Feynman Quotes

Richard Feynman was an American Physicist he was a maverick scientist famous for his lectures amongst students which are now compiled as The Feynman Lectures On Physics, a three-volume set which has become a classic text.Richard Feynman was regarded as an eccentric and a free spirit. For his work on quantum electrodynamics, Feynman was a joint recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965, together with Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga.Presented here are some of his quotes which will help you get a glimpse of his genius mind and playful temprament:

Physics isn't the most important thing. Love is.

I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.

If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize.

When playing Russian roulette the fact that the first shot got off safely is little comfort for the next.

I think I can safely say that no one understands quantum mechanics.

God was invented to explain mystery. God is always invented to explain those things that you do not understand. Now, when you finally discover how something works, you get some laws which you're taking away from God; you don't need him anymore. But you need him for the other mysteries. So therefore you leave him to create the universe because we haven't figured that out yet; you need him for understanding those things which you don't believe the laws will explain, such as consciousness, or why you only live to a certain length of time — life and death — stuff like that. God is always associated with those things that you do not understand. Therefore I don't think that the laws can be considered to be like God because they have been figured out.

What I cannot create, I do not understand.

I'd hate to die twice. It's so boring.
· Last words

It is scientific only to say what is more likely and what less likely, and not to be proving all the time the possible and impossible.

I have to understand the world, you see.

All fundamental processes are reversible.

Don't worry about anything... Go out and have a good time.

It is in the admission of ignorance and the admission of uncertainty that there is a hope for the continuous motion of human beings in some direction that doesn't get confined, permanently blocked, as it has so many times before in various periods in the history of man.

Physics is like sex. Sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not why we do it.

Physics is to math what sex is to masturbation.

The wonderful thing about science is that it's alive.

We are at the very beginning of time for the human race. It is not unreasonable that we grapple with problems. But there are tens of thousands of years in the future. Our responsibility is to do what we can, learn what we can, improve the solutions, and pass them on.

Know how to solve every problem that has been solved.

The Feynman Problem-Solving Algorithm:
(1) write down the problem;
(2) think very hard;
(3) write down the answer.

Google World Domination

Think Google think search? Well you better think again, is Google only a search engine with a bare minimum webpage? Put on your goggles and visit the Google labs the next time you visit Google.
The Google lab contains software (in their beta avatar) open to public users who can download and use their software. The Labs reflect a shared ethos between Google and its users that allows for public experimentation -- and for failure. People understand that not everything Google puts on view will work perfectly. They also understand that they are part of the process: They are free to tell Google what's great, what's not, and what might work better.
Google doesn't market itself in the traditional sense. Instead, it observes, and it listens. It obsesses over search-traffic figures, and it reads its email. In fact, 10 full-time employees do nothing but read emails from users, distributing them to the appropriate colleagues or responding to them themselves. Google didn’t market itself in the traditional way all the publicity it has received has been word-of-mouth from one satisfied customer to another one. The company has maintained the same approach in launching its software one after another no great fanfare, no glitzy ads or pop-ups the products have silently been launched. (The implication of this I will discuss in another blog.)

Since 2001, Google has acquired several small start-up companies, often consisting of innovative teams and products. One of the earlier companies that Google bought was Pyra Labs. They were the creators of Blogger, a weblog publishing platform, first launched in 1999. This acquisition led to many premium features becoming free. Pyra Labs was originally formed by Evan Williams, yet he left Google in 2004. In early 2006, Google acquired Upstartle, a company responsible for the online word processor, Writely. The technology in this product was used by Google to eventually create Google Docs & Spreadsheets. In late 2006, Google bought online video site YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock. Shortly after, on October 31, 2006, Google announced that it had also acquired JotSpot, a developer of wiki technology for collaborative Web sites.

World is nothing but a playground to the mighty Google. Today, Google has its hands in web search, email, online videos, calendars, news, blogs, desktop search, photo sharing, online payments, social networking, instant messaging, WiFi, word processors, web hosting, web browser, search tool bars, spreadsheets, discussion groups, maps and more.

Some of the new technologies unveiled by Google are presented here:

A new web-based mail service called Gmail, which at launch included a gigabyte of free storage for each user.

Google SMS enables people who are away from their computers to quickly and easily get instant, accurate answers to queries (like local business listings, dictionary definitions, or product prices) through text messaging, using a cell phone or handheld device such as a BlackBerry.

Google Groups, a new version of the venerable Usenet archive of 1 billion posts on thousands of topics that Google has managed since 2001.

Google Video a new project that captures the closed-caption information on TV programming and makes it searchable.

