Idle musings

      Yesterday (06-May-2026), during my post lunch casual browsing, I came across a tweet about Donald Hoffman and his interface theory of perception. As https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781119170174.epcn216 informs us, the theory is that (here I am quoting from the link) "our perceptions have been shaped by natural selection to hide objective reality .... "     The theory zapped me! What we see, hear, feel, taste and smell may be unreal! So why does the greenery in the park near my house look so refreshing?! The theory has its critics, of course. It is not proven and could be completely wrong. Still, it provides fascinating possibilities.This was the sci-fi movie "Matrix" couched in scientific jargon!     My thoughts went to the concept of "maya", https://www.britannica.com/topic/maya-Indian-philosophy introduces the concept well. Here also, there is the idea that the world is unreal! The parallel struck me.     I read abo...

It was in 2004 that I purchased the book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M. Pirsig. I am a quality assurance professional since 1996 and continue to be extremely interested in my job ! I got to know that Pirsig's book was about quality. Naturally, it made me pick the book up. When I read the book for the first time, I must confess that I quickly skimmed through some of what I thought were the "boring parts" in the book. Since then, I have read the book again a few times. The book has grown on me, particularly the boring parts ! My latest reading started on or around Independence Day in India, i.e. 15-Aug. In the book, Robert Pirsig has described two journeys: one is a physical one, with his son and friends on motorcycles and on feet, hiking in the mountains. The other is a mental one where he explores different attitudes of people and discusses abstract concepts. In my first reading, the physical trip narrated in the book attracted me m...

I have a habit of writing a quote on my whiteboard at work in the beginning of the week, typically on Mondays. Sant Shishunal Sharifa, the Kannada mystic and poet was born on 07-Mar-1819. Since 07-Mar was Sant Shishunal Sharifa's birth anniversary, on Monday, 05-Mar-2018, I wrote these lines on my whiteboard: "You say that your life is yours only / You say that gain in wealth is not enough / When the door is opened to step into the final journey nothing is provided / You lament simply !", from one of his poems "Lokada Kalaji" ("Concern about the world"). A translation of this poem is available at https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Raghu-Dixit/Lokada-Kalaji/translation/english for reading. The singer Raghu Dixit's video based on this song is available at https://youtu.be/lK2HwzB-unE for viewing. Having written the lines, the import of his words began to strike me. It led me to stream his songs and listen to them during the week. The more I liste...