March 31, 2008
by Atanu Dey
5 Comments
And just in time for April Fool’s Day. I wonder what the newspapers around the world will unleash on the unsuspecting on April 1st. The greatest April fool’s joke is undoubtedly the Swiss spaghetti harvest of 1957. The BBC explained … Continue reading
March 24, 2008
by Atanu Dey
6 Comments
. . . that the chief typewriter monkey has called in sick the last couple of days. Which also means that there will be no posts for the next few days. However, the management recommends the archives for your reading … Continue reading
March 22, 2008
by Atanu Dey
2 Comments
March 20, 2008
by Atanu Dey
5 Comments
This is a personal post. Not exactly what I had for breakfast type of post but close. I clearly remember the moment when a light went off in my head. Brian Wright was teaching and we were talking about EV … Continue reading
March 20, 2008
by Atanu Dey
6 Comments
This is a follow up to the post on Indian spending on education abroad. The actual spending may not be $13 billion annually but the argument does not change even if the figure was much lower. What matters is that … Continue reading
March 19, 2008
by Atanu Dey
19 Comments
That’s what a report in the Hindustan Times claims: US $13 billion each year. Figures such as these are unbelievable but I suppose someone must have done the numbers. In any case, I had estimated that number to be around … Continue reading
March 19, 2008
by Atanu Dey
5 Comments
Sir Arthur C Clarke 1917–2008 departed the planet yesterday for his rendezvous with Rama in geosynchronous orbit. Like millions of others of my generation, I grew up reading science fiction. I liked Arthur C Clarke the best. Based on his … Continue reading
March 18, 2008
by Atanu Dey
6 Comments
I confess that if there is one human whom I come close to worshiping, it is Albert Einstein. [Picture source.] “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be … Continue reading
March 17, 2008
by Atanu Dey
18 Comments
One of my pet peeves is the idiotic mixing of English and Hindi words in advertising copy which is cropping up everywhere on billboards and in print. Perhaps it is considered cool. But it is cool in only the way … Continue reading
March 17, 2008
by Atanu Dey
0 comments
Charles Babbage (1791–1871), the English mathematician was the father of the idea of a programmable computer. Babbage built a mechanical computer called “the difference engine.” He once corresponded with Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Sir, In your otherwise beautiful poem “The Vision … Continue reading
March 16, 2008
by Atanu Dey
2 Comments
The headline in the NY Times article simply says, “INDIA’S GREAT PROBLEM: Nobody Knows How to Educate Her 300,000,000 People.” It begins For many years past, those who have known India best have recognized that one of her greatest, if … Continue reading
March 15, 2008
by Atanu Dey
0 comments
Caesar ignored the soothsayer’s warning to “beware the ides of March” and on March 15th in 44 BCE was assassinated. Cassius was among the attackers. Caesar knew that there was something suspicious about Cassius. He had remarked to Antony: Let … Continue reading
March 15, 2008
by Atanu Dey
2 Comments
I used to have a blog at UC Berkeley. It was titled “Life is a Random Draw.” I wrote it for a couple of years and decided to shut it down as it was attracting too much spam. I will … Continue reading
March 14, 2008
by Atanu Dey
5 Comments
This is a follow up to the post “Suicide! Suicide!” Of shoes and ships . . . Let me tell you a story. This happened many years ago on a train journey. A couple of children were running around the … Continue reading
March 13, 2008
by Atanu Dey
37 Comments
To minimize spam, comments are closed after 21 days of posting. That’s a pity as sometimes people like to comment on archived posts. The occasional open thread should help in this regard. I have been pondering where I want to … Continue reading
March 12, 2008
by Atanu Dey
1 Comment
A fatwa is a religious decree made by a mullah. A “patwa” is like a fatwa but made by Patil. A patwa, like a fatwa, is not based on reason or logic. But it is not just a matter of … Continue reading
March 11, 2008
by Atanu Dey
0 comments
B Raman is the one to read to understand matters of security. His analysis is accurate and dispassionate. So do yourself a favor and read his recent paper (March 8th) at the South Asia Analysis Group site on “Aurangzebs of … Continue reading
March 9, 2008
by Atanu Dey
8 Comments
I have it on good authority that Satyameva Jayate is India’s national motto. The English translation of the Sanskrit is “Truth Alone Prevails.” Is that claim itself true? Can it really prevail in a land where some people are afraid … Continue reading
March 7, 2008
by Atanu Dey
8 Comments
This post summarizes some of my thoughts on why the Indian educational sector must be liberalized.
March 6, 2008
by Atanu Dey
0 comments
Pardon me if I sound a bit like that woman from the French resistance in the side-splittingly funny British comedy series “‘alo, ‘alo” when she enters through the windows at the back of the tavern and says, “Listen to me … Continue reading