A TERRA BYTE memory!

I was promised an external hard disk of memory space 1 TB by my father days ago. I was too happy about it and I even started planning how to create partitions in it to store movies, songs and my college files’ backups. 1 TB is actually more than enough for me but each time I see 1 TB as 1024 GB, I get excited and when I see each GB as 1024 Mb I still get excited.

As the saying goes “necessity is the mother of invention”, we required devices to store memory so that the task of remembering most of the things could be avoided. And after necessity, it got modified on its own to luxury. I say this because, we now use hard disks not only to store important information, but also for less important information like movies, games etc.

And we now have changed so much, that we now depend entirely on these memory storage devices, and any failure or a problem in retrieving data from it would irk us a lot! We even have the facility of “reminders” on mobile phones which make us lazier. “Laziness to remember things”! And is it for this reason that humans have been given a great amount of memory space in brain??

A quote from some researchers:

"The human brain contains about 50 billion to 200 billion neurons (nobody knows how many for sure), each of which interfaces with 1,000 to 100,000 other neurons through 100 trillion (10^14) to 10 quadrillion (10^16) synaptic junctions. Each synapse possesses a variable firing threshold which is reduced as the neuron is repeatedly activated. If we assume that the firing threshold at each synapse can assume 256 distinguishable levels, and if we suppose that there are 20,000 shared synapses per neuron (10,000 per neuron), then the total information storage capacity of the synapses in the cortex would be of the order of 500 to 1,000 terabytes. (Of course, if the brain's storage of information takes place at a molecular level, then I would be afraid to hazard a guess regarding how many bytes can be stored in the brain. One estimate has placed it at about 3.6 X 10^19 bytes.)"

It is the human tendency to do away with all that one has, and search for the non-available ones! Man must understand that it is absolutely impossible to compete with nature. All his inventions have their roots with nature. Seeing a bird, he invented the aero plane, seeing a human, he invented the robot, seeing a caterpillar he invented the train and so on…

Such inventions may look amazing, but the real appreciation must go only to nature!!!

Cheers :)

- ∫.∫rikrishnan

Left – Right

Nature loves symmetry! Human body is symmetrical. The left and right halves of the human body are mirror images with respect to each other. Though the left and right parts look alike, their internal composition is not symmetrical. So the left and right parts have different roles to play.

So, it is up to us, to decide as to which part as to be used first. Left or right?

When I was young, my relatives would ask me to step out if the house by first using the LEFT leg, and then the right leg. It was very funny hearing them say that! What if I keep my right leg first? Why left leg first? I got the answer years later and I write a blog on that!

The scene of relative asking me to step out in that manner and me questioning that repeated in a new form. Binary search tree! For searching an element in a binary tree, check if the number is less than the root first. If yes, move to LEFT sub-tree, or else right sub-tree. Why should I check if the number is less than the root first and not the other way round, even though the probability is equal?? Same situation right?

The reason is here-

The human brain has two sides – LEFT brain and right brain. Though both are under one’s control, they perform different tasks.

The left brain uses logic, but right brain uses feeling. The left brain is detail oriented, whereas right brain is “big picture” oriented. Facts rule in the case of left, whereas it is the imagination for right. Left brain concentrates on words and languages, whereas right brain concentrates on symbols and images.

Left deals with science, whereas right deals with religion and philosophy. Left brain says “play safe” whereas right brain says “Take risks”

"Our personality can be thought of as a result of the degree to which these left and right brains interact, or, in some cases, do not interact. It is a simplification to identify "left brain" types who are very analytical and orderly. We likewise certainly know of the artistic, unpredictability and creativity of "right brain" types. But each of us draws upon specific sides of our brain for a variety of daily functions, depending on such things as our age, education and life experiences. The choices of which brain is in control of which situations is what forges our personalities and determines our character." (- Internet)

So if our tasks have to be accomplished successfully, it is recommended to use left leg first. And that is the very reason why soldiers march saying “LEFT RIGHT LEFT”

For passing an object from one person to another, RIGHT hand has to be used. But for donating objects, both the hands have to be used! These two statements can also be explained scientifically and is behind my scope of reasoning.

- ∫.∫rikrishnan