Maitri’s VatulBlog

From Kuwait To Katrina And Beyond

UIUC Unveils the World’s Most Advanced Building

Posted on April 30, 2004 - Filed Under science & technology | Leave a Comment

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is my undergraduate alma mater. We watched with alternating boredom and glee as the Beckman Artificial Intelligence Institute and Grainger Engineering Library went up, and clogged two of CU’s ten or so main traffic arteries. The complex is also situated a block away from my old high school. […]

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Medical Malpractice Suits: 10,000 Lawyers At The Bottom Of The Ocean Now!

Posted on April 22, 2004 - Filed Under culture-society-history, government | Leave a Comment

This just in from my brother:
The malpractice situation in Ohio is getting really bad. Cases in point follow.
Dr. A’s insurance policy was declared non-renewable because he had 3 suits in the last 1 year (all 3 of which were dropped, one in which he had not even seen the patient and the insurance company had […]

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Eureka!

Posted on April 21, 2004 - Filed Under science & technology | Leave a Comment

Archimedes was one cool guy. I just don’t believe that the world had to wait almost two millenia for another of equal prowess (Newton) to come along. Of course, this is celebrating only the western branch of science.

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The NO Wall

Posted on April 20, 2004 - Filed Under culture-society-history, family & friends, travel | Leave a Comment

No post-slot-machine bliss for this girl. If breaking even is considered lucky, I made out pretty well. Gambling strategy comes to me like flying does to a penguin. Some things you can’t teach, and there are others your pocketbook just doesn’t want to learn. I did figure out that the trick to winning money at […]

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Go 3D Ramanis!

Posted on April 16, 2004 - Filed Under desi / india, gizmos & hacks, science & technology, visualization | Leave a Comment

From SiliconValley.com:
Researchers have developed new search engines that can mine catalogs of three-dimensional objects such as airplane parts or architectural features.
For example, Purdue University professor Karthik Ramani created a system that can find computer-designed industrial parts, and Caterpillar Inc. engineer Rick Jeff says of Ramani’s technology: “If you’ve got to design a new elbow for […]

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Packing For The Savage Journey

Posted on April 15, 2004 - Filed Under travel | Leave a Comment

Taxes - check
Cash - check
Water - check
Ibuprofen - check
Swimsuit - check
To do:
Charge cellphone
Find Oscar Acosta

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Reintarnation

Posted on April 14, 2004 - Filed Under science & technology | Leave a Comment

From the NYTimes: After the Double Helix: Unraveling the Mysteries of the State of Being
I was instructed by D to “read the whole thing first. Has [Crick] never heard of reincarnation? Isn’t reincarnation supposed the rebirth of the soul as part of a cycle?”
Like the man said, go ahead and read the article. […]

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You People Know Me Too Well

Posted on April 5, 2004 - Filed Under funny, government | Leave a Comment

BC sent me a joke this morning:
A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age she considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat and had grown to be in strong favor for the re-distribution of all wealth in America.
She felt deeply ashamed that her father […]

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Viva Las Vegas, Baby!

Posted on April 2, 2004 - Filed Under culture-society-history, family & friends, travel | Leave a Comment

In a couple of weeks, a number of us female cousins and friendswill be in Vegas for what BJV terms our Weekend Of Shame. Between The Thunder From Down Under (Aussie All-Male Revue) and shopping and eating at Aladdin and the Bellagio, we have quite a few varieties of said shame planned. Having previously visited […]

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