Unreal Blog

Economists have too many hands. On the one hand, they may declare something good. On the other hand, they may say, “well, not so much.” Some of them may have even a third or fourth hand. My ex-boss, an economist himself, once remarked that he wished he could chop off some of these hands. [...]

Read the rest of "Food Prices and Terrible Choices"

This unpublished article is a sequel to my earlier paper (also posted as Are Radio Sources and Gamma Ray Bursts Luminal Booms?). This blog version contains the abstract, introduction and conclusions. The full version of the article is available as a PDF file.

Read the rest of "Light Travel Time Effects and Cosmological Features"

This post is the blog version of my article published in the International Journal of Modern Physics D (IJMP-D) in 2007, soon to become the Top Accessed Article of the journal by Jan 2008. Although it might seem like a hard core physics article, it is in fact an application of the philosophical insight permeating this blog and my book.

Read the rest of "Are Radio Sources and Gamma Ray Bursts Luminal Booms?"

This essay, originally written for a Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times, was published in an altered form in a philosophy magazine called The Philosopher. The published article (also posted in this blog — Perception, Physics and the Role of Light in Philosophy) had too much editorial input, I felt.

We know that our universe is a bit unreal. The stars we see in the night sky, for instance, are not really there. They may have moved or even died by the time we get to see them. [...]

Read the rest of "The Unreal Universe — Seeing Light in Science and Spirituality"

No, this post is not a sales pitch for a Sony radio receiver. If anything, it is about a health condition called Congestive Heart Failure. And about the passing of the torch. May be a little bit about my father as well.

[...] Perhaps nothing and nobody really passes on. We all leave behind a little bit of ourselves, tiny echoes of our conquests, gusto and passion, memories in those dear to us, and miniscule additions to the mythos that will live on. Like teardrops in the rain.

Read the rest of "Sony World Band Radio"

Of nostalgia and travels, remorse and choices — and me getting sappy in one of my sentimental moods.

Read the rest of "Choices and Remorse"

This essay (perhaps not right to call it a review) is inspired by Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. A modern day classic that hardly needs any more endorsement, this book is bound to change the way you look at the world, and live your life.

Read the rest of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"

In this blog version of an article published in Omega, I discuss how Eastern and Western views say essentially the same things when it comes to the nature of space and time. And how that view can be interpreted as a basis for understanding Einstein’s theories. [Journal Ref: Omega - Indian Journal of Science and Religion, Vol. VI, (Dec. 2007), pp 138-150.]

Read the rest of "The Philosophy of Special Relativity — A Comparison between Indian and Western Interpretations"

Published in The journal of the Philosophical Society of England. The Philosopher, Vol. LXXXXVI No. 1 (Spring 2008), pp 3-7

This article examines the role of light in perception, physics and philosophy. Based on the similarities between metaphysical and spiritual or philosophical views on space and time, the article sheds new light on modern physics — the special theory of relativity, in particular.

Read the rest of "Perception, Physics and the Role of Light in Philosophy"