Hmmmm........

If the text in the image is not readable -
This is a model created by ccientists from the RAND to illustrate how a home computer will look like in 2004. And this model was made 50 yrs ago.

Begs a simple question to be asked: Have we come along in a "big" way or in a "small" way?

From men to BOY

I happened to notice recently, a few posts on blogger (not necessarily recent), with Calvin as the subject.
Ishwar
Ambar-The Jovian
Epiphany
Sanjeeth
And the usual Google site search

I found Calvin fan following among my team mates at office; Calvin images on websites discussing esoteric concepts like AVL Trees and Chaos Theory (where I didn't expected to find it).
Makes me wonder, what is it in the strip that makes it so popular.
Is it the antics of calvin? his alter egos? his knowledge of things ?(the way he explains gravity before telling mom tht the lemonade jar broke) The one upmanship between Calvin and Dad ?(his Dad popularity polls)

I feel the actual reason is that each person sees himself as calvin when he reads a strip. He sees Calvin doing things that he didnt/couldnt do as a kid. Come to think of it, maybe Bill Waterson put in the comic strip exactly what he wanted to be and do as a kid himself.

The last strip was in 95 but there is an agelessness it. And (luckily for us) as calvin feared, he will remain a 6 year old all his life ;)

P.S.
For calvin fans, here is a gr8 calvin collection ; and here is an RSS Feed.
This image that I have as my wall paper never fails to bring a smile on the face of anyone who sees it.

Musings over the weekend.

* I got a strange sense of sadistic pleasure when my MD blasted the HR. I have no idea why he got it. I felt happy!!!
* Developers need to be treated better by their employers.
* Developers cannot work under unreasonable deadlines, specially when a team is involved. Managements need to understand that what comes up as a result is a working but hotch-potch software. And it will take double effort in the clean up later.
* There is NO ego bigger than that of a software developer. How else would you understand the rationale behind using an 1-MB software component on a 32-MB embedded system.
* The worst time to drive in Bangalore is on Saturday night, when it is raining, especially given Bangalore's reputation as Pub City of India.
* What does the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike ( the Bangalore city corporation) do if a building violates sanctioned building plans? It breaks the building's windows!
* I was watching the Italian F1 GP. A outrageous thought : What if Bangalore were to host an F1 race, on city streets, Monte Carlo style. I can't stop laughing at my own thoughts.

Can this be true?

For obvious reasons, let me not question the credibility or the validity of the test* nor that of the result. Let me bask in the glory, however shortlived, of the result that I obtained. Let me savour the moment!!

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Related Tests : Which OS are you?
*The site itself claims that the "What Famous Leader Are You" test is NOT a serious one.

Recipriversexclusion?

Look around you and I bet you will see someone sporting a mobile phone in their hand. Smart, small, sleek sexy phones with myriad ringtones, games, screensavers and what not.

But what is noteworthy is the fact that advertisements of mobile phones hardly speak about the phones abilities as a medium of communication. Ads talk about high resolution camera, motion camera capabilites, WAP/Bluetooth enabled phones, radio, MP3 player, media streaming capabilities etc etc etc. So simply put, the phone is described as being anything but a phone. This I think is a perfect example of recipriversexclusion.

The most bizarre of mathematical concepts, a recipriversexclusion, a number whose existence can only be defined as being anything other than itself.

Update: The mobile phone can now be used as a railway ticket booking device also. The Indian Railways has announced a scheme where one can book tickets via SMS.