Falling into Infinity

The dates between my blogs seem to be growing, and I think it is futile to say anything about how or why it has been so. So skipping over the usual banter I think I can give a better description of time spent since my last post by the places I have been to since then. Traveling is a curse they say, but seeing new sights and people is definitely one I would not like to ever give up. So since my last post I have been to Hyderabad, Calcutta, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Roorkee, and finally back to Pune. It has been an all India trip of sorts and I did relish my time spent in each of these places, even if it made me bankrupt in this process.

Going back to Roorkee was a memorable one, meeting all my juniors and some of my classmates. It was a trip made possible more by luck than by design as my classmates who were with me in Program management made the trip from various parts of India. For three days we forgot that we had left the institute and felt ourselves as students again. Going back there, not as a student but as an alumnus, I felt proud that I had been there, and that I was able to enjoy the four years I had spent there. Small pangs of regret I did feel as I wondered how it would have been, had I not made the choices I had, mainly regarding academics versus extra curricular activities, however, hindsight is 20/20 I suppose.

Anyways, beyond that trips to Mumbai were as fun as always and I really have to appreciate the vibrancy and diversity present there. If I could, I would call it the City of Blinding Lights to describe this city. The dichotomy that is present in Mumbai really surprised me though. From the world’s largest slum to the richest real estate property on Earth, I am surprised to see so many shades of Mumbai in this fashion. It really does remind me of the title of the book by Jeffrey Archer, As the Crow Flies.

So moving beyond these trips and all, I was thinking about a conversation I had with my friend the other day, about how people’s image of themselves changes as we grow and age. What we see ourselves as, our values, morals, character, who we are and how these change with time. During the conversation I was reminded of the book, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde in which Dorian Gray on seeing a picture of himself is dismayed by the fact that the picture will stay the same as he ages and eventually withers away. A deal is struck to have the image age and contain within it a picture of his true self, he would remain the same young person. Eventually in the course of time, he locks the picture in an attic and tries to forget that the picture existed, and watches himself in the picture as his soul decays with his decadent means and ways. I couldn’t help but think whether I would be able to face my true self in this fashion. I don’t know the answer to that question, but I did agree on one thing though. Its each person’s life to live, make mistakes and learn, and its each person’s answer to his/her own questions that makes them who they are. Call it a very laissez faire approach to life or by any other term, there are obvious limits to where your freedom ends as well in this approach.

Going back to political commentary, I know my election predictions turned out disastrously as I predicted both the primaries and the main election wrongly; however, this has nothing to do with elections or predictions, which I will now leave to higher beings to do. Since January 20 of this year, the world’s eyes and at least one ear has been on the White House and its doings. Obama has taken the right steps ahead in closing Guantanamo Bay and his passing the finance bill through the senate. However, his system of working seems to be a bit mysterious as his general statements on the economic crisis seem to be just that, as no details are being released on the actual functioning of the rescue package. Also his neo isolationist policy seems to be the exact replica of Bush’s own isolationist policy which he tried to implement when he became president back in 2001. Events forced Bush to do otherwise, and it could be that the isolationist policy was what caused terrorism to flourish on a global scale. If Obama is doing this to distance himself from the previous administration, it could very well backfire on his own domestic agenda. The economic crisis has to be his top priority because economics is usually the indicator of the confidence of the people in their own country, and a crisis of confidence as Jimmy Carter said could be more destructive than any known weapon on earth.

Stepping aside from the foreign politics for a moment and entering into the far murkier world of Indian politics, it is that time again when the world’s largest democracy goes to election this year. I have not voted thus far in my life, looking upon it as an exercise in futility. However, even we in India face a turning point in our own country’s history. Whether we shackle ourselves to the point where we do not step forward or go along with unbridled corruption or not is in our hands now, and I sincerely urge all of those who have not voted to vote this year according to the issues that the party presents. Although voting in India might seem like a choice between Scylla and Charybdis we have to complete our duty towards the nation and its people. Not stepping into the adages of nationalism which could be more mind numbing than inspiring, it is the least that we can do for our fellow human beings. I think the call “jaago re” is appropriate in this sense.

Anyway, I will try to post more often these days, and for a small preview, it will be on books I have read since the last time I posted, so keep looking out!

