Citizen's Journalist with a microphone to transmit
The age old truth about Diwali, we burst crackers :-(
Walks across the streets of a City at night
Reporting on people who are are having fun, while
He tells us whats bad about Diwali
Citizen's Journalist completes his airtime
Jumps traffic signal because the cops are absent
Drives on the wrong side 'cause there's no one
Spits pan on the neighbours wall - oral emergencies
Well, He's just finished telling us whats bad about Diwali
Citizen's Journalist cares not for public transportation
He dares not to rub the big men for their private jets
And yet he complains of the stench in the society
Pollution in the air, open gutter in the streets
He comes back home with disgust on his face
Citizen's Journalist checks the time - past midnight
The foul smell follows him to his bedroom
He seethes with rage and rushes into his bathroom
Only to realize that he's forgotten to flush
Realization dawns at midnight - after freedom from CJ-hood
"I am as much a part of the problem
What does it take for me to be part of the solution"
He tosses the CJ microphone into a recycle bin
And makes a solemn resolution - "I will stop whining,
And start solving problems"
TV breaks into another Citizen Journalist who is out
To point finger at a society
Same pattern repeats all over again
He's forgotten to see that four other fingers
Alas, point at him
About Me
- spinoza
- Previous Life: Semiconductor, World of Wireless, Management, Leadership roles. Currently a Wildlife Photographer, Amateur Astronomer, Movies and Documentaries
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Laugh and the world laughs with you :-)
Disclaimer: This stuff hit my Inbox. I wanted to share this stuff with everyone. Need a good laugh? I really did not care if the 'preamble' was true. It was lol :-)
A first grade teacher had twenty-five students in her class and she presented each child in her class the first half of a well known proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the Proverb.It's hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you. While reading these keep in mind that these are first graders, 6-year-olds, because the last one is classic!1. Don't change horses.................until they stop running.
2. Strike while the.........................bug is close.
3. It's always darkest before.........Daylight Saving Time.
4. Never underestimate the power of ........ Termites.
5. You can lead a horse to water but ........ How?
6. Don't bite the hand that ........... Looks dirty.
7. No news is......................................impossible.
8. A miss is as good as a ............................... Mr.
9. You can't teach an old dog new .............. Math.
10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll .......stink in the morning.
11. Love all, trust...................................... Me.
12. The pen is mightier than the ................... Pigs.
13. An idle mind is......................the best way to relax.
14. Where there's smoke there's ..............pollution.
15. Happy the bride who.....................gets all the presents.
16. A penny saved is .....................not much
17. Two's company, three's ......... The Musketeers.
18. Don't put off till tomorrow what .......... You put on to go to bed.
19. Laugh & the whole world laughs with you cry and... you have to blow your nose.
20. There are none so blind as ...........Stevie Wonder.
21. Children should be seen and not ......spanked or grounded.
22. If at first you don't succeed ................ Get new batteries.
23. You get out of something only what you ...... See in the picture on the box.
24. When the blind lead the blind ............... Get out of the way.
And the WINNER and last one!
25. Better late than.......................pregnant.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Anatomy of Learning - Part III
In the earlier blogs, we looked at the principle of observation and reflection. This brings us to the Part III, which deals with introspection and aspects of introspection that aids problem solving.
The Principle of Introspection
The Principle of Introspection
We commenced our journey with a series of observations. Based on the data we gathered through the process of observations, we reflected and arrived at a representation of the acquired knowledge that aided problem solving. Once, we arrive at the representation, we need to focus our energies on Introspecting on the value proposition in the solution space. Is this important enough for me to go and nail it to finish? Is this something that I deeply care about? This step is critical because of a few good reasons. This requires us to have understanding of a related concept of motivation and volition. A person is motivated to do something because he sees the reward for doing it. The carrot becomes as much the ‘energy center’ in this paradigm as the impact of the solution. Volition is a state where the energy center is within us. Our core beliefs and sense of purpose drives us. Great leaders have led revolutions from the front without looking for a carrot. They are driven by their inner being or by a call within. Willpower is the overwhelming action based force field that can drive a person with a sense of deep allegiance to a goal state of problem category.
Let us consider an example. While dealing with resources of varied capabilities, we come across people who, in our opinion' are not 'up to the job on hand'. A feedback session to communicate your assessment backed with all the observations made, data gathered will not lead us to the solution. In face of negative feedback, no matter how much data driven it is, people do tend to get into an enclosed space and withdraw themselves away from purposeful action. Introspection leads the supervisor to ask the fundamental question - What is the desired outcome of this session? How do I get to the desired state? How can I navigate from the current position to the goal state with my report on the drivers seat? These questions lead us to an alternate feedback script that can motivate the handicapped 'team mate' into purposeful action taking.
Issues in Introspection
A life skill we need, relates to the practice of balanced and purposeful introspection. Any imbalance typically leads to self-flagellation - "I am the cause of all bad things." syndrome, or in several cases to externalization of issues, and therefore holding the environment accountable for all problems. In either case, after several hours of analysis, we come to state of paralysis simply because of the imbalance in the analysis and lack of focus on purposeful analysis. The phrase "analysis paralysis" deals with folks attempting to gather all the data in the world with which a set of all possible conclusions can be made. Then problem solving process takes the shape of acrimonious debates and oftentimes, to a loss of positive energy. A few of the related questions that arise include -
• Lack of Confidence – Will my voice be heard?
• Lack of Self Esteem – Will I be accepted?
• Lack of Accountability – Should I stand up for something?
• Learned Helplessness – The belief that any effort is hopeless and that it will hit the wall
A life skill we need, relates to the practice of balanced and purposeful introspection. Any imbalance typically leads to self-flagellation - "I am the cause of all bad things." syndrome, or in several cases to externalization of issues, and therefore holding the environment accountable for all problems. In either case, after several hours of analysis, we come to state of paralysis simply because of the imbalance in the analysis and lack of focus on purposeful analysis. The phrase "analysis paralysis" deals with folks attempting to gather all the data in the world with which a set of all possible conclusions can be made. Then problem solving process takes the shape of acrimonious debates and oftentimes, to a loss of positive energy. A few of the related questions that arise include -
• Lack of Confidence – Will my voice be heard?
• Lack of Self Esteem – Will I be accepted?
• Lack of Accountability – Should I stand up for something?
• Learned Helplessness – The belief that any effort is hopeless and that it will hit the wall
Conclusion
If "unbiased" was the desired prefix for Observation, then "Clarity" is the defining yardstick for quality of reflection. The third stage of the learning process deals with purposeful and balanced introspection - which retains the focus and positive energy - centered on the solutions space that can galvanize the course of actions.
If "unbiased" was the desired prefix for Observation, then "Clarity" is the defining yardstick for quality of reflection. The third stage of the learning process deals with purposeful and balanced introspection - which retains the focus and positive energy - centered on the solutions space that can galvanize the course of actions.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
An Indian Fantasy
The law has all the power,
yet I see its impotence
The police has THE job,
yet I see its indifference
I see their limitations
The courts which have a duty
Ensure that adjournments delay
Delivery of justice with impunity
The victims on the street
Face a docile cask,
In fact a billion of them,
join the chorus and ask
For 60 long years we have believed
For 60 long years we were deceived
So, may we take law in our hands
To see if we can make a difference
The logic being
It cannot be any worse than what it is today
The hope being
It could just be the start we need some day
yet I see its impotence
The police has THE job,
yet I see its indifference
I see their limitations
The courts which have a duty
Ensure that adjournments delay
Delivery of justice with impunity
The victims on the street
Face a docile cask,
In fact a billion of them,
join the chorus and ask
For 60 long years we have believed
For 60 long years we were deceived
So, may we take law in our hands
To see if we can make a difference
The logic being
It cannot be any worse than what it is today
The hope being
It could just be the start we need some day
Monday, September 14, 2009
Is cynicism a virtue?
The English News TV Media in India - NDTV, Headlines Today, Time Now and IBN Live is filled with cynicism in the name of debates, shrill notes, screams and rude interjections. These have filled news hours and prime time TV. That brings me to the question "Is cynicism a virtue”. Is this the basis of the TRP system? Don't stalwarts like Dr. Roy see through this rubbish - these loud debates and skewed presentations with a sole aim for managing and manipulating TRP - even if this means that it is steering the public opinion towards a bitter and hopeless society. Why do these gentlemen look absolutely helpless in this rat race? Is this the real heart of journalism and its core purpose at work?
Let's consider these questions and check if all hope is lost. Or as leading anchors of the Indian Elite TV primetime news network world point out - "all hope must be lost". Have a good meal and fill yourself with sarcasm and cynicism we throw at you and that is your Calmpose / Valium for a pleasant sleep and good digestion.
In an earlier blog, I had used a simple premise on which my argument is based upon.
Given that all political parties and players have serious aberrations, weaknesses in their resumes, it is easy for us to have an endless charade where one side simply points to the flaw or an error in judgment in the past from the other side, as the reason for justifying their current stance.
For example, “Why did we bring down the masjid?” “Well, remember 1984 Sikh riot – what’s your stance” - is no way to make progress in any discussion in civil society. There must be a basic acknowledgement that all side have made serious mistakes in the past. “An eye for an eye is not a good response. Think of something better” – must be the defining principle that must emerge in TV debates. That will take us to the next step - the real question - where do we start today? How do we make a start? What are the choices?
