Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Happy Father's Day. What does it mean?
We all know what it means. But what does it really mean for the 24 million households in the US that do not have a father living under the same roof.
California stops jail visitation
"Give a dog a bad name and hang him." Could there be a more apt representation of this idoim in real life?
Please stay tuned for a detailed analysis.
Please stay tuned for a detailed analysis.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Searching for answers among world religions
Stephen Prothero was interviewed by C-SPAN recently, as a junked for his new book, "God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter." (Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/God-Not-One-World-Differences/dp/006157127X).
Dr Prothero is a Professor of Religion at Boston University. He is certainly not a novice in this field, and is well qualified to write a book on this topic. Here is a link to the interview: http://www.booktv.org/Program/11556/After+Words+Stephen+Prothero+God+is+Not+One+interviewed+by+Sally+Quinn.aspx
The most interesting exchange came towards the end of the interview when Dr Prothero was asked how he would define his own religious persuation. He paused. It seemed this question was not expected. The interviewer (Susan Quinn) suggested, based on his writings and earlier comments during the show, if perhaps he was a Daoist. Again, he paused, and then refused to name his pick.
He declared himself a confused centrist of sorts - someone who was not a Christian, or a Muslim or a Jew, or a Daoist, or a follower of any of the hundreds of ancient beliefs. He wasn't any of them and yet, he also wasn't against any of them. He was, therefore, right in the middle of the debate - the place from where questions are asked. He wanted to be the one asking the questions, but seemed unwilling to accept their answers at the face value.
This seems odd, specially as it comes from the mouth of a person with an extensive knowledge about world religions even before he embarked upon this subject. Then, the writing process itself took him to explorations in various corners of the world. He met with people, heard their points of views, had discussions with them and formulated enough of an opinion to be able to represent them on his pages. (One hopes that the book contains accurate representations of his subjects' viewpoints. Unfortunately, the scribe has not had a chance to read this book and is not qualified to comment on any specific coverage.)
The perplexing part of his response was the focus of an academic on asking questions and not on the answers. If such a person fails to find answers, then it seriously limits the book to a disconnected and superficial discourse of religious rites, and nothing more than that. This is a shame because a book on such a deep topic should instead have focused on identifying attributes that have been internalized by all religions, in an attempt to find what joins us together.
It's possible for that quest to have found some interesting, and relevant answers.
Dr Prothero is a Professor of Religion at Boston University. He is certainly not a novice in this field, and is well qualified to write a book on this topic. Here is a link to the interview: http://www.booktv.org/Program/11556/After+Words+Stephen+Prothero+God+is+Not+One+interviewed+by+Sally+Quinn.aspx
The most interesting exchange came towards the end of the interview when Dr Prothero was asked how he would define his own religious persuation. He paused. It seemed this question was not expected. The interviewer (Susan Quinn) suggested, based on his writings and earlier comments during the show, if perhaps he was a Daoist. Again, he paused, and then refused to name his pick.
He declared himself a confused centrist of sorts - someone who was not a Christian, or a Muslim or a Jew, or a Daoist, or a follower of any of the hundreds of ancient beliefs. He wasn't any of them and yet, he also wasn't against any of them. He was, therefore, right in the middle of the debate - the place from where questions are asked. He wanted to be the one asking the questions, but seemed unwilling to accept their answers at the face value.
This seems odd, specially as it comes from the mouth of a person with an extensive knowledge about world religions even before he embarked upon this subject. Then, the writing process itself took him to explorations in various corners of the world. He met with people, heard their points of views, had discussions with them and formulated enough of an opinion to be able to represent them on his pages. (One hopes that the book contains accurate representations of his subjects' viewpoints. Unfortunately, the scribe has not had a chance to read this book and is not qualified to comment on any specific coverage.)
The perplexing part of his response was the focus of an academic on asking questions and not on the answers. If such a person fails to find answers, then it seriously limits the book to a disconnected and superficial discourse of religious rites, and nothing more than that. This is a shame because a book on such a deep topic should instead have focused on identifying attributes that have been internalized by all religions, in an attempt to find what joins us together.
It's possible for that quest to have found some interesting, and relevant answers.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
How Augmented Reality Helps Doctors Save Lives
Augmented Reality may be termed as a form of Artificial Reality. In a manner of speaking, that is. It differs primarily in the proximity of the person with the action. It also relies upon a snapshot of the real world while the better known A.R. (Artificial Reality) often presents a rather distant form of living by its reliance on holographic imagery.
