IPL

Many cricket lovers dont like IPL. They belive that its killing cricket. Well, as per me its partly true. You have to be with the time. In today's world, nobody has enough time for test matches or ODI. 20-20 can be completed in 4 hours on TV and 6 hours in stadium (need to add transportation time). Most of the games starts in the night, people can work for the day and then go to see the match.


So, 20-20 is here to stay and IPL will add the spice into it. Semi final race will be tough and exciting every time.

Let's enjoy....

Reincarnation

Is reincarnation the biggest and most intelligent con pulled on mankind? Hindus have always believed in the cycle of births, as have other eminent people like Henry Ford and General Patton. But I have always been a bit skeptical. It explains away all of life’s injustices in one stroke with an answer that you cannot verify, yet cannot disprove. You did something really bad in your past life, and that’s why you are getting buggered for no apparent reason in this one. It brings peace and acceptance and a stoic outlook. In fact, in this life, you may also be more tempted to be a good person and not hurt other people. Stability is maintained, anger of the poor and the oppressed contained, rebellion and insanity averted. Life goes on.

But the theory of reincarnation also allows people to exploit other people with impunity, even profiteer. A friend of my father’s had a severely disabled child. There are centres all around India which claim to possess ancient manuscripts that trace people’s stories through their various lives. My father accompanied his friend to such a centre in Amritsar. My father’s friend told the man there his story. He listened gravely, then went inside the house. After an hour, he emerged with what looked like an ancient manuscript, written in the Devnagari script, but in a language or dialect that neither my father nor his friend could figure out.

Apparently, the reason for the tragedy my father’s friend was enduring was this: Many years ago, there was a good king. But his son was evil and he connived with the king’s minister to poison his father. The prince had now been reborn as the father and the minister as the disabled son, so both were suffering for the crime they had committed. But God was also forgiveful. At the age of 18 (the boy was then ten or so), he would become well and would then lead a normal life. I cannot bear to describe the hope with which the boy’s parents waited for him to be 18 and well, the despair when nothing at all happened. If there ever was a crime against humanity, it was what that heartless charlatan in Amritsar had committed.

But if reincarnation is a con, how does one explain the rare cases of people who seem to remember their past lives? I don’t know whether such cases have been scientifically investigated and proved, but I myself once met a man who told me that, as a boy, he could remember bits of his earlier life. But, he said, as he grew older, the memories faded, and by the time I met him, he could remember nothing at all. All he had was his parents’ word for it. I believed him, because, one, if he was pulling a stunt, he would not be claiming that he had forgotten everything, and two, he avoided talking about this side of himself as far as possible, and never brought up the topic on his own. So how do I explain that?

Let me try, and you can throw your rotten tomatoes at me freely. All matter, including our bodies, is made of the same building blocks of creation. Even our brains are, which means that at the fundamental level, our memories too are made of the same building blocks. When we die, over time, our bodies are reduced to those building blocks, which, then, would come together to build other, newer things: trees, metals, water, other human bodies.

Now think about it this way. Take an audio CD, crush it into a million pieces, and glue all the pieces back together to form another CD. There is a clear probability—however remote—that when you put together the second CD, some of the pieces that were adjacent to one another in the first CD would find themselves in the same order in the new CD. As a result, a part of one song—however short, maybe just three seconds—would sound exactly the way it sounded on the destroyed CD. That is the memory of past life.

Sounds plausible? Probable? We’ll perhaps never know. That’s the invulnerable beauty of the rebirth theory.

5 Things You Don't Know About Google

Google was originally called BackRub

Like many other booming internet companies, Google has an interesting upbringing, one that is marked by a lowly beginning. Google began as a research project in January 1996 by cofounder Larry Page, a 24-year-old Ph.D. student at Standford University. Page was soon joined by 23-year-old Sergey Brin, another Ph.D. student, forming a duo that seemed destined for failure. According to Google's own corporate information, Brin and Page argued about every single topic they discussed. This incessant arguing, however, may have been what spurred the duo to rethink web-searching and develop a novel strategy that ranked websites according to the number of backlinks (i.e., according to the number of web pages that linked back to a web page being searched), and not based on the number of times a specific search term appeared on a given web page, as was the norm.

