Freelosophy

DISCLAIMER: This post is a kind-of eulogy for everything in the software world that is free and open-source. And hence, I'm sure, it is understood I'm not being paid by FOSS or someone... :D


"...that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." - Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863


"Given a large enough beta-tester and co-developer base, almost every problem will be characterized quickly and the fix will be obvious to someone." - Eric Raymond, 1997


"Only wimps use tape backup: real men just upload their important stuff on ftp, and let the rest of the world mirror it ;)" - Linus Torvalds, 1996






If you're wondering why I'm blabbering about all these oldies here and now (Lincoln was old, Raymond and Torvalds, on the other hand, not so much...), you must not have been in touch with me or at he very least, my FB profile and status updates. I've been in touch with one of the most important sensations I have ever been into. By the way, this is the first post I'm typing on my laptop. I always wanted to do this - be free! Free as in freedom. Freedom from finding software that can serve all my purposes and yet, be free (this time, as in cost :P). Freedom from figuratively looking over the shoulder all the time trying to see if someone knows that you are actually using pirated software. In this aspect, India is very much ahead than probably any other nation in the world. Let me put this into perspective - pick up like 20 computer users in India, 19 of them use any of the versions of Windows. And of those 19, about 10 still use Windows XP. Of those 10 people, about 8 have never spent a buck (literally) on the Windows software they use or most of the times, not even for any other compatible software that they need to use on their machines like, for instance, Photoshop, MS Office, Matlab et al. OK, what is this post about? You might've guessed it - Linux.

First things first : It costs you only the time it takes to download it. Almost every version (a Linux version is called a Distro, short for distribution.) comes free. being true Indians as we all are, we like to get things for free.On the other hand, we have a never ending paranoia. Why is he giving this thing to us for free? It is probably defective, probably sub-standard. I had the similar doubts about Linux back in December '09. Did you know that, linux is probably the most standarized of all the operating systems available? Virtually every big corporation (and I'm talking real BIG) uses one of the Linux distributions - Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu, Mandriva et. al. (Most likely Red Hat, though.)


Why did I venture into this? I've been asked this a lot - at least ever since I started rallying about Linux and especially Ubuntu to any living soul I know :D. OK, why? Back in December, I was planning on buying a laptop and had started researching for a good one (and so far, I have found it). What I found common with all brands was - laptops with Windows cost a considerable amount more than those without the same. It was during that period that I learnt a lot (a LOT) about things like processor architectures, OS architectures and other technical things. The irony is that - I was supposed to have known them for like 3 subjects that I took and yet, I found the fun in those subjects. Mostly because, knowing things is different from learning them (for like an exam or for an assignment). So, i thought, what other options do I have - for an Operating System. I wanted it to be cheap and or once in my life, I wanted it to be legal. On my desktop, I use a shared (between friends and all) version of Windows XP, which incidentally, cost me nothing :). I wanted my laptop to be totally free (except for the hardware, of course) and yet, legal, cutting-edge, and reasonably user-friendly. That was when I stumbled upon Linux. I pored over thousands of lines of reports, bench-mark tests, and technical details and ended up choosing Ubuntu, especially because it was just about a CD's size and of course, meant for personal users.


Now that I've answered the obvious question, another question. Linux is free, huh? What if it's all a conspiracy and all they want is your personal data and corrupt it all. (Trust me, I've been actually asked this.) Let's face it guys, you are not the center of the universe. No one is out there to get you, let alone all the silly things that make up your data. No one simply cares. And even if they do, Linux is at the very least as safe as the other options you have. Viruses, on the other hand, are a totally different issue. They are not aimed personally at anyone, no? Well, this next thing is not so much because of Linux's (come to think of it, any *NIX), omnipotence, but because of the smaller user-base of the *NIX OSes. There are practically (I can't emphasize this enough) no wild viruses for Linux - as of now, at least. That certainly is one less thing to worry about, don't you think?