Musings on a quiet Friday afternoon

Well, a while since my last blog, but it has been a hectic set of days since then as well, traveling between cities and friends. Also, I would like to thank all those people who wished me on my birthday, and for those of you who didn’t (grr!). Well, I have read a lot of books since then, (good books all!), some of them being, Nandan Nilekani’s Imagining India, Asimov’s End of Eternity, Niall Ferguson’s History of Money and many more. It has been a while since I critiqued a book and I figured I should go back to my original self when I do this.
The first and easiest book to tell about would be Asimov’s book. When I saw the book I was shocked that I missed a novel from the master and lord of science fiction. The book is about time travel and its consequences mainly. Assuming for a moment time travel is possible, and that a group called Eternity was set up to control all time movement, and historical facts to weed out the unusual over time and stop wars from happening, and other things to ensure a future which would be safe and sound, Asimov talks about the destruction that this would cause to the human spirit. The Unusual is what makes humans different from the rest, that one man can take on the world and plunge it into war or rise to glory and fame is what makes the world move and have paradigm shifts. The existence of Eternity would ensure mediocrity and a world where humans become more docile. Anyway, before spoiling the book, it is a must read for all, and the fact that it is short also helps. I have no critique on this book, other than to say, Asimov continues to be one of my favorite authors and he doesn’t disappoint with this book.
The next book would be Nandan Nilekani’s book Imagining India. He presents his views in a unique manner, and is unique due to the place that he is in now, the leader of one of the largest companies of India and one who is involved steeply in formulating government policies as well. In this book, he outlines what he sees as the problems of India, what he sees as the roadblocks in growth and development of India. From problems of population to bureaucracy to infrastructure, he talks about these problems giving possible solutions wherever he can. He admits that he does not have all the solutions but he provides his insights clearly and expresses himself in a lucid manner. Given my general aversion to Indian authors, I was enthralled to find a book which could talk to me as it were. Nandan Nilekani talks to the educated generation through this book. It is not a book meant to inspire or glorify his company or a biography, but an attempt to discuss his own thoughts, like a blog almost, albeit a bit long one. He talks about ideas in four different parts, ideas that have arrived, ideas in progress, ideas in battle, and ideas to anticipate. Overall, it is a good book to read, to expand your own horizons and see a person who solves complex problems in his own world, attempt that in our world as well.
Apart from these, I have read a lot of Alistair Maclean’s books over the last two weeks. Short and sweet, I like these books mainly for the action, the sarcastic wit of the main characters, and the tangled web plots that he weaves in his books. If you are a fan of fiction and especially war fiction, then Alistair Maclean is the way to go.
One other thing I wanted to comment on was the shoe throwing incident of Bush. The fact that a reporter who violated the norms of his profession, has turned into a cult figure among the masses in the Middle East is fascinating because it is an example of the unpopularity that American faces in the Middle East. Though I do not support the shoe throwing incident, it is not hard to see why it has happened. The only thing remains to be seen is whether Bush will face that in his own country once he steps down from the Presidency. Will his own people be able to embrace him after his mishandled and clearly bungled terms as President is a question that remains to be seen.
Lastly, I had just gone through Arundhati Roy’s essay on terrorism in Mumbai “9 is not 11”. Her last ending line left an impression on me:
“The only way to contain (it would be naive to say end) terrorism is to look at the monster in the mirror. We're standing at a fork in the road. One sign says 'Justice', the other 'Civil War'. There's no third sign and there's no going back. Choose.”

Are these the only two options that we have? What is ‘Justice’? Some would look at genocide as justice for the losses that they have faced and some would look at complete appeasement as justice. Both of these extremes are clearly wrong. Justice and Civil War are vague terms at best. If Civil War is defined as countrymen fighting each other, haven’t we been at Civil War for the last 60 years or so since partition. The future historians might choose to look at it that way. Brother turned against brother, son against father, and neighbour against neighbour. This does fit the classic definition of a civil war, however, does terrorism and anti terrorism come under the domain of a civil war? Will the doings of a couple of men change that?

