15 September
2023
12 September
2023
Is this some kind of mushroom?
While walking with Jay Jay and Sharmila to downtown, we saw this on the road side. As you can see, it had rained before this and this was in a shaded area (covered by trees). It is fairly large – about 9 inches. If you zoom it, it looks like those things you see on the sea beds. (sea anemones?) Of course, this is in land – at about 1100 feet above sea level.
Is this a mushroom? Anybody knows?
11 September
2023
If you ever find me trying to fly a plane as one of those crazy things I have signed up for…
… you can, without fear or favor, blame this gentleman!! Him and Michele Baker!!
Stephen and I go back almost 10 years when he was a pilot in the company I worked in. I remember his love for flying. Has been doing it for 41 years. When I had gone to our Alaska office for a business review, Stephen had taken me up in the air and showed me a bit of Alaska.
So, when I found out that he was in town for some training, I had to find some time to sit with him. You see, Stephen is one of those rare folks whose intellectual curiosity is boundless. Of course, we spoke a lot about airplanes. The mechanisms of how the smaller planes fly and what are the key skillsets required.
But we talked about things that you would not think you would discuss with a pilot. We talked about motorcycles and we talked about boats. We talked about Bayesian probabilities and generative AIs. One of the more interesting arguments we got into was whether with quantum computing we can fairly accurately predict how any human being will think or decide on a particular problem given enough data on how the same person has thought or decided before.
It was a bit of an unfinished debate. I feel this need to go to Alaska and spend a day with him to finish off our discussion. And maybe go up in the air in his personal plane.
Something tells me the next crazy idea is starting to germinate!!
11 September
2023
Early morning run with Val
10 September
2023
From the bartender’s corner: “Punjab da Ruby”
10 September
2023
Tried the custom paper today to write to my penpal in Australia
10 September
2023
What is the common theme?
10 September
2023
Cool morning for a nice ride
Woke up this morning after some more rains overnight. Temperatures had dropped down considerably. The clouds – especially in the north had covered the sky and there was a light breeze. Changing up my routine, took the motorbike out early in the morning. It felt a bit chilly above 50mph. Great temperatures for riding!!
9 September
2023
Rounded up the evening with some reading
9 September
2023
This brought back some memories of my brother and sister
It was 1982. I was in tenth grade. My sister was in eighth and my brother in fifth. Early that year, every loudspeaker in any event in the neighborhood worth the flickering tube-lights that adorned them had the “Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai” songs blaring at decibel levels that would make a steam engine back off. There was a particular one – “Hoga Tumse Pyara Kaun” that had completely gotten into the heads of us three siblings. We used to sing the song all day long.
The lilting tune was set to the rhythm of a steam engine’s motion. I have not seen the movie – or any that you can name – but I can imagine the scene had a man and woman singing on the roof of a train or something like that. I may not know my movies but I do know my steam engines. The instruments bring out a steam engine’s sounds extremely well while keeping the mellifluous flow of the words.
In our house, while growing up, watching movies (specially Hindi movies) was a big no no. Listening to Hindi songs was frowned upon grimly. Parents called them “lareylappa“! Not sure how to translate that – uncouth? boorish? lout? But this song got to my mom too!! I recollect she mentioning she had heard that song on her way to school and the tune was nice.
That was all the license we needed to sing the song whole day long!!
