tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149602012024-03-13T08:02:46.736+05:30talonx's writingsOn my love affair with books, science fiction, and the cosmos.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-79117789068727043082010-06-12T22:56:00.002+05:302010-06-12T22:58:02.974+05:30Bye Bye Blogspot<font face="arial">Moved this blog to my own domain - <a href="http://talonx.deepinspace.net/">http://talonx.deepinspace.net/</a>. My tech blog was already there - <a href="http://code.deepinspace.net/">http://code.deepinspace.net</a>. Have imported all Blogger posts there.</font>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-71260968699022594742010-04-27T20:08:00.007+05:302010-04-27T20:17:03.511+05:30Running Plan 2010<span style="font-family:arial;">Have been following a getting-back-to-running-and-beyond plan for this year. Here it is</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tYddwvThoWTS_-E-lo2iNCQ&single=true&gid=0&output=html">http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tYddwvThoWTS_-E-lo2iNCQ&single=true&gid=0&output=html</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It does not include the details, just the outline. The initial months are the toughest, and the most fun. That's when you have to go slow to build your aerobic base (A nice writeup on aerobic base building is </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.lifeorganizers.com/fit/index.php/2008/09/23/how-do-i-build-a-strong-aerobic-base/">here</a><span style="font-family:arial;">). The Garmin Forerunner 305 I bought recently has been helpful in this - beeping faithfully whenever I cross 155 bpm. This is also fun since the runs are slow and easy, and you don't feel worn out or breathless even on the long ones</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I've found </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.dailymile.com/people/talonx#ref=tophd">http://www.dailymile.com/</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> to be a good site to track progress. It does not have many features like other running log sites, but I like its look and ease of use. And it has Garmin integration.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-45922674988156781712010-02-27T11:28:00.001+05:302010-02-27T11:29:41.292+05:30Yes, I am back to running.<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Running is primal.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Running is elemental.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Running is Tiring.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Running is Exhilarating.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Running is Painful.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Running is Ecstasy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Running Makes you float.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Running is Part of your being.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Running is Pounding your body.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Running is Controlling your mind.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Running is Getting sweaty and filthy and covered in salt.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Running is Cleansing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Running is A Solo effort.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Running is Dissolving yourself in the cheers of the crowd at the marathon.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-25392136559652926782009-08-24T20:44:00.002+05:302009-08-24T20:45:58.114+05:30Book Review: River of Gods<span style="font-family:arial;">Another guest post at pustakam - <a href="http://pustakam.net/?p=1864">http://pustakam.net/?p=1864</a>. This is a book I had bought some years back and finally got around to reading.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-66364721047094365002009-07-23T21:40:00.003+05:302009-07-23T21:43:40.778+05:30<span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >I finally watched the new Star Trek movie last Saturday.<br /><br />These were my expectations<br /></span><ul><li><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Less comic relief<br /></span></li><li><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Less Hollywood 'science' and heroics</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Something along the standards of what Christopher Nolan did in The Dark Knight</span></li></ul><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /> I was expecting too much. The less said the better, but these were the things that jarred me (bulletpointing makes things clearer and more concise, so)<br /></span><ul><li><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >A Turbo lift where buttons are pressed (whatever happened to the voice commands?)</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Tricorders that look like extra-slim cellphones. This is accentuated when the crew start speaking <span style="font-style: italic;">into</span> the tricorder instead of doing the comm-badge-slap-and-speak thing.</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >The new look comm badges. They do not look sleek. They look like misshapen blobs when seen from any distance greater than 30 cms.</span></li></ul><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >This is what Carl Sagan had to say about Star Trek (in Broca's Brain) -<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">'In a future in which interstellar travel is common, the ships officers are embarrassingly Anglo-American.'</span><br /><br /> This is no longer the case with recent series and this movie, but the latter gets a thumbs down as far as female portrayal is concerned. The sole role of Lt. Uhura in this movie seems to be to fulfill the hot chick routine and kiss Spock from time to time.<br /><br /> Come to think of it, the only Star Trek series starring a female captain is ST:Voyager.<br /><br /> Overall, a distinctly odd Trekexperience.