About Ourselves..

First read this interview.


Below are a few quotes from the above interview.

But science is not about knowing for sure. It's about knowing beyond reasonable doubt - so there's more in common with the law here than people realise. You can only be beyond reasonable doubt that something is true.

Next time you get into an argument with someone on something scientific (like I did recently) and they argue that '.. oh but you can't know for sure' just tell them what science is really about. ;)

The only thing I will say is there have been all these revolutions in science. If you think about it, each of them has had a dehumanising impact.

First, for example, there was the Copernican revolution saying there is nothing special about this little speck of dust, which is what the earth is. That's already humiliating - that you don't have a privileged place in the cosmos.

Then comes the Darwinian revolution saying you're just a hairless ape. That, again, is humiliating - that you are not the climax of creation, but are, in fact, the product of random processes of natural selection.

Then this Freudian revolution, saying you are not in charge, that your behaviour is largely governed by unconscious motives and drives.

And then the most recent thing, the DNA - that there is no vital spirit, it's a molecule. As Watson said, there are only molecules, everything else is sociology. He was, of course, saying this tongue in cheek. And now the neuroscientist's version - Crick's astonishing hypothesis - that you are just a pack of neurons; that's all a human being is. Now the question is: is that true? We don't know yet. We have to remain agnostic. But we have to take that as far as we can. That's the way science works.

Thus we are another cog in the great cosmic machinery of the universe. Or is it that simple? Us humans have this unique gift of 'self-discovery'. The fact that we know we are not the big bosses of the universe is in itself unique.
The more we know the greater mastery we have over our surroundings and at the same time our importance in the scheme of things reduces. From center stage to side show.
How much longer can we humans keep on discovering things about our universe without starting the journey back from side show towards center stage?
Have we passed the mean or are we moving towards it? What do we need to discover so that the human race can actually call itself unique? Secret of everlasting life? Travelling millions and billions of kilometers by merely thinking about it? What is it that we need to discover that will make us stand out?

It turns out that if I tell somebody to wiggle his fingers whenever he wants to in the next five minutes, the amazing thing is, when he wiggles his finger, you can measure when he wants to on the second hand of a clock and you can check where was the second hand at the time he sent the command to wiggle the finger - and usually he sends the command just before the clock was at the twelve. But you have picked up the brain signal a full second before!

So you can tell the guy, ahead of time, that you are going to will it now, in principle - we haven't actually succeeded in doing that yet because of technical problems. Now, if it's his will, how can you tell him ahead of time when he's going to will it?

This is totally amazing! That means there is a gap of around 1 second between our thoughts and actions. This is easy to figure out since the speed of the electrical impulses in our nerves is not infinite. No signal can travel faster than light (which has speed of around 3x10^8 m/s in vaccume) and the signals in our nervous system travel at a lower speed than that!
So basically what you are doing now you decided one second ago (approximately).
It is a strange concept if you think about it.

Dawn!

Here are some pictures I took on the 31st of March. It had been raining since the previous evening. A windy and fresh March morning. Feeling like a million bucks, I decided to snap some shots with my Canon S2 IS camera.

About Discrimination

First read this excellent post.


I believe some discrimination is needed for society to function normally. The problem is discrimination allows people to choose what they are comfortable with rather than facing their fears. It is difficult for people to be open minded to all things all the time.
You talk about discrimination in the job market. That is because people feel comfortable working with their own kind and very few people like the challenge of new situations. That is I know a close minded approach but then again it is surprising to see how many of us are actually close minded about some things in our life without realising it.

XM-8

Modular Ways of Killing People



Those scientists and engineers in the Military-Industrial research estalishment have done it again! This is sheer genius. A modular weapon for the modern 'digital' soldier.

This weapon is made up of modules much like a LEGO model that is made up of building blocks. The modular nature of this weapon makes it ideal for a wide variety of mission types (right from sniping to heavy machine gun) in different environments. For example the barrel modules can be switched to convert the basic carbine M-8 to a snub nosed (short barrel) 'compact carbine' ideal for urban warfare or a fully automatic squad assault weapon (with a longer heavier barrel) for guarding static targets (such as buildings).
The soldier carrying this weapon can truly be called a 'universal soldier'.


I think the human race is the only species on the planet which kills more of its own kind than of any other species. No wonder its so lonely at the top of the food chain!
There is another funny thing I just realised. How come we don't see people protesting outside the labs/factories where such weapons (which are mainly used to kill other humans) are created and manufactured? Hell if a cosmetic or pharmaceutical company uses animals for research you will find animal lovers ready protesting loudly outside their labs and offices, just about ready to burn the place down!
I guess there are more animal lovers than people lovers here.
Or maybe it is a numbers game. The military industrial complex employs many workers, much more than say a cosmetics research lab.
I think in the end it all comes down to the saying that 'in the time of peace, prepare for war'.



Click Here to learn more about the M-8

Hearing God

All those long nights without sleep. They have taught me something.
The deep silence of the night. It is almost like the silence of deep space far above our head.
As I sit in my room finishing up some work the heavy sound of silence is suddenly broken by shrill chirp from somewhere outside. It is almost magical. Like hearing God.
The shrill chirp is ofcourse the sounds of birds waking up for the new day. It makes you realise that another night has passed. The silence is broken and it wont be back until the next night.

This is something which I have enjoyed a lot ever since I came to UK. Here in the summers the sun is up and about by 4:30 AM. So the birds have a really long day here!

Finally like I was discussing with my friend once the sun is up and about and beaming down in all its glory (say around 9 AM) that is the BEST time to go off to sleep.
:D