Design II

Design II
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

A great design:
Everything fits in nicely
into one complete whole.

Not a hair out of place,
and not one thing
more
than what is
needed.

The form
and the function,
made for each other.

GB #32

Paradox

Paradox
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

All Cretans are liars
said Epiminedes,
a Cretan,
a classic Paradox.

If Epiminedes tells the truth
then he must be lying.
And if he is lying,
he is telling the truth.

Sounds like a
contradiction,
doesn't it?
But a paradox is
different from
a contradiction.

Contradictions
are not allowed:
because
P and Not P
implies any Q.
In other words,
a contradiction
implies
any proposition.

"The Pope and I are two".
said Russell,
"If 2 = 1, then
the Pope and I are one."
Thus went Russell's proof
that he was the Pope.

But a paradox
is different,
its more valuable.
It increases
the size
of your universe.

Russell's paradox
showed the gaps
in set theory
and set the stage
for the next
leap forward.

Paradoxes
are the stuff
of which
giant leaps
are made.

GB #31

Watson-Crick

Watson-Crick
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

Watson and Crick
show
what fun it is
to be
a scientist.

What fun it is
to discover
something new.

What fun it is
to compete
with the best
and win.

Watson and Crick
discovered
the secret of life
itself.

GB #30

Internet

Internet
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

The Internet
inking pacts
across the world.

Linking
and connecting
all humanity.

Shakily
connecting
all the dots
into one
continuous whole.

GB #29

Internet II

Internet II
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

Small knots
woven together
become a net.
Flexible, stable,
and very strong.

Small computers
inter-connected
become the Net.

Unleashing
the power
of communication,
of creativity,
and
of community.

Small individuals,
linked together
become the
Internet.

GB #28

Douglas R Hofstadter

Sides-reversed-is
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

Douglas R Hofstadter
sides reversed is
Retdatsfoh R Salgoud
sides reversed is
Douglas R Hofstadter
...
is one Strange Loop.

Hofstadter wrote
Godel, Escher and Bach:
An eternal golden braid.

A personal review follows.

Four young boys
growing up
the Modern way:
Gaurav and Hartosh,
Punya
and GB.

Like other 16 year olds
just focussed on
having fun.

Fun,
defined for them
by Hofstadter
with wordplay,
Palindromes,
Anagrams, Ambigrams,
and paradoxical
self-referential statements.

Many years went by,
in the pursuit of fun,
doing what they please,
each in their own way.

Until,
like everyone else,
they grew up
and became serious.

Each in their own way,
they did what
they had to do;
they became what
they had to become:
Consultant, Journalist,
Professor,
and Manager.

And thats what
they are
in this life.

Their one
and only one
life.

Only one life?

Is it ever
enough
for anyone
to live
just one life?

Memories of
a fun-filled youth
don't just die:
They bring in
A Certain Ambiguity -
Ambigrams,
and not to forget,
Ambi-Poettary.


Back to Hofstadter
and the book review.

Just one life
is certainly not enough
for Hofstadter's
Godel, Escher and Bach.

But do not fear.
Perhaps one day
a Gardner will come
to annotate GEB,
and give us a chance,
to figure it all out
in just one life-time.

GB # 27

Dog

Dog
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

A dog,
wags his tail,
seeks attention.
And licks your face,
without asking for
your permission.

Comes up close
and becomes
personal.

And becomes
your best friend.

GB #26

God

God
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

GOD
looks the same
whichever way
you look at it.

Look down from the top
or up from bottom --
and find GOD.

Look in the mirror
and see GOD.

Just like the 0,
symbol for
nothingness.

But still,
required,
to count from
one to infinity.

GB #25

Darwin

Darwin
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

"Beauty in mathematics,"
says Polya,
"is seeing the truth
without effort."

Polya's dictum applies 
to Science
as well.

Darwin explained
nature's bounty --
from simplicity
emerged complexity,
adapting by competing.

Darwin explained
so much, so simply,
so beautifully.

GB #24

Infinite

Infinite
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

Infinite plane
made compact
becomes a sphere.

Still infinite,
but compact,
somehow closer to
being finite.

GB # 23 (also Math Poettary)

Look here too.

No-x-in-Nixon

No-x-in-Nixon
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

NO X IN NIXON

A palindrome
but False.

NO X IN NIXON
sides reversed is
NO X IN NIXON

Truly
a longer palindrome.

sides reversed is
sides reversed is
sides reversed is

(repeated ad infinitum)

truly
the longest
palindrome.

GB #22

Sense-non-Sense

Sense-Non-Sense
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

Image in
No Og
de Nash,
No Jabber
wock soever.

No pun
ya at all.
No Ji,
No Bee,
No ambi,
just potty.