<br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-4759934937089305292009-05-23T22:51:00.005+05:302009-05-23T23:23:09.210+05:30My first guest post<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">My first guest post on another blog -</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://pustakam.net/?p=1021" target="_blank">http://pustakam.net/?p=1021</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It's a popular blog about books and bibliophiles - mostly written in Telugu, but sometimes in English also.<br /><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-9767591992811686252009-02-11T08:50:00.013+05:302009-02-17T23:15:35.172+05:30An untitled post.<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I just realized that I buy very little science fiction these days, and read even less. Whatever I buy now are books I really want (rather than buy it because 'it's there' and going for a discount!). These are mostly authors like Gibson, Neal Asher, Robert Reed and the rising wave of Indian sf in English represented by works such as </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.priyawriting.com/">Priya Sarukkai Chabria</a><span style="font-family:arial;">'s Generation 14 and </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://marginalien.blogspot.com/">Manjula Padmanabhan</a><span style="font-family:arial;">'s Escape. The reason I read less sf is because I read other stuff more now, and there are only 24 hours in a day. I am rereading some of my favourite sf classics, and will probably write about them sometime.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Listened to an audiobook called 'Letting Go of God' by the delightful </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Sweeney">Julia Sweeney</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. It's also a <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/julia_sweeney_on_letting_go_of_god.html">TED</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> lecture and available on </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=371164303811205573">Google video</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. She is simple, straightforward, sincere and a joy to listen to as she recounts her early religious upbringing and the events that led her to realize that there is no evidence for a creator, and no need for one.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">On the running front, the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://talonx.blogspot.com/2008/11/to-run-or-not-to-run.html">ITBS</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> is better. As I read that post now, I can't help but laugh at myself. 6 days to fix ITBS? :)). Got diagnosed with a stress fracture last week though, on my left leg, which will take atleast 2 months to heal. Of course - no running till then.</span><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-66396839531104595092009-01-19T22:01:00.000+05:302009-01-18T14:42:49.681+05:30Tagged<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">It has been almost a month since my friend </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://indiascifiarvind.blogspot.com/">Arvind Mishra</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, an sf writer, tagged me in this </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://indiascifiarvind.blogspot.com/2008/12/5-56-meme-what-is-it-any-way.html">post</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The meme is to choose ten sf books of your choice and just scribble down the fifth sentence on page 56 of all of them and then invite your friends in turn to guess the books where these extracts are selected from. And then declare the answers. (You can choose non-sf books also, but I have chosen only sf - these are among my most well-liked sf works of all time).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Warning : Answers are just below the list.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here goes (some of the sentences are really vague!)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1. With a little skill and care there were few items that could not be tackled safely; the only things banned were hot soups and excessively crumbly pastries.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2. "If this is true, then the Straumers may have a chance."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3. The nervousness that Stormgren had first felt had long since passed away.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">4. "I do not quite follow you."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">5. "What?", Lvov tried to focus."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">6. Their clothes were not particularly revealing, he noted regretfully, and not one had any sign of décolleté, although some dresses seemed to designed to emphasize the buttocks.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">7. A quick punch was all it took.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">8. "I helped to do it, even."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">9. "This way is much better," Leroux said, touching her skin delicately, poking under her cheeks and chin, pulling back her hair to feel her temples. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">10. "But that's the point: it's not right, Captain," Renner protested.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">......</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">......</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">......</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">......</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">......</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Answers:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1. 2001 A Space Odyssey - Arthur C. Clarke</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2. A Fire upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3. Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">4. Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">5. Vacuum Diagrams - Stephen Baxter (Short story - Gossamer)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">6. Prelude to Foundation - Isaac Asimov</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">7. Grass - Sherri S. Tepper</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">8. Distraction - Bruce Sterling</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">9. The Collected Stories of Greg Bear - Greg Bear (Short story - Sisters)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">10. The Mote in God's Eye - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle</span><br /><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-79849962472136973592008-12-07T22:13:00.001+05:302008-12-07T22:13:55.273+05:30Healing<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;">I want to share a link on why running the Pune international marathon is not a good idea - the author of the original message never says that, but I am saying it based on what he has mentioned.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" title="http://groups.google.com/group/runnersforlife-bangalore/browse_thread/thread/6f78e943a7618f60#" target="_blank" href="http://groups.google.com/group/runnersforlife-bangalore/browse_thread/thread/6f78e943a7618f60#" id="sicw">http://groups.google.com/group/runnersforlife-bangalore/browse_thread/thread/6f78e943a7618f60#</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> I am undergoing physiotherapy sessions for my shin splint. My target of running 3 half marathons in a month is still unfulfilled, but the glow in which I was after finishing the Ultra is still there. Doctor's orders now are not to run for atleast 6 weeks, and after that "let's see". </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> It's only ice packs, lower leg exercises, foam rollers now. Feeling the goose pimples while watching running movies. Digging out distance running videos on Youtube. And waiting for the day when I can lace up my running shoes again. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Somebody said the best cure for running injuries is patience.</span><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-47945756651176814272008-11-23T23:48:00.006+05:302008-11-24T10:20:46.939+05:30To Run Or Not To Run<span style="font-family:arial;">My running season this year started with the Delhi Half Marathon. It was almost sabotaged by a viral infection. I was on antibiotics till the day of the run. But by then I was feeling much better thanks to the ENT specialist I paid a visit to. Nothing like getting advice from your doctor to 'definitely carry on running'. He wished me luck for the run, which boosted my morale a lot. I'm sure runners who have not been able to run due to injury or illness know what I mean. The weeks before that were sort of depressing, with uncertainty nagging at every point. I was not able to train for a couple of weeks.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">The Delhi run went well. I clocked 02:11:28, my best time for 21k. One week after that I had the Bangalore Ultra Marathon. It had 25/50/75/100k editions, and more if you want to run. Yes, it was not the usual marathon (we have so less of them in India). Organized by </span><a style="font-family: arial;" title="Runners for Life" href="http://www.runnersforlife.com/" id="b98h">Runners for Life</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, it was the most perfectly managed running event I have been in till now. The reason? The organizers were runners themselves. Unlike Mumbai (which is still the best organized among the 'normal' marathons in India) and Delhi, the focus was on runners' needs and fun rather than media attention and keeping the sponsors happy. The RFL guys really understand what running is about. I had a lot of fun, plus it was my longest run till date. I registered for the 25k, and ended up changing it to 50k. I did complete 50k, although I had to completely walk the last lap of 12.5k due to knee pain. Still, 50k - Whoo! The distance is still unfathomable for me. I cannot visualize it like I can for 21 (which is essentially 2 rounds around the Hussain Sagar lake, plus 2 k). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The target this month was (and still is) to complete 3 half marathons. One of them is over, one of turned out to be more, and the last one is next Sunday, here in Hyderabad. The </span><a style="font-family: arial;" title="Hyderabad 21k" href="http://www.hyderabad10k.com/" id="o94n">Hyderabad 21k</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> is still not very well organized even after all these years - but I hope this time they will do better. It's like running in your own backyard, so I'm not much bothered.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My problems started today when I went for a run in the morning to see how much I have healed post-Ultra. After 2k both my knees started paining to the point where I had to stop. It was not the usual kneecap pain - it was lateral - along the side of the knee. Some research later, it seems that I have another common running injury - ITBS - Iliotibial Band Syndrome. Have been trying out ice packs and some recommended stretching exercises. Let's see if it gets better in the 6 days left for the half marathon. If it doesn't, well, :(</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My mantra right now is a marathon runner's words - </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional</i><span style="font-family:arial;">. (Haruki Murakami quotes this in his book 'What I talk about when I talk about Running'.)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-80432626170662397512008-10-28T09:01:00.007+05:302008-10-31T22:39:10.160+05:30Morgen Ramble<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">It's 0903 hours, and the morning's still surprisingly quiet. I'm trying to get some things done before the mindless noise and pollution of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali">Diwali</a> starts hitting the senses. I've been nursing a viral infection for a week now, the worst effect of it being me not being able to run with 2 half marathons scheduled just 10 days from now. The old bod's going to be under some strain getting up to speed. Today morning I </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >am</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> feeling much better, but some new viruses have apparently decided to settle in and give me a runny nose. Considering the thumb rule that it's ok to run if the illness is above the neck, that's an improvement.