Placements and Recession

Actually, credit where it’s due, I guess I was inspired to write this after seeing PDM’s blog. Initially I thought of commenting on his blog, rather I figured I should write my own blog concerning this as well. I agree with him completely, that this is not affecting just the guys in our college, but everyone. Not only the academic world but since this is a financial crisis, the business world in a large manner. Trust me on this when I say, we don’t know what will happen tomorrow really. Before the Japanese used to believe in the Divine Right of Kings, that the shogunate feudal system was always there and always will be. It seems that we have returned to such a system today, that we started to believe that businesses were always there and always will be. We have been jolted from that position, and the realization has come that, even the supply demand curve applies to jobs as well. In this scenario, the ones with the temperament to work hard and increase their skill sets are the ones who survive. I am not going to sermonize here, telling everyone to work hard and get higher CG’s or whatever. All I am saying is that don’t despair in this time. Eventually the cycle will trend upwards, it is the basic human nature I guess or whatever the psychologists want to call it. Eventually after a crisis, people do start moving again and the good times will return. It could happen one month, one year or one decade from now. Asking why me, why my time is not what we are here for. We do not choose the times we live in, but we can choose how we live it.
I, and most people would probably agree, yes, life might have been a lot easier if we had things handed to us, but the old adages do ring true during the difficult times. It is the early bird that gets the worm, the ant and the grasshopper story, the rabbit and the hare etc. I guess what I am saying is stop expecting that the name or rather the reputation of the institution that you go to is what hands you a job, or whatever. The competition is such that your knowledge and your willingness to learn is what counts. Many of us, and I myself have been guilty of it, have been involved in extra curricular activities throughout four years to the extent where we neglected our main purpose there, which was to study for our engineering. Whether we were interested or not is a moot point. We had selected that based on whatever factors, and it is a duty you owe to yourself to see it completed, and completed well. There is no such thing as a bad job, only a job not done well by you. There is enough freedom provided to each one of us to pursue our interests in addition to whatever we are studying. Right now, it might seem like we can afford to sermonize now that we are in jobs and all, but even in professional life, many times you are put in roles you do not want to be in, or in roles that you never imagined yourself in, despite your interests and all, more so than in college. Those who do their work in exemplary fashion, are the ones who do it enthusiastically despite their own reservations and have the energy to do more than just that, the ones that pursue their own interests outside of the work as well, are the ones that are really successful. So again, I ask you all not to despair as to what job you are in, or the fact that placement isn’t occurring soon enough or there aren’t enough companies out there. It may take time, but all of you will be placed eventually.
To juniors, who are seeing the placement season from hell, do learn some important lessons. First, I hope they break the myth of the CG. Those that tell you CG isn’t important, do take whatever rotten vegetable and throw it at them, really it is an all important figure, and unless your knowledge in any field is very high, it is a number that judges how hard you have worked through four years. There might be exceptions to this rule, but largely, lets say about 80% of the time, the rule works. Second myth, extra curricular activities are really important on your resume. They aren’t. No one really cares whether you were head of any section, or in any sport, (maybe schlum does, but again it is an exception to a general rule) or that you were in politics, or really that you were pretty important in the institute. Some people might argue differently, I mean sure being the General Secretary, or the Cogni convenor might help sure, but the amount of time and effort spent on it, is really not worth the returns. Do something in the institute if you like it, not because of its effect on a resume. I mean enjoy these activities while you do them. It is a great way to network in the institute and make friends as well. For some reason our institute rewards people who are extroverts to become leaders and all. Generally if you look at it, the introvert type of people are the ones that have good qualities to be leaders. It becomes more of a popularity contest that way, and many a time it is not the most able that becomes lets the head of a section or anything. Don’t mistake success in these fields to success in getting a job and all. In the end it is your knowledge, your willingness to learn and your personality that gets you a job and finally growth in your job.
I hope these words of comfort will help you guys through this difficult time. And of course to all those that have been placed, congratulations, and all those yet to be placed, good luck and do well.

Tragedy and Hope

With the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, I felt it was time for me to write an entry related to them. A tragic loss of life, no doubt, and the bravery of all those involved in the freedom of the commandos, leaves little to say with respect about it. During this catastrophic time, we stand with Mumbai and express our solidarity and condolences to all those who died. To our enemies who have dared to launch such an attack on our psyche and our symbol of hope and reason, I hope the leaders take decisive action and punish those involved to the fullest extent of the law and beyond. To use the words of another man, “Deciding whether the terrorists go to hell or heaven is God’s choice, but fixing their appointment with God is ours.”