True, Linux comes with a learning curve, a very long one at that. I've been using Linux for about 2+ years now, and yet, learn at least one new thing every week - try to beat that with Windows. And, I'm not even talking about any software, just the OS by itself.


Well, I'll leave you to figure out the rest of Linux. If you are at all into technology, I suggest you start using Linux - not great for games, but the thrill of learning something so pure...unbeatable!!


An excellent article I read about the differences in philosophies is here...do go through it and of course hit the Distro websites.




Ubuntu - My personal favorite
CentOS - My second favorite, just a clone of Red Hat Enterprise Linux - Stability
Fedora - Just a cutting edge version of Red Hat
Distrowatch - Reading material on all the Distributions


"...the Linux philosophy is "laugh in the face of danger". Oops. Wrong one. "Do it yourself". That's it." 

- Linus Torvalds, 1996

Cheers!!


P.S.: Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons.

Guest Post: 10 Myths About Introverts

Well, this is a Guest post by a friend of one of my good friends...I did credit it to him at the end...

Enjoy...I don't want to spoil the fun by blabbering about this...

Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.

This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.

Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.

Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.

Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.

On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.

Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.

Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.

Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.

Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.

Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.

Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.

A world without Introverts would be a world with few scientists, musicians, artists, poets, filmmakers, doctors, mathematicians, writers, and philosophers. That being said, there are still plenty of techniques an Extrovert can learn in order to interact with Introverts. (Yes, I reversed these two terms on purpose to show you how biased our society is.) Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.

With permission from the author - Sai Sandeep Nandyala on Facebook. Link to the original - here.

G for Genius!

Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.    - Arthur Schopenhauer

Alright! Call it the effect of the bloggers' meet yesterday or something, I suddenly get the mood to write regularly (yeah, I call two posts in 2 consequent days regular :P). Anyway, it's been nice - going through peoples' blogs and finding some excellent work done by each of them. Kudos to y'all!! And of course, keep the good work going!!

So, another post. The title might suggest something about Parle-G biscuits, but no! This ain't got anything to do with any confectionery or something on those lines. I literally mean G for Genius as the title. Well, this is about Genius. Have you ever wondered how generously we use the adjective? I've been thinking for a while now and the answer is not good. Let me illustrate what I'm trying to say here. If a person gets more marks than you - genius. If someone can answer something esoteric you have no idea about - genius. If someone discovers something, however insignificant, - genius. B the W, I'm watching the DC match and hope we recover soon and make like a 180 runs. Fingers Xed on that area. :).  OK, genius, huh?? I simply don't like people call just anyone that. This post is where I try to describe what genius actually means to me. So, when you're around me, try to adhere to these rules before tagging someone a genius :P.

I draw upon a little bit of tutelage from Roger Penrose (author of A Road to Reality). I believe that, some things simply exist - in kind of a Platonic sense of existence (please don't ask me more about this. :P). Well, anyway, the thing about such things is, they are just there. It is not like the person who uncovers them is doing a great act in trying to find something that is already there. (Refer Mandelbrot plots here, they simply existed, like forever and Mandelbrot was just he person to uncover the underlying beauty...) With all due respect to all the great inventors and discoverers, most of them aren't anything close to genius. They might have been intelligent and persevering hard-workers, but genius, I don't think so! 

Let me give you some examples of people who are in my view, tagged genius rather liberally. The first, may be the oldest - the wheel. We all larn that the wheel was tone of the most ingenious inventions. But, on second thought, it is kind of obvious. Let us say Mr.X (or may be Ms. X, for all non-sexists like me...) invented the wheel. The fact of the matter remains that, eventually, someone would stumble upon the idea to make a circular thing. Same goes for Aryabhatta, who is credited with the "invention" of zero. Come on people! Definitely, i wouldn;t tag Aryabhatta a genius, if not him, someone, somewhere might definitely have stumbled upon the idea of having a number which had no value (tell me about it, Indians have a knack at these things - we like getting things for free, right?) Then there is the probably the biggest speculator of all time - Sir Newton. Gravity, they tell me, makes him a genius. But think about it twice,the idea of gravity can be attributed mainly to his being in the right place at the right time. So, I'm sure I made my point clear here, as to what kind of people do not qualify for the tag of genius.

