The Nothinger

Chapter 1: Voices and signs

That day, the dawn seemed to bring with it, a special meaning for him. He saw signs everywhere he turned. He had been seeing them for a while now. But today, he felt, was going to be the culmination of that endless search for a map. He was longing to travel.

The world he knew was pushing him out, he thought, joyfully. Or was he pushing out the world he knew, he wondered, in momentary panic. But it seemed to subside when voices in his head told him that it didn't matter. He remembered that until yesterday, such voices in his head telling him things would have left him startled and even a little unsettled, but today, they were calming, reassuring, almost soothing, as if preparing him for some monumental trial that lay ahead. It was a sign, he thought.

He was a lover of logic, a man of science. He was schooled in rational thought. For a while, he tried suppressing the magic of that dawn. He ate his breakfast in numb silence, alone as usual. There were butterflies in his stomach. He did not know why and it bothered him. He tried to ignore it, but it wouldn't go away. His inquisitive mind kept asking 'why', and after a few times, he had to relent to the urgency with which his entire inside was trying to come to terms with the unknown. Just to quiet himself, he made up a reason. Something so utterly trivial, something his mind would have tossed in scorn a few moments ago, that he couldn't help smiling. He remembered it was the first time he had smiled that day. In fact, it was the first time he had smiled honestly that whole week. He smiled even more. He saw a sign.

But his reason, or perhaps, all the smiling, seemed to have helped. His ego was temporarily sated with an answer. After all, the answer seemed to fit into a general scheme of logic. It didn't matter if it was nonsense.

He remembered a syntactically perfect computer program he had written for his bank that did absolutely the wrong thing. The compiler was happy then, he thought. At once, he felt his ego mind kicking defensively against the insult. He smiled again. He was not a machine! That assertion, he recalled, was stronger than the last time. Again, he saw a sign.

He let a few minutes pass. He felt free. He had the power to choose. "There is no compiler", he proclaimed to himself. "I have no syntax", his brain echoed. He remembered reading about algorithms that evolved and mutated with time and experience and wondered if the brain was one such. He felt accomplishment at the thought, and fear at the realization. He wondered if it was even relevant. By the time he had finished eating, he decided it didn't matter. He cleaned up and left for work.

Navigation to the web page was cancelled

Have you been facing this error in Visual Studio 2005?
Other symptoms:
XML files will not open with Internet Explorer (tried with both IE6 and IE7). Schema files (*.xsd) will open fine though.
Visual Studio (2005) will not display any schema files in the source view. Instead a message saying "Navigation to the web page was cancelled" appears.

I was stuck with this problem for over 2 months and it took me a very long while to even identify the symptoms in any clarity. The internet, Microsoft and Google provided little help. Until finally an obscure post in a stylus studio forum had a similar thread.

Anyway, the cause is that the msxml3.dll was not registered. This is the dll that enables viewing of xml in IE.
The fix is to re-register the dll. Hit start, Run and type in the following:
regsvr32 msxml3.dll

This re-registers the dll. Problem solved.
Apparently, one of the reasons this error can occur is because a shareware tool called Oxigen (an XML editor) was uninstalled.

Sunset Boulevard

Come down with me, girl

I'll show you the lights,

We'll walk to the road's end

As you take in the sights.

Would you like me to just be

Or i could give you some talk

Down till the road's end

About sunset boulevard.

As we walk hand in hand,

Can you hear them play?

Music for the blue dirge

They sing here everyday

They mourn for us, girl

Who walk back and forth

The daily last walk

Of the walking ghosts

We live here, don't we

All our evening lives

We spend here too much

Our self pitying smiles.

There are friends here too

Who shed a tear

Martyrs they are, girl

Just like me and you!

Waging their own wars

in expanded mindspaces

Alone inside their mental shells.

Against limiting horizons

and restricted views,

And seeing the world

from the other man's shoes.

And let me tell you my girl,

When it's all said and done,

They all will realize

that before the fun

of a glorious society

of vast expansiveness,

and freedom and space,

it is soon time to run.

