Had never thought of writing about movies in this blog .. but then ..hey i make the rules so whats stopping me ..
Wont speak of movies in general .. no.. not a treatise on movies ..
Rather two specific ones that i saw .. okay .. forget Chak De.. i would rather speak of only Johnny Gaddar..quite a while since i saw something so fast paced and crisply edited..
the beauty of it was that there was n suspense since everyone knew who is the murderer ..and there lies the magic of holding the audience captive ..making him forget that he knows the culprit and yet being able to identify with the characters in the movie who are in the dark .. lots of turns not many twists ..a sordid saga of human drama and the inescapable hand of fate that pushes us down a preordained path ...worth a dekho .. anyway
Friday, October 19, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Measuring the Human System
The last few days have been instructive in a lot of ways ..I learnt not to be overconfident .. and that its hardwork not just brains that count..:)Learnt to appreciate criticism learnt how to pick up the pieces and start afresh ..
And the funny part was all this happened while i was trying to investigate human performance ..!!
I learnt that it is impossible to take the "human" part out of the performance.With a human being you are never sure what 2 + 2 will add up to be .. and predictions often fall flat on the face regarding systems where the human element is neglected.
the cricket final .. pakistan had no business losing ..but .. the human element .. the last shot .. the lure of glory .. the dramatic finish of a boundary .. the mathematics dont work .. its the human who upsets the applecart .
when measuring human performance we can use
physiological measures .. like
1.the changes in heart rate.
2.change in blink rates of the eye ..
3.the brain evoked potentials ..
4.the change in electrical conductivity in the skin
Or we can use the fall in performance itself .. but then it would not actually reflect what is the strategy that the person is using to cope with the workload .. not would it give any idea about the various components of the task which are producing the stress.
A logical idea would be to ask the guy how is he doing ..??
even this has its problems as it isnt objective ofcourse and the personality of the guy ..his motivation levels .. his willingness to be truthful about his stress levels would all come into play .
The answer probably lies somewhere in an amalgamation of all these philosophies of measurement whereby a composite picture may be obtained about human performance.
Sound nice .. but a seemingly obvious thing like measuring the heart rate changes .. or technically Heart Rate Variability entails converting a time domain measure .. in beats per minute to frequency domain measure by Fourier Transformation.. and then plotting the rate of change of the change in heart rate..!!!and then at different frequency components the area under the curve with frequency in one axis and amplitude in a logarithmic scale in the other we finally measure the heart rate variability ..
Duh ...what the hell .. everyone knows that the heartbeat goes up when we are under stress..!!! thats true .. but science lies in being able to measure and classify everything and express it in numbers ..not and easy task when you are dealing with humans ..
How much do you love your child ..??
if you cant classify and measure it .. does it not exist in scientific terms ..???
Are there some areas beyond the purview of science or is it just that science hasnt matured to a level where it is possible to turn the scientific eye inwards and look at ourselves with an ability to understand.
Can a machine understand itself ..??
But then is man a machine ..??
And the funny part was all this happened while i was trying to investigate human performance ..!!
I learnt that it is impossible to take the "human" part out of the performance.With a human being you are never sure what 2 + 2 will add up to be .. and predictions often fall flat on the face regarding systems where the human element is neglected.
the cricket final .. pakistan had no business losing ..but .. the human element .. the last shot .. the lure of glory .. the dramatic finish of a boundary .. the mathematics dont work .. its the human who upsets the applecart .
when measuring human performance we can use
physiological measures .. like
1.the changes in heart rate.
2.change in blink rates of the eye ..
3.the brain evoked potentials ..
4.the change in electrical conductivity in the skin
Or we can use the fall in performance itself .. but then it would not actually reflect what is the strategy that the person is using to cope with the workload .. not would it give any idea about the various components of the task which are producing the stress.
A logical idea would be to ask the guy how is he doing ..??
even this has its problems as it isnt objective ofcourse and the personality of the guy ..his motivation levels .. his willingness to be truthful about his stress levels would all come into play .
The answer probably lies somewhere in an amalgamation of all these philosophies of measurement whereby a composite picture may be obtained about human performance.
