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Do you know what is an Organon?

The practitioners of Homeopathy will know that for sure! But overall the most famous is the one by Aristotle!

So basically Organon is a general term for a system of principles or methods used for philosophical or scientific investigation and for acquiring knowledge.

There are three very popular ones!

Aristotle’s Organon The most famous historical use refers to the collection of Aristotle’s six works on logic, compiled by his followers into a single body of work.

Novum Organum Sir Francis Bacon later published his Novum Organum (“New Organon”) in 1620, in which he detailed a new system of logic (the Baconian method/inductive reasoning) that he proposed as superior to Aristotle’s methods!

A sort of remixed version!

Then you have the

Organon of Medicine which is the foundational book for homeopathy, written by its founder Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. It serves as the core “instrument” or guide for homeopathic physicians, detailing the doctrines, principles, and practical instructions for practicing the art of healing!

Without inviting controversy, I would not dream of touching the latter two Organon!

The safest to talk about is the Organon of Aristotle!

The goal of Aristotle’s Organon (Greek for “instrument” or “tool”) is to provide a comprehensive system of logic and a formal method of reasoning that serves as the necessary foundation and tool for all other philosophical and scientific inquiry.

Aristotle did not view logic as a separate science in itself, but rather as a preparatory discipline and an “intellectual toolbox” that enables clear thinking, valid argumentation, and the acquisition of true, demonstrable knowledge (known as episteme) across all fields, from physics and ethics to metaphysics.

The specific goals addressed within the different works of the Organon include:

The first goal was to divide into Categories! Or Groups! This is to establish a basic vocabulary for philosophical analysis. The ten fundamental groups were substance, quantity, quality, relation, place, time, position, state, action, and passion!

Then to analyze language and semantics, one must focusing on how terms are combined into propositions (statements that are either true or false) and exploring concepts like affirmation, negation, and modality!

Then he introduced the theory of the syllogism—a structured form of deductive reasoning (inference from general rules to particular cases) and the core of Aristotelian logic.

Ultimately, the Organon (the one by Aristotle that is!) aims to equip individuals with the intellectual rigor and integrity needed to discern truth from falsehood, engage in sound scientific investigation, and arrive at wisdom!

Of course wisdom is the knowledge that Dame Judith Olivia Dench is a great actress! The sketch has loads of face lines which makes it a great sketch! Each line is an experience!

Enough ‘organon’ for today!

Shubh ratri!

Robin Cook and John Grisham! One tells about how forensic helps in cases and the other tells how it screws up someone’s life!

That will come back to bite me!

But do you know what is Bite mark analysis?

All will be revealed soon!

Robin Cook’s book called Manner of Death tells about a story in passing! This is not a spoiler though the novel was written in 2023!

So if you have not read it yet, well then no spoiler for you!

Of course what is surprising is that 92 years and Robin Still writes medical thrillers almost every year!

A mugger charged on to a man and the man collapsed! The mugger was caught!

The issue was not that! The man had mitral valve prolapse as found in the autopsy and he immediately went in for a cardiac arrest and died on the spot!

Now the mugger will be charged for Homicide and not robbery!

So in an effort to draw interest into forensic science the whole matter is raked up but then comes Framed by John Grisham!

In that novel he tells us about the Bite mark analysis!

Bite mark analysis is a controversial forensic technique that has been widely criticized and is now largely considered “junk science” by the broader scientific community.

It was in fact a significant contributing factor in numerous wrongful convictions!

Apparently there was a Bite mark analysis expert who simply destroyed so many innocent people’s life!

Dr. Michael West was a former forensic odontologist whose bite mark analysis has been widely discredited by the scientific community and linked to multiple wrongful convictions. His methods and testimony have faced “overwhelming rejection” by forensic experts!

West’s testimony was instrumental in the wrongful convictions of several individuals, including Kennedy Brewer, Levon Brooks, and Eddie Lee Howard Jr., all of whom were later exonerated, primarily by DNA evidence!