The day is over

and it's evening too soon.

But the clock stands still

while the light fades away.

And here we are girl,

in the last light of day,

Once again at road's end

and making our way

Past the souls of the martyrs

Who walk here and away.

Anytime you feel like

taking a walk,

You must come down with me, girl

to the sunset boulevard.

A text of patience

Just a reminder to myself to download some rtf / html to mediawiki convertor.
http://search.cpan.org/~diberri/HTML-WikiConverter-0.55/lib/HTML/WikiConverter.pm can convert from html straight to wikitext markup. But it needs perl. I'll get around to doing that.

Or maybe use an in-browser editor like MozEx or in fact, any of the ones mentioned here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_editor_support#How_to_open_articles_in_your_text_editor
Before that, just check if Preferences → Editing → "Use external editor by default" is chosen on the wiki.

Something to get my hands dirty with this weekend.

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Jaguar XK 150 in India

After yet another long hiatus, I come back. Behold the XK from Jaguar. That too in India! My patriotism just went up a couple notches.



Of interest would be to note that Forsyth's character Peter Miller, protagonist of The Odessa File owned and drove the XK 120, and loved driving it more than he did his wife (intentional ambiguity introduced in sentence construction). Forsyth's description of Peter's love for his motor was done so well, it made me look up the XK 120 on the internet and learn so much about this masterpiece auto. And it also bled my heart to see that in the movie adaptation of the Odessa File, the car was changed to a Mercedes. Why? I mean couldn't they get an XK? I think half the movie was ruined because the car was changed. That too to a Mercedes. With all due respect, I think the Merc as a brand is a little too hyped. Everyone wants to own a Merc. It's a little too wannabe for me. How about a classic era Shelby Cobra? Or a 1968 Mustang? Or a Porsche 911 RS? I think these have way more character.

Radio Reality

Technology and Spirituality... Chalk and Cheese

Internet Radio can teach you many simple truths about life. That if you yearn to own, if you seek to possess, you will stop having fun in life. I was listening to internet radio and many of the songs that i listened to were songs I had never listened to before from bands I had never even heard of. I would not have downloaded or bothered to buy them at all, because when I get a song on my hard disk, I carefully consider if I like it, critique it to death and only if it still sounds good do I keep it. But on the radio, since I have no such choice, I listen to everything that's played and I noticed that most of the songs sound pretty good. Maybe if we took such an approach to what we interact with in our daily lives, particularly the people, much heartburn can be avoided. If we learned to accept people for what they were, like we accept radio stations for what they play, and learned to enjoy the good sides and the positive elements, like we enjoy the good bits of music on the radio, life would probably be more meaningful, instead of trying to constantly filter out our environment to permit only those stimuli that agree with our predefined conditions of acceptability and wallowing in a sense of dissatisfaction when those conditions are not met. Because in trying to carefully filter out music, we are closing our minds to growth. By critiquing everything around us, we are not giving them a fair chance to express themselves. Plus we don't really know what all we like. We only think we do. I decided I like 70s Progressive rock a lot now and I didn't even know i liked progressive.

So everybody, go listen to internet radio! Believe me, it's good for you.

Bad bad doggie!

Don't ever do this. Always remember. GoTo is BAD habit.

But fate it seems, does not work without a sense of irony

You have been working your arse off for 3 weeks doing 14 hour days and bending backwards to keep up your personal commitments. One day you decide that you can take the evening off and leave office at 5:30. You decide to leave in 5 minutes with your friend on his bike. In two minutes he gets called to an emergency meeting which drags on and on for two hours. All plans ditched. Life is fucking cruel, just when you thought you saw some light.

Matrix revealed

Hmmm... those were the days.

It used to be extremely fashionable at one time to wonder aloud if the matrix was real; if we were actually living in the matrix; what if the world as we know it was indeed, just a simulation program with a neurological interface. I loved to subscribe to such a view and read a large number of very complicated essays on such topics and hold very involved discussions about it for months, without really understanding what anybody was saying, including myself. That didn't matter. The important thing was, we were all talking about the matrix. It seemed extremely plausible that we may be in a dreamworld.

