What is more important – current social issue(s) or long-term research?

During my recent visit to the Kennedy Space Center at Florida, I gathered a lot of information about future Mars Missions, next trip to the moon, and sending essentials to the International Space Station. I could sense immense excitement among the employees as they outlined the plans and shared the history with pride.

Spread over an area of over five hundred sq. kilometers, the place itself seems to be totally cut-off from the rest of the world. It is a complex machinery with seventeen thousand employees working relentlessly towards the next launch. Despite all the doubts and uncertainities associated with these complex space programs, there was a current of optimism and accomplishment.

As I headed back from KSC, I had a feeling of returning to the real world. There were people returning from work, kids from school and vehicles rushing to their destinations. As one trail of thought led to another, I thought of all those people without a home, without education and other social ills plaguing this world. Should all the funds and energy that go into such a grand space program be re-channeled? Is it a waste of time and money to dream of settling down in Mars? The answer is a resounding NO.

Problems fall into different categories. Issues like population explosion, illiteracy, crime, and poverty are inter-related and have prevailed always. They have reduced/increased at different rates based on the inter-dependence amongst each other. There are governments, many NGOs, and non-profit organizations that are working towards decreasing these. Then there are man-made and natural calamities. Natural calamities like tsunamis, earthquakes etc are not totally foreseeable yet. However, there are scientists working round the clock to make them more predictable and hence less calamitous. Lastly, man has contributed his fair share in keeping terrorism and warfare prevalent on the face of earth.

Despite all this, one cannot dispute that life today is far better than it was a few decades ago. There are always two kinds of innovations or research that take place – One, addresses current problem(s) and second, in pursuit of a grander dream with no correlation to the current situation. However, on closer look, even the first category comes about due to the curiosity of human mind. Fleming’s discovery of penicillin and Pasteur’s discovery of vaccines were a direct result of mind’s inclination to explore and find new things. I would put Wright Brothers’ invention of airplanes into the second category. If they had been restricted to mitigating social problems, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Better still, there would be no KSC.

All the research that leads to these inventions and discoveries provides immense learning along the way, which is applied to making better, the present life. In the end, it’s not just the end, but the means too.

Human mind is too complex, and brilliant. To curtail its enthusiasm and arrest its wonder would be a bane to mankind. In research, it is amazing how grown up people can sustain the mind of an eight or nine year old. To ask them to go slow on grand projects and not tread un-chartered territories is to deny them freedom. I cannot emphasize the importance of research enough. Hats off to all those beautiful minds and good luck to all the research that is going on in this world.

Censorship

Censorship typically refers to deleting parts of a movie, play or written material to prevent it from reaching public eyes. Before going on to discuss if censorship in any form is justified or not, it helps to look at how the same has evolved over the last few decades.

During this period, censoring and censorship have continuously assumed new meanings. Roughly thirty years back, it was film censorship, which was predominant. There was occasionally a furor about editing or removing scenes from films. Or, sometimes the rating for the movie changed. When I think carefully, it was usually because of some sexual content that was inappropriate for the mass audience. The censor board must have felt that the material was not suited for children of certain ages. It was a straightforward case few years ago. I don't remember too many controversies about written material in papers or magazines.

In today's context, censorship is a complicated matter. It has assumed a new and more important role in print media, movies and plays and for that matter in any medium of expression. One has to admit that while globalization has brought us closer to diverse communities, it has also made us intolerant, oversensitive and critical. No community or country is isolated and hence is prone to comments and criticisms from all fronts. Having said that it is not hard to see why censorships today are not necessarily for explicit sexual content.

One cannot sufficiently emphasize the importance of the freedom of speech and expression. Any curb on this would reduce us to living corpses. I am almost tempted to say that censorship in any form, under any context and anywhere is totally unjustified. However, a second look at recent happenings over the cartoons of Prophet Mohammad published in a Danish daily makes me cautious. While this incident assumed global proportions, I know of numerous such incidents at regional and national levels. The loss of hundreds of innocent and intolerant lives over petty cartoons clearly shows that we as a society are still not mature to handle comments in a positive frame, and creative ideas in lighter vein. I do not know these people who called for processions or protested outside offices and embassies. Perhaps they were unemployed youth who had nothing worthwhile to do. They thought it was best to express their unhappiness and anger by torching lives. It's strange that something like a cartoon strip, which is meant to amuse people, becomes responsible for loss of lives.

Despite out tremendous advancements in science, education and technology, humans are still emotionally immature. We do not have the capacity to laugh at brickbats and thrusts. The lack of emotional maturity presents itself in the form of extremely volatile situations. A small group of immature rebels are able to mobilize individuals to form a gang, and fight for a completely trivial issue.

Unfortunately, censorship in some form is needed today. But only as a medium to evaluate and edit, if needed, contents that are provocative. The board should include representatives from diverse fields - writers, painters, movies, theater, and others. The board could work within a well-defined framework on how to handle contents that are provocative. This will ensure fairness because the board would be a balanced representation from all these fields and the members would be qualified enough to judge the content, while still ensuring freedom of speech and opinion.