Take the Newhour debate on TimesNow on China. It leads us to a serious headache instead of distilling the essence of the problem at hand. Re-running the same clip over a 1000 times only leads to rote learning, my friends and not to any serious analysis. In sharp contrast, I came across a piece by Shekhar Gupta http://www.indianexpress.com/news/our-chinese-wall/516211/ that deals with the same issue. It is more incisive than anything that we hear on the TV channels. I am sure you will agree that both these are examples of journalism. When I speak of a civil discourse, I am not seeking a meek, spineless, pro-government mindset. I am seeking a clarity of thought and expression that transcends the temptation to be loud and TRP focused; just be balanced and layout the options in the solution space. I am certain that this can be done in the nightly-debates that seem to the TRP battlegrounds.
TV Producers must hire better content creators and not allow loud-mouthed news anchors to get away with screams and shouts. Recently on TimesNow, there was interesting line - "we need to take a quick break to break into the breaking news that breaking right now". What on earth is this? Then, we have endless "we told you first", "we were the first" bore from CNN IBNLive.
My Math teacher once told me, being first to finish, just means speed. Being accurate and complete is an equally important metric in Math. If you finished 100 problems in 3 minutes means nothing, if you got 99 of them wrong. Speed and accuracy goes hand in hand in Math. There must be some similar balance in journalism as well. I am no expert, but I am sure there are intelligent folks in that domain to think of such balancing metrics.
What we need is balance in everything we do. Are there examples of good journalism? IMHO, all is not lost. I see several good examples. We do have Nidhi's "Left, Right and Center”, which allows the invitees to speak their minds. TimesNow needs to emulate this virtue. They must stop taking a break and shout down your participants in the name of interjections. Listening skills require attention. Even the Last call is a good example of something I look forward. The anchor, Sonia Singh, actually smiles. You would think I have gone bonkers. Check out the anchors - but for Sonia, Suhasini, Anubha and Nidhi, I have rarely seen any others even attempting to smile. Most people have a grim expression on their face. “Sonia Gandhi is flying Economy Class” does not deserve a “Nation is mourning” expression. Smile :-) It improves TRPs :-)
TimeNow needs another program that is moderated both in terms of sound and content. The current every night debate is simply bad press, bad journalism. Period. No one but Arnab gets to speak, even if they have another anchor on the program. It's a pathetic sight to see Rahul nodding his head with an expression - "I could have said the same thing in a much better way".
I don't have words to express my disappointment with CNN IBNLive. There used to be good programs in the past. FTN needs a make over. Sagarika writes outstanding blogs. I just love them. Why does she not bring out her creative magic in FTN? Her suggestion on an elite Indian Teachers Service was the biggest idea. She and her viewers can present a solid proposal to Mr. Sibal if we can debate on ways to make this happen and present a balanced view - pros and cons included. In business plan parlance, this is called SWOT analysis - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as a matrix. Would this not be a wonderful contribution?
Rajdeep was awesome when he anchored NDTV's Bigfight. Where did that talent go? He did not have to recite - we were the first - when he was at NDTV. Does he have data to demonstrate that chest beating is the sole reason for his channel’s viewership? CNN in US was always behind Fox News in US presidential election predictions and making a call based on trends. But, CNN is not quite shrill and chest beating news channel. Can he re-engineer and re-package his channel in favor for better clarity and differentiated content?
Come on, folks! You all can do much better. Let’s be incisive but balanced. Let us be solution centric and not sarcasm centric. Lets err on the side of hope instead. The power that you wield can be put to good use to mould public opinion, to discuss and debate ways of making our land much better governed.
Like the Hindustan Times ad says - Its time for better journalism. It is time for us to change the content and presentation.
Let's consider these questions and check if all hope is lost. Or as leading anchors of the Indian Elite TV primetime news network world point out - "all hope must be lost". Have a good meal and fill yourself with sarcasm and cynicism we throw at you and that is your Calmpose / Valium for a pleasant sleep and good digestion.
In an earlier blog, I had used a simple premise on which my argument is based upon.
Given that all political parties and players have serious aberrations, weaknesses in their resumes, it is easy for us to have an endless charade where one side simply points to the flaw or an error in judgment in the past from the other side, as the reason for justifying their current stance.
For example, “Why did we bring down the masjid?” “Well, remember 1984 Sikh riot – what’s your stance” - is no way to make progress in any discussion in civil society. There must be a basic acknowledgement that all side have made serious mistakes in the past. “An eye for an eye is not a good response. Think of something better” – must be the defining principle that must emerge in TV debates. That will take us to the next step - the real question - where do we start today? How do we make a start? What are the choices?
Take the Newhour debate on TimesNow on China. It leads us to a serious headache instead of distilling the essence of the problem at hand. Re-running the same clip over a 1000 times only leads to rote learning, my friends and not to any serious analysis. In sharp contrast, I came across a piece by Shekhar Gupta http://www.indianexpress.com/news/our-chinese-wall/516211/ that deals with the same issue. It is more incisive than anything that we hear on the TV channels. I am sure you will agree that both these are examples of journalism. When I speak of a civil discourse, I am not seeking a meek, spineless, pro-government mindset. I am seeking a clarity of thought and expression that transcends the temptation to be loud and TRP focused; just be balanced and layout the options in the solution space. I am certain that this can be done in the nightly-debates that seem to the TRP battlegrounds.
TV Producers must hire better content creators and not allow loud-mouthed news anchors to get away with screams and shouts. Recently on TimesNow, there was interesting line - "we need to take a quick break to break into the breaking news that breaking right now". What on earth is this? Then, we have endless "we told you first", "we were the first" bore from CNN IBNLive.
My Math teacher once told me, being first to finish, just means speed. Being accurate and complete is an equally important metric in Math. If you finished 100 problems in 3 minutes means nothing, if you got 99 of them wrong. Speed and accuracy goes hand in hand in Math. There must be some similar balance in journalism as well. I am no expert, but I am sure there are intelligent folks in that domain to think of such balancing metrics.
What we need is balance in everything we do. Are there examples of good journalism? IMHO, all is not lost. I see several good examples. We do have Nidhi's "Left, Right and Center”, which allows the invitees to speak their minds. TimesNow needs to emulate this virtue. They must stop taking a break and shout down your participants in the name of interjections. Listening skills require attention. Even the Last call is a good example of something I look forward. The anchor, Sonia Singh, actually smiles. You would think I have gone bonkers. Check out the anchors - but for Sonia, Suhasini, Anubha and Nidhi, I have rarely seen any others even attempting to smile. Most people have a grim expression on their face. “Sonia Gandhi is flying Economy Class” does not deserve a “Nation is mourning” expression. Smile :-) It improves TRPs :-)
TimeNow needs another program that is moderated both in terms of sound and content. The current every night debate is simply bad press, bad journalism. Period. No one but Arnab gets to speak, even if they have another anchor on the program. It's a pathetic sight to see Rahul nodding his head with an expression - "I could have said the same thing in a much better way".
I don't have words to express my disappointment with CNN IBNLive. There used to be good programs in the past. FTN needs a make over. Sagarika writes outstanding blogs. I just love them. Why does she not bring out her creative magic in FTN? Her suggestion on an elite Indian Teachers Service was the biggest idea. She and her viewers can present a solid proposal to Mr. Sibal if we can debate on ways to make this happen and present a balanced view - pros and cons included. In business plan parlance, this is called SWOT analysis - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as a matrix. Would this not be a wonderful contribution?
Rajdeep was awesome when he anchored NDTV's Bigfight. Where did that talent go? He did not have to recite - we were the first - when he was at NDTV. Does he have data to demonstrate that chest beating is the sole reason for his channel’s viewership? CNN in US was always behind Fox News in US presidential election predictions and making a call based on trends. But, CNN is not quite shrill and chest beating news channel. Can he re-engineer and re-package his channel in favor for better clarity and differentiated content?
Come on, folks! You all can do much better. Let’s be incisive but balanced. Let us be solution centric and not sarcasm centric. Lets err on the side of hope instead. The power that you wield can be put to good use to mould public opinion, to discuss and debate ways of making our land much better governed.
Like the Hindustan Times ad says - Its time for better journalism. It is time for us to change the content and presentation.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Debating the quality of Justice
Yesterday, I watched "The buck stops here" on NDTV, anchored by Barkha Dutt. She discussed Jon's verdict and if it was OK or excessive. My opinion is simply this. Rape is a despicable act. Acts involving minors cannot be pardoned. The sentence must be as harsh as possible to act as a deterrent. That is how I started thinking about deterrence and what it means to me. My mind wandered into a spaghetti of vague recollections about the appropriateness of capital punishment or whether it is necessary or not.
Being an engineer by profession and thought, I do tend to rely on hard evidence and trends in the data. So...