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">If you're into running, and in India, check this out -<br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.runnersforlife.com/">http://www.runnersforlife.com/</a><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Update : Paid a visit to an ENT specialist, which resulted in another lineup of antibiotics. He also gave me explicit permission to run (Yay! not that I would not have run anyway), provided it's not in the fog :D</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-92213002035931750672008-08-09T22:50:00.003+05:302008-08-09T22:53:07.448+05:30On rewatching a movie<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Every time you watch a seminal movie you have watched earlier, the experience is different. You already know what's coming in a particular scene. That gives you the liberty of focusing on things you never noticed in the earlier viewings.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> You finally understand that mumbled dialogue.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> You finally see how much attention has been paid to detail in the story. And how much attention has been paid to rendering that detail in the movie.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> Or you can just focus on the soundtrack, and notice how it complements the story. Keeps the script on its toes.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> You can savour the scenes you like again and again. Brace yourself for the thrill.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">You can look forward to feeling the goose pimples again as he gets ready to jump from a Hong Kong highrise, and soar like a, yes, bat.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">:D</span><br /><br /><i style="font-family: arial;" id="adhg">Seminal (adj): Containing seeds of later development.</i><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> That's what it promises.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> I won't write a review. I am sure there are a lot of them out there. I would suggest you read <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></span><a style="font-family: arial;" title="Samit Basu's thoughts" target="_blank" href="http://samitbasu.com/2008/07/28/dk/" id="ye3u">Samit Basu's thoughts</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> for a wider perspective.</span><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-87054409979309261752008-07-19T21:38:00.000+05:302008-07-19T21:39:36.833+05:30<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I just watched The Dark Knight.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-19892890305436181272008-06-08T18:02:00.003+05:302008-06-08T18:05:48.541+05:30Wondering about stuff<span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><b id="a6v30" style="font-family:arial;"><i id="a6v31"><span id="aoip">You were made and set here to give voice to this, your own astonishment - Anne Dillard.</span></i></b><br /><br /><span id="n_gn"><a href="http://www.anniedillard.com/">Anne Dillard</a> is an American writer. This is the first time that I had heard of her, when I came across the above quote in this </span><a title="A Guide to Writing Well - will open in a new window" target="_blank" href="http://www.fireandknowledge.org/archives/2007/01/08/a-guide-to-writing-well/" id="eh2g">blog entry</a><span id="i3gv"> about how to write well.</span><br /><br /><span id="xb03">Here are a few things that have made me wonder recently. Not astonished or feeling the sense of wonder that any SF reader would feel, but plain wondering about something. I feel that Anne Dillard meant it in the former sense.</span><br /></span><div style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" id="jfg7" > <ul id="tmbx0"><li id="tmbx1"><span id="ire7" style="font-size:100%;">The paper coffee cups in my office have the following printed on the bottom - 'Empty Cup' manufactured by 'Imaginative Flexipacks Ltd, New Delhi'. </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Why make it explicit that the contents of the cup are not the cup maker's responsibility? So that no liabilities arise for him if the content in the cup is undrinkable? But what if hot coffee spills on your lap - whose fault is it then, yours or 'Imaginative Flexipacks' for not making the cup spill proof?<br /></span> </li></ul> </div> <div style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" id="a5y1"><ul id="tmbx2"><li id="tmbx3">I got a <a title="Wikipedia entry - will open in a new window" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi" id="qljd">Holi</a> ecard from a person whose acquaintance I had made over the internet some weeks back. He happens to be a good science fiction writer, among other things. The text on the ecard was this -<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />May your life be coloured with the colours of joy, friendship, fun, love and happiness.<br /></span> </li></ul> <span id="whvc" style="font-size:100%;"> Its true not only for this card, but when you read these words after removing all biases like 'Yes I've seen this before, its a cliche', and really see what the words mean, its a completely different and wonderful realization. No I am not getting old and sentimental.<br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span> <ul style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" id="etyt0" ><li id="etyt1"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span id="kc0-">Nicholas Boothman, in his book </span><a title="Amazon link - will open in new window" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-People-Like-Seconds-Less/dp/076111940X" id="c8bg">How to Make People like you in 90 Seconds or Less</a><span id="w0q:">, says that parents the world over hold their child in the same position - on the crook of their left arm, and the right hand covering the child, holding it close to one's heart, which is supposedly on the left side of the body. I wonder what left handed parents do?