This comes from page 514 of "Einstein" by Walter Isaacson.
Einstein's search for a unified field theory was proving to be futile. But Einstein never regretted his dedication to it. When a colleague asked him one day why he was spending - perhaps squandering - his time in this lovely endeavor, he replied that even if the chance of finding a unified field theory was small, the attempt was worthy. He had already made his name, he noted. His position was secure, and he could afford to take the risk and expend the time. A younger theorist, however could not take such a risk, for he might thus sacrifice a promising career. So, Einstein said, it was his duty to do it.
I think this is amazing. The way Walter Isaacson puts it, Einstein was like a lotus leaf in water, affecting it, but never wetted by it - this is exemplified by instants where Walter says Einstein was always amused by the world, and was mostly a spectator than a participant in it.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Newton and God?
If found this on page 125 of "Einstein" by Walter Isaacson and it impressed me a lot. I think this explains the fact that science and religion are not separate, but two paths to the same goal.
The concept of absolute time - meaning a time that exists in reality, and tick-tocks along independent of any observations of it, had been a mainstay of physics ever since Newton had made it a premise of his Principia. The same is true for absolute space and distance. "Absolute, true, and mathematical time, of itself and from its own nature, flows equably without relation to anything external" wrote Newton. Absolute space, in its own nature, without relation to anything external, remains always similar and immovable.
But even Newton seemed discomforted by the fact that these concepts could not be directly observed. "Absolute time is not an object of perception," he admitted. He resorted to relying on the presence of God to get him out of the dilemma. "The Deity endures forever and is everywhere present, and by existing always and everywhere, He constitutes duration and space."
The concept of absolute time - meaning a time that exists in reality, and tick-tocks along independent of any observations of it, had been a mainstay of physics ever since Newton had made it a premise of his Principia. The same is true for absolute space and distance. "Absolute, true, and mathematical time, of itself and from its own nature, flows equably without relation to anything external" wrote Newton. Absolute space, in its own nature, without relation to anything external, remains always similar and immovable.
But even Newton seemed discomforted by the fact that these concepts could not be directly observed. "Absolute time is not an object of perception," he admitted. He resorted to relying on the presence of God to get him out of the dilemma. "The Deity endures forever and is everywhere present, and by existing always and everywhere, He constitutes duration and space."
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Spirituality on the way to Chicago
This amazing person met me while I was waiting to board the plane from Pittsburgh to Chicago today. He was Christian and he took Hinduism and its teachings to his heart: he said it made more sense to him than Christianity. We had a wonderful discussion regarding spirituality and the meaning and purpose of life. I was getting along well with the conversation because I had read part of Vivekananda's works, but at some point I blanked out because he talked about more complicated things than I could understand.
What surprised me was when he said India was going up and the US was going down - there is so much hate and materialism in the US. He said that! I remember my father saying something like that from the news that India's culture was influencing the world in some way (he said this yesterday!) and I saw a living example right today!
I am glad I was thinking along the same lines as such an experienced person (he is 60) and that means I have learnt something in life from experience. What I found especially interesting was his answer to the question "What is the purpose of life?": He said God created the world and matter to experience his fullest/lowest potential. Experience and knowledge is the ultimate goal (I agree with that) and it can only be gained when there exists polarity (good or evil/right or wrong/up and down) in life. That's what the world is! We also discussed Maya (the illusion) and Advaita philosophy. It struck me today in the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, when I saw a book on Einstein, that his formula E = mc^2 is a mathematical formula for the teachings of Advaita philosophy that the material world (mass/matter) is a consequence of the supreme consciousness (Energy). This totally makes sense to me! It's also fully understandable how Einstein could come up with such great thoughts just by thinking, because everything in the world is an outcome of thought and experience.
What surprised me was when he said India was going up and the US was going down - there is so much hate and materialism in the US. He said that! I remember my father saying something like that from the news that India's culture was influencing the world in some way (he said this yesterday!) and I saw a living example right today!
I am glad I was thinking along the same lines as such an experienced person (he is 60) and that means I have learnt something in life from experience. What I found especially interesting was his answer to the question "What is the purpose of life?": He said God created the world and matter to experience his fullest/lowest potential. Experience and knowledge is the ultimate goal (I agree with that) and it can only be gained when there exists polarity (good or evil/right or wrong/up and down) in life. That's what the world is! We also discussed Maya (the illusion) and Advaita philosophy. It struck me today in the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, when I saw a book on Einstein, that his formula E = mc^2 is a mathematical formula for the teachings of Advaita philosophy that the material world (mass/matter) is a consequence of the supreme consciousness (Energy). This totally makes sense to me! It's also fully understandable how Einstein could come up with such great thoughts just by thinking, because everything in the world is an outcome of thought and experience.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
End-of-Semester updates
Hi all,
Just thought I would update you with recent events/issues here:
1. Chicago trip:
I am leaving on the night of friday the 21st of December by Southwest airlines to Chicago and returning on the morning of 24th the Sunday to Pittsburgh...no idea how they will receive me especially since peddhamma is leaving for India, and I have never known them :)
Many friends of mine are going to India in December, but many are staying too. Dhishan is going to Raleigh to meet his relatives, Naresh was asked by his uncle to come but he refused to go - picchi naayana: wants to work without a break even in December holidays (not that it's bad though, I admire his diligence)
2. Casino night:
I attended a Casino night arrange for the BME grads and learned to play Poker and Blackjack (both are card games, based on strategy and guesswork) and Roulette (that rotating coloured disk on which you let a ball stop on a number - totally based on chance). As a board member of GBMES (Graduate BioMedical Engg Society), my duty was to attend and take photographs of the event, but i enjoyed it a lot too..
