tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107713942011-08-24T17:29:41.628-04:00Flights of Fancy Along Uncharted TrajectoriesJan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-17603464824535772932011-08-24T17:16:00.004-04:002011-08-24T17:29:41.634-04:00

**New section on this blog: Found on the Internet (FOTI). All posts would be tagged as such, and would consist of unsourced, unreferenced material that I have found on Teh Intertubez and/or via email, mostly humorous stuff. If anyone can point at a source for these pieces, I'd gladly put it up with the corresponding piece. If used images are copyrighted, I request the copyright owner to contact

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-55709191685535353832011-08-09T16:16:00.008-04:002011-08-09T17:27:25.473-04:00

**New section on this blog: Found on the Internet (FOTI). All posts would be tagged as such, and would consist of unsourced, unreferenced material that I have found on Teh Intertubez and/or via email, mostly humorous stuff. If anyone can point at a source for these pieces, I'd gladly put it up with the corresponding piece. If used images are copyrighted, I request the copyright owner to contact

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-52657245995931726602011-07-24T09:23:00.000-04:002011-07-24T09:25:48.709-04:00

**I am going to start this new section on this blog: Found on the Internet (FOTI). All posts would be tagged as such, and would consist of unsourced, unreferenced material that I have found on Teh Intertubez and/or via email, mostly humorous stuff. If anyone can point at a source for these pieces, I'd gladly put it up with the corresponding piece.**Impact of A Job ChangeA taxi passenger tapped

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-87831234516965925912010-04-19T08:14:00.011-04:002010-04-19T10:31:16.369-04:00

The Associated Press reports that the Supreme Court is due today to hear arguments on a Campus Christian Group.In a case that pits nondiscrimination policies against freedom of religion, the Supreme Court is grappling with whether universities and colleges can deny official recognition to Christian student groups that refuse to let non-Christians and gays join.The Christian Legal Society (CLS) -

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-91150817818912389922010-03-01T19:21:00.010-05:002010-03-01T21:51:51.075-05:00

Public notice boards are common in educational institutions. They serve as a valuable medium for advertisements of a wide range of products/services and situations, from sales spiels for various laboratory-related items, announcements for various events, buying and selling of items within the faculty/student/staff community, to solicitation of volunteers for clinical studies - all legitimate

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-85203265490687841102009-09-03T02:09:00.005-04:002009-09-15T17:05:16.101-04:00

Four weeks in the city of my birth, Kolkata, and circumstantial necessity put me squarely behind the wheels of a Maruti 800 belonging to my father-in-law. I drove in this city after some 10-odd years. And can anything ever beat that experience? A confident, resounding ‘No’.Delhi streets are mean, New York City streets are full of vicious cabbies, Portland streets are forced to a crawl by a

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-88938922034343460172009-04-19T01:21:00.004-04:002009-04-19T02:14:00.159-04:00

Friends, Romans and countrymen... Please bear with me for a few minutes while I vent my latent frustration through the series of tubes known as the internet (which, I admit, is a bit pathetic, but I am exploding here, people!!). Powerful stuff, this; it even got me out of my self-imposed hibernation! Well, here goes:AAAAAAAAAAARRRRGH!!!The streets of Baltimore city (where I live now) are

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-88280016787452385112008-12-27T23:12:00.005-05:002008-12-28T00:07:24.160-05:00

Forget about religious and ideological differences... Let's just consider reason and sanity - the plain old garden-variety consideration for fellow-beings and good sense. Why are these pathetic individuals so devoid of it? And why are the so-called Moderate Muslims all over the world - followers of the religion that supposedly preaches universal brotherhood and peace and amity amongst men -

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-63586481215150906742008-04-29T04:47:00.005-04:002008-04-29T05:05:01.648-04:00

The dead and forgotten - or at least, what I had hoped was d and effing f - won't remain so. And my poor, old mother is bearing the brunt of it. You are aware of my Reliance misadventure. Well, it refuses to go away and leave us in piece.Soon after my last update, my mother started receiving phone calls from the Billing/Collections Department of Reliance Communications, stating that there were

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-59224566160162343382008-04-08T18:42:00.010-04:002008-04-08T22:50:26.103-04:00

An editorial (1) in the recent issue (April 2008) of the New England Journal of Medicine discusses two articles (2,3) in the same issue on the complex relationship between Handgun Violence, Public Health and the law. In the Cause of Death data for 2005 (the most complete recent data available; accessed April 8, 2008) published from the Disaster Center of the Centers for Disease Control and

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-49533167795285402382008-03-18T08:35:00.005-04:002008-03-24T21:48:41.843-04:00

