Just in Time. Really !!

There are numerous events in life which we would have managed just in the nick of time. This is one such true life anecdotal incident which I want to reminisce through this blog.

The final year of Engineering is a blissful period especially when one has secured a job and is about to wrap up studies. It was at this juncture when four optimistic youngsters ventured into a research level project. Though it was a pride to brand it as a project in collaboration with the elite IISc (Indian Institute of Science), the project had its own twists and turns. Let us not get into its technicality but head straight to the day before submission.

I still remember rambling around the corridor of my college campus for we had to follow-up on a few important formalities before the next day. Amongst those, the tasks were to:

• Get the project reports printed from the printing press
• Get the reports signed by Head of Department (HOD), Principal and the advisor at IIsc

First was the marathon to the press to get the report which happened scarily close to the time the HOD was about to leave for the day. 'The HOD has just left the office' was the outcry over the phone from one of our vigilant source. Thankfully, the huge infrastructure of the college had a long walk from the staff room to the staff parking area through the Principals' office in the lobby. Every bit of this buffer time helped us in finding the HOD just as he strolled through the front foyer. There was no mark of hesitation in signing the reports 'the HOD is eager to reach home soon' was our surmise. Indirectly, the on time delivery of our Bachelors degree was in the hands of this printing press. But nonetheless, phew! 'Just in Time' we thought. Next was an insane attempt to get the Principals' signature without even bothering to make an appointment. Despite an annoyed look from his secretary, we barged into the room to get his signature. Voila!! Another 'Just in Time' event. In the midst of our recuperation, the premonition of missing the other signature invaded us. Miraculously we ended up getting all the signatures 'Just in Time'. What fun does it make when everything happened 'Just in Time'?

The fun lies in the answer to this question: 

For our project, we worked on an optical networking protocol. Based on your reading thus far, can you guess the name?

Yes you are right if you guessed 'Just in Time'. 'Just in Time' also known as JIT was indeed the protocol we worked on. A memorable happenstance. This blog post goes in dedication to my wonderful project mates Roopesh - AKA Professor, Rutwick - AKA Toothpick and Sagar - AKA Sucre and also to my ever inspiring friends - Viju, Ajit, Vikas, Sameer and BT.

Limitless Automation

The quest for automation has been the prime reason for technological advancements. Engineers, and perhaps in an indirect manner, even scientists seem to be intent on making the common man lazier. Being an engineer, I find this pursuit towards advancement quite exhilarating, interesting and challenging but I find myself in a fix when a new invention is presented to humanity. A part of my mind rebels and thinks like a Luddite (don't worry if you are not aware of this term for now). The thought of blogging about this topic ahead of my Amsterdam trip adventure arose when I was working on an interesting algorithm. It became more intense when I watched the employed factory workers in the movie "Schindlers' List" last weekend. No, this is not about the eventual fate of those workers. In this blog, I want to briefly take you through history and then explain my dilemma. This blog (though most of it is under the grasp of a layman) might be of more interest to my tech savvy friends.

The dilemma which I am referring to is 'our over indulgence with machines'. While often I feel that it is good, there are also several instances when I wonder whether it is potentially damaging to us. This topic is debatable. Let us see what happened in the recent past and what's happening now. This dilemma can be compared to the interesting "Luddite Fallacy" of the labour workers. The Luddite movement began during the Industrial Revolution in the earlier years of the 19th century. They protested against excessive use of machines which gave rise to unemployment on a massive scale. Many  workers became redundant as machines did most of their work in a faster and efficient manner. I cannot be sure when it comes to sympathising them. Looking at the current advancements, we may now conclude that they were insane. But may be, during those days, their ideology was a self-proclaimed truth. Okay! Too anachronous? Let us examine the current scenario just to try and understand the reason for their fallacy.

What happened since then is that we saw the advent of marvellous machines and skilled labour which, no doubt, has led us to where we are now. But, now there is a sudden shift in paradigm. One might argue that there is still strong employment potential because we still need people to operate such machines given the fact that machines are dumb. But what we might not readily be aware is the second level of intelligence we are trying to add through "Machine learning" and other intelligent algorithms that makes human intervention and supervision unnecessary. Okay! earlier machines took away work from manual labourers and now algorithms are snatching jobs from skilled labourers. Again, one may ask "Aren't we progressing after all? Further, has that not spawned a huge job market for algorithm developers?” To that my answer is definitely YES but, I also ask for how long and at what cost? Imagine an algorithm developer now being replaced by a powerful machine which synthesizes algorithms for any problem with sheer efficiency and accuracy. Meaning - we advance intelligence to such an extent that algorithms are generated automatically for a given problem (and I bet you that it is not a distant future). Can you envision the fate of algorithm developers then? I mean I am just imagining a day when there is so much of automation that there is no need of any workers apart from machines. Otherwise, you can recursively keep trying to ask questions to please yourself till you hit that bottommost case at which a machine replaces your skill.