            Whether it was an intelligence failure or a political failure, or a security failure is now a moot point with this tragedy now behind us. All we can now do is examine what led to this event, and hopefully take corrective action, that the lives of those that were lost were not in vain, and prevent such horrific attacks. Blindly asking politicians to resign over this is not the solution. Though it might give a short term psychological relief to the people, the problem still remains and the new minister still has to solve this problem. In fact, by the time the new minister comes to grip with the problems, we could have lost invaluable time, time which could have been used to take preventive action. Due to the factitious nature of our government, considering its allies and the coalitions formed, it is difficult to expect a single solution that keeps all those involved happy. Compromises are made and in this case, Mumbai emerged the loser due to all the deals, both over the table and under the table. We might never know which horses were traded or how much money changed hands, but it is this nature of our government that leads to chaos and disorder. However handing a mandate to a single party in a country like India is also cause for trouble due to the diversity present in India, as it would give one group ascendancy over the rest of the groups. It is not a problem with an easy solution; however, we can see that in its present form, it causes paralysis of the state. I sincerely hope that the people of Mumbai recover from this tragic incident, and that the famous spirit of Mumbai moves forward.

            One thing I noticed during the news coverage of this incident was how the news reports these days tend to be more of a sports commentary laced with adjectives, rather than reporting the news. In a sentence, you get to hear words like tragic and horrendous etc. without actually saying whats happening. I guess that is due to viewer ship issues, but still I would like to hear the unadulterated news without actually having to hear the newscaster’s opinion.

            The other thing I wanted to talk about was the Mumbai riots that Raj Thackeray was responsible for. I want to ask, where were they when the attacks happened. Champions of Mumbai, that they call themselves, where were they when the grenades and bullets went off. Posturing in front of camera, or beating on unaware travelers is much different than actually fighting the good fight as they might have found out. Unforgiving as this scathing attack may be, not a single word expressing grief at the loss of life or for the brave commandos has been uttered by either of the Thackerays. With the general election about to come up, I hope that the mask of these self righteous groups has been torn off for all to see. The fact that it was India that defended India’s Mumbai from foreign attacks is probably lost on the MNS activists as they continue their fight.

            And one thing from my earlier blog entry predicting a win for John McCain, the voters of the United States have proved me wrong comprehensively by electing Obama with one of the largest mandates to be handed out in recent times. A gracious speech by McCain, conceding the election and President elect- Obama’s speech accepting the elections results shows the strength of the American democracy, that a loss is not perceived as the end of the line, or the end all be all, that tomorrow, you still are ready to serve the country working with the person you fought with for an American future. I guess India would do well to learn lessons from this election as our own come up. The problems I mentioned in the earlier blog, still persist and have gotten worse; I hope Obama is the president who will deliver on his election promise.

Elections everlasting!