On October 14 2004 Google released the first version of Google Desktop Search, a small free downloadable application for locating one's personal computer files (including email, work files, web history, and instant message chats) using Google-quality search.

Google announced the acquisition of Keyhole Corp., a digital and satellite image mapping company based in Google's own headquarter town, Mountain View, Calif. The acquisition gave Google users a powerful new search tool to view 3D images across earth, and the ability to tap a rich database of roads, businesses and many other points of interest. Keyhole acquisition led to create Google Earth. This technology enables users to fly through space, zooming into specific locations they choose, and seeing the real world in sharp focus.

Google Blog Search, a tool to help people find lively content as soon as it's live on blogs around the world.

Google Reader in October that helps tame the flow of blog, web page, and news subscriptions we all seem to have. The Reader is a more friendly way to gather all the data bits in one screen, and is equipped to manage several flavors of "feeds."

Music search feature that delivers a mix of information on artists, titles, links to albums, reviews and where to buy information for a wide range of musicians and performers.

Google Pack – a free collection of safe and useful software for improving the web experience.

Google Talk, a free way to actually speak to people anytime, anywhere via your computer, featuring crystal-clear voice technology, plus an instant message service; and the next generation of Google Desktop, now offering at-a-glance access to your files, email, news, photos, weather, RSS feeds, stocks and other personalized web content.

AdSense for feeds, a way for every blogger to gain ad revenue by running targeted AdSense ads within the feed. As for Blogger, we continue to develop features, including the ability to post new items and photos from anywhere – even a mobile phone.

Google Analytics, formerly known as "Urchin" measures the actual results of online ad and marketing campaigns.

Google Print now renamed Google Book Search, which may more accurately reflect how people use it. And part of Book Search is their project to scan public domain books, which Google hopes will make them much more easily accessible to a global audience of readers.

Google News and Orkut are some of the beta offerings which are currently very popular with the users.

Phew………..

Google it out

Google works almost in a clandestine manner most of its users don’t even know how Google makes money. Its secretive leadership recently came under attack after the company released its IPO bringing the shareholders in its ambit. The exact details are kept secret by Google and all that can be worked out is estimates. According to some estimates Google handles about 150 million search queries from around the world while other estimates put this number up to 200 million. The figure for revenue generation is anything between 60 million dollars to 300 million dollars. Here are some of the technologies that are used by Google in its basic structure:

Google ranks every web page using a breakthrough technique called PageRank™. PageRank evaluates all of the sites linking to a web page and assigns them a value, based in part on the sites linking to them.. By analyzing the full structure of the web, Google is able to determine which sites have been "voted" the best sources of information by those most interested in the information they offer. This technique actually improves as the web gets bigger, as each new site is another point of information and another vote to be counted. This makes it possible for Google to order its results by how many websites link to each found page.

Thousands of advertisers use Google AdWords program to promote their products and services on the web with targeted advertising, and it is believed AdWords is the largest program of its kind. In addition, thousands of web site managers take advantage of Google AdSense program to deliver ads relevant to the content on their sites, improving their ability to generate revenue and enhancing the experience for their users. Google AdSense technology analyzes the text on any given page and delivers ads that are appropriate and relevant, increasing the usefulness of the page and the likelihood that those viewing it will actually click on the advertising presented there. Using AdSense technology, Gmail was designed to deliver relevant ads adjacent to mail messages, giving recipients a way to act on this information.

Advertisers don't just pay a set rate, or even a cost per thousand viewers. They bid on the search term. The more an advertiser is willing to pay, the higher its ad will be positioned. But if the ad doesn't get clicks, its rank will decline over time, regardless of how much has been bid. If an ad is persistently irrelevant, Google will remove it: It's not working for the advertiser, it's not serving users, and it's taking up server capacity.

Google's minimalist user interface is very popular with users, and has since spawned a number of imitators. Sergey and Larry when they first started Google they had a sloppy grip on HTML; not surprisingly, the search interface they hacked up for Google.com barely contained any HTML. Google's homepage turned out to be remarkably simple. Today, simplicity has become the prevalent theme in all of the company's products. Most other search engines now replicate Google’s webpage.

Most of the time, the Google home page contains exactly 37 words. Now this is an interesting fact since a Google engineer knows that each extra element on the webpage takes extra time to load which makes the website slow and with millions of people visiting everyday the additional load on the Google servers will be tremendous.

If it takes too long to deliver results or an additional word of text on the home page is too distracting, Google risks losing people's attention. If the search results are lousy, or if they are compromised by advertising, it risks losing people's trust. Attention and trust are sacrosanct.

Google Gospel

Larry Page and Sergey Brin these were the two at Stanford pursuing their PhD’s when they met and out of shear academic curiosity build a search engine which they didn’t knew would soon take over the world.

