Sep 27, 2011

NY times analyzes your personality

You choose one from a series of photos that pop up on the screen. They call it your visual DNA. Interesting. And doing it can get kind of addictive. I tried it out a few times, using different option to begin with. The only deficiency seems to be not allowing the user to choose a combination of visuals rather than just one each time. Very absorbing, self-centered.. all about "me me me". Fun though. Have a shot.
Here is the link: NYT visual DNA quiz

Aug 19, 2011

Insidious social media

There was a time when meeting a person or discussing something with them, meant coming face to face with the individual in flesh and blood, and getting on with the conversation.
These days the pivot has shifted to 'online' meetup. Which is why you now find people saying, "Let's take this up offline" or "Let's meet offline", the default obviously being gmail chat, twitter, facebook, sms, blog comments, e-groups, and so on.

Jun 6, 2011

Tennis, Cricket, and Colors

Spent yesterday evening watching the Roland Garros Tennis final between Nadal and Federer. Nadal appeared in a cool blue t-shirt, while Federer flashed about in bright tomato red. Got me wondering - would it affect Nadal's performance in anyway, continually watching the bright red? Would Nadal's blue calm Federer and allow him to focus better? In short would the wearers' colors influence the opponents to the extent where they affected the outcome of the match?

This is even more marked in cricket, where some teams are kitted in neon colors. So the batsman might have a bowler in violent red, virulent green or blazing yellow approaching him rapidly to lob the ball. Would it make a difference to the batsman if the bowler had on a grey or earth toned outfit rather than a strong colored one? And if yes, then which colors have what kind of effect on the opponent's performance?

Answers anyone?

Feb 27, 2011

Evidence of the expanding universe

One of the theories about the origin of the universe mention how the universe is continuously expanding. This implies that there is more distance now between two stationary objects in the universe than before. Now scientists can find solid evidence of this phenomenon at work in Pune.

A city in India, its most commonly used form of public transport is the three-wheeler auto-rickshaw, fondly abbrieviated to 'auto' or 'rick' . Its driver is usually the owner of the vehicle. Payment is made based on a per kilometer rate. A meter records the number of kilometers covered by the vehicle. And this is where the expanding universe theory comes into the picture. A few years ago, the distance from point A to point B would clock say 3 kms. If you travel the same distance today, the meter will show 4 kms! Time to bring in the scientists, methinks.