When I landed at the Kolkata airport, a welcome new message greeted my eyes. Apparently, Reliance Communications company (a part of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani business empire) came up with a modem - in both USB and PCMCIA format for laptops - that can be used to wirelessly connect to the Internet for browsing. They called it Reliance NetConnect. I was overjoyed, because I though I would not have

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-8050691859017688062008-03-18T08:10:00.004-04:002008-03-24T14:50:26.980-04:00

On a recently concluded trip to the good, old Kolkata, I could not help but notice a few things – once I managed to set aside the inevitable deluge of nostalgia. First, there is a surfeit of cars on the streets, small cars, tall cars, large cars of all description, vying for space with three-wheelers, taxis, buses and lorries (all right, ‘trucks’ for my amigos Americanos), each determined not to

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-52709937359466633822007-09-19T22:23:00.000-04:002007-09-19T22:53:40.770-04:00

Do you think that was a broad generalization? Bear with me and you shall see, particularly when you read what this post is about. I am referring to the loathsome, barbaric and absolutely unscientific practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) - often referred to as Female Genital Cutting (FGC) or 'female circumcision' - that is perpetrated in the name of tradition in parts of Africa, Asia and

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-3133859853568224682007-09-16T15:06:00.000-04:002007-09-16T16:04:48.102-04:00

My journey to atheism is quite commonplace, but where better to speak of it than my blog? I am a working scientist, though I am quite low in the pecking order, so to speak. I am a lowly post-doctoral researcher, with not much academic activity (or rather, activity, period!) outside of the lab for lack of time. But I do have a passion for science and scientific thought, and value science education

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-24225605462234449382007-01-20T00:49:00.000-05:002007-01-20T00:51:19.648-05:00

I had a wonderful experience today. You can say almost 'divine', if you are into that sort of thing. It was not a unique event though; it happens to me every so often. We live in troublesome times, and once in a while I feel my head heavy and bowed down with weariness from all the troubles in the world. It seems to put a terrible weight on my shoulders... I mean, having to carry my thick head (

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1162304788029106152006-10-31T07:33:00.000-05:002006-10-31T14:33:17.736-05:00

The National Academy of Sciences is living it LARGE this week, about elephant-size large. In the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences issue for the coming week (published online-early), there is an interesting study about self-recognition in elephants, a behavior most commonly present in humans and apes, and to some extent in dolphins.What makes it even more interesting for me is the fact

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1161840868843770442006-10-26T01:04:00.000-04:002007-09-14T22:45:00.030-04:00

today at New York Times, hidden in the education section - though it should have made the headlines, honestly, as the first bit of heartening news amidst a slew of dismal happenings. Cornelia Dean reports:Scientists Endorse Candidate Over Teaching of EvolutionBy CORNELIA DEANPublished: October 26, 2006In an unusual foray into electoral politics, 75 science professors at Case Western Reserve

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1158723718978135452006-09-19T23:17:00.000-04:002006-09-19T23:51:59.173-04:00

I am not trying to exclude my Western friends from this posting, but it may not be something that you relate to. Unfortunately, blogspot does not allow me to selectively modify the recipients for particular posts. So feel free to ignore this post.I simply had to reply to this strange posting on blogspot by Arun, whom I found in the Pharyngula comments section for a post. His post really reflects

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1158636607136258372006-09-18T21:56:00.000-04:002006-09-18T23:30:07.190-04:00

Darwin - yeah, the evolution guy! Not much given to reading biographies, I had so long missed out on knowing more about Charles Darwin. Of course, Darwin and his theory of evolution doesn't have to wait for my introduction in a humble blog. My discovery of Darwin, the man and the tireless scientist, began recently. I started with a Wikipedia entry on Charles Darwin, and read on and on, going

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1158362460902445832006-09-15T18:05:00.000-04:002006-09-15T19:22:31.756-04:00

when I said earlier that I did not find anything to feel strongly about anymore. A slew of stories today in different media shook me up. One that particularly caught my attention:Wired News reports today on a bill that "radically redefines and expands" the government's ability to eavesdrop and search the houses of U.S. citizens without court approval.By a 10-8 vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1158281591198073872006-09-14T19:53:00.000-04:002006-09-14T21:06:02.950-04:00

The New York Times reported today that the dwarf planet formerly known as Xena has been re-christened 'Eris'. Quoting NYT:Dr. Michael E. Brown, a professor of planetary astronomy at the California Institute of Technology who discovered the distant ball of ice and rock that he nicknamed Xena, chose the name Eris, after the goddess of discord and strife in Greek mythology. The International

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1158195279260349692006-09-13T20:53:00.000-04:002006-09-13T21:36:00.280-04:00

