tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824175911497095052024-03-14T06:48:40.519+05:30Offbeat TravellerStarted off to pen my random thoughts and ramblings. Now, its become more travel based and lesser of random thoughts.
But it will always be "Random Thoughts on non-trivial matters"
Equal parts offbeat travel blog and equal parts about other things that interest me.
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.comBlogger225125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-41941643079062280592018-02-12T13:30:00.000+05:302018-02-12T13:30:40.616+05:30Fermi Paradox
Lovely video which explains the Fermi Paradox. So lovely that it got me writing blogging again.
Fermi Paradox
Solution to Fermi Paradox: Solution to Fermi
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-66032692059177527342017-09-12T07:29:00.001+05:302017-09-12T07:29:23.957+05:30Placeholder for Dzongri Trek
Need to write about it sometime.
3rd-6th September. Monsoon trek - incessant rain, leeches, hard trail and difficult boulders.
Nice food, friendly people, Kanchenjunga festival, monks, friendly dogs.
Yuksom -> Sachen-> Bakhim->Tsokha->Phoding->Dzongri and back.
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-56183181803878985732015-06-25T21:20:00.003+05:302015-06-25T21:20:53.438+05:30Russia pipilines
Recent info with lots of good maps and details.
Snip it. Here
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-21015821099400911382015-05-04T15:44:00.000+05:302015-05-04T15:44:41.332+05:30China Pakistan Economic Corridor CPEC
Nice information about the CPEC here
For the string of pearls, this is a good place to check:
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-78369619808303035912015-05-04T15:43:00.001+05:302015-05-04T15:43:47.346+05:30Nice logic puzzle
Just came across it now. Nice brain teaser.
Looks like Einstein said that only 2% could solve it. Apparently he has made this up as a small kid. Who knew?
puzzle
I got to the answer.
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-32596976674827552472015-04-17T15:19:00.002+05:302015-04-17T15:19:52.030+05:30Central Asia
Another brilliant article courtesy Stratfor
Does the guy ever stop telling the most sensible stuff?
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-23625369298323668282015-04-08T09:58:00.001+05:302015-04-08T09:58:20.414+05:30Russia and its ME conundrum
Succinct and nice post from Starfor. Engages in the dynamics of the various possibilities that lie ahead.
Link here
Russia tried its best to keep the Americans and Iranians apart. Offers to sell Iran advanced air defense systems were designed to poke holes in U.S. threats to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities. Teams of Russian nuclear experts whetted Iran’s appetite for civilian nuclear insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-87942173481159602632015-04-03T19:01:00.001+05:302015-04-03T19:01:38.901+05:30Strategic obeservations on Yemen
Now that the fight has moved towards Yemen, its time to begin a new topic and entry on Yemen.
Interesting reads:
This is perhaps the best I have seen so far: CSMonitory - Linking Houthis as Iranian Proxies is a mistake
FTA: "The Yemeni civil war is driven mostly by domestic competition for power and resources in a country that has one of the most heavily-armed citizenries in the world and insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-40373803440466013132015-03-25T12:31:00.001+05:302015-03-25T12:31:36.348+05:30Team of rivals
Very interesting point. Worth following and keeping in mind.
"
After his 1860 election, Lincoln realized with inspired humility and wisdom that he needed to include his well-experienced political rivals in his cabinet. A divided Union needed a government of unity. He invited his campaign opponents to serve a cause larger than their ambitions.
“These were the very strongest men,” Lincoln told a insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-59744865596430472822015-02-23T10:57:00.000+05:302015-07-31T14:36:09.793+05:30Thoughts to tickle the sense and mull over
The funny thing that life is.
Why is it that we feel the need to talk to a person the most when we push the relationship into the oblivion and then hope for a better outcome. Why don't we strive to improve the relationship earlier?
Why is it that we feel the use for a thing the most, once its broken. We abused it a fair bit and hence it broke. Why don't we think of the utility earlier?
Whyinsatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-78962723440843099102015-02-18T13:09:00.000+05:302015-02-18T13:09:51.474+05:30RE overtakes Harleys
Yaah. Should have happened sometime eventually. Has a bigger base of people and a far better vehicle too.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/saritharai/2015/02/18/indias-vintage-royal-enfield-overtakes-harley-davidson-by-motorcycle-sales/
Interesting!
"Royal Enfield sold just over 300,000 units in 2014 to Harley-Davidson’s 2,67,999. To be sure, the American motorcycles are more expensive (twice insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-35400278510942196972015-02-14T18:38:00.002+05:302015-02-14T18:38:39.094+05:30A full circle
I've heard of people say that life comes a full circle.
