• Conscious choices

    I found this video shared by K (part of a series by Professor Russell Stannard) offering me a very interesting perspective on the free will vs determinism debate. (earlier post)

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8EI4obG5zM

    He starts with talking about the brain as a physical object which is governed by the physical/chemical/biological rules of nature – like a computer works within a  set of mechanical/electronic laws – and therefore predictable. So it should be possible to predict our choices. But it doesn’t work that way. Consciousness is different.

    He then talks about how some are trying to apply quantum theory to the free will – determinism debate. Apparently, at sub atomic level, the ‘future’ is not predictable with absolute certainty. It has a built-in uncertainty in it. What we can do, however, is predict the odds of various possible outcomes – the average behaviour of various items. So if this is applied to individual cells whose behaviour is unpredictable, it would be free will, say the proponents of this theory. But the prof refutes this, and says that this is one of the debates that can’t be solved to everyone’s satisfaction.

    [This prediction of group behaviour reminded me of Asimov’s Foundation series and specifically Hari Seldon‘s psychohistory, through which he predicts the future in probabilistic terms.]

    But more importantly, it made me think that if indeed, there is a creator, maybe he built the automaton inside our head to make us predictable. The automaton grows with us, making most of our decisions unconscious ones, based on baggage accumulated over time – conditioning. That could explain why those few who break out of it are able to attain a higher level of thinking in which they can bend the rules, predict the future and so on and the only advice they can give others is to be aware of every second.

    And when I think of predicting the odds of outcomes, I wonder if the results of all our free will choices are written, like a tree with infinite branches. And as we continue our journey of choices that is life, one by one the branches disappear, until on hindsight, they look like one straight line that was always meant to be that way.

     until next time, a predictable end

  • Weekly Top 5

    This week’s updates include Twitter advertising, Sean Parker joining Twitter; iPhone 4S, Siri, iOS stats; demise of Zune, Windows Phone, Hotmail updates; Facebook and Websense, new Insights tools, Timeline; YouTube programming, Google+ and Shah Rukh Khan and the Nexus Prime launch delay.
    [scribd id=68288347 key=key-12lwx4awsxkum08xk1c4 mode=list]

  • Applewood

    It’s been a while since we left the safe confines of Koramangala city and explored dining options in the suburbs. And thus it was that we decided to try out Applewood, the newly opened restaurant in Indiranagar. It’s on 100 feet Road, above the Van Heusen showroom, just after the 12th Main junction when going from Koramangala. Here’s a map to get you there. There’s basement parking, so you don’t need to worry on that score.

    Applewood is on the 3rd floor, and is more partly open than really alfresco, with a few seating options facing the 100 ft Road – 2 and 4 seaters. The ambiance is quite pleasant, and wood indeed dominates. Music is 90s pop including MLTR. 🙂 The menu is mostly continental, with plenty of pasta options, but also has sizzlers, and a smattering of Mexican and Spanish. You can see the complete food and liquor menu at Zomato.  Meanwhile, the placemat spelling did manage to confuse me. Though there are no soup options on the menu, except as part of the pasta combination, they do serve it if you ask for it. But we went for a Pema Chicken, which is billed as ‘must try’. It turned out that it indeed was. A kind of spicy kebab-like dish complemented extremely well with a Skinner’s chutney and a smooth mint chutney.

    For the main course, we decided to check out the sizzlers. The Roast Clay Pot Chicken was only moderately spicy and the skewers reminded us more of kababs than anything else. The Cheesy Chicken Fungi got the chicken breast right but skimped on the cheese and cream. The onion rings were also soggy. For dessert, we asked for the Very Good Chocolate Cake. It turned out to be Very Long in making, but was thankfully worth it. Bit costly at Rs.195, but boy, it’s XL!! Make sure you leave enough room for it.

    The service is quite enthusiastic, and only the serving time for dessert was a downer. All of the above including the service charge and tax cost us just over Rs.1300. Do give it a shot if you’re in the area and are in the mood for some fine dining.

    Applewood, No: 760, 3rd Floor, Above Van Heusen Showroom, 100 Ft Road, Indiranagar Ph: 40942311

  • RingABook

    Many of us miss out on the books we want to read because of the difficulty in finding them, or the cost involved. Ring-A-Book aims to address both pain points. In conversation with the founder Abhishek Tripathi

    [scribd id=67915527 key=key-9j8sgd4gm0v8fcezmkr mode=list]

  • Idea Maturity Models

    One of the blogs which almost always manages to give me fresh and interesting perspectives is Ribbonfarm. A recent post which caught my attention was ‘The Milo Criterion‘. Though not well versed in Lean Startup principles, I think I managed to get the gist of the post. (The comments were a completely different ballgame though!) So, Venkat’s Milo Criterion states that products must mature no faster than the rate at which users can adapt.

    Though it did remind me of the product life cycle – consumer life cycle thought from sometime back, I thought it also served as a good filter in another, probably simpler, line of thought – the adoption of social media by brands and enterprises. As a reasonably early adopter of services, there are several times when I have wondered how organisations could allow themselves to miss out on obvious potential. As I worked more with brands and clients, I became more objective (or probably pragmatic) and realised that it wasn’t always a lack of understanding or perspective that held brand custodians back.

    This is not just for consumer facing applications, but internal ones too. So I wondered whether organisations had somehow internalised the Milo criterion and the attitude towards social media was just a manifestation. I somehow couldn’t digest that though. Meanwhile, my recent experiences have pointed me to another factor – effective communication. I’m wondering if the Milo criterion would still apply if the ‘audience’ is always appraised of the intent and is constantly educated on the ‘why’ of the intent. Thankfully, my current line of work allows me abundant testing opportunities, and I intend to make full use of it.

    until next time, Milo’s and my highs 🙂

    Bonus Read : Will you become Irrelevant?