Now, the obvious question. Who is a genius? I'll try my best to put my idea in good words here. A genius is a person, whose ideas and maybe inventions affect the world in such a way that - when the later generations look at the ideas, they go like what the heck was this fellow thinking? How the hell could anyone get this vague an idea. In simple words, the idea should be simple but so out-of-the-world that, no one would think about it unless they go mad. Like someone says, Genius is just another level of insanity, :P. Anyway, time for examples. The first one that comes to mind is Nikola Tesla. The man single-handedly formulated wireless communication (you might say Marconi did that, but the patent for Radio was later corrected to Tesla's name in 1943), the AC motor, Alternating Current itself and wireless electricity (not one of his successful ventures, I'd say...). Da Vinci is another. Then there are several authors who get into this category of genius-ness. Shakespeare, Tolkein, Milton, Crichton, Clarke and many others. Then there are mathematicians - Hawking, Penrose, Feynman, and how can I forget Einstein. Then there is the person who got the idea of a microprocessor - there wasn't anything analogous to that in earlier times, was there? Also on the list would be Page/Brin for Google and Zuckerberg for Facebook. And of course, Tim Berners Lee for the Internet!

Alright then, I take leave! Please don;t call undeserving people genius, for me at least. :P. And for any disputes, please refer to the disclaimer under the title of the blog. :D. Finally, i think it is important to draw a proper line between genius and geek.

Keep Rocking!!

There and back again!

What a series of events it has been! I'm talking about the placement session conducted by Infosys Technologies in our college. Well, a hectic day, of course. I'd like to share my experience of the day through this post. Most of the conversations (including the interview) are verbatim and a few are paraphrased to convey the same meaning only because I don't remember the exact wording. Fine, let's set the ball rolling, but first, a few disclaimers. If I sound gloaty at any point during this post, it is just out of momentary elation. No offense to anyone. This post has been in the making for over 4 days now (I'm editing the number at the end of each passing day...)(I started writing on Feb the 2nd).


The conventions:


These are the words spoken by someone else.


These are my thoughts.


There are my actual words.

Feb 1, IST 0600 Hrs - Location: Home

I woke up and freshened up. I had a perfectly dorky pair of pants and slightly less dorky shirt ready to be worn to the college that day, not to mention, a perfectly dorky pair of shoes too. (No more details about clothing. :P). Anyway, to keep the shirt from getting a full one on the road, I wore my jacket too, which I might add, added a lot of physical weight in my bag on me later in the day. Well, no breakfast on that day - all I wanted was to be on time in the college.

Feb 1, IST 0815 Hrs - Location: Ghulam Ahmed Auditorium

In Ghulam Ahmed Hall -  the seminar hall where the pre-placement talk was about to take place. On a separate note, the reason given by our placement cell for the lateness of the Placements was that, this hall was under renovation. I don't think there could've been a lamer excuse. Let's continue. There I was, going through my Resume, and trying to recollect what I actually did during the past 3 and a half years. It included me being a(n Active) member of the IEEE Student Chapter of my college and such stuff that you can only put on a Resume.


Thus started the pre-placement talk by one of the HR Managers from Infy (easier to type, you see... :P). He started telling us about the history, present and features of Infy in excruciating detail (much like what I'm doing now... :P). This ended about an hour later and we were all fleeted off to the classrooms where the Aptitude Test was to be conducted.


Feb 1, IST 1040 Hrs - Location: Room No. 5406, Block 5, MJCET


Seated in the Exam Center (just another of our classrooms...). The skinny guy who was standing on the dais was supposed to be the invigilator. He was giving all kinds of instructions about how to fill in the forms supplied to us. C'mon, when's this gonna end, huh? We were instructed as if we were kids, let's move on. The funniest thing he told us was : "Please write in capslock!". I laughed out at that. Fine, the test ended without many events, not for me at least.


