On resolutions and wicked administrators
A lot has happened since college re-opened for the 2nd semester, after the winter break. A brief recap.
A lot of people came up to me the last week and asked me about my new year resolutions. When I said I didn't have any, most of them looked at me strangely, as if I was some worthless low-life who didn't belong at IIT, while the others were convinced that I had lofty ambitions for the new year, the details of which I was unwilling to divulge. I want to make this very clear. I do not have any new-year resolutions. I just don't believe in them. Yearly resolutions never do anyone any good. I make weekly resolutions, and then I try my best to stick by them. Yearly resolutions tend to be too long-drawn, and in most cases, too impracticable for my liking.
I have a Computer Science course this semester, called CSL102 (Introduction to Computer Sciences). The teacher, Professor S.A. Kumar, is a very cool teacher. The only strange thing about him is that he seems to be obsessed with administrators with questionable morals. He has a firm belief that all network administrators are demented sadists who delete or modify user's data for game. Strange, but mild compared to normal IIT professor standards. I am sure we can all live with it.
One of my professors asked me why I took the JEE about three days back. The question set me thinking. I haven't yet come up with a reason, except the fact that all my friends were taking it, so it seemed the natural thing to do. But my professor thought this wasn't a good enough reason. If any one of you can think of a better one, please do let me know, because the fact that I took the JEE without any motive in mind is, frankly speaking, quite a scary thought.
I recently came to know that Louis DeBroglie, the guy who came up with the whole 'Matter Waves' concept was actually a historian. His elder brother, Maurice DeBroglie, who was the actual physicist, was working on the 'Wave-Matter Duality' principle, but couldn't come up with anything concrete. Enter Younger DeBroglie. Louis did an instant voluntary DepC (Department Change, in IIT lingo), and within an year he had with him the expression for the DeBroglie Wavelength for particles. After another 4 years came experimental proof, and almost immediately after it, the Nobel Prize. Poor Maurice, shown up by a historian kid brother.
I have PHL120 this semester. After attending 3 lecture classes, I totally agree with the statement that was spotted by a friend of mine, engraved on one of the lecture-theatre desks. "Never, ever take PHL120 as an elective."
Having new courses this semester, I decided to go to the IIT Central Library a few days back, to look for some of the text-books I will be needing this semester. I didn't find a single one. However, as consolation, I found all the text-books I needed and couldn't get last semester, and about 50% of the text-books I will be needing next semester. From what I've heard, most of my friends who, like me, were brave enough to venture into the library had similar experiences. I have a feeling that this is another one of the numerous conspiracies hatched by IIT to make our lives miserable. How they manage to do it, however, is something that eludes me for the moment.
I did my first Physics experiment of the semester today, and I learnt many things. Firstly, never lend ruler(s) and pencil(s) to people who you do not know well, especially if you know you might require them (the rulers and the pencils) at a later point of time. Secondly, don't bother much with the TAs (Teaching Assistants, who are usually PhD students). They don't know a thing about the experiment you are doing, but somehow seem to be doing theses on the experiment your neighbor is doing. And thirdly, do not, under any circumstances, try to poke the terminals of a charged capacitor with your fingers.
With that I must bid Adieu. And in the words of the legendary SAK, "Beware of Wicked Administrators!"
A lot of people came up to me the last week and asked me about my new year resolutions. When I said I didn't have any, most of them looked at me strangely, as if I was some worthless low-life who didn't belong at IIT, while the others were convinced that I had lofty ambitions for the new year, the details of which I was unwilling to divulge. I want to make this very clear. I do not have any new-year resolutions. I just don't believe in them. Yearly resolutions never do anyone any good. I make weekly resolutions, and then I try my best to stick by them. Yearly resolutions tend to be too long-drawn, and in most cases, too impracticable for my liking.
I have a Computer Science course this semester, called CSL102 (Introduction to Computer Sciences). The teacher, Professor S.A. Kumar, is a very cool teacher. The only strange thing about him is that he seems to be obsessed with administrators with questionable morals. He has a firm belief that all network administrators are demented sadists who delete or modify user's data for game. Strange, but mild compared to normal IIT professor standards. I am sure we can all live with it.
One of my professors asked me why I took the JEE about three days back. The question set me thinking. I haven't yet come up with a reason, except the fact that all my friends were taking it, so it seemed the natural thing to do. But my professor thought this wasn't a good enough reason. If any one of you can think of a better one, please do let me know, because the fact that I took the JEE without any motive in mind is, frankly speaking, quite a scary thought.
I recently came to know that Louis DeBroglie, the guy who came up with the whole 'Matter Waves' concept was actually a historian. His elder brother, Maurice DeBroglie, who was the actual physicist, was working on the 'Wave-Matter Duality' principle, but couldn't come up with anything concrete. Enter Younger DeBroglie. Louis did an instant voluntary DepC (Department Change, in IIT lingo), and within an year he had with him the expression for the DeBroglie Wavelength for particles. After another 4 years came experimental proof, and almost immediately after it, the Nobel Prize. Poor Maurice, shown up by a historian kid brother.
I have PHL120 this semester. After attending 3 lecture classes, I totally agree with the statement that was spotted by a friend of mine, engraved on one of the lecture-theatre desks. "Never, ever take PHL120 as an elective."
Having new courses this semester, I decided to go to the IIT Central Library a few days back, to look for some of the text-books I will be needing this semester. I didn't find a single one. However, as consolation, I found all the text-books I needed and couldn't get last semester, and about 50% of the text-books I will be needing next semester. From what I've heard, most of my friends who, like me, were brave enough to venture into the library had similar experiences. I have a feeling that this is another one of the numerous conspiracies hatched by IIT to make our lives miserable. How they manage to do it, however, is something that eludes me for the moment.
I did my first Physics experiment of the semester today, and I learnt many things. Firstly, never lend ruler(s) and pencil(s) to people who you do not know well, especially if you know you might require them (the rulers and the pencils) at a later point of time. Secondly, don't bother much with the TAs (Teaching Assistants, who are usually PhD students). They don't know a thing about the experiment you are doing, but somehow seem to be doing theses on the experiment your neighbor is doing. And thirdly, do not, under any circumstances, try to poke the terminals of a charged capacitor with your fingers.
With that I must bid Adieu. And in the words of the legendary SAK, "Beware of Wicked Administrators!"
posted by Manu Saxena at 5:42:00 pm
4 comments
4 Comments:
With a pic like that, i figure your description is quite apt.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
You haven't figured out why you took JEE. Make sure you figure out what you want to do in Life. Make money cannot be the naswer because money is just a product, not the work. Or is it that you give CAT because "all my friends were taking it"?
We'll think about the CAT when we get there. As of now, my future plans are most indefinite.
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