PI Day
Pi (
) Day is a special day in the lives of many people – mathematicians, scientists, nerds.
is a Greek letter – a symbol of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi is an irrational number meaning it will continue infinitely without repeating.
It is celebrated on March 14 ( 3.14) at 1:59 ! 
That’s : 3.14159…
While, 22/7 i.e. 22-July is said to be a PI approximation day!
Trivia ? Einstein’s Birthday also happens to be on 14 March!
How is this Pi Day to be celebrated?
My views on PI Day-
- Celebrating PI Day is Irrational
- Happy PI Day. I feel circular today!
- Only US can celebrate PI Day – since others write date as (Day-Month-Year)
How do you plan to celebrate this day?
Here are few tips. I celebrated it by reading up all (almost – all) the information on the web about this special *symbol*. And having some – round choclates (Ferrero Rocher – its spherical.. )
How did YOU Celebrate this Day ?
Away from Home
Living as an Indian Outside India…
You feel nostalgic, soon after you leave your home. That home, then could well be your rented apt., home sweet home, hostel, country etc. Human race, might start feeling that way – once they will settle on other planets.
But, as the camera zooms on to the present – I have been away from India for over 5 months now. How has this first time experience been?
Its been – interesting – to summarize.
1. Food has not majorly been a problem, as I literally eat whatever I get! Can cook to survive now!
2. I have come to realize that no matter, where you go in the US – you are bound to stumble across minimum 1 desi! [It took me time - in getting used to being called a *desi* - I preferred Indian. But that's what every desi uses here! ]
3. Work? I used to do faaar better work in India.
4. Life has kinda come to a standstill, more because I am at a place where there is not much nothing to do *socially*. Kinda stuck!
5. Its also been fun – interacting with the kind of people you see on TV / movies, with those accent’s and specially the Yo Man! kinds!
The thing that I have realized is this – Wherever you go – humans wont change. The way they look , talk , walk .. could be different.
But – they are all humans. And that, common elements of – feelings , emotions, relationships … bind us all together.
In fact, two people can be as different as two countries could be.
Questions & Confusion
The other day, I was ideating and I realized that at times,
1. Questions (Problems) are more important than answers.
2. Confusion is a good thing.
Now, how is that?
The state of being confused, suggests a state in which you are looking for change. It suggests that, you are not comfortable with possibly, what your actions are currently. It shows that you are looking for something better, smarter, worthy – that would make you happy. So, isn’t this good? Certainly !
Now,
Look at this:
You look at people doing smart, intelligent things – and wonder – how could they think of that? We all are mesmerized by - simple yet ingenious thinking prowess of these people.
So, what’s different when you are trying to find the ‘next big thing’.
I think, its important to think about questions (problems) that exist, rather than solutions – to begin with.
Its very important, to be thrown questions at. It makes you think, innovate.
I had read somewhere, that a coach or a mentor merely should do the work of asking ‘right questions’ to the mentee , and I completely agree with it.
One should regularly ask himself / herself, questions – that compel you to think.
And remember.
Even if you decide not to choose anything, you already have made a choice.!
Gliffy Diagrams!
Gliffy, is an online application that makes it easy for you to create, share, and collaborate with diagrams. It looks and feels like a desktop application, working from the browser.
Using Gliffy, you can create *professional* looking drawings, diagrams, process flows, and designs.
What I liked is –
- Collaborating with other ‘authors’
- During my last project, when I had to install Visio to deliver designs, It took weeks, and license issues due to which – productivity was hampered. Gliffy has fit in perfectly – providing the capability to import / export from Microsoft Visio – which my client was using.
- I some how missed the DFD shapes – its been difficult to make them or Did I miss something?
- Its web based, and can easily integrate with the Confluence Wiki
The competition is clearly from - Microsoft Visio and PowerPoint .
Looking at the customers list, it looks like – this is widely used? And I am the last one to know!
My Recommendations for Gliffy – it seems, to be a great tool – I am using it regularly these days. How about you?
On another note, I think slideshare.net needs to include a PowerPoint Creation along with its existing services of slide sharing. Which would be great !
