I fully agree with Jeff Atwood in what he says. My perception of what Mr.Atwood has referred to is this: A programmer can be a better and "important" human being (which includes him being a better and important programmer) by exercising skills other than coding. I remember my first few days of learning Java. Classes, Objects, polymorphism, what not. It did not occur to me how to start coding a simple class with the main method. I was blank. All hopes vanished and I knowingly quit the idea of coding in Java. That was 7 years ago. Now I have got over 6 years of experience in Java with a Sun certification. All I need to tell is that although I quit Java, I continued communicating with and understanding people and objects around me. The next day I found myself trying to think whether the person I talked to the last day was an object. Yes it was. An object named Shantanu. Did it have properties which matched mine? Disappointingly yes, but yes. That made a class out of us, Human. The rest is history. When a programmer or an aspirant talks to people, socializes, he learns and makes people learn and the growth he attains is 360degree. He not only acquires knowledge but creates knowledge. The forum has seen people denying Jeff's suggestion that "we spend less time coding and more time developing skills in other areas that complement our coding skills". He never asked us to forget coding. Come on, that's our bread and butter, at least for me it is. I perceive that he is pointing towards a Paradigm Shift. A thinking which would enable us to be smart developers, being smart would help us cut on our development times, times that we could spend in closer-to-life activities, times which our parents, wives, children would love to spend with us, times which would help us to socialize and be a better and important human. The cycle goes on buddy, the cycle goes on.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
Nostalgia
Nostalgia strikes me quite frequently. It begins from the senses getting activated. The eyes see something familiar, the ears hear familiar bells, the nose smells familiar scents, the skin feels a familiar air, either or all of the above.
Specially, listening to music makes some part of my brain recall times when this piece was first heard. And then, from I do not know where, I find myself in the past. Since I have travelled places in a short span of my career, a particular kind of music makes me relate to each of these places. To start with, Bangalore makes me recall fun, frolic, pubs, movies, and studies too. Yes, I was meant to study in Bangalore for a year or so but studies skidded to the bottom of my priority list. No, I did not do it knowingly. For if I had done it knowingly, it would have been a topic of regret now. It is not. That was one of the best times I have ever had since childhood. And now I find myself remembering those times with pride. Come on, life is not just about fulfilling a mission, it is also about friendship, having fun, realizing your mistakes after you have had fun and above all, concentrating on your mission when thse above said distractions exist altogether. What say?
Specially, listening to music makes some part of my brain recall times when this piece was first heard. And then, from I do not know where, I find myself in the past. Since I have travelled places in a short span of my career, a particular kind of music makes me relate to each of these places. To start with, Bangalore makes me recall fun, frolic, pubs, movies, and studies too. Yes, I was meant to study in Bangalore for a year or so but studies skidded to the bottom of my priority list. No, I did not do it knowingly. For if I had done it knowingly, it would have been a topic of regret now. It is not. That was one of the best times I have ever had since childhood. And now I find myself remembering those times with pride. Come on, life is not just about fulfilling a mission, it is also about friendship, having fun, realizing your mistakes after you have had fun and above all, concentrating on your mission when thse above said distractions exist altogether. What say?
Monday, October 09, 2006
My own...
Here are some of my very own quotes:
"Competition is the mother of Redundancy." -Nov, 2001
"Clothes are necessary, not important." -Dec, 2001
"I know I will GET old one day, but I do not want to GROW old" -Feb, 2002
"I ought to live, because I am fated to die." -Jan, 2006
"Reality is what you know; get unreal and you will tend to know a whole lot which is unknown." -Jun, 2006
"Barking dogs seldom bite; but when they do, it hurts." -Jun, 2006
Every mistake is committed two times: once, when you do it wrong and twice, when you do not do it right !!! -October, 2006
"Competition is the mother of Redundancy." -Nov, 2001
"Clothes are necessary, not important." -Dec, 2001
"I know I will GET old one day, but I do not want to GROW old" -Feb, 2002
"I ought to live, because I am fated to die." -Jan, 2006
"Reality is what you know; get unreal and you will tend to know a whole lot which is unknown." -Jun, 2006
"Barking dogs seldom bite; but when they do, it hurts." -Jun, 2006
Every mistake is committed two times: once, when you do it wrong and twice, when you do not do it right !!! -October, 2006
Why are Indian parents insecure?
