Ramblin Rhumb Lines

Another Year, another song. It is New Year's eve and for once, I do not seem to detest the celebrations around welcoming another year. On any typical year, I would have said I did not consider these brief chronological milestones significant as each moment of your life must be a gift. A gift that beholds a mystic wonder, far wilder than any Tolkien saga. But then, 2009 was a year to recon with. It was a test of valor, survival and sheer grit. Hitting hard like Valhalla's hammer, 2009 was sheer fury unleashed perhaps by Thor himself. How does it feel to be in the darkest depths of Mordor? With Gollum, the evil one clinging on to the one ring? Oh I've been there and believe me, it's not a pleasant sight. I have therefore settled to write an Epitaph to a year called 2009.  So, What my song now? Well, I guess It'll be 'Free' by Phish.     Free by Phish   I'm floating in the Blympalot I feel the feeling I forgot Swimming weightless in the womb Boun...

Ministers and World leaders have huddled in Copenhagen to draft a text on the future of Carbon emissions. In all probability, there may not be a huge consensus on which block needs to cut how much emission. Amidst this diplomatic din however, one element, Carbon is unmistakably getting all the attention for its one property - trapping heat in its molecular form as CO 2 . I have to also give ample credit to Carbon, oweing to another major historic event that took place Today in Everett, Wash. Boeing, for the first time flew the mighty 787 Dreamliner. A maiden test flight and boy it was a glorious sight. Boeing has made extensive use of composites in the 787. Carbon Laminates and Carbon Sandwiches contribute to a large portion of the material used in its manufacture. I'd say Carbon has come a long way. Call it Kane, call it Able, Today though, Carbon is breaking some serious barriers.

What was once a political aspiration of a few,Telangana, has grown into a revolution of sorts. 'Identity' can be infectiously divisive by nature. Some times I wonder if there can be a 'Economies of scale' argument to human population and their fight for resources on this planet. Why do we crave for Identity? Power? Money? or is it just a rush of adrenaline that makes it worth the uprising? Well, here in India, identity comes with a promise. A promise that you can now be a 'vote bank' of your own. You can aspire too. Aspire for more. More from the coffers of the tax payer's cauldron that somehow, never seems to empty. Identity, therefore is a promise of sorts. C.K. Prahalad  and M.S. Krishnan's book, The New Age of Innovation gave me a rare glimpse into the world of R=G. Simply put, it means Resources are Global. I loved the sheer simplicity of this definition. Well, I am not a mathematician by any measure but I wonder if the term "Global" is...

Today, Dr. Manmohan Singh is Obaba's first State guest in the US and today also happens to be the day when the Lieberhan report was tabled in the Parliament. An excerpt from CNN IBN reads: New Delhi: In its Action Taken Report (ATR) submitted in Parliament on Tuesday along with the Liberhan Commission report on the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid, the Government stated that political leaders holding office should not simultaneously hold positions of responsibility in religious organisations. And Guess what I thought of...Yup...John Lennon's 'Imagine'   Imagine there's no Heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace You may say that I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world ...

I don't know about you, but I sense it in the air. Look, the leaves are falling all around. Must be the season, eh? How many times have you ever wondered if the chair you are sitting on now has a "Personal Buoyancy Equipment" sticker stuck on it? Well, maybe the Foam in the cushion could do a darn good job as a flotation device but hey, where do you to think I'm asking you to paddle to, all buckled up in your chair?  Frankly, I don't know.  As Scott Adam's experiment suggests, we are about to hit the free fall button. A button that is hinged around randomness. The Rhumb lines are rambling. It won't help you navigate the G force of free fall. Maybe, at this point, the twilight zone around 'probability' may be your last resort. Hit water, you float on your chair and grin. Hit land, and you are history. Not much of a probability problem there right? It's like flipping a coin. It's simple and all you need is a nickle. So let's...