"Kaziranga" by Nissim Ezekiel

Deer, deer...
Oh, deer!
Oh dear!
Dear, o dear, o dear..

Water buffalo
What? A buffalo?
Water buffalo!
What a buffalo!

Online Dating Made this Woman a Pawn in a Global Crime Plot

Toward the end of our conversation, I asked Elrod what she would say to McGregor—or, rather, the Yahoo Boy who played McGregor—if she were given the opportunity. She chewed nervously on her right index finger as she confessed that she has many, many questions for the man. But the first one she mentioned was not how he faked his Scottish accent or what became of her life savings or how many other women he was stringing along while they were “engaged.” The question at the forefront of her mind was something far more basic: “Was it always a scam?”

http://www.wired.com/2015/10/online-dating-made-woman-pawn-global-crime-plot/

More heartbreaking and incredible - the Jette Jacobs story - the crown jewel in the Yahoo Boys' chest : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2287774/Lonely-widow-Jette-Jacobs-dead-South-Africa-sending-50k-Nigerian-boyfriend-met-online.html

Make it Stick - Peter Brown

• Useful learning is EFFORT-FULL. It's difficult, but worth it.
• We are BAD JUDGES of when we're learning well and not.
• REREADING TEXT and BATCHED PRACTICE are not supported by research.
• RETRIEVAL PRACTICE is what you need - a simple quiz will do wonders for you.
• SPACE OUT PRACTICE with breaks to learn well.
• TRY TO SOLVE PROBLEMS BEFORE BEING TAUGHT THE SOLUTION. Good for you.
• Build your learning on a FOUNDATION OF PRIOR KNOWLEDGE.
• ELABORATE on what you just learned by expressing in your own words. If you've encountered the Udacity Git course with Caroline Buckey and Sarah Spikes, you've been told to write down reflections because it's good for you!

Study smarter : https://www.youtube.com/embed/IlU-zDU6aQ0 (Marty Lobdell)

WT* is FB Up To?

Facebook is seeking an Electronics Engineer to join our Infrastructure Team. We believe connecting the world is one of the greatest challenges of our generation, and that everyone deserves access to the knowledge, tools and opportunities that come from being connected. That’s why we, along with other tech companies, launched Internet.org, a global partnership to make the Internet available to the two thirds of the world’s population that doesn’t have it. The Connectivity Lab team has been working on developing new platforms for connectivity on the ground, in the air and in orbit. For all of these systems, the team is looking at Free-space optical communication, a way of using light to transmit data through space using invisible, infrared laser beams. To make this a reality, we need to scale our infrastructure and ensure that it operates efficiently so that we can deliver innovate services. Join us as we build the technical foundation upon which the world shares and connects. This position is located in our Woodland Hills office (near Los Angeles).

Responsibilities

• Hardware design for Free-Space Optical (FSO) and Radio Frequency (RF) communication terminals
• Interface with software, mechanical, power, thermal, and hardware engineers to understand system architecture
• Perform component and system level testing in both laboratory and operational environments

Requirements

• B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering or related technical discipline
• Experience in analog and digital circuit design, schematic capture, and PCB layout
• Knowledge of transmission line theory, high-speed circuit design, RF, electrical concepts, and analysis tools
• Experience with hardware in the loop testing and validation, including the use of network test equipment such as spectrum analyzers, oscilloscopes, and frequency synthesizers
• Experience with both RF and optical testbed lab operation and procedures desired
• Experience in RTL design and implementation on an FPGA, including synthesis and simulation tools desired
• Knowledge of Cadence Allegro, Mentor Graphics PADs, Altium Designer, Verilog, System Verilog, C, C++, *nix

Thank You WSJ ... Nehal Chopra

Get em while they're down. Ladies, wouldn't you like to see a big, sleazy company that is responsible for more pollution than all the passenger cars in the world combined (watch Rose George on TED) go out of business?

Not going to happen. So, given that they'll stick around forever, and thrive, why not buy their stock now and make a buck or two?

For a change, it's the male analyst who takes down the overpaid female fund manager. Congratulations Andrew Left. Sorry Nehal - I'm sure there are jobs in India though. You can try the H1 thing again next year.

Former Hedge Fund Star Nehal Chopra Settles With SEC | Institutional Investor

The 1% - Thanks to Prof. Rubik

An easy one - but not sure if it'll lead to any broad transfer (that is, will this facility lead to better performance in other areas?). It did work out my mnemonic creation ability though.. Next, need to get into speed cubing. I'm a laugh - I can do the thing walking to the grocery store, but I'm taking 10 minutes :)

Here are the mnemonics (add a comment to suggest better ones!)

ri di rd for putting white corner pieces correctly
(Duolinguist has a good one - Ride the Dirty Red Dragon) (that doc is ood, but, this one, if a bit long w, works)

Then, for a top to right re-positioning of a middle layer edge piece, it's

ur i(ur) i(uf) uf -- probably better remembered as UR i(UR UF) UF -- so you basically only need UR, UF at the tip of your tongue.

