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Showing posts from May, 2018

Some Truth about Sleep By Katherine Lightwood

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Some Truth about Sleep  By Katherine Lightwood My colleagues always seem to be quite concerned with my lack of sleeping habits. Which is usually kind quite kind enough for me but I sometimes think is their concern really matters. I mean, do we need that much sleep as we are told so?  Popular opinion is that you should get eight hours of sleep a night, but it might not actually be the numbers of hours you sleep but the quality of sleep that matters. Scientists weren't totally sure why we evolved to sleep. When we sleep we are unconscious to the world leaving us vulnerable to predators, but every species that has been studied in details sleep, so there might be something beneficial to it? Not sleeping well!! Isn't just annoying, it's linked to poor overall health, lack of focus, memory loss and even Alzheimer's disease. Broadly speaking there are two kinds of sleep non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM). Together they encompass the stage

Machine Learning is Just Awesome By Katherine Lightwood

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Machine Learning is Just Awesome By Katherine Lightwood I was always curious about the whole artificial intelligence concept and coding. although, I didn't pursue any academic course over this subject. I and my good friend Praveen always talk about the new advancement in these fields. And to my understanding, the starting point or the core of making an AI is "Machine Learning". So, it's quite difficult to understand what machine learning is in a quite concrete manner. Well, as per my understanding goes, it is all about learning from examples rather than writing the manual rules. So, the short way of saying that is in regular programming you write a lot of manual rules to solve a problem. And in machine learning, you let those algorithm find rules for you. So, it's like pattern matching, visual or any other patterns that are hidden in the data. Therefore the beauty of machine learning is that an algorithm that learns patterns from data, can solve thous

Daughter of the Morning Sun By Katherine Lightwood

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Daughter of the Morning Sun By Katherine Lightwood My beautiful colleague Roshni Rao once requested me to write something about her as what I think about her. Well!! Dear, this is my thought and this is for you.  They say her words are cutting the throats of archangels, But no one ever wondered what lies on her mind for ages. There’s no mercy for her grievances on the judgment days, But no one wondered how alone she was and the love she craves, With a blunt pain in her heart and mindful of wishful thoughts, Still smiled so gleefully, but desperately joined all the dots. The unheard pain of hers was spreading rumors over the purgatory, It was hiding her in the dark and was stealing all her glory. She still thrived from all the pain and suffering gloriously like ever, Even though the darkness she was in, she shined like a star and was sober. The world may lay her low; call her a sin stress from the red world, But for me, you will always be pricele

Guilty Confessions of Weekend By Katherine Lightwood

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Guilty Confessions of Weekend By Katherine Lightwood “Usually Mondays’ are blues for most of you folks, but it seems like Sunday’s are blues for me. Most of you might be thinking of planning a night out or a chillin’ day with your friends and families but my case is actually different. Yesterday I spent the whole day, in front of my computer making digital paintings for my competition, writing content and even after so much of work at the end of the day I felt horribly upset as if I haven’t done anything. After running so fast, I always felt left out and the last person on the line. I felt so awful that I can’t even describe it in words. And this realization struck me after 8 o’clock in the evening. I was writing and I just couldn’t focus on anything. I was tinnitus got worse, my head started to pound and my whole body started heating up for no reason. I checked my blood pressure and it got very low as usual.” So, that’s how I spend my weekends. Now you must be saying,

Broken Chains and Cages By Katherine Lightwood

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Broken Chains and Cages By Katherine Lightwood Is there a chance I can get out of this grim continuity? Stumbling upon the rocks of my life losing all serenity. Kept on counting my fingers, now I lost my count, Reality or a mare dream it is, I just cannot recount. They say you will learn, they say you will thrive, Then why does it feels like a bottomless morbid dive? Let go, let go they say, let go of your malicious thoughts, Let go all the expectations you are having, just stop connecting those dots. Now, I have dreamless desires and floating passion, Which is only driven by anger and senseless aggression. No Tears, no fears I possess now, no love that I can gain, I levitate in the void now, only things left beneath me are rusty broken chains, They say I am suffocating myself with my own darkness, Can't see the moon or the light, for me the sky is starless. But little did they know about the demons that are binding me, So much wanting to be free and touc