</span></span></li></ul> <span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><span id="p6yq"></span><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-22016192118026598932008-06-01T18:46:00.003+05:302008-06-01T18:51:14.582+05:30Indian SF stories<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Dr. Arvind Mishra </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://indiascifiarvind.blogspot.com/2008/06/those-first-indian-sf-stories.html">writes about the first SF stories in India</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It would be a good idea to construct a timeline for this subject. A database that would have a comprehensive list of such stories in regional Indian languages for those early years. Articles get published every now and then on this - it would be great if the data in them could be aggregated.</span><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-27787865187890928312008-02-04T22:19:00.000+05:302008-02-04T22:20:51.907+05:30The Man from Earth<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Why is the movie '</span><a style="font-family: arial;" title="The Man from Earth" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0756683/" id="u_gm">The Man from Earth</a><span style="font-family:arial;">' named liked it is? If you can figure it out after watching it you are smarter than I am. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> It is about a university professor who claims to be 14000 years old, practically immortal. The movie picks up when he's about to leave his job for another so that people don't start wondering why he does not grow old. The rest of the movie is made up of the conversation between him and his colleagues at his farewell party. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />There is no passion, no great revelations, a cliched view of world history, a single attempt at jolting Christian audiences. It's a very short movie. Not in length but in content. Minimalist is the word. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> I liked </span><a style="font-family: arial;" title="K-Pax" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0272152/" id="dblc">K-Pax</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> better. If you're thinking what these two movies have in common, it's the nature of the ending.</span><br /><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-90718795240612130372007-12-16T20:13:00.000+05:302007-12-16T20:24:51.287+05:30Book Fair acquisitions<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Picked up the following at the annual Hyderabad Book Fair -</span><br /></span><ul style="font-family:arial;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Early-India-Origins-AD-1300/dp/0520242254">The Penguin History of Early India - Romila Thapar</a><br /></span></li><li><a href="http://www.popularprakashan.com/Showbook.asp?bookid=282"><span style="font-size:100%;">Indian Muslims - Where have they gone wrong? - Rafiq Zakaria</span></a></li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Godel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567"><span style="font-size:100%;">Godel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter</span></a></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Mostly Magic - A collection of children's stories - yet another of those books which you have to buy just because they are so beautifully made.</span></li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/BATMAN-KNIGHTFALL-Bantam-Spectra-Book/dp/0553096737"><span style="font-size:100%;">Batman - Knightfall - Dennis O'Neil</span></a></li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/John-Varley-Reader/dp/0441011950"><span style="font-size:100%;">The John Varley Reader</span></a></li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/30th-Anniversary-Science-Fiction-Antholgy/dp/0756401372"><span style="font-size:100%;">DAW 30th Anniversary Science Fiction anthology</span></a></li><li><a href="http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=VPJ7jqVSl34C&dq=early+novels+in+india+meenakshi+mukherjee&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=3I-ypstBEG&sig=l9mFMWZSnW1XNDg2mmMa4FX_18U"><span style="font-size:100%;">Early Novels in India - Meenakshi Mukherjee</span></a></li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Intersections-Sycamore-Anthology-John-Kessel/dp/0312863845"><span style="font-size:100%;">Intersections - The Sycamore Hill (SF) Anthology</span></a></li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Martian-Tales-Trilogy-Edgar-Burroughs/dp/076075585X"><span style="font-size:100%;">The Martian Tales Trilogy - Edgar Rice Burroughs</span></a></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">The Mind Map Book - Tom and Barry Buzan</span></li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Asimovs-Guide-Science-Isaac-Asimov/dp/0465004733"><span style="font-size:100%;">Asimov's New Guide to Science</span></a></li><li><a href="http://www.indiaclub.com/Shop/SearchResults.asp?ProdStock=19473"><span style="font-size:100%;">India : Historical Beginnings and the Concept of the Aryan</span></a></li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/India-Al-Biruni-Ahmad-Qeyamuddin/dp/8123702892"><span style="font-size:100%;">India by Al-Biruni - Ed Qeyamuddin Ahmed</span></a></li></ul>Fruitful visits, I would say :D.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-31652074847652745422007-12-11T22:03:00.000+05:302007-12-11T22:14:28.183+05:30After watching Star Trek Voyager Seasons 1 - 4 continously over a period of weeks...<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">...I've decided that the album I'm going to release if I ever become a DJ would have tracks with the following names</span><br /></span><ul style="font-family:arial;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Energize!</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">How do you know that? We Are Borg!</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Akuchi Moya - the midnight remix</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Warp 8, Mr Paris.