Because of this unique strategy, another thing you didn't know about Google is that Page and Brin nicknamed the search engine BackRub. Thankfully, in 1998, Brin and Page dropped the sexually suggestive nickname, and came up with “Google,” a term originating from a common misspelling of the word "googol," which refers to 10100.

The word “google” has become so common, it was entered into numerous dictionaries in 2006, referring to the act of using the Google search engine to retrieve information via the internet.

Google scans your e-mails

Nothing in life is perfect -- or without controversy -- and Google is no exception. Google scans your e-mails (at Gmail) through a process called “content extraction.” All incoming and outgoing e-mail is scanned for specific keywords to target advertising to the user. The process has brewed quite a storm of controversy, but Google has yet to back down on its stance.

Google has remained similarly headstrong about other criticisms; in an attempt to remain partisan to local governments, Google removes or does not include information from its services in compliance with local laws. Perhaps the most striking example of this is Google's adherence to the internet censorship policies of China (at Google.cn) so as not to bring up search results supporting the independence movement of Tibet and Taiwan, or any other information perceived to be harmful to the People's Republic of China.

Google Street has further been cited for breaching personal privacy. The service provides high-resolution street-view photos from around the world and has, on numerous occasions, caught people committing questionable acts. Moving from street to satellite, Google Earth has also come under fire from several Indian state governments about the security risks posed by the details from Google Earth's satellite imaging. When all is said and done, there are a lot of criticisms about Google and these few examples merely scratch the surface.

Google spends $72 million a year on employee meals

Seventy-two million dollars a year -- that works out to about $7,530 per Googler (a term Google uses to identify employees). While the exact details vary depending on location (the Google empire spans the globe), employees at Google's California headquarters, aptly entitled the Googleplex, are welcome to at least two free meals a day from 11 different gourmet cafeterias. As if that weren’t enough, another thing you didn’t know about Google is that in addition to the cafeterias, Google offers numerous snack bars that are chock-full of healthy morsels to munch on.

And that's certainly not all. Is your car in a bit of a rut? Not to worry; Google offers on-site car washes and oil changes. The list of perks for working at Google is never-ending, making it no surprise that it's considered the No. 1 place to work, offering: on-site haircuts, full athletic facilities, massage therapists, language classes, drop-off dry cleaning, day cares, and on-site doctors, just to name a few. Oh, and if your dog is stuck at home and feeling a little lonely, just bring him to work -- Google doesn't mind.

Google loses $110 million a year through "I'm Feeling Lucky"

There's not much to see on Google's main search page, and perhaps simplicity is one of the keys to Google's success. When searching Google, you are given two options: “Google Search” or “I'm Feeling Lucky.” By clicking the former, you are given that familiar list of search results; by clicking the latter, however, you are automatically redirected to the first search result, bypassing the search engine’s results page.

besides the fun factor, the idea behind the “I'm Feeling Lucky” feature is to provide the user with instant connection to the precise page they are searching for, thus saving them time that would normally be spent perusing endless search results. Sounds harmless enough, right? Not so fast. Because “I'm Feeling Lucky” bypasses all advertising, it is estimated that Google loses about $110 million per year in advertising- generated revenue. So why in the world would any Fortune 500 company not patch such a gaping leak? "It's possible to become too dry, too corporate, too much about making money. I think what's delightful about 'I'm Feeling Lucky' is that it reminds you there are real people here," Google Executive Marissa Mayer told Valleywag, an online tech-blog.

Google has a sense of humor

Google also offers full language support for Pig Latin, Klingon and even Elmer Fudd. Anyone else still feeling lucky? Try typing, “French military victories” and clicking “I'm Feeling Lucky.” Behold the result.

