The future of Body Modification

Traditionally, Body modifications involve making holes in certain body parts like ears, nose, cheeks, etc. Some African tribes use body modification to contour their bodies like elongated necks. Some use it to have a narrow hip. 

The future of Radical Body Modification is quite different and are interesting.

Take the example below: An embedded digital watch in your hand.

Another example: Magnetic implants at fingertips

The sixth sense of the magnetic implants can be understood from the relevant text here: http://io9.com/5944883/what-does-the-future-have-in-store-for-radical-body-modification

"They work by creating a haptic interface. The magnet moves or vibrates when it is exposed to magnetic or electromagnetic fields. This can be felt by the same nerves that are used for touch, nerves that are extremely dense and sensitive in the fingertips. They are generally placed slightly to the side of the fingertip rather than centrally in the finger pad so that they don't affect function, and they're quite tiny, having a volume comparable to a grain of uncooked rice.

When the magnets move, you are aware of it, and it doesn't take long before this becomes a distinct sensation from touch. It doesn't just feel like having a tiny vibrator inside your finger, even though that's exactly what it is. It's more natural than that. For example, if you are feeling the electromagnetic bubble that comes off of a power transformer, like what your laptop might use, it feels like you're reaching out and touching an invisible bubble. That bubble has form (you can move your hand around to get an idea of the shape) and it has strength (the amount of power dictates how far the magnet is being moved inside your finger) and it even has "colour" (the frequency of the electromagnetic field alters how quickly the magnet vibrates).

All of this is processed on a subconscious level, and it really is like having a sixth sense. It's hard to describe just how wonderful this is — our world is so rich with electromagnetism. It's such an important part of the modern world, yet most people are blind to it. Sure, you know intellectually that it's there, and you can even detect it with various tools, but it's not the same as actually sensing it. Nor are the tools as fast or convenient.

Because I can feel the power running through cables (at household voltages anyway), and transformers are easy to detect, there are many times where I've used it to quickly diagnose hardware issues without having to pull out a multimeter. The sensitivity is high enough to detect a spinning hard drive engine through the keyboard of a laptop, or to feel a distributor firing in a car being repaired.

Of all the body modifications I've had, my magnets may be at the top of my favorites list. They're certainly the most profound in terms of expanding my world. I've had them for a bit over seven years, and I feel like if I were to lose them I would feel blind."

Why are bike reviews pathetic?

Every auto magazine seems to write a review of the new bike. But/yet,

1. They don't talk about after sales service in various cities.

2. They don't talk how the mileage changes after the first and second servicing.

3. They don't give the height of the seat.

4. They don't give the braking distance from 60kmph to dead halt (under standard conditions)

5. They don't talk about availability of spare parts and their costs vis-a-vis competitors.

6. They don't talk about maintenance needs of the bike and its associated costs. Some bikes need special oil and are costly.

7. Not all, even give the time needed to go from 0 to 60 kmph.

8. They don't talk about emissions vis-a-vis peers.

9. As a matter of fact, after the first review of the bike, there is hardly any follow up review done with inputs from the buyers/users to get real feedback on the bikes.

One of the best advices the magazines can give based on their "knowledge" of the industry is the how much do the spares and maintenance does the bike need compared to its peers. But, no kind of real knowledge comes from the review which help in decision making while buying the bike. Instead, each of them is off showcasing how erotic literature can be used to describe biking and the bike.

Companies on the other hand, put out info which is rather non-useful. Eg: Max torque and Max Power, Carbureter, Bore x Stroke, none of which is useful to the layman/normal user. What makes sense is the graph of the torque achieved across all rpm to see if the torque is good at low rpms (preferably vis-a-vis competitors) and graph of power achieved across all rpm.

How to tax the Rich

An article by Scott Adams

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703293204576106164123424314.html

Typical investor behaviour

A WSJ article:

"If people were watching their investments, they would not sit idly by and be victimized, but would act. Instead, people are busy with everything from their favorite TV series to golf, and are blind-sided when they find out about their losses. These people pay the same amount of attention to the political issues and candidates. They are like deer wandering around in the forest with targets painted on their sides."

Expert views aka Dumb analyst reports

I have come across many equity research reports which have a target price for a company which is some single digit % downside. But whats shocking is the recommendation of 'hold' next to it. Why should any investor hold on to investments that are not going to grow, but shrink by any number. If the investor sold it and kept the money in the bank, he could earn a single digit positive % return on the amount. The difference between the two scenarios can be a double digit % return.

It is interesting to note that many have instituionalised this kind of stupid thinking by defining the 'hold' range as "+5% to -5% over a year". Why should anyone hold on for an investment for over a year for a maximum of 5%? Isn't a fixed deposit better with higher returns and no equity risks?

The complexity of investing

Recently, somone asked the Oracle of Omaha (Warren Buffet), what was his opinion on Gold?

He replied in his usual characteristic simple way: "You could take all the gold that's ever been mined, and it would fill a cube 67 feet in each direction. For what that's worth at current gold prices, you could buy all -- not some -- all of the farmland in the United States. Plus, you could buy 10 Exxon Mobils, plus have $1 trillion of walking-around money. Or you could have a big cube of metal. Which would you take? Which is going to produce more value?"

This is the ultimate dilemma of investing and human life. How do you value anything? What we value today highly can be totally disregarded another day. Remember how a baby takes so much interest in a colourful spinning plastic "thingy" atop its cradle? Or how much we appreciate the 100 or 1000 bucks which was the first salary and later that amount just doesnt even excite us years later. How we value the last few minutes of the death bed of a loved one but never valued the hours we spent during the lifetime knowing very well that everyone will pass away someday.

All value is relative in life, and humans need to value millions of things in their life. Coming back to investing, most of the things in investing is based on what you believe and what you value. On the other hand of Buffet, we have another equally great stud, Mr.Jim Rogers, who has always believed in commodities and will always lobby for buying commodities. That is because he believes and he has his reasons to believe in it.

So at the beginning (and probably the end) of the day, what are you going to believe?

Blog tips

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/caroline-hagood/ten-tips-to-feed-your-ali_b_781585.html

Printing a blog
http://www.pcworld.com/article/210170/how_to_print_a_blog_page.html

All about the 'G's

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorsport/7681665/Formula-One-drivers-feel-the-G-force.html

An excellent article on "g forces".

Did you know that you create 3g s in a sneeze?

The length of a coastline

The length of a coastline,” a marine biologist told me, “depends on the scale you use.” It takes a while to figure this out. If you had a map of India the size of an A4 sheet, and a ruler that measured only in inches, your measurement would ignore all the small bays that make South Goa so interesting, and most of our fishing harbours. If, however, you could get a map that covered the floor of a large room, and a flexible scale marked down to millimeters, you would pick up all the little inlets and the jutting promontories.

Suddenly, the coast line would be so much longer. And, if you extended this logic further, to a string that went around every rock and mangrove tree, a third, much longer coastline!

Src:http://money.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?263389

15 good podcasts

http://www.businesspundit.com/15-podcasts-that-will-make-you-richer/

The myth of Mega pixels

A nice article explaining in simple terms what megapixels in cameras and the myth of going in for high MPs.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Features/Corporate-Dossier/The-great-megapixel-myth/articleshow/4840011.cms

Marc Faber's comments

Marc Faber’s comment on the US economy: September 11, 2008 The federal government is sending each of us a $600 rebate. If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, the money goes to China. If we spend it on gasoline it goes to the Arabs. If we buy a computer it will go to India. If we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. If we purchase a good car it will go to Germany. If we purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy. The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it on prostitutes and beer, since these are the only products still produced in US. I’ve been doing my part.