Word Ruminations

One of the many delightful quirks of the Harry Potter series is the naming scheme JK Rowling bestows on her characters. The Black family, for example, are mostly named after stars in different constellations such as the Orion, Canis Major and Leo -- everyone knows that.

Bellatrix is my favorite name from the set, unfortunately given to a vile and evil character. The name comes from the female version of the Latin word for 'warrior.' 

And then, somehow, even though the words are very different in meaning, my mind jumps to the word 'belletrist,' which, according to Oxford Languages, means

a person who writes essays, particularly on literary and artistic criticism, that are composed and read primarily for their aesthetic effect.

Both are pretty words. 

EDIT: An earlier version of the blog suggested -- somewhat embarrassingly given my claim "everyone knows that" -- that all of the Black family members are named after stars in different constellations. My friend and immortal quiz partner, Abhinav Malhotra, pointed out that Narcissa Malfoy is not named after anything in the night sky. Some more research brought out another example in Lycoris Black. Both Narcissa and Lycoris are named after plants. Thanks bhai.

Clarke's Three Laws

In the huge universe of inspirational quotes, books, and movies, Clarke's Three Laws burn bright like an O-type star.

Briefly, they are:

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

The third one has received a lot of attention and fame but I find the first two to be more instructive. And inspiring. 

[From October 24, 2018]

Draft Pick: Guilty?

After a rough week, the best I could do to extract productivity from a languid Friday was to clean up old drafts. I found I was preparing a follow-up draft to my post on The Battle for Grammar about 7 years ago. It has been far too long for me to do justice to my thought process as on June 9, 2013, and so the only sensible step was to retain the hyperlink to this wonderful kinetic typography YouTube video of Stephen Fry expounding on the same topic except with an eloquence not within my current capabilities. I had intended to share the video as ringing validation of my thoughts developed independently of Fry's own exquisite tirade though this video and the text behind it easily predate my blog post.

Notes on COVID Part III

I should've been writing more frequently but PhD pressures made sure I didn't do anything beyond an intransigent proof.

Still, for record keeping purposes, this was my draft from April 22, unedited,

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We'll start this edition by pointing out an erratum in my first post. First, Shakespeare did not write King Lear during the plague, he wrote it during a period of brief respite from it, between 1603 and 1610. He did write a play, Coriolanus, during the plague years. Read more here.

The New Yorker also tries to make an argument that Newton's two year hiatus from Cambridge, and ensuing isolation, was not the reason for his brilliant achievements. He was already thinking deeply about the problems at least a year before, and continued producing outstanding work after re-joining academic life.

I don't buy the argument. That he was a genius and was producing outstanding work all his life is indubitable. Yet, it doesn't mean he couldn't have had an extra spurt of creativity from his isolation. The argument doesn't convince me, but the article is still an inspiring read.

*****

I will be focusing on India in this post. I do so because the country stands at the cusp of exponential explosion. It is a critical time and understanding the data would do some good.

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Yeah, India did see the exponential increase in cases.

And just for completeness sake, right now we seem to be on the cusp of an exponential rise in deaths from COVID here in the US.

Sigh.

Notes on COVID-19 Part - II

Lazy data work here but I am wondering if this will be the third week in a row when the number of cases reported on a Tuesday shoots up.

The consecutive red bars are JHU numbers from Sundays and Mondays. It would seem that reporting of deaths falls at the close of the week.

Not clear if there's a reason or if it's sheer coincidence.

But if there is a pattern the number of deaths today should be 2500-2600 roughly. Based on the size of the jumps the last two times.

Previous post

Quote of the Week - VI

Volcanoes be in Sicily

And South America,

I judge from my geography.

Volcanoes nearer here,

A lava step, at any time,        

Am I inclined to climb,

A crater I may contemplate,

Vesuvius at home.

- Emily Dickinson

Previous post in the series.

Notes on COVID-19, Part I

The world is in a mess. The COVID-19 -- or coronavirus; I will use both terms interchangeably -- pandemic has humbled humanity. It's a virus that rides on the traits that define the 21st century world, such as a globalized economy and the wanderlust of an unprecedented number of prosperous individuals.

The virus manages to lull every newly vulnerable country into the proverbial false sense of complacency. Most of us aren't naturally wired to fear an exponential function. Till then (and beyond), the virus spreads easily and incubates for roughly 5-7 days before announcing its presence (if at all). It leaves 80% of the infected relatively unscathed but devastates the rest. The body goes into overdrive fighting the virus and, in its worst form, the body's aggression can lead to lungs getting filled with fluid and debris, or can lead to complications seemingly unrelated to a lung disease.

What does a person do in these times? For sure, it is everyone's responsibility and basic common-sense to stay indoors but I don't see that from my window in upper Manhattan. A friend recently shared data that showed roughly 50% of New Yorkers being out of their homes every day.

If one does choose sense and sensibility, there is much to be done on a personal level. New opportunities beckon. For example, if a person doesn't read now with their alternative options drastically reduced and work disrupted, then it is hard to think of a time when they would.

I have lined up the following books -- The Decameron by Boccaccio, King Lear by Shakespeare, and Don Quixote by Cervantes. I have never read the first, I think it is an apt book right now since its backdrop is the Black Death. King Lear was written during the time of plague and I couldn't remember the details of the story; it has been so long since I consumed Shakespeare. Don Quixote is one of my favorite books and I couldn't resist the opportunity to read the whole novel -- one of the first ones ever written -- again.

People have shared Isaac Newton's achievements when Cambridge shut down during the plague. The tale is undoubtedly inspiring but working in a cramped Manhattan apartment doesn't seem to replicate the same setting despite having many more luxuries than 17th century England. Then again, the luxuries probably distract than help.

I also intend to share news and views related to economics and finance because why not? As a researcher it's a time to process how the world is changing. An economist cannot do much in these times obviously. But maybe they can change the way people think about non-normal events.

And who knows? Maybe this will be the new normal. The virus is frustratingly resilient and it brings no comfort knowing it belongs to the family that includes the common cold. If the common cold is any omen, it's going to be hard to find a vaccine for COVID-19. Or maybe we could always have had a vaccine for the cold but that wasn't considered to be a profitable undertaking.

Watch this space for more.