Here is an interesting application of Augmented Reality, published on ReadWriteWeb:
Please click here to read the entire article:
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_augmented_reality_helps_doctors_save_lives.php
Here is an interesting application of Augmented Reality, published on ReadWriteWeb:
... in the medical field involves live interactive imaging for assisting physicians, medical students and children. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) includes procedures where a camera is inserted into the patient's body to help the doctor visualize the procedures he or she is conducting. In one example, this form of surgery is aided with the use of AR imagery of a brain superimposed onto the patient's head, giving the doctor a more tangible visualization. Another example involves being able to visualize a patient's spine in order to more accurately place a spinal tap, or other spinal injection.
Please click here to read the entire article:
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_augmented_reality_helps_doctors_save_lives.php
Monday, May 31, 2010
May 31, 1990 ... The Day "Seinfeld Chronicles" started its run on NBC
Ok. An interesting trivia it might be, but what does it have to do with passion (or compassion!), or technology, or with the types of writeups this blog has been providing?
Not much, really. But what it does offer is some perspective on the society, and for this reason alone, it belongs here. That, and the fact that I happen to really enjoy the show!
When Seinfeld began its run, entertainment was predominantly provided by the top three networks (ABC, NBC, CBS - in no particular order). Okay, let's also count Fox, and make it three-and-a-half! Cable TV was just beginning to find its footing on our television dials.
The channels carried exclusively by cable may have continued operating in this relative darkness if not for the decision of President Bush Senior to invade Kuwait. Suddenly, the notion of 24-hours news coverage became a national need, which could not be fulfilled by the network-controlled channels because they needed the daytime talk shows and soap operas to pay their bills.
Thus was born CNN - effectively providing a compelling reason for consumers to throw away the rabbit ears and sign up for the cable connection.
Continued advancement in technology and broadband availability meant more and more offerings being made available to consumers. This trend has continued to date, when we have access to 500+ channels at any given point.
What does it mean for programming? For starters, it means that it is increasingly hard for a show to garner the following that shows of yesteryears could muster, which effectively had the power to empty up the streets. The final episodes of M.E.S.H. and the Thorn Birds anthology were prime examples of this effect.
Many believe that Seinfeld was the last show that attained such a following - that you could mention last night's episode at the water cooler the next day, and be relatively sure that the next guy had seen it. That the show was about nothing just adds to the mystic irony!
During its run, the show provided an ongoing commentary on the society, often at the expense of its own characters, presented as weak, frivolous and immoral beings. And during the process, some of the lines (or themes) became a part of our daily vernacular. Who doesn't remember the Soup Nazi and "Yadda Yadda Yadda."
So, this, dear friends, is the contribution this show has made to the society - not necessarily a positive or negative one (this piece is not to editorialize its contents) - but a contribution in the sense of getting us all to be tuned at the same time, to the same message.
Things haven't been the same again.
Not much, really. But what it does offer is some perspective on the society, and for this reason alone, it belongs here. That, and the fact that I happen to really enjoy the show!
When Seinfeld began its run, entertainment was predominantly provided by the top three networks (ABC, NBC, CBS - in no particular order). Okay, let's also count Fox, and make it three-and-a-half! Cable TV was just beginning to find its footing on our television dials.
The channels carried exclusively by cable may have continued operating in this relative darkness if not for the decision of President Bush Senior to invade Kuwait. Suddenly, the notion of 24-hours news coverage became a national need, which could not be fulfilled by the network-controlled channels because they needed the daytime talk shows and soap operas to pay their bills.
Thus was born CNN - effectively providing a compelling reason for consumers to throw away the rabbit ears and sign up for the cable connection.
Continued advancement in technology and broadband availability meant more and more offerings being made available to consumers. This trend has continued to date, when we have access to 500+ channels at any given point.
What does it mean for programming? For starters, it means that it is increasingly hard for a show to garner the following that shows of yesteryears could muster, which effectively had the power to empty up the streets. The final episodes of M.E.S.H. and the Thorn Birds anthology were prime examples of this effect.
Many believe that Seinfeld was the last show that attained such a following - that you could mention last night's episode at the water cooler the next day, and be relatively sure that the next guy had seen it. That the show was about nothing just adds to the mystic irony!
During its run, the show provided an ongoing commentary on the society, often at the expense of its own characters, presented as weak, frivolous and immoral beings. And during the process, some of the lines (or themes) became a part of our daily vernacular. Who doesn't remember the Soup Nazi and "Yadda Yadda Yadda."
So, this, dear friends, is the contribution this show has made to the society - not necessarily a positive or negative one (this piece is not to editorialize its contents) - but a contribution in the sense of getting us all to be tuned at the same time, to the same message.
Things haven't been the same again.
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