22 Crossroads

JUN 20, 2018: It's been close to a week since FIFA World Cup 2018 started. We have already seen almost as many upsets as there were fancy  advanced models pre-tournament trying to predict the outcomes.  There has been a flurry of articles and scholarly papers using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to predict the tournament results this year. Included in that list are the usual suspects such as FiveThirtyEight and  bookmakers , as well as unlikely participants such as Goldman Sachs and Cornell University (maybe not that unlikely). Inspired by these articles,  some heated arguments,  a few cups of coffee, and with my trusted Microsoft Excel, I set about creating my own not-so-intelligent predictor .  It's a fairly simple model that runs Monte Carlo simulations, and uses some hard coded inputs on pre-tournament form, such as: FIFA Ranking Points Football ELO Ratings Goals Scored, Goal Conceded and Undefeated streaks since World Cup 2014 Number of Ballon d

Embers, fires and slumbers stoked, fanned and broken dreams, promises, kisses borrowed, begged or stolen palms sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy ribs bruised and eyes swollen from earth, dust and ashes rising unbowed, unbent, unbroken.

हाई हील्स - द्वारा श्री यो यो हनी सिंह कवि परिचय एवं भावार्थ इस भावार्थ को मेरे स्वर में सुनने के लिए नीचे क्लिक करें: https://soundcloud.com/kumar-ritwik/high-heels-kavi-parichay-evam-bhavarth उक्त कविता महाकवि श्री यो यो हनी सिंह के प्रतिनिधि काव्यों में से एक है । इन पंक्तियों में कवि एक युवती को सम्बोधित करते हुए अपने विचार व्यक्त कर रहे हैं । श्री यो यो हनी सिंह जी का जन्म पंजाब प्रांत के होशियारपुर गाँव में हुआ था और उनके माता-पिता ने उनका नाम हिरदेश सिंह रखा था । साहित्य की दुनिया में कदम रखने पर उन्होंने "हनी सिंह" के उपनाम को अपनाया और अपने दोनों नामों को चरितार्थ करते हुए ऐसी कविताओं की रचना की जो मधुर होने के साथ-साथ हृदय भेदी भी हैं । यो यो जो की रचनाओं में कुछ विषय-वस्तु  बारम्बार ही उजागर होते हैं । ऐसी ही एक मौलिक विचारधारा है कवि की नारी-समाज से रु-ब-रु होने की कोशिश। चाहे वह "ब्राउन रंग" के द्वारा समाज के सौंदर्य के आयामों पर कटाक्ष हो, या फिर "अंग्रेजी बीट" और "बेबो" में नारी स्वछँदता की अभिव्यक्ति। यो यो जी अपन

If you are planning to buy a dSLR, here are the steps that you should follow. The first rule of buying a dSLR is do not buy a dSLR. The second rule of buying a dSLR is do NOT buy a dSLR. Seriously! You may think that you are ready, that you know what you are getting into. But trust me, you are not. dSLRs are not just cameras, they are relationships. And like any relationship they have to be maintained – they require time, money and effort. And much like that rebound you regretted getting into, at some point you will regret this. These things are big, bulky, heavy and conspicuous – you will probably require a separate bag when you are packing for a trip, you will have to sacrifice underwear or deodorant (or both) on that hike, the strangers would glare at you as they would at a monkey with a camera (which you most likely end up looking like anyway), and everyone will expect each frame you click to be poetry frozen in time. You can’t carry them to the local pub; you can’t dan

महफ़िलें वही हैं, ये जाम दूसरा है बाज़ार है वही, पर दाम दूसरा है ख्वाहिशें वही हैं खुमार दूसरा है यार भी वही हैं, पर प्यार दूसरा है सब कुछ है हूबहू, बस ख्याल दूसरा है वो साल दूसरा था, ये साल दूसरा है _______________________________________________ mehfilein wahi hain, par jaam doosra hai bazaar bhi wahi hai, par daam doosra hai khwahishein wahi hain khumaar doosra hai yaar bhi wahi hain, par pyaar doosra hai sab kuchh hai hu-ba-hu, bas khayal doosra hai woh saal doosra tha yeh saal doosra hai

She, of the hair most unruly Trapped once, and you'd need a year to break free. She, of the eyes of a deity Trapped once, and forever hers you shall be. I had known her for eight months. And sometimes I wondered.

Sometimes, I just feel lucky to be born when I was , to be born in this time and age, to have seen so many contenders for the "Greatest of All Time" tag. Lucky to be born in the age of Michael Schumacher and watch him beat record after record. To be born in the age of Lance Armstrong, for whom beating opponents and records was but a secondary feat. To be born in the age of Zinedine Zidane, most certainly the best of this generation, the marquee headbutt notwithstanding. Lucky to have watched not one, but two legends, pass the baton in tennis. When Pete Sampras lost in the Wimbledon of 01, it made fans of him hate that pony-tailed guy for ending his quest for a 5th consecutive crown. I know I did. But Pete shouldn’t mind that now, for over the course of next 8 years or so, Roger has shown that when it comes to beauty on the tennis court he has got the entire WTA beat, by a long shot (down the line). And then there’s Sachin Tendulkar , whose one mistimed shot makes your heart s