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Modular bipolar cellular protobionic alphanumeric hemispherical cortical encapsulator. In other words, your head.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">M-Class (M-Class, M-Class, M-Class goes the chorus)<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Ridged forehead fetish<br /></span></li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-47067449559120625962007-12-08T13:11:00.000+05:302007-12-08T13:32:57.319+05:30Indian Science Fiction, this week<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">To start with, the Indian Association of Science Fiction Studies' annual conference starts tomorrow, 9th and goes on to the next day 10th, in Pondicherry, India.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.tehelka.com/">Tehelka</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> has a </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://tehelka.com/story_main36.asp?filename=hub081207udankhatola.asp">story</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> on Indian science fiction in regional languages. The same issue also </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.tehelka.com/story_main36.asp?filename=hub151207firstlook_literature.asp">mentions </a><span style="font-family:arial;">writer </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://users.rcn.com/singhvan/">Vandana Singh</a><span style="font-family:arial;">'s upcoming book, </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://posterwomen.org/zubaan_books_details.asp?BookID=117">The Woman Who Thought She was a Planet</a><span style="font-family:arial;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">A </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article2961480.ece">snippet</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> from the UK Times Online where </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Aldiss">Brian Aldiss</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> shares a little bit of history explaining why </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman_rushdie">Salman Rushdie</a><span style="font-family:arial;">'s </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Grimus-Novel-Modern-Library-Paperbacks/dp/0812969995">Grimus</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> was withdrawn from the nominations for a science fiction award (which one, I wonder?).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Personally, I got a copy of an old Hindi movie called '</span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155370/">Wahan Ke Log</a><span style="font-family:arial;">'. The title literally translates as 'The People from There'. Haven't watched it yet, but the cover says 'Were they really from Mars?', complete with saucer shaped UFOs and a dial-and-button console.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">All of you have a nice weekend, too.</span><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-83641251595589268952007-10-13T22:00:00.000+05:302007-10-13T22:11:34.085+05:30Mindmapping Books<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_Mapping">Mind Mapping</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> is a visual modelling concept where related ideas and tasks are arranged around a central idea.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">I often come across people talking about using mindmaps for the books they read. It makes more sense for non fiction books of course, and is a great way to summarize the book. The summarization can be done to any level of detail - the more fine grained you are, the more nodes your mind map will have.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I tried it on a book I read recently - Edward Luce's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spite-Gods-Strange-Modern-India/dp/0316729817">In Spite of the Gods</a>. I did not have the patience to go to a very fine level of detail, so it's very very brief. Nevertheless, creating one is a good way to keep the central ideas of the book in focus.<br /><br /><br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVhPXF145UOBH8jNW02zOPtQntimsem4NBPlTXEIXDWrT0gwLgVsDoF1O9EP-3e0IGdykrMSbPjXJAFN6GPusG25gzffSDVIDX6GY82d00uw0EMLjr3SJO86NxuCiBN_rF9YrP9A/s1600-h/in_spite_of_the_gods_mm.PNG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVhPXF145UOBH8jNW02zOPtQntimsem4NBPlTXEIXDWrT0gwLgVsDoF1O9EP-3e0IGdykrMSbPjXJAFN6GPusG25gzffSDVIDX6GY82d00uw0EMLjr3SJO86NxuCiBN_rF9YrP9A/s320/in_spite_of_the_gods_mm.PNG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5120861381127862866" border="0" /></a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-27022457814500174292007-08-11T18:49:00.000+05:302007-08-13T07:15:23.725+05:30Update<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Buying books from discarded/used book sales has the drawback of the buyer being at the receiving end of the decision of what he or she can buy, and the advantage of buying a lot of books. Buying new books from bookstores has the drawback of having to shell out quite a lot of money for a book, and the advantage of the grand feeling of possessing a brand, shiny book you want immediately, among other things.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My recent buying trend has seen an increase in buying a lot from bookstores, of course whenever I can spare the money. For certain books the reasons are manifold - I would rather possess and read them now than wait for 5 years in the hope of it turning up in some used book sale. And new books feeeeel good :D</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://waldenindia.com/">Walden</a> (a well stocked bookstore in Hyderabad) had this anniversary sale recently - the discounts didn't go beyond 15%, but I did pick up</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Bollywood-History-Mihir-Bose/dp/0752428357/ref=sr_1_1/105-4434123-6479612?