For a top to left re-positioning of a middle layer edge piece, it's

Wiley Uluf used WiFi (UiLi UL UF UiFi)

Then, if you have just one yellow center piece or the rev-L, then it's

The FURry doc said URF : FUR i(URF)

If it's a horizontally oriented straight yellow line, it's

Beat a straight path to the FRUit tree to find the it's rough :

FRU i(RUF)

Now you have your cross.

If you have no corner pieces correct, you orient one of the side yellows at 8 o'clock

If you have one correct, in addition to the cross, put that (top edge of course) at
7 o'clock. Note that 7 o'clock top-edge is different from 7 o'clock vertical faces..
Vertical faces go from 12 o'clock to 11 o'clock. The top edges are 12, 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10

If you have 2 corners correct, then you need to orient one vertical yellow facing you
at 7 o'clock

Do : Are you Rui's sister? are you Uri? RU RiU RU URi
(Riu is Rui's sister - I actually know somoene called Rui)

Do this till you get the top face completely jaundiced.

Then, see how many corner pieces are correct. If it's none, do the below move once.

If it's one, same gun. If it's 2, then if it's
AB
CD

for the corner pieces, you need to position so that AB are correct, or AD are correct.
Then do the move :

Rif and Ribb Arfie, Ribb Ararui (yes, I know. If you have a better one, do share)

This is : RiF RiBB RFi RiBB RRUi

You may have to do this more than once. Once done, you'll only have the center pieces to
work on. For that, you have to see whether you want them to move clock wise or counter.

For clockwise :

Inside FF and F (Father Franklin is Famous)

Uluf split himself watching a rif of FLIR. (Uluf becomes UL something UF)
Something is RiF FLiR

So : FF UL RiF FLiR UF F

May have to do it more than once.

For counter clockwise, you just invert the U's in Uluf --> UiLUiF

Now, what if you wanted to get into speed cubing? Where should you start?

🧩 Drill #1 — Cross Mastery (White Cross on Bottom)

Goal:
Solve the white cross on the bottom layer blindly and consistently under 10 seconds.

Why this first:
Every speedcubing method (CFOP, Roux, ZZ, etc.) depends on quick and intuitive cross building. The cross is the foundation for every solve, and getting it efficient and instinctive will make all other progress easier.

---

Read more ▶

🧠 How to Practice

1. Scramble normally (random scramble).

2. Before turning, look for how to solve the white cross in your head. Don’t start turning until you can see the full 4-edge solution.

3. Execute the cross on the bottom, not top. This trains your spatial awareness for full inspection planning.

4. Time yourself only for the cross stage. Aim for 15 s → 10 s → 7 s.

---

📈 Focus Points

• Keep the white center on bottom from the start — no cube rotations mid-solve.

• Minimize move count: optimal crosses are often 6–8 moves.

• Learn to plan ahead during the 15-second WCA inspection.

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⏱️ Drill Routine

• 10 scrambles × 3 rounds daily.

• After each round, review your cross solutions — can you do it in fewer moves?

• Use tools like csTimer or CubeSkills cross trainer to visualize optimal crosses.

---

Once you can reliably execute a white cross under 10 s with < 8 moves average, we’ll move to the F2L pair-insertion drill — that’s the next natural step.

Does it matter what cube you use?

You bet! Speed cubes are:

🧩 1. Mechanically Optimized for Speed

Speed cubes are designed to turn fast and smoothly without locking up. They have:

• Corner-cutting: pieces can twist up to ~45° out of alignment and still complete a turn.

• Anti-pop design: pieces lock into a central mechanism so the cube doesn’t explode during fast moves.

• Adjustable tensioning: you can tighten or loosen the springs under the center caps for your preference.

⚙️ 2. Magnetic Stabilization

Read more ▶

Most modern speed cubes have small magnets inside the edges and corners that gently snap the faces into place.
→ This gives precision and stability at high speed — like auto-centering for your fingers.

🪶 3. Lightweight and Smooth Materials

They use engineered plastics and advanced lubricants (like silicone-based lubes) to reduce friction.
Traditional Rubik’s cubes can feel “gritty” or stiff in comparison.

🎛️ 4. Customization

High-end models (like GAN, Moyu, or QiYi) include:

• Adjustable spring or tension systems.

• Swappable magnet strengths.

• Lubrication kits.
  These let you tune the cube exactly to your turning style.

So, what to choose?

• MoYu RS3 M V5 — Widely praised for offering modern features (magnetic, adjustability) at a budget-friendly price. Often called one of the best value options.

• MoYu RS3 M 2020 Magnetic — A classic “starter speed cube” that many people use as their first upgrade from plain cubes.

• QiYi Warrior M — Very affordable and good performance for the price. Great if you want to test speedcubing without a big investment.

• Rubik’s Magnetic Speed Cube (official) — For people who like the official brand but want something built for speed.

