Nimish Batra, The Life And Times Of

I’m sitting on a friend’s couch. I have to be out and about into New York’s varied boroughs in search of a place to live.

While my friend here is being really nice about the couch thing, I don’t think he’ll be so understanding once I finish playing his games and he finds out I earned all those trophies that he could’ve (and should’ve). Read the rest of this entry »

I’m in NY.

Sitting in a hotel room, looking out at the building across the street, it’s all a bit unreal.

I spent a couple of hours being given a quick tour of the area near my hotel, then some very amazing food (reminds me of home!)

Also, I’m renewing my blog and domain(s)  for another year.

That is all the news I have.

I really should get back into writing more, shouldn’t I?

Read the rest of this entry »

I still haven’t had the feeling of “OMG I’m not in Kansas India anymore!” Maybe it’s because an MS program keeps you busy enough.

Anyway, I’m listening to the new album right now.

It’s growing on me.

Ever so slowly.

Proper review soon!

PHP vs Perl vs Python vs Ruby - Leave a comment with a vote?

On Linux/Windows and Apache.

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Have you read this?

Very interesting and it runs contrary to all sorts of notions about how we should learn.

We should grasp the theory first and then apply it with rigor! Right?

Relevant snippet. Read the rest of this entry »

There is a bit of pragmatic advice, now a tradition, amongst Indian students applying abroad for higher education that they are supposed to apply to a basket of schools – a few ambitious schools, a few realistic targets, and a few backup schools – just in case.

Good thinking.

Except that I object to the label ‘backup school.’

If you want to waste your time and money and the university’s time and money by applying to a ‘backup’  - well consider the scenario that the only admit you get is from this backup school.

Will you still go?

If no, why the heck are you applying? Got too much money? Hey I can setup a Paypal donate button, pal…

If yes, then… well it’s hardly a backup if you’re happy going there.

I object to some words.

Words have power.

Warble farble.

We make one million to-do lists.

How many of them are accomplished?

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Textbooks, such as the venerable Introduction To Algorithms [Cormen et al], should take a cue from Kurt Vonnegut.

It’s been a couple of weeks, and already the book for the Algorithm subject makes me want to scream. I’m not criticizing the authors, mind you. They’re writing for a technical audience. They have to keep a style that maintains a dignity to itself and doesn’t descend into danbrownianness. Read the rest of this entry »