| Monday, June 13, 2005 |
| Book(ed) |
I just saw that R has tagged me. I was writing about books so I thought I might as well give it a shot. Also, doing so will stop me from getting repeated tag reminders ; -) . Before I start I should say that I am new to the world of books. So the current list is a result of less than a year's worth of reading.
Currently Reading:
Invisible Man - H. G. Wells
Currently Read ( over past 6 months)
I, Robot - Isaac Asimov
Velocity - Dean Koontz
Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
Mango Season - Amulya Maladi
Love Story - Erich Seagal
State of Fear - Michael Crichton
Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri
5 people you meet in heaven - Mitch Albom
Hour Game - David Baldacci
Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult
Harry Potter Series
and more...
Favorites
I am not listing any at this time because I am still in the freshman year and I am picking up books recommended by friends who are in Post Doc and know the good picks.
Currently Incomplete
( Ok this is my new addition. These are books that I started reading but stopped them in between for some reason or the other and have not picked up them since then)
God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy
Holy Cow - Dont remember author
Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpha Lahiri
Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams
On my To Read List
Ramayana by Kamala Subramaniam
Robot Visions/Dreams - Isaac Asimov
Some book by Shobha Narayanan
Half Blood Prince - JKR |
posted by BUS @ 4:29 PM  |
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| A.I through the eyes of IA. |
Just finished reading I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. Talk about a visionary and I would put Isaac Asimov on the top of the list. The book written in 1950 is truly a work of brilliance. I have read a few science fiction novels - Prey, Hitchhikers but they were different. They either tackled a relatively new upcoming field like Nano technology ( Prey) or wrote about totally ridiculous, unimaginable but hilarious stuff ( Hitchhiker) but this book is not anything like it. Written in an age where the word computer was may be not even coined Asimov talks about Robot machines that help humans and virtually run their lives. The story is set in the year 2060 a century after the book's publication and weaves a series of short stories around 3 simple laws - The 3 laws of Robotics.
AI may not take as big a leap as he talks about by 2060 but it is conceivable that what he talks about can be achieved in another century may be. The book has really captured my attention that I have decided to read all of Isaac Asimov's books or atleast the Robot series. |
| posted by BUS @ 3:53 PM |
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| Friday, June 10, 2005 |
| Are you a BOGUS? |
When we start blogging we do so because the idea has been put into your silly brain by one of your friends. So without understanding what you want to write or whether you want to write at all you start a blog. Your first blog is usually total nonsense. After a year if you go and read your first blog you will strangle yourself for having written such a piece of B.S. Such is the fate of the first blog.
Once your first blog has been posted you are gleaming with happiness that you have done something good in life. You are now thinking only in terms of blogs. Whatever you see, talk, hear, smell you want to blog and you do so too.
Now the next bug catches you "Blog Hopping". You are now interested not only in ur blog and ur friend's (one who inspired u to start) blog but are also interested about what others write. So starts the Blog Hopping mania. You spend days and nights reading other blogs , reading the comments. You realize that you are no genius and that there are millions of people like you.
This goes on for a month or two and then Boom!!! you enter into a depression phase!!! Y? Nobody is leaving comments on your blog. Or the number of comments you are getting is not worth mentioning compared to the number of comments other people get on their blogs. So you begin wondering "Am I writing good enuf?" "Should I blog?" "What is lacking?". You realize you want comments. You dont care about what your blog is about...you want comments ...not 1 or 2 but hundreds of them. This is when you realize what other bloggers r doing which you were not till now and decide to do the same. This is the phase when you decide that you should be blogging not for urself but for others and the second hander in you takes over. So you start imitating others who get lotsa comments. You write short stories, you write poems, you try to be romantic which you are not, you write stuff which you have never dreamt about. You take ideas from films, books, other blogs. You start writing what others want to hear. You take on a split personality. One for blogging and one for living. Soon you achieve what you have been dreaming! People are discussing your blog, adding links to your blog, leaving comments on your blog. You are the top pick for the week in someone else's blog. You have achieved it!!!
You my friend have now become a BOGUS ( BlOGger who is FamoUS) |
| posted by BUS @ 4:25 PM |
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| Friday, June 03, 2005 |
| Itz Friday!!! |
It is just amazing that the body knows that the weekend is approaching even before we realize it is Friday. After lunch, my mind is refusing to get back to work. It is slowly turning itself off and preparing itself to hibernate and rest for the next two days.
Since I have been blog hopping for sometime now, I thought I might as well write something. But then when I logged on to Blogger I realized I have nothing to write about. But I just started writing anyway with the hope that something interesting might come up. I always have this problem, when I want to blog I run out of ideas and when I have ideas then I dont have a computer next to me to blog it and by the time I am next to the computer the idea I had has become stale and not worth blogging.
I could talk about what I did this week but may be I should first write about what I did for the long weekend. Well, lets see here!!! Finished Fountainhead at last. It has been one of the best books I have read. Very powerful and strong and the character descriptions are one of the best. Saw Revenge of the Sith and learnt how Anakin become Darth Vader. Lotsa Lite Saber action. I should say that Yoda is one of my favorite characters in the Star Wars saga. He is cool. Saw 3 other movies: Hero, Sneakers and Black. Black was the best out of them and I liked it a lot. Sneakers was fun and worth watching. Hero was a total waste of my time. Then I spent some time trying to solve this jigsaw puzzle I bought long time back. This is my first and I should say I am getting the hang of it. I think that sums up about what I did.
Oh yeah, started reading God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. I picked up this book becoz they (other bloggers and reviewers) said that this was a good book but I should say it is awful. I have only read 50 pages and I have started to dislike the book already. The book is sad, it talks about divorces, deaths, failed marriages, ill treated children and wives. I dont see any approaching happiness in the near future. I am debating whether I should continue or abandon it.
Ok thatz it I guess. Now I am bored of even typing. So I will end here and wait patiently for the clock to strike 5 when I can leave.
PS: I am too bored and lazy to proof read this blog, so this blog may appear disconnected, drowsy and monotonous.
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| posted by BUS @ 1:48 PM |
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| Wednesday, June 01, 2005 |
| Customized License Plates |
Over the past week I have noticed license plates that were real cool and that caught my attention:
Plate 1: Y BY GAS
This was the license plate on a Toyota Prius
Plate 2: STL GR8
This was on an old volkswagon
Plate 3: FUNSIZE
This was the license plate for a small 2 door convertible.
I always liked the idea of a customized license plate but have never been able to come up with a good name. I want it to be Indianish and I like the idea that it is somewhat related to the car but this is not necessary. Of course, it should be cool and one of a kind. Any suggestions anyone? |
| posted by BUS @ 3:29 PM |
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