My Perspective

The best diet for those of us who wish focus on our improving health, or increasing fitness and achieving high performance is a plant based one. We just need to avoid all sources of animal protein in our diet.  Please watch

All natural sounds including animal vocalisations have distinct temporal structure consisting of individual segments with variations over time that are either slow or fast. The ability to extract, represent, and detect an acoustic feature depends on the time window used for processing the acoustic signal. A short analysis window provides higher temporal resolution while a long analysis window provides higher spectral resolution. This aspect of auditory perception is ethologically important since fast and accurate response to acoustic stimuli is critical to the survival of many animals, for instance their ability to hunt prey and avoid predators.

Have you heard of "Tragedy of the commons"? In the context of Diwali, 'Tragedy of the commons' can be interpreted as that if each person or family does what is best for themselves (bursting fire crackers) even if it is bad (pollution) for the common resources (atmosphere) then the long term outcome is degradation (air quality) of these common resources. However, supporters have argued in the Supreme court of India that bursting of fire crackers is a religious activity. Hindu light the way to heaven for the forefathers to return back. So any suggestion to the effect of avoiding fire crackers is seen as anti-Hindu religion. The only solution to this conundrum is self restraint - it is essential to preserve the air that we breathe. Don't forget the millions who died gasping for a breath of oxygen during the pandemic. Diwali is a festival of lights not sound. Avoid bursting crackers for the sake of our environment.   Happy Deepavali or Diwali!

S N Sethuram has authored couple of novels - Navalla and Dahana - apart from many short stories. He has written and directed theatre plays - Nimitta, Gathi, Atheeta, and Uchchista - as well as written the screenplay and directed few television serials - Manthana, Dibanna, and Anavarana - for which he became most famous amongst people of Karnataka state (India).  Personally, I consider Sethuram as a stalwart of Kannada literature in the 21st century. Here is why. I like the depth of human emotions that he plumbs in his works. He holds a mirror to the society in his works and makes us question our values in our life. Though all his works are in Kannada, his stories transcend cultural barriers.

My friend Sooraj (Wistler) and I have developed a simple game. We recently launched it on Android titled "Arithmagic". We also have a web version of this game. The game is played on a virtual board consisting of numbered squares arranged in a rectangular fashion (akin to a matrix) where the numbers for each square are randomly chosen single digits from 0 to 9. At the start of every turn the player is given a target number. The task is to find 3 consecutive numbered squares either horizontal, vertical or oblique such that arithmetic operations as indicated (like addition, subtraction, multiplication) applied on these three chosen numbers result in the target number while following BODMAS principle of evaluation. The task can either be timed or untimed. The difficulty of the task is titrated based on time allowed or the scarcity of attaining the target number on the given board game. The goal is to earn as many points as possible awarded based on time to completion of task a...

One of the oldest tricks in the book of a scamster is either a Ponzi scheme or a Pyramid scheme. Both are illegal in most countries but the scamsters disguise them to avoid getting caught. This video explains the difference between a Pyramid scam and a Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) scheme. MLM is legal as it is a direct marketing scheme. It also explains how to spot a pyramid scam that is disguised as a MLM scheme. Beware, if you are paying to join any Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) scheme (like Q-NET or IM academy) so that you could buy products or recruit other members in the MLM then it is a Pyramid scheme disguised as MLM scheme. Folks who recruit others in to a pyramid scheme on social media tend to say their favourite book is "Rich Dad, Poor Dad". Do not fall for this they are just priming you to believe in what they say. The only way to earn money is through hard work in creating value either in the form of a product or as a service.  

Wellcome Trust, a biomedical research charity, conducted a review of PhD training [1]. The review found certain concerns were consistently reported that included numerous self-reported incidences of poor mental health. In their survey, 45% of PhD supervisors reported an increase in the number of cases of mental health issues in PhD students. The majority of supervisors believed better access to counselling or mental health support as well as information on where to find support if needed would help address this increase in mental health problems among the student population. I have the following questions in this regard: