I am back.

From my Journey to the center of the Earth. And that with no less agreeable a companion than Mr. Jules Verne. This was my second journey with the esteemed fellow. Earlier we went Around the world in Eighty days (you can read some of my reflections here). That was a great journey, but this was an adventure of a singular kind. The most powerful impression it made upon me was the image of standing in the interior of the earth, below the mighty expanses of the ocean. Captures imagination like nothing else. There were some not-so-remarkable moments too, like Harry's hallucinations, but the rest more than made up for it. And the most important reward of such an adventure is the reawakening of the sense of wonder that you know is there, but which the dross of daily life seems to overpower.

But now that I have gone around the Earth and explored the insides of the Earth, I have started feeling a little monotonous. The human mind is like that. I feel ready for my next adventure. I think I will go seafaring this time!!

I'd waited for too long..

This is John Connor. If you are listening to this, you are the Resistance.

Thanks to Christian Bale's peculiar accent and the ambiance of the movie, these words etch in your memory. Watched it (the latest Terminator movie) yesterday. Our original plan was the 9AM show at E-square but we could not get tickets. It was overflowing, and I imagine all were there for T4. So that became the 10AM show at Rahul. As I said, I was waiting for this one since long. Maybe because I am a fan of Christian Bale, maybe because it's a Terminator movie, or maybe because I hadn't watched a good action/sci-fi since long. Or maybe because all of the above. Anyway, the point is I had huge expectations, and they were fulfilled. Not as much action as I would have liked, but enough. And what there is is awesome. I think there are some moments that a Terminator movie can not not have. Like a Terminator smashing a human skull under foot, or an appearance by Mr. Schwarznegger, no matter how tiny. This one has both. Some nice, touchy moments too, like the LA branch of Resistance. I mean, these two kids.. A most poignant lesson about the human spirit. A real must watch, I'll probably watch it again. Let me end terminate this post with my favorite line from the movie

This is John Connor. There is no fate but what we make.

Today is 28th of June..

So 28/6. The interesting thing is that they are both what are called perfect numbers. Now you might already know what perfect numbers are, or can read the earlier wikipedia link, but let me try to explain, just to increase the length of this post. The idea is to first collect all the divisors of a number (except the number itself, these are called Proper divisors). Why, you might ask. There are many answers, because we can (from TBBT), or because I chose to (from Neo). So Just do it (Nike :p). To take an example, let's say the number is 10. So the divisors are 1,2,5. Add them together. So 1+2+5 = 8. Now this sum is less than our number. Such numbers are called deficient numbers. It also happens that in some cases the sum exceeds the number. For example, 12. Divisors of 12 are 1,2,3,4,6. So sum of divisors is 1+2+3+4+6 = 16, which is greater than 12. Such numbers are called abundant numbers. But a third possibility exists, and you might already have guessed it. A case where the sum of the proper divisors of a number is equal to the number. This is the thing we were after, the perfect numbers. See for yourself.

For 6, proper divisors are 1,2,3. Sum = 1+2+3 = 6
For 28, proper divisors are 1,2,4,7,14. Sum = 1+2+4+7+14 = 28


Enjoy!!

World through classic goggles!

I clearly remember what I was thinking when I spotted an omnibus edition of three Jules Verne novels on one of my crossword trips. I said to myself, "I want to see what science fiction looked like a hundred years ago". Having had this wholly remarkable thought (yes, I am all for self admiration :p), I purchased the book, set it in an obscure corner of my shelf and it just stayed there, gathering a good amount of dust in the process.

That was a year or so ago, and it reappeared a few days back, when I could not find anything to read (despite those stacks I keep mentioning). Started reading Around the world in Eighty days. I had watched a movie with the same name, starring Jacky Chen, and remember not liking it. The premise is simple, a man (in 1872) decides to go around the world in 80 days and the story revolves around how he goes about it. If you want a sophisticated story, with intricate plot development and complex personalities, this might not be the right book for you. But if you want a simple, enjoyable story, that makes you keep reading, this is the very thing. That, and it's an interesting look at how the world was in late nineteenth century, like the modes of transport and the routes, the customs and political scenarios, seen through the eyes of an European. Mr.Verne seems to have been intimately familiar with the geographical world, giving exact distances, times for journeys and so on (Did you know he had ran away from his home as a cabin boy on a trading ship in his youth?). To use one of his own expressions, he must have traveled everywhere, at least in spirit. There is very little in the story to qualify it for the label science fiction, but that doesn't stop it from being an enjoyable read. And you learn a thing or two, like what Cisco meant before it referred to the networking giant.

It is available online through Project Gutenberg.

Enjoy!!

Today is 26th

26 is the only number that sits between a perfect square (25) and a perfect cube (27). Fermat proved this.

Enjoy!!

Some idle comments

I became a Jeffrey Archer fan relatively recently. Thirty seven days ago, to be precise. And all this time I have not been idle, despite what impression you might have :p. I have been trying to read some of JA's work and what follws are some idle comments about what's gone so far..

The first book I read was Paths of Glory. It came on the back of a lot of non fiction, and the simplicity of the story appealed to me. But some plots appeared overdramatic, which constantly remind you that it is fiction.

Next I read Prisoner of Birth. I had heard mixed reviews about it, and so thought a bit before starting it; an exercise I rarely do. But the reviews were justified. It's a good book, may not be JA's best. And I think the book has everything a Bollywood movie needs, is story me emotion hai, action hai, drama hai.. (Ok action thoda kam hai, par chalega). The plot development is good, especially the courtroom sequences. I found the pace lacking in some places though.

Next came Not a penny more, Not a penny less which I finished yesterday. Reviews in this case were unanimous and raving. The thing I liked most is the pace. It continiously keeps you on your toes. And the hero is a mathematician, now that happens rarely :p. And if a Bollywood can be made on POB, there is a Marathi movie based on the this one. Aamhi sare sajjan, starring Prashant Damle. The movie even has something about how the heroes return the money ;-). It also appeared to be the most well researched of the lot.

Next on my list is Kane and Abel, for which again, I have heard much praise. But maybe not immediately..


[Thanks to Abhishek for sharing POB. Thanks to Zarin for sharing NAPMNAPL.]

Today is 24th

Here is an interesting fact about 24. The sum of first n squares for n=24 is a perfect square, the square of 70. In other words,
1² + 2² + 3² + ... + 24² = 70²
What's more, 24 is the only integer, except 1 of course, for which this is true.

Enjoy!!