Sound nice .. but a seemingly obvious thing like measuring the heart rate changes .. or technically Heart Rate Variability entails converting a time domain measure .. in beats per minute to frequency domain measure by Fourier Transformation.. and then plotting the rate of change of the change in heart rate..!!!and then at different frequency components the area under the curve with frequency in one axis and amplitude in a logarithmic scale in the other we finally measure the heart rate variability ..
Duh ...what the hell .. everyone knows that the heartbeat goes up when we are under stress..!!! thats true .. but science lies in being able to measure and classify everything and express it in numbers ..not and easy task when you are dealing with humans ..
How much do you love your child ..??
if you cant classify and measure it .. does it not exist in scientific terms ..???
Are there some areas beyond the purview of science or is it just that science hasnt matured to a level where it is possible to turn the scientific eye inwards and look at ourselves with an ability to understand.
Can a machine understand itself ..??
But then is man a machine ..??
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
When did She last say...??
The alarm rings at 05:30 am...She drags herself out of bed ..groggily switches on the geyser..and fumbles Her way to the kitchen..the coffee pot goes into the microwave .. the shredded vegetables come out of the fridge .. She just has to remember to get some cheese .
By the time the first sandwich is made She wakes Him up ...the dust on the bedside table looks accusingly at Her .. later..!!
The maid is due at 06:15am ...hope she turns up .. the last three days newspapers wait in silent resignation to be consigned to the stack of unread old papers .
He is out of the bathroom ...already on the second news channel of the morning ..what does He watch She wonders .. same dirty old politicians .. crazy filmstars ..ever disappointing sportsmen...whats new anyways ..!!
The clock's ticking .. 0730 am already ..She hasnt even brushed her teeth..what is She going to wear to work today .. the grey suit isnt ironed and the beige one ..looked so good on Her ...but did that old hag have to buy the same one and wear it last week;and she cant even carry it off..!!
She did badly need a manicure ..but She is so tired by the time She gets home at 0830 pm..
There..... its her mother-in-laws phone call ... now is this a time to call..!! She is so busy .. let Him handle it .. anyways what does she have to say besides remind Her ..that the future of the human race depended on Her procreating at the earliest ..!!! who is going to look after it anyway ..good maids are so difficult to come by aren't they ..!!
God the milk boiled over .....that is 10 mins extra work now of cleaning it all up .. now She will miss the 0745 bus .. great .. the boss has been especially bitchy this week ..
There He goes nonchalantly wearing that miserable apology of a tie with his blue Van huesen shirt ..He does need to buy a new set of ties .. well no .. actually He doesnt care either ways . She glances furtively at him .. his sagging waistline mute testimony to the numerous dialed in pizzas and chicken butter masala that have stood in for dinner , yet he is handsome in his own careless way ...she loves him .. she loves him so much.....yet .. when did She last tell Him .. She loved Him ..??
By the time the first sandwich is made She wakes Him up ...the dust on the bedside table looks accusingly at Her .. later..!!
The maid is due at 06:15am ...hope she turns up .. the last three days newspapers wait in silent resignation to be consigned to the stack of unread old papers .
He is out of the bathroom ...already on the second news channel of the morning ..what does He watch She wonders .. same dirty old politicians .. crazy filmstars ..ever disappointing sportsmen...whats new anyways ..!!
The clock's ticking .. 0730 am already ..She hasnt even brushed her teeth..what is She going to wear to work today .. the grey suit isnt ironed and the beige one ..looked so good on Her ...but did that old hag have to buy the same one and wear it last week;and she cant even carry it off..!!
She did badly need a manicure ..but She is so tired by the time She gets home at 0830 pm..
There..... its her mother-in-laws phone call ... now is this a time to call..!! She is so busy .. let Him handle it .. anyways what does she have to say besides remind Her ..that the future of the human race depended on Her procreating at the earliest ..!!! who is going to look after it anyway ..good maids are so difficult to come by aren't they ..!!
God the milk boiled over .....that is 10 mins extra work now of cleaning it all up .. now She will miss the 0745 bus .. great .. the boss has been especially bitchy this week ..
There He goes nonchalantly wearing that miserable apology of a tie with his blue Van huesen shirt ..He does need to buy a new set of ties .. well no .. actually He doesnt care either ways . She glances furtively at him .. his sagging waistline mute testimony to the numerous dialed in pizzas and chicken butter masala that have stood in for dinner , yet he is handsome in his own careless way ...she loves him .. she loves him so much.....yet .. when did She last tell Him .. She loved Him ..??
