Ram Sundar's Log of Random Thoughts

I have a very short 1100km commute from home to my college. As much as I'd love to set a new endurance walking record, time constraints and bodily limitations usually force me to search for alternative means of transport. The iron roads of the Indian Railways are dependably undependable, especially when the fog rolls in as winter snuggles into it's covers up North. So, this time, I chose to fly from home to college. This simple task was made complicated by Pratt and Whitney's PW1100G Geared Turbofan Engines being not so hot, so it would involve 2 flights, and a 6 hour layover in between. However - the aviation enthusiast in me was delighted. For, the aforementioned GTF engines had forced my friendly neighbourhood airline IndiGo to wet-lease  aircraft from a variety of sources - Corendon Airlines, Qatar Airways and SmartLynx Estonia, as far as I know. This meant that the ordinary hop in one of any A320/A321neos could now be accomplished on a veritable smorgasbord of options!...

After a busy and exhausting set of end semester exams, I got an extra day off before my final exam - German. I decided to be productive - and attempt something I had not before - write a compiler. Writing a compiler is one of the most common projects that CSE students take, and I found writing assembly code fun this semester - so I thought, why not try writing my own compiler? I booted up my Linux machine. Gathered the resources. Kept snacks at hand - and immediately got stuck. The guide I was using (for writing a Python compiler in Python) required me to update my Python installation to Python 3.11 - no big deal. I did it, and started following the tutorial. I finished writing the first part - a tokenizer - and now, began following the steps to test it.... Error after error kept popping up. Looking back - I should have stopped here. But I did not - I went to everyone's favorite source of programming knowledge - ChatGPT - and began finding solutions. After a couple hours, I was fru...

 And the train marches on into the night Through the peaceful morning, into the scorching noon  On a lonely metal road, with nowt but the unending flow of electric poles for company Towns come and go, lives passing by in the blink of an eye The steady beat of the wheels against rail like the heartbeat of a marathoner The passengers sleep and dream While the train marches on into the night... Time stands still here Just a waypoint enroute Bearing silent witness There - a sudden burst of sound Watch as I'm passed by A split second of light and sound And Once again, no one's around Time stands still here

As a child, one of my favourite pastimes was the consumption of good quality tea and coffee. So, when I moved to Chennai for college, I was eagerly awaiting easy access to quality Tamil filter coffee - maybe even Kumbakonam degree coffee. Day 2 at the hostel, and I enter the mess (quite groggily) at 7 am. I make a beeline for the counter dispensing hot beverages, and am instantly awake. In lieu of coffee decoction, I am confronted with a dark, burnt tasting liquid that resembles the 'liquid smoke' seasoning used in barbequing more than coffee. Despondently, I fill up my glass halfway with the liquid, and add some milk and sugar. When mom calls, I grumble over the phone, complaining about the inaccessibility of the most fundamental staple of life - filter coffee.  Switching to tea did not result in a better outlook. The tea was overly sweet, and lacked any flavour which could demarcate it from sweetened and heated milk. Something had to be done - the great Beverage Quest had beg...

  Daniel Ricciardo has been unceremoniously booted from Formula 1. For non-fans, this may seem like an inconsequential piece of news, but to me - it is devastating . A quick intro on Daniel for everyone - he's an Australian (ex)F1 driver, known for his daring late braking overtakes and an infectious positive attitude. He started his career in the top flight of F1 by beating the then reigning champion Sebastian Vettel as his team-mate. His statistics of 8 wins, 3 pole positions and 17 fastest laps may not seem impressive, but as any keen F1 fan knows - numbers don't tell the whole story. In a sport that is filled with high octane drama (much of it made up), his constant cheerfulness was, to me, the antithesis of all the vitriol thrown around in the F1 fanbase. If you started watching F1 in the recent past - you may wonder why he got the title of the 'Honey Badger'. Let's rewind the clock. The year is 2017, at the Italian Grand Prix held at Monza. Daniel's chasing...

One of the most common complaints I have heard in my time as a hosteller has been - a monkey's gotten into my room! Well, at long last, my room too was honoured. A passing monkey deigned to visit my room. The monkey was gracious enough to enter via the (latched) window, and leave via the same window - even going as far as closing it while leaving. So polite! And, rather than inconvenience us by making a mess, it decided to instead leave us perplexed. The open packet of chips left behind by my roommate? Nah. My bottle of peanut butter? Nah. A random assortment of partially filled mineral water bottles (owned by my roommate)? I'll take your entire stock. My innocent bottle of nasal drops? Yes, please. My box of ink bottles, minding their own business? That'll look better on the bed. Monkey see, monkey do, yes. But human confused.