Todays New York Times reports "Pope Assails Secularism, Adding Note on Jihad". In a mass at Regensburg in Germany on September 12, broaching the issue of the delicate relationship between Islam and the West, he reportedly said that "violence, embodied in the Muslim idea of jihad, or holy war, is contrary to reason and God’s plan, while the West was so beholden to reason that Islam could not

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1157760631849841202006-09-08T17:27:00.000-04:002006-09-08T20:10:31.890-04:00

I have come to a sad realization, one year and seven months following the commencement of 'Li'l bit of this and that'; I am not cut out to be a blogger. Regularly reading a few blogs now, I have come to appreciate greatly the passion, energy and enthusiasm the bloggers put forth into this business. I have awakened to the lamentable possibility that I am perhaps not passionate about anything any

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1136996183246086182006-01-11T10:38:00.000-05:002006-01-11T11:16:23.256-05:00

I am back, after a not-so-brief hiatus. What has it been, like, 8 months, since my last post? In fact, I wonder now - what have I been doing all this while? Let's see... It has been mostly work, work, work (and I still don't know what and why!!); I have been to a work-related conference in Boston in June '05; I have seen a few interesting and a few disgusting movies; and oh, of course, I was out

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1114965240430463482005-05-01T12:01:00.000-04:002005-05-01T12:34:00.433-04:00

S and I saw it on the night of Friday, and were suitably impressed. Pre-movie opinion of S and my friend the Q-man, that Ford Prefect wasn't black in the book, has changed dramatically post-movie. Mos Def was a GREAT FP, indubitably. The casting was pretty accurate, the special effects were great, overall a kewl movie - but as usual, they introduced some elements that were not in the book - such

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1114386469199155382005-04-24T19:44:00.000-04:002005-04-24T19:47:49.203-04:00

Last night, my wife and I caught a late night show in the city, my first experience of something known as an 'improv' theater - shows improvised on-the-spot. The place was called Upright Citizens Brigade theater at 307 W 26th and 8th Avenue [Google Map here]. It is the basement of some building, I guess, complete with sitting arrangements, lights and sound system - and yes, a clean loo.Those of

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1110582026818670952005-03-11T17:48:00.000-05:002005-03-11T19:50:43.213-05:00

After that hefty last double-post, it took me a while to catch my breath back. Thanks to all of you who have been patient enough to read my thoughts, and those who did not read my post can go climb a tree... No, seriously, it was more of a soliloquy than anything else. Whatever. If you have been a fan of the Twilight Zone and the Sci-Fi channel, and you have avidly followed the plethora of A- and

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1109810684037419732005-03-02T19:45:00.000-05:002005-03-02T19:46:22.106-05:00

Still with me? Much appreciated!So, as I said earlier, with the advent of the age of individualism (I refer to the our generation and that of our parents to some extent), considerable changes in the total outlook towards the matrimonial issue were brought about. This was possible because of paradigm shifts in our socio-economic, cultural and psychological profile, brought upon by enhanced scope

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1108923825714263862005-03-02T19:36:00.000-05:002005-03-02T19:45:55.800-05:00

An interesting question raised this past week by a family situation. What do I think of the internet-based matrimonial sites (eMatrimony) that are becoming increasingly popular in India, with sites such as BharatMatrimony.com and shaadi.com receiving over a million of hits every day? BTW, "Bharat" is the traditional name for India, and "shaadi" in Hindi means marriage.I guess, to begin with, I

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1109601966856279972005-02-28T09:05:00.000-05:002005-02-28T09:59:44.033-05:00

As I said, thank you, Matt, for recommending Kitchen 82. My wife and I went to have dinner there last night. We enjoyed it thoroughly. For those who do not know what I am talking about, Kitchen 82 is one of chain of classy restaurants by chef Charlie Palmer, and is one of the two eateries in this chain offering a Prix Fixe dinner for $25, with a first course, an entree and a dessert sampler.

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1108515618698572862005-02-15T19:36:00.000-05:002005-02-15T20:00:18.703-05:00

Yo, maan! what up, kid!Don't be alarmed. It is just a new form of greeting that I have picked up in the past few days from a friend. I don't have the appropriate hand gestures, though. My subcontinental Asian (read, 'grubby') hands do not permit the rhythmic high-amplitude contortions necessary to complement the greetings!This is my second attempt at writing a few things...[background voice:

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771394.post-1108141653807012052005-02-11T15:07:00.000-05:002005-02-11T18:05:21.903-05:00

yes, indeed, why do people create blogs? Is it an extreme need for self-expression? Is it to confer a sense of identity to an otherwise non-descript personality? Or is it a need to say out loud something that has been 'constipating' your system, without the fear of reprisal, within the vast bounds of cyberspace, nameless, faceless, hoping to find some resonance in some equally troubled (

Jan Aquariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809433712356811633noreply@blogger.com0