With the final week of the US election coming up, the world turns to watch the oldest democracy select who will become probably the most powerful man on Earth, possibly the most powerful man ever. With many crises all coming to head in this generation or possibly the next, this president is at a crossroads of sorts that will decide the fate of future generations. This time we are at the nexus of many crises including the financial one right now which has reared its ugly head. By crises I mainly mean the raw materials crisis, the environmental crisis, the financial crisis, the globalization and population crisis to name a few. The POTUS, is at a state where he has to define policy on all these issues, and most of them have to be far reaching ones. The next policies he defines might be as important as the Constitution or the Bill of Rights itself. How America conducts its domestic and international policies over the next four or eight will affect almost every nation on the planet. With the financial crisis which has brought almost the entire economy to a standstill across the globe, how America can revitalize industries is going to be looked at very carefully. I mean the financial crisis has brought about a lot of comparisons with Greek tragedies. The financial wunderkind often being referred to as the gods of Mount Olympus, and how they looked down and ruled the financial world, or as Icarus who went too near the sun, or Pandora’s  Box. This being the case, we could call this the Gotterdammerung, a dusk of the gods if you will. Any number of clichés or statements however will not fix the crisis that the world finds itself in. No matter the rhetoric used by the news networks as describing scenes of Wall Street as a bloodbath or cataclysmic destruction of the universe, the events that unfold still happen. To fix this crisis requires a monumental effort on part of the US government and the US President. They will have to restore faith in the market system that they has eroded over the last couple of months. No doubt that President Roosevelt in 1932 faced a similar quandary after the Great Depression which happened during Herbert Hoover’s time. It took the US 15 years to return to the financial status of 1929, and it took a world war for that to happen. However, short of a major positive jolt to the system, this seems unlikely to be the case now. At the time Roosevelt initiated a public transportation building system that employed thousands to build roads and infrastructure that have lasted through the century. Now the new President will have to find some way to keep people moving, to have them contribute to the world’s largest economy. The drive by both candidates to keep jobs in America might be such a move, but it would be detrimental to the globalized world. By withdrawing jobs away from other countries, it would set the emerging nations economies back a couple of notches. However, that might be the best move to revitalize their own economy. I think we now are seeing a gradual shift back to the nationalism that was present in the hey days of the 19^th century in Europe. The new worlds to conquer in the information age now are knowledge, a smart workforce, and natural resources. It could lead back to the times when statesmen who were supposed to think long term substituted short term gains for longer term ends and failed to sustain their states through the 19^th century as many empires fell with the end of that particular century. Now with the culmination of the financial crisis taking place we see a return to that kind of nationalism that eventually led to two world wars. Anyway, with the election about to start in eight hours, I guess its time to call the election and make a prediction. Everyone has one anyway.

My prediction is that the Gallup polls are wrong and that McCain will win in a closely contested election which will see Obama winning the popular vote but losing the electoral vote. The problem with the Gallup polls and all is that most people do not honestly answer the surveys in fear of revealing their own vote or appearing racist in this case I feel. Also they are limited in the people they survey amongst. I see a continuation of the Republican government for the next four years. I see America electing a person of great stature who gave his life for his country in Vietnam and has a varied experience in the Senate. Generally, most Americans are Conservatives at heart and would elect a Republican into office. Also, America has never changed parties in the middle of wars, even Lincoln who supposedly had 27% approval rating in the middle of Civil War was reelected President. Lyndon B Johnson, who instigated the Vietnam War, was also reelected to office. So I think we shall see McCain in office for the next four years atleast.

Chapter 2

“That is the last of what we know of what happened with Commander Mitt’s mission. What you have all witnessed was what we could piece together from Beagle’s headset. The rest is a blur, and what we have witness of the intruder is only evidenced by the red light. As you can see from Beagle’s headset, the enemy’s ship is of a size unfathomable even to those of us who have advanced since the days we were bound to stay on Earth. I have called each one of you here, since this affects us all, not only in our business and shared interests, but that we each of us represent a sizeable portion of the Confederation and can take decisions rapidly. Make no mistake, this is an unprecedented event of the likes that could define our very sense of what it is to be human.”

With that President Zachary Wolf, inventor of the hyper wormhole transportation, and sole holder of all rights to it, took a seat in the Council, now controlled by the ruling dynasties. They were all here, the major ones at least, the ones whose very word was law on each of his own planets and a mere glance from them could elevate a person to high status or erase him to oblivion. All of them equals here, all controlling various parts of the intricate workings of the Confederation. They were more like feudal lords in their own right, with more power than any king could hope for, but they ruled justly and for centuries, peace had been the foremost concern, as poverty, aging, disease and other such appalling things had been eradicated and bringing new freedom to man. However economics was the one thing that bound all humans and these men as they were represented the brightest and the climax of what humanity had achieved. The Konark dynasty with its control of all shipping, Marlon with its terraforming capabilities, and the other dynasties Geriac, Wedenstra, Micsola, and Omicra made up this council.

“Well, its not one that I have built. That kind of scale would take centuries just to make plans for it. Its as large as a small moon. Makes the Deathstar from the old Earth movies a joke.” Mark Konark, the head of the Konark dynasty, was immediately  fascinated that such a thing could exist. He had been working on building larger ships to free man of planets and roam the stars, but this was beyond his wildest dreams. Already he could see himself retooling his factories to work out his plans. However, the loss of his ship troubled him that he lost some his best men working on them. The Interstellar Navy, technically which worked for the Confederation, was a direct extension of his empire, as he supplied all the ships.

