Retype Your Password : Why should I ?

I have created countless accounts online, needless to say that i use only a small fraction of them in reality. In the process of creating these accounts i would have filled hundred if not thousands of forms which say Type your password in one row and Retype you password in the succeeding row. But I had never ever seriously analyzed  as to what I gain and what I loose by Retyping my password.

Recently I created an account and happily filled the Type your password and Retype your password fields in the form. I browsed the site that day. Few days later I tried to login to the website. "The username and passwords don't match" the server scowled at me. Bingo!! I tried few combinations, but all in vain. Rather than trying to recover my password, I set about to understand what had actually conspired against me.

And here goes my story : (Read this paragraph at the end)

What had actually happened was that I had mistyped my password. That's fair enough as all of us make mistakes. But what saddens me is that i had mistyped while retyping the password. Thats also acceptable though rare. But what interests me is that in both the cases my typos were same. So the poor system assumed that, what I typed was the actual password. And there I was blissfully ignorant of the my blunder. It would have been a tedious process to regain my password, if I had tried. But I didn't as I was busy analyzing what had happened and I was content with what I was doing.

Now lets analyse all the scenarios that arise in this context and see whether the extra effort we put in retyping the password is worth  it. There are four scenarios.

	Password[P] Correct	Password[P] Wrong
Retype Password[RP] Correct	Case I (P = RP)	Case II (P != RP)
Retype Password[RP] Wrong	Case III (P != RP)	Case IV  (P = RP)  OR (P !=RP)    V                   VI

Step 1 : Enter your Password

Step 2 : Retype your password

After completing Step 2, we can't differentiate between case I and V. After step 2 we also can't differentiate between Case II, Case III and case VI

Case I : Both Password and Retype password are correct - OK Scenario

Step 1 : The password is correct. So there is no need of Step 2, but since we don't know that password is correct we go to Step 2. That is where are trying to eliminate Case II here. But in the process we are creating chances for Case III, which is an unfavorable one.

Step 2 : Retype your password is also correct.  Hence we ended up in case, but we could as well have ended up in Case III.

Case II : Password is wrong and Retype password is correct - Ideal scenario

Step 1 : The password is incorrect. So in the absence of Step 2, your account would have been created with wrong password.

Step 2 : Retype your password is correct and hence you catch hold of the error in Step 1. But we could have as well ended up in Case IV

Case III : Password is correct but Retype password is wrong - A bad scenario

Step 1 : The password is correct. But at this step since we don't know that, we proceed to Step 2

Step 2 : The Retype password is wrong. Oooops though the password in Step 1 was correct we ended up in Case III and we will have to create our login again.

Case IV : Password is wrong but Retype password is wrong - A good/dangerous scenario

Step 1 : The password is wrong. Good that we have step 2

Step 2 : The Retype password is also wrong. Shit how could we mistype in second attempt also.

Now this is where this particular case gets interesting, if the typos in step1 and step 2 are different then we are saved and we have good scenario. It the typos in step 1 and step 2 happen to be the same then we are in for a toss. That's dangerous situation. Because we end up in what we tried to avoid. We will be erring with more confidence that we are right, which i think is more dangerous.

This is just the common sense analysis, the mathematical analysis with the use of probability shall follow ...

Google instant : Change the way you search

The google instant was an instant hit. The proof was instantisation of google maps, youtube,bing so on and so forth. So now we have moved from instant coffee and  instant chats to instant search. Googling has easily become one of the things a internet buff does on a regular basis. Whether you are looking out for a location in a google map, searching for a nice hotel on burp.com or searching for an instant video on youtube what you are doing basically is search. So making google(read as search) instant definitely goes a long way in saving a lot of time.

But what baffles me is with bigwigs like google, microsoft and yahoo fighting for monopoly over search(as it is the gateway to the world of lucrative business namely internet), what took them so long to instantise search. The only reason that comes to my mind is lack of resources. In place of one hit/query on the server, the current instant google will hit the server more than 5 times for an average query. So that's like saying that the google servers must be five times bigger in capacity or five times efficient in handling the search queries. That might seem to be  asking for too much but still that seems to me like a lame excuse these bigwigs can give.

The unusual spin off of google instant is that Japanese addresses are showing more quickly on google instant maps than its counter-part western addresses. Let's find out the reasons but first lets understand the japanese addressing systems. Japanese addresses reflect the primacy of the group in Japan. They proceed from the general (the prefecture, or Japan itself for mail to Japan) to the particular (the addressee). So the general address looks like this

107 Tokyo-to, Minato-ku,
Akasaka 1-chome, 
10-ban, 5-go, 
Watanabe Kazuo

It starts from the generic address Tokyo and moves to the specific addressee name Watanabe Kazuo in the order. Japanese got lucky as their addresses work the same way as google instant does.

