All the stationery and library set up has been moved to the new house together with all the pens and ink pots and writing pads.
This is the first letter from the new house (we have not moved in yet). This letter is headed Madhuri’s way to Singapore!
Of course letter writing is not just about fountain pens and personalized pads… it has include the whole wax seals to go with it!
This is one of the books I had started exploring when I had Covid. If you remember, I was trying to look for books on Silence.
Overall, I did not enjoy the book. Just gave up after reading one third of it. Krishnamurti’s commentary or insights are fairly interesting. I loved the very first chapter – “The Purpose of Education”. But the editor, in my opinion, has made a mess of the whole book by presenting 27 very disparate chapters (each mercifully only 4-5 pages long). The jump from one topic to another has little flow and even less lucidity. Inside of a chapter, there are a couple of pages of Krishnamurti’s insights and then there are a few questions that he answers. The questions seem off place – or at least the connection to the topic de jure is tenuous most of the times. Or at least to a person like me, so it seemed.
Certainly cannot recommend this book. There has to be a better book that has put Krishnamurti’s thoughts together.
Remember the story of the Noorie cassette from last week? That Papiya-di had lent to me and Avijit? Well, guess what was on the other side of the cassette? “Sargam“!!
I remember loving each and every song from that movie – Dafli Waale, Hum To Chale, Koyal Boley, Ram Ji Ki Nikli, Koyal Boli, Kahan Tera…
To complete the memories of that cassette from four decades back, Sargam vinyl record was the choice for this evening…
This drink’s name has a fascinating root. Back in the 1880s, a private members-only club called Tuxedo Club started in the planned community of Tuxedo Park in Orange County, NY. This is the same club that gave us the menswear called “tuxedo”. Around the same time, a new cocktail was served at the bar in the club. As you must have guessed, it was called Tuxedo. This is a nearly 140 year old drink.
Vodka, Dry Vermouth, Maraschino Liqueur and Orange Bitters. (There is a variation that uses absinthe too)
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?
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?
In American football, any drive can end with the following points – 0 (ball turned over), 2 (safety), 3 (field goal), 6 (touchdown with failed point after or failed two pointer), 7 (touchdown and successful point after) or 8 (touchdown and successful 2 point conversion).
Assuming no team scores more than 50 points in a playoff match (there has to be a winner), what are the different legitimate combinations of scores that a match can possibly end with? (e.g. a game can end 14-2 but can never have a 27-1 score).
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” đŸ™‚