“Gentlemen, I think we can say without a reasonable doubt that this ship, is not human, and is definitely alien. We have encountered alien species here in this Galaxy, but none of them sentient enough to raise a concern. This is something that we have not planned for, and have no contingency for that an alien species far more advanced than us, could be violent enough to wipe out an entire squadron, without attempting to raise any contact.”

“Zach, can you venture a guess on how this alien ship moves? To make a hyper wormhole jump, calculations take us normally hours before we execute it. We try to make sure to avoid ending up in a star, yet this apparently dormant ship powered up and left, before we could make any moves.”

“To answer your question Mark, I would have to say that this makes my theories a joke. I cannot answer your question in this lifetime or the next. I can take a look at that video all I want, but its not going to get us anywhere. Until that thing reveals itself to us, we have nothing to go upon. The only thing I can say looking at the quantum subspace fluctuation that took place before the ship powered up, is that the ship deals with the fabric of space-time itself. Its almost as if that the ship is part of the space itself. With that kind of powers, for all we know, it could be God or anything it chooses to be. Also remember the planets, they had to be made. No way that the planets be so round, or placed so vicariously with those double stars. We have to assume that this alien has planet building capabilities. Consequently, with the power to build, they also have the power to destroy.” With that, a chill could be felt within the room. It had been a while since these men had to deal with such a situation. Centuries of peace had convinced them that war was an anachronism, and that fighting for material was outdated. But an alien fighting them without any motive and with the power to destroy humanity or a significant part of it was frightening enough.

“Mr. President, should we start with weapons research again? Just to make sure we have something that we can counter with? I for one would feel a lot safer, knowing that some defense is possible against the indefensible. We may not be able to fully defend ourselves but at the very least force them to come to the negotiating table or preserve a part of humanity that could continue.” A babble of voices came to the fore as Zach watched the lively debate. Starting weapons research would end the centuries old ban to weapons for destruction, however he couldn’t see any way around it. No doubt that the Omicra dynasty would profit from this, but at this level, profit was no longer a motive.

“I call the vote, the Confederation starts weapons research with an intent to defend the human race from extinction.” As each raised their hands, the dice was thrown and Zach could think of a line he had read a child in a distant past. “The moving hand writes and having writ gestures.”

“Next item, how do we handle this with the rest of the planets? Surely we should tell them about it?” Wedenstra were known as the peacemakers, as they had successfully convinced the warring factions of Earth to give up their weapons to herald the beginning of the Pax Wedenstra as it was now known. They had been great statesmen, and would always probably remain so, thought Zach cynically.

“I propose that we do a limited statement release to the people explaining that the squadron was investigating an unknown phenomenon in those planets and that an accident caused the subsequent destruction. We need to hold for some time before making any rash statements. Obfuscate reality for now, to ensure a safe future. Outside this council, I don’t think anyone needs to know about this incident.” Small wonder that it came from the Omicra dynasty, as the others exchanged looks across the table. It would mean that they would have a larger say at this table, but it was the only course of action as they saw it.

“We shall keep in regular contact until the next such incident occurs and I hope that it is not within our lifetime that such an event comes to pass. However, at this point of time, we are the best equipped and the most able minded to handle such a crisis, and I intend to see that the Council is up to the mark.” Zach had been president for four hundred years, not only because of his hyper wormhole transport system but also for his ability to convince the rest of the Council of its usefulness towards mankind in general. No oligarchy in history ever had such power and none ever would. “I urge all of you to use your discretionary powers that are available to you in keeping this under wraps until we are ready. My own planet will provide any amount of resources that you will all need to survive this. With the survival of our race at stake, I pledge with all my life that we shall overcome this obstacle.”