The hidden side of Schizophrenia By Katherine Lightwood

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The hidden side of Schizophrenia  By Katherine Lightwood Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that has been fascinating scientists for years because we just don't understand it. But now we may have finally found the roots of this devastating disorder it starts from the brain when the brain is forming in the womb. Schizophrenia causes people to hallucinate, have a distorted view of reality and experience extremely disordered thinking. Brain function can be badly affected that it's disabling. Symptoms usually appear in adolescence and young adulthood. And while some research has suggested a link between schizophrenia drug usage, and trauma, it has never been well understood. Because of the symptoms appear later in life the researchers have long assumed the root cause is a mix of genetic, brain chemistry and environmental factors. In the past patients, patients have been misdiagnosed and mistreated and sometimes even being jailed. But new technologies have helped

The world is a Wonderland By Katherine Lightwood

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The world is a Wonderland By Katherine Lightwood They say the world is a wonderland, They say love is universal and is grand, But in this city of glass my friend, the world is a stage, Where your devotion will not work, not even your rage. You will keep on playing the guessing game, But you will never know when you will turn into a puddle of shame. But behold! Right there sweet wanderer, Life isn’t that fair like you always wonder. Wake up from this dream that you are dreaming, This is just a wishful thinking which you are seeing. It’s not a city of glass nor you are a crack, Neither it’s a wonderland that you are painting black. You have no shame on your game I see, You wanted to breathe, just wanted to be free, But alas, what an idea you’ve created out of nothing, It doesn’t even exist that you can say something. But the world is still not dead yet. Even if you don't want, you have to great. So, that was my thought of the day. To

My ‘mind over matter’ is failing By Katherine Lightwood

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My ‘mind over matter’ is failing By Katherine Lightwood Here’s the thing with me lately. I think I am having some serious olfactory hallucination. Now, some of you might not get what I am trying to tell you. But let me explain it to you what’s that exactly is. Olfactory means related to smell and hallucination means illusion or experiencing something which is not there. So in my case, I am experiencing a very strange smell for a quite brief amount of time in a day. Well!! I don’t know if it’s really there or not but I am getting it. And whenever I get a sniff of that smell I get nostalgic, emotional, freaked out, nervous and what not. And this thing, ‘the mind over matter’ starts to fail. It feels like there’s a great mystery in that smell. It seems like it is something ancient as if someone is telling a story of a forgotten worrier who never came home. This smell feels like as if it is painting a landscape in my mind, a very familiar one which is so close to my hear

A strange effect of Coffee in our Molecular Physiology By Katherine Lightwood

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A strange effect of Coffee in our Molecular Physiology By Katherine Lightwood  My love of Coffee is making me a lot more knowledgeable than I usually am. Yesterday I was drolling over my working table in my institute as I haven't slept much while I was scrolling through the internet. And I found out something really interesting about coffee. Scientists have again, and again and again tried to find out what coffee is doing to the human body. A study in scientific reports states that coffee consumption has been linked to protective effects on various common pathologies such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's. diabetes, some kind of cancers, hearing functions and it may predispose to others such as sleep disturbances. Scientist's have been studying coffee since 60's and in 1972 study in  Cell's Biophysical journal tried to find out exactly what it was doing to our cells, noting caffeine binds to broken DNA, and if it'

