List of 19..

Here is a list of English non-fiction books I want to read. I am happy that they made to the number 19 - a favorite number of mine. (Some links point to German Amazon website where as others point to the US-website)

Color code - Biology, Physics, Mathematics, Philosophy, non-cateorized,

1. Selfish Gene [LINK]
   
   What is selfishness? A vice... or a virtue ... or a trait? I had read a good portion of this book some months back; had to break. Now, I am reading it again... from start.
   

2. The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe [LINK]
   
   The title explains everything... doesn't it? This book too is in my night stand. I might need 2-3 more sessions to finish this.
   

3. Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to Al-Qaeda [LINK]
   
   Again, the title says it all. This too is in my night-stand. I would take a month to finish this huge-volume.
   

4. Physics for Future Presidents [LINK]
   
   The simple physics we need for day-to-day life - to find out the way the media is fooling us (eg.). And many other interesting stuff.
   

5. Astonishing Hypothesis: The Scientific Search for the Soul [LINK]
   
   Brain theory.... I don't know much to give an explanation.
   

6. How to Calculate Quickly: Full Course in Speed Arithmetic [LINK]
   
   I guess, I am pretty fast at doing math in mind. Still I could try to improve a little. Why not? Right?
   

7. The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe [LINK]
   
   This is probably the largest and most difficult of the books here - half mathematics and rest physics - I would have to break my head to understand this (eg. Riemann surface and stuff like that).
   

8. Consciousness Explained [LINK]
   
   Well.. Philosophy? I don't know! :(
   

9. The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design [LINK]
   
   Anti-GOD. And the title explains it again.
   

10. Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon [LINK]
    
    Partly culture, partly biology, partly philosophy and psychology - this is what I would say. A study about/on religionS - not a specific one.
    

11. God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything [LINK]
    
    I don't dare to explain it in other words, when the title says it very crisp and clear.
    

12. The Last Lecture [LINK]
    
    The book by Late. Mr. Pausch - the professor who died of Pancreatic Cancer. Inspirational, I would say.
    

13. Bookless in Baghdad: Reflections on Writing and Writers [LINK]
    
    Again, vague idea. I like this author - Mr. Tharoor.
    

14. Quantum Mechanics and Experience [LINK]
    
    Again physics - need to get QM clarified.
    

15. Woman: An Intimate Geography [LINK]
    
    After all, I need to know the *important* stuff. Shouldn't I?
    

16. The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone: Reflections on India: The Emerging 21st-Century Power [LINK]
    
    India .. India .. India! and Mr. Tharror.
    

17. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything [LINK]
    
    Some basic stuff I wanted to learn - for a better living in these times of financial crunch.
    

18. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions [LINK]
    
    This could perhaps be the most imaginative stuff; or rather abstract. This could help me understand relativity better.
    

19. The Modular Brain How New Discoveries in Neuroscience Are Answering Age-Old Questions [LINK]
    
    Again, in the same class of Astonishing Hypothesis from above.
    

Well, I am not sure - when will I be able to finish all these books. Assuming, that I finish 2 books/month ... or may be 3 books in 2 months, I'd need about a year+.

Let me see.

There is a list of papers (Math and CS) which I want to read; I might have to forget fiction for a while. Or once in a while, pick up an easy-airport-read and finish it in a couple of days.

Signing off, Sands.

Not so Perfect Murder(s)

First, let's read a short conversation between Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson. [Ad. of the Speckled Band]

"What do you make of that, Watson?"

"It's a common enough lash. But I don't know why it should be tied."

"That is not quite so common, is it? Ah, me! it's a wicked world, and when a clever man turns his brains to crime it is the worst of all. I think that I have seen enough now, Miss Stoner, and with your permission we shall walk out upon the lawn." [source]

Recently I read about some murders which happened in Kerala. I am specifically talking about the guys who murdered their wives (respectively) and one of them killed all his children too. I do totally resent the whole affair.

Both of them had planned their deeds beforehand. Well, there must have been a trigger - but they were pretty sure about the murders to be committed.

Now, the surprising thing is that they were caught within a week's time. They had left all the clues/evidences which had pointed to them. As a good citizen/man, I am happy that they were caught, as they should be.

The surprise comes from the fact that they were caught within a few days - was that all their planning was? Shouldn't they have done a little more of homework before doing the thing? Idiots!!

Well, according to Mr. Holmes, then they weren't clever enough. According to me too.

I have always known that I am good at finding loop-holes and at closing them too (if needed). The few times I have got inside our locked home@Nellayi without keys, and some other wonderful experiences at Hyderabad have proven me right. [Those experiences would account for a long post - hence later].

If you are a criminal, before your act, try to get into the shoes of an investigator, THINK WELL and then do it. If you are an investigator, try to do the other way around. That would make you more successful. Don't you think so?