In the Brewer case, marks West identified as human bite marks were later determined to be from crayfish and insects feeding on the body in a creek!

In another case, DNA testing of the victim’s nightgown found no male DNA in the area where West claimed bite marks were present!

The practice of bite mark analysis apparently operates on two main, scientifically unproven assumptions, both of which have been challenged in studies:

The first is the Uniqueness of Dentition: The assumption that every individual’s dental pattern is unique has not been scientifically validated. While teeth themselves are unique (like any body part), the specific pattern they leave in a dynamic medium like skin is not!

Then you have the transfer to skin! Human skin is a poor and inconsistent medium for recording bite impressions!

In fact the skin is elastic and can stretch, swell, and deform, meaning the same set of teeth can produce dramatically different marks depending on where the bite occurred and the body’s position at the time of the bite and examination!

The analysis often relies on the subjective interpretation of the forensic odontologist, leading to a high degree of disagreement even among certified experts as to whether a mark is a human bite mark at all, let alone a match to a specific individual!

Several major scientific bodies in the U.S. have reviewed the field and found it lacks scientific foundation! With the advent of DNA technology; the bite mark analysis is just a historical and sometimes cruelly hysterical practice!

Unless it is the bite of the Count Dracula then the bite is the least of your problems!

Count or king also is Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand!

Now stop biting your nails and sleep!

Shubh ratri!

Three instances where I remember the catching of the bullet! Then again the bullet catch is a pretty famous albeit dangerous magic!

The first was in the movie Prestige as a part of the trick which then fails leading to catastrophe and a ‘double’ tragedy! Cannot reveal more in case you have not see the movie! (You really need to see the Nolan classic though!)

Then you have the scene in Justice league when superman catches a bullet and closes his palm! Flash then asks if he is ok! To which superman simply opens the palm to drop the bent and broken bullet and replies, “I am fine! How about you?!”

Another famous bullet catching scene is the sequel to Nagin! One of the earliest Hindi movies with a proper sequel! A sniper tries to shoot the hero and Sridevi just ‘catches’ the bullet like child’s play! Those days it was an epic scene! Kids nowadays would see that scene and not be impressed!

In reality (or magic for that matter!) Bullet catch happens!

The bullet catch is a famous, highly dangerous stage magic illusion in which a magician appears to catch a live bullet fired from a gun, usually in their mouth or hand!

The performance is an illusion involving misdirection, gimmicked equipment, and sleight of hand, as it is physically impossible for a human to catch a high-velocity bullet (superman is not counted in this!)

Even in the movie Prestige, Bale tells his wife how the trick is done and her awe is turned into oh! When she realizes the trick and then Bale tells her that even if you know the trick many things can go wrong!

Magicians use various methods to create the illusion of catching a bullet while ensuring the performer’s safety. The key principle is that a real, fired bullet never actually travels toward the performer!

The firearm is often specially prepared so that it only fires a blank cartridge rather than a projectile though the illusion of fire is shown!

The actual bullet is typically marked by an audience member and then secretly swapped for a fake bullet or removed from the gun’s chamber entirely before the shot is fired.

The real, signed bullet is then secretly retrieved by the magician or an assistant to be “produced” at the end of the trick, often by spitting it onto a plate!

For muzzle-loading guns, a modified ramrod might be used to covertly remove the projectile after it appears to be loaded and tamped down!

Modern performers like David Blaine and Penn & Teller have used special mouthpieces or cups (often made of titanium or steel) to aid in catching a pre-arranged bullet that is fired with extreme accuracy, although this still involves significant risk and controlled conditions!

So far so good right! But as Murakami states in one of his books, if you bring a gun to the story then it will be ‘used’ in the story! So as long as the Gun is real, the danger is real!

In fact. even with careful planning and safety measures, the bullet catch is considered one of magic’s most dangerous tricks.

