The toughest decision of all: One that offers most choices.

Solution: An out-of-body experience.

The End Of Particle Physics As We Know It?

'If it is true then we truly haven't understood anything about anything.' ~Alvaro de Rujula, theorist at CERN


'Neutrinos can travel at a speed faster than light.' When I first read this on Facebook (Sadly enough, Fb is currently my main source of information), the thought that jumped to my head was "How many theories are going to require revision?! Second thought- If and only if this is validated and truly true, we are a step closer to time travel. Wow. Third thought -Lets put the internet to work for us through ifttt.com i.e., 'If certain subatomic particles can travel faster than speed of light, reset all the (now) obsolete explanations and theories based on the presumption that the fastest a particle can travel is at the speed of light.
This news came around a week back and since then, the blogosphere's been flooded by related posts. This discovery if found to be true would destroy the very foundation of modern physics.

A fundamental pillar of physics that nothing can go faster than the speed of light appears to be smashed by an oddball subatomic particle that has apparently made a giant end run around Albert Einstein's theories - is what The Hindu had to say about this.

 If this observation is validated by the Fermi lab in Chicago( a lab well equipped to test the validity of this overwhelming claim), Einstein- the man labeled as the father of modern physics who taught us the energy- mass equivalence, would be dethroned leaving the door open for another great mind to walk in and be immortalized as the man who flawed the almighty E=mc^2 equation.

Did you know - Einstein along with Richard Feynman, Fermi and Openheimer had a direct role to play in the Manhattan Project? In Einstein's defense, his equation might explain the release of energy during a nuclear fission but it does not tell one how to make a nuclear bomb. In his own words, Einstein expressed his regret at having even suggested research on nuclear energy as a good idea to FDR - "Had I known that the Germans would not succeed in developing an atomic bomb, I would have done nothing."

Anyway, amongst the several theories floating around, one particularly interesting theory goes as follows:  particles can travel at a speed greater than 299792 km per second by taking another (a fifth?) dimension through time and that is, travel through wormholes.


Incredible claims require incredible evidence - NY Times.
And for when someone does find this evidence(if it exists), more concrete than anything, the implications will be HUGE. I don't think we can fully appreciate the magnitude of the mess this is going to create.
For now, all we can do is wait. (And hope for time travel to become a reality before our stay on earth  terminates.)

The Beginning of a Tradition

The event ended. More events ended. All the events ended. And still nothing remotely blue. Later , while I lay awake contemplating on how the last two days had been a complete blur, post-Esya blues hit me. More so because a pile of work awaited me with open arms. Another silver lining on the horizon. Yes, I am kidding you.

Months of planning and  hardwork later, people could see their efforts come to fruition. It was amazing how our event heads had planned out each and every moment. Thought of every possible glitch. Took care of everything. Almost superhuman. The entire event is like a reel of film I can run in my head, any instant.

Memorable Moments

Tech Talks - The first GD round was more of a cat fight than a discussion on UIDs. The moderator's expressions were worth capturing. 'C'est abominable '- his expression said.
The finalist for the debate decided to empty an entire bottle of toothpaste on the stage. It impressed the judges and he won the first prize. (He spoke well, though.) 

300 or so participants in Treasure Hunt -  I missed out on this event due to the unfortunate clash of events but they say it was the most happening event of the college's first ever technical fest. Five Rounds. Five clues placed at select places in the 100 acre campus.

The Gaming arena set up in one of the classrooms - Our usually boring, drab and dull classroom was transformed into a haven for gamers overnight. It was absolutely unrecognizable. And the shock of seeing it get back in its normal state less than 24 hours after it was packed with gamers of all sizes- huge boulder sized and tiny kids, was appalling.

The Quiz was another interesting event. The final round made us sit at the edge of our seats. 

The college band's maiden performance - I had heard them play before, but that day with the slight drizzle and the happy crowd of fans and participants, they took it to a another level.

The Rain Dance - The DJ got seizures in between really great dance numbers. The sprinklers malfunctioned. But it was so awesome. Everyone got drenched to the bone and shivered all the way back to their home or where ever they planned to take lodgings for the night.

I'll remember this one for a long time for the tragedy of events that took place. And even otherwise. 

Mind Map

Its always been very intriguing for me. I know that the signals are transmitted through neurons via electrochemical signals. But how does a signal decide its path?  Isn't the unpredictably relatively on the higher side for any decisive conclusion? Isn't the complexity of the brain quite mind boggling? Years and years of extensive study later, the brain can be labeled into the Occipital region, Parietal region, Frontal Lobe, Temporal lobe- each having its own specific functionality. The functional, connective and developmental regions of the brain, though not completely understood can be defined with remarkable precision. Different regions of the brain process different types of information.  Patterns have been observed. Humungous volumes have been written. Its fascinating how after more than a millenia of research, the human brain offers further scope for exploration. The scope seems almost infinite given the space occupied by the brain is finite. Similar to calculating the number of dots that can be drawn in a 1mm line segment.

Did you know- The brain makes up only approximately 2% of our entire body weight while it can require upto 20% of the body's total energy.