These idiots obviously didn't do that. Lack of competence and efficiency is something which I hate. Hence the post. Even the police officers wouldn't have enjoyed the investigation for the lack of challenge in investigation. Kerala Police is usually pretty good with complicated cases (exceptions are there though).

Enough said. Perhaps I should join the police force .. but if the criminals are this way, where is the challenge? ;)

Well, anyway as I said this much, I shouldn't leave without giving this wonderful link to a documentary from BBC - How to commit the perfect murder. You could watch it here_at_video_google [not for the faint of heart].

Moral of the post: If you do something, do it right. If you can't... just don't do it.

Signing off, Sands.

PS1: I am a good, law abiding, fellow-being-loving person. But this total idiots did make me think about their lack of planning and stupidity; and I wanted to comment.

Clarification: If so, why would I watch such creepy/negative stuff? - because, I am interested in literally everything. Starting from  Atom through Spy in the Jungle, Physics for future Presidents [vid] ,  Dangerous Knowledge [vid], Planet Earth, up to  Cosmic Voyage - touching the different areas including Physics, Mathematics, Nature, Sociology etc.

Emptiness...?

The semester vacation has started - which essentially means that most of my friends, with whom I used to go for tea/coffee, won't be around for two months.

My apartment mate, the red-girl, has gone home. My home is just simply silent.

The friend, with whom I usually had my lunch, has gone back to India.

My German lessons, which I always used to look forward to, has come to end.

All these happened in 3 days time. It could have been nice, if it had happened slowly. This week looks a little bit empty.

Well, that means that I am going to have more time for my own. Let me enjoy. Yesterday, I did some paintings after a long time of 2-3 months. I had taken a break from BBC dokus, which I have started to watch again. My time is being spent even more constructive! :)

Going for lunch. (It was a long time since I went for lunch alone - and the prospect of doing so triggered this post)

signing off, Sands.

Physics, Religion and Creationists-vs-Evolutionists

Lately, I've been reading a couple of blogs/articles where people argue over topics like GOD/Atheism, Indo-US Nuclear-Deal etc.

I had decided long back that I wouldn't participate in arguments of the following categories -- (i) God/Atheism (ii) Capitalism/Communism (iii) Selfishness/Altruism.

But.. in a week moment, I got involved in one of the arguments from the first category. I should say that I was surprised to see that many of the participants [from both sides] didn't even know the ground rules of carrying on a healthy discussion. And as one would expect, the debate got over without reaching a conclusion. :(

I am a hard-core atheist by all means - very much convinced about the non-existence of a supreme-intelligent-designer-being. But I realized that I was not knowledgeable enough to convince someone who wasn't convinced yet. If I really want one thing in life, it is knowledge. I started to make myself knowledgeable.

I started to:

1. Follow some of the links I got from the debates - links which even take you to the big-bang. [eg: First three minutes (book) by Steven Weinberg, Nobel Laureate]. Haven't finished the book - but till now, it'd been wonderful.
2. Read a religious text. Well, I could only start with it. It was ultra-mega boring - which means that it would take ages before I finish reading it. But I do want to read it.
3. Watch Mr. Dawkins - his debates in youtube and google-video, programs @ BBC. This person is an awesome character. Too smart to be true. Totally logical, sensible, terrific, awesome.
   
   I, whom I myself consider quite smart and intelligent, take sometimes a moment before really understanding his arguments. He is that good. Do you know, how useful these arguments could be - for your brain-muscle exercises? :)

So, I have been reading up Physics, Religion and listening to creationist-vs-evolutionist arguments. That is one of the reasons along with fever, which kept me away from the blog for about two weeks.

This entry was probably not a light read. Will try for a light read next time.

And this entry is dedicated to this great person, Dawkins, who never loses his temper, against pompous fools.

Signing off, Sands.

PS: If you are interested, you can watch a set of nice dialogues between Mr. Dawkins and Mr. McGrath - HERE. A long one, which gets a little boring in between.

PS2: The picture -- I took from Max Plank Institute

PS3: The post is over here - the following is the scrap/byproduct, from the production of the post.! :)

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Two friends of mine were arguing. One of them lost the argument. What does it mean?

Does it always mean, in an argument, when one of the participants lose, that the other person was right?
Not necessarily, right?

It could also mean that one of them was better at arguing.

Well, we are coming to the topic: Debates.

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I haven't been coming to my English blog as frequently as I used to earlier. Well, there are mainly two reasons.

(i) I was getting a little more involved in Malayalam blogland.
(ii) I was down with fever.

The beauty of Malayalam blogland is that, first of all it is not so huge and large as this one; I personally know most of the main players there.

Secondly, there are quite a few debates*/arguments going on among the bloggers - almost at all times.

Thirdly, one can find all genres of comedy too in there - which of course should be one of the main reasons for getting new people.