3. Camera/Photography:
I want to learn photography, so i bought the camera with lots of manually controllable features. I hope to learn new techniques and skills in photography (Summit 2008 I told Akka about has a course on Black and White Photography too) during the December and after. Will have to warn myself and others that Photography is an expensive hobby, and lenses cost a lot :)
4. Dance classes - shoes
As i told you, I plan to compete in the upcoming Ballroom Dance Competition in March in Pittsburgh, and hence am now searching for Latin dance shoes. Lauren and I roamed around the city to search for shoes, but I couldn't find any that fit my feet (dance stores cater more to Ballet dancers than Ballroom dancers). I will try to find som luck in Chicago, and if all else fails, I will have to order them online without trying them on first.
5. Music interest
To be discussed and pursued later in my (PhD) life: I want to learn to play the flute, but i think I have enough on my hands already, don't you? :)
6. Courses - Biochemistry, Statistics and Image Registration:
Biochemistry has been very interesting - protein structures and functions and dna/rna replication and transcription, and all that stuff...i love it!
Statistics is hard - not because I don't like it, but because the course is entirely theory based and no practical problem solving...all the problem solving will have to come in my research, and I have to learn things the hard way. :(
Registration in Bio-imaging course was relatively easy, mostly because the Professor is new to teaching himself, and the course deals with matching images say for example between CT scan of brain and MRI scan of brain...
7. Research:
Currently I am working on a project on automated tracking of particles in a movie/image sequence. It has to do with position prediction using filtering techniques and stuff. I like the work I am doing, but have to put in more effort and concentration. Never before did I realize so much the need for mental effort and control of the mind.
8. Bathtub issue:
The bath tub at home was recently blocked with my hair that is constantly being lost :( It took a week to get the maintenance guy free, but a minute to fix it with a vacuum plunger :) . One day I went to the showers at the swimming pool to have a bath when we couldn't use the tub :)
9. Wine and cheese party:
I don't remember whether i have told you about this or not, but I went to a wine and cheese party with Lauren at one her friends' house:
Following is an extract from an email to my friends:
Naresh and I didn't do anything for Thanksgiving nor visited any place, we neither did homework or much fun-work :) . I just stayed home and did nothing but watched movies all day...By the way, I bought a Digital SLR camera (canon digital rebel xt) for 570 bucks...that's yesterday the last day of sale, in Circuitcity store here. And I went to a wine and cheese party with my dance partner the day before...I didn't have any wine though...had a nice experience of a typical american friends' party...what happened is this: they had wine first...i had tea and water :)... and crackers (like papads, made of rice, wheat and rye) and other stuff..then i listened while they talked and joked abt parties, vacation, wines etc...then we had desserts - cookies, cake etc...then we played a game called auto auction (it's a board game of business with cars - involves strategy and luck - i learnt abt maintaining a poker face :) )...then we watched a recorded TV show called the big bang theory and the gospel bill show...it was comedy...then we left and went home... while the others stayed on to play other games..
If anybody wants fundaes abt buying Cameras ask Naresh...he made me buy this..not that i didn't want to, though :) ...his iris recognition research has a lot to do with cameras and macro-photography - oh i so envy him for that..especially since mine has nothing to do with microscopes :( though the images i work on come from many hi funda microscopes i have never seen in life...
10. ITA test
This is the international TA test. All students who have TA duty have to take this test. I took it and was placed in category 2 - which means I can TA any course and any lab, but have to concurrently attend 15 hours of teaching related seminars the semester i am TAing a course. Have to really improve my English speaking, haven't I? I might have to TA a course next semester.
11. Summit 2008
I told Akka about this, but now there is no chance akka can come to this (Registration ended): It's a three day event on Jan 11,12,13 next month. There are many learning activities like photography, drawing, rafting, yoga, cuisine, dances, etc. I gave my preferences for my courses and will be assigned the courses some time later.
12. NCSU trip
Jayanti Srikant is at NCSU (North Carolina State University) and Dhishan and I had plans to visit Raleigh city, but Srikant said he might not stay there since his cousin was going to Virginia and he might join him. So, I cancelled this thing.
13. Courses next sem:
I might have to do Physiology, Cell Biology and Image Processing using Wavelets next semester depending on the outcome of a Petition I filed to the Graduate Affairs Committee of our department. I will update you after I know about it.
