Thought Outflux | Anirudh Sanjeev

Well, after a surprisingly painless journey, I let the place sink into me first before attending to matters. A few loose ends to tie up, nothing big. A fun trip, a flight that didn’t go horrifically wrong, and nice home cooked food along the way.

Firstly, I spent most of travel time reading a textbook on embedded systems. I came to the conclusion that the 8051 which I loathed until a few hours ago was probably an invention second only to the lightbulb. Such elegance, such practicality. The coding is so simple, so intuitive, kudos to intel for coming up with such a marvel. Even if the chip is a 1982 item, it’s still widely used today and I use it too!! (pics will come once it’s finished)

In another little experiment, I had to write a few lab records. Since it wasn’t much work, I thought, “Let me use all the knowledge I have about website aesthetics and design to make a better lab record”, and whaddya know, it worked.

4 simple steps to making a kickass lab record:

But don’t forget to take the record in the next day. I know this isn’t a pretty thing for a fact.

So I’m home for a quiet little vacation, not much. Some home cooked food, a little TV perhaps and some high speed internet. Too much to ask for? No. I don’t think so. But this time it wouldn’t be so. Why? Firstly I went to the Iron Maiden gig downtown, and had a mind blowing time. Once the neck recovered, I had to get started on what appears to be the most daunting assignment of my life.

So I have to do a little something with a microcontroller. Not too hard. A little code, a little soldering and a photo diode later, we’re all done. But I never had any experience writing code for embedded systems or more importantly embedding any systems. So after a lot of research I decide to go for an Atmel AVR chip. Unfortunately I end up getting an at89c51, an intel 8051 based one. And the chip burner initially doesen’t work because my paralell port doesen’t work.

A lot of work and exchanges later, I get a working serial burner and hook up my microcontroller to an 16×14 backlit LCD, and an MX232 to connect the chip to the computer. Bottomline: I’m not having a good time anymore. Nothing seems to work.

On the bright side, what’s supposed to take a week or so to learn, I got a hold of in under 4 hours…. And yes, that’s all the gloating that’ll be in this post.

In other news, my mom (ps. thanks to mom for all the help in the electronics department) purchased a HP Scanner/Printer and when it came in, I opened it and prepared to set it up. Much to my amazement, or rather frustration (frustration’s more like it) I find the ink cartridges aren’t there. They’re missing while they should’ve been there. Now mommy’s angry and we go all the way back to the shop. I didn’t have to go, but why on earth would I miss the show.

Ultimately the printer went back and another one took it’s place. And I successfully scanned one photo till now. I have to figure out a good archival tool and set everything up for my parents to use it.

I’ve become more and more interested in music therapy lately. And I’m simply amazed how listening to angry and violent music can soothe me down and relax me. And how calm and soothing music can also do the same.

Until next time.

Now playing: Dream Theater - Octavarium

[tags]electronics,atmel,microcontroller,hp,pritner,mommy,me[/tags]

I’m going to see my home (and an iron maiden concert). Oh Yeah!

All our social life depends chiefly on our actions in society. Society is such a prevailing force in our decisions but is still largely disregarded. I mean, you dictate what you wear, eat and do based on what society wants you to wear, eat and do. The amusing thing is that if you’re ever noticed by society, soon, there will be people who will take potshots at you. As a rule of thumb, if you’re ever noticed by society, it won’t be too long before people try to bring you down. In fact, why is it that almost every second article is about what stupid things celebrities did? The Michael Jackson fiasco, the Britney Spears thing is just to name a couple. The bottom-line is that people like reading nasty things about who are rich, famous and popular.

And this isn’t curbed to large societies. This phenomenon is prevalent at schools, colleges, or even at work. Why does everyone like to stand and bitch about the guy who got a raise? Why are so many rumors spread about the popular girl in school? It’s more than just mere jealousy. It’s there everywhere, in the government, in the media, amongst competition everywhere. If someone big and important makes even the smallest slip, everyone takes a shot at him/her.

I have started to feel that this tendency of making the more imperative entity look bad in your own eyes is not because of jealousy but as a way to validate yourself. I mean, who doesn’t get a bit of relief and feel better about themselves after ripping on the highest scorer in the class? And this desire to authenticate one’s self is what keeps one from reaching higher.

Take a archetypal example. Living in a third world country, the mass opinion of America is a bunch of spoiled rich kids who are idiots and can’t do anything on their own. This may be true or may not, but India seems almost…content… claiming that heritage and culture are its biggest strengths, while deep down inside it knows otherwise.

I’ve had much, much more than my fair share of malevolent rumors about me and it used to bring me down, because once upon a time, because of the fact that I was a little different in my way of thought and the way I did things, that people didn’t approve of me. But now I begin to feel that maybe there is no problem after all. Well, running after everyone’s approval is not something that I’m not too fond of doing. So I essentially be myself and not give too much a bother knowing a lot of the world is exactly like me.

It isn’t surprising then, that one thing I want to find more than anything, is someone like me.

Current music: Dream Theater, “These Walls”

[tags]society, me, thinking, behaviour[/tags]

Off late, I’ve developed a new hobby - reading the newspaper. I don’t read it for the news, or even the comics. I enjoy reading the articles just to find a little irony in them. You’ll be surprised at how much irony you can find if you just look. Take for instance I open the paper today morning (the Times of India, Kolkata edition, for the record) and I see right there on the front “National athlete shot at Seramporeâ€. I’m like… “Hmm… maybe she crossed paths with the mafia or something or acquired some sort of steroids†(I know I seem heartless) then I read the article. Get this; she works at a gun factory of sorts. How ironic is that? And to add to the irony, she was on her way to the Cossipore Gun and Shell Factory, where she works. Funny is the way of fate, you get shot by things you make. I wouldn’t be too surprised if the gun that she was shot with was one she made herself. And she’s alive, but not rather happy, apparently. Who would be happy if their own creations come after them? A Frankenstein case of sorts.

The irony doesn’t end there. Oh no, it gets so ironic, anemia patients ten miles away get cured. The headline did mention she’s a national athlete… get this, she’s a gold medalist shooter. Imagine this: Something you do best is fire guns and you make them and you get shot by one. It must be freaky. My condolences to the athlete and I wish her a fast recovery.

Personally if I had control over the entire thing it’d be like she dodges the bullets, as she does in her factory whenever there’s a misfire (watch out Keanu Reeves), and whips a bad boy out and does a one man…er… woman mob hit on the assailants.

Of course, you didn’t notice the article cause the front page is covered with a pic of Elizabeth Hurley and Shilpa Shetty in an extremely awkward shot in mid-kiss (is that what you call those shallow 50 millisecond social gestures?) both looking like Alice Cooper and something about Michael Jackson.

And shallow ‘lil me went through the entire post without telling you the athlete’s name.