Planet ISKCON

I was having a discussion with fellow researchers in an academic writing module. We were discussing the difficultly of evaluating our research against some objective criteria. Three of people??(TM)s PhD projects are about improving the ease of performing a certain task (e.g. building an ontology). However, the measure ??oeease?? a series of usability tests are required. HCI however, is something this computer science department does not teach (at all). It is not ??oehard-code engineering?? enough.

Ultimately, these students may end up changing what they do so that they come up with a research hypothesis that is easier to prove. I think this is a major flaw in the way research is conducted. Everything is far too focused on evaluation, evaluation, evaluation. Usability is difficult to objectively evaluate, so most research ends up avoiding usability altogether. The result: completely unusable software that bewilders the average human being.

If only we could relax the so-called objectivity of modern science and introduce some subjectivity. Scientists would be more inclined to the process of improving their subjective state of consciousness and computers might actually become easy to use.

I was having a discussion with fellow researchers in an academic writing module. We were discussing the difficultly of evaluating our research against some objective criteria. Three of people??(TM)s PhD projects are about improving the ease of performing a certain task (e.g. building an ontology). However, the measure ??oeease?? a series of usability tests are required. HCI however, is something this computer science department does not teach (at all). It is not ??oehard-code engineering?? enough.

Ultimately, these students may end up changing what they do so that they come up with a research hypothesis that is easier to prove. I think this is a major flaw in the way research is conducted. Everything is far too focused on evaluation, evaluation, evaluation. Usability is difficult to objectively evaluate, so most research ends up avoiding usability altogether. The result: completely unusable software that bewilders the average human being.

If only we could relax the so-called objectivity of modern science and introduce some subjectivity. Scientists would be more inclined to the process of improving their subjective state of consciousness and computers might actually become easy to use.

I was listening to a lecture series by Bhakti Caitanya Swami (Ten Subjects of Srimad-Bhagavatam). He makes one very interesting point: desire = karma.

If I??(TM)m asked what determines our next body via reincarnation, the usual answer I give is: a mixture of karma and desire. You get what you want according to the amount of ??oebuying power?? you have due to karma. However, as I now realized, the karma is really just another side of the same ??oedesire?? coin. Desire is the root cause of everything.

Any pious activity, which results in good karma and a high quality body, is due to us desiring to perform those activities. By utilizing this stock of good karma, the living entity can then choose its next body from a shelf of high quality bodies, as well as having a sufficiently elevated consciousness to actually desire to inhabitate such a body. Most people (sudras) don??(TM)t actually want to be a CEO (Indra), nor are they qualified to.

I was listening to a lecture series by Bhakti Caitanya Swami (Ten Subjects of Srimad-Bhagavatam). He makes one very interesting point: desire = karma.

If I??(TM)m asked what determines our next body via reincarnation, the usual answer I give is: a mixture of karma and desire. You get what you want according to the amount of ??oebuying power?? you have due to karma. However, as I now realized, the karma is really just another side of the same ??oedesire?? coin. Desire is the root cause of everything.

Any pious activity, which results in good karma and a high quality body, is due to us desiring to perform those activities. By utilizing this stock of good karma, the living entity can then choose its next body from a shelf of high quality bodies, as well as having a sufficiently elevated consciousness to actually desire to inhabitate such a body. Most people (sudras) don??(TM)t actually want to be a CEO (Indra), nor are they qualified to.

I'm slightly singed, but I passed my transfer interview. The interviewers gave me a tough time with the questions. I didn't answer some of their questions to their satisfaction, so I now have to write (yet another) short report answering those questions.

However, in any case, I'm in my second year now (I think).

I'm slightly singed, but I passed my transfer interview. The interviewers gave me a tough time with the questions. I didn't answer some of their questions to their satisfaction, so I now have to write (yet another) short report answering those questions.

However, in any case, I'm in my second year now (I think).

Dave and Hitesh have now both left Manchester for Swansea, Wales. The sea of swans holds a rest-home management job (and lots of service) for Dave and a bhakta course for Hitesh.