The beauty of the brain is astounding. I would have posted another picture of a human brain( for I have quite a collection now) to emphasize on this. However, since more than one person complained about being too grossed out to read Organ Talk , here we are. Sigh. No photograph. For those who think otherwise, try reading 'Silence of the lambs' by Thomas Harris. It will make up for the lack of a photograph here. Its also been filmed starring Jodie Foster( if that makes one see it).

For those of you who consider this to be random outburst of my love for biology - you couldn't be more wrong. As improbable as it may sound, electrical subjects can be quite inspiring. That is what got the cogs of my mind in motion. I can now go back to my assignment, due later today.

Ode to the West Wind

Another one of my favorites. Here goes nothing.   O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being, Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing, Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red, Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou, Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed The wingèd seeds, where they lie cold and low, Each like a corpse within its grave,until Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow Her clarion o'er the dreaming earth, and fill (Driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air) With living hues and odours plain and hill: Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere; Destroyer and Preserver; hear, O hear! Thou on whose stream, 'mid the steep sky's commotion, Loose clouds like Earth's decaying leaves are shed, Shook from the tangled boughs of Heaven and Ocean, Angels of rain and lightning: there are spread On the blue surface of thine airy surge, Like the bright hair uplifted from the head Of some fierce Maenad, even from the dim verge Of the horizon to the zenith's height, The locks of the approaching storm. Thou dirge Of the dying year, to which this closing night Will be the dome of a vast sepulchre Vaulted with all thy congregated might Of vapours, from whose solid atmosphere Black rain, and fire, and hail will burst: O hear! Thou who didst waken from his summer dreams The blue Mediterranean, where he lay, Lulled by the coil of his crystalline streams, Beside a pumice isle in Baiae's bay, And saw in sleep old palaces and towers Quivering within the wave's intenser day, All overgrown with azure moss and flowers So sweet, the sense faints picturing them! Thou For whose path the Atlantic's level powers Cleave themselves into chasms, while far below The sea-blooms and the oozy woods which wear The sapless foliage of the ocean, know Thy voice, and suddenly grow grey with fear, And tremble and despoil themselves: O hear! If I were a dead leaf thou mightest bear; If I were a swift cloud to fly with thee; A wave to pant beneath thy power, and share The impulse of thy strength, only less free Than thou, O Uncontrollable! If even I were as in my boyhood, and could be The comrade of thy wanderings over Heaven, As then, when to outstrip thy skiey speed Scarce seemed a vision; I would ne'er have striven As thus with thee in prayer in my sore need. Oh! lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud! I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed! A heavy weight of hours has chained and bowed One too like thee: tameless, and swift, and proud. Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is: What if my leaves are falling like its own! The tumult of thy mighty harmonies Will take from both a deep, autumnal tone, Sweet though in sadness. Be thou, Spirit fierce, My spirit! Be thou me, impetuous one! Drive my dead thoughts over the universe Like withered leaves to quicken a new birth! And, by the incantation of this verse, Scatter, as from an unextinguished hearth Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind! Be through my lips to unawakened Earth The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind, If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

- Percy Bysshe Shelly

Make way for Esya '11

I never thought of my blog as a space for sharing events from my life. I considered it more of a space where I could go on a rant and be insanely talkative about unrelated stuff. But it is hard not to! Inevitably, I ended up creating a label 'Events' - for when I wish to talk about the happenings in and around my life.

And this time its Esya '11, the first IIIT Delhi Tech Fest.

Excitement is high. Its the topmost thing in almost everyone's mind. Even the non-workaholics are working really really hard for the success of this event. Everyone in the NCR region who has the remotest contact with a IIITDian is receiving invitations for events like- programming, quizzing, debates, treasure hunt, gaming, business strategy, DJ night and lots more. From the basic planning of events and resources to arranging sponsors- its all being done by the students.

Esya '11 - Of the students, By the students and For the students.

Just like that

The following extract has nothing to do with the photographs. Its just something I like.

Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes;
nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell
Ding-dong!
Hark! now I hear them,--ding- dong, bell.
                -William Shakespeare(The Tempest)


These were taken a while ago and I post them here for the simple pleasure of it.

A cute companion

Conjoined twins

Beautiful, isn't it?

The Summer Of My Discontent

This marks the end of three months of vacations that just flew by.
THREE ENTIRE MONTHS!
Gone, gone, gone...

My only discontent being - the end. It came too soon for my liking. I was just beginning to feel truly at home at home.No matter how clichéd this sounds, it truly truly seems like just yesterday- the start of our vacations and there I was, troubling people in other colleges as they tried to slog through their end-semester exams while I celebrated the start of 3 months of awesomeness.

College starts today. As I go through the 'its-the-last-day' FB posts flooding my News Feed, I am not altogether sad at seeing the end of the vacations. Its back to the fun/work. Yay!

And yeah- the title is inspired from a novel. Pardon me, Kaps, for sounding somewhat like you. Your latest post made me want to write this short piece.

She promised him she would leave before the clock struck 12, for she was expected around 12.15. But being the truant she was, she stayed put till the time of the rendezvous.