Google is here for world domination and it has acquired that place by doing one thing extremely well: search. Google was the only industry model to show that revenues were possible from search engine and now it seems the whole Silicon Valley research is all around the word “search engine” as if it’s the surest way of winning in the mammoth maze of internet jungle. Yahoo!, MSN search, Hakia, ChaCha are just some of the about 170 search engines launched recently all with a single aim : to bring out the mighty empire of Google. Let’s explore what makes Google grow, grow, grow.

Recently, web search companies were asked by U.S. intelligence agencies to transfer private data on user searches over to them; while other web search companies concurred with them, Google saw it as evil and denied. This decision alone drove Google’s shares dwindling down several points on the NASDAQ, but Google remained true to its “Do No Evil” maxim. Google has come to be seen as a company driven not by the incentive of making money, but rather by the pursuit of knowledge through technological innovation; as a result, the company has used this justification to convince its competitors that it is not interested in defeating competition, but rather providing easier access to information for everyone, and hence making the world a better place. Google keeps its business silent and only attracts attention to the technological goodies it has brought to the masses. In fact, Google’s Machiavellian tactics have worked so well that most of its users do not even know how or if Google makes money.

The another definite thing that separates Google from other firms is its non-corporate culture and fun atmosphere which generally prevails in the company and can be seen through Google’s holiday logos and the tricks which often appear on April fool’s day. Google engineers are definitely its main asset almost all of them are PhD’s (Including its CEO Dr. Eric Schmidt) Google has an office in India in Hyderabad (I’ve seen it ;-) ) with all of its employees being IIT ian Google has not been to any other campus except the IIT’S although there were reports that it will recruit this year from other campuses too. Google has an attrition rate of almost 0%. Google News is the product of Google’s Hyderabad office.

All Google engineers are encouraged to spend 20 percent (20%) of their work time on projects that interests them. Some of Google's newer services, such as Gmail, Google News and orkut, originated from these independent endeavors.

Google proposes an almost joyous antidote to mediocrity, a model for smart innovation in challenging times. "Google engineers are people who think they are creating something that's the best in the world," says Peter Norvig, a Google engineering director. "And that product is changing people's lives."

For a large company like Google, the hierarchy within the company is quite small. Google organizes employees in teams of three to five people. Each team is self directed, while the middle managers provide the required resources to support development within the teams. As a result, Google has fashioned a powerful self-directed decentralized approach towards product development. The consequence of such an arrangement is that there is no keystone employee or manager within the company. It is almost as if the company could run on its own even if it were divided into several smaller pieces.

Now Google search takes on average 0.2 seconds to complete your search through the billions of WebPages instead of the usual 3 seconds it usually took but for a Google engineer as long as the figure is greater than zero he won’t stop working and unless your search engine gives you the perfect answer to your query he won’t stop and Google won’t stop the company is poised for world domination and if the current pace continues nobody can stop it.

Words to live by

The only thing that destroys your natural capacity of rejoicing is your desiring mind. The desiring mind makes you a beggar. Once all desires are dropped you are an emperor. Joy is the natural capacity of your being.

Just let there be no desire and see. When there is no desire there is no mind. When there is no desire there is no turmoil. When there is no desire there is no past no future. When there is no desire you are utterly contained here now and to be contained here now is joy.

And whenever such a man moves wherever he moves he brings his climate with him.

Saw a movie just now

Just went in to “see” I see U alone! I coaxed and pleaded everyone if only I could find a partner to this movie but it was all in vain finally I could hold the desire no longer in my heart and darted alone. I could only “see” 3 people across the whole length and breadth of the seating matrix. I quietly took a seat strategically placed to have the best view of the screen. It was only after a short educational film, two movie promos, a Zen and a Pepsi ad later that people started coming in, I saw one of my ex-classmate walk in with her parents. My worst fears came true, all but one thought had prevented me from seeing the movie alone - what if an acquaintance sees me? Will he/she mock me? Or will he pity me?

The horrors came alive then but I kept a low profile and I think all-in-all I wasn’t noticed anyway but that’s quite improbable considering the 6’3” frame I live in but to keep it easy let’s assume no-one noticed and even if I was noticed I really don’t care.

OK if you have read so far its quite probable that you want to hear about the movie rather then swallow all the incessant babble of my mind. The movie well I kinda enjoyed it, did had the element of surprise in it. Arjun Rampal (as Raj) doesn’t disappoint you. The movie is entirely based in London (reminds me of Naina) Chunky Pandey, Boman Irani have done a fine job and don’t let u down. There’s NO Mahesh Bhatt type cheapness in the movie so you can watch it comfortably. Guess what the movie’s dress designers had almost a no-show the heroine wears the same outfit thought the movie!!!! (you can read that line again if are in a state of disbelief) and Arjun Rampal is quite comfortable in his jeans-top outfit in every frame. Well it’s nothing more than a “time pass” don’t expect much from the movie and chances are you won’t be disappointed much.

