For the second half of our travel in Italy, we head further south from Naples, to make Sorrento our base. Another ferry ride, another hour and a half of gazing at the serene brilliant blue water of the Bay of Naples, only broken by the wake of the ferry’s engine. Then we arrive at Sorrento’s […]
Category: Itinerant
Delightfully Losing One’s Way in Italy
My ruminations and bold conclusions are based on a single trip of our family to southern Italy, of two weeks. So the data is sparse and the conclusions would not pass the hypothesis test of even the most sophomoric statistician. But let me indulge in the pleasure of jumping to wild conclusions with little data. […]
The British Stiff Upper Lip Cracks into a Smile
I was in London for all of two and a half days and while the trip was centered around an official event (an awards ceremony), I packed into the rest my jaunt through London institutions that have fascinated me for long. I managed to pack in that, a whirlwind tour of obeisance to the home […]
A Paean to the Homeland
Context: India, the country of my birth, celebrates its Republic Day on January 26th. This was the day when India adopted the constitution, which occurred on January 26, 1950. India had achieved independence from Britain on August 15, 1947, but for its first three years the country remained governed by the colonial Government of India […]
It was All Greek to Me … for 5 Days in Cyprus
I found myself in the far-from-the-beaten-path country of Cyprus for a conference. The organizers decided that a three-hop flight from my small town and to a place devoid of Uber, Doordash, or my favorite shows on Amazon Prime was worth it to experience the beauty of the pristine Mediterranean beaches. And they were right for […]
Back in the Saddle Again, or Most French Stereotypes are True
I traveled recently to Rennes, France for an in-person conference, Eurosys, and had occasion to spend a wondrous week basking in the French sun, getting soaked in the French rain, interacting with people who are their entire selves, and remembering the joys and the tribulations of physical travel. I hope I will never have to […]
To The Migrant In Us
Citation Many of the graduate students in our universities have come from lands far and near, outside the borders of the US. They adapt to the ways of life here, which are different in ways small and large, and become the engine that keeps our research enterprise galloping along. This article reflects on some challenges […]
Short Take: Policy Issues to Beat the Autocracy of Autonomous Systems
In a previous post, I discussed, through a dystopian scenario, how autonomous systems can reduce our lives to one of hapless destiny. And in the last post, I discussed some design and development principles that we as technologists can follow that can help us avoid plunging into such dystopian scenarios. In this article, I will […]
Short Take: Summer Travel
Citation For many academic researchers in the science and engineering disciplines, summer offers the chance to travel far and wide, for rejuvenating research contacts with colleagues and for conferences. It does help when the venue for the travel is a off-the-beaten-path old university town in Europe, rather than … just to pick a place at […]
What’s Multitasking Doing to Me?
Citation We believe that multitasking is the essential ingredient to being healthy, wealthy, and happy. We do it incessantly in our work lives and even in our personal lives. While conversing with the person across the dinner table, our Google Glass, or if you have upgraded, the VR goggle, keeps telling you of the latest […]
Distant Whispers from an Academic Engineer's World 