So this is the 21st century Luddite Fallacy that I have now. The topic is open for discussion. With conviction, can you tell me if it is good to be inordinately machine dependent? Or is it bad?

Some reflection helped me conclude by giving myself the following answer:
We live in an age of Limitless Automation. So long as we stay updated, we can bring continuous improvement in human condition thereby evolving mankind to a new level. In this pursuit we should ensure that we do not neglect the very home (nature) that we live in. I hope we are intelligent enough in keeping machines one step behind.

Hopefully I did not confuse you whilst recounting my dilemma. Nevertheless, few insights from you will be appreciated.

A window through which I see Life !!

We often find ourselves many a times standing in front of the mirror and trying to figure out the answer for the most precarious question on earth "What is life and why are we here ?? !!". Well this requires a lifetime of an experience to answer. But out of the experiences I have had till date, I would certainly like to tell you my perspective about the fascinating life and death.

Universe they say started with the Big Bang and ever since then, it became an instant hit with humanity. Life kicked off on earth, millions of species thrived and man has categorically been the dominant most creature on this very planet. To most people life on earth may seem a coincidence or a stroke of luck, but however to me, life here seems a like a purpose and I believe strongly in some magical force behind such a wonder. The sun, the earth going round it, the gravity, the mountains, the water, the species and most importantly the human mind - Come on this is too much of a coincidence to think of.

There is one thing which I presume happens to everyone during their term here.
Illustration with a help of an example:
There was a boy in school, he never probably enjoyed home works and impositions. Was thinking about how those elder to him were free from home works and all the mess. Then came college life where he had so much freedom for many things (example no more uniforms and hair/nail cut etc). There was a feeling that his too much independence was coming at a cost of something. At this age he wanted a little guidance from his dear teachers but as he was presumed to be independent, never got a piece of advice from his elders. He was free to fly. He seemed to be dissatisfied even though he was freed from onerous home work. Somehow college got over and then came in monstrous graduation tension. Here life completely and invariably involved him in a rat race and then most of his time was spent in preparation for internals and exams. This time, he was worried about getting a sound job and settling. Now that he has a job, free from home works, uniforms, internals, exams etc, he constantly pining about blissful school and college days. All done for this one intention and when he's here having a job, he gets nostalgic about old days. My one question is that why dint he thoroughly enjoy home works and other activities which he hated then ? :) Well to a degree I have enjoyed life pretty well. Just an example I am giving here. One thing worth considering is that if we are satisfied and happy with the present, it would do us a world of good. There might be a time in future when we might miss the days we slogged or struggled :) so why not live life with that zeal? Just reflect on this. 

Intention behind this lengthy prose was just to signify that every situation in life has something in it from which we can learn. We just need to wholeheartedly give a positive thought and move on. Fine tuning and breakpoints here and there are necessary for us to ensure we are on the right track. We are here to live in the present :) because it is in the present in which we are happy. The cumulative effect of our present is what makes our future and being happy in future is not a hypothesis if you are wholeheartedly living your present .

Our journey begins with a drop of sperm and ends with a fistful of ash and in between is our so called LIFE which even though fleeting has a lot to offer. It is here where we struggle to be happy, rich, famous and what not. This universe is a mirror and is always with those who believe that they can. I always believe in dreaming big, climbing the Mount Everest, owning a plot in the palm island, sky diving etc etc.
Philosophically speaking, LIFE seems a joke as nothing is permanent. Well that sounds pessimistic sometimes. Philosophy takes life to a different level and says that the birth cycle is an endless loop which encounters a break when one realizes the SELF. I find certain aspects of philosophy interesting as it has something from which anyone can learn and imbibe. There is no hard and fast rule that philosophy always is about trusting the unseen. It is more than that and is a way of life.

And now a small view on death:
Death for a living thing is a definite event with a probability of 1.
Just imagine not dying at all? Well with a decrepit body during old age I think death is a boon and a means of relief and revival. I feel that we should not worry about death so much as it is not in our hand. Death complements Life very well. A lot of leadership experts talk about the kind of feelings that one gets when lying on his deathbed. If we make the best of what Life offers and use our full potential, I am sure that we will smile and the world will cry when we leave.

Life is very uncertain one may feel but that's most fascinating thing about it. One year before, there was no certainty which could tell me what will be happening to me now. But that element of uncertainty is what I appreciate. It keeps one ticking and hoping for a lot good to happen before we kick the bucket. As Steve Jobs rightly mentions, we cannot connect the dots looking forward. All we can do for now is hope and plan for a better tomorrow. This uncertainty is coming at a shear price which is making our life eventful and the enigma if revealed, then Life would not be as challenging as it is now.

Always remember one thing, Life is precious and we are here for some purpose. To succeed, its is first necessary to believe in our SELF. It is not mandatory that all our efforts are paid off instantly. Sometimes it is fun to goof up a few things. As long as we keep trying, it should not matter if success takes time to evince.