It was the time when videos like the animatrix and anything with similar themes used to be the ultimate fantasy to indulge in. Screensavers *had* to be matrix themed. Desktop wallpapers *had* to be freeze frames from the matrix, or transcripts of its dialogs, otherwise it was sacrilege.  Non-matrix conversations were soaked in matrix lingo and esoteric references to the movie. Why? To revel smugly in the knowledge that we, who had seen the light, stood apart from the visibly annoyed hoi-polloi who had not.

It was a matter of great seriousness to educate non matrixians of their ignorance and in great hurry, induct them into our world through proper guidance and explanations, more so, if the poor victim was female and looked vulnerable. There must have been a time when our gang of 'matrix evangelists' were feared like jack-the-ripper.

But all said, it was a great time. A time of expanding views, a time when knowledge of esoteric ideas gave confidence and joy. A time when there was such a pressing need to not just stand out from a crowd, but to smirk at it too. It must have been a part of growing up, the great search for identity that seizes every teenager, and turns him inside-out, raw, ugly and malevolent before it finally makes him a man. (Pardon the gender non-neutrality but this is my blog)

And like everything else, after a few months of a caffeine-like buzz and feeling heady about belonging to the intellectual upper class, i lost interest. The matrix messiahs were not so active anymore. Weeks went by when none of us used words like 'the oracle', 'nebuchadnezzar', and 'morpheus'.

In time, we surrendered to the general view that the matrix was just a movie, albeit, one with a very well thought-out plot and stunt sequences that would put even Rajnikanth to shame. Of course, nobody openly proclaimed a change in views or a shift in ideology. Thats what zealotry does to you. It pumps your ego so much that to change your stand becomes impossible, a sort of my-dignity-or-my-death issue. We have seen it in communists and militants, preachers and godmen.

In a few months, all was forgotten and we all went out and got a life, so to speak. That was until matrix revolution. Then it was back to the old times, but a bit more restrained. We had matured enough to say stuff like "Hey I didn't get that bit" or "But that sounds illogical" without drawing furious flak or without having to bury our faces in shame.

After the reloaded was revolution. But this time it was a whole lot different. Many of the hardcore elite even missed the movie. Some were apologetic, some were not. Finally our little gang of matrix messiahs had grown up. They had to after all. And just so i can wind up this piece without losing my life, i sacrifice my dignity to reveal the defection to the opposite party. The final proof of why we are not living in a matrix type of world is that if we were, the agents wouldn't have let such a movie be made. The program that controlled the Wachowski brothers would not have been written thus. That rests my case.

Credit sheesh!

Cell phone rings.

Me@ThisEnd: Hello
Lady@OtherEnd :Sir, Good morning, am I speaking to Me@ThisEnd ?
Me@ThisEnd :Ya
Lady@OtherEnd :Sir, We're calling from SomeBankName . Would you be interested in our new credit card? It's free for life sire, which means you have no annual charges. We offer a credit limit of up to 3 lakhs sir. We have a 60 day replacement policy and....
Me@ThisEnd :Wow, up to 3 lakhs! Ok, I'm interested. Just one little thing though.
Lady@OtherEnd :Yes sir! (her excitement oozing out of the speaker on my phone)
Me@ThisEnd : I have way too many credit cards now and yet, I'm forever in debt. In fact I have no clue how to manage all these cards and i've defaulted payment many monthsOn all my cards my overlimit withdrawal penalty and interests come up to quite a bit. I really could use another card to pay off these, so i can start using all my cards again. What's your procedure now?
Lady@OtherEnd :Errr, ok sir can you suggest some others who would be interested sir?
Me@ThisEnd :Mmmm, none at the moment, but I'll surely call you back with a list of names.
Lady@OtherEnd :Ok, thank you sir.
Click

second attempt at bloging from my phone!

this is from the new gmail app on my phone.