They got it wrong, we keep running around in circles without realizing it.
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-28430417431382730532015-01-19T15:54:00.001+05:302015-01-19T15:54:23.401+05:30Arab exceptionalism in the 21st century
good read.
"
Today in East and South Asia the humiliation is over. One can be proud to be Chinese or Indian, not simply because of the glories of the past, but because of the accomplishments of today and the expectations of further progress tomorrow. The Arab, in contrast, can bask in the glories of the past, but can draw no sense of pride from the conditions of the present; and prospects for insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-13726223571071753332015-01-13T17:01:00.003+05:302015-01-13T17:01:46.882+05:30Crude oil supply and demand
For later reading.
ZH
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-54568582159910840112014-12-31T22:55:00.000+05:302014-12-31T22:55:00.982+05:30Good days for test cricket!
Finally, he got the hint, the idea, the subtlety and everything.
Dhoni has retired. From Tests. A pretty non-brilliant affair and good that he moved.
Now on the cricket. Tests, that is. Hopeful of more close fights and good tests. Both @home and @away
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-67633105333512786302014-12-31T22:48:00.001+05:302014-12-31T22:48:04.242+05:30Pashtuns
Nice article from WOTR about whats what.
Truly worth reading if one wants to get an understanding of what really AILS Pakistan by thinking about Islamism the way they do.
BTW, I did see another article by Rakesh Sood a few days back which was pretty much incisive and cutting too.
Link here
Salient points:
- A lot of it has to do with the framework that the British Raj used
- Rae insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-88430648450353890092014-12-29T15:32:00.002+05:302014-12-29T15:32:34.854+05:30How did the IS form and evolve
Brilliant piece, IMO, courtesy the guardian.
I learnt a few things myself! Wow, that's life and opinion all about. You think you have learnt enough and know a bit yourself till there is more compelling evidence about a totally new aspect that you haven't considered or thought of... or learnt.
If this isn't a lesson to keep learning and reading, well, perhaps nothing is.
Excerpts:
"The other insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-7903324261121387062014-12-26T17:00:00.000+05:302014-12-26T17:00:35.255+05:30Bhutan
OMG, its such a shame that I am here while my mind gets transported to the place even when I am reading the article.
Mmh, someday in the near future. Positive
through matador
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-11443449862720920802014-12-26T11:16:00.001+05:302014-12-26T11:16:50.413+05:30Good post
Nice read from Stratfor, through Forbes on what might potentially happen to the subcontinent.
If Pak becomes a rump state, it might be a scary time for India. As for it being a failed state, well, it always was one to begin with.
Link here
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-38828718922449857652014-12-01T16:59:00.003+05:302014-12-01T16:59:51.870+05:30Why Tibet remains the core issue in Sino-Indian relations
As responsible citizens, its upon us to highlight stuff like this.
Do your bit.
Brilliant article, IMO, from Brahma Chellaney.
Why Tibet remains the core issue in Sino-India relations
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-29208142349265222472014-11-19T16:44:00.002+05:302014-11-19T16:45:16.277+05:30Wahhabism : A primer
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant article on Wahhabism, Salafism, Fundamental Islamism and related concepts.
Oh, boy... what joy to read and understand. A must read, IMO.
"Why should we be surprised then, that from Prince Bandar's Saudi-Western
mandate to manage the insurgency in Syria against President Assad
should have emerged a neo-Ikhwan type of violent, fear-inducing vanguard
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-75920511657971402582014-11-11T17:06:00.000+05:302014-11-11T17:06:22.153+05:30Law of the instrument
Interesting tidbits.
From Kaplan and Maslow... loosely translates to this: if one has just a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
More here
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-61478441970253049422014-11-10T14:55:00.002+05:302014-11-10T14:55:40.518+05:30Microcoms vs macrocosm
At the microcosmic level, it might be that all life is Maya... However, at the macrocosmic level with such a large population of humans, with countless species in land, water and air-borne, it seems quite stupid that all of this could be Maya and just mention that and get away with it.
Possibilities:
a. Maya is just the shield or the curtain or the wool that is over the people'sinsatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-66213038672847484762014-11-03T13:40:00.000+05:302014-11-03T13:40:11.470+05:30More on SCS, ECS
troubles within, troubles without.
gripping.
here
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682417591149709505.post-89197663253368261552014-10-30T21:05:00.000+05:302014-10-30T21:05:00.700+05:30Maritime terms for the future
Makes sense to remember them.
Territorial waters, contiguous zone, continental shelf, slope etc. Matters since the ocean is a critical theatre in the next 30+ years
Link
insatiable urgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463783540201990094noreply@blogger.com0