Two Legends!

similar emotions, similar talent..the same end result..amazing!

Matlab Movies

Here is a short tutorial on Matlab movies of plots..

figure,for j=1:ctr
plot(x,y(:,j))
axis([xlt xrt ylt yrt])
movielist(j) = getframe(gcf);%%%this gets the entire figure.
end

To simply play the created move 'n' times at the frame rate of 'r' per second:

figure,movie(gcf,movielist,n,r)

To save the movie into an avi file

writerObj = VideoWriter('moviefile.avi');
open(writerObj);

for j=1:ctr
writeVideo(writerObj,movielist(j));end

close(writerObj); 

Lenovo T430u Windows 8 (pre-installed) and Ubuntu 12.04 dual boot

This is a personal note (possibly useful to others) of my experience with installing Ubuntu on a Lenovo t430u laptop that I got recently.

First of all the major issue in the installation was the SecureBoot feature that is packed into Windows 8. As a result when you try to boot a LiveUSB containing the Ubuntu installation script, Windows does not recognise this. I saw that Ubuntu 12.10 is supposedly compatible with the secure boot nature of Windows 8 but even when I tried, it still was not recognised...(this is a developing story, may be in a year or in the next LTS of Ubuntu they will fix it... ).

So the first step is to disable the secureboot option by going into the bios---For lenovo users

1. Press enter and F1 during start up to enter bios screen
2. Disable Secure Boot---(Under Tab Security--->Secure Boot--> choose Disable )
3. Under tab Startup (in Bios)---> UEFI/Legacy Boot--Choose Legacy only (without doing this I found that on startup after installing Ubuntu, grub does not load!!!!) 
4. Under tab Restart (in Bios)... Load Setup Defaults (this was another thing that I think tends to load the original startup conditions (thus disabling non-(UEFI/Secure Boot signed) software).), I disabled this as well

Having done the above things one can install Ubuntu and grub will load on start up..It may seem as though everything is great. In fact it is on the Ubuntu side of things. But now when you choose the Windows from grub...there is an error! This is a combined issue of grub + number 3 we did above by making Legacy the
only booting option. In any case first go to the Ubuntu side and fix grub as follows:
http://askubuntu.com/questions/221835/installing-ubuntu-on-a-pre-installed-uefi-supported-windows-8-system
I am following the part right below the question in the above post:

After finishing the installation, if you happen to have Windows 8 disabled from booting and it only boots to Ubuntu, do not worry. In Ubuntu after it boots, open a Terminal and type the following:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install boot-repair

Now run boot-repair

Boot Repair will mention that we have some GRUB error, that we have an EFI system and that Ubuntu rocks. Since Ubuntu rocks (It does not work if Ubuntu does not rock! ^^), just click onApply so boot repair fixes everything. No reboot and you should see Windows 8 and Ubuntu side by side.

The one change we need to do after restarting following Boot Repair is to change step 3 above:

Under tab Startup (in Bios)---> UEFI/Legacy Boot--Choose Both with UEFI first option

Then grub should work as one expects with Ubuntu and Windows options...(Windows Boot is the right one to choose amongst the many different Windows options)

What can we do about rape?

The last few weeks have been agonising! The news of  Delhi rape and killing  has led to widespread protests and a general increase in awareness regarding the treatment of women in India. At a very macro level, these protests (although sometimes seemingly direction less) are important and will certainly get the ear of the lawmakers and hopefully there will be some changes. But, it is crucial to realise that punishment and retribution is not going to solve a problem whose roots lie very deep in the psyche of the Indian society. The important fallout, more than knee jerk legislative changes, would be to prolong a slow dialogue that has started questioning this (the link to The Hindu has quite a few articles on this). 

Apart from waiting for laws that deter rape, a few changes from us, the individuals that make up the society is needed. This pertains to the way we react to violence in general and gender based violence in particular. From a personal point of view I feel sad that I have not regularly practised what I am going to suggest below but this is as much a blog as a note to myself! 

a). When you see any kind of bullying, be it towards a fellow male or female, stand up for the person. Call 100, raise your voice or use physical force if the need be. Don't be a bystander however harmless the bullying seems to you. Such behaviour especially in the case of eve-teasing is the starting point for much worse behaviour. If someone thinks they can get away with that, it emboldens them. I have resolved to learn some martial art for self-defence seriously to combat such stupidity.

b). Women need to find creative and efficient ways to protect themselves. Here is a nice home made recipe! It has been shown time and again in the case of crime research that the way one carries oneself makes a huge difference to whether you are targeted or not. When you know that you can give it back to someone intending harm, it makes you that bit more confident and that should act as an extra deterrent. 

c). Actively talk to and enlighten bigots and sexists. These could be people close to you (your family) or your friends. Be vocal in expressing angst against wrong attitudes. For silence may be taken as a sign of condoning. 

Hope things get better!

Vasantrao

Kuruntokai

Only the dim-witted say it's evening
when the sun goes down
and the sky reddens,
when misery deepens,
and the mullai begins to bloom
in the dusk.

But even when the tufted cock
calls in the long city
and the long night
breaks into dawn,
it is the evening:
even noon
is evening,
to one who has no one.

Translation by Shri. A.K. Ramanujan, Poems of Love and War
original verse by Milaipperun Kantan, Kuruntokai 234.

colours

listen to them,
their constant sympathy,
you feel anger,
red for you


jump once, jump twice,
jump so high,that you may fly
what did you (not) touch
blue for you

walk through the woods,
the wind blows gently,
grass and the foliage,
green for you

sit down,
stop thinking, stop feeling,
stop touching, stop breathing,
what do you see?
black for you