Feb 1, IST 1200 Hrs - Location: MJCET Front Canteen


Post the exam. My room was apparently the first one to start (and thereby end) the test. I had to wait for about 30 minutes for all of my friends to be out of their respective "Exam Halls". Our regular hang out: under the big tree (I dunno what kind it is...) in front of the front canteen in our college. Well, you can imagine how hungry I must've been mainly because of no breakfast. We got like a hundred samosas each (not literally... :P) and a couple of Pepsi pets and had a blast. Everyone was discussing the paper and speculating whether or not they would clear the paper. I was saying the very words that'd become my war-cry for the day: "No comments on my performance until I see the end result. :|" (And why, you might ask. Refer to The Uncertainty Principle). We saw virtually everthing you can see before an interview. One of my classmates was learning by-heart the answers he'd give to the HR Manager. Another was getting fresh copies of his Resume. We? We were just trying to pass time by laughing at people and cutting some of the most clichéd of our jokes.


IST 1400 Hrs - Location: Ghulam Ahmed Auditorium


The D-Time. The results of the aptitude test were due at 1330 Hrs but as usual, the timeline got blown. We were all seated in the auditorium and expecting something like the results being pasted as a sheet on the walls or something like that. But to our surprise and horror, the Placements Officer started calling out names of people who cleared the first round.


Fine, please keep quiet!! I have here a list of people who cleared the aptitude test. It is a partial list and whoever's name has been called must go and stand  in the back. And keep your clapping for later.


Yeah, he's punishing the people who got through the aptitude test! :P


Then he started calling out the names in the first list - some 30-35 people I guess. I guess, because, my heart was in my throat looking to see if my name was on the list. There wasn't even a proper order (like department wise etc.) and it was a hair-raising thriller of a list. At the end of the list only two of my group went over to the interviews. I was all like, damn! I didn't get through. Then, about half an hour later came the second and apparently the final list.


OK, I have the final list here with me. The total number of candidates who qualified is 125. just a hundred and twenty five?!?!? Damn, the cut-off must've been hideously high. Fingers crossed, let's hope we get through. I'll read out the names and please go stand in the back.
...
...
...
4095 Munaf Hussain Shaik (My actual roll number is 4094) Did he say 4095?!?!?! But he called my name right? Can I go to the back?
...
...


Feb 1, IST 1440 Hrs - Location: In the back


There I was, finally clear of the aptitude test. All around me, people were taking out neck-ties out of their pockets and bags and I dunno where else (much akin to the magic tricks :P). Why did I not wear a tie? Well, my neck was too thick to put the top button of my shirt, that was the major reason. Either ways, I wasn't going to try something so new that day mostly because I was not used to carry a tie. Well, still confused about the discrepancy in the roll number, I left the hall for the 6th floor of Block 5, MJCET.


Feb 1, IST 1530 Hrs - Location: Room No. Something, 6th Floor, Block 5, MJCET


A total of about 125 people crammed into a single room (at least, that was what I thought at first glance.). There were actually two rooms for all of us. Going there, I found that a batch of people had been cattled away for the interviews. And the group consisted of the two friends of mine who were called in the "first list". My hands were all cold, and sweaty, I dunno why. Whatever one might say, getting a decent placement was my last ditch fall-back. For a last ditch fall-back, I was taking it a tad too seriously. Anyway, I was soon quarantined by taking me and seating about 20 of us in the adjacent room. The organizing guys had our aptitude test papers in their hands and one couldn't resist the temptation to try and find out how many one had scored. But, talk about being super secretive, these people were hiding the paper as if they were some national security issue. End of the wait and the 20 of us were guided out and to the next level.


Feb 1, IST 1620 Hrs - Location: Room No. 5402, Block 5, MJCET


Well, it ain't easy to be ready for your first time (yes, pun intended :P). This was the very first time in my life that I was gonna take on some real HR guy face to face. The preceding hour or something is just hell. And when I was heading to be seated in my room, one of the guys of the first list (my friend) was just out of the interview.


