Pseudoscience - Astrology vs Economics vs Financial Engineering

This article is ,by no means, a vindication of astrology.

Astrology is labelled as a pseudoscience. Agreed.
But then, economics and financial engineering are pretty much in the same boat as astrology.

If I think about the underlying science behind astrology, it could be a regression model (not necessarily linear) mimicking the effect of planetary magnetic fields on the human mind. Assuming that the magnetic field/pattern of the human brain is accurately mapped using the astrological charts. The effects of changing gravitational fields upon this static (really ?) mapping is evaluated using the original regression model. The analysis is subject to the interpretation of the astrologer and as in the case of regression models, noise could be pretty substantial. Is there a perfect science behind this ? As an Azimovian and lover of his mythology of psychohistory and foundation, I still do not believe that we can model individual human beings or humanity as a whole. It would still be interesting to analyze astrology from a mathematical perspective.

Let's talk about economics or financial engineering. Economics should never be awarded a nobel prize (as was the original intention of Alfie Nobel - Was it because of his wife running with an economist (crazy) or a well thought out decision ? One can never know except speculate.). It is pretty much pseudoscience as astrology.
Using math and statistics does not alone warrant an exalted status.

Economics (and financial engineering) try to model ever dynamic human behavior using past data. Ain't gonna work. All the failed economists who predicted eternal prosperity during the great depression of 1929 and the not so great recession of 2007-2009 are testimonial enough of this fact.....

Econ is another scam with everyone in cahoots! Just my two paise. :-)

A Study in Emerald

I recently read this Sherlock Holmes "spoof" ( I use the word spoof very liberally here.) by Neil Gaiman ( who elevated himself onto my great author's list - not yet all time favorite. He did come close with the Sandman series though).

The entire short story can be found in A Study in Emerald.
It is very cool spoof of Holmes and HP Lovecraft's Cthulu.
The story had interesting twists.
However, Dynamics of an asteriod was a dead giveaway.
To the delight of the initiated, there were many references to the SH folklore and H.P.Lovecraft mythology. Add in the advertisements - simply awesome.

My only disappointment was that the story was short.
I expected the story to be a bit more protracted like the original Study in Scarlet.

You can't take the sky from me

One of my favorite theme songs from the show Firefly (movie Serenity)....

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me
Take me out to the black
Tell them I ain't comin' back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me
There's no place I can be
Since I found Serenity
But you can't take the sky from me...

The song video can be found below:
Firefly/Serenity Video.

My favorite episodes:
Jaynestown and Out of Gas!
Jaynestown is especially great - both hilarious and philosophical.
Our Mrs.Reynolds had some interesting moments.

btw, firefly is a space western.

From Darkness to Light

It is time for me to move from darkness to light......
I changed the template from dark black to white.......


And Naveen said " Let there be light....". Lo! behold, then there was light everywhere in his blog
guided by st.blogspot's customized templates......

Jazz n' Blues

I have been listening to Jazz and Blues songs inspired by Cowboy Bepop.
I started liking the music in my own way...

Some songs remind of rainy days in my childhood.
Me perched on a window, looking at rainy world out there.
The world stops still ( I am talking about the mid/late 80's in Madras)
and the rain moves almost in slow motion.
Then when it pours really bad, there is this huge noise.
Time did move slow then.

I don't know. The music makes me think of days gone by, days to come and
sometimes the moment I live in.
It is a rush of characters, landscapes, events,sounds, ....

A drop of water on the glass slowly moving down leaving a trail in its wake...

Incoherent thoughts as usual. Why do I care ? Coherence and sanity are way overrated...

The Tale of a PAWN

I read a poem of my friend , Vicky for the Cafe Writing - December Project for the following picture. (Credit: Carmi Levy of Written, Inc.)
I wanted to write something on this. But I did not have the time.
Couple of months passed, I suddenly got this idea out of the blue and
I was not even thinking about it. My mind is really a scary place....
My friends poem is Vicky. I think the poem is really awesome and better than this story.
Also, read my comments at the end of the story:

A Tale of a Pawn

This is my story. Who am I ?
My name is D7, But my name changes as I move.
I am a pawn, a soldier in the service of my King and Queen.
I fight this endless war for a reason I know not.
But, like my brethren, I fight without asking.
There are others like me and others unlike me who fight for our
cause. Sometimes, I wonder about my purpose.
Am I merely a merchant of death ?

I do not remember my childhood. I have not travelled widely.
I take a step at a time. Each time I go to battle, I fear for my life.
My hands tremble for I see opposing me an entire army composed of
pawns like me, the holy bishops who pray and yet kill for religion,
the knights who leap and smash, the rooks who shake the BOARD as
they march and stamp out any in their path,
the fearless,beautiful Queen who can travel in a flash and kill in an instant and the resolute King who seeks victory. My army mirrors theirs and they us like the two sides of a coin representing something I know not.

I speak with my steady comrade to my left ,who counsels me thus.
"Our work is temporary; We die whether we win or lose.
That is the nature of all things. If there is a beginning, then there is
an end. But, worry not, the King Bishop told me that if you fight well
and serve well, the PLAYER, the one who is greater than the King and
is the maker of all,will be pleased and you will reincarnate to fight
your battles again".

Hearing this, my nervous friend to the right , stammers thus:
"T-the Wise Q-queen Bishop, She told me that the P-player wages
this war against the P-layer of the O-ooother Kkking. She says
each time our world is created and destroyed, our PLAYER learns
something called "STRATEGY".She says that there is PLAYER called
CHAMPION who is the most supreme of PLAYERS.She asked me to
pray to our PLAYER and the CHAMPION for courage and life".