Is there anything called absolute truth in the context of criminal jurisprudence. My feeling is that there is none. Justice delivered is simply the vector product of all the evidences produced, arguments placed before the bench and logical conclusions that can be drawn 'beyond a shade of reasonable doubt' and well into a zone of 'certainty'. In fact, several cases are judged based on 'the most likely cause' in face of the circumstantial evidence provided before the bench. Therefore, more than the absolute truth, the process of judgment to my mind deals with the most probable cause - not by chance, but by evidence. Not based on whims and fancies of folks, but based on sound legal arguments and logical reasoning.
From the point of programming paradigm, we come across this methodology in the field of expert systems / artificial intelligence. This falls under the science of mathematical reasoning, predicate calculus and bit of fuzzy logic. Each predicate having a confidence factor associated with it and a conclusion is simply what the inference engine can come to with an associated confidence factor. A confidence factor of 1 means absolute truth and 0 means absolutely false. What falls in between are various shades of grey. By very nature of this process, it is clear there is a finite room for everyone who loses a court case, to opine that justice has not been done. This is not just because we are human beings and we are inclined to believe that our near and dear are flawless; but the very nature of the process that leads us to justice.
Does this mean everyone who has been pronounced guilty is actually innocent ? Should be throw away the justice system completely ? No. Not at all. My argument is just the opposite. The purpose of a justice system is to provide a fair trial, look at the data and arrive at a conclusion. This conclusion is nothing but the judgment the court arrives at. there is little value in debating if this is 'really true' or 'excessive'. The judgment sets the benchmark on what it thinks is appropriate for the case under consideration. If "guilty" really feel aggrieved, they need to go to a higher court and seek a re-trial. There is no real purpose served by debating if judgments are wrong, unjust or biased. Yes, judgments are biased towards the conclusions that be drawn based on evidence. There is no such thing as an unbiased judgment. The term 'bias' is not bad at all. Let us try proving the Pythogoras theorem if our assumptions were not biased to accepting a right angle is 90-degress or that a triangle has 3 sides. If the assumptions / evidence presented are blatantly wrong, then I am certain that there are enough checks and balances in every democratic society to debate and demand a fair consideration.
We live in a nation where 26/11 trial is proceeding ever so slowly, although the public opinion [in my circle of observation] believes that this is a case that needs no trial. We have a set of human rights activists that believe that capital punishment even for 26/11 perpetrators is excessive. These are opinions. At the end of the day, it is the call of judiciary to decide what is appropriate and what is not excessive. To me, things are really as simple as that.
Finally to the issue of deterrence. Does a "59 years in jail" verdict really stop people from messing with minors ? It is not easy to answer this question, without a careful consideration of the 3 critical dimensions.
First, if you plot the level of crimes committed by people, I think it will show a normal distribution. To the left of the curve, we have people that are absolutely sin free and to the extreme right, we have people who are downright hideous. What a verdict like this does is to help move the distribution to the left. If the judgment succeeds in bringing about this change in distribution, I believe that it has provided the desired deterrence. It does not mean that there are no one in the right side of the distribution, it just means that the number of people will become progressive lesser. This is the purpose of the any process involved in delivering justice.
Second, when does this not work at all? If sections of the society believe that they are 'famous' enough to influence the process of justice, then we will come across cases of willful suspension of fear in the letter of the law. Even if you are not famous enough, if you are convinced that you can get by, the principle of deterrence fall flat on its face. If I am convinced that I can get by without a valid driver's license by paying the traffic police a paltry sum of 20 rupees, then red light at the crossing and the traffic policemen are no longer providing the required level of deterrence and force to ensure that people comply with traffic laws. In Dallas, Texas, every time I heard the police siren, my hands froze and body shivered. The sight of a cop giving a ticket to a stranger was enough to push me into a state of compliance. I was sure I could not dare to offer a 10 dollar bill to the cop and say 'adjust maadi'.
Finally, if we need to have a sense of certainty that if the police man or the society takes me to the court of law, the justice will be delivered in a timely fashion. In our country, I am sorry to say, that we are far away from it. The average perception is that court cases typically don't end, unless it is a foreigner who is molested. This certainty of courts not deciding cases in a timely manner - dilutes the confidence of the people in the level of deterrence that an effective and efficient judicial process can deliver.
Therefore, it's not the capital punishment. Its not even the law. Its the commitment of the law enforcement agencies - local police, CBI and judiciary to shore up public confidence that they can bring about a purposeful change in the perception. Not through sloganeering. But through purposeful action taking. We must know, we are being watched. And if we care caught, we will be punished. This certainty in itself can bring about a sea change in our behaviors.
Until, then it will be fashionable for us to call US to be racially biased. And wonder why we cannot deliver justice to our rape victims.
Being an engineer by profession and thought, I do tend to rely on hard evidence and trends in the data. So...
Is there anything called absolute truth in the context of criminal jurisprudence. My feeling is that there is none. Justice delivered is simply the vector product of all the evidences produced, arguments placed before the bench and logical conclusions that can be drawn 'beyond a shade of reasonable doubt' and well into a zone of 'certainty'. In fact, several cases are judged based on 'the most likely cause' in face of the circumstantial evidence provided before the bench. Therefore, more than the absolute truth, the process of judgment to my mind deals with the most probable cause - not by chance, but by evidence. Not based on whims and fancies of folks, but based on sound legal arguments and logical reasoning.
From the point of programming paradigm, we come across this methodology in the field of expert systems / artificial intelligence. This falls under the science of mathematical reasoning, predicate calculus and bit of fuzzy logic. Each predicate having a confidence factor associated with it and a conclusion is simply what the inference engine can come to with an associated confidence factor. A confidence factor of 1 means absolute truth and 0 means absolutely false. What falls in between are various shades of grey. By very nature of this process, it is clear there is a finite room for everyone who loses a court case, to opine that justice has not been done. This is not just because we are human beings and we are inclined to believe that our near and dear are flawless; but the very nature of the process that leads us to justice.
Does this mean everyone who has been pronounced guilty is actually innocent ? Should be throw away the justice system completely ? No. Not at all. My argument is just the opposite. The purpose of a justice system is to provide a fair trial, look at the data and arrive at a conclusion. This conclusion is nothing but the judgment the court arrives at. there is little value in debating if this is 'really true' or 'excessive'. The judgment sets the benchmark on what it thinks is appropriate for the case under consideration. If "guilty" really feel aggrieved, they need to go to a higher court and seek a re-trial. There is no real purpose served by debating if judgments are wrong, unjust or biased. Yes, judgments are biased towards the conclusions that be drawn based on evidence. There is no such thing as an unbiased judgment. The term 'bias' is not bad at all. Let us try proving the Pythogoras theorem if our assumptions were not biased to accepting a right angle is 90-degress or that a triangle has 3 sides. If the assumptions / evidence presented are blatantly wrong, then I am certain that there are enough checks and balances in every democratic society to debate and demand a fair consideration.
We live in a nation where 26/11 trial is proceeding ever so slowly, although the public opinion [in my circle of observation] believes that this is a case that needs no trial. We have a set of human rights activists that believe that capital punishment even for 26/11 perpetrators is excessive. These are opinions. At the end of the day, it is the call of judiciary to decide what is appropriate and what is not excessive. To me, things are really as simple as that.
Finally to the issue of deterrence. Does a "59 years in jail" verdict really stop people from messing with minors ? It is not easy to answer this question, without a careful consideration of the 3 critical dimensions.
First, if you plot the level of crimes committed by people, I think it will show a normal distribution. To the left of the curve, we have people that are absolutely sin free and to the extreme right, we have people who are downright hideous. What a verdict like this does is to help move the distribution to the left. If the judgment succeeds in bringing about this change in distribution, I believe that it has provided the desired deterrence. It does not mean that there are no one in the right side of the distribution, it just means that the number of people will become progressive lesser. This is the purpose of the any process involved in delivering justice.
Second, when does this not work at all? If sections of the society believe that they are 'famous' enough to influence the process of justice, then we will come across cases of willful suspension of fear in the letter of the law. Even if you are not famous enough, if you are convinced that you can get by, the principle of deterrence fall flat on its face. If I am convinced that I can get by without a valid driver's license by paying the traffic police a paltry sum of 20 rupees, then red light at the crossing and the traffic policemen are no longer providing the required level of deterrence and force to ensure that people comply with traffic laws. In Dallas, Texas, every time I heard the police siren, my hands froze and body shivered. The sight of a cop giving a ticket to a stranger was enough to push me into a state of compliance. I was sure I could not dare to offer a 10 dollar bill to the cop and say 'adjust maadi'.
Finally, if we need to have a sense of certainty that if the police man or the society takes me to the court of law, the justice will be delivered in a timely fashion. In our country, I am sorry to say, that we are far away from it. The average perception is that court cases typically don't end, unless it is a foreigner who is molested. This certainty of courts not deciding cases in a timely manner - dilutes the confidence of the people in the level of deterrence that an effective and efficient judicial process can deliver.
Therefore, it's not the capital punishment. Its not even the law. Its the commitment of the law enforcement agencies - local police, CBI and judiciary to shore up public confidence that they can bring about a purposeful change in the perception. Not through sloganeering. But through purposeful action taking. We must know, we are being watched. And if we care caught, we will be punished. This certainty in itself can bring about a sea change in our behaviors.