My Team mate Sobel
Did you ever have friends or work colleagues like this? Some of the characteristics listed here, will surely make you laugh and remind you of those *special* kinds.
This is a guest post from my friend Chimu.
1. Sobel’s motto while working on any project:- “If it ain’t broke, fix it until it is”.
2. Whenever I feel that Sobel is making sense I ask myself, “Is it time for his medication or mine?”
3. When I am on leave, people ask me if I miss Sobel. How can I miss him if he doesn’t go away?
4. Team mates often ask me to be nicer when dealing with Sobel. I will try being nicer if he will try being smarter.
5. Sobel is never wrong in any matter. He who has no opinion will seldom be wrong.
6. Sobel was given a customer query to work on. He couldn’t solve it and hence he was asked an explanation. He replied, “I tried to think but nothing happened!”
7. Sobel has often proved that no job is so simple that it can’t be done wrong.
8. Sometimes, when Sobel does something useful for the team you feel like saying, “When your work speaks for itself don’t interrupt”.
9. Sobel is very good at multitasking. He can screw up several things at once.
10. Sobel always insists on exhaustively reviewing all software artifacts. Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool.
11. Once Sobel got himself into unfamiliar territory. Then he realized that he was lost in thought.
12. Working with Sobel has been terrible. I’ve only got one nerve left, and he is getting on it.
13. Sobel always says that his mind is better than a computer. Right, artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
14. Sobel often finds that his team mates are not busy. Of course they don’t look busy, they do it right the first time.
15. Sobel’s only law of code review:- “For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism”.
16. When you are on Sobel’s team you learn that some days you’re the dog; some days you’re the hydrant.
17. I am pretty sure that there won’t be a crisis today. Sobel’s work-schedule is already full.
18. I tried to keep an open mind when dealing with Sobel.Unfortunately, my brains kept falling out.
19. Sobel gives importance to relaxation – he lets his mind wander. But sometimes it leaves completely.
20. You can lead Sobel to wisdom but you can’t make him think.
21. Sobel feels that teamwork is essential. It allows him to blame someone else.
22. When I work on a critical issue I tell Sobel, “If things get any worse, I’ll have to ask you to stop helping me”.
23. Once Sobel started to sound reasonable during a team meeting. Then I realized that it was time for my medication.
24. Our company has a free culture and everyone has a right to be heard. Sobel just abuses the privilege.
25. I am quite sure that Sobel belongs to the category of people who are alive today only because it’s illegal to kill them.
26. I am willing to give Sobel a going-away present; only if he agrees to do his part.
27. Sobel is a really down to earth person, but not quite far down enough.
28. My manager thinks that Sobel is a great asset. I think my manager should not have added the last two letters.
29. While working on any issue Sobel does the same thing over and over, expecting different results.
30. Sobel always remains calm during a crisis. Its just because he never has all the facts.
31. If it’s true that “What you don’t know can’t hurt you,” then Sobel must be invincible.
32. People often wonder what is the purpose of Sobel’s life. It’s possible that his sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning
to others.
33. An apple a day keeps the doctor away but a Sobel a day keeps everyone away.
34. If you think there’s good in everybody then you obviously haven’t met Sobel.
35. I was so stressed when working under Sobel that I often woke up screaming & then realized that I hadn’t fallen asleep
36. Sobel remains quiet in the face of criticism. It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all
doubt.
37. Sobel decided to succeed at something in life. He did it by writing a book called “How to Fail” and it didn’t sell.
38. Never argue with Sobel. He will drag you down to his level then beat you with experience.
39. Team members talk because they have something to say. Sobel talks because he has to say something.
40. Sobel proves the scientific fact that light travels faster than sound. He appears to be bright until you hear him speak.
Why is he called Sobel?
*”Is there a problem Capt’n Sobel?” This dialog was used in a TV series called Band of Brothers. Soldiers of the American 101st
Airborne Division have a horrible commanding officer – Captain Herbert Sobel. One of the soldiers decides to get back at him by mimicking the voice of a superior officer and fools him into cutting a farmer’s fence. No points for guessing who is being referred to as Captain Sobel here!