My Wish By Katherine Lightwood

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My Wish By Katherine Lightwood Wish my nothingness had something, Wish my zeal remained evergreen. Wish that spark become a light, Wish I could clear the darkness out of my sight, Wish I could breathe the last time without this impatience, Wish I could preserve these memories and that fragrance. One last time, I wish this won’t be a reminiscence, Wish I could capture this time and its brilliance. When you had no outcome; being stuck can be a blessing, I am tired of the cruel game and tired of this blunt guessing. My heart ranches in pain as I am seeing my decadence, Unable to cry out loud thus I suffer in silence.  This blunt pain has numbed my heart and my cursed soul, There’s no fear of losing and winning, this darkness has swallowed me whole. Never had a wishful thinking, never had the desire to touch the star, But stars always appealed me, so I watched it from far. Now, a wanderer I’ve become so far, in this strange path of life, Not

The Mysteries of Dark DNA By Katherine Lightwood

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The Mysteries of Dark DNA By Katherine Lightwood I was scrolling through the internet when I found an amazing article on nature magazine and it was a fairly new topic for me. It was about the Dark DNA . I was feeling dizzy with sleep but this article planted a seed of excitement and me and the nerd inside me just woke up. So, what was it? Allow me to explain you. Dark matter is one of the biggest mysteries of astronomy today. There's tons of evidence that it's there but we haven't been able to find it. And in biology, there's a similar problem: Dark DNA . When scientists were exploring the sequenced genome of certain birds and rodents they noticed something odd. A sequenced genome means everything is laid bare, and yet certain DNA sequences are missing which were weird because these DNA sequences were very important. They controlled the production of leptin in birds or secretion of insulin in the rodents. Genes that the scientists knew had to be there. Otherwi

High Requiem By Katherine Lightwood

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High Requiem By Katherine Lightwood Sunshine and chirping birds, moonlight and fading dark, I always knew contrast of these worlds, colors make them far apart. Dark and detached is my destiny, is all gloomy and in a haze, Was once the child of the morning sun, but now I am in the maze. Thought my existence was an illusion, the face was a facade. My dreams were in verge to break, and that was not a fraud. Millions of mirrors in front of me, luring me to the glassy world, Stuck by its blazing shine, remembered I have broken wings of a bird. My dream shines like a diamond in the night of dark clouds. It runs away from me and is playing hide and seek in those heavy crowds. So fragile I am, my heart skips a million beats as I search for the light,  Walked past those empty faces, still couldn't find so I cried. City of mirages it has become, as my dream has lured me to this enigmatic kingdom, Its light is pricking my soul, as I walked in those alleyways so seld

Free will is not what you think By Katherine Lightwood

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Free will is not what you think By Katherine Lightwood Today, my dear friends, I have a question for you. How much of your brain do we actually use? now, certain Hollywood movies might try and have you believe that we only use 10% of our brains. And what does that mean by other 90% is for? Just pointless pink mush? We human beings actually use a hundred percent of our brains. But have you ever wondered how much of your brain actually makes you? And by "You" I am referring to the little voice inside your head. Your inner monologue, your consciousness. Now it's hard to know exactly how much space your conscious mind takes up in your brain but we definitely know it is not the entire thing. Because there are many functions your brain does without you having to think about. For example, take breathing. Yes, you can control your breath when you want to but we don't have to think about it when in order to spare life. Located at the base of the brain, there is re

Empty Words By Katherine Lightwood

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Empty Words By Katherine Lightwood Words can kill, words can make you fall in love, Can fill a hole in the heart, or a wound it can curve. But what's its use when it lost its purpose. My words have lost all the meaning, that's when I am nervous. The mind of mine is trembling with fear as I am choosing my words. Wish I could fly out of my cage, just like a wilful flock of birds. But this world of glass that I say, has been so stained now, Crystal city once has turned foul that once I used to bow. Now, it's just a shell, just like a brittle porcelain vase, That once used to shine dazzling me with its own grace. Only empty words are left, woven by the useless screams, Dwellers of this place call this their dreams. The world has gone loud that I can't even hear a word, Senses got all numb, my sight has been blurred. Then why the use of these empty words, what's in this void, Charm has gone, darkness all around, emotions we all avoid. Wish I cou