At five past that hour, she heard a distinctive sound. This sound was more frightening than that made by the clock announcing the hour of the day for she knew only he could cause it. She scampered to her closet, put on fresh clothes, grabbed her case and headed straight for the door. She knew he would be at the doorstep within a couple of minutes. She always preferred the stairs for health reasons. 

Not today, though. 

She could do almost anything to avoid an encounter with him, for she knew it would not be pleasant. So she directed her footsteps towards the elevator. Darn! The elevator wasn’t functional. The dreaded encounter now seemed a certainity. Gloomily, accepting defeat , yet praying with all her heart she took the stairs.For a brief moment, it seemed as if lady luck was smiling on her. Maybe she had overreacted. Maybe her ears were ringing. She heaved a sigh of relief. She couldn’t have been more mistaken. He stood a couple of meters away, at the other end of the garage, engrossed in conversation with a someone. She shot for cover and watched through the tiny opening in the wall. She thought she was a goner. But then an alternative route struck her panicky mind. She headed back for the stairs keeping an eye out for him. Instead of going up, she took the opening that went right behind the stairs. That way the stairs shielded her from his gaze. She now found herself in front of the godforsaken elevator. The exit loomed a couple of meters away. How she longed for a teleporter. Why was technology so slow? Swearing under her breathe, she made her way toward the exit keeping close to the wall all along. Then she realized he might see her from the garage door where he stood, chatting. She waited for the murmur to die down, telling her the coast was clear. And all of a sudden, it stopped. She prepared herself to make a dash for the exit. She was so close. She couldn’t fail now. Then she turned around and her jaw dropped in shock. He stood a few feet behind her, trying out the elevator button with his back towards her. Swiftly, she hid behind the other side of the wall while he realized the only way up was to take the stairs. She waited. Then grabbing her chance, she ran for the exit. All the way to the rendezvous point she wished against hope he hadn’t seen her and that she wasn't too late.

A couple of hours later…

She waited for the sound and she wasn’t disappointed. For the second time that day, it made her dread the moment she knew she’d have to face him (and if he'd seen her earlier that day, his wrath too). Quietly, avoiding his gaze, she got into the front seat of the car. Five minutes of uncomfortable silence, she thought she could finally relax.

And then he asked “Did you get the job done ?” 

The tone of his question made her realize the futility of lying to him. 
Somehow, he knew.

Everything had been in vain.

Organ talk

^Its time to talk 'Organs'.

My job being to talk about the following critical ones only.

Heart

Its pointless to elucidate it's functions and importance. What I will talk about though is, how your daily intake of junk food can drastically reduce healthy heart functionality. All the fatty food that we consume leads to the fattening of the pulmonary arteries- a major cause for heart attacks and other symptoms leading to one.

Abnormal Aorta

         

             Normal Aorta

Abnormal Aorta with fatty streaks

             
Brain

The specimen at display at the Organ talk had Hematoma. The black thing on the right specimen is the clotted blood due to a severe head injury that was evidently fatal.

A normal brain(left) v/s one with Hematoma

Lungs

Yeah, smoke your worries away. But do remember the effect it has on your lungs(See pic). Apart from exponentially reducing the alveoli count, it makes your lungs much less spongy(which effectively means- the lungs' capacity to expand upon inhalation has reduced significantly). Seeing the skeptical look on one of our faces, the demonstrator had us touch the right lung. Both healthy one and the one blackened and damaged due to smoking. I could see from the look on this lucky person's face that she wasn't too happy about it. 

            

A smoker's lung

Blocked Alveoli

Liver

The following picture is why alcohol consumption is not the healthiest of options. Besides the fact that it severely hampers normal functioning of the liver- which includes emulsification of fats, manufacture of bile juices and blah, it doesn't make your liver look good, does it? 

A cirrhotic liver- scarred and blotchy

Bones

Now this reminded me of the Amul jingle 'Piyo dood in every season, piyo dood for a healthy reason'(Drink milk in every season, Drink milk for a healthy reason). Because Osteoporotic bones are weak. So much so that a slight bump against a piece of furniture will cause your bones to crack or break away neatly. 

Why was I present at an organ talk anyway?

Well, my mother's department organised this event on the occasion of the death anniversary of the former head of the department and she asked me to be there. Since I had nothing up my sleeve that would excuse me from this event , I obliged. And boy, was I glad I did that. It wasn't boring at all! Last year's event had been more of a dull exhibition. This year- we, a former school-mate and me, walked in amidst a great introduction by the head of the department. Grand, I tell you.
 Apart from meeting up with our old science teacher we chatted with the weenies about the weird changes made to our good ol' school. The tea and luncheon only made us happier. What was astonishing though, was the way the tenthies(DPS) took on the 11th and 12th standard people(from other schools) in the organ talk quiz. Maybe it had something to do with the booklets they were provided beforehand. The token of appreciation for the winners was a Lucky Bamboo- a Feng Shui plant said to bring good luck.

Post Organ talk, my friend and I headed for our local haunt and gorged on an odd assortment of junk food- golgappas, tikkis, momos, pasta and faluda. 

A deliciously hypocritical finish to a long day.