I happened to travel a lot the last week. Do not know about you, but travelling between 3 places within a week is a lot for me. And as ever, I tried to be observant plus a genuine thinker. The latter quality is inherited from my zodiac sign - The Pisces. But how would I think lest I observe. Thus, I did both and one thing which still haunts me is how Indian parents are insecure when it comes to their children. Okay, I stand corrected. I should say "how most Indian parents are insecure when it comes to their children". Here are some incidents which made me think on these lines:
1. Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark, NJ. It was 7.30 PM and I was waiting for my flight boarding announcement. A couple supposedly from South India appeared with the younger kid in a pram, the elder in the mother's arms. They looked tensed; although they were at the right place before time, they seemed lost. The head of the family confirmed twice with the local authorities and looked still more confused. Then the unthinkable happened. While the mother was sitting and dozing off, the child somehow made his way out of her arms, and started walking towards an American child who was playing with her parents. As he reached there, the American couple smiled at him and started some kid-conversation with him. Seeing this, the Indian child's father was furious, shouted at his wife, ran towards his child, picked him up, chided him until his adam's apple allowed him to, walked angrily back to his seat and held the weeping child tightly against him. The american couple was shocked to see such an unlikely action from a parent. I concluded that the father was happier to see his child weeping rather than let him play happily. My conclusion was wrong. The reason why the father had to do that was because talking to strangers is still a no-no and how could the child do anything without taking permission of his parents? Indian parents are no doubt the best in the world, but they are very protective. They feel they have the rights to mould their child's life in whatever way they would want. Even if it makes the child more scared and unsocial. They are full of prejudice and are judgemental. But why this insecurity? Why do not Indians let their children enjoy as much as they like and not be so protective?
2. MES Inspection House, Brigade Road, Bangalore. I do not remember the time and it is rather irrelevant to even mention it. My aunt has a 11 year old son who is the most bright and sharp kid I have ever come across for his age. While he was playing Need For Speed on my laptop, which also he is a great player of, I heard someone shout his name. Who else, but his mother. She then fixed her gaze on me and asked me to tell him to study. It was a time when everybody was on a vacation and I think it is unrealistic to ask children to study on vacations. Even though my fiancee is of the opinion that children should be chided from time to time, I am an ardent supporter of the fact that giving freedom to children and their thoughts would make them even more responsible and better human beings. But here I was being confronted by my own aunt who wanted her child to stop playing "stupid" computer games and study something if not his curriculum books. Something? Insecurity again huh! What if he does not fair well in his studies(he is already obtaining 85% marks, he should not get 80 this time) ? Could he be a game addict and loose concentration in studies? Now, give me a break. Isn't he studying while playing? Isn't he being more observant and trying to be more concentrating while playing the car game where even a fraction of a second could make him loose the race? So much of protection and kill a child's talent and that is what is happening in India where a child has got all the bookish knowledge he needs to attend an IIT or Stanford, but lacks talent.
1. Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark, NJ. It was 7.30 PM and I was waiting for my flight boarding announcement. A couple supposedly from South India appeared with the younger kid in a pram, the elder in the mother's arms. They looked tensed; although they were at the right place before time, they seemed lost. The head of the family confirmed twice with the local authorities and looked still more confused. Then the unthinkable happened. While the mother was sitting and dozing off, the child somehow made his way out of her arms, and started walking towards an American child who was playing with her parents. As he reached there, the American couple smiled at him and started some kid-conversation with him. Seeing this, the Indian child's father was furious, shouted at his wife, ran towards his child, picked him up, chided him until his adam's apple allowed him to, walked angrily back to his seat and held the weeping child tightly against him. The american couple was shocked to see such an unlikely action from a parent. I concluded that the father was happier to see his child weeping rather than let him play happily. My conclusion was wrong. The reason why the father had to do that was because talking to strangers is still a no-no and how could the child do anything without taking permission of his parents? Indian parents are no doubt the best in the world, but they are very protective. They feel they have the rights to mould their child's life in whatever way they would want. Even if it makes the child more scared and unsocial. They are full of prejudice and are judgemental. But why this insecurity? Why do not Indians let their children enjoy as much as they like and not be so protective?
2. MES Inspection House, Brigade Road, Bangalore. I do not remember the time and it is rather irrelevant to even mention it. My aunt has a 11 year old son who is the most bright and sharp kid I have ever come across for his age. While he was playing Need For Speed on my laptop, which also he is a great player of, I heard someone shout his name. Who else, but his mother. She then fixed her gaze on me and asked me to tell him to study. It was a time when everybody was on a vacation and I think it is unrealistic to ask children to study on vacations. Even though my fiancee is of the opinion that children should be chided from time to time, I am an ardent supporter of the fact that giving freedom to children and their thoughts would make them even more responsible and better human beings. But here I was being confronted by my own aunt who wanted her child to stop playing "stupid" computer games and study something if not his curriculum books. Something? Insecurity again huh! What if he does not fair well in his studies(he is already obtaining 85% marks, he should not get 80 this time) ? Could he be a game addict and loose concentration in studies? Now, give me a break. Isn't he studying while playing? Isn't he being more observant and trying to be more concentrating while playing the car game where even a fraction of a second could make him loose the race? So much of protection and kill a child's talent and that is what is happening in India where a child has got all the bookish knowledge he needs to attend an IIT or Stanford, but lacks talent.
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