Far away from that room, in the outer reaches of spaces, an unknown ship emerged as if just created, from a hostile situation it just encountered. For a million years it had hid, but never forgot what had forced it into hiding. Within the confines of this ship, it survived through the ages, ever adding to itself, ever growing in its consciousness as it reached out across the stars looking for any enemies. With the encounter of the small rafts it had fled the scene after destroying, fearful that finally they had caught up to it. It seemed so long ago, but just a blink of an eye for its life. Breaking off from the F’rmo’gyhs it had forged a life of its own. It knew that it was the climax of its civilization that had taken to the stars, building themselves into the very fabric of space, with its ability to create stars and planets, controlling galaxies to shape and bend to their will. The civil war that had started had lasted for millions of years, fought across galaxies and planets, till the very end when it watched the remnants of the splintered groups burn, it fled across the universe, to hide and fight another day. Shutting itself, and watching the universe go by had been the hardest thing to do, but it was the only thing left for it to do and go on survive. Sure that inactivation was the only mode of survival, it had gone on for eons waiting for a signal, waiting to be found. That the ones who found it were of a technological scale a full universe behind, hurt it more as to how degraded it had become. It was a being of a different kind, having a genetic code different from its own civilization. A mutation that fully developed and threatened to overtake its own species, yet through a combination of sheer numbers and luck, it was barely defeated and now taking refuge in this galaxy. The only thing it had left was patience, and the reticence to survive. It would wait, wait until those that made it run, found it again. It had come to rest at a star, a yellow star, with many planets. Four gas giants and several smaller rocks. Several signals seemed to be emanating from the third and fourth planets, but all seemed inconsequential. It would wait here, till the end of time perhaps, but wait it would, and watch the universe burn.

Fun stuff!

I was watching a British series called “Doctor Who” and it’s a real fun series, for all those cultists and science fiction fans! I mean which other series would have a tacky blue telephone booth for a time and space traveling device and a time lord, called the Doctor who looks human, a human companion, ostensibly a female, on all his travels, and supervillains like another time lord, the Master, the Daaleks(metal cans who are apparently indestructible), metal men(human robots). It’s a real fun series to watch and suspend your thinking for a little while atleast. You get to watch end of Earth in 5 billion years, the end of the universe, the paradox machine, a spaceship crashing into the big Ben, Agatha Christie, Will Shakespeare, really anything short of the super ordinary.

Also for those book fans out there, Peter F Hamilton’s second book of the Void trilogy is out(I posted about the first book, the Dreaming Void a while back). Its really good, just read it last night, and boy does he really weave an intricate story across the universe, both real and unreal.

Ok, beyond all this, I just re-read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand again, that being one of my favorite books. For those of you who have not read it, you are missing something in life by not reading this book atleast. I might forgive you for not liking any books, but not for not reading this book. At the very least, go through John Galt’s speech at the end of the book, which in itself contains a philosophy of living.

Also, with the financial crisis going on around me, I guess we are living through history now, with the countries bailing out their banks in a huge way. Whether this is socialist or not, it possibly could be only fending off the coming Gotterdammerung. I tried following the news about this by watching CNN-IBN, instead all I get are one line statements saying, people shouldn’t worry and people should have more confidence in their government and its ability. That India’s fundamentals are very strong and we should continue to invest. This shows that the government’s attitude is that the Asian market’s are decoupled with respect to the globalized economy which could very well be the case. Certainly after the Asian market meltdown in the late 90’s, banks in each countries have worked to make it so, but decoupling is not 0 or 1, that is, black or white. For more details on the decoupling issue, read the paper from Deloitte’s website. Eventually with the global recession, it may have direct effects, but secondary effects will certainly bog down our GDP growth rate. Recently in the newspaper, I think under the column of Swaminomics, MS Swaminathan made a case for why its not the GDP growth rate that’s important, but the fact that our GDP growth rate has fallen which is. Since with decreased global demand, our export markets are certain to be hit which could have huge fallouts in other sectors as well. I am more interested in seeing what kind of social fallout will this recession have, since spending has been at an all time high, and curbing this will be harder to do. Anyway, I hope someone can shed light on this issue...I am no economist to make any predictions and neither am I a fortune teller with a parrot or cards.

Oh, and the song Californication has been stuck in my head for the last couple of days…find myself humming or singing this out…But it’s a fun song, and listen to it!

So beyond all that, I wish you all happy holidays for this month, and enjoy!