Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in.

This is to reply Ashwin and Prashant. You see, the outer matrix theory is not made up because the outer matrix is designed to fulfill a shortcoming of the inner matrix. Causality, again.

You see, the same concept applies for the Hindu idea of the Brahman. Hmmm....

posted by Onkar Joshi on 1:47 AM -= link =-

Answering Srijith

1# Is the "Architect" a software or a real person? The Oracle is supposedly a code, but how about the architect?
2# In one of the best shots in Reloaded, Neo battles Agent Smith and his "meeees". Why the hell did Neo not just fly away? Surya, my better half, reasons that maybe Neo thought that his newly acquired powers could outwit Smith. But too many mees changed the thinking. Another of Surya's explanation is that Neo does not get enough time during the fight to do what I call the "I-have-constipation" flying sequence.
3# The Architect says that Neo is not a messiah and that The One does not bring deliverance, but rather was an anomaly that keeps on upsetting the otherwise perfectly balanced equation. Was that anomaly created on purpose by the guy who freed the first human from the Matrix (remember Matrix 1?) or was it a bye-product?
4# Supposedly the Zion has been destroyed 6 times thanks to The One choosing to keep the Matrix alive due to the humans being plugged to the Matrix. If so, why does the Architect allow The One to choose more guys to rebuild the Zion again?
5# In the end, we are told that the machines attacked again and destroyed the defense. The question is who all were destroyed? The first line of defense or the whole of Zion? (except for the sole survivor)

1] the nature of the architect.
- we cannot say. at the end of reloaded, neo takes out the sentinels pretty much the same way he takes out the bullets in the matrix. now, this suggests the existence of the very reality being a simulation in itself, like a dream within a dream. meaning, everyone is still connected to the outer matrix, and whatever they think is known to whoever is controlling the outer matrix. that is where the oracles 'illusion of choice' comes in.

2] neo and smiths
- this is a trivial question. if you ask these questions, then you can ask, why did miguel andolini de corleone not convert all his dirty businesses into legal ones like he had promised his wife kay, whom he loved so much so as not to get her bumped off even though she was giving him hell about his activities? and if he did love her that much, why did he marry appollonia in sicily? you can nitpick at every great movie that is made. but i digress. let me provide the trivial answer. neo did not fly away so that we could see him fighting dozens of agent smiths.

3] the anomaly
- did god create this world on purpose? or is it just a by-product of some action of his, one that he may not even be conscious of? another hindu-zen idea in the matrix. we are here. how? why? we don't know. but we are here.

digression: morpheus's speech at zion reminded me a koan from 7 years in tibet. worrying is of no use. if something can be done, then do it, don't worry about it. if something cannot be done, then worrying is not going to help anyway. therefore, the wise man does not worry. exactly what morpheus does. whatever can be done to stop the machines is being done. apart from that, nothing can be done. so enjoy. and how!

4] rebuilding zion
- it seems that the architect says that the destruction and resurrection of zion is needed to maintain the stability of the matrix and protect the human race. that would mean that zion and the matrix are connected in a way. but they 'really' aren't, are they? that would mean that there is a higher level of control, again pointing to a second outer matrix.

5] what remains?
- we don't know. i think zion is not destroyed, just by link's facial expression. he has a wife down there whom he has promised to see again. he would be devastated if zion was destroyed. he isn't. then again, he might be in shock. the world massacre is used fast and loose in the ending dialogues. also i couldn't catch some of the dialogues because the bloody audience was murmuring.

would someone like to sponsor my ticket for a better understanding of the matrix?

posted by Onkar Joshi on 1:04 AM -= link =-

There is something about having just the right amount of alcohol that makes you sleep like a baby and awaken as fresh as a lily.

Before anyone can go AA on my ass, let me remind you folks that it was my first SNB in a loong loooong time...Maybe Cypher remembers the days when Singh, Sendu, Srivats and I used to sit and bash the churlish church going junta that food-courted after their saturday mass. It was a veritable fashion parade of sorts, I mean, accurate to the last detail, even gender identification could be ascertained only on visual and auditory input receipt, because all of them would be talking like middle-aged housewives.

posted by Onkar Joshi on 11:22 AM -= link =-

The following poem was written for yours truly in compense for a story. Needless to say, I am gratified nevertheless. [the title is mine, i hope Sukanya doesn't mind]

The song of a story yet untold

O whence do I write an adventurous and wonderful story?
A tale so engaging, that entices your memory.
A story unlike any, I promise it will be
Of when the stars broke the rules and darkness met the sea.