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186839098&sr=8-1">Bollywood - A history - by Mihir Bose</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. This one saddened and irritated me. It is really well researched, but the loads and loads of spelling and grammar mistakes take your attention off the content. Commas seem to be having a field day, while fullstops are an endangered species. True, books printed in India do look better than they used to 10 years back if you look at the glitzy jackets and binding. What has deteriorated (yes) is the quality of editing. I say this at the risk of being accused of sweeping generalizations. It only takes a few rotten apples. As I </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://talonx.blogspot.com/2007/04/diversity.html">mentioned </a><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://talonx.blogspot.com/2007/04/diversity.html">before</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, even young readers' books suffer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">and, </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Nyagrodha-Kalpish/dp/0670049697/ref=sr_1_1/105-4434123-6479612?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186839244&sr=8-1">Nyagrodha - by Kalpish Ratna</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. I always wondered who Kalpish Ratna was, having seen it on some book spine in some bookshop - the name sounded like it could belong to an ancient Indian philosopher.</span><span style="font-family:arial;">Here's the funda from the back flap of the book jacket - <blockquote>"Ishrat Syed and Kalpana Swaminathan write together as Kalpish Ratna, a near anagram of their names. The pseudonym translates, in a piquant meld of Persian and Sanskrit, as 'the pleasures of imagination.'"</blockquote></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Idea-India-Sunil-Khilnani/dp/0141014261/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-4434123-6479612?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186935587&sr=8-1">The Idea of India</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/India-Unbound-Revolution-Independence-Information/dp/0385720742/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-4434123-6479612?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186935624&sr=1-1">India Unbound</a> - both at the Calcutta airport - I bought the second one because the first one got me interested enough in the rise of the Indian economy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And finally, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shanku-Samagra-Satyajit-Ray/dp/8177562320/ref=sr_1_1/105-4434123-6479612?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;amp;amp;s=books&qid=1186837697&sr=1-1">Shonkushomogro</a> - the complete collection of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor_Shanku">Professor Shonku</a> stories (in the original Bengali) - the enigmatic scientist character created by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyajit_Ray">Satyajit Ray</a>.<br /><br /><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-46480936077398347852007-07-12T23:01:00.000+05:302007-07-13T12:44:56.678+05:30The joys of book shopping in Hyderabad<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Just opposite my office building M.R. Book Stall have set up one of their monthly marathon sales. About twice every day (ok, not so often these days) I go and stand and look out of the darkened glass wall of my office. BOOK SALE. It says in huge red letters.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Let me describe this marathon sale phenomenon in more detail. (Marathon is a term applied by yours truly, perhaps more aptly suited to the way some people go to such sales and buy books rather than to the sale itself). There are some booksellers here in Hyderabad who specialize in old/discarded/surplus/used/new books of all sorts. They have a number of branches throughout the city. The most well known are Best Bookstore and M.R. Book Stall. From time to time they set up camp in some old unfinished building in some corner of the city. Rows and rows of shelves, still unorganized if you land up there on the first week, tarpaulin covered tables of book piles. If you peek under the tarpaulin you'll find more unopened boxes. After it's organized and if you are a bibliophile, you just need to go with a gunny sack, identify your shelves (for me it's sf) and fill your sack.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Prices mostly range from Rs. 30-50 for paperbacks. Rs. 60-120 for hardcovers. If they know something is sought-after (they sometimes do) they'll automatically ramp up the price. Of course old timers get additional discounts :D</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />These guys also have their permanent stores. After the initial visits to these, during which you'll probably try to soak it all up, you need to be either lucky or be a frequent visitor to pick up that rare first edition or that space opera by the Thai sf author you never thought you'd find so easily. There's no lack of collectors.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It's monsoon now, so the <a href="http://www.fullhyderabad.com/scripts/profiles.php3?section=BookStores&name=Sunday+Book+Bazar+%28Abids%29">Sunday book market at Abids</a> is a little dampened, but not so much. It's entirely on the footpaths, beginning from the Abid's bus stop till MPM Mall, and the road running perpendicular to it as well. Abids has it's own charm. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Of course apart from these there are the big glitzy bookstores. But that's another story.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-9597274853698351652007-07-07T00:01:00.000+05:302007-07-07T21:25:24.247+05:30Arrival and a doubt<span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115571/">The Arrival (1996)</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> is a fast paced alien invasion movie.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It does not have presidents preaching patriotic feelgood early in the morning, no laser beams causing widespread mayhem, no tentacled monsters.