This change is certainly good for both of them. However, Manchester just got a little bit lonelier...

Dave and Hitesh have now both left Manchester for Swansea, Wales. The sea of swans holds a rest-home management job (and lots of service) for Dave and a bhakta course for Hitesh.

This change is certainly good for both of them. However, Manchester just got a little bit lonelier...

Dave and Hitesh have now both left Manchester for Swansea, Wales. The sea of swans hold a rest-home management job (and lots of service) for Dave and a bhakta course for Hitesh.

This change is certainly good for both of them. However, Manchester just got a little bit lonelier...

Dave and Hitesh have now both left Manchester for Swansea, Wales. The sea of swans hold a rest-home management job (and lots of service) for Dave and a bhakta course for Hitesh.

This change is certainly good for both of them. However, Manchester just got a little bit lonelier...

The student newspaper conducted a survey of student's drug use over the past two months. They just released the results. Here are the shocking results:

Have you ever taken any illegal drugs? YES ??" 75% NO ??" 25% Have you ever taken any illegal drugs (excluding cannabis)? YES ??" 47% NO ??" 49% No Answer ??" 4% If so, which drugs have you tried? Ecstacy ??" 37% Cocaine ??" 26% Speed ??" 12% Magic Mushrooms ??" 12% Ketamine ??" 9% LSD ??" 8% Crack ??" 4% If so, how often on average do you take drugs? Regularly (at least monthly) ??" 50% Rarely ??" 37% Tried but never again ??" 13% Have you ever tried cannabis? Yes ??" 72% NO ??" 23% Not Answered: 3% If so, how often do you use it? Every day ??" 10% Regularly (at least monthly) ??" 27% Rarely ??" 24% Tried but never again ??" 12% No Answer ??" 23% Why do you take drugs? To enhance a night out ??" 37% Relaxation ??" 31% To fit in ??" 8% No reason ??" 16% Addiction ??" 4%

Do you take drugs alone or with friends? With friends ??" 92% Alone ??" 8% What or who is your key influence when making decisions? Friends ??" 22% Curiosity ??" 47% Media ??" 3% Religion ??" 2% Other ??" 26% Do you think students take too many drugs? YES ??" 37% NO ??" 48% No Answer ??" 15% What do you think of the government??(TM)s attitude to drugs? Too strict ??" 32% About right ??" 33% Not strict enough ??" 25% Do you support the smoking of cannabis in public places? YES ??" 28% NO ??" 56% Not Answered: 16% Do you consider tobacco or alcohol as dangerous as illegal drugs? YES ??" 59% NO ??" 35% No Answer ??" 6%

The student newspaper conducted a survey of student's drug use over the past two months. They just released the results. Here are the shocking results:

Have you ever taken any illegal drugs? YES ??" 75% NO ??" 25% Have you ever taken any illegal drugs (excluding cannabis)? YES ??" 47% NO ??" 49% No Answer ??" 4% If so, which drugs have you tried? Ecstacy ??" 37% Cocaine ??" 26% Speed ??" 12% Magic Mushrooms ??" 12% Ketamine ??" 9% LSD ??" 8% Crack ??" 4% If so, how often on average do you take drugs? Regularly (at least monthly) ??" 50% Rarely ??" 37% Tried but never again ??" 13% Have you ever tried cannabis? Yes ??" 72% NO ??" 23% Not Answered: 3% If so, how often do you use it? Every day ??" 10% Regularly (at least monthly) ??" 27% Rarely ??" 24% Tried but never again ??" 12% No Answer ??" 23% Why do you take drugs? To enhance a night out ??" 37% Relaxation ??" 31% To fit in ??" 8% No reason ??" 16% Addiction ??" 4%

Do you take drugs alone or with friends? With friends ??" 92% Alone ??" 8% What or who is your key influence when making decisions? Friends ??" 22% Curiosity ??" 47% Media ??" 3% Religion ??" 2% Other ??" 26% Do you think students take too many drugs? YES ??" 37% NO ??" 48% No Answer ??" 15% What do you think of the government??(TM)s attitude to drugs? Too strict ??" 32% About right ??" 33% Not strict enough ??" 25% Do you support the smoking of cannabis in public places? YES ??" 28% NO ??" 56% Not Answered: 16% Do you consider tobacco or alcohol as dangerous as illegal drugs? YES ??" 59% NO ??" 35% No Answer ??" 6%

10|1

Last Tuesday and Wednesday were the exam de-stress days at the Student Union. Amelia (the welfare officer) and me organized it. We had a punching bag, herbal tea, exam timetables, tips, tools and advice in the foyer and me in the basement giving 30 minute yoga and meditation sessions. At last that was the plan.