Kaisa gaya re?? (How'd it go??)


Dum tha baap!! (Was a pain!)


Kya puchra?? (What's he asking??)


Pura Resume pe ich puchra. Mereku project and mini project ke baare me dum kara. (He's just sticking to the Resume. He asked me a lot about my projects and mini-projects.)


I was freaked! Damn! My Resume was something I wasn't prepared to talk about. But then, there is only so much you can do when you know there's very little time left for the interview. I went and got seated in the second bench and there was this talkative guy. If there's something in this world that freaks me out before I'm gonna give an interview, it is people who like to hear themselves speak. He was seated beside this friend of mine.


...what are those things on CDs called? Those round things. I know they are called something, what?
Sectors. They are called sectors.
Yeah, right!! I'm totally surprised at my clearing the aptitude test. Like I wanna know that. The verbal section was out of this world. It wasn't for me. (not sarcastic). Especially for me because I did not write any competitive exam, ever.
He was looking back at my Resume.
You are Munaf Hussain? Your aptitude is high, is it? What the hell are you talking about?? Hey, you guys said you looked up answers from someone, right? Who was it?? (Directed towards my friend, the one beside him. For which he said someone else's name). Yeah, I have a **** on my GRE and a *** on my TOEFL, I'm sure I could be the guy with the high aptitude.
There we are sitting and everyone else save about 4 of us are being called to submit their Resumes, Certs and stuff. The only ones left are me, the talkative guy, one of my classmates, and a stranger in some real contrasting pair of clothes. Then the talkative guy walks out and comes back in a few minutes.


I just went and talked to one of the organizers and requested to send me to an easy HR. I'm real freaked out. Hope he obliges to my request.
Why would you ever do that??


Then, finally, the talkative guy was called and was interviewed for a long time, i guess. Then I was called along with the classmate of mine. We were both made to wait in the corridors and were instructed not to make a peep (as in a sound.. :P).


Feb 1, IST 1710 Hrs - Location: Floor 4 , Block 5 , MJCET


Well, both of us waiting and then comes the guy to collect our Resumes. He staples the Resume to the aptitude test paper and I try to steal a glance for my score, but it's hard. Then, he calls on the guy with me and takes him into one of the interview rooms. I'm all alone in the corridor and all the HRs are busy taking interviews. I get taken to the 2nd room and wait there for about 10 minutes. Then, out comes the talkative guy from the room across the one I'm waiting at. He's all smiles. Hope I get out all smiles too. 


I get called over to the same room as the talkative guy came out of. The HR is busy on his phone and I'm told to wait outside. Wow! This must be the easy HR guy. Let's not get too cocky and keep cool. The HR is literally shouting into the phone and I'm like Speak into the phone, dude. I'm sure the guy on the other side can hear you either ways, though. And after about 10 people walking past me to the waiting room and 10 more painful minutes during which time I noticed I had sweaty palms and cold hands, I was told to get in. I had wiped my palms on my shirt and gotten them dry by that time.


Feb 1, IST 1730 Hrs - Location: Room No. 5401, Block 5, MJCET


I enter. The HR is still busy on the phone - he's literally shouting at the person on the other end.


Good Evening sir. He nods and offers me his hand. Haath kya dera miyan? (Why are you giving me your hand?) I wasn't gonna shake hands but there's hardly anything you can do when he offers his hand. I give him a firm hand-shake and May I sit, sir? He nods again and I get seated. The arrangement is as far as you can get from the ideal interview arrangement. Two benches (yes, the ones we sit on in classes) are placed face to face. Damn! Now he can totally see my body language. Gotta be cool and stick to the basics.


At long last, he hangs up on the phone. He picks up my set of papers (Application, Aptitude test answer sheet and my Resume.) and goes through what seems like each and every word. 


