Vijay Narayanan on May 3rd, 2010

One of the things I am not proud of but still keep doing all the time is how I speak with Customer Service representatives if I feel I have had a raw deal. Sometimes I feel smug about the comments that I make. This morning served up one such instance. Customer Service Rep: Good morning, [...]

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Vijay Narayanan on March 7th, 2010

A true story. On the phone with a manager earlier today… Him: “So what plans for the weekend? I’m sure you could do with a change of environment.” Me: “Well, the only change I’m considering is moving from the DEV environment to the QA environment.”

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Vijay Narayanan on March 30th, 2009

Sundara Kaandam is considered by many as among the most beautiful sections of the Ramayana. Indeed the title itself serves as an adjective (sundara = beautiful), while another meaning could be that it is the set of chapters about Hanuman (Sundara being one of his names). One of the most celebrated sections of the Sundara [...]

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Vijay Narayanan on January 8th, 2009

Guess what, I received a surprise New Year gift today. All the way from Praha in the Czech Republic. A limited edition NetBeans 10th Anniversary T-shirt from Sun Microsystems! NetBeans turned 10 this past year, and to commemorate this, the folks had conducted the NetBeans Decathlon, in which yours truly was one of the winners. (I [...]

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Vijay Narayanan on December 9th, 2008

!– Vetti ALERT –! When I was recovering from a ligament reconstruction surgery last year, I acquired a bad habit, which I have been continuing to this day – listening to music when going to bed. Not only is this bad for the ears (though I listen to classical music 99% of the time), it [...]

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Vijay Narayanan on September 23rd, 2008

… an interface or an abstract class?

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Vijay Narayanan on September 12th, 2008

Of what use are prayers or rituals, Arjuna, if the mind is impure and unyielding?

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Vijay Narayanan on July 21st, 2008

… is the greatest city in the world. But isn’t that as obvious as stating that paruppusili is the greatest food item ever?

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Vijay Narayanan on July 14th, 2008

It is past midnight. I am trying to catch some sleep, which is, quite uncharacteristically, hard to come by. I put on my headphones and try some music, so I can be lulled to sleep. And guess what song comes up? “தூங்காதே, தம்பி தூங்காதே”

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Vijay Narayanan on July 3rd, 2008

try {     writeSunCertifiedJavaProgrammerExam(); } finally {    clearExam(); }

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Vijay Narayanan on June 27th, 2008

It was from a friend’s status message on Google Talk (“Chennaiyil oru bhookamba kaalam”) that I came to know that Chennai had felt the aftershocks of an earthquake that rocked the Andamans. Was glad to know that there was no damage reported to either life or property. This is the fouth reported earthquake to hit [...]

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Vijay Narayanan on June 21st, 2008

A short while ago, I spotted a firefly (Tamil: minmini) outside my window. I don’t remember when last I saw a firefly; 15 years ago, maybe. Almost instinctively, I started humming “indha minminikku kaNNil oru minnal vandhadhu.” (video)

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Vijay Narayanan on May 4th, 2008

Cases like this test the faith that I have in my opposition to capital punishment.

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Vijay Narayanan on April 11th, 2008

A question I encountered in an article I read this past week: Can organizations motivated by the need to make profits and please shareholders successfully conduct basic scientific research as a core activity? There is some personal significance to that question; hence categorizing it under “Personal” as well.

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Vijay Narayanan on April 3rd, 2008

(or Is it just me?) A couple of days ago, I received an email from an advertising student with the subject line “Free Pizza”. She wanted to conduct an advertising research focus group and was offering pizzas as  a way to thank participants for their time. I don’t know if you feel the same way [...]

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Vijay Narayanan on March 14th, 2008

(Warning: Ego post!) … adds the PMP to his name.

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Vijay Narayanan on March 6th, 2008

Our problem is that, instead of feeling bad about and working to redeem ourselves, we celebrate our faults.

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Vijay Narayanan on March 3rd, 2008

Just as my Equities portfolio was about to get out the red comes a single-day 900-point fall that pegs it back into dark red territory. God have mercy on Dalal Street.

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Vijay Narayanan on March 1st, 2008

I never thought there would come a day when I would say this. I think I like Yves Robert’s Le Chateau de ma Mere (My Mother’s Castle) better than Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather!

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Vijay Narayanan on January 21st, 2008

Yes, that is the sample space. And here is the derivation*. 600000 x 0.5 x (4 / 60) x 0.4 x 0.5 *Various other factors tend only to lower this number, not increase it.

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