Sunday, June 28, 2009

India vs Europe vs USA

My personal views on research in 3 countries/continents –

DISCLAIMER: the list is by no means a comprehensive one

India

Pros:

1) Open source learning, good interaction among students

2) Urge to perform, understand and good awareness

3) People with good theoretical understanding

4) Low cost methods to do high-end research – enriches creativity

Cons:

1) Time consuming, not highly focused

2) Lack of good education in experiments

3) Not many get opportunity to do research

4) Not many are interested in research – ‘software company: big buck’ attitude

Europe

Pros:

1) Desire to understand a problem in depth, significant time spent on a problem

2) Research in groups, sharing of knowledge and resources, big projects

3) Technically superior than US and India, especially in high end instrumentation

4) Emphasis on conferences and proceeding

Cons:

1) Sometimes lack of drive and urgency - 9 to 5 attitude

2) Multiple languages

3) Pro-European preferences in positions

4) Hierarchy, high taxes

USA

Pros:

1) Magnificent drive among students and Profs

2) Group meetings – task driven meeting, deadlines etc.

3) Result oriented – ‘come what may we need to do’ attitude, thrust on applications

4) Competition – ‘do it before someone does’ attitude, if you are good, you thrive…

Cons:

1) Money, money, money – it’s a rat race for funding

2) anti open source – capitalistic view point

3) Indian and Chinese students used as cheap labor

4) ‘Black box’ attitude towards instruments

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Book

He opens a leaf in the book of his mind

to read the words with a new insight;

soothing colours strike and unbind

creating a thought of new delight.

Chapters begin in a new page

to enriches the content of thought,

it opens the doors of a minding sage

inviting knowledge to be sought.

Every word is poetry in itself

making the reader spellbound;

phone of harmony crawls to engulf

in the music of creative sound.

Lines begin in words,

words begin in letters;

flowing as water towards

the ocean of thoughtful jitters.

Every word has a meaning,

meaning which dives deep;

it rejuvenates in the morning

after a breathless mystic sleep.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Oh ! ‘light’

I seem to breathe a fresh breath of air,

as the ‘light’ enlightens my thought;

my thoughts are devoid of any despair,

as the ‘light’ rejuvenates my heart.

I feel the ‘light’ with glowing warmth,

the warmth brightening my candle mind;

it slowly melts my feeling froth,

to bring a thought of different kind.

Oh ! ‘light’ I see you even in darkness,

in the abyss of my neural sea;

I see you in the caring kindness,

unveiling my pigeon-mind free.

I am flying, flying high

to reach the ever-glowing ‘light’;

I see the invisible in your eye,

making every look a worthy sight.