Reinforcement Learning(Artificial Intelligence)

Sarsa algo implementation in Java for the GridWorld from sutton and barto book. Code at http://bit.ly/9q9GK5

Aritificial Intelligence

DPLL algo implementation in Java. Code at http://bit.ly/9elqgi
Ramneek Maan Singh

Data Mining

K-Means algo implementation in C#. Code at http://bit.ly/bsmE1J
Ramneek Maan Singh

Data Mining

K nerarest Neighbours algorithm implementaion in C#. Uses a custom format file to specify the training and test records. A good demonstration of use of Linq. The code can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/9RaaeI
Ramneek Maan Singh

Maggot therapy

Wound cleaned by larvae or maggots

Maggot Therapy is the medical use of specially selected and tested, disinfected fly larvae ("maggots") for cleaning non-healing wounds. The technique involves:
1) Opening the wound or skin around the wound.
2) Inserting fly larvae contained within a sealed pouch into the wound hole .
3) Removing the larvae pouch from wound after 2 days and replacing it with fresh larvae.


Medicinal maggots have three actions: 1) they clean wounds by dissolving the dead (necrotic), infected tissue; 2) they disinfect the wound, by killing bacteria; and 3) they stimulate wound healing.

But how does it happen? Larvae or maggots eat up the only dead tissue when they grow and do not damage healthy tissue. They secrete a broad spectrum of proteolytic enzymes that liquefy dead tissue and as a result, they increase in length from 1-2 mm to 8-10 mm within a period of 3-4 days and cleanup and heal the wound.

Ramneek Maan Singh

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggot_therapy

Ideological ironies

Just like the daughter of Jinnah and son of Gandhi, daughter of legendary communist Joseph Stalin, Svetlana Iosifovna Alliluyeva, also shunned what her father stood for, his ideology and Soviet Union. She defected to United States and sought political asylum there.

Ramneek Maan Singh

References:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svetlana_Alliluyeva

How did the formal system of issuing cheques originated?


As we might think, it was not a commercial enterprise which introduced the system of formal cheques but a quasi religious organization called knights templar. To give you a bit of background, Jerusalem, which is a top religious center for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, came under Muslim rule. Christian authorities then ‘liberated’ Jerusalem from the Muslims in what is now known as First crusade.

After that a new Christian Military Organization known as Knights Templar was formed to ensure the safety of the large numbers of European pilgrims who flowed toward Jerusalem after its conquest.The Order in 1150 began generating letters of credit for pilgrims journeying to the Holy Land: pilgrims deposited their valuables with a local Templar center before embarking, received an encrypted document indicating the value of their deposit, then used that document upon arrival in the Holy Land to retrieve their funds. This innovative arrangement may have been the first formal chequing system; it both improved the safety of pilgrims by making them less attractive targets for thieves, and further contributed to the Templar coffers.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Templar
http://home.gwi.net/ages/Main%20Body/History/Templar%20Origins.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Crusade

Ramneek Maan Singh

Why you can't stop army ants from going across a river by dynamiting the bridges?

What do you do at home if you have bottle of some sherbet or sweet drink and ants keep crowding towards the top of that bottle so as to lick of droplets of sweet drink. Generally you keep the bottle in a bowl of water as ants can’t cross or swim across water. But you will be wrong if the ants in question are Army ants. Army ants cross rivers or bodies of water by climbing on top of each other and clustering together into a little ball that floats. Many of them fall off and sink, and naturally the ants on the bottom of the ball drown. The ones who are quick and vigorous enough to keep clawing their way to the top survive. A lot of them make it across, and that's why you can't stop army ants by dynamiting the bridges.

References:-
http://lib.ru/INOFANT/STEFENSON/snow_crash_engl.txt
http://www.angelfire.com/nc/isoptera/cretaceous.html

Ramneek Maan Singh

Most Expensive Photograph. A big irony.



This picture holds the record for the highest price paid for a photograph. This work "99 Cent" was sold for $3,346,456, February, 2007. It shows the cluttered interior of a discount store. The "99 Cent" images feature oversaturated colors and enough detail to overwhelm the viewer.

It is an irony that the picture which itself captures a discount store holds the record for highest price paid for a picture.

Ramneek Maan Singh

786

You must have noticed the number 786 on a green background prominently displayed on roadside dargahs or Muslim places of worship around the country side. What does it mean and what is it significance.

The opening verse or phrase of Quran is “Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim”. Now according to an Arabic system of numerology, the sum of numbers assigned to letters of this verse amount to 786. Not all Muslims place emphasis on this numerological analysis; however, some — mostly in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh — use 786 as a substitute for Bismillah ("In the name of Allah" or "In the name of God"). They write this number to avoid writing the name of God, or Quranic verses on ordinary papers, which can be subject to dirt or come in contact with 'unclean' materials. This practice does not date from the time of Muhammad and is not universally accepted by Muslims.

Orthodox Muslims say that Islam does not believe in this numeral mumbo-jumbo and it associates it with pagan culture. There are various arguments given to impress upon Muslims that they should desist from using such numbers one being that '786' is also an aggregation of the numbers of Hindu 'Lord Hari Krishna'. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid using this number to avoid the danger of being indulging in infidelity.

Ramneek Maan Singh

Nomenclature/terminology associated with whiskey

Single malt whiskey, blended scotch whiskey, pure malt whiskey are some of the terms you might be acquainted with. They are prominently displayed on branded whiskies. But what do they mean. Read on:

What is a Single Malt Scotch whiskey?
A Single Malt Scotch Whiskey is the product of one specific distillery and has not been mixed with whiskey from any other distilleries. It is a 100% malted barley whiskey from one distillery.

What is a Blended or Pure Malt or Vatted whiskey?
A Vatted Malt will contain a number of single malt whiskies that have been skilfully blended together or "married," to create a consistent whiskey with its own distinct, identifiable character. Such a malt can also consist entirely of single malt whiskies of various ages from the same distillery. However, vatted malts will never contain any grain whiskey. A fairly uncommon type of whiskey, it is often well suited to those who prefer their whiskey to be less challenging, due to the fact that the blender's skill will more often than not produce an unvarying malt with highly definable traits.

What is a Single Grain Scotch whiskey?
A Single grain whiskey is the product of one Grain distillery and is usually made from wheat, corn or unmalted barley. It does not have to be made from a single type of grain.

What is a Blended Scotch whiskey?
A blended scotch whisky may contain a combination of whiskies from over 40 or 50 different malt and grain distilleries. The normal ratio of malt to grain is 60% grain 40% malt. The percentage of malt used will determine the quality and smoothness of taste and character. Each whisky used in the blending process will normally have been matured for about 5 years. However there are a number of higher aged blended scotch whiskies available.

What is a Malt ?
Malting is a process applied to cereal grains, in which the grains are made to germinate and then are quickly dried before the plant develops. The resulting grain is, thereafter, called malt.

Brands:
Notable blended Scotch whiskey brands include Johnnie Walker, Chivas Regal, etc. Out of the Johnnie Walker stable, only the green label brand is vatted. Else all are blended scotch whiskies.

Ramneek Maan Singh