P.S. in case you didn't notice this was not a movie review.

NOTICE

This is to formally state that this Blog contains personal opinions and views they are in no way endorsed by any organization or authority neither do they represent the same. If you are personally hurt by any statement made by the author you are entitled to bring it to his notice. All the photos in this Blog have been downloaded from the internet if you own the copyright and would like me to remove the same you may bring it to my notice. This blog does not in any way earn in any manner.

UPTU: Initial Impressions

I never thought of my school - CMS Gomtinagar (ICSC/ISC) highly until (I repeat) until I joined my college GALGOTIA’S COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY it was but for the quality of the minds at the college which made me think like this. In my school kids were basically from pretty good families and wre quite intelligent that really made school filled with spectrum of children, there was variety --some were good in something others were good in something else and yes there good-for-nothing folks too which kept the environment very alive. Now I find my batch mates going places, people are in DU, IIT, NIT, Singapore, Oxford, NIFT, LAW colleges’ et al which really sums up the vibes at school.

You had every kind of person to interact with; the place did give you glimpses of human potential. Winners in different international and national competitions were almost keeping you on the edge. We had scientists, actors, debaters, dancers, singers, sportsmen all giving you a paranomic view of life. But life here in college is very different we have people which I find more or less photocopy of each other, just one mind repeated over and over again.

I can’t find dreamers here, people who THINK (thinking big and different is expecting a bit too much). People here definitely work very hard they sweat and toil but that spark of intelligence is missing. People have minds but that is all too mechanized the one I call "UP BOARD mind". I find myself knee-deep in the same shit, the devil is here in a different face they call it UPTU.

You need not be a rocket scientist to find the loop-holes in UPTU all you need to be is an outsider, the course, the syllabi, the exams all structured to feed a mediocre mind now don’t blame me if I face difficulties in coping this so-called “mediocre syllabi” . But look at UPTU books all designed to help you pass the semester examination, teachers all teaching for the same semester exam, all students studying only for the examination they might pass all their eight semesters with super marks but in the end do they really know their branch? Have they really studied from the books which introduce them to the topic and tell you about it and lead you through it?

Even my boards book were way too cool -they were bright and cheerful (read colorful and full of illustrations) we did study for boards only but the books made understanding a pleasant experience. I may be wrong but this is how I feel.

Product Review: Motorola V3i RAZR

Nokia is passé now everyone has it and for some unknown reasons me and Nokia don’t share amicable relationship so after using Panasonic, Ericsson and finally Sony-Ericsson phones I was in for Motorola and its ultimate sleek product “V3i RAZR” .The phone didn’t fire a hole in my pocket with just about 10,850 bugs but the features measure up to it.

I really live this phone given the features it provides. Here take a look I got a leather case, 256 MB memory card, USB cable, headphones all FREE with the set. Unfortunately the cheaper set now (which stands at 9,499 I guess) doesn’t give you free leather jacket and gives only 128 MB card. The phone has a pretty big screen and also a good quality video and still image transmission which makes image and video viewing a pleasant experience. I have seen quality of transmission of other phones and I was pleased to find its quality better than others even N70.

CAMERA: It gives you 1.3 mega pixel camera which is definitely up to the mark the only shot in the arm is it doesn’t give you flash and pretty cool frames. It only matters little given I have been doubling my phone as a digi-cam clicking day and night and now I have pretty cool collection to put them on the internet and thanks to Motorola viewing those pics on the phone itself doesn’t hurt .

MUSIC: With Nokia and Sony Ericsson aggressively selling phones doubling as an i-pod RAZR doesn’t disappoint u here. 256 MB memory card is enough for 50-60 songs which u can listen on your free head phones. OK u can’t really compare it to an i-pod but certainly it will quench your thirst for music.

LOOKS: Baby even DON has it then who says phone doesn’t have style? The phone definitely amplifies POWER for it clearly gives an impression of a no-nonsense person and it does attract attention for it’s the cynosure of all eyes – take my word for it!!!

DOWNSIDE: Bluetooth transmission Nokia is a clear winner here for while transmitting a song via Bluetooth through Motorola you can catch a nap and still find the transmission in progress I really wish Motorola to improve upon this one and also the phone doesn’t have a radio which hurts.

Finally as an owner and a proud one I would strongly recommend this phone if you are buying this one for this phone will certainly not disappoint you.