Kitta padtha bhai, bas hai. kuch tho bi puch. (How much'll you read dude. Ask something) Ab puchta dekho "Tell me about yourself." bolke. (Now, he's gonna ask me "Tell me about yourself."). I wasn't so prepared to take that question though.
What did you learn at this Defense Electronics Seminar? 
Damn! I did not know he would ask this!! 
I learned about the various communication protocols used in the military and other things such as unmanned vehicles and stuff (I actually said stuff :P).
Where do you think all those things can be used? 
When I join the Army! Well, there wasn't much new to learn there sir. Those were the protocols that are already being used in the military. They are tried and tested.
That's fine. What do you want to do using this knowledge? 
I'd rather not have attended that damn seminar! I didn't even pay much attention there. Due to their stable nature, I'd like to make use of those protocols and systems in regular civilian systems and make life simpler for people. He kept asking for more - aan, aan...Aur kitta bolna chicha...itta bola, bas nai hai? (How much more do you expect me to explain? I've said enough.) I just kept quiet.
OK, tell me about your final year project. I did. These details are pretty gore and I'd rather not put them here. But, I somehow managed to convince him that it wasn't the worst project in the world.
Hmm...what did you do in these events er, Adsophos and others? Don't tell me what you were supposed to do, tell me what you actually did. 
Apan kabhi kuch kare? (When did we ever do something??) 
I organized a quiz when in my 3rd year and did itto my satisfaction. I also organized a er, what was the event? (I actually asked the question!) yeah, a hardware design contest. 
What do you mean - to your satisfaction? 
Aisich bhauth bolthe bhai....lite lena. (We say all these sort of things dude, don't hang on to them.)
Well, er, the turn up was good and I managed to conduct the event without any goof-ups. 
Why do you think the turn-up was high? 
It wasn't, dude. I'm just faking. Well, i guess it was probably because of the catchy posters I designed. 
Tell me something catchy from those posters. 
There was nothing catchy to tell from those posters sir, I said they looked catchy. 
Oh, OK. How do you know the posters were catchy? 
The turn-up mostly, and I even asked a couple of participants as to why they chose this event, and got a similar feedback. Yeah, like any event organizer does that. 
He was impressed and I was not complaining. 
Good. What do you mean by this? "Active" member of IEEE student chapter. What did you do as an "Active member"?? 
Arey yaar! Har koi aisich likhta! Khaali member bolke likhe tho kya acha dikhta?? (Dude, everyone writes the same, no point in writing just member.) 
As an active member, I try to make my juniors realize the beauties of real engineering. What's happening nowadays is, people join engineering just for the brand name. I strive to make them like engineering and stay on the cutting edge by joining IEEE. 
How do you do that? 
I show students interesting articles from the IEEE Spectrum magazine and try to cultivate real interest towards engineering. 
How many people have you recruited into this IEEE? 
About 50 people I guess. yeah, the total membership of IEEE in our college is about 70 and I made the chapter (sarcastic).
Good! Hmmm...Your hobbies are Reading Books, Blogging...(reading from my Resume) How many books have you read? 
Puchliya? Chal ab letun mai teri!! (Good thing you asked me. Now, I'll take a session!) 
I dunno the exact number sir, I have read a lot though. 
Give me a number. 
Ab kitte pada ki ginlethe baiththe?? (Who counts the number of books they've read?) 
I'd venture a guess at about a hundred, hundred and fifty. That is like half the books I read. 
*Wide-eyed look*. Which is your favorite book? 
There are many yaar, ab kya bolun? 
The Catcher in the Rye sir. 
What? 
I repeat. 
What do you like about that book? 
I start off...It describes the angst of a teenage boy...blah...blah...blah...Kuch samajhme tho bi aara?? (Are you even able to understand anything??) 
What was the title again? 
The catcher in the rye sir. 
Catcher?? 
Yes, sir. In the Rye. R-Y-E Rye. 
Do you have that book? 
Kaiku? Ab padinge bi tum? 
Yes, I do sir. 
OK. Do you have any questions...
Paagal hogaya? Interview kon kiska lera bhai? 
About Infosys? 
No sir, I have gone through the website and have a good idea of what to expect when I get there. Yeah, right. Like I have no other business. 
Good! You may go, thank you. 
Mereku thanks kaiku bolra bhai?? (Why are you thanking me??) 
Thank you sir.


