pass into the goal !

# Craven Cottage - EPL -- Date: 24th February, 2007
Ronaldo produces a magical moment (to me the season defining moment) to carve through the Fulham defence and score one of the most important goals of the season

# Anfield - EPL -- Date: 3rd March, 2007
John O'Shea gets the winner in injury time against Liverpool and stuns the Anfield crowd

# Old Trafford - EPL -- Date: 17th March, 2007
Rooney scores against Bolton in the best counter attacking move of the season involving himself and the peerless Ronaldo

# Old Trafford - EPL -- Date: 31st March, 2007
Scholes cuts through the Blackburn defence and scores a super goal in the 60th minute. United were trailing the Rovers by a goal and this Scholes special inspired us to a 4-1 victory

# Old Trafford - Champions League -- Date: 10th April, 2007
Alan Smith scores against AS Roma on that wonderful night (2-0) as Manchester United announce their European ambitions in style ... this match could be catalyst for a United revival in Europe in the seasons to come

# Old Trafford - Champions League -- Date: 24th April, 2007
Rooney scores the third goal against AC Milan (3-2) in the 90th minute to give United a win against the eventual winner of the competition

# Goodison Park - EPL -- Date: 28th April, 2007
What a day ! ... United and Chelsea were playing at the same time and and at one moment Chelsea cut the points gap completely. Rooney scores against his old club (3-2) and Bolton hold Chelsea ... you could see Ferguson gesturing tothe players towards the end of the day ... '2-2 Chelsea ! ... its finished'. Man United finished the day 5 points ahead of Chelsea and the title race was almost over

The beauty of Functional Programming Languages

2007-05-27T15:13:00.001+05:30

I was always and will always be an admirer of the C programming language. It is the language of hackers and it is a language from which I got so many of my 'aha' moments. You tend to keep getting surprised by C all the time and the journey never ends.

However, today I was thinking of a problem, a simple one --> to find all permutations of a given list of numbers. I tried to solve it in C and realized how ugly it would get. Then I sat and coded the problem in Python and it reminded me of the good old days of CS 152 programming, a freshman course in my college. I present the code here .... just look and marvel at the elegance of Functional Programming (FP) . Python is not a strict FP language but it has inherited a lot from Lisp, so it has a good number of FP abstractions built in.

Here is the code

The best part is that the code follows the inductive definition of the permutation itself !!

Determinism and Causality

2007-04-18T09:30:00.000+05:30

Its time to look at some of questions which perplex me the most which are -> " why are we there here in the first place ? " , "Is there any purpose for human existence ? " , " Are there any reasons or answers for this ?"," Is it reasonable for everything to have reason ?", Why am I searching for reasons for everything ? It seems that we are locked or bound by the law of causality which is why we keep searching a cause for every effect. This is a possibly endless chain which starts from an axiom. The axiom is the only statement or truth we accept without any cause. So it seems that organic-carbon based logic is constrained by the cause and effect principles. The question is whether everything can explained by such logic , now this statement is ridiculous as "explain everything" inherently means finding the cause for a perceived universal set of effects. Is this thinking attributed to carbon based organic thinking , What if had a silicon based brain , would I still be constrained by causality ?

Coming back to axioms it seems that human beings are surprisingly different in the set of axioms they start off with. There are these religious people (the worst of the lot) who have a zillion axioms which begin with the concept of god, then we have the mathematical/rational people who accept only the most atomic truths as axioms. Yet the rational man as well as the religious one has to accept that inbuilt in our brains is the notion of survival , ultimately a man only strives to maximize those objects that increase the chance of his survival and this unfortunately has been programmed into us through the complex and chronologically gigantic process of evolution.

Now there arise interesting questions regarding rationality and human behavior. Its often seen that we criticize a person accusing him of taking incorrect decisions during a bout of emotional outburst. We tend to classify human behavior as rational or irrational as to whether the person's current action leads to a perceived increase of objects that lead to a greater survival probability (for example increasing his financial stability -> and note that concepts like finance , jobs etc are abstractions of basic objects needed for survival). Now looking deeply into this we find something quite funny. Was the person who took the so called "emotional" decision really in control ?. Lets define the state of the human brain in terms of a finite number of variables or parameters (most of these parameters would probably be electric potential values and chemical states of the brain). Now given a particular state of the brain (which is supposedly an emotional state) and the input stimuli to the brain it can be possibly predicted as to what the next state of the brain is. Thus the action taken by the person was not in "his" control but was predetermined. Now arises the bigger question -> does there exist anything called free will ? I will quote my friend's magnificent quotation here -> "Free will is merely the result of the computational complexity of determinism" .. yes given the millions of possible states and multitude of stimuli the problem is hard.

On a more observatory note (and assuming that people do have free wills) I feel amused on looking at the lives of so many people who wade through life , it makes me think that a majority of us are overgrown and biologically complicated ants running along dabbling in trivial things for survival or its extensions. I really appreciate people who strive to push the boundaries of thinking , reasoning or logic in any field from Computer Science, Neural Research to philosophy . Only an advancement in human thinking can be considered as a non trivial achievement (if at all there exists a notion of non triviality for triviality is relative) .. the rest of human actions are repetitive, predictable and boring.

No Title

2007-04-17T23:49:00.000+05:30

Just set up this page and hopefully will start writing something here .. an interesting question arises immediately --> why do I wish to do this ... what is the need to write, what purpose is it serving .... how come humans have evolved so many abstractions. Communication in animals is purposeful and related to survival and we have evolved such complex networks of purposeless(?) interaction. Are we really successful as a species ... after all the aim of any species is to maximize its survival and dominate "nature" ... so how does one define domination ? Is our success and domination measured by our numbers ? I think it is .. our success as a species is commendable .. we have taken over this planet. What puzzles me is the fact that in order to be so successful we have had to develop so many complex abstractions while a simple virus does the same with much less complexity .... of course triviality and complexity are subjective issues and are hard to define.

So I join other members of my species and to try and broadcast some of my thoughts. Before signing off I ask a question that frustrates me --> Why is existence not like a computer program .. If I want to change the working of some program, I reverse engineer it ... wish I can do that with life.