Some might remember the “miserable failure” fiasco when one typed those words and clicked “I'm Feeling Lucky,” and they were instantly connected to a biography of President George W. Bush on the White House website. Now, before you jump to conclusions, this trick -- which no longer works -- was carried out by members of the online community through the art of “Google bombing.” Google bombing works because of Google's back link search strategy.

Paradoxical Proverbs

Some nice paradoxical proverbs....

All good things come to those who wait.

BUT

Time and tide wait for no man.

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The pen is mightier than the sword.

BUT

Actions speak louder than words.

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Wise men think alike.

BUT

Fools seldom differ.

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The best things in life are free

BUT

There's no such thing as a free lunch

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Slow and steady wins the race

BUT

Time waits for no man

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Look before you leap

BUT

Strike while the iron is hot

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Do it well, or not at all.

BUT

Half a loaf is better than none.

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Birds of a feather flock together.

BUT

Opposites attract.

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Don't cross your bridges before you come to them.

BUT

Forewarned is forearmed.

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Doubt is the beginning of wisdom.

BUT

Faith will move mountains.

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Great starts make great finishes.

BUT

It ain't over 'till it's over.

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Practice makes perfect.

BUT

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

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Silence is golden.

BUT

The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

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You're never too old to learn.

BUT

You can't teach an old dog new tricks

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What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

BUT

One man's meat is another man's poison.

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Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

BUT

Out of sight, out of mind.

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Too many cooks spoil the broth.

BUT

Many hands make light work.

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Hold fast to the words of your ancestors.

BUT

Wise men make proverbs and fools repeat them.

Super Video

This is the mind blowing video...Must see...

Little Stories

It's story time, folks...

Man Without Humanity

Once upon a time, a man was passing through a jungle. He saw a monkey and was attracted to it. He called the monkey and to his surprise, the monkey came near him. The man told the monkey that it was his ancestor and so they should cultivate friendship. With different kinds of gestures, he was able to establish friendship with it.

The man was just trying to kill time using the monkey as company while crossing the jungle.

Suddenly unexpectedly, a lion roared fiercely and pounced in front of them. They scarcely had time to escape. The monkey ran and the man followed suit. They found a very huge tree and soon climbed it. Though they were breathless, they did not stop until they climbed to a safe height. The lion continued to prowl here and there, hoping to catch them when they climbed down. The lion was angry and hungry and awaiting his prey finally sat down under the tree.

The man was clinging to one of the strong branches, while the monkey was sitting on a branch with ease, as if nothing had happened. After a prolonged wait, the lion lost patience and proposed to let one of them go scot-free if the other was offered to him as 'food'. The man and the monkey consulted each other. They even offered to sacrifice their lives for each other, but ultimately concluded that they would live and die together. The lion was disappointed, but not dissuaded. He continued his vigil.

Nevertheless, the wait on the tree proved a testing time for both the monkey and the man. They were feeling drowsy. They were both faced with the danger of falling down while dozing on the tree. Ultimately they decided to take turns to sleep. The monkey would sit wide-awake while the man slept and the man would keep vigil while the monkey had his share of sleep. As decided, it was the man's turn to sleep first, while the monkey kept guard. The monkey slept in the other half of the night, while the man held fort.

When the monkey was fast asleep, the man started contemplating. He thought that if he pushed away the sleeping monkey, the lion, as promised, would allow him to go scot-free. Immediately, he translated his thoughts into action. The monkey was in deep slumber. The man pushed him down. As the monkey was accustomed to such things, he immediately caught hold of the branches halfway and was back to his place in a moment.

Without uttering a single word, he went back to sleep as if nothing had happened. In the morning, the monkey led the man to safety. The lion was still on prowl under the tree.

When they reached at the safer place, the monkey made a special request to the man. "Please do not allege that monkeys are ancestors of mankind."

Man without humanity is inferior to animals!

