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October 22, 2004

Data and Metadata

David Weinberger writes about Data and Meta data in the Third Age of Order. Something that I found very profound.

There used to be a difference between data and metadata. Data was the suitcase and metadata was the name tag on it. Data was the folder and metadata was its label. Data was the contents of the book and metadata was the Dewey Decimal number on its spine. But, in the Third Age of Order, everything is becoming metadata.

Why does this matter? It changes the primary job of information architects. It makes stores of information more useful to users. It enables research that otherwise would be difficult, thus making our culture smarter overall. But, most interestingly (at least to me), this does the ol’ Einsteinian reverse flip to Aristotle. Aristotle assumed that of the 10 categories by which one could understand a thing, one must be primary: Where that thing fits into the tree of knowledge. So, you could say that Alcibiades is made of flesh or lived in Greece, but if you really want to understand him, you have to say that he is an animal of a particular kind. But, now that everything is metadata, no particular way of understanding something is any more inherently valuable than any other; it all depends on what you’re trying to do. The old framework of knowledge — and authority — are getting a pretty good shake.

Interested. Read More. Link via Rajesh Jain.
October 21, 2004

Questioning Sujatha on Science Fiction

A science fiction short story called Mudhivu[The End] by Writer Sujatha was published on Desikan’s blog. Interestingly, it has raised a wave of questions on how do we define science fiction.

Mudhivu was a short story which was left out in the Sujatha’s science fiction collection, Vingnana Chirukathaigal. The story by itself is a series of letter written by three different people, one being Writer Sujatha himself.

While, the format and the narrative style is typical of Sujatha’s style, the content might provoke you to ask the framework of science fiction. Sujatha doubles up and answers these questions in the story itself. Until finishing the entire story, don’t jump to conclusions, like me. I was able to see the science fiction in this normal story only when I finished it. It’s amazing.

Because of these various questions raised on science fiction’s grammar, Desikan is compiling a set of questions. So Sujatha will step into the blog scene and answer the questions related to science fiction posted by blog readers. By any chance, if you pondering on anything about science fiction, post them here by Saturday[23rd October]. This one is sure going to arouse interest around.
October 21, 2004

The long Navaratri festival

The long Navaratri festival weekend is here and is already promising to be fun. The Nobel Prize in Literature winner, V.S.Naipaul will be here in Landmark today for a book reading session of his latest book, The Magic Seeds. His visit to Bangalore Landmark store, yesterday, seems to have awed the Bangalore book lovers.

The Magic Seeds is set to be a sequel to his previous bestseller, Half a Life. Willie Chandran (who first appeared in Half a Life) continues his quest for purpose and a place that he can claim as his own.

Having read his path-breaking short story collection, In a Free State, very recently, I was interested to check-out the session. I am still not sure if I can make it. But I am hoping to. And if anyone makes it, do share the wit and images.

7G Rainbow Colony was out last week. Seems like Selvaraghavan has done it again in the box-office. 7GRC has recieved some rave reviews already, in the media. The word is spreading and the theatres are already crowded. Thanks to the curb on video piracy too. The tickets are sky rocketing. Getting tickets over the weekend is going to be tough. But thats the disporting thing in watching tamil movies on the opening weeks. I am going to make it.
October 18, 2004

Thenmala – Angel’s Shangri-la

Close to 10-12 hours of Jugalbandhi, rap singing, yapping, singing, shouting, yelling, antakshari, aimless dancing, corporate games and team building stuff got my vocal chords torn mischievously. I could hardly whisper now. Similar for most others who came alongwith to the Thenmala.

The trip to Thenmala in Kerala, was a magical experience. God’s own country was truly a god’s own country. Having small-time water falls on roadsides, Kerala boasts of more than enough water. A cribbing Chennaite like me would certainly be envious about the water running there. All I could do was to hope that I could carry a train compartment load of water back to Chennai. Some parts of Kerala are still unexplored. Completely wild and untamed. Thenmala is one such destination. One surprising thing, the chaaya you get in every other nair shop there is more or less similar. Great consistency.

The Paallaruvi falls is a nature’s miracle. The water plunging from 80 feet above falls straight on your head with all that speed it gathered on the run and runs down further to end up in the dam. A couple of hours under that could get back your senses. Any time more than that may result in vice-versa. And the steam boat ride with just hills around and water everywhere, transported us to a different world. Not to mention the romatic rain that caught us unaware in the middle of the ride. Imagine, a terrace of a steam boat, hills where clouds hang around upon their peaks, foggy weather in the evening and that rainfall. Shangri-la!.

Thousands of pictures clicked by the entire team. Some ten digital cameras. Couple of camcorders that recorded most of the travel and our silly dance programs. To share them would be difficult. So we finally decided to join all the pictures and the footage and provide a copy of the CD to everyone. Will post some of the good ones in the my photolog.

With two full days of no television, no newspapers, no internet, no blogging and no googling was a moral booster to me. Made me believe that we(especially me) could live even without these things. Something that I wasn’t ready to believe off-handedly. And today morning when I woke up lazily with a berth coffee and the dailies in Chengulpat railway station, it said, Indians had chance of winning against the Aussies. Twenty minutes from then when I landed in Tambaram, I knew we were to be blamed for getting the rain back from Kerala.
October 14, 2004

Deepavali Shopping Polamaa??

[Click Pic. The above pic was taken a few weeks back and hence it looks uncrowded]

With just 29 days to go for the biggest festival in India, here’s a commentary on Deepavali shopping as lived by me, a proud citizen of Chennai.

So, what do you remember when you think of Deepavali? Not Diwali. Deepavali. Pattas, Tappas, Lakshmi Vedi, Laddu, Boiler, Mullu Murukku, Seyakkai, Marundhu, New Jeans, Rajini’s pudhu padam, Mathaappu a.k.a Susuravathi, Rockets, Patti Mandram, Pottu Cape. Which one comes first?

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Data and Metadata

Questioning Sujatha on Science Fiction

The long Navaratri festival

Thenmala – Angel’s Shangri-la

Deepavali Shopping Polamaa??