Life sans
non-sense,
makes no sense:

It is
like this sentence.
Meaning less,
or none at all.

Or like this one.
Not funny;
no fun at all.

GB #21

Love

Love
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

Fools marry the girl they love,
Wise men love the girl they marry,
goes an old dictum.

Love turns
most of us
backwards --
into a fool.

Eventually,
all turn wise.

GB #20

Play

Play
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

"Come back soon from play,
and finish your work"
is what you hear.

Until work becomes work,
and play, play.

Play hard enough,
and play becomes work.

But, work hard enough,
and work becomes play.

And if you look hard enough,
PLAY becomes LEARN.

Now you don't need,
to hurry back from play.

GB #19

Discover

Discover
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

The scientific training, 
teaches how to discover.

The artistic training
teaches how to uncover.

The mathematician uncovers,
only to discover --
new things to uncover.

GB #18

Darpan (rotates to mirror)

Darpan (rotates to mirror)
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

When you read something in Hindi,
do you turn it around in your mind,
and think it through in English?

When you speak in English,
do you think it through in Hindi,
and turn it around in your mind?

Does your mind let you see
what you really are,
when you look in the mirror?

GB #17

Blogger

Blogger
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

I may not write very well
but still,
I do write.

I may be confused,
but still,
I do express myself.

I may not have much to say,
but still,
I do say it.

I may not think too deeply,
but still,
I do think.

I am
a Blogger.

GB #16

Ali

Ali
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

Ali said to himself:
"I'm the Greatest".
And for many,
he was 
The Greatest

What do you
tell yourself?

GB #15

Visual Wordplay

Visual Wordplay
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

A picture, they say,
is worth a thousand words.

Then what about words,
that are also pictures?

What about
Visual wordplay?

GB#14

Anand (reflection)

Anand (reflection)
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

Anand.
Simple,
humble,
down-to-earth,
impassive.
A nice guy.

Aggressive.
Listens to
his opponent's
breathing,
to read
their mind.

And works his own
with lightening speed.

Anand,
chess champion.

GB #13

Smita

Smita
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

P-Smita,
A love story.

Psmita,
listened patiently,
to every story
through the night.
While the Other
dropped off.

Psmita,
flipped P over,
for ever
and ever.

Psmita,
continues to 
listen patiently --
even though
this P
is never silent.

Gb #12

Good-Evil

Good-Evil
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

Good and Evil,
black and white.

One cannot exist
without the other.

When you remove
the evil,
is good
left-over?


GB # 11

Madam-i'm-Adam

Madam-i'm-Adam
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

Madam I'm Adam.
Could be the first
sentence ever spoken,
the first
palindrome.

It reads the same
front to back
and back to front.
Flip it over,
and still,
its the same.

First ever sentence,
an ambigram.

GB #10

Teach-Learn

Teach-Learn
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

We are here
to teach what we learn,
and to learn what we teach.

We are here
to learn when we teach,
and teach when we learn.

We are here,
to give what we have,
and take what we can.

GB #9

Teach-Learn (all mixed up)

Teach-Learn (all mixed up)
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

Some say that
one teaches best,
what one needs to learn
the most.

Teach-Learn
Two sides
of the same coin?
Or are they,
one and the same?

GB #8

Logical

Logical
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

Logical
If o looks like a,
Then a looks like o,
and conversely.
Look at the mirror g
and tell me,
what can you see?

Through the looking glass
they say,
beyond what is
logical,
you can find
the meaning of life --
the universe, everything:
The number 42.

GB #7

ADAM

ADAM
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

Madam
I'
m
Adam.
Reads the same
front to back
and back to front.
So does Madam,
I,
and
m.
And surprise,
so does
Adam.

GB #6

A-life (artificial life, spiral)

A-life (artificial life, spiral)
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

A Life
Changing a little
at a time.
A slightly different
point of view,
another shift
in perspective.
A Life,
you would think,
spirals endlessly.
Its an illusion:
Its finite,
like everything else.

GB #5

A-life (artificial life) III

A-life (artificial life) III
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

A Life
black and red,
completely Square.
Looks the same
whichever way
you look at it.
Going around
a circle.
That's it?

GB #4

Punya

Punya
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

A Pun-
A bad one,
or a good 1,
is just a Pun.
You'll never know,
whether
I say what I mean, 
or I mean what I say.
A good pun, ya?

GB #3

A-life (artificial life) II

A-life (artificial life) II
Originally uploaded by punyamishra

A Life.
What a life!
It gets further
and further
from itself.
And smaller
and smaller
forever.
And dissolves into 
nothingness.

GB #2

A-life (artificial life) I

A-life (artificial life) I, originally uploaded by punyamishra.

A Life
is no life.
Turn it around
its the same.
What A Life.
From A to E,
not worth living.

GB #1