That's all and have a nice day :)
Vamshi
Just thought I would update you with recent events/issues here:
1. Chicago trip:
I am leaving on the night of friday the 21st of December by Southwest airlines to Chicago and returning on the morning of 24th the Sunday to Pittsburgh...no idea how they will receive me especially since peddhamma is leaving for India, and I have never known them :)
Many friends of mine are going to India in December, but many are staying too. Dhishan is going to Raleigh to meet his relatives, Naresh was asked by his uncle to come but he refused to go - picchi naayana: wants to work without a break even in December holidays (not that it's bad though, I admire his diligence)
2. Casino night:
I attended a Casino night arrange for the BME grads and learned to play Poker and Blackjack (both are card games, based on strategy and guesswork) and Roulette (that rotating coloured disk on which you let a ball stop on a number - totally based on chance). As a board member of GBMES (Graduate BioMedical Engg Society), my duty was to attend and take photographs of the event, but i enjoyed it a lot too..
3. Camera/Photography:
I want to learn photography, so i bought the camera with lots of manually controllable features. I hope to learn new techniques and skills in photography (Summit 2008 I told Akka about has a course on Black and White Photography too) during the December and after. Will have to warn myself and others that Photography is an expensive hobby, and lenses cost a lot :)
4. Dance classes - shoes
As i told you, I plan to compete in the upcoming Ballroom Dance Competition in March in Pittsburgh, and hence am now searching for Latin dance shoes. Lauren and I roamed around the city to search for shoes, but I couldn't find any that fit my feet (dance stores cater more to Ballet dancers than Ballroom dancers). I will try to find som luck in Chicago, and if all else fails, I will have to order them online without trying them on first.
5. Music interest
To be discussed and pursued later in my (PhD) life: I want to learn to play the flute, but i think I have enough on my hands already, don't you? :)
6. Courses - Biochemistry, Statistics and Image Registration:
Biochemistry has been very interesting - protein structures and functions and dna/rna replication and transcription, and all that stuff...i love it!
Statistics is hard - not because I don't like it, but because the course is entirely theory based and no practical problem solving...all the problem solving will have to come in my research, and I have to learn things the hard way. :(
Registration in Bio-imaging course was relatively easy, mostly because the Professor is new to teaching himself, and the course deals with matching images say for example between CT scan of brain and MRI scan of brain...
7. Research:
Currently I am working on a project on automated tracking of particles in a movie/image sequence. It has to do with position prediction using filtering techniques and stuff. I like the work I am doing, but have to put in more effort and concentration. Never before did I realize so much the need for mental effort and control of the mind.
8. Bathtub issue:
The bath tub at home was recently blocked with my hair that is constantly being lost :( It took a week to get the maintenance guy free, but a minute to fix it with a vacuum plunger :) . One day I went to the showers at the swimming pool to have a bath when we couldn't use the tub :)
9. Wine and cheese party:
I don't remember whether i have told you about this or not, but I went to a wine and cheese party with Lauren at one her friends' house:
Following is an extract from an email to my friends:
Naresh and I didn't do anything for Thanksgiving nor visited any place, we neither did homework or much fun-work :) . I just stayed home and did nothing but watched movies all day...By the way, I bought a Digital SLR camera (canon digital rebel xt) for 570 bucks...that's yesterday the last day of sale, in Circuitcity store here. And I went to a wine and cheese party with my dance partner the day before...I didn't have any wine though...had a nice experience of a typical american friends' party...what happened is this: they had wine first...i had tea and water :)... and crackers (like papads, made of rice, wheat and rye) and other stuff..then i listened while they talked and joked abt parties, vacation, wines etc...then we had desserts - cookies, cake etc...then we played a game called auto auction (it's a board game of business with cars - involves strategy and luck - i learnt abt maintaining a poker face :) )...then we watched a recorded TV show called the big bang theory and the gospel bill show...it was comedy...then we left and went home... while the others stayed on to play other games..
If anybody wants fundaes abt buying Cameras ask Naresh...he made me buy this..not that i didn't want to, though :) ...his iris recognition research has a lot to do with cameras and macro-photography - oh i so envy him for that..especially since mine has nothing to do with microscopes :( though the images i work on come from many hi funda microscopes i have never seen in life...
10. ITA test
This is the international TA test. All students who have TA duty have to take this test. I took it and was placed in category 2 - which means I can TA any course and any lab, but have to concurrently attend 15 hours of teaching related seminars the semester i am TAing a course. Have to really improve my English speaking, haven't I? I might have to TA a course next semester.
11. Summit 2008
I told Akka about this, but now there is no chance akka can come to this (Registration ended): It's a three day event on Jan 11,12,13 next month. There are many learning activities like photography, drawing, rafting, yoga, cuisine, dances, etc. I gave my preferences for my courses and will be assigned the courses some time later.
12. NCSU trip
Jayanti Srikant is at NCSU (North Carolina State University) and Dhishan and I had plans to visit Raleigh city, but Srikant said he might not stay there since his cousin was going to Virginia and he might join him. So, I cancelled this thing.
13. Courses next sem:
I might have to do Physiology, Cell Biology and Image Processing using Wavelets next semester depending on the outcome of a Petition I filed to the Graduate Affairs Committee of our department. I will update you after I know about it.
That's all and have a nice day :)
Vamshi
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