How much Hot is too Hot By Katherine Lightwood

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How much Hot is too Hot By Katherine Lightwood My expresso is quite hot, but it's not the hottest thing in the universe. So my question of today is, what is the hottest thing in the universe? I mean we know there is an absolute zero. but is there an absolute, hot? A point at which something is so hot, that it can't get any hotter. To understand that let's start with human body temperature. Your internal temperature is not constant. 98.6 is just an average. Your body's internal temperature fluctuates by about one-degree Fahrenheit throughout a day in a cycle. The highest recorded air temperature across all of the earth has happened four times in death valley, here it has reached 54'C. 82'C is recommended temperature for water when brewing coffee and at 99'C a cake is done. 1090'C is the temperature of lava fresh out of the ground. The surface of the sun has 5500'C, but at the center where the fusion occurs, it's ridiculous. The temper

Ashamed By Katherine Lightwood

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Ashamed By Katherine Lightwood My hands are tied, I tried too long. Standing upright, pretending I was strong. Alas! so wrong I can be, I broke like a shattered glass, Fell on the floor of venomous thorns, but I was a lonely lass. Still, then I didn't cry, had to grin like a sweet maiden. I must play safe, can't let my dragon awaken. Cold soul with a broken heart, Bleeding in dark, my body can't depart. They say I am Lilith's decedent, I have the power of evil, Thinking lately it's true, so sold my soul to the devil. He showed me a glimpse of hell, And welcomed me to join as well. I am hesitating should I go, there's no either way, The hell could be wonderland too, as he has to say. I turned behind, to see the scene, Perplexed and ashamed all I've been. Put aside all my responsibilities, Lord has given me, Fallen and got blind from my fight, now I just couldn't see. Preparing myself for the pain and leaving whatever I

My Own Introvert Problems By Katherine Lightwood

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My Own Introvert Problems By Katherine Lightwood Ok!! Here’s the thing, most of the people I meet usually complain me that ‘why do I think so much’ or ‘don’t overthink, it’s bad’. I am so pissed off by this idea that I can’t even describe. Now, here’s my question ‘how much thinking is actually over thinking’? I often get caught up in this idea and it often causes me a great deal of physical and mental pain. Some time ago when I didn’t know much about these obsessive thoughts, I considered myself a ‘freak show’. And then my teacher introduced a word in my mind ‘Introvert’ . And from there, I got some of the answers to my unanswered questions. So, people of the world allow me to tell you a bit about what an introvert is or what exactly is introversion in pure layman’s language.  Introverts are the ones who seek their energy from solitude. They thrive in loneliness. When others are busy in social functions like parties and gatherings, an introvert will probably be enjoyi

Black Hole is Dark & Scary By Katherine Lightwood

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Black Hole is Dark & Scary By Katherine Lightwood I was feeling quite scared yesterday night. A feeling of hollowness and void seemed to engulf me. It felt like I was having an out of body experience. Sitting in front of my computer chair I was feeling dizzy. I tried to take a short nap but the caffeine seemed to work at its wonders and I was awake. But even though all these my mind was in a super 'procrastinating' mood. So I went outside at my balcony and glanced at the night sky. The sky was overcast with clouds and it was slightly thundering. An eerie sensation gripped me as I was watching the grim weather. I started wondering what the outer space would look like now? A starlight sky or dark? And then the 'nerd' inside me growled and I got my topic for today's blog post. It's 'Black Hole' baby!!      Now, mathematically speaking anything could become a black hole, if you compress it into a small enough space. Everything in this universe