Several magicians have been killed over the centuries due to equipment failure, misfires, or audience members using real ammunition in a rigged gun.

A famous instance involved Chung Ling Soo (William Robinson) in 1918, who died when a worn, gimmicked gun accidentally fired a live bullet!

There can always be some creep in the audience who would like to show off! Even a small miscalculation can be fatal! Which is why the Bullet Catch remains one of the most dangerous, albeit thrilling magic!

Then again, when we struggle to catch a breath most of the times, catching a bullet is really cool or ‘magical’!

Magical also was the role of Vijayaraghavan in the movie Kishhkinda kandam…

Now forget about catching bullet and try to catch some sleep!

Shubh ratri!

The Widow by John Grisham!

Thriller!

E Book

No spoilers but you are in for a ride!

Even if I tell you the whole summary you can never guess where the story is going and what is the end!

The final ten percent of the novel (Since it is Kindle, I cannot speak in terms of pages anymore!) is one of the best I have read by John! That includes the very thrilling Secrets of Secrets by Dan!

In the end though there is a direct influence of Grisham’s last work called FRAMED but that is only in the end!

Then again I can very well say that his future novels may go this way since it is very much required!

So a lawyer who is not doing so well in a small town (John’s stories usually begin this way!). The firm is usually not doing well! The personal life of the lawyer is in tatters and he is simply losing money! The lawyer is usually not a typical ‘good’ or perfect person but he is simply trying to survive!

Then one fine day he gets an interesting case which would shake his life and career!

A little greed and it was all chaos from then on!

It starts in a dull way when a widow who could be either very clever or well, not so clever meets our lawyer to prepare a will!

The day she walks into his old dusty office is the day his life changes and how!

Then you have the typical Grisham lawyer stuff! The sessions, the bankruptcy cases, some time in the traffic courts and then the major trial!

Once the trial begins there is not a dull moment till the judgement! When it does come you may feel it is the end but that is the moment the real thrill begins!

How do you do it John!? Well; no objections here!

JG fans would love this anyway; for others, well it’s your choice your honour!

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert Sapolsky is an in-depth look on how humans behave!

One behavior the author mentions in the novel is called the Reciprocal altruism

Now it may sound complicated but it is fairly simple and you would have actually known and done the simple sounding version of this act!

Technically though reciprocal altruism is a social behavior where an organism helps another at a cost to itself, with the expectation of getting help in return later.

This is actually a crucial behavior in animals for cooperation among non-relatives, seen in baboons forming coalitions or cleaner fish cleaning larger fish, relying on memory and recognizing “cheaters” to maintain fairness!

Remember that the first act of altruism is not easy!

Acting altruistically (reducing own fitness) with the expectation of future reciprocation, boosting long-term fitness is the theme here and this term was coined by Robert Trivers in 1971 to explain cooperation beyond kin selection.

The fact here is that individuals help those who have helped them, often using past behavior as a cue for future reliability. The chief point here is that there is an essence of give and take! If you cheat in between you are out!

Organisms must remember past interactions to identify and avoid individuals who take help but don’t give it back (cheaters)!

If you thought it happens only in Humans; it is surprisingly common in animals!

Like say in Baboons, the Males form temporary alliances (coalitions) to gain mating access, expecting support later.

In fishes like the cleaner Fish, the small fish eat parasites off larger fish; larger fish protect them in return!

In many vampire Bats, the bats that fail to feed may receive regurgitated blood from a successful bat, expecting the favor returned.

In humans of course this is the norm! One individual helps another expecting the favor to be returned in kind or cash! Here the chief factor is trust! If you that is lost then the whole deal is out!

Which is why that famous story of the person who steals the horse from another who actually helped him is the key!
In that the person tells to the thief, “Do not tell anyone how you stole! Then people will stop trusting each other!”

The thief then gets a pang of guilty conscience and returns the horse!

Do help and get help in return! That is Reciprocal Altruism! You of course know it as the more common saying; “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours!”