Discreet Silence

Ravi and I work in the same office ,are close to each other sharing even our personal matters.. His rich dad had died some years back. His old mother was living with him. Unfortunately Ravi's wife Anita had not taken kindly to the old woman. Coming from a rich family herself, she was a much pampered lady lacking in finer sensibilities with a harsh tongue. So long as the old man was alive, things were going on without coming to surface. There were no children to lighten the atmosphere. Things became gradually worse till it became intolerable. Ravi on return from office saw his mother crying almost daily but never had any word of complaint against Anita. Knowing the latter's abrasive nature, he knew what must have happened. His words of advice had little effect. Ravi being timid in nature, she was domineering. It was about three years ago he discussed the matter with me and we decided that for the peace of the old lady, it was best to admit her in a well to do senior citizen's home which had all the facilities. When he broached the subject to his mom, she did not mind the verbal torture but desired to be with him. Ravi persuaded her saying that he could not bear to see the indignities heaped on her and that she better go to the home and that he would be meeting her frequently.

Ravi went initially often but this tapered off to monthly visits partly due to pressure in office and mostly due to the taunts of Anita. The change had affected the old lady mentally. She became morose and aloof. Calls would come from the home asking him to come and meet his mom. He went sometimes taking time off during office hours but this also became less. But he ensured that his mom got all the physical comforts. There was a phone call one day informing that the old lady slipped and fell down in the bath room. She had broken her back and was unfit for any surgery due to advanced age. Some complications had set in with her kidneys failing. Her eye sight had also diminished abruptly. She became weak and emaciated in the course of a month. Nursing attendants at the home took care of her 24x7.She was all the time muttering "Ravi, Ravi…" I had gone one day with Ravi. It was a pathetic sight seeing the old lady cringe" Ravi, please take me home from this prison and let me be with you in my last days. Please do not refuse. I would myself plead with Anita" Ravi's eyes became misty with tears trickling down. He said" Mom, Do not worry. Let me talk to her. I will come tomorrow." He tried in vain knowing fully there was no chance of Anita relenting. He did not have the face to meet his mom. He did not go. The tricky wife compelled him to take her on a holiday to Darjeeling despite the ailing lady. When he was away a call came from the hospital informing that the lady's condition had turned serious. I informed Ravi and rushed to her side.

I held the lady's arm. Her eyes were closed. There was a deathly pallor about her. She was too weak even to open her eyes. She said"Ravi, I am glad you have come. I want to breathe my last holding your hand. I have caused a lot of anguish for you."

I was perplexed about what I should do. The nurse who knew me indicated that I should not reveal my identity. She signaled that she was in her last moments.

I replied "Mom, do not strain yourself. You will be ok.Just rest and I am here by your side"

Ravi, were you not allright? You said you will come the next day when we met last"

 "Mom, I had to go out of India on tour suddenly. I could not refuse. I am here and will not leave you. Please sleep as I keep holding your hand"

 "I know you are very affectionate to me. " She kept quiet thereafter and peace descended on her face. I did not stir from the chair and stayed on by her side. I must have fallen asleep in that position till I was woken up by the nurse telling "Sir, it is all over. She passed away a few minutes back. It is very nice of you to have provided the love and warmth she was yearning for.

Thanks a lot for your discreet silence."

Wiping the tears from my eyes, I moved towards the phone booth to inform Ravi.

Short and sweet, aren't they? Hope you like it!

Monty Hall Problem

Today, I stumbled upon a SQL script that can solve Monty Hall Problem. So, here, I am presenting details of this fantastic problem. If you have watched some of the game shows related to it, then you can understand it quickly. Read on, it will be fun.

The Monty Hall problem is a probability puzzle based on the American television game show Let's Make a Deal. The name comes from the show's host, Monty Hall. The problem is also called the Monty Hall paradox, as it is a veridical paradox in that the result appears absurd but is demonstrably true.