Until, then it will be fashionable for us to call US to be racially biased. And wonder why we cannot deliver justice to our rape victims.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Homeschooling: An Alternative Education Paradigm for India
Homeschooling exists in US and other countries. The parents can get study materials, teaching aids and testing instruments from the local school district or an accredited institution. The parents figure out a way to systematically educate their children at home. Recent research suggests that there is no single profile that can define a typical homeschooling parent. The mix includes folks with different educational backgrounds and qualifications or / and different educational philosophies. Some of them are from families who have always home schooled, or parents working together as a community in order to deliver quality education to their children. Sometimes, these teams are bound by common religious denominations or orientations.
People prefer homeschooling for several reasons. There are growing concerns about the school environment [ what habits / traits are picked up at an impressionable age? ]. Then there is the ubiquitous issue of dissatisfaction with the quality and nature of instruction. Even in our country, it may be important for us to point out that paying a higher fee does not translate to better qualit of education. It just means that children get better schools uniforms, shoes, school buses and perhaps lunch [debatable?]. In these cases, there are examples in the west, where folks have opted for home schooling.
Folks with strong religious orientation, have desired to ensure that moral / scriptures related instruction be coupled with standard education. Schools - by and large - are secular by tradition and do have significant tolerance to religious viewpoints. Therefore, there is a tendency for schools to stay away from having religion as a subject of study. Therefore, from a standpoint of religious orthodoxy, where morality and character building are intimately coupled with religious study, home schooling ends up providing a sound alternative for for doing what the Education System wants in addition to addressing topics of personal choice.
Finally, children that require special attention - like kids with mental health issues, autism, ADHD and so on - have had to rely on home schooling or an alternative system of education to meet the requirements. Children with other challenges and disabilities have relied on such alternatives.
The Call to Action
The government must provide this as an alternative to Indian parents by supporting them with instructional aids, study materials and test instruments. This lacuna in our educational sphere needs to be addressed. The ability of picking up a methodology that suits a parent / home would be added bonus. One such metjodology can simply repliacte the schooling rigor by maintaining hours and activities to be performed on a daily or weekly basis. On the other extreme, we can completely work off the the unschooling paradigm which proposes that we leave the child alone until he is ready to learn. In corporate world, this is also referred to as flexi timings. The student picks up the time and sbject of his choice to go and focus upon.
Methodologies for homeschooling range from using set activities and keeping flexible school hours to a laid-back approach known as "un-schooling." Un-schooling is based on the notion that children learn best when they are ready; the student decides school hours, subject matter, learning methods and content material. Parents considering homeschooling can research different models and choose the one that best suits their child.
Is this really new for us?
Not really. Carpenters allow [or even actively encourage] their children to pick up carpentry using 'on the job' training. Several children outside of the mainstream schooling system learn vocational skills by observing and practicing under pressure to earn a living. If you steer clear out of the ethics of child labor for a moment, we can quickly see that in some sense these kids are home schooled in vocational skills.
This requires a good nation wide debate. IMHO, we should not summarily dismiss any paradigm of schooling or education. There is no silver bullet. It may be a mistake if we decided to search for that one elusive size that will fit all. We are looking at 335M students in India. The right to education can only come alive if the education system is tweaked to provide for each of the subtle variations in schooling paradigms while providing adequate support to ensure that the intent of learning and education is met.
We need to look "out of the box" and consider a wide variety of alternative paradigms and platforms, if we are really serious about RTE and ensure that it comes alive in letter and spirit? X Class exams and point system re-engineering can happen in parallel - but these are hardly the core issues in the challenges we will face when we look at Right to Education holistically. Our Children deserve this. They want us to Act. Now.
People prefer homeschooling for several reasons. There are growing concerns about the school environment [ what habits / traits are picked up at an impressionable age? ]. Then there is the ubiquitous issue of dissatisfaction with the quality and nature of instruction. Even in our country, it may be important for us to point out that paying a higher fee does not translate to better qualit of education. It just means that children get better schools uniforms, shoes, school buses and perhaps lunch [debatable?]. In these cases, there are examples in the west, where folks have opted for home schooling.
Folks with strong religious orientation, have desired to ensure that moral / scriptures related instruction be coupled with standard education. Schools - by and large - are secular by tradition and do have significant tolerance to religious viewpoints. Therefore, there is a tendency for schools to stay away from having religion as a subject of study. Therefore, from a standpoint of religious orthodoxy, where morality and character building are intimately coupled with religious study, home schooling ends up providing a sound alternative for for doing what the Education System wants in addition to addressing topics of personal choice.
Finally, children that require special attention - like kids with mental health issues, autism, ADHD and so on - have had to rely on home schooling or an alternative system of education to meet the requirements. Children with other challenges and disabilities have relied on such alternatives.
The Call to Action
The government must provide this as an alternative to Indian parents by supporting them with instructional aids, study materials and test instruments. This lacuna in our educational sphere needs to be addressed. The ability of picking up a methodology that suits a parent / home would be added bonus. One such metjodology can simply repliacte the schooling rigor by maintaining hours and activities to be performed on a daily or weekly basis. On the other extreme, we can completely work off the the unschooling paradigm which proposes that we leave the child alone until he is ready to learn. In corporate world, this is also referred to as flexi timings. The student picks up the time and sbject of his choice to go and focus upon.
Methodologies for homeschooling range from using set activities and keeping flexible school hours to a laid-back approach known as "un-schooling." Un-schooling is based on the notion that children learn best when they are ready; the student decides school hours, subject matter, learning methods and content material. Parents considering homeschooling can research different models and choose the one that best suits their child.
Is this really new for us?
Not really. Carpenters allow [or even actively encourage] their children to pick up carpentry using 'on the job' training. Several children outside of the mainstream schooling system learn vocational skills by observing and practicing under pressure to earn a living. If you steer clear out of the ethics of child labor for a moment, we can quickly see that in some sense these kids are home schooled in vocational skills.
This requires a good nation wide debate. IMHO, we should not summarily dismiss any paradigm of schooling or education. There is no silver bullet. It may be a mistake if we decided to search for that one elusive size that will fit all. We are looking at 335M students in India. The right to education can only come alive if the education system is tweaked to provide for each of the subtle variations in schooling paradigms while providing adequate support to ensure that the intent of learning and education is met.
We need to look "out of the box" and consider a wide variety of alternative paradigms and platforms, if we are really serious about RTE and ensure that it comes alive in letter and spirit? X Class exams and point system re-engineering can happen in parallel - but these are hardly the core issues in the challenges we will face when we look at Right to Education holistically. Our Children deserve this. They want us to Act. Now.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Stop Whining ! - Part 1
Introduction
We face stress in our everyday life. Some of it is simply physical - like when we are carry a backpack during trekking or simply running from from one chore to another. We feel drained and sapped. This is something to do with our physical stress and lack of stamina. The mental stress is more subtle. In face of constant obstacles and uphill tasks that we carry out. Sometimes, we lose heart. There are other times when we want to do something exceptional to prove a point and all we have see is a set of mistakes that we keep making, leading to increased levels of frustration. This oftentimes manifests itself in the form of uncontrolled anger. There are other times when we are emotionally drained and we are unable to push ourselves any further. We can see sportspersons choking in the final stages of the game, when they ought to have actually raised their game to their next level. So, what we refer to as stress, manifests itself in several ways.
In our corporate life, we can think of similar situations during the product development process, in face of stiff deadlines and demanding customers, different professionals respond differently to everyday stress. Some fall sick, others feel depressed and a few other break down. Management books places the blame squarely on the leader. Yes, leaders are accountable.
Well, the purpose of this piece is not to involve myself in a leadership bashing. I am trying to address a facet that is often times lost in the grind of everyday life. This facet asks an important question - "What can we do as an individual do to manage this ourselves ? Are there techniques and aspects of this issue that we need to aware of ?"
Is stress universal ?
It appears so. Everytime, I watch Wimbledon, I can sense the pressure that players are under. They have to perform to their potential day after day, match after match. The stress - physical, emotional and mental must be immense. People reputations and careers are often times are stake. You can see it in their eyes and you can sense it coming through your TV screens. How are Tiger Woods and Roger Federer able to come back to their sports arena and reproduce their class act so often ? What can employees of Corporate World learn from these examples ? To dismiss these as exceptions and something that is not applicable to us is simply wrong.
What will it take for normal folks to build a psyche similar to what Adidas campaigned for during the Athens Olympics - "Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in a world they have been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing." People that live by such a principle must wake up every morning, must deal with their failures of yesterday, learn from them and shrug off the memories; and walk ahead with a spring in their step to meet the challenges of today and plan for their tomorrows.
The key question that we are asking can be summarized in one simple sentence. Can a person perform to his or her fullest potential regardless of the circumstances ? Given our natural disposition to look at our environment or external causes for our failure or inability to do something or achieve our goals, this paradigm of 'attempting to perform regardless of circumstances seems to be a tall order. But be assured that there are ways and means of accomplishing this and inculcating this as a habit.