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It does have conspiracy, complete with men in black (actually gray overalls), black speakers going bdddrrrrrp in an observatory, huge radio antenna arrays, a geeky astronomer not afraid to follow his instincts and a satisfying ending.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It is midway between two extremes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">What would I personally like an alien invasion movie to be like? Quiet </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >real</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> terror mixed with the paranoia of Philip K Dick novels, real hard-sf technology - no blinking-lights-ray-guns, and a potent dose of wonder, all splashed on a canvas of a start studded night sky. A galaxy spanning plot.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Zane Zaminski (played by Charlie Sheen) has this uncanny resemblance to Dr. Freeman of the famed game </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life">Half-Life</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, but the situations don't really match much.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">A thought on the aliens' structure. They are humanoid, but their knees bend the other way. Like kangaroos. Like all quadrupeds. The hind legs of a kangaroo or a cheetah are extremely powerful. For running, while catching prey or while avoiding being caught as one. That's how they have evolved. Which brings me to my question. Let's forget about the scientific validity of the movie for a moment. Would any naturally evolved beings develop such hind legs and still be bipeds? and vice versa? Or am I missing something here?</span><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-84212309290789966012007-07-01T23:18:00.000+05:302007-07-06T22:59:28.562+05:30Books I bought over the weekend<span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >A brand new copy of The Algebraist - Iain M Banks - I was seduced by reading the back cover blurb.<br />The Third Culture - John Brockman<br />The Shockwave Rider - John Brunner (at last! and just 20 bucks! AND hardcover! at the <a href="http://www.fullhyderabad.com/scripts/profiles.php3?section=BookStores&name=Sunday+Book+Bazar+%28Abids%29">Sunday Book Market at Abids</a> - where else?). <span style="font-style: italic;">Update - 06 Jul 2007 - Just discovered it's the first edition. Hm!</span><br />Centuries - A A Attanasio<br />Fire upon the Earth - The Story of the Christian Church - Norman A Langford - bought this on a whim<br />The West End Horror - Nicholas Meyer<br />A Light in the Attic - Shel Silverstein - this has been <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Light_in_the_Attic">apparently banned</a> from some libraries because it 'encourages bad behaviour' in children.<br />A well worn copy of Atlas Shrugged.<br />Dayworld - Philip Jose Farmer<br />The Dark Beyond the Stars - Frank M Robinson<br />The Seeds of Time - John Wyndham<br />Heavy Weather - Bruce Sterling - this looks to be as good as Distraction.<br />and some pulp.<br /><br />Apart from this, bought a 4 DVD pack of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajinikanth">Rajinikanth</a> movies - I was looking for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basha_%28film%29">Baasha</a> - a movie I had watched a long time back in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, when I had gone there with my dad. I quite enjoyed it at that time, and it was the same yesterday. Thanks to <a href="http://beatzo.livejournal.com/">Satya</a> for the tip on where to get the DVD.<br /><br />Finishing A Good Old Fashioned Future (Bruce Sterling) right now. Enjoyable, except for 'Big Jelly'.<br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14960201.post-79723229791165414492007-06-12T21:41:00.000+05:302007-06-13T23:03:03.108+05:30Short<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I just remembered that the deadline for the short story competition of IASFS (that's the Indian Association of Science Fiction Studies), in Douglas Adam's words, whooshed bye on June 1st. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The last and first time I wrote a story and won a prize for it was in school - a short detective story contest sponsored by </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.assamtribune.com/">The Assam Tribune</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. I borrowed part of the hero's name from the hero of Jatayu's books - Jatayu being a fictional character who's himself a writer in Satyajit Ray's superb </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feluda">Feluda</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> series.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Speaking of short stories, last year </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;font-family:arial;" ></span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.wired.com/">Wired</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> magazine asked leading writers to come up with the shortest stories they can think of. Some of the best are </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.11/sixwords.html">here</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Then there's the Asimov edited </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Great-Science-Fiction-Short-Stories/dp/0380507730">anthology</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> of really short sf stories - not able to find my copy right now. The ones in that were not one-liners, but mostly one-paragraphers and one-pagers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Coming back to short stories of 'normal' length, my favourite ones in the sf genre remain</span><br /></span><ul style="font-family:arial;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;">One-Face - Larry Niven</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Chrysalis - Robert Reed (more like a novella)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Most of ones in Stephen Baxter's Vacuum Diagrams</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Most of the ones in The Collected Stories of Greg Bear</span></li></ul><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2