Have you ever wondered what's the probability of anything occurring in this world? I'm sure most of you might have dabbled with some probability concepts at some point during your formal learning years. Depending on what kind of a person you are, you might have either been a genius at it and totally relished it; or you might have been like me - you might have been insanely incompetent at it and absolutely loathed it.
It's not that I didn't put in any effort to make some sense out of probability concepts - I rolled a lot of six sided fair (and unfair) dice at least a few thousand times; I tried picking out different cards from a very cheap looking deck of cards; I tried waiting at a bus stop to "sample the space" that the bus arrived in; I even managed to board the same bus to visit a shop on the other end of the city that sold objects of different colours and shapes - I bought these and put them in a big box and tried to pick one out randomly. However, in spite of doing all this, I just couldn't fathom this seemingly ridiculous concept.
And then it happened! I had it nailed to a T. The utter obviousness of this entire affair was just mind blowing. The probability of anything in this world is 1 by 2, or 50%! Just think about it for a moment - the probability that anything will happen is exactly 1/2 - either it will happen or it won't. I can back this claim with more examples as illustrated below -
- Hey what's the probability that the card I pick is an ace of spades - 50%, either you will pick it or you won't.
- Hey what's the probability that the cafeteria food won't suck today - 50%, either it will suck or it won't.
- Hey what's the probability that the hot chick sitting on the 2nd floor in office is from Poland - 50%, either she is from Poland or she isn't.
- Hey what's the probability that Neal 'n' Nikki (the film) will get a cult status - I would treat this as an exception to the rule - I think we all know the probability of this one!
I could go on with many more examples here but hopefully you get the point. On realising this obvious truth, I have started to feel a lot more comfortable about throwing in probability concepts in my everyday talk and I strongly encourage you to do the same. I use lines like "Yeah boss, there's a good probability that I'll have that presentation ready by tomorrow EoB" a lot more frequently in my emails. So far, no one's complained.
Now before I sign off, can some one tell me what's the probability that the actual probability theory will be changed to adapt to my concept?
It's January again and here's wishing everyone a very happy 2010. 2009 seems to have zoomed by within no time. With this in mind, I thought it would be interesting if I could list down some of the better films that I caught in 2009. Note that these are entirely based on my liking and they aren't listed in any particular order. Also, since I haven't seen all of the films released in 2009 yet, I might add some more to this list as and when I see them. So here they are: my favourite films of 2009 -
- Inglourious Basterds - Tarantino at his best yet again! I find it odd that I am one of the very few people who actually find this movie better than Pulp Fiction. Probably because I watched IB on the big screen while I watched Pulp Fiction on my (not-so-big) LCD screen. Nevertheless, this movie reminds us that fact & fiction can be mixed together to create some awesome entertainment. Director - Quentin Tarantino. Highlight - Christoph Waltz as SS Colnel Hans Landa; Brad Pitt's amazing accent & expressions. IMDb Rating - 8.5/10 (as of this posting)
- Star Trek - I haven't been a Trekkie all along; I just vaguely remember watching the original series on DD. However, I was blown away by this installment of the 'oh-so-many' Star Trek Films. I suspect a major part of this film's success is thanks to the reasonably young and not so famous ensemble cast who perform brilliantly. Director - JJ Abrams. Highlight - Zachary Quinto as Dr. Spock; visual effects. IMDb Rating - 8.2/10 (as of this posting).
- 500 Days Of Summer - If you ever want to see a rom-com without most of the cliches that one normally finds in such films, 500 Days Of Summer is highly recommended. This movie comes uncomfortably close to reality. Agreed, there may be a few predictable moments but that is easily excusable. Director - Marc Webb. Highlight - The scene which juxtaposes Tom's imagination & reality when he attends Summer's party - it is simply brilliant! IMDb Rating - 8.1/10 (as of this posting).
- District 9 - No other film involving aliens has been so much thought provoking and packed with intellect than District 9. It would be hard for anyone to ignore the subtle comparisons to many socio-political issues that are present in today's world. Director - Neill Blokamp. Highlight - Documentary style of story telling; the way Wilkus says 'fuuuuk' ;) IMDb Rating- 8.4/10 (as of this writing).
- Avatar - The prerequisite to appreciate this film is to watch it in 3D. Because once you don those cheap 3D glasses, you are literally transported into Pandora with all its wilderness either at your feet or in your face. True, the story is as predictable as any other, but the visuals are simply out of this world! Director - James Cameron. Highlight - The breathtaking visuals rendered using state-of-the-art CGI; the entire movie experience. IMDb Rating - 8.8/10 (as of this writing).
