Numb3rs : A tribute

“We all use math every day; to predict weather, to tell time, to handle money. Math is more than formulas or equations; it's logic, it's rationality, it's using your mind to solve the biggest mysteries we know.”

Numb3rs is the TV show I grew up watching, for five years. Now that the show has come to an end, I want to put into words my feelings of a great show which has been my great companion. Being an ultra introvert and considered cold by almost everyone, I turned to different things over my schooling years to keep my sanity. Out of them, Numb3rs stands out distinctly for making me think rationally, teaching me that math was cool and making me nurture a dream of making it to academia.
The cool way the title was spelt was how the show caught my attention, when I was in 9th grade. Since then, sitting glued to AXN at 8 O’ clock every weekday night became a ritual for me. Watching the inimitable math genius Charles Eppes almost pull equations out of the air was the first time I learned that math and science are super cool. Attending a school of losers, Numb3rs was where I started to appreciate and wonder at science. Before this show, things like Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle were mumbo jumbo to me. But then came Prof. Charles Eppes giving a classic example of the principle explaining to his brother how his action of observing a group of robbers changes their actions. I felt like there was an eruption inside me! Man, science was damn awesome, I thought. The water sprinkler illustration, graph theory, Vornoi diagrams,steganography, the friendship math, game theory : there are so many things I learned which intrigued me and gave me a sense of purpose, after being socially detached.

Apart from the math, Numb3rs was a factor in making me meet my first ‘intellectual friend’, Sid, who redefined my life. Numb3rs gave us a common ground to talk about so many things. The night time walks at Sreevatsa staring at the stars, the late night chats in his home about string theory, us trying to understand time; the memories are indelible. I’ll have to write an entire post about how Sid put me on a different universe. Later.

About the characters in the show, I grew up watching Charlie crack cases in a way that appeared super human to me, Larry chipping in with great philosophical insights about physics and space, and watching the lives of the other characters. Charlie and Larry are the ones which stuck with me, and I identify with Larry a lot for his frequent foray into reveries about the world, his constant search for a sense of purpose, and getting lost in his quest several times. This was the point when the world of academia appealed to me, the world of people who make a significant contribution in understanding the meaning of our existence in the universe and improving it. I haven’t given up on that dream yet.
Watching the supposed finale of the show, I felt a gush of emotions. Numb3rs filled a great void in my life and influenced me immensely. Thanks to Nicolas Falacci, Cheryl Heuton, Ridley and Tony Scott for a great show!!

New York Knicks

How the New York Knicks got their name? Follow the link.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/top-ten-lists/unmentionables/knickers.html

The legend lives on!

It is said, "After Manchester United, the only road is the one downhill".
David Beckham, Rud Van Nistelrooy. Now the magnificent Cristiano Ronaldo. All fell to the Real mania.
At the wake of Arsenal's 5-0 thrashing of Porto and Man Utd's 4-0 riot against Milan, it's high time to note that football is about nurturing talent and not buying it. It was sad to see one club man Raul's career coming to an ignominious end, after giving way to the new Galacticos by being on the bench for much of this season, despite all his services to Los Merengues.
Being a hardcore Man United faithful, I am smirking at Real's Champions league disaster(yet again :D), after losing Ronaldo to a transfer and Karim Benzema to an unsuccessful bid earlier this season.
Ronaldo or no Ronaldo, the Red Devils march on! Glory Glory Man Utd!