Cycle stealing

Two of the many peculiar issues that I learnt after coming here to U of M are cycle stealing and cycle stealing.


The trivial of which is what strikes first. Many students park their cycles (bikes) either in the department or home for a few hours just to find either the entire cycle or part of it missing. It is one of the most irritating crimes prevalent in this otherwise safe city. Needless to say, the cost of the lock is 20% of these pollution free transport which are generally priced between 50 and 1000 dollars. Roller blades and skates are common here too..

The more relevant of the two - about which I really wanted to write - is however something that is of potential use to the society unlike the other. A variety of this called the Human Cycle Stealing was the topic of the lecture that I recently attended. A Ph.D. student from Carnegie Mellon University had come here to present the idea of Intelligently using human cycles to deal intractable problems in the field of computer science

Almost everyone of you reading this would have created a mail account some time in the recent past and would have come across a text box where you had to type something that is written in a picture. This is called a CAPTCHA. A very simple and effective tool used to establish that SOMEONE is creating an account and not SOMETHING. No computer software could read what is written on that picture and therefore cannot be used to automatically create email accounts.

Have I eariler told you people about this ESPGame ? Something that I was playing for hours together not really knowing what was happening behind it. The game is the brain child of the same guy who came for the lecture. Two entirely random people wanting to play the game see a series of pictures one at a time. They go to the next picture only if they both could type one word in common about the image. You obviously don't get to see who the other person is, what he/she types, how many words they have typed and stuff like that. Eventhough I played this game entirely to demonstrate my typing prowess and capability to match my ideas with someone across the globe, I realised that there is much more I was doing for the society by playing this game.
Indirectly and cleverly, the makers of the game have used me and millions of other naive counterparts to label around 4 million pictures in the web. These labels ease the task of picture search and also can be used as an effective content filter.

This and many other applcations of effectively stealing the human cycles to solve the otherwise intractable problems in computer science, according to Luis von Ahn, seems to be a more justifiable story line of Matrix as against the current existing Matrix-theory of utilising humans for the power generated through their brains.

The lecture was technical and yet evinced simplicity. A unique combination in the field of engineering.

Photos....

Check out the new photos added to the album..

Click on the photos link to the left...

All work and no play

Ooops.. is it already 20th.. I just can't believe it !!!
I just realised that its been around two weeks since I updated my blog..

Its the same assignments, class work , midterms... Having a totally dysfunctional routine... Can't remember when I last got up.. when I last went home.. when I last ate and stuff.. Ofcourse, I am taking utmost care to keep myself in good health... as instructed by almost everyone of those who has contacted me.. :)

The only off-campus event that I was involved in the past fortnight was one trip to the Mall of America... The bus is a 40 minute drive from my campus and is located near the Airport.
The trip as such was really "delightful".It was a semi rainy day and was already half hour into the journey did we realise that we were heading the entire opposite direction. We landed there some one hour later than we were supposed to be. It was me, Prahlad and Vivek.
It was very obvious why it was supposed to be the biggest mall in America. The first thing that we saw about was the parking spot where I couldn't see both the ends standing on one side. And this was just one of the six parking levels. And this was the one on the east side and there was one on the west side too.

It would take someone 15 minutes to walk on the circular corridor of one level - i.e. if you are not gazing into the shops or buying anything. There are four such levels and you name something and you would have it there. As usual we went window shopping the "spencers style" inspite of the fact that I had received the first pay for my project on that day. When we came back it was midnight. Take a look at the pictures that I have added to my yahoo photos. Shall put more photos incase I get some actually good ones.. :P

The computer at home is getting healthier by the day.. now with the new speakers that Prahlad has added to it.

Went to the temple one day in between. I don't remember if I told you about the temple here. The Hindu Mandir. It is actually a remodelled church and you would be surprised to find that there are so many Indians who come there.

The only other exciting event that happened apart from all this was the "so called snow" this sunday. We could see some small flakes and little ice cubicles at around 5 pm. A bunch of us were busily working on our assignments when we heard the information about the snow. The way we rushed to the road with our jerkins on was the typical "pattikattan patnatha patha" style.. People were looking at us mysteriously... their looks almost said "Wait guys.. few months from now I will definitely hear you screaming "NO MORE SNOW"... " .. It generaly snows until mid march starting mid november itseems. Phew...

There has been absolutely no progress with regards to the assistantship.. Something that could have taken a lot off the shoulders... If there is anything positive, the lack of it has made me be so busy that I have had little time to be home sick.

Things shall move on... Shall update the blog more frequently..

No more handicapped

This handicap has nothing to do with my leg.. which is now back to normal.. Fit enough to play soccer again..

Eventhough I did not receive any kind of tuition benefits, I have started to work for one professor in the art department who wants to develop a website. The website is to realise which country is most talked about in the news. The project is about scanning 10 different newspapers everyday and storing their information in a database and then retrieving the same and presenting in a flash based webpage.
Since I would need to work on various platforms and servers, he has given his office machine for me to take home and I FINALLY HAVE A COMP IN THE HOUSE !!!
I'm still to get the modem and speaker fixed !! The whole house is excited. After long we were watching Vivek Comedy yesterday.. there was sheer joy !!! (pssst.. don't tell my prof..)

The other project that I am working on is the Place mail which is a user interface development.. It is pretty similar to my undergraduate work.. its about leaving hanging messages in the air for some other persons or self from the mobile phone...You could eat at a restaurant and leave a hanging message recommending it to your friends who will receive a message in their mobile whenever they come near the restaurant. I am developing an interface for entering the place details into the mobile phone and I have been given a mobile phone for this.. I FINALLY HAVE A MOBILE PHONE HERE TOO...
The number is 612 363 8712 and people contacting me can call me in this.

The other project that I am working on is the semester project for my course work.. A group of 6 of us working on a indoor Navigation system for the cognitively disabled... We are basically developing an interface for a hand held device (running Palm OS) which would give them directions to navigate inside their school or office building. So basically I have a Palm Top too at home now...

As long as I am with these projects I would be having all this.. feeling really nervous to be having so much electronic equipment that don't belong to me especially because of my mysterious capability to break things..

Shall be updating the blog frequently once I get the modem fixed.. Keep reading the blog.. and check for the photos too..