random feelings

The Colors of Fall

Fall is a beautiful season. Trees have started coloring their leaves in all kinds of stunning shades , like a mother showering all her affection on the child before she lets it go, for ever. It caught my attention when I visited hocking hills last weekend; a truly beautiful creation of nature. I have been trying to get some time to test my photographic skills and intend to capture fall in all its bloom this weekend. God willing that is.

Political Space

The Indian government has decided to censor a film on anti-Emergency leader Jaiprakash Narayan. The leftist media has at best played the role of being apologists for these cultural goons. At best, expect to hear equivocal regret. The Fair and Balanced Fox News would be embarassed at the fairness of Indian media.

What is it about papers?

A very important aspect of research is the paper and who know better about it than the graduate student! No I am not talking about the pain that one takes to get a paper published, I am talking about the pain of reading papers.

What is most frustating to me is that you could prove almost anything by citing references, really you can. I have read papers which justify assumptions based on work done in 1920s and dont blink an eye! So what do you do with that?

Also consider the number of papers that are published. There are dozens of journals that publish research on the same broad area. In this mad rush for publishing papers, authenticity and appicability seem to have been lost. What frightens me more is the fact that there are so many other papers which are rejected by the journals. I am still green in the field of research but it is my belief that the scientific community should start making archieved publishing difficult so that only the best work is published. It is time to separate chaff from wheat, it will serve knowledge better.

P.S. I find a good use for the research papers as sleep inducers. Two paragraphs and you are gone!