Begin from the beginning
We are born with talent. In some sense, talent denotes our inherent ability to be good at something. For example, "The boy is exceptionally talented in Music", always conjures an imagery of a person who is born with a latent ability to be exceptional in some specific field. When we say a person is exceptionally skilled at doing something, we are talking about a few related things. The person has an interest in that area. He has undergone some level of training. He has practiced this over and over again. He is very good at it because of his experience - which is a product of his interest, training, practice and consistently high quality of execution. However, when we say "He is tough" - typically we think of a cold, ruthless, uncaring, hard and inflexible person. Nothing is farther from truth. Toughness is an acquired skill, therefore you can be trained to become tough. In fact, toughness, as we will define, is similar to state an violinist experiences during a concert. Time stops and expands. He is in a zone. He is so focused and engrossed in what he is doing and enjoying the state of excellence that this takes him to, he simply has no sense of external stimulus. If have run a marathon, you would experience this as "RUNNERS HIGH'. Its a state where you body, mind and soul come together work purposefully in tandem and produce exceptional result. It is the state that produces the highest levels of performance. One's emotional state is described by words like - confident, relaxed, calm, focused, alert, instinctive, filled with joy, bliss, nirvana and so on. Your adrenalin pumps and you have a sense of arousal that drives you towards a zone of positive energy like confidence, determination, persistence and fun. Compare this with a bout of frustration, where you are filled with fatigue, helplessness, insecurity, weakness, fear, confusion, low energy, cynicism, sarcasm, temper and rage. Each one of the phrases that describe a state of how one experiences energy - be it positive or negative. Fear makes you go into the shell and hide from something. Confidence and determination pushes you to face a challenge. Rage and Anger moves you away from positive engagement, while fun, bliss and enjoyment pushes you towards purposeful action and positive engagement. It reminds me of force field analysis that we encounter in QC Tools workshop.
Some emotions are empowering and free your talent and skill; other emotions are disempowering and effectively lock your potential out. Empowering emotions are those associated with challenge, drive, confidence, determination, positive fight, energy, spirit, persistence, and fun. Disempowering emotions are those associated with feelings of fatigue, helplessness, insecurity, low energy, weakness, fear, and confusion. The reason emotion is so important is its connection to arousal. Emotions are biochemical events in the brain that can lead to a cascade of powerful changes in the body. It basically determines your ideal and optimal performance zone. Fear moves you away from the problem, confidence brings you closer to the solution; temper and rage move you away from engagement, fun and enjoyment bring you back to purposeful action taking. In the 7 QC tools, this is called force-field analysis. One set of stimulus pushes you away from the center while the other set draws you towards it.
Therefore, we can experience toughness as a state that produces a consistent stream of positive and empowering emotion - that ensures physical, mental and emotional balance and control.
Summary
This was an introduction to the subject. We looked at various aspects of performance and scanned the dictionary for words and phrases that describe action orientation or lack of it. In summary, the call to action is to never get engulfed in negative thoughts and emotions. Never keep suggesting to yourself that you are not good enough to do something. You are a product of what you believe you are. Your success is a function of what you do and how well you do as opposed to your DNA or genetics. We will continue to dabble in this "toughness waters" and explore the ocean of positive force field that produces a purposeful call to action.
Until then ... So long and good bye .. and thanks for all the fish :-)
We face stress in our everyday life. Some of it is simply physical - like when we are carry a backpack during trekking or simply running from from one chore to another. We feel drained and sapped. This is something to do with our physical stress and lack of stamina. The mental stress is more subtle. In face of constant obstacles and uphill tasks that we carry out. Sometimes, we lose heart. There are other times when we want to do something exceptional to prove a point and all we have see is a set of mistakes that we keep making, leading to increased levels of frustration. This oftentimes manifests itself in the form of uncontrolled anger. There are other times when we are emotionally drained and we are unable to push ourselves any further. We can see sportspersons choking in the final stages of the game, when they ought to have actually raised their game to their next level. So, what we refer to as stress, manifests itself in several ways.
In our corporate life, we can think of similar situations during the product development process, in face of stiff deadlines and demanding customers, different professionals respond differently to everyday stress. Some fall sick, others feel depressed and a few other break down. Management books places the blame squarely on the leader. Yes, leaders are accountable.
Well, the purpose of this piece is not to involve myself in a leadership bashing. I am trying to address a facet that is often times lost in the grind of everyday life. This facet asks an important question - "What can we do as an individual do to manage this ourselves ? Are there techniques and aspects of this issue that we need to aware of ?"
Is stress universal ?
It appears so. Everytime, I watch Wimbledon, I can sense the pressure that players are under. They have to perform to their potential day after day, match after match. The stress - physical, emotional and mental must be immense. People reputations and careers are often times are stake. You can see it in their eyes and you can sense it coming through your TV screens. How are Tiger Woods and Roger Federer able to come back to their sports arena and reproduce their class act so often ? What can employees of Corporate World learn from these examples ? To dismiss these as exceptions and something that is not applicable to us is simply wrong.
What will it take for normal folks to build a psyche similar to what Adidas campaigned for during the Athens Olympics - "Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in a world they have been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing." People that live by such a principle must wake up every morning, must deal with their failures of yesterday, learn from them and shrug off the memories; and walk ahead with a spring in their step to meet the challenges of today and plan for their tomorrows.
The key question that we are asking can be summarized in one simple sentence. Can a person perform to his or her fullest potential regardless of the circumstances ? Given our natural disposition to look at our environment or external causes for our failure or inability to do something or achieve our goals, this paradigm of 'attempting to perform regardless of circumstances seems to be a tall order. But be assured that there are ways and means of accomplishing this and inculcating this as a habit.
Begin from the beginning
We are born with talent. In some sense, talent denotes our inherent ability to be good at something. For example, "The boy is exceptionally talented in Music", always conjures an imagery of a person who is born with a latent ability to be exceptional in some specific field. When we say a person is exceptionally skilled at doing something, we are talking about a few related things. The person has an interest in that area. He has undergone some level of training. He has practiced this over and over again. He is very good at it because of his experience - which is a product of his interest, training, practice and consistently high quality of execution. However, when we say "He is tough" - typically we think of a cold, ruthless, uncaring, hard and inflexible person. Nothing is farther from truth. Toughness is an acquired skill, therefore you can be trained to become tough. In fact, toughness, as we will define, is similar to state an violinist experiences during a concert. Time stops and expands. He is in a zone. He is so focused and engrossed in what he is doing and enjoying the state of excellence that this takes him to, he simply has no sense of external stimulus. If have run a marathon, you would experience this as "RUNNERS HIGH'. Its a state where you body, mind and soul come together work purposefully in tandem and produce exceptional result. It is the state that produces the highest levels of performance. One's emotional state is described by words like - confident, relaxed, calm, focused, alert, instinctive, filled with joy, bliss, nirvana and so on. Your adrenalin pumps and you have a sense of arousal that drives you towards a zone of positive energy like confidence, determination, persistence and fun. Compare this with a bout of frustration, where you are filled with fatigue, helplessness, insecurity, weakness, fear, confusion, low energy, cynicism, sarcasm, temper and rage. Each one of the phrases that describe a state of how one experiences energy - be it positive or negative. Fear makes you go into the shell and hide from something. Confidence and determination pushes you to face a challenge. Rage and Anger moves you away from positive engagement, while fun, bliss and enjoyment pushes you towards purposeful action and positive engagement. It reminds me of force field analysis that we encounter in QC Tools workshop.
Some emotions are empowering and free your talent and skill; other emotions are disempowering and effectively lock your potential out. Empowering emotions are those associated with challenge, drive, confidence, determination, positive fight, energy, spirit, persistence, and fun. Disempowering emotions are those associated with feelings of fatigue, helplessness, insecurity, low energy, weakness, fear, and confusion. The reason emotion is so important is its connection to arousal. Emotions are biochemical events in the brain that can lead to a cascade of powerful changes in the body. It basically determines your ideal and optimal performance zone. Fear moves you away from the problem, confidence brings you closer to the solution; temper and rage move you away from engagement, fun and enjoyment bring you back to purposeful action taking. In the 7 QC tools, this is called force-field analysis. One set of stimulus pushes you away from the center while the other set draws you towards it.
Therefore, we can experience toughness as a state that produces a consistent stream of positive and empowering emotion - that ensures physical, mental and emotional balance and control.
Summary
This was an introduction to the subject. We looked at various aspects of performance and scanned the dictionary for words and phrases that describe action orientation or lack of it. In summary, the call to action is to never get engulfed in negative thoughts and emotions. Never keep suggesting to yourself that you are not good enough to do something. You are a product of what you believe you are. Your success is a function of what you do and how well you do as opposed to your DNA or genetics. We will continue to dabble in this "toughness waters" and explore the ocean of positive force field that produces a purposeful call to action.
Until then ... So long and good bye .. and thanks for all the fish :-)
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Anatomy of Learning - Part II
In the part I the series on Anatomy of Learning, we looked at "Observation" as an important step in the knowledge acquisition and information processing chain. We discussed the problems that we would run into if we skipped this step or if did not do a good job of observation. Continuing along this thread, we will take a look at the next step - Reflection.
The Principle of Reflection
A little knowledge of Physics will tell us that Reflection is the process where the observer looks at the observed, with the trivial case being one of the observer and observed being the same [ angle of incidence is zero ]. The key question that is being asked here is - "do you see what you are supposed to see?". The "observed" in the context of learning is the output of the first step in the process - Observation. The core data gathered from critical observations made leads to efficient models of data organization. This in turn aids further analysis - and therefore is the next logical step.