• MeiLong 3×3 M — Ultra-budget magnetic cube. You get very good performance relative to cost.

• SCS Speed Cube Pro 3×3 Magnetic — Mid-tier; good stepping stone toward stronger cubes.

• GAN 356 M — Excellent “stepping stone to flagship” cube. Very polished, reliable.

• GAN 11 M Pro — A full-fledged flagship cube with a lot of customization. Might be overkill for a beginner, but it's great if you want a cube you’ll grow into.

---

💡 Tips When Choosing and Using a Beginner Cube

• Start modest: Don’t feel pressured to jump straight to top-tier flagship cubes. A $10–$25 good speed cube will let you learn mechanics, algorithms, and finger tricks without frustrating stiffness.

• Adjust it: Use the tensioning or spring system to find a feel you like. Looser is easier to turn fast; tighter gives more control.

• Lubricate carefully: A little silicone-based cube lube (a drop or two) can greatly improve smoothness.

• Practice maintenance: Occasionally take it apart, clean, re-lube, and reassemble. This keeps performance high as you get more use.

• Try different feels: As you improve, you’ll learn whether you like a “fast and loose” cube or something more stable and controlled.

One Line Lessons

My experience with learning resources like audio-books, or just books, which I keep mentioning to people, is that you only take away one or two sentences from each. But, those things are like minders by your side - helping you be more effective in your day to day decision making or execution than you would be otherwise. Finally, I'll start a formal compilation (triggered by self-awareness of how I was attempting to skim through Palo Alto Networks' cyber security call-to-action)

Princeton Reviw prep for the SAT : For reading comprehension, first, just read the first and last sentences of each para.
Steve Jobs, by Walter Jacobson : People don't k what they want until you s it to them. Only let A players on your team. Once A players see the B and C players are slacking off, it will drag them down. Rounded rectangles.
The Upside of Irrationality by Dan HairyEli : Human beings adapt very well - this is why you need a higher dose of something you like - like booze. So, if it's an activity you like (showering, watching TV, etc) make sure you stop so you DON'T adapt. If it's something you don't enjoy - like doing taxes, cleaning - make sure you STICK WITH IT so you DO adapt.
Succeed by Heidi Grant : For complex goals (starting a company, etc), think about the next step (forget the real motivation). For simple goals (cleaning your room) think about the why, the real reason you want to.
Liespotting by Pamela Meyer : A lie usually uses a long answer to a question that can be answered with a short sentence.
Ashok Goel (KBAI) : If knowledge is power, so is organization.

We Love you Joe Wong!

My name is JW. But, to most people, I am Who?
Hu is actually my mother's maiden name, and the answer to my credit card security question.
I just want to reassure everyone that I am invited here tonight.
I grew up in China. Who didn't? And my childhood memories are ruined by my childhood.
Like all immigrants, I too want my son to be the President.
My son says, "Dad, why do I have to learn 2 languages?" I say, "Son, because, when you become President, you'll have to sign legislative policies in English, and talk to debt collectors in Chinese."
Obama was conducting 2 wars when he was awarded the Nobel Peace P. And he accepted it. You can't be more badass than that. The only way you could be more badass is if you took the Nobel P P money and gave it to the military.
I was born in the year of the Horse and that is why I am a naysayer.
America's #1, because we won the World Series every year.
I have a quick solution for global warming. I will switch from Fahrenheit to Celsius.
I believe open dialogue and unilateralism are too expensive. So, if elected, I will switch to text messaging. I will text our allies even to say Hi. And I will text our enemies when they are driving.

On Ellen :

Are you guys afraid of the economy? I'm not. I grew up young, you see. If I become poor again, I'll just feel young.

To become a citizen I had to answer some questions :

Who was Benjamin Franklin? Uhhh... the reason our convenience store gets robbed.
What is the 2nd amendment? Uhh... the reason our convenience store gets robbed.
What is Row vs Wade? Uhh...  2 ways of coming to the United States.

Anything iCanDo, You Can Do Better

Have to give these guys credit for sticking around so long - probably been 20 years..

http://icanprogram.com/09tk/lesson6/lesson6.html

Their recipe for displaying the contents of a text field :

proc saveFile { } {
set fn "saveFile"
global f

set myFile [tk_getSaveFile]

puts stdout [format "%s:myFile=<%s>" $fn $myFile]

set line [$f.t get 1.0 1.end]
for {set i 2} {[string length $line] > 0 } {incr i } {
puts stdout [format "line=<%s>" $line]
set line [$f.t get $i.0 $i.end]
} ;#end for loop
} ;#end saveFile 

Here's my tweak that's much more elegant (off the web of course) :

set nLines [$f.t count -lines 1.0 end]
for {set i 1} { $i <= $nLines } {incr i } {
set line [$f.t get $i.0 $i.end]
puts stdout [format "line : %s" $line]
} ;#end for loop
} ;#end saveFile

A New Worthwhile Resource

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/01/15/how-to-strengthen-willpower/