Not consoled by this, I sleep, during the lull in the battle.
I dream about a PLAYER of the PLAYERS named the GOD
(upon retrospection, a very silly name), who creates and destroys
the worlds of the PLAYERS to learn this things called "STRATEGY".
I wonder about the CHAMPION of these GODS and I call him
SUPREME ONE.I also dream that there is no GOD or SUPREME ONE
and that the PLAYERS was created out of life's longing
for itself. I dream about me becoming a PLAYER one day and not
dying. I wonder if the PLAYERS die.
I wonder why I do not have control over my life.
Why I must keep living in this Valhalla ?
Why did not my PLAYER let me have my own free will to live my life
rather his predetermined pattern ? Or maybe I do
have free will but I blame the PLAYER for my own faults ?
Does not the PLAYER have free will or does he live his own patterns too?

Suddenly, the King roars at me waking me out of my reverie, "Beware Soldier, yonder knight seeks to slay you". Shivering with fear, I pray to my PLAYER for his forgiveness at my blasphemy. I hear the sound of steel clashing, horse hooves pounding hard and death approaching. I cry "En Garde" and fight..........


My Comments:
When I was a kid, I used to love the Commando comics based upon
WWI/WWII. I always used the stories where the human element
and characterization was very good. Where the focus was more
on the person rather than the story. I kinda wanted to make D7
talk to everyone on the board and get their counsel.
But I let it go. Maybe I will work on it later.

I originally had the title as "The Story of a Soldier"
but I renamed it as " The Story of a Pawn".
I think the word Pawn reflects the tale above better.
I am not sure if the the story is about the pawn or me (still a pawn/if not us).

I spent 10-20 mts to draft this initial story.
I think it needs a bit more editing.
But I leave this unfinished, unrefined and incomplete just
the way I like it.

Encore Un Verre - Yoko Kanno

One of my favorite fun songs - Encore Un Verre by Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts from Cowboy Bepop OST. The lyrics are french. but there is a english translation below:

Encore un verre, cette fois sera la derniere
Tchin Tchin ! camp�, Kampai ! Sant� !
Ma m�re disait "qui a bu boira"
Bien qu'avis�, j'suis viss� la


Ce soir je broie du noir
Je noie au bar,
En vrac, mon blues dans du cognac
Encore un verre, le der des der d�salt�re


"Bien mal acquis ne profite jamais"
Mais ce whiskey je l'ai pas vol�
C'est c'que dit la serveuse, une allumeuse
Qui tient la bouteille dans sa main
Je l�ve mon verre � ceux qui marchent de travers


"Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras"
"Qui s�me le vent r�cole la temp�te"
"Carpe Diem"
"Un homme averti en vaut deux"

TRANSLATION:
+++++++++++++++++

Another glass, this time will be the last
Chink chink! Set down, Kampai health!
My mother said "who has drunk will drink"
Even though advised, I am screwed[1] there.



This night I mope
I drown at the bar,
My jumbled blues in cognac
Another glass, the last of the last[2] refreshes

"Poorly gained never profits"
But I have not stolen this whiskey
That's what the waitress said, a teaser
Who holds the bottle in her hand
I lift my glass at those who walk askew

One had is better than two you will have"
"Who sows the wind gathers the storm"
"Sieze the day"
"A man warned is worth two[3]"

Chaos Theory.....

Ah! The eternal battle between order and chaos
being played out since the dawn of origin
Or is it all a mere play in the realm of Oneiros
ensnaring worlds and their hordes in the cult of min

Marvel and rejoice in the runes of bedlam
for order sans chaos and chaos sans order
reeks of ennui and a verse unlike gotham
trading the bats and the clown in barter

Aren't all religions mere sensory allegories
with asuras and devas just amulets worn
recall this! lest you provoke the furies
for hell has no fury like the knowledge you scorn

Social pendulum swinging away for eternity
Was the verse born out of chaos ? Or order 'fore chaos ?
When does this all end in the arms of Nirrti ?
Now,I melt away in the pasithea's bossom and cradle of hypnos.


This really needs a lot of fixing and I am too tired to finish this...
And you really need to look deep into pop culture and ancient history
to understand this "POEM". There are references to indian folklore,
egyptian folklore, greek folklore and of course, batman here.

Challenges and Obstacles!!!

To a certain extent, challenges exert and keep me "happy".
They kinda give me a purpose, to which my entire being is devoted
to and wishes to accomplish. Otherwise, ennui and aimless existence
seem to plague me. But yet there have been times I have been driven
by a single minded purpose, zeal and a passion. I feel very alive then.
It is almost as if every nerve, fiber of my body, mind and soul ( I think I
did sell it to you know who :-) ) is alive and enveloped by a all consuming
desire to accomplish what i had in mind.

Challenges and Obstacles, in a sense they define us. Mankind itself
has grown from strength to strength through challenges and adversity.

The Enemy

I have met the enemy and he is me!

This is a corruption of Commodore Perry famous quote.

Anime!!!

I was introduced to the world of Animes by my roomies.
This is a very amazing world indeed. Its almost as if some of them
were made for me. A wonderful medley of music, philosophical
storylines, cultural references in a cartoonish medium. Beaut!

Some recommendations:

1. Cowboy Bepop ( See the series episodes and then the movie. the movie should be seen after
episode 17 and then remaining episodes should be watched.)
2. Samurai Champaloo ( Bepop is definitely better than this imho. But this is cool too...)