The problem can be unambiguously stated as follows:

Suppose you're on a game show and you're given the choice of three doors. Behind one door is a car; behind the others, goats. The car and the goats were placed randomly behind the doors before the show. The rules of the game show are as follows: After you have chosen a door, the door remains closed for the time being. The game show host, Monty Hall, who knows what is behind the doors, now has to open one of the two remaining doors, and the door he opens must have a goat behind it. If both remaining doors have goats behind them, he chooses one randomly. After Monty Hall opens a door with a goat, he will ask you to decide whether you want to stay with your first choice or to switch to the last remaining door. Imagine that you chose Door 1 and the host opens Door 3, which has a goat. He then asks you "Do you want to switch to Door Number 2?" Is it to your advantage to change your choice? (Krauss and Wang 2003:10)

As there is no way for the player to know which of the two remaining unopened doors is the winning door, most people assume that each of these doors has an equal probability and conclude that switching does not matter. In fact, the player should switch—doing so doubles the probability of winning the car from 1/3 to 2/3.

A well-known, though ambiguous (Seymann 1991), statement of the problem was published in Parade magazine:

Suppose you're on a game show, and you're given the choice of three doors: Behind one door is a car; behind the others, goats. You pick a door, say No. 1, and the host, who knows what's behind the doors, opens another door, say No. 3, which has a goat. He then says to you, "Do you want to pick door No. 2?" Is it to your advantage to switch your choice? (Whitaker 1990)

When the above statement of the problem and the solution appeared in Parade, approximately 10,000 readers, including nearly 1,000 with PhDs, wrote to the magazine claiming the published solution was wrong. Some of the controversy was because the Parade version of the problem is technically ambiguous since it leaves certain aspects of the host's behavior unstated, for example, whether the host must open a door and must make the offer to switch. Variants of the problem involving these and other assumptions have been published in mathematical literature.

The standard Monty Hall problem is mathematically equivalent to the earlier Three Prisoners problem and both are related to the much older Bertrand's box paradox. These and other problems involving unequal distributions of probability are notoriously difficult for people to solve correctly, and have led to numerous psychological studies. Even when given a completely unambiguous statement of the Monty Hall problem, explanations, simulations, and formal mathematical proofs, many people still meet the correct answer with disbelief.

The player, having chosen a door, has a 1/3 chance of having the car behind the chosen door and a 2/3 chance that it's behind one of the other doors. It is assumed that when the host opens a door to reveal a goat, this action does not give the player any new information about what is behind the door he has chosen, so the probability of there being a car behind a different door remains 2/3; therefore the probability of a car behind the remaining door must be 2/3 (Wheeler 1991; Schwager 1994). Switching doors thus wins the car with a probability of 2/3, so the player should always switch (Wheeler 1991; Mack 1992; Schwager 1994; vos Savant 1996:8; Martin 2002).

The analysis can be illustrated in terms of the equally likely events that the player has initially chosen the car, goat A, or goat B (Economist 1999):

Another way to understand the solution is to consider the two original unchosen doors together. Instead of one door being opened and shown to be a losing door, an equivalent action is to combine the two unchosen doors into one since the player cannot choose the opened door (Adams 1990; Devlin 2003; Williams 2004; Stibel et al., 2008).

As Cecil Adams puts it (Adams 1990), "Monty is saying in effect: you can keep your one door or you can have the other two doors." The player therefore has the choice of either sticking with the original choice of door, or choosing the sum of the contents of the two other doors, as the 2/3 chance of hiding the car hasn't been changed by the opening of one of these doors.

As Keith Devlin says (Devlin 2003), "By opening his door, Monty is saying to the contestant 'There are two doors you did not choose, and the probability that the prize is behind one of them is 2/3. I'll help you by using my knowledge of where the prize is to open one of those two doors to show you that it does not hide the prize. You can now take advantage of this additional information. Your choice of door A has a chance of 1 in 3 of being the winner. I have not changed that. But by eliminating door C, I have shown you that the probability that door B hides the prize is 2 in 3.'"

Ah - If you reach here, after reading everything then you must like puzzles/maths etc. This is interesting, isn't it? What's your take?