Poetry for my Mom By Katherine Lightwood

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Poetry for my Mom By Katherine Lightwood Today is mother's day and this poem I wrote for my mom. I never did anything for her, but I am trying. Maybe someday I can make her happy or rather say I my happiness and her happiness will coincide. This is for you mom. I saw her, she has bright brown eyes, Beneath that, no one understands what lies. Thousands of unanswered questions lead her to the dark, Even though her face lit like a haunting spark. There was a time when beauty has no meaning for me once, But even angels from heaven die to see her glance. She has no wits of the evil world around.  Purity lies everywhere, even in her sound. I was sitting shrouded and curled in the corner, She lit my world with the light of happiness from her burner.  Rain falls gently quenching the thirst of the landscape, Under the spell of yours, everything I start to appreciate.  Serenity lies beneath the shadow your soul that is out of my sight, Still, somehow, I see your

Our Earth is Slowing Down By Katherine Lightwood

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Our Earth is Slowing Down By Katherine Lightwood No matter what happens, we can rest easy knowing that tomorrow is a new day!! But that might not be something we will be able to say in billion years. The earth's spin is slowing down. Eventually, days will get longer, and when they do, the lack of daily dawn could be the least of our problems The earth's spins because of the mars size body that smashed into it when it was young. The collisions set our planet spinning so fast that the days were about 6 hours long. And it simultaneously knocked out a chunk of material that coalesced to become the moon. Then the earth and the moon settled into a 'Gravitational Relationship' one of the effects of which was the moon causes tides on the earth. But with the every tide cycle, the sloshing of earth's water exerts a little bit of friction of earth's surface and it's slowing down the earth's rotation slightly. And every time the earth's rotation slow

Countless Threads By Katherine Lightwood

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Countless Threads By Katherine Lightwood Countless threads I used to weave, Every words and memory I used to keep. Now, memories have flown away from my mind, Once I thought, without them I am blind. But alas! I found a new life, a new meaning, a new pride. The dreams once I craved, broke me and lied. Again I am weaving  new dreams and new lies, With this dream, I am finding, the Lord in disguise. I have no wish, now I have no pride, Washed away all my false galore that I used to abide. But the threads of my quondam still strangles me, Blurs my vision, didn't want me to see. Now, with my new dreams and forgotten pride, I don't want to lie, just want to thrive. Last ounce of breath, that I held in my chest, Want to let out a sigh, without bothering the rest. At last, I want to grieve, letting go all the pain. So that my demise might let me be sane. So, that was my thought of the day. To see more posts like this make sure to visit our  main page . A

Love is a Pain of Unspoken Words By Katherine Lightwood

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Love is a Pain of Unspoken Words By Katherine Lightwood Today I am again talking about “love”. And sometimes it feels very stupid to talk about it like that. People who know me read this blog they might get disgusted as I have no experience with this thing but why do I still talk about it. But never mind, I need the stuff to get out of my mind. A few days ago a colleague of mine was discussing his love life to me and like, as usual, was very devastated. He was helpless. My heart broke when he told me he was tired of life and everything around. But I assured him that everything will be fine soon.  And yesterday, when I was going home a thought stuck in my mind. And the thought was people need to get heartbroken. I know it’s nasty, it’s painful but to get the artist out of you, you need to be in love and get heartbroken.    Now, bear with me when I say that. How many of you been heartbroken and not turned into a poet, an artist or a workaholic?  Creativity is born from t

Science of Cuteness By Katherine Lightwood

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Science of Cuteness By Katherine Lightwood When we see little kittens and puppies, most people, in general, say "it's cute" . But what is cute, Scientifically? Why do we like soft cuddly things? Why do cute things have a unique effect on us? The word cute is a shortening of "acute" which originally meant keen or perceptive. Many years ago the 'word' began to be used as slang for a girl who was pretty. And after that, it acquired a new meaning which was described as cuddly and delicate. Various studies were done on this topic of understanding cuteness and finally, the official definition comes to play. It is a small body size with disproportionally large head, large eyes, round and soft body features. But why did this characteristic illicit an 'aww' response from us humans? Well!! It is found that those characters are found in the human baby which makes sense. If merely looking at your offsprings makes us instinctively self-protecting