February 2020 – Take my word for it

2020-02-092024-11-14

04-2020 Quand je ne serai plus la ……. (when I wo’nt be there any more)

I wrote this post when I saw the latin phrase Memento Mori (Remember that you will die). Just after that, my friend passed away and I learnt about that by accident, only four years later.

It can happen any time. It will happen to all. When my time comes, I do not want my friends to wonder why Partha does not answer mails or phone calls. All of you must have got used to the fact that I usually answer all my mails promptly and regularly. There must be a reason, if you do not get a response/reaction from me. If this ever happens to you, for an unreasonably long time :

Send one or two reminders to my main/regular ID drpartha@gmail.com, and then try my fall-back mail ID
Take a look at my twitter account https://twitter.com/profpartha (@profpartha)
I usually post some stuff there regularly, at least 2-3 times a week. When the tweets stop coming, the inevitable has happened.
Call up home by phone to find out.
Find out from my next of kin :
- premap2@gmail.com
- parishramp@gmail.com
- prayathna@gmail.com
inform all our common friends and contacts
(send this page to all who might be interested in knowing about me)

In fact, I have made arrangements such that you get an intimation automatically sometime after you send me a mail at drpartha@gmailcom.

Thank you in advance, since I cannot thank you when the time comes.

Adieu,

partha

PS: See: Rene DAVID (RIP) and also see you are in the line

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE ON 2020-11-02

(my 70th birthday)

2020-02-092020-02-09

03-2020 RIP Kryzstof Cetnarowicz

kryzstof

My friend of 40 years, Kryzstof Cetnarowicz, seems to have left this world sometime ago. I got to know this sad news thanks to a chance conversation with the wife/widow of my PhD guru.
Kryzstof was a Professor at the AGH University of Science and Technology , Krakow, Poland, where I met him last in 2009.

aghlecture

In fact, Kryzstof had invited me for a talk on the role of non-functional specifications in software engineering, at his institute.

It was also a beautiful holiday for my wife and me. Thank you Kryzstof, may peace be with you forever.

To come, to know, to learn to part, is the sad tale of many a human heart.

Adieu cher ami.

Quand je ne serai plus la ….

2020-02-072020-06-15

02-2020 Mysteries of Indian TV !

There is a lot to learn from Indian TV !

Why do Indian police stations always have a world globe on the Inspector’s desk when policemen never cross the street if the other side is not in their jurisdiction ?
Why do they show warning messages whenever there is a scene showing smoking or drinking ? Why dont they delete those scenes altogether instead of showing those meaningless warnings ? And, why is there no warning with scenes involving other crimes like murder, bank holdup, rape …?
Are maths teachers always grumpy , sadistic people ? Or is maths such a horrible subject ? Why do we always malign maths and maths teachers ?
When there is a conductor in front of an orchestra, why does he seem to follow the orchestra rather than the other way around ?
What is the blue liquid they show on commercials for sanitary napkins and diapers ?
Why do they show toilet basins in grand detail and in closeup when they try to sell toilet cleaner liquids ? Don’t they know that most of the times these disgusting commercials are displayed during during dinner time or when people are having meals ? Why don’t they learn some decency or discretion from those selling diapers and sanitary napkins ?
Why do they show only men for promoting products for bad mouth odour ?
Why do they use only women for promoting under arm deodarants and rollons ? Idem hair remover creams ?
Are sports shoes worn only by men ?
Why do all detergents, cleaning agents etc. claim to clean 99.9 % of the dirt/germs etc ? Any one can prove or justify this precise figure ?

If you have watched some more absurdities like the ones above, just let me know on drpartha@gmail.com.

2020-02-032020-02-03

01-2020 Macau we will never forget you.

My most pleasant memories always lead me to Macau (erstwhile Portugal colony in current China), with all my family on an assignment with United Nations University.
macau
We decided to take souvenirs which would be useful for us always. We chose two such amazing pieces of Chinese culture (and of course plenty of porcelains): the Abacus, and Chinese chopsticks. We (my children and I) even spent several weeks trying to master the abacus. We took an abacus for each one of us.