FROM THE MOBILE!!

My first post from my phone. lets see how it turns out.

More on user interfaces

Carrying on from the previous post about how user interfaces have evolved, here's one that's exciting. It could mean a revolution in how we choose to look at files on the computer. I think very soon the computer will become an extension of our analog brains. We will be working with analog representations of digital processes. Starting from force feedback on your dumb joystick right up to whats there on this video; we will not just be typing on keyboards or clicking with mice, we will be working with data using interfaces through which we can touch, feel, sense, smell and taste. Being the pervert that i am, i am just imagining cyber sex five years from now. Good times are ahead.

The next wave in computing

Multi touch interface. Surface computing. Click here to see what it's all about. It's super cool if you ask me, but i'm just surprised that microsoft is behind this and not apple or google. We'll wait and see. This reminds me of the Zion control station in the matrix.

No more fingers in the trash

Brilliant design!



Click Here for more great videos and pictures!

Look ma! Translucent application windows!

Look at my desktop! Watch how the flaming, swirling colors in the Winamp vis window appear through all the other apps I'm running. The visual effect is stunning. It can amaze you, mesmerize you, confuse you and make you want to throw up, all at the same time. It's like living in the 'grass'lands baby. I love it.

I'm using DM2 for this. And it works amazingly well. It's refreshingly light, tolerably robust and ensures that you won't get bored of your desktop for a long time to come. Next, I'm trying to find a visualization plugin for Winamp5 that's easier on the CPU. Suggestions anyone?

Perseverence

This guy is crazy. How I would love to be him.

Zen and the art of attaining nirvana

This is gonna be a long and winding one, so u better sit down nice and comfy, with a cup of coffee near at hand, maybe?



I had given my Zen for service yesterday morning. And all through yesterday and today, till the moment I picked it up, I was feeling a bit jittery. Is it just me or do others also feel a sense of unease, of discomfort when their car is not in their garage or in their sight? Anyway, the dee was forcing me to meet her right after work and postpone picking up the car by a day. She tried every trick in her book. She even assumed I would succumb and be waiting for her when she got out of office. Man, was she disappointed. I'm sorry dee, this is one of the times when I stand guilty as charged, with no defense, but i really can't let it be any other way either. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever understand my crazy obsession. But the sense of relief that overcame me as soon as I saw my sweetheart standing there with the rest of her kind, spotlessly clean, smiling to me a pleasantly satisfied smile made everything worthwhile; ditching a date with the dee, paying 8000 bucks for the service, everything. The seats were not even dry after the shampoo wash. I had to drive sitting on newspaper sheets. As soon as I started her up, the response from the engine was great. Sweet and delicious. Just a contented purr. The engine tune up job seemed pretty good in idling. Put her into first gear, and the lever just slid into the notch with a reassuring click. Call me crazy and old fashioned, but what I like about the Zens of my era (1999-2002) is the degree of feedback the driver gets. From the road, on the pedals, the steering wheel, the gear lever, everything speaks to me. Some language that only I can understand. Telling me how each element is doing, and what's the general level of friendliness or grumpiness that day, so many things. In fact, I can notice the slightest drop in her power, the slightest vibration that wasn't there before, her slightest rattle, her slightest discomfiture of any sort. And i released the clutch. Smooth as silk; it immediately brought a smile on my face. The clutch overhaul (4500 bucks) had worked magic on the feel of the pedal. And when she was in motion, it was poetry. As soon as I was on the road, I noticed, the steering felt a lot smoother, the pickup was a lot higher, the engine was a lot quieter and the brakes were a lot sharper. Motoring Nirvana. She climbed so quickly through the gears. I was doing 35 kph and she hit 5th. I listened for any complaints. None at all. I further dropped the throttle, down to 30 kph, still no complaints. Then i accelerated and she instantly picked right from there, 5th! Awesome. Then I dropped her to 4th at 40 kph, and suddenly she raged forward like a leopard leaping out of the bushes for a perfect ambush. Brilliant. I could almost kiss her motor. I cruised into a quieter street and tested the work on her brakes. Not too noticeable, but the front feels better, the retardation sharper. Good enough. I pulled over to the side and called the dee. Arranged to meet her at 7.15 at the Forum, and u-turned to join the chaotic evening traffic of Bannerghatta road. The Zen was obviously enjoying her little outing after 2 days of cleaning, checkups, tune-ups and upgrades and make-up. She told me so herself. And I was at peace with the world. The traffic didn't bother me. The lane cutting cyclist didn't draw my ire. The painfully slow auto rickshaw didn't irritate me. Suddenly all was perfect. The Zen, the road, her wonderful dream of an engine, that sporty gearshift, me. All in perfect harmony, doing a choreographed sequence, all the cogs and wheels and shafts and cams, to some exotic music that only we could hear.