Experts in Artificial Intelligence refer to this step as Representation. The central idea of this paradigm of thought being, if you could represent or model a problem effectuvely, the path to the solution must be trivial and accurate.
Let us consider an example to understand the implication of the previous statement. The chess board is a set of 64 alternating black and white squares, represented as a 8x8 matrix. Now we have to represent the motion of a knight. This is one step to front, back, left or right. A second step on its immediate diagonal square. The possible positions are :
a[i+2, j-1], a[i+2, j+1]
a[i+1, j-2], a[i+1, j+2]
a[i-1, j-2], a[i-1, j+2]
a[i-2, j-1], a[i-2, j+2]
where knight's current location is a[i, j] , represented by the i-th row and j-th column.
Imagine, we are dealing with a language that does not support 2 dimensional arrays. How would you represent a chess board ? As an array [1..64], ofcourse. Now try determining the algorithm for a knight's move using a single dimensional array. The solution space is messy and not elegant. You will immediately see the need for defining the concept or need for a higher order concept of 2 dimensional array before proceeding to actual solution. Object oriented programmers use derived class, inheritance and related mumbo-jumbo to accomplish the same. The idea here is to build a hierarchy of concepts from first principles onwards. Before a solution is arrived at, the set of useful concepts and structures are created. This structure will aid in easier navigation of the solution space.
This is precisely the reason why we have latitudes and longitudes on the globe. Astronomers have the same concept for the skies to them to locate and share the information precisely. These are structures and concepts defined and formulated in order to help us speak about the location of a celestial object like Saturn.
The process of identifying the information we possess, the core concepts, the gaps in the concepts, and the tools required to process information or navigate through the data - all fall under the Principle of Reflection.
Issues in Reflection
Yet another key life skill we need, relates to the practice of incorruptible reflections. Clarity of thought and sequencing of observed data are quintessential traits of this phase of learning. There are several issues in the principle of reflection. Each of these derail our ability to reflect and represent the observations into a coherent and cohesive canvas that will eventually aid problem solving. The phrase "jumping to the conclusion" oftentimes refers to moving from a quick and incomplete observation phase to introspection phase, skipping reflection phase completely. Therefore we get into several problems. These are:
• Inability to Acknowledge a known gap
• Fear of Acceptance
• Internalized Untrue Information
• Emotional Crossroads
• Unquestioned faith and belief in systems
If you skip reflection, you end up focusing on the incorrect or incomplete observation. You assume that you have seen something that you actually did not. Errors on decision and inferences occur due to an incorrect seed driving our problem solving processes.
Conclusion
If "unbiased" was the desired prefix for Observation, then "Clarity" is the defining yardstick for quality of reflection. In a later blog, we will look at the next stage of learning - Principle of Reflection. This stage deals with need for Introspection as the third stage in the anatomy of learning process.
The Principle of Reflection
A little knowledge of Physics will tell us that Reflection is the process where the observer looks at the observed, with the trivial case being one of the observer and observed being the same [ angle of incidence is zero ]. The key question that is being asked here is - "do you see what you are supposed to see?". The "observed" in the context of learning is the output of the first step in the process - Observation. The core data gathered from critical observations made leads to efficient models of data organization. This in turn aids further analysis - and therefore is the next logical step.
Experts in Artificial Intelligence refer to this step as Representation. The central idea of this paradigm of thought being, if you could represent or model a problem effectuvely, the path to the solution must be trivial and accurate.
Let us consider an example to understand the implication of the previous statement. The chess board is a set of 64 alternating black and white squares, represented as a 8x8 matrix. Now we have to represent the motion of a knight. This is one step to front, back, left or right. A second step on its immediate diagonal square. The possible positions are :
a[i+2, j-1], a[i+2, j+1]
a[i+1, j-2], a[i+1, j+2]
a[i-1, j-2], a[i-1, j+2]
a[i-2, j-1], a[i-2, j+2]
where knight's current location is a[i, j] , represented by the i-th row and j-th column.
Imagine, we are dealing with a language that does not support 2 dimensional arrays. How would you represent a chess board ? As an array [1..64], ofcourse. Now try determining the algorithm for a knight's move using a single dimensional array. The solution space is messy and not elegant. You will immediately see the need for defining the concept or need for a higher order concept of 2 dimensional array before proceeding to actual solution. Object oriented programmers use derived class, inheritance and related mumbo-jumbo to accomplish the same. The idea here is to build a hierarchy of concepts from first principles onwards. Before a solution is arrived at, the set of useful concepts and structures are created. This structure will aid in easier navigation of the solution space.
This is precisely the reason why we have latitudes and longitudes on the globe. Astronomers have the same concept for the skies to them to locate and share the information precisely. These are structures and concepts defined and formulated in order to help us speak about the location of a celestial object like Saturn.
The process of identifying the information we possess, the core concepts, the gaps in the concepts, and the tools required to process information or navigate through the data - all fall under the Principle of Reflection.
Issues in Reflection
Yet another key life skill we need, relates to the practice of incorruptible reflections. Clarity of thought and sequencing of observed data are quintessential traits of this phase of learning. There are several issues in the principle of reflection. Each of these derail our ability to reflect and represent the observations into a coherent and cohesive canvas that will eventually aid problem solving. The phrase "jumping to the conclusion" oftentimes refers to moving from a quick and incomplete observation phase to introspection phase, skipping reflection phase completely. Therefore we get into several problems. These are:
• Inability to Acknowledge a known gap
• Fear of Acceptance
• Internalized Untrue Information
• Emotional Crossroads
• Unquestioned faith and belief in systems
If you skip reflection, you end up focusing on the incorrect or incomplete observation. You assume that you have seen something that you actually did not. Errors on decision and inferences occur due to an incorrect seed driving our problem solving processes.
Conclusion
If "unbiased" was the desired prefix for Observation, then "Clarity" is the defining yardstick for quality of reflection. In a later blog, we will look at the next stage of learning - Principle of Reflection. This stage deals with need for Introspection as the third stage in the anatomy of learning process.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Anatomy of Learning - Part I
In an earlier blog, I had the opportunity of penning my thoughts on various paradigms of learning as part of a search for an answer to the vexing question is rote learning all that bad? Rote at the expense of experiential learning is just as bad as experiential at the expense of rote learning. They both serve a valuable purpose in the knowledge acquisition, storage and inference making processes.
In this blog, I wish to commence a 4 part blog, my attempt to distill the information that I have gathered from personal experience, experts and most importantly through introspection. There seems to be 4 stages or Principles of Learning
In the first part, we will deal with the Principle of Observation.
Unbiased observations help us in using all our senses as a sieve to retain the relevant and ignore the inconsequential. There is a good reason why we require unbiased observation. A bias works as a mental filter which results in transforming the information acquired through observation and making it appear as something that it is not.
For example, it is a popular misconception that all wild animals attack human being as soon as they see them. Typically a lion does not attack unless and until it perceives a real physical danger or is hungry. Yes, sometimes it does attack to demonstrate its power to its pride. Similarly, every stray dog on the street does not chase and bite you. Human beings have an internal imagery of of violent animal attacks. This bias colors our observation [ a wild animal in its habitat ] and makes our hearts race. A wildlife enthusiast sees the beauty of a lion and can figure out meaningful response which trigger him towards peaceful coexistence with the wild habitat.
Another example that comes to my mind is our fear for darkness. Our bias seem to not stop with coloring our observations. Each bias seems to add to our fears and fears progressively start eliminating dimensions of the world around us, away from our lives. We start avoiding animals, darkness, heights - and thus we start building invisible walls around us. Another consequence of bias is that it results in a firm set of "this is and these are not" type rules that we find increasingly difficult to question as time goes by. A good example is our own reaction to our law enforcement agents constantly force us to view their actions with suspicion because we view them through the filter of possible or assumed corruption. Issue is not about the reality, but with the generalization that everyone is corrupt.
It is the process of stereo typing that results from the fundamental bias in our observation. Meaning of truth starts to drift. Wayne Dyer asks a powerful question. Do you see the world as being benign and peaceful or world filled with pain and violent disposition ? The principle of observation is a key force that set the ball of learning in motion.
Issues in Observation
The key life skill we need to practice is related to making unbiased observations. There are several issues in the principle of observations. Each of these intrinsically inhibit our ability to "see" things as it were.
The Principle of Observation is the critical first step in the stages of learning. If we skip or corrupt the Observation phase, we are left with the data acquired through past experiences - self and anecdotal, biases and filters through which you perceive the reality. This leads to stereo typing or generalizing our observations and building an axiom set based on non-realities. The idiom - missing the wood in the forest - actually demonstrates not seeing the obvious; and drawing conclusion based on another loud observed input.
In a later blog, we will look at the next stage of learning - Principle of Reflection. This stage deals with - I have gathered the data, how do I use what I have observed to make a set of coherent inferences.
