13 July 2021

The precision makes very little sense

I was cruising in our Airbus 321 this morning to Dallas when I wanted to check our flight map and the following screen came up. Note the figure against distance traveled. Throughout the flight, the system kept updating the distance, but always gave it till the second decimal digit in miles!!

Think for a second. That makes no sense right? A second decimal place in miles would mean about 50 feet. The plane itself is three times as long. At 31,000 feet height at a speed of 500 mph, it takes us less than a tenth of a second to cover a second decimal in miles.

It is an irony that my flights get delayed by hours but I am given my flight progress in less than a tenth of second accuracy!!

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13 July 2021

Who makes up these answers anyways?

This is one more of my pet peeves about something making no logical sense. I was completing some mandatory security and compliance courses when the quizzes got me completely stumped. Not that I did not know the answers but that there was no way to truthfully answer them.

Look at the first example. “All of the above” is the right answer. But the aforementioned “above” includes an option “None of the above”. So, if I say All of the above is true, then I am also saying None of the above is true. That is a paradox that cannot be solved.

Take another one. The second example. The first option is “Answer 2 and 3”. That choice makes NO sense. If that was actually the answer, then that means “1” (which is this option itself) would be true too. Only thing that would make sense is to make it a complete set and say “Answer 1, 2 and 3” (1 being this option itself).

These folks might be experts in security policies and all that but not in logic. But then again, whoever has ever accused any government or corporate policies to be logical? 🙂

Category: Humor | LEAVE A COMMENT
11 July 2021

I am surprised I had never come across this before!

For a fountain pen aficionado like me, I was intrigued that I was not aware of the existence of these things. I have used dip pens in the past – you know with nibs in the end and usually a holder or a quill at the other end. But these are very different kinds of dip ink pen.

First, they are made of all glass. Second, the nibs are not flat. They are all cylindrical or bulbous! I was wondering how the ink would flow. (Usual nibs have that slit between the tines that has the ink flowing due to capillary force). Turns out the ‘nib’ has intricate shallow trench like etchings that wrap around like the threads in a screw. The ink, when dipped in, is held in those “trenches” and slowly flows out.

Fairly unique! Got a few delivered from China. Was never aware of this. Were you? Wrote the first letter to my niece using this!

Category: Fountain Pens | LEAVE A COMMENT
6 July 2021

Eerie sight at the airport

If you ever landed in Atlanta airport in the international terminal and came out of customs and immigration anytime in the late afternoon, you would see this place teeming with people. Waiting to welcome their near and dear ones coming in from abroad. Half of them would be my fellow Indian brethren awaiting the Qatar Airways flight!

Today, as you see – there was nobody. Nobody!! I almost did a double quick thinking I had come out of the wrong side!

The effect of Covid is still very pronounced!

Category: Vacations | LEAVE A COMMENT
6 July 2021

An interesting question

Sharmila and I took a final beach walk this morning before heading back to the US. During our walk, we met another local couple. He is from here and she is from Canada.

Sharmila explained to them how I am interested in settling in a place like this. But she was worried of important things like medical support.

Remember Trisha from earlier posts? Yeah, she had to go to Nassau to give birth to her baby. No hospitals here.

The couple tried to calm us down by saying that in case of an emergency, we will be airlifted and in an hospital in Nassau within 35 minutes.

As Sharmila and they kept talking, I withdrew. Pondering over a question that seemed more important to me…

“Is the idea to live where we push death to a later death or is the idea to truly live a better life before we die (whenever that is)?”

What do you think?

Category: Vacations | 4 Comments on An interesting question