Life I love you, All is groovy.



PS: I took her out again at 10.15 PM to the NICE road (the stretch between Kanakapura road and Bannerghatta road, 7 km of well asphalted 6 lane highway). I wanted to time a zero-sixty but i didn't have the heart to race her motor just then. I figured she must be sleepy already, so I didn't push her. Anyway, she seemed to be happy just cruising, and she made it a point to mention it again. Very quickly, before I realized, she was sailing at 120 kph. Like knife through butter, her heart humming, the rubber sticking to the new damp tarmac, purring in the confidence of complete control.

Why Vista Sucks

E-043 Vista - Arrogance & Stupidity

"Upgrading to Windows Vista has been banned by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), technology giant Texas Instruments and other corporations and government agencies (V1, V10, V11). These organizations are evaluating their options, but overseas it's turning into a stampede to get out of Microsoft software (V15).

School districts in the U.S. are starting to move entirely to Linux rather suffer the cost of upgrading Windows. Examples are the Windsor Unified School District in Northern California and the Bexley, Ohio high school district. Schools making this move have been surprised how easy it is and how much money is saved. (V6, V8)

Leading computer maker HP is reporting "massive deals for Linux desktops" with corporate clients (V4). Runner-up computer maker and long time faithful Microsoft ally Dell has been overwhelmed by demand and has started developing Linux desktop preloads for their notebook and desktop computers (V9)."

I love as in absolutely love such articles!

That piece above was from an artcle titled Vista - Arrogance & Stupidity

Whither Infinity?

The following paradox is not my own creation. I forget where I stole it from. Nevertheless here's the deal.

What is a line?

A line is a geometric concept consisting of an arrangement of an infinite number of points. There. Infinity!



But wait. If I was to get in a car and travel in a straight line from any point A to any other point B, it would mean that I must be traveling through an infinite number of points. Or, in other words, I would be changing my location through infinite positions. Infinity, by its very nature, must ensure that I do not reach point B. Ever. I can get closer and closer to point B, but never really reach it. Rather strangely, in real life, I eventually do! So, doesn't that mean that the definition of a straight line needs alteration? A straight line is made up of only a finite number of points? No. That's clearly wrong. Because, as you zoom into the line, you will ultimately see that the finite number of points become discontinuous and hence technically do not form a line. In order to make a line that is continuous at all levels of zoom, so to speak, you do need an infinite set of points. So where does that leave us now?



I swear to God I am not on LSD.

And as a side note, when the dee and myself were a-fightin last week like them old times, she started agreeing to everything i said, just to wear down my defenses. Eventually she did and i snapped at her. I told her "Look, stop agreeing to everything I say from this moment on!"
What should she do now?
A. If she says "Ok, i shall stop agreeing", she is still agreeing, and hence actually disobeying my demand.
B. If she says "I shall never do that", it means she is going to disobey my request and continue agreeing with whatever i say, but in a way I won cos she disobeyed me by saying she would never stop agreeing with me.

Both of us took a time-out from the fight to figure out our options. And we are yet to get back to it. I love paradoxes.