In this blog, I wish to commence a 4 part blog, my attempt to distill the information that I have gathered from personal experience, experts and most importantly through introspection. There seems to be 4 stages or Principles of Learning
- The Principle of Observation
- The Principle of Reflection
- The Principle of Introspection
- The Principle of Action Taking
In the first part, we will deal with the Principle of Observation.
Unbiased observations help us in using all our senses as a sieve to retain the relevant and ignore the inconsequential. There is a good reason why we require unbiased observation. A bias works as a mental filter which results in transforming the information acquired through observation and making it appear as something that it is not.
For example, it is a popular misconception that all wild animals attack human being as soon as they see them. Typically a lion does not attack unless and until it perceives a real physical danger or is hungry. Yes, sometimes it does attack to demonstrate its power to its pride. Similarly, every stray dog on the street does not chase and bite you. Human beings have an internal imagery of of violent animal attacks. This bias colors our observation [ a wild animal in its habitat ] and makes our hearts race. A wildlife enthusiast sees the beauty of a lion and can figure out meaningful response which trigger him towards peaceful coexistence with the wild habitat.
Another example that comes to my mind is our fear for darkness. Our bias seem to not stop with coloring our observations. Each bias seems to add to our fears and fears progressively start eliminating dimensions of the world around us, away from our lives. We start avoiding animals, darkness, heights - and thus we start building invisible walls around us. Another consequence of bias is that it results in a firm set of "this is and these are not" type rules that we find increasingly difficult to question as time goes by. A good example is our own reaction to our law enforcement agents constantly force us to view their actions with suspicion because we view them through the filter of possible or assumed corruption. Issue is not about the reality, but with the generalization that everyone is corrupt.
It is the process of stereo typing that results from the fundamental bias in our observation. Meaning of truth starts to drift. Wayne Dyer asks a powerful question. Do you see the world as being benign and peaceful or world filled with pain and violent disposition ? The principle of observation is a key force that set the ball of learning in motion.
Issues in Observation
The key life skill we need to practice is related to making unbiased observations. There are several issues in the principle of observations. Each of these intrinsically inhibit our ability to "see" things as it were.
- Personal Bias
- “I know it all” attitude
- “I do not have to know the details” attitude
- Seeing and Observing :: Hearing and Listening :: Reading and Internalizing
- Highly motivated and Energetic – Jumps to conclusions as opposed to following a methodical approach
- Belief that Speed is superior even if it is at the expense of accuracy
The Principle of Observation is the critical first step in the stages of learning. If we skip or corrupt the Observation phase, we are left with the data acquired through past experiences - self and anecdotal, biases and filters through which you perceive the reality. This leads to stereo typing or generalizing our observations and building an axiom set based on non-realities. The idiom - missing the wood in the forest - actually demonstrates not seeing the obvious; and drawing conclusion based on another loud observed input.
In a later blog, we will look at the next stage of learning - Principle of Reflection. This stage deals with - I have gathered the data, how do I use what I have observed to make a set of coherent inferences.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Should we abandon rote learning altogether?
There are no simple answers to most problems we face or most questions we ask. Learning is a complex process and this is no different from the other issues we face. In order to answer this question, we need to first understand a subset of view points from which the process of learning can be viewed from. This will help us draw a few conclusions and hopefully aid in getting a high level perspective on the vexing question - should we eradicate the rote learning paradigm altogether? The recent debates on the new Education Policy, Right to Education bill have taken a cliched stance. US is right. May be they are right. We are wrong. May be we are wrong. Before, I came to any sort of conclusion, I just wanted to ensure that I really understood what these terms and phrases really mean.
IMHO, the learning processes can be viewed from multiple viewpoints. Each viewpoint addresses a subset of the overall goal of learning - we have set for our children through the schooling umbrella.
Imagine a world where only experiential learning is allowed. Some comical situations would arise in this world. Your kid will have to experience the fatherhood you demonstrate before he learns to acknowledge that you are indeed his dad. Since other forms are not acknowledged, he would chuckle every time he looks at you and say "can't you folks see. I did identify you as my dad using a different approach :-) long ago. And you wouldn't acknowledge this :-) You really really deserve all the parental anxiety"
IMHO, the learning processes can be viewed from multiple viewpoints. Each viewpoint addresses a subset of the overall goal of learning - we have set for our children through the schooling umbrella.
- If learning is seen as a process resulting in quantitative increase in knowledge, then effectiveness of a paradigm of learning must be measured by a metric that addresses the amount of information imparted and absorbed. Learning, in this context can be seen as acquiring information or ‘knowing a lot’. For example, we hear of 5 year old kids who can recall the names of capital cities of all nations on the planet.
- If learning is seen as a process that results in memorizing information, then learning effectiveness can be measured as a by the speed and accuracy of storing and reproducing the imparted information. Multiplication tables in elementary school levels fall under this category. The set of do's and don'ts in our society or ecosystem falls under this category.
- Yet another paradigm deals with learning as knowledge acquisition process, where the focus is on presentation and absorption of facts, skills and methods – formulae and rules. This results in a deep understanding of the information, which can be retained and used as necessary. Basics of learning from meaningful analogies are an example of this.
- If one is learning in order to make logical inferences, learning would then have to involve relating parts of subject matter in order to distill the essence, key concept, moral or more simply put abstracting the information. One starts to create a network of relationships between the key concepts, drawing analogies and looking for ways to tie the concepts amongst themselves and with the real world.
- As a subject matter expert continues to research a certain topic of interest, learning eventually becomes a process of interpretation of the reality through a process of understanding, comprehension, modeling and re-interpretation.
- Each of these techniques are applicable to a subset of knowledge - depending upon how we wish to organize, refine and process the acquired knowledge.
- I find it hard to believe that all the learning and knowledge that one acquires can purely from one paradigm.
- Rote learning and experiential learning are two ways of handling different types of information. It would be incorrect to argue that one is infinitely superior learning process than the other.
Imagine a world where only experiential learning is allowed. Some comical situations would arise in this world. Your kid will have to experience the fatherhood you demonstrate before he learns to acknowledge that you are indeed his dad. Since other forms are not acknowledged, he would chuckle every time he looks at you and say "can't you folks see. I did identify you as my dad using a different approach :-) long ago. And you wouldn't acknowledge this :-) You really really deserve all the parental anxiety"
Where do we start?
Everytime, I watch a TV documentary or debate; read a newspaper editorial or an article of general interest - I see a trend. No one seems to be interested in the issue or its solution, pros and cons, alternatives etc. The focus seems to be exclusively on eloquent gibberish. Recently, a leading anchor asked a doctor the following question while dealing with H1N1 issue. His line of argument was something like this. Why are we even trying to diagnose the illness ? Given that H1N1 is prevalent in Pune, should the doctor not directly start Tamiflu administration. Since doctors did not, they must be culpable for the deaths in the city." Some such gross nonsense is the thread of argument of an obnoxious strident anchor in whose opinion debate means shout and out shout. And, if you run out of logical basis for continuing the debate - you come back to the ultimate punchline - "We have got to take a break". The fixation of the problem solving process seems to be in identifying a scapegoat in 15 easy seconds. This is not purposeful action.
For starters, I would like to see us move away from debates into the world of a meaningful discussion - anchored on various points of view. We need a steering team to identify potentially good inputs and help synthesize a integrated world view and offer this as a perspective on which the viewer and reader can introspect. Shaping public opinion is not about being disrespectful and condescending. The people know the stated positions of Congress, BJP and the Left. There is very little left to the imagination of the viewer.
IMHO, it would be a serious differentiation in our TV programming, if we can get the people from across the political spectrum - for example and have a lively discussion with a few ground rules.
1. Its not one party Vs another.
2. "You did this before" is not an OK argument to justify why we are doing a similar thing today. In other words, let us accept that all communities, societies and groups - political and non-political - have aberrations. There is no purpose in rehashing the obvious. We know the screw ups of all parties since independence and before. And we all do have strong opinions. That is not the point.
3. Given the morass that we are in; we will have sub-optimality as we commence our problem solving process. For example, if we agree to fix the roads across the nation, something else will have to given in. If we plan to handle three things together, we will make progress in these to the extent it was planned and there will be others that will have to wait for their turn. Unless we have a King Croesus in our nation - infinite resources for solving all our problems instantly. Else, we simply have to accept this as a working constraint and do the best we can.
4. Let all the wise men in the discussion, focus their energy on a "Wisdom Vs the Issue" discussion. One man Vs another makes for a waste of time. The debate is people Vs issues. The outcome must be solutions, perspective and viewpoints. Every political ideology has a valid world view. They must be heard.
5. Let a citizen's jury capture and stratify the inputs and evolve a working consensus.
Let us hear this for the sake of the nation and the generations to follow. Can we move from the age old paradigm in India - louder means righter ? Can we practice active listening and hear the quieter and more mature ones. They do have something to offer.
May be this is a good place to start.
For starters, I would like to see us move away from debates into the world of a meaningful discussion - anchored on various points of view. We need a steering team to identify potentially good inputs and help synthesize a integrated world view and offer this as a perspective on which the viewer and reader can introspect. Shaping public opinion is not about being disrespectful and condescending. The people know the stated positions of Congress, BJP and the Left. There is very little left to the imagination of the viewer.