Google instant is a Progressively Refining Search(A term i have come out with). Put in simple terms, with each keyword enter your search gets refined. So you can see your search getting refined with every typing letter. There are two ways you can build your search query now.

1. Start with the most specific term and then move to the generic term.
2. Start with the most generic term and then move to the specific term.

The first method is the traditional way we use to search. An ex : The famous hotels in bangalore,India

This is how our search queries used to be till now. Lets analise this under the current google instant search. The moment you type good google is confused as to what get for you as there are many things which are good. then when you say hotels it tries  get you hotels from all over the world, whereas hotel in bangalore was what you were looking for. :( 

The second method is the query suited to google instant. Since google instant is a Progressively Refining Search, starting with the most generic term and then moving to the specific term goes with the flow and you can see the search results getting better as you type. So now our search query will be India bangalore hotels famous. So when you type india google will fetch results only from india, and as you type bangalore the results will be refined for banglaore, and when you type hotels it gets you the list of hotels in banglaore. So as you keep typing your query the search keeps getting refined. ("Hotels, India bangalore good" may be a more efficient query)

So the next time you are googling my name remember the query has to be India,Karnataka,Bangalore,Mindtree Gokul

Caveat : There are exceptions to this rule. Comment on this post if you want to discuss. But remember that it still holds good if you are looking out for a geographical location.

Well Done Omar

"When people hurl stones at you, convert them into your milestones" goes a quote.

But today Stone-Pelting(SP) has taken a completely different form.

• Today  SP symbolizes the unrest among the youth of a state in which it(youth) constitutes more than 50% of the population.
• SP proves that unrest among the youth of the state or nation is the last thing that a government can afford.
• SP symbolizes the way the weak protest against the mighty state that fails to connect with the people of the state.
• SP defines the culminating point of the downfall of a minister who was considered as the most successful young politician to one whose political future is in question.
• SP has become a menace which the army can neither face nor suppress. Restraining is the only option that they have. I can't even call it an alternative, since that is the only way.
• Now it is forcing the minister who had distanced himself from the crowds, to try so hard  just to get their acceptance.

I am a big fan of Omar Abdullah.( Don't ask me why? He was young, he was charismatic and he looked to be a promising politician in making) And I felt let down after his fall in popularity. :( 

But the way he handled himself when a shoe was hurled at him, reiterated my faith in him. 

Omar's response : "I am not upset that a person protested. The fact that he threw a shoe and not a stone, speaks for itself"

That was commendable. He used a thoughtless action of a person, to send a strong message to the people of J & K. Though it was a nice message that he sent across and in a very good way, that in itself is not sufficient. People of J & K expect a lot of actions from him. It is the time he deliver his promises.

 I feel that Omar got few things wrong in his journey and he definitely paid for them. But i strongly feel that has the ability to correct them and move on. And taking this as an opportunity to connect with the masses of the valley state and understand their situation and the problems they are facing(which no one has done till date) if he can work out an amicable solution that will be his way to stardom and immortality. And thousands of good wishes of the masses of the valley state which are genuine. 

And genuine wishes will never go un-realised.

Caveat : So does the genuine curses.....

ATMAON : A simple line that keeps you humble

ATMAON : Though this word sounds like a sanskrit word(In sanskrit atmaon means souls), it is just an acronym for my favorite phrase "According to me, as of now". Repeating these words in your mind when you are in a discussion, debate, fight, quarrel or when you are giving a lecture, advice, suggestion or when you are trying  to prove a point to someone keeps your feet grounded, mind sane and heart happy.

ATMAON has two halves ATM and AON. Both of which are equally important.

• ATM : According To Me

The first half (According To Me) says that whatever you are saying is your opinion. It reminds that what you are saying need be the truth but is only your perception of truth.(I am assuming that you are not trying to fool somebody with views which you consider are not true). It also reminds you that since it is your opinion, the person with whom you are interacting is also entitled to his view, which may or may not be same as yours. Anyone can easily handle a person who agrees with you. But handling a person who disagrees with you, is what separates the intellectuals from the lay men. It doesn't mean that you accept the views which are against your principles. It only says thats you should provide enough room for opinions which are not aligned to your views, especially the ones which are polar opposite of yours.

 Well,  before ending this let me say all these views are According To Me.