So whose back are you going to scratch to get reciprocal altruism!?

Then again true altruism is rare and one rare example is a soldier who does not hesitate to give his or her life for the country!
One such legend was General Bipin Rawat…

You will be missed sir

Jai Hind…

When it comes to loneliness, apparently the size does not matter!

In case you are feeling little or lonely or both then take assurance in the fact that there is a lonely animal which is ‘still searching’ for a companion but still has not found anyone else!’

It may be the last of its species or the first! Both are causes to be lonely!

The name given to it is the 52 BLUE!

So “52 Blue” is the colloquial name for the 52-hertz whale, a single whale of an unidentified species that has been tracked since the late 1980s by its unique, high-pitched call.

It is often referred to as the “world’s loneliest whale” because its frequency is much higher than that of other whale species, such as blue whales (10-39 Hz) and fin whales (20 Hz), leading many to believe no other whale can hear its calls!

Frequency: The whale’s call is at an unusual 52 hertz, roughly equivalent to the musical note G#1. Over the years, the call has reportedly deepened slightly, suggesting the whale has matured!

By the way in case you think such a ‘whale’ of a problem can be solved! You will be shocked to know that it has not even been seen! How could a ‘whale’ remain hidden!?

Well; the scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution speculate it could be a malformed individual, a hybrid (possibly a blue and fin whale cross), or a member of an unknown species!

But the fact remains that the whale has never been sighted, only detected by U.S. Navy hydrophones in the North Pacific Ocean. It follows a migration pattern similar to blue and fin whales, traveling between the Aleutian/Kodiak Islands and the California coast.

While the story is emotionally resonant, scientists caution that they don’t know if the whale is actually lonely or if it simply communicates differently. Its survival and apparent maturity indicate it is likely healthy, and some similar calls have been detected since 2010, suggesting there may be more than one such whale!

So there is hope! A big hope! Just do not be blue, 52 blue!

So there is only one such whale in the world! In the same way there is only one legendary Rifleman who single handedly stopped over 300 Chinese armed personnels!

There is actually a memorial of this legend in AP! It’s an absolute divine place sorounded by pristine beauty! Still remember going there as a child…

You will never be forgotten Shri Jaswant Singh Rawat! Or as we know him in Arunachal Pradesh; Baba Jaswant ji

Jai Hind…

Ayodhya Alliance by Ashwin Sanghi

E book

Book review

Thriller Genre!

Ashwin Sanghi is back and how! I was not happy when Ashwin went to the detective whodunnit mode without the inputs from our Ithihasa!

Ayodhya alliance takes care of any complains!

Like most of his books on the Bharat series; this one also goes with two to three stories running parallels but thousands of years apart!

Though I was interrupted by Dan Brown’s latest; it was hard to put this down to pick that up! In fact this one is more closer to us and deserves more time!

The novel starts in the present times with the mention of Operation sindoor and the Indian defense! There is a big need to reinforce our machinery with armor so powerful that we can face anything!

When you want to have a better future, the best way is to take a look at the past!

So Ashwin takes us between the two time periods and of course in the end there is a connection (or many!) and of course an Alliance!

The novel Ayodhya Alliance tells us about this amazing technology in ancient times where the metal was made with a secret process which made sure that the iron remains rust and corrosion free for ages! A feat even difficult now with modern methods!

The theme of the two fishes who are moving in either direction! The Abstract image of that is one of the most famous symbols in China and now all over the world!
This symbol is shown in many places along with many links all over the world! Super fishy to say the least but in a good way!

He talks about the Kailasa temple! The amount of carvings and that too intricate ones done by the artisans is simply mind blowing! To think that it was done in ancient time and also with man made tools is simply amazing! Apparently invaders finally gave up on this task and realizing that it was impossible to completely destroy the temple as the rock was simply too hard to demolish, even though artisans used only hammers, chisels and picks to construct it!