Intrigue, tingle and enchantment
Three ingredients and more
Eager eyes will be tempted
To unfold the mystery of my lore

A story is what but a mirror
To the skeleton of my musings
Scratching the skin of my passion
A thin thread beholds every trial, every terror.

Invisible is the nature of our bond
For you relish the magic of my wand
When the light permeates into you
My story will have served its purpose too.

-- Sukanya Verma

posted by Onkar Joshi on 3:13 AM -= link =-

France Preseren: Slovenian Poet.

Check out the sanskrutic playfulness he displays in the Wreath of Sonnets.
The Oral rendition is also quite impressive.

On a tangent, bhailog, meri ye pad'h ke fat'reliye...sorry people who don't speak mumbaiyya, there are no other words...

In other trivialities, I crossed the 4,000 mark in the helicopter game. Calling all "maai kaa laal's" to come and try their hand at the game.

posted by Onkar Joshi on 7:37 AM -= link =-

Maybe India could take a page from RMS's book when thinking of military alliances with the USA.

posted by Onkar Joshi on 9:40 PM -= link =-

uniquecyberprincess: Hi... you there?
Yahoo! Messenger: onkar_joshi may be offline. If so, the message will still be sent and they will see it next time they log in. (07/05/2003 09:15)
onkar: hello
uniquecyberprincess: hold on aa minute. be right back
onkar: how are you?
uniquecyberprincess: ok im back. sorry about that. still theree ?
onkar: yes i am, do i know you?
uniquecyberprincess: a/s/l (age sex location)? lemme look at your profile
uniquecyberprincess: im 27/f/los angles
uniquecyberprincess: so what have you been up to onkar?
onkar: nothing much, working.
onkar: what are you upto?
uniquecyberprincess: cool. i was just hangin out watching ttv. i was getting kinda horny
uniquecyberprincess: feel like a little cyber fun with me ? please please...
uniquecyberprincess: was that a yes?
onkar: hmm?let's see
uniquecyberprincess: ill jusst take that as a yes
onkar: haha..
[this is the point where i was convinced, this is a bot. now, the aim was to find out the depth of its response stack]
uniquecyberprincess: tell me what you want me to do with you will i slip out of my panties
onkar: so, los angeles is in spain or something? the name sounds spanish.
uniquecyberprincess: oh yeah babe.. dont stop. while i slide my hand <- censored ->
onkar: namaskar, mumbai doordarshan var aaple saharsha svagat aahe.
uniquecyberprincess: oh it feels so good. Im holding your <- censored ->, my hiny red fingernails dig <- censored ->, while my full, soft lips <- censored ->
uniquecyberprincess: open my website so you can look at mme while im <- censored ->. use the link in my profile!
uniquecyberprincess: what do you tink of my pics?
onkar: you're a bot.
uniquecyberprincess: shit the phone. dont stop <- censored ->. hold on...
onkar: : haha
uniquecyberprincess: sorry, I have to ake this call, probly take bout five minutes. If you want, come to my page and lets finish this. I have my cam on there cyberfungirls dot com look for lisa
onkar: wow.
onkar: whoa, you had me till the a/s/l part...
onkar: why am i typing this even?

note: The underlined statements were test statements.

Now, for the serious stuff.

Eliza is the chatbot that is embedded in EMACS, yeah, thats the EMACS shrink. It's not very advanced, though. It's kinda easy to make out that Eliza is not a human. But there are other people who have a keeda and do stuff like this...

Jenny18 - A Cybersex Bot Implemented in Eliza

Start, a kickass bot programmed by the MIT AI Lab of RMS fame.

There is a exhaustive list of chatterbots at the Turing Test page.

Anyone[read: NTU junta] interested in this and having any bright ideas, contacte moi.

posted by Onkar Joshi on 10:26 AM -= link =-

Someone help me out here

The whole "Justice will be served" ideologue doesn't work if you let the criminals go scot-free once they say they are ready to talk.
They might pucker up all they want, that does not mean you kiss and make up.

Iff the Indian government believes that the Pakistani administration is responsible for the murder of many thousand Indians in the Kashmir at the hands of Islamic terrorists, then talks are out of the question until and unless some heads in the Pakistani Armed Forces and Inter-Services Intelligence roll.

Unless that happens, peace is out of the question, so what to talk of cricket. Jagmohan Dalmiya is an Indian later, and a BCCI President first. Slimy fellow.

posted by Onkar Joshi on 10:46 AM -= link =-

Baja's muktäphal's

Godse and Godbole mean the same thing, sweet talkers, it's just that the Godses are a lot more anglicised.

posted by Onkar Joshi on 3:15 AM -= link =-