• AON : As Of  Now

If the first part makes sure that we respect others views and opinions, the second part(As Of Now) takes it ahead and points that the our own views and opinions change with time. Haven't you experienced this so many times? My views about two things has changed drastically over the time. They are divorce and abortion.

Similarly most of our views change with time and changing society. What you consider wrong today may become right tomorrow and vice versa. So just remember that your views are not going to be the same. But remember that your perception of what is good and bad may change, but your perception of right and wrong should not keep changing very frequently.

So next when you go about proving your point to somebody else, just say to yourself "According to me, as of now" and the person on the other side can definitely sense the difference. I pomise (sorry according to me as of now they will sense the difference.)

Language is an abstraction of thought

Expression of thought is what communications is all about. Language is an abstraction of thought. Language can never become communication as a thought can never be expressed completely. And if at all a thought can be expressed completely, the language used for it would be a perfect language, which would be nothing but communication. I came to understand the tight coupling between thought, language and communication very recently. It was a sweet coincidence. To do a profile picture for my website's fan-page, i was trying to create an image out of the introduction that i had written for an article titled Improve your vocabulary. The intro was about language and communication. I was amazed by the output I got. Here goes the image and it is followed by the introduction i wrote.

Click on the image or visit www.facebook.com/Aziteez to get a Tee of this image.

Language is an abstraction of thought. A thought in itself is of no significance in the real world, because it needs the support of language if it has to be appreciated or implemented . All these knols, articles, plethora of information available on the internet is an attempt(though an unsuccessful one) to catpture and express that thought. Language comes nowhere close to the actual communication of the thought from the person who conceived the thought to the person with whom he is trying to communicate. Man from the time immemorial has been trying to invent new words so that he can express his thought more clearly and lucidly, hence trying to communicate more effectively. But he is no where close to the actual communication.The Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary contains full entries for 171,476 words in current use and the list still keeps growing. We come out with a list of new words every year only to realise that there is a vacuum in the language for creating many more such lists. It is like space : the more you explore, you realise that much more is yet to be explored. But one thing is for sure, greater the number of words you know and deeper the unerstanding of them, better are your chances of communicating an idea or thought successfully. And hence better are your chances of succeeding in your workplace and life.

The first day in JEMS

As mentioned in my previous article, after getting the tips from my Dad I was all set to go to the much awaited school(It was called Jyothi Vidya Nikethan and I still prefer that name to Jyothi English Medium School). I don't remember how the days prior to the school-opening passed. All I can remember is that my mother had already started tutoring me. She would try to get the help from everybody and anybody whom she considered was better than her in tutoring me. But what she doesn't know is, even to this day I  consider her as the best teacher I have met tell date. My view is not opinionated just because I am her son, but rather my view is justified by the innovative ways she uses in teaching. Anybody who has been tutored by my Mom will readily agree to this. So I used to prefer my Mom over everybody else in tutoring me. 

I had looked up so much for the first day of the school. The kind of enthusiasm I had was contagious and boundless. But I also had an equal share of my own fears and apprehensions. In-spite of all this excitement I can't remember much about how my first day was. I can't recall how I spent much of the day or whom I spoke to. I don't remember what my parents asked when I came back from school or what I answered them. It feels so weird considering that the day was such an important one. But still one incident on the first day remains crystal clear in my mind. I was wearing the pink and brown uniform, a tie, a belt and shoes(I had never worn a tie,belt or shoe as a part of uniform in my previous school, so this was special to me). I sat in a bench not at the back but somewhere close to the back row. I was all into myself. That was my way of feel safe and secure as I was not able to understand a word of what my teacher was telling. It was all in English and english was foreign to me. The language was alien and so were the people. I didn't even feel like raising my head and looking at other students. I was scared. I felt what if they ask me something in English and I am not able to answer. I didn't even look at the teacher fearing she might ask me some questions noticing that I am a new student. To my luck (or rather the lack of it) , each period was spread over a span of one and a half hours. That seemed like eternity to me and I cursed whosoever came up with such an idea. 

It was at this time that shadow of somebody fell in the classroom as it blocked the sunlight coming from the door. The lady who blocked  the sun-rays was none other than my aunt. She might have blocked the rays coming from  the sun, but she gave rise to new rays in my heart and those were the rays of  hope. The silver lining around her formed because of the silhouette appeared to me like a silver lining on the dark cloud in my heart. She gave a reassuring smile when I looked at her which made me feel at home. She said something to the teacher in the class to which the teacher responded affirmatively nodding the head top to bottom. My aunt looked back at me, smiled and left the class. I felt a lot better then and felt comfortable. I could not understand what she told to the teacher in the class. But the very fact that she told it in english and that the teacher responded affirmatively to what she told, made me feel proud of her. I think she must have told "This is my niece. He is new to this class and he doesn't know to speak english. Take care of him". 