IMHO, it would be a serious differentiation in our TV programming, if we can get the people from across the political spectrum - for example and have a lively discussion with a few ground rules.
1. Its not one party Vs another.
2. "You did this before" is not an OK argument to justify why we are doing a similar thing today. In other words, let us accept that all communities, societies and groups - political and non-political - have aberrations. There is no purpose in rehashing the obvious. We know the screw ups of all parties since independence and before. And we all do have strong opinions. That is not the point.
3. Given the morass that we are in; we will have sub-optimality as we commence our problem solving process. For example, if we agree to fix the roads across the nation, something else will have to given in. If we plan to handle three things together, we will make progress in these to the extent it was planned and there will be others that will have to wait for their turn. Unless we have a King Croesus in our nation - infinite resources for solving all our problems instantly. Else, we simply have to accept this as a working constraint and do the best we can.
4. Let all the wise men in the discussion, focus their energy on a "Wisdom Vs the Issue" discussion. One man Vs another makes for a waste of time. The debate is people Vs issues. The outcome must be solutions, perspective and viewpoints. Every political ideology has a valid world view. They must be heard.
5. Let a citizen's jury capture and stratify the inputs and evolve a working consensus.
Let us hear this for the sake of the nation and the generations to follow. Can we move from the age old paradigm in India - louder means righter ? Can we practice active listening and hear the quieter and more mature ones. They do have something to offer.
May be this is a good place to start.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Pithy Eloquence
Just read an article about a guy who has written an entire book on Twitter. I have been trying to get hold of this Twook. Just the thought simply fascinates me. It is nostalgic for Indians. Thiruvalluvar would have tweeted his Thirukkural; Sant Kabirdas, Vemana Mahakavi and others would have tweeted their 160-words simplets instead. That would have been awesome.
For example:
karey buraaee sukh chahey, kaisey paave koi,
Ropai birva aak ko aam kahaan se hoi
would have a tweet like
a man's desire for good for all his evil deeds
is like expecting mango from your garden weeds
Now how does one write a book in a 20 chapters, each of 160 words or less. Quite challenging. Where is the room for demonstrating your creative genius? I remember Alistair MacLean using u two full pages to describe the dashboard of a submarine or an airplane. What would McLean do on Twitter ?
Imagine our Finance minister presenting Union Budget on Twitter. The first 100 tweets would be consumed for thanking Sonia Gandhi, if he did not change his style to being crisp and succinct.
Along our National Highways, there are enough tweets asking folks to slow down and drive carefully. Traffic management is tweeting, although to deaf ears or blind eyes.
Twitter is paradigm shift in our conventional wisdom. "Pithy eloquence" is not an oxymoron anymore. It is a personification of Twitter as a platform. IMHO, micro-blogging is a step in that direction. It is asking writers to cut the flab. Its asking an important question constantly - where is my beef? what's your point? Creativity must find a way into the world of one liners if it wants to be a part of this society. Its time to re-write "Gone with the Wind" in 10 easy tweets. And its about time we all enjoyed it as well :-)
For example:
karey buraaee sukh chahey, kaisey paave koi,
Ropai birva aak ko aam kahaan se hoi
would have a tweet like
a man's desire for good for all his evil deeds
is like expecting mango from your garden weeds
Now how does one write a book in a 20 chapters, each of 160 words or less. Quite challenging. Where is the room for demonstrating your creative genius? I remember Alistair MacLean using u two full pages to describe the dashboard of a submarine or an airplane. What would McLean do on Twitter ?
Imagine our Finance minister presenting Union Budget on Twitter. The first 100 tweets would be consumed for thanking Sonia Gandhi, if he did not change his style to being crisp and succinct.
Along our National Highways, there are enough tweets asking folks to slow down and drive carefully. Traffic management is tweeting, although to deaf ears or blind eyes.
Twitter is paradigm shift in our conventional wisdom. "Pithy eloquence" is not an oxymoron anymore. It is a personification of Twitter as a platform. IMHO, micro-blogging is a step in that direction. It is asking writers to cut the flab. Its asking an important question constantly - where is my beef? what's your point? Creativity must find a way into the world of one liners if it wants to be a part of this society. Its time to re-write "Gone with the Wind" in 10 easy tweets. And its about time we all enjoyed it as well :-)
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Humor in the times of H1N1
This is a poem, I loved to recite, way back in my middle school years. I was looking around for the lyrics - I had actually forgotten a few lines here and there. Google came to my rescue. As I was reciting this poem to my son, I realized that Ogden Nash was indeed a visionary. He was actually talking about our Health Minister - Clueless, Talkative and a muddle head. The beatific smile on his face after every press conference clip on TV is just as irritating. His pronouncements on whether a kid spread virus across the city to 33% of us will be infected by the virus [ that is 1/3 billion ] and 10% of those will die [ which is 30 million ] is a proof of the a brand of insensitive governance that is prevalent today. Of course, the TV channels will provide for a prime time slot for us to retract what we said. We have been quoted out of context.
Here is actually a poem that I have quoted out of context. Close your eyes and think of our Parliament. If this poem conjures an image of a current day politician, then my point is proved. I have been quoted out of context, successfully - yet again.
Try this experiment and see how it goes. Post your results of the blog swabs. Thanks.
I knew a man from Petushkee
As muddleheaded as could be.
He always got mixed up with clothes;
He wore his mittens on his toes,
Forgot his collar in his haste,
And tied his tie around his waist.
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!
They told him as he went about:
"You've got u'r coat on inside out!"
And when they saw his hat, they said:
"You've put a saucepan on your head!"
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!
At lunch he scratched a piece of bread,
And spread some butter on his head.
He put his walking stick to bed,
And he stood in the rack instead.
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!
He walked upto a tram one day
And climbed in very sprightly;
Conductor thought that he would pay,
Instead he said politely:
"Parding your beggon,
Kister Monductor,
I'm off for a week's vacation;
I stop you to beg your cramway tar
As soon as we reach the station."
Conductor got a fright
And didn't sleep that nite.
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!
He rushed into the first café:
"A railway ticket please, One way."
And at the ticket office said:
"A slice of tea and a cup of bread."
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!
He passed the man collecting the fares,
And entered a carriage awaiting repairs,
That stood on a siding, all by itself.
Half of his luggage, he put on a shelf,
The rest on the floor, his coat on his lap
And settled himself for a bit of a nap.
All at once he raised his head,
"I must have been asleep"- he said.
"Hey, what stop is this?" he cried
"Petushkee," a voice replied.
Once again he closed his eyes
And dreamt he was in Paradise.
When he woke, he looked about,
Raised the window and leaned out.
"I've seen this place before, I believe,
Is it Kharkov or is it Kiev?
Tell me where I am," he cried.
"In Petushkee", a voice replied.
And so again he settled down
And dreamt the world was upside down
When he woke, he looked about,
Raised the window and looked out.
"I seem to know this station too,
Is it Nalchik or Baku?
Tell me what its called," he cried.
"Petushkee' a voice replied.
Up he jumped: "It's a crime!
I've been riding all this time,
And here I am where I began!
That's no way to treat a man!'
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee
Here is actually a poem that I have quoted out of context. Close your eyes and think of our Parliament. If this poem conjures an image of a current day politician, then my point is proved. I have been quoted out of context, successfully - yet again.
Try this experiment and see how it goes. Post your results of the blog swabs. Thanks.
I knew a man from Petushkee
As muddleheaded as could be.
He always got mixed up with clothes;
He wore his mittens on his toes,
Forgot his collar in his haste,
And tied his tie around his waist.
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!
They told him as he went about:
"You've got u'r coat on inside out!"
And when they saw his hat, they said:
"You've put a saucepan on your head!"
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!
At lunch he scratched a piece of bread,
And spread some butter on his head.
He put his walking stick to bed,
And he stood in the rack instead.
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!
He walked upto a tram one day
And climbed in very sprightly;
Conductor thought that he would pay,
Instead he said politely:
"Parding your beggon,
Kister Monductor,
I'm off for a week's vacation;
I stop you to beg your cramway tar
As soon as we reach the station."
Conductor got a fright
And didn't sleep that nite.
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!
He rushed into the first café:
"A railway ticket please, One way."
And at the ticket office said:
"A slice of tea and a cup of bread."
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!
He passed the man collecting the fares,
And entered a carriage awaiting repairs,
That stood on a siding, all by itself.
Half of his luggage, he put on a shelf,
The rest on the floor, his coat on his lap
And settled himself for a bit of a nap.
All at once he raised his head,
"I must have been asleep"- he said.
"Hey, what stop is this?" he cried
"Petushkee," a voice replied.
Once again he closed his eyes
And dreamt he was in Paradise.
When he woke, he looked about,
Raised the window and leaned out.
"I've seen this place before, I believe,
Is it Kharkov or is it Kiev?
Tell me where I am," he cried.
"In Petushkee", a voice replied.
And so again he settled down
And dreamt the world was upside down
When he woke, he looked about,
Raised the window and looked out.
"I seem to know this station too,
Is it Nalchik or Baku?
Tell me what its called," he cried.
"Petushkee' a voice replied.
Up he jumped: "It's a crime!
I've been riding all this time,
And here I am where I began!
That's no way to treat a man!'
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee
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