Monday, September 3, 2007
Increased cognitive load decreases psychomotor task performance
Multi tasking though a fine idea that applies well to computers isnt meant to be all that effective in a human system. There exists a direct correlation (obviously) between the level of concentration required and the level of difficulty of the task at hand.
So when in scenarios where more than one individually simple tasks are to be performed simultaneously..then it often equals the cognitive load on the brain of a hugely complex task being performed ..and hence the concentration required greatly increases too.
Now what happens when the trade off between the increasing cognitive load and the increasing attention required fails or breaks down .. we have deterioration of the task being performed at hand ..!!
Theoretically simple .. and obvious .. but then even before Newton ..Apples had been falling off trees for millennia .
So probably it is necessary to study the relationships between the types and levels of cognitive load and their consequent effects on performance detriments.
Theory is fine .. but whats the point of it all...??
Hmmm..maybe i can answer how safe it is for a person to talk on his cell phone while driving ..!!!
So when in scenarios where more than one individually simple tasks are to be performed simultaneously..then it often equals the cognitive load on the brain of a hugely complex task being performed ..and hence the concentration required greatly increases too.
Now what happens when the trade off between the increasing cognitive load and the increasing attention required fails or breaks down .. we have deterioration of the task being performed at hand ..!!
Theoretically simple .. and obvious .. but then even before Newton ..Apples had been falling off trees for millennia .
So probably it is necessary to study the relationships between the types and levels of cognitive load and their consequent effects on performance detriments.
Theory is fine .. but whats the point of it all...??
Hmmm..maybe i can answer how safe it is for a person to talk on his cell phone while driving ..!!!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Infants and intelligence
The human baby is the most helpless of all infants born in the mammalian world. the problem isnt with the physical structures as such ..everybody organ is well formed when its born .. but the trouble lies with the Brain. It is grossly inadequate at the time of birth to manage a body of a human ..enable- bipedal motion ..speech ..color and binocular vision ..and most of all think ..!!!
but then why is it born so .. well the embargo on the size of the brain and consequently the head is laid down by the female pelvis through which it would pass ..!!..so the poor chap is left with no option but to do a large part of the development in the extra-uterine life .
How much is the lag ..?? as i said earlier .. man isnt just a more intelligent ape .. it is a huge evolutionary leap involving all the systems .. and the boss of all these the brain needs to be pretty much active to control all these diverse parts in the way and to the extent it is required .
so .. with a brain around 1/10the the size of the adult at birth .. by the time a child is just three years old .. his brain has reached near adult size ..!!!!
what does it mean ..???... that in the first three years of life .. the brain is growing like crazy ..leaving all else behind ..and so .. what do we need to do .??
Lots of proteins for the baby .. to build up those neurons .. and enough of omega 3 fatty acids to help develop the brain.
and besides that lots of stimulus .. in all aspects .. touch ,sound,sight,hearing,speech..and ofcourse....thought provoking games.. music .. books ..stories ..and NO Television..why..?? thats another story .
but then why is it born so .. well the embargo on the size of the brain and consequently the head is laid down by the female pelvis through which it would pass ..!!..so the poor chap is left with no option but to do a large part of the development in the extra-uterine life .
How much is the lag ..?? as i said earlier .. man isnt just a more intelligent ape .. it is a huge evolutionary leap involving all the systems .. and the boss of all these the brain needs to be pretty much active to control all these diverse parts in the way and to the extent it is required .
so .. with a brain around 1/10the the size of the adult at birth .. by the time a child is just three years old .. his brain has reached near adult size ..!!!!
what does it mean ..???... that in the first three years of life .. the brain is growing like crazy ..leaving all else behind ..and so .. what do we need to do .??
Lots of proteins for the baby .. to build up those neurons .. and enough of omega 3 fatty acids to help develop the brain.
and besides that lots of stimulus .. in all aspects .. touch ,sound,sight,hearing,speech..and ofcourse....thought provoking games.. music .. books ..stories ..and NO Television..why..?? thats another story .