Royal Shakespeare Company's "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby"

It took me a while to get started on this series. Perhaps because I had never watched a stage show captured for television. I expected it to be a series of exhausting conversations in a dismal setting that seldom changed. But, I was wrong on all accounts. The ‘Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby’ is a classic and outstanding show. Every character from Nicholas and Smike to Ralph and Crummles has done tremendous justice to their roles. The display of emotions, clarity of dialogues, and intensity of expressions are astonishing. I assume there must have been thirty to thirty-five actors in the show. The number of characters in the play is definitely higher. The dexterity with which actors have played multiple roles is phenomenal. Despite the limited resources and space constraints inherent in such shows, the setting changed swiftly and fittingly. Not once did I feel the dreariness of a stagnant location. The sound effects, from the knock of doors to Newman Noggs’s snapping fingers, are very natural. This is a magnificent rendering of Dickens’s novel and a must-watch. I suggest watching one part a day, because it gives sufficient break to chew over that episode, and absorb the performances in their entirety.

Quantitative Finance

The field of quantitative finance is rich and interesting. When I mention the term "Financial Engineering" many people quip "Oh, now finance too has engineering..". Well, its aptly called that way because of the application of mathematical and engineering methods to problems in finance. But there is a lot of physics too. When I see Brownian Motion being applied to stock prices, there is a part of me thatsvery happy to use a tiny bit of the statistical physics that I learnt.
2005 is the world year of physics. Someone mentioned this is because, in 1905, Einstein published three most important papers in physics history - general relativity, photoelectric effect and brownian motion. Its surprising how a 100 years later brownian motion is applied in economics and finance to study stock prices like random motion of particles in a fluid. The famous black scholes model for option pricing uses quantum physics to make it simpler, unlike when it uses Ito's calculus.
Another important use of physics in finance is attributed to Feynman, for the sum-over-paths integral method (electromagnetic particles).
Econophysics is a relatively new branch, which lists a whole bunch of other applications of mathematical physics to finance. http://www.derivativesstrategy.com/ has some nice comic strips on trades, hedge funds and other aspects of finance.

Physics

Physics is a beautiful subject. I was never an outstanding student, but I enjoyed every bit of what I learnt. Its amazing how it explains everything from the so big to the so small. Personally I feel that it forms a strong base for some of the engineering streams. Feynman Lectures on Physics is a treat to every student who likes physics or wants to know about physics. Sometimes, I feel too much of Mathematics just overshadows the physics behind. Nevertheless, from what I've observed, matrices and differential equations are a very integral part of physics.

Its good to be first...

Its amazing how two places geographically so close to each other can be so different in life style.I don't want to say much about NYC. It has all the frenzy, chaos, excitement, rush, activity and madness about it. Delaware, on the other hand is so laid back, like life on first gear. They are like day and night. Sometimes, I wonder why people who come from NYC don't carry a part of that fever to this place. Downtown Wilmington is slightly better, you can see (a few) people around. UD is a nice place, as all universities are. There's nothing else. Though there is some charm to the quietness, it gets unnerving at times. Its not amusing to stare into wilderness always. But I guess, I've learnt to appreciate each of these places because of the other. I think, I may miss Delaware when I move to NYC!

A new day...

Another day, Another sunrise
There is hope and fond memories
The road behind is long and winding
The one ahead is endless too
And so are the train of thoughts

There's lot happening out there
It all seeks you forever, the good
And the bad, as you stand unshielded
It feeds to the thoughts, which battles
with the endless boundaries

As morning gives way to dusk
While nature unfolds its wrath
There is the hurricane, there is famine
While man unfolds his intolerance
There is war, there are bombings

While he unfolds his indifference
There is poverty and illiteracy
while he forgets his boundaries
There is crime and lawlessness
And you wonder what more is in store

As I look right ahead in the dark
The road is still long and winding
But not as clear as I knew it to be
But there is no reason to lose heart
For tomorrow will be a better day
With a new way, New sunrise.

Idle Time

As much as we all long for free time, we are also scared of being idle. Time between jobs, time between finishing school and starting a job, time after retirement - all these situations make us atleast uncomfortable, if not terrified.

A recent short story that I read in The Hindu (India's leading national daily), Book review section, beautifully conveyed the message of confonting uncommitted time. Time Starer (as the author calls it) is a concept where you just absorb your surroundings and stare at time, and are not frightened.

At the end your soul will be cleansed and you will be ready to start on your next venture, job, whatever. It effectively says the time tested truth (but in an interesting way) - time is the best healer!!

Educational Institutions...

Educational Institutions have much more to offer than mere degrees. Agreed, the subject matter is learnt thoroughly. But the overall personality of the student changes. Its the perseverance, hardwork, ability to hang on there at tough times, time management, academic integrity, tolerance, respect for other fields and others' views - all this and much more which are inculcated into every student, making him/ her prepared for the world outside.

You see some of the most brilliant and finest minds around you, it keeps you on earth. You observe people so focussed, it keeps you on track. Its a world of opportunities - make the best use of it. My time at Cornell has been the most memorable and eventful. I am sad school is over so quick. I am proud to be a Cornellian!