Whom do you consider as a role model in your life (Part III)

Part I  Part II

One major hurdle in my dad's mission  of making me an english literate man was cleared. But the actual test was a test of survival. I had read it somewhere that actual test was not getting into an IIM but surviving in one. And I think that appears to all the institutions.

 Everybody in my home were happy that I had cleared the test and I was going to join the school. But my dad not stop with that. Once again my dad proved that he was indeed a hero and why he is so special. He took me aside that day and told me "See  you know that reason why I wanted you to go to that school. Now that you have cleared the entrance test and you are going to the school, there is something I want to tell you. It may not be all that easy for you to cope up with other students. Remember that they have all been studying English for four to five years, whereas you are just about to start. Promise me that you won't feel bad, irrespective of what happens in that school. I am sure that you can top the class very soon. But be prepared to face the situation in-case you fail and loose an year. I want to you to know that loosing an year doesn't impact you in the long run, but learning good english definitely will....". That was a short(incomplete) talk. It did scare me a little, but it helped me get close to the reality. 

And that was my third lesson in management : When you motivate somebody to try something unconventional make sure that they are ready to face rejection and they are ready to face the burden of failure.

Once he was sure that I was ready to face the worst, he continued "In-spite of all this I want you to give your best shot and I am sure that you can top the class by the end of the year." Whether he had so much confidence in me I am not sure, but those words did encourage me and enthuse me. And that was my fourth lesson in management : Be prepared to face the worst, and then try for the best.


Now that I was all set, my Dad gave me a tip "Since you know that you are not the best(at-least as of now), make sure that you are the best prepared. Always be two chapters ahead of your teacher in every subject and that will ease your tension a lot. You will not feel left out even if you are not able to follow the teacher in your class. Work hard, be prepared and be ready to face the worst". And that was my fifth lesson in management : Fortune favors the brave mind. When you know that you are not the best, make sure that at-least you are the best-prepared.


I personally like the last line "When you know that you are not the best, make sure that at-least you are the best-prepared". Though I came out with this line , I would attribute it to my dad because it was from him that I learnt it.

Whom do you consider as a role model in your life (Part II)

Part I

The next incident came after a gap of 2-3 years. I had just completed Class 4. I had decided to switch to an english medium school(May be what that uncle in Part I told had an impact on me). But which school i should  join was still in debate. All the options were listed. The advantages and disavdvantages of joining various schools were brainstormed. We had even made a few visits to schools to get the first hand information. But nothing had materialized. It was at this moment that some-one recommended an ICSE school called Jyothi Vidya Niketan to him.

I had studied in a kannada medium school where English was just one subject(all other subjects were taught in kannada) and that too it started only from standard 3. I had just completed standard 4. So I had two years experience in the language of English. All that I had learned till then was A for Apple,B for Ball,.....Z for Zebra. And there was a chapter at the end of the text book in standard 4. It was the story of two sheep trying to cross a bridge. I still remember those days a small kid when I used to turn pages to the last chapter in the book, stare at the images of two sheep crossing the bridge, unable to read or understand what the random jumble of those 26 alphabets of English, in various combinations and permutations meant. But whenever I turned to that particular chapter I always felt that one day I should be able to read and write English in such a brilliant way that these words should appear to me like a piece of cake-walk.

Utopia : The search for a perfect society

Man is a social animal

This was probably the first quotation that had caught my attention as a school going kid. Though I hadn't pondered over this quote, it had definitely made an impact. It had left a scar on my mind, which I would come back and visit after many years. Here I am today trying to dig back, examine the scar again and see what it means to me now after so many years.(Thanks to the Time's Mock CAT passage which touched this topic and gave me some more insight)

Though the topic of this article is "Utopia : The search for a perfect society", I started with this quote because it tells us that the very definition of man is incomplete without mentioning society, and hence stresses the importance of society in man's life.

Whom do you consider as a role model in your life

This was the topic given to us during the English test that was given to us.That was an year back. I don't remember the essay exactly but the essay goes something like this.

Of-course my dad. Who else can it be. I am actually amazed at how fast i decided on the person who was my role model. I had not even completed reading the question but I had already decided on the answer. At every stage of my life i have been amazed by his nature and attitude. Most of the things that i have learned from him are not the ones he has told me, but the ones that i have learnt from him looking at him handle his daily situations.