The first three hour no one came. Not a soul. I had wallpapered the University with posters the week before (and it??(TM)s a large University! The largest in the UK with 9,000 staff and 28,802 full-time-equivalent students and an income ?£490.5m). But no one showed up. Obviously Krishna was destroying a bit of my hulking ego.

So then, in the afternoon, one lady in her final year of pharmaceutical studies showed up and was eager to do some mantra mediation. We did some chanting and had a nice discussion. After her, three more ladies interested in yoga, then two guys for meditation and three more ladies for yoga. Over the two days, a total 16 people got a little taste of an alternative mode-of-goodness way of de-stressing and chanting vaisnava mantras. That makes me very happy.

The yoga teaching was interesting. By Atmananda??(TM)s mercy I was able to teach power yoga and slow-deep aerobic yoga mini sessions. The slow-deep aerobic yoga was especially effective. The students enthusiastically commented how super-relaxing it was. They were spellbound, asking question after question, intent on my every word.

I was surprised at their enthusiasm. After all, yoga, no matter how good, is still just yoga. Unlike chanting the Maha-Mantra, I don??(TM)t find it especially fantastic. On the other hand, if it works for helping the ??oelowest of the student community??, I??(TM)m not one to artificially renounce it.

Everyone that came, of course, also got a bit of prasadam: cookies from Hitesh??(TM)s skilled hands. Hitesh also took the pictures of the event.

In the end, the exam de-stress days were a great success. I enjoyed it, the student union official liked it, the students got a bit of a taste of KC and as my Guru Maharaja recently told me ??oeyou never know when the seeds will sprout??.

10|1

Last Tuesday and Wednesday were the exam de-stress days at the Student Union. Amelia (the welfare officer) and me organized it. We had a punching bag, herbal tea, exam timetables, tips, tools and advice in the foyer and me in the basement giving 30 minute yoga and meditation sessions. At last that was the plan.

The first three hour no one came. Not a soul. I had wallpapered the University with posters the week before (and it??(TM)s a large University! The largest in the UK with 9,000 staff and 28,802 full-time-equivalent students and an income ?£490.5m). But no one showed up. Obviously Krishna was destroying a bit of my hulking ego.

So then, in the afternoon, one lady in her final year of pharmaceutical studies showed up and was eager to do some mantra mediation. We did some chanting and had a nice discussion. After her, three more ladies interested in yoga, then two guys for meditation and three more ladies for yoga. Over the two days, a total 16 people got a little taste of an alternative mode-of-goodness way of de-stressing and chanting vaisnava mantras. That makes me very happy.

The yoga teaching was interesting. By Atmananda??(TM)s mercy I was able to teach power yoga and slow-deep aerobic yoga mini sessions. The slow-deep aerobic yoga was especially effective. The students enthusiastically commented how super-relaxing it was. They were spellbound, asking question after question, intent on my every word.

I was surprised at their enthusiasm. After all, yoga, no matter how good, is still just yoga. Unlike chanting the Maha-Mantra, I don??(TM)t find it especially fantastic. On the other hand, if it works for helping the ??oelowest of the student community??, I??(TM)m not one to artificially renounce it.

Everyone that came, of course, also got a bit of prasadam: cookies from Hitesh??(TM)s skilled hands. Hitesh also took the pictures of the event.

In the end, the exam de-stress days were a great success. I enjoyed it, the student union official liked it, the students got a bit of a taste of KC and as my Guru Maharaja recently told me ??oeyou never know when the seeds will sprout??.