Fact Borrowing From Fiction

I am not sure if the Taliban leaders have watched the over-the-top, hilarious movie "Tere Bin Laden". But I am very sure that the MI6 and the NATO commanders should have.

In the movie, a young TV reporter from Pakistan who desparately wishes to go to US and is in need to money, plants a story using a fake Bin Laden. The movie ends with a US intelligence officer, in charge of capturing the fake (he does not know that he is fake at this point in time) Bin Laden, becoming the US Secrtary of State (or Defence - not quite sure) after obtaining a peace offer from the fake (by now he knows) Bin Laden - and the reporter getting an invitation to the US for being the person who managed it all.

All one big tongue in the cheek comedy. Or is it? Have a look at this piece of news on peace talks with fake Taliban leader.

More power to Bollywood movies, I say.

Another Blogger in the Family

When my younger son, Abhinav, requested me for a blog of his own as a present for his 9th birthday last December, I was quite sure it was a passing phase. But even after 6 months when he wouldn't give up, I created one for him. Looks like he loves blogging.

What does he blog on? Mathematics! No I am not joking! Have a look youself - Abhinav's Blog.

Please do visit his blog; leave a comment; he needs all the support he can get.

The Art of Saying Nothing

This appears in today's The Times of India. The news item is titled CAG REPORT COMES DOWN HARD ON CORPORATES. I have extracted the following which doesn't convey any information whatsoever - despite appearing on the front page ...

Since a telecom company controlled by the industrialst - who also has interests in energy and entertainment - has a pan-Indian presence, Swan should have been disqualified. Yet, it stayed in the ring and went on to pip several established contenders. The industrialist, one of India's richest, has denied any link with Swan.

Amazing ... since when are newspapers afraid of naming names. Or does the CAG report not mention the industrialist's name? There is no way of telling from the news item. In any case, he has denied the links. So, why not just name that person (notice, the news item does not even mention the gender; I am assuming it is a he).

The only indutsrialist - among the richest, having interest in energy and entertainment, and also having a pan India presence - that I am aware is Anil Ambani.

Hmmmm.... Rich enough to muzzle the press!
Or is The Times of India playing coy?

Communication Fundas - Part 9

Continuing on the subject of punctuation, I do not think there is a better book than Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. The blurb on the book says it all: "The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation!".

Unlike other books on Grammar, this one is wickedly humourous. It has been on various best seller lists, so you may already possess a copy. If you want to know more, you may want to read a review on Eats, Shoots and Leaves on my Squidoo lens. Enjoy!

Communication Fundas - Part 8

I read ...
"But Bachelier also ventured into new mathematical territory. Nearly a century before the great French mathematician Jean Baptiste Fourier had devised equations to describe the way heat speads, Bachelier knew the formulae well from his physics lectures."

This cannot be right! So, was Fourier incorrectly credited? I read it again ...

"But Bachelier also ventured into new mathematical territory. Nearly a century before, the great French mathematician Jean Baptiste Fourier had devised equations to describe the way heat speads. Bachelier knew the formulae well from his physics lectures." [Extract from: The {Mis)Behaviour of Markets by Benoit B. Madelbrot]

Ahhh! Now it made sense. When we read we tend to skip the punctuations. All of us know the difference between:

A woman without her man, is nothing

 and

A woman: without her, man is nothing.

And yet we persist in overlooking the importance of punctuation when we write and when we read.

Solution:
a) Read what you have written before shooting off that email / letter / report.
b) Reread what you read before coming to a conclusion.

Communication Fundas - Part 7

Communication is as much about conveying information as it is about making an impact. Sometimes it is possible to do so by just placing words at a correct place.

Here's an example I picked up from the Incredible India's West Bengal page ...

The Heritage Trail travels across 350 km and several centuries of Bengal's history. The lay of the land speaks about the golden era of trade and commerce, of a rich culture and a land torn by betrayal, partition, poverty and famine.

Now let us move a few words around

The Heritage Trail travels across several centuries of Bengal's history. The lay of the land that stretches 350 km speaks about the golden era of trade and commerce, of a rich culture and a land torn by betrayal, partition, poverty and famine.

The focus immediately shifts from 350 km to centuries of history. In fact, the '350km' is not even relevant here and could be confined to a minor paragraph down the web page, don't you think?

A few words here and there but a world of difference.