http://smritiweb.com/navin Navin Kabra's blog Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:49:15 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en This is a bunch of interesting quotes I've collected over the past few months. Maybe they are connected to each other, and maybe they are not: The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent - John Maynard Keynes Source: Wikipedia. See also this relevant article, about the US government ... http://smritiweb.com/navin/miscellaneous/random-quotes-2 Superstitions evolved to help us survive according to this New Scientist article. Darwin never warned against crossing black cats, walking under ladders or stepping on cracks in the pavement, but his theory of natural selection explains why people believe in such nonsense. The tendency to falsely link cause to effect – a ... http://smritiweb.com/navin/psychology/superstitions-evolved-to-help-us-survive Some random quotes that I collected from the web: Reflecting on the misinformation, half-truths, and weasel-words that form the bulk of political-campaign speecifying, I conclude that listening to politicians' campaign speeches yields about as much information as listening to insects buzzing: in both cases you're made aware that ... http://smritiweb.com/navin/miscellaneous/random-quotes-1 Image via WikipediaThe Straight Dope tries to answer the question "How can the Chinese use computers, since their language contains so many characters?" and gives a very fascinating insight into the Chinese language: (3) Enter the syllable into the computer phonetically using Roman (i.e., our) letters. This takes up to six ... http://smritiweb.com/navin/technology/how-can-the-chinese-use-computers-since-their-language-contains-so-many-characters Howstuffworks has an interesting article on the biological and psychological differences between men and women. Some interesting excerpts: Women's tear ducts are also shaped a little differently from men's, which could be either a cause or an effect of increased crying [Source: New York Times]. In addition, people who are depressed ... http://smritiweb.com/navin/psychology/men-are-from-mars-women-are-crybabies Image via Wikipedia This is an interesting article that talks about the disadvantages of having a privileged life. It is talking about education in Ivy League schools in the US, but applies equally well to the IITs and IIMs in India. It's quite a long article, and parts of it I ... http://smritiweb.com/navin/general/the-tyranny-of-the-normal Wow. It took me over an year to "give up" my job. Around August 2006, I started thinking that I should quit my job and take some time off. It took until August 2007 to crystallize the vague thoughts that I had in my mind. And it took until December 2007 ... http://smritiweb.com/navin/general/gaurav-mishra-is-giving-away-everything-he-owns Tubelite argues that Intelligent Design (i.e. the creationists arguments against Darwinian evolution) is neither designed, nor intelligent with the following argument: Years ago, my father told me of an industrial accident he had witnessed. Someone had climbed into a reaction chamber for routine inspection during a plant shutdown, when, unknown to ... http://smritiweb.com/navin/science/intelligent-design-is-neither-designed-nor-intelligent The Onion has one more brilliant issue out that is filled with gems. Here is a selection of articles from this "obligatory" green issue that I liked: World Covers Ears, Chants Loudly As EPA Releases Ozone-Depletion Statistics 450,000 Unsold Earth Day Issues Of Time Trucked To Landfill Small, Dedicated Group Of Concerned Citizens ... http://smritiweb.com/navin/humor/the-onions-obligatory-green-issue Image by Getty Images via DaylifeHarry Potter creator J.K. Rowling talked about what failure taught her at a recent commencement address she gave in Harvard: So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that ... http://smritiweb.com/navin/miscellaneous/jk-rowling-on-the-power-of-failure