Today I will tell you about the book Is it Serious? How to Search for Health Information on the Internet by Burton Paul. I did not find any negative points in the book, so this ‘review’ may appear to be a summary of what this book is about. Continue reading
‘Kareena’ by Amit Misra, Pencil on Paper.
I usually face a peculiar problem on social media sites. As usual I get friend requests at regular intervals. Sometimes the names are very unique like Bhavik Kodrani and Subimal Deb; in all such cases, I accept them without giving a second thought. But most of the time, the name is very common, like Alok Sharma. I am not sure which Alok Sharma is this — the friend, the rival or the enemy. This fellow has hidden his ‘friend list’ so there is no way to identify him by common friends. Perhaps this fellow is an old friend from my past who has been out of touch for a long time now and I would require several cues to recall his name and face. Or perhaps he is someone I have met recently e.g., in train journey, conference or shopping mall, and he wants to take our acquaintance to a higher level. Now the shortest and simplest way out — and the one which most of us use unconsciously — is to look for the person’s photo(s). Now this profile photo is the topic of my discussion today. You may consider it to be a trivial issue, but honestly, it is the cause of a lot of headache for me. In fact, I have arrived at the belief that it reveals a lot about our psychology. Continue reading
Source: Flicker
This post is about NDTV journalist Pallava Bagla who is in news for last few days for all the wrong reasons. A lot has already been said on this episode; in fact, Twitter is on the verge of explosion considering the number of tweets shared on this news. It really brings delight to see the fervour and passion that my countrymen are carrying in their hearts. I am particularly happy to note that we have started looking beyond Tendulkar and Shahrukh Khan for people and institutions that bring us together. In the response given to Pallava Bagla, we have at least found something which is not controversial and everyone — barring a few — thinks in the same way. It is a rare sight these days. Continue reading
यदि सोशल नेटवर्किंग साइटों पर होने वाले तर्कों को देखें तो लगता है कि हम लोगों के पास किसी भी समस्या का समाधान नहीं है । इससे अधिक बुरी बात यह है कि पुराने मुद्दे सुलझते नहीं, और नए मुद्दे आते जाते हैं । मुझे तो यहाँ तक लगता है कि हममें विचार करने की शक्ति का ही अभाव है । बात अनन्त काल तक तर्क करते रहने और किसी भी नतीजे तक न पहुँचने की नहीं है । बात है तर्कों और विचार-विमर्श की गुणवत्ता की । किसी भी मुद्दे पर समाज की प्रतिक्रिया पढकर अब झल्लाहट ही होती है । फिर राजनेताओं और मंत्रियों की भाषा शैली ! ध्यान से देखें तो पाएँगे कि अधिकतर बातों में अथवा टिप्पणी में कोई संदेश होता ही नहीं है । इस पर प्रश्न उठता है कि यदि हम किसी भी विषय पर तार्किक टिप्पणी ही न कर सकें अथवा दूसरे के तर्क को सुन-समझ ही न सकें तो फिर हमारी 15 वर्षों की शिक्षा का क्या लाभ ? Continue reading 
Postscript: This reflection has been featured in 26 December 2016 edition of BlogAdda Perky Tweets. For my other selections at BlogAdda, please click here.
Walking through corridors of computer centre and various laboratories, I occasionally witness students and young workers completely glued to the screens, switching the tabs between YouTube and Facebook. It is not that elders and seniors do not act in a similar way. My concern is the draining out of precious efficiency, strength and creativity of youth years. Sri Harishankar Parsai called it the age to make mistakes and learn from them. There is something hypnotising in these services, which makes it near-impossible for the young to retract their steps. It does lower the conscious level, makes the mind dull and stupid, not to mention the number of hours wasted that way. Continue reading
Communication is very important for fostering peace and resolving conflicts. Just talking things over, not necessarily on the points of conflict or difference, prepares an amicable environment conducive for further friendly relations. The diffusion of air from both sides brings about mixing and a uniformity of thought. Contrary to general perception, it does not rob us of our views, thoughts, culture; instead it makes us more tolerant towards the view of the other side. Continue reading
Pradyot 