23 February
2022
8 February
2022
UPS delivering directly to your plane?
27 January
2022
Here is another problem to be solved
Now that we have solved the temperature problem in Chicago, here is another one from San Francisco.
[Errata: Looks like I have completely forgotten my physics – Sound is longitudinal and light is transversal – it is about which way the wave is moving and the particles in the wave are moving.
However, my original question remains – although I cannot remember the terms now – a ray of light goes straight but sound disperses in all directions – like the pool analogy. So, how does this work?]
Last week, I was in San Francisco and as his is wont, Matt Moore invited me to go for a walk with him by the waterfront and discuss business issues. While walking around Pier 15 enjoying some nice coffee, he showed me something. It is basically a set of two parabolic metals facing each other about 50 yards away. Each has a small stool to sit on. Matt asked me to go sit on one and he sat on another. As you can see in the picture.
Some of you might have guessed this, I could distinctly and loudly hear what he was saying. It felt like he was just six inches behind my head and he was talking to me from there with a slightly louder than usual voice of his.
For the next few minutes, I showed off my Physics to Matt by eloquently explaining how we were sitting in the focal points of the parabolas and how his voice was hitting his parabola, going then in a straight line to my parabola (geometric property of parabola if you remember) and then my parabola was putting all that on to its focal point which is where I was sitting. You would have seen the same in microwave towers, large telescopes etc. I do not know what Matt thought but I thought I did a good job.
Two days later, I realized what an idiot I was. I was telling Sharmila about it and then half way thru, I stopped cold. I realized that everything I said to Matt was correct but only for longitudinal waves – you know like microwaves, light etc. But sound is a transversal wave. It spreads out in concentric circles (like if you throw a stone in still pool). Those sound waves from Matt would have emanated as concentric circles and then after some of them hit the metal parabola, they would start out as more concentric circles from the point of incidence (where it hit the metal). Then where is the question of focus and all that in an ellipse?
But I experienced it myself.
How do you explain that?
26 January
2022
How do you explain this?
It is bone chilling -8F (-22C) right now here in Itasca. But it will slowly warm up as the sun comes up. That part I get. But look what happens after the sun sets. The temperatures keep rising thru the night. Of course, there is no sun around. Lake Michigan water cannot be that warm – after the last few cold days – to explain that.
How do you explain that?
23 January
2022
What if people actually followed the instructions?
This is in Marriott Riverfront hotel in Portland. I had checked in and was getting into the elevator when I noticed the social distancing signs on the floor. Can you imagine if people strictly followed the rules? They would look like a bunch of guys given that traditional kid punishment – “Go stand facing the wall” 🙂
21 January
2022
Daybreak – from 35,000 feet up in the air
23 December
2021
At long last
21 December
2021
You will not see this often!
I am not the one who cares much about clothes – certainly not traditional Bengali clothes. I still attend Durga Pujas in shorts or motorbike attire. Somehow clothes just do not appeal to me.
Recently, I had pulled out the one kurta I had (My sister in law Chaitali had given it to me in 2011 or 2012) and surprised Nikita. I had noticed that the color of the Indian clothes she was wearing that evening was a perfect match to that of my only kurta. You can see us here.
This trip in India, my inventory of kurtas doubled, thanks to the generosity of Manojit and Paramita. I had forgotten how comfortable kurtas are. Also it helps that it is fairly forgiving to my girth that is threatening to go in a growth mode 🙂
This summer I will try using these two kurtas and see how it pans out. I already have a shirt in mind that I will give up to stay with the minimalist theme.
21 December
2021
“What is a cappuccino?”
The siblings, their families and myself – we all settled down in one far corner of the JW Marriott lounge. Of course, this being a Bengali group, the first order of business had to be a cup of tea. Satyabrata – one of the most helpful folks around (I had made friends with him during my last trip here) – materialized from nowhere.
“Ki neben, sir?” (What do you want?)
We then went thru a now familiar routine. My brother, sister, sister-in-law and brother-in-law all looked at each other waiting for somebody to make a decision, then discussed quite a few options and finally got to the exact same order that they ALWAYS order.
First my brother went “Masala Chai”.
My sister follow ed”Amaro” (me too)
Ditto for my sister-in-law.
My brother-in-law did not even bother opening his mouth. He just nodded his head to signal “Amaro“.
Why we go thru this rigmarole every single time, I do not know.
In any case, I said “Ekta cappuccino”.
With that, Satyabrata was on his way to the coffee/tea station at the bar.
My sister suddenly demanded to know “Cappuccino-t ki?” (What is a cappuccino?). I think that was preceded by a flash in her head “Dada jeta khachche ota miss hoye gelo na to?” (she was perhaps wondering if she was missing out on something).
Now I do not know about you, but I am not entirely equipped to explain the nuances of cappuccino. If I made short shrift of it “coffee and milk with foam”, I was afraid she would come up with “like in South India?” (if you have not seen this, you should watch some Youtube videos of how filter coffee is mixed with milk and sugar in two metal tumblers in places like Tamil Nadu – it is quite a sight).
“Satyabrata?”, I called my friend back.
“Yes, sir?”
“Take my sister to the bar and show her how a cappuccino is made.”
Say what you may, but intellectual curiosity runs deep in the Roy siblings. My sister followed him and observed every step as the three members of staff – all enthusiastically explained… “Cappuccino – ki ebong keno” 🙂
20 December
2021
What a great couple!
During this trip to India and the previous one, I have been generally avoiding meeting people like I normally do due to pandemic concerns. Exception of course being my immediate family and in a couple of rare cases a couple of very elderly folks since I am not sure if I will ever get a chance to see them again.
While in Durgapur, I received a request from a gentleman called Manojit to meet just for a few minutes. Not sure why, I agreed to do so. I had never met this gentleman before. We became Facebook friends sometime back when he had introduced himself as a batch mate of my brother. About three years back, I got a FB friend request from Parikshit who introduced himself as Manojit’s son.
Manojit showed up at the hotel with his wife Paramita. A 30 minutes meeting rolled into over an hour. The big reason was that we kept on finding newer and newer connections between us. Here are a few samples:
Manojit and my brother, as I mentioned, was taught by the same teacher. Manojit is also great friends with my brother-in-law’s best friend. Manojit and Paramita – who has lived in Muscat – are friends with Sharmila’s college classmate Tapas. In a weird connection, Tapas’s son interned in the company I work in in Chicago.
Manojit’s sister Swati, we realized, is an old classmate of my sister Tanusree. In fact, next day, when I told this story to her, she demanded that I immediately call back Manojit and get Swati’s number. Apparently, she and a few of her classmates had been trying to track Swati down for some time.
Paramita – wouldn’t you know – was in the same class as my sister-in-law during elementary school. I was impressed that my sister in law immediately recognized the face when I showed her the picture. Paramita Ray is also a friend of another Paromita (also a Roy) – Sharmila and my close friend in New York.
Paramita’s sister is a batch mate of mine. Different schools but with a lot of common close friends – like Mausumi – who I went to school with from first grade to fourth grade!
Proceeding further, my mother in law, as it turns out, was Paramita’s teacher in High School! As was my friend from Dallas – Pratyush’s mother!!
I can go on and on like this – but you get an idea how excited we all were as we found out yet another set of connections!
We agreed that our next meeting had to be in Doha when Sharmila and I fly to Kolkata next to completely unentangle all the connections we have!
Manojit and Paramita, it was great to see you! We should have met long time back!!! Also, Paramita, I found out from Chaitali that you are a great singer. We have to have a session some time soon!