At the end, the HR was all smiles, I dunno why. I suspected that he may have seen right through me and understood that I was faking some of the stuff. We shook hands and I left, confused.


Feb 1, IST 1815 Hrs - Location: Some room on the second floor.

Here were all the people who had faced the interviews. And then came the toughest part - the wait. We were trying to ease our tensions by cracking jokes, taking pics and stuff. Then came the HR guy from Infosys, the one who gave the seminar in the morning, and gave us all a piece of his mind for making a big ruckus and apparently, we were audible even in the 5th floor. Then came the biggest surprise package. Some of us were being called for 2nd interviews. We were like, what the heck? Although I wasn't called, a friend of mine was. We were discussing all sorts of stuff, about whether or not each of us was gonna get selected and stuff and I was all like No comments on my performance until I see the end result. :|. Well, the 2nd interview calls continued until about 9 in the night and each and every one of the group was exhausted. After all, 12 hours on just a couple of samosas isn't so easy :P.


Feb 1, IST 2150 Hrs - Location: the same room.


In came the head HR and our Placement Officer. The HR had the "list" in his hands. He started off.


Okay, it was a tiresome day for all of us. Let us get it over with. I have here the list of selected candidates. Please keep your cheers, claps and celebrations for later.


And the list came to an end with a total of 77 people (technically). My name wasn't called and I was a teeny bit dejected. One of my friends was also not selected.


Now, I want all the Infoscions to stay here and all the best for all of you others for other placements. And some stuff about joining Infosys later.


We made it to the parking lot and went home and left all our friends to celebrate. I wasn't so dejected though, because I wasn't gonna work there anyway. And resolved never to lie in an interview and also to make some changes in my Resume.
...
...
...


Feb 3, IST 1647 Hrs - Location: Home


I was online on my Gmail mailbox and just received a mail from our Placements Officer. It said something about some lost items in the room where the result was announced. Out of sheer habit, I looked through the list of mail recipients. The list was pretty weird. All the people in the list were the ones whose names were actually called in the final announced list. My name was on that too. I was shocked. I thought "Lite, must've been some mistake." and went out with my friend. Later, i returned home and found another mail from the Placement Officer. It explicitly said:


Dear Mr. Munaf

You have been selected in Infosys campus placements


I was shocked and tried to find my Placement Officer's phone number but, couldn't. I went on Facebook and asked one of my friends if she had the number and she said: 
You are selected into Infosys. I saw the list today and your name was on it. I informed the Placement Officer and he said he'll mail you. 
I was elated. I thanked her profusely and still tried to confirm it. I only informed a couple of my closest friends and my family. Facebook status could wait - I still needed to talk to my Placements Officer and confirm. Apparently, the HR guy had skipped my name while reading out the names. I dunno how that guy can be so careless.


By the way, I'd like to thank my friend here again for taking the time to inform the Placement Officer and later, me. Thanks a lot. (I don't use names on my blog, I hope you don't mind, no offense.)




Feb 4, IST 1020 Hrs - Location: Placements Office, MJCET


I met the Placements Officer and confirmed and looked over the list too, only to find my name right on the list. I was happy again!!


Now, for those who did not make it this time. First thing: I know exactly how it feels to be so dejected. I was so for over 2 days. All I believed was that there always is something bigger and better waiting for you. All the Best!! Cheers!!




Somehow, all ended happily - Thank God!!


P.S.: Seems like I've made up for my long absence on the blog by writing this long a post :P. Now, I'm free, real free, as in freedom!!


P.P.S.: All the best to everyone attending placements!! Also people taking GATE.