If you like K pop then this may be good news! Indians have a cool connection with Korea! One of the Queens maybe from Ayodhya! That is the central crux or character of the storyline!

The queen was Heo Hwang-ok also known as Empress Boju was a legendary queen mentioned in Samguk yusa, a 13th-century Korean chronicle. According to Samguk Yusa, she became the wife of King Suro of Geumgwan Gaya at the age of 16, after having arrived by boat from a distant kingdom called “Ayuta”!

The India-South Korea connection revolves around the legend of Queen Heo Hwang-ok who is also known as Princess Suriratna who forms the parallel female lead of the story!

He also tells about the new revolutionary concept of QUBIT!
A qubit (short for quantum bit!) is the fundamental unit of quantum information, serving as the quantum counterpart to a classical bit!

So overall a thrilling ride between the past and the present; between India and the world and some fact and fiction thrown around for some fun!

Of course do get over your colonial hangover before you start reading this one without any bias!

The connections of NYT sometimes (most of the times actually!) really makes you mad! You are supposed to group stuff together!

It is the adult version of match the following!

Yesterday there was a word which sent me running to Google!

The word was Herpetofauna!

Do you know what that is! Do you now realize that I will tell you whether you want to know or not!

Oh yeah, while at that you will also learn what is Herping! Now that is not a typo of Helping! Though it may be close!

So coming to the connection!

Herpetofauna refers to the collective group of amphibians (frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, caecilians) and reptiles (snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodiles, tuataras) in a specific area!

This term is derived from the Greek herpetón (creeping) and fauna (animals).
Yes! If you have seen the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom then there is a scene in which you are supposed to go through all the creepy things to reach a lever! If you have phobia of creepy things then you better not watch it!
Herpetofaunas are both creepy and slimy!


But these specific amphibians and reptiles actually play crucial roles in ecosystems as predators and prey, and many species, especially amphibians, act as vital indicators of environmental health due to their sensitivity to habitat changes, making them important subjects for ecological study (herpetology) and conservation efforts!

They are characterized by cold blood! Like the amphibians which have smooth moist skin and often require water for reproduction (e.g., frogs, salamanders).

The reptiles though have scales or shells and are more independent of water due to amniotic eggs (e.g., snakes, lizards, turtles).

If there are amphibians and snakes in an area then it is a good area as far as nature is concerned!

One of their roles is ecological where they serve as predators (controlling pests) and prey, impacting food webs.

They are sensitive to pollution and habitat loss, signaling ecosystem health.

The focus of Herpetology which is the scientific study of amphibians and reptiles is thus to save them from threats like habitat destruction which requires focused conservation and research.

Which brings us to Herping! That is simply the hobby of searching for and observing herpetofauna in the wild! Now that is a wild hobby!

So you learnt a new word! Do you know another new word called Gondhali?
It’s an art form and one of the legends of this art form is Venkappa Ambaji Sugatekar!

Do read about him!

Shubh ratri…

The third wish!

What are your wishes my master!?

These are the words which are a part of everyone’s dream at some point in his or her life! May not be the same Genie or the ‘provider’ of the wish but you get the point!

Now you may or may not get a magic lamp or do some penance for a hundred years or so to get your boon; but it always pays to be prepared!

Imagine one fine day you do get an opportunity to get your wishes fulfilled and you do not have your wishes ready! These things are like the OTP! They come with a time limit you see!

The most clever thing of course if your wishes are limited is to ask for more wishes as your last wish as in many stories!

I am guessing that the Genie will have some software update to ease out that bug!

So he or she would tell you that you can have only three proper wishes! So what will you wish for!?

Wealth is a given first wish and most intelligent ones would then ask for health! Some may try to test whether the wishes do work and then in that act, ‘waste’ the wishes! Do not attempt to do that!

So the first two wishes are a done deal in most cases!

What separates everyone apart is the third wish!

