Real numbers!

Or dedekind complete ordered field - yes that is the mathematical definition of real numbers!!
This link is very good and explains it very beautifully in accessible fashion:
http://www.math.vanderbilt.edu/~schectex/courses/thereals/
It explains the contents of Robert Bartle's real analysis book in a single page. Author has some talent in explaining hard things to people!
Real numbers are not so real after all. They are mathematical constructs as much as say complex numbers.
So we have no reason to expect real riemannian manifolds will explain the universe [spacetime] - In my thinking it should be discrete.

strange maps!

http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/

very nice website! contains interesting maps, giving perspectives big articles won't give! Some funny too!

281 - Holmes, Sweet Holmes: A Floorplan of 221B Baker Street

286 - The New World Order (1942)

etc.

America, the great!

Detention Camp Remains, but Not Its Legal Rationale
By WILLIAM GLABERSON
Published: June 13, 2008

Despite the Supreme Court’s decision stripping the legal premise behind the Guantánamo Bay detention center, it will not close today or any day soon.

Gives very big reason to be proud of America and its people!

They have the backbone to stand up to the administration's abuses.

what is the use of [pure] science?

and mathematics?
OK - what is the use of Music? I can see no material benefit out of it. So why do people spend so much time listening to it?
1. It brings happiness
2. It fills time in nice way
3. It is really beautiful and sublime
4. It helps to attract mates, if you have [or pretend to have] musical talent

Well, Mathematics and science [physics and biology - not bogus science like psychology, social science] brings these benefits in a much higher level and plane except probably 4). But atleast in today's knowledge economy any modern mathematician can get a job [say as software engineer] and perform better than most of those professionals. So even 4) is true but in a non obvious way through the money it brings.
But forgetting 4), it serves first three in a much better way and in a much higher level.
1. I jumped for joy, when I learned integral calculus, because now I had a way to calculate the length any curve [not easy to integrate it even for simple cases like Ellipse though:)] , area of figure and volume of an object - That one of the time I was most happy in my life.
2. It takes a lot of time to learn Mathematics and physics. Try learning things like Complex numbers, Topology, relativity.
3. Euler's theorem of e^ix= cosx+isinx - isn't this beautiful? it connects things which look so unrelated. what has sides of right triangles have to do with power of something? That to complex power.
or look at maxwell's derivation of c - speed of light purely from constants of coulumb's law and ampere's law. That is simply too beautiful.

And over and above, that is the only useful pursuit in the ultimate sense. Everything [useful] else is done for money and what is the point of money when I die? If Darwin's theory of evolution was not there [and Prof. Dawkins' selfish gene], I would still have been hurting my head doing sujud to a non existent entity following a 7th century liar [or mad?], trying to find meaning of life in Bullshit called Qur'an.
So before someone says science and mathematics is waste of time, say that a trillion times to Music and then you can say that a trillions times again to Music and then ...

Unsung heros and heroines of Kerala!

I am referring to the men who work in Gulf and their wives who live in Kerala [TamilNadu and other places - but mainly it is a phenomenon in Kerala]. Although local society looks at them with derision [mainly due to jealousy] for their alleged wealth - I think they live a very hard life. Thye are married and there for officially can't love anyone else and their loved ones are far away. Each dealing with their problems in a lonely way. They have to keep their emotions and biological instincts in artificial check, there by becoming psychologically stressed to say the least.
But because their pain and stress is mostly psychological, society has a hard time understanding it. But it doesn't make it any less real.
My parents have been this way for 17 years! So I know what I am talking about.
They are heros [and heroines] because they have the mental fortitude to bear this and work for their family. How many men runaway or don't care about their family? How many are actually abusive [mainly due to drinking]?
BTW, alcohol is something in which we would do well not to emulate western society - it is a drug and worse than many other drugs like LSD, cannabis etc.
Only reason western society accepts it is for the same reason, most of our societies accept religion - history. But just like passing of years doesn't make Muhammed's [or any other "prophet" like Smith, Saibaba] lies truth, passing of years doesn't make Alcohol less harmful.
But we tend to make fun of western society for their alleged immorality in things like sexuality and materialism, I would argue western society is surely advanced in terms of morals as to accept all races and religions [atleast grudgingly] compared to our untouchability among our own religion. As for sexuality I would be uncomfortable with their culture [due to my upbringing], but it is more closer to human nature than our expectation of perfect monogamy for life. As for materialism [in the form of science at least] is removing the suffering of lot of people in the form of agricultural revolution, electricity, medicine and positively gives happiness to atleast some people like me in the form of mathematics and physics - [I would ]. Our mysticism and spiritualism [euphemism for superstition] didn't do anything for humanity and did some harm by making people neglect their family [malayalees remember the movie, Chinta vistaya shyamala?]

We would do well not to follow westerners in Alcohol and they would do well not to follow us in spritualism and religion!