All the right reasons

It's been quite some time since my last post and it's not even like I'm busy with exams or anything. I've been asked as to why I'm not writing more, and hope to comply by that request (yes, it's true, some people like my blog... :P and thank you people...). There was this website I stumbled upon - http://www.wordle.net/. And ran my blog for a word cloud and well, the result was obvious. "Anyways" is apparently my most used word and somehow, I'm surprised, mostly because the word itself is so redundant ;). Anyway, here's the word cloud for your perusal (yeah, like you even care... :P):

There goes. Before moving on to the crux of the post, let me tell you something else. It is just a stop-gap between what happened between the last post and this one. Well, I wrote my CAT (and please don't ask me how it went, I have pretty much no idea myself; for all I know, I screwed it big time...). And, yeah, due this friggin' Telangana issues, I have completed only one of my 6 exams and it is very boring to sit at home with no idea about the schedule of exams and whether my degree will reach me in time (for what? :P). Anyway, if you ask my views about Telangana, I'm undecided and rest assured, it is not the reason for this post - I'm not as cruel as the TV channels to drone about the issue here too, I'm not affiliated to any TV channel, see...


Fine (I'm trying to avoid the A-word (see above :)) from now on, it is pretty unsettling for me that, I use it so much... :P), the same old question - what is this post about (I'm assuming you can't guess because I haven't titled the post yet :P). Reason. Just humor me and try to define the word; to yourself that is. It is undoubtedly a simple enough word to know (sorry if I sounded condescending...). A reason is something you use to defend your actions or stand (I'm sure the definition is pretty close to the money...). I'm 20 now, and it would be pretty fair if I say I've had my share of watching the world around me and everywhere I go, I find people using reasons for, literally, everything. Don't get me wrong here, I'm all for using your reasons. Science is all about reasons and I have nothing acrimonious about using reasons. Using reasons is one thing, using the right ones is altogether another. In fact, having reasons is important; having the right ones is much more so. Call me old-school or whatever you like, but I believe having the right reason to do something is more important than doing it. I read in some book something about "Ends justify the means.". Well, I beg to disagree as I'm sure, would many of us. Well, let me elucidate. I've heard people saying - "Let us study well." I'll have you know that I'm all for it. But the reason you study should not be to get marks or to impress someone (I happen to know a few people of this kind... :P), or whatever else. The reason to study, in my view, should be to gain knowledge, period. Leaving all that, if you use your wrong reasons, you end up hating the things you do, and sometimes even yourself.


Another example - "Why did you take up Engineering?" (which, incidentally, is the most common question we face in interviews or sometimes even rhetorically, especially by our peers...). I've heard virtually all the answers there can be; ranging from "My parents...", "My brother...", "My teacher..." to "I had no other option.", "Software Job.". Well, no wonder our Engineers today are probably the some of the most incompetent among all the other countries. There are, of course, some people who answer with beautiful reasons - "I love making things.", "I want to make the world a better place." et. al. Well, these people, I tell you, are the real engineers. 


Let me spread out a little. I've been talking about esoterica which we can understand very well. But, I've been thinking about this (it's probably the only useful thing I'm doing in this break.. ;)) and have found that, it is applicable to everything in life. I have seen people who build their paths around money and power and I have seen very few people building their paths around their passions. The latter usually have the right reasons to do anything. There is never a dearth of people with the wrong reasons -  marrying for money, studying just to board the bandwagon (doing things just because others are doing them too..). All the wrong reasons. All they end up being is pretentious pricks whom everyone hate because they are never them. Life (philosopher me again... ;)) simply boils down to having the right reasons to do the right things and sometimes even the wrong things. 


Well, I have a lot more to say about many things and I have this teensy bit of a feeling that, the post ended in a non-sequitur. Nevertheless, I hope I keep writing regularly, at least during these T-holidays.


P.S.: If you like my blog, it is highly possible that you'll like the writings of JRR Tolkien. I re-visited The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit and found some creepy similarities. Go ahead and enjoy his works.