Some may ask for important position or a particular contract! Some may ask the control of the world! If it is real magic then some may ask for getting a ‘lost’ someone back!

Some crazed teen or young adult may ask for ‘true love!’

Then the Genie would evoke the technical issue that he or she cannot bring someone back or ‘make’ someone ‘fall’ in love! That has to come naturally! He or she cannot change the ‘course’ of nature! He or she cannot make you likeable to all with a snap! Even a Genie cannot do it!

Then again in a host of the literally work, the third wish is usually to undo the usually negative complications of the first two wishes! This usually happens when you do not think things through!

The first two wishes cause lots of chaos and the third wish is the solution!

Someone may ask that he or she understand whatever is there in all the books in the universe! But then that knowledge may make him or her accept that money is not knowledge and may make him get rid off it!

Someone may ask that he or she understand a complicated system! Like say, rocket science which is the usual adage when it comes to the most complicated system in the world since it involves so many factors and calculation! But simple knowledge is not enough since you cannot be everywhere and cannot do everything!

Then someone would ask for more version of ‘himself or herself’! Clone! The issue then would be more complication! Who would be the original and who is the clone!? Since you of course want your clone to have your intelligence! That is chaos multiplied!

I have also wondered if the wishes were asked to the participants of a beauty pageant would they still ask for ‘world peace’ as one of their wishes!
The men may probably settle for a ‘piece’ of the world!

Then moral thing of course would be to free the Genie of his bondage! Or you give the lamp to someone close and then he or she can extend the three wishes! But the Genie would be trapped inside!

The fact (really?!) of the matter though remains that you have to be prepared! Make a list and keep in handy in case you forget or the Genie tells you that it has to be a previously made list!

So what are you waiting for!? Start writing your wishes!

Growing up our wish was for friday to come as soon as possible since then you had both Turning point and Flop show on the TV! For the former you used to wish that you had more brain while for the latter you did not need any!

Turning point of course reminds me of Prof Yash Pal! My wish at the time was to grow up all wise, intelligent and knowledgeable like him! There is still time for that wish to come true even without a Genie or a lamp!

Time to dream!

Shubh ratri!

यत्र योगेश्वर: कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धर: ।
तत्र श्रीर्विजयो भूतिर्ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम ॥

Tinbergen brothers!

They are special brothers since they achieved what no other pair of brothers or siblings have achieved before and may not achieve in future!

Of course you can hope!

Sibling rivalry is a given! Any sibling are the best of friends and the biggest competitors to each other! Which is why a pair is lucky if they are in different field!

Then again they can inspire each other do to better and may be even reach the legacy of Tinbergen brothers one day!

Did you know that one of the best siblings are the elephants! The huge gentle giant is a great brother or sister since they usually have a big age group by which time the sibling rivalry does not happen! It is more of a second mother or father type of relationship here!

Now like most humans, elephants are born one at a time, and older sister elephants babysit their younger siblings while the mother is away! And then there are the naked mole rats, which can have hundreds of siblings, all from one mother called the queen. In their network of narrow underground tunnels, the younger or lower status sibling has to make way for the older one.

Some animal siblings are unusually helpful to each other. Now European shrews, which are so tiny that a litter of them can fit into a teaspoon. To keep from getting lost, they move in a caravan, with the mother leading and the children following along, grabbing onto the sibling in front of them with their teeth! Having a sibling is a gift in many ways!

Then you have the Tinbergen brothers!

So their accomplishment is that they are the only siblings who have each won a Nobel prize!

Jan Tinbergen was awarded the first prize in Economic sciences in 1969 while his younger brother, Nikolaas Tinbergen (Nico), was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine just four years later, in 1973!

They are the only set of brothers to have each received the prestigious award.
Now if you are a part of a sibling pair or more; they are the ones to match or beat! Now do be Noble even if you do not get the NOBEL or stylish!

Style reminds me of Manish Malhotra!

Shubh ratri…