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Cattels 16 personality factor test
Finally got time to go to the psychologist to get my 16pft analyzed. Hmmm.. its a test that was devised by Cattel .and is a questionnaire based thing....the most important factor in it is that it is about self awareness..how well do u know yourself..at first i thought its pretty easy to fake .. but then there is a distortion score which lets you know how true you have been ..!!
The validity of this .. i dont know .. cos when the test is based on your answers about yourself .. then ofcourse the results have to be agreeable to you .. i mean after all it tells you how you look at yourself ..!!so by default the results will appear to be true to you .. hmm but then comes the question of is it really correct .. does it give a true picture .. or only a picture seen through your own eyes ..??
Then there is the Eysencks personality inventory(EPI) ..and again ..the Minessotta multiple personality inventory (MMPI)..does it make myself more self aware now that i am analysed and all .??...in a way having your personality traits being put into words .. having actual adjectives being used to describe yourself is a strange experience in itself . Quite a rarity in india infact ..... would i have ever done it if it wasnt part of my practicals ..i doubt it.
The validity of this .. i dont know .. cos when the test is based on your answers about yourself .. then ofcourse the results have to be agreeable to you .. i mean after all it tells you how you look at yourself ..!!so by default the results will appear to be true to you .. hmm but then comes the question of is it really correct .. does it give a true picture .. or only a picture seen through your own eyes ..??
Then there is the Eysencks personality inventory(EPI) ..and again ..the Minessotta multiple personality inventory (MMPI)..does it make myself more self aware now that i am analysed and all .??...in a way having your personality traits being put into words .. having actual adjectives being used to describe yourself is a strange experience in itself . Quite a rarity in india infact ..... would i have ever done it if it wasnt part of my practicals ..i doubt it.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Time
Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.
Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.
And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.
Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I'd something more to say.
: Time - Pink Floyd
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.
Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.
And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.
Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I'd something more to say.
: Time - Pink Floyd
Sunday, August 26, 2007
An Ode to Laziness
I lazed away a sunday in front of the idiot box .. watching one movie after another .. with the grey cells working overtime all over the week .. maybe it helps to shutoff any thinking process and gape at the rapidly shifting images that the screen throws at you. the Parasympathetic system kicks in ..and ..bye bye adrenaline...
The day goes by .. the unshaven chin flourishes into a stubble over the weekend ..books lying in the bookshelf throw accusing glances at me ...like a girlfriend betrayed .. and yet the perverse pleasure of lying on the couch with work undone ...shopping postponed .. presentations unmade .. and the triumph of laziness over guilt ...is my way of getting back in a small way at the world that keeps throwing deadlines at me..and thats that.
But would an ode to laziness be complete without a mention of Dunbar from Joseph Hellers immortal Catch-22.....who believed the only way to prolong life is to indulge in the most boring and unpleasant tasks possible so that the finite period of time that we have would seem longer ..period.
The day goes by .. the unshaven chin flourishes into a stubble over the weekend ..books lying in the bookshelf throw accusing glances at me ...like a girlfriend betrayed .. and yet the perverse pleasure of lying on the couch with work undone ...shopping postponed .. presentations unmade .. and the triumph of laziness over guilt ...is my way of getting back in a small way at the world that keeps throwing deadlines at me..and thats that.
But would an ode to laziness be complete without a mention of Dunbar from Joseph Hellers immortal Catch-22.....who believed the only way to prolong life is to indulge in the most boring and unpleasant tasks possible so that the finite period of time that we have would seem longer ..period.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
creativity and artistry
are they the same things .. being artistic and being creative ..? i mean it is possible to be creative .. but that creativity need not be artistically or aesthetically appealing .. a creative person can design a new software .. design a new experiment ..a new instrument .. but are these works of art ..??
creativity is like a universal set out of which a smaller set of people are the ones who are artistic.
Creative has to be something new .. ..but does something artistic necessarily be a new creation .. if it isnt new is it still art ..??..maybe not art .. but still artistic cant it be ..?/ so Artistic neednt be altogether a subset of creative .. maybe an overlapping smaller set.
creativity is like a universal set out of which a smaller set of people are the ones who are artistic.
Creative has to be something new .. ..but does something artistic necessarily be a new creation .. if it isnt new is it still art ..??..maybe not art .. but still artistic cant it be ..?/ so Artistic neednt be altogether a subset of creative .. maybe an overlapping smaller set.
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