The obverse: “As the Chinese say, 1001 words is worth more than a picture.”

That piece of insight came to us from John McCarthy, the legendary computer science professor at Stanford University, who passed away this week.

Other John McCarthy sayings I am fond of:

“Comparing oneself with Galileo or Einstein is certainly good for the ego – provided one refrains from going into too much detail.”

“To keep the wilderness truly wild, all maps and publications should be suppressed – no more Sierra Club books and calendars.”

“No-one has yet built a monument so high that a bird can’t fly over and shit on it.”

More pellets of wisdom at The Sayings of John McCarthy.

PS: His obituary.

I have fond memories of childhood summer days slaked by the mere sight of the Codd soda bottle – named after its British inventor Hiram Codd. In Goa we knew it as “Guddechi baatli” and possession of the embedded “goddo” (the glass marble) gave many a young brat not inconsiderable bragging rights.

Today the Codd bottle is on the verge of retirement. Khandelwal Glass Works in India and another company in Japan are believed to be the last two surviving manufacturers of this relic.

Sightings of the Codd bottle have now become scarce in Panjim. I managed to wangle a sample from the Mohan Cold Drink House in Cortin. However, the traditional wooden opener was not to be found. You may remember the ‘experts’ in the art of opening this bottle – they could lengthen the duration of the hiss by controlling the pressure on the marble as it dislodged.

For a historical perspective on soda bottles, see this.

Codd soda factory in Panjim, Goa
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Codd soda machine in Panjim, Goa
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Codd soda bottle
5D Mark II, 85L II

Wide angle view of the Codd bottle
5D Mark II, 14L II

Deepavali, the Festival of Lights.

5D, 70-200L f/2.8 IS

I took time off from blogging during September to tend to matters in need of more immediate attention. Regular programming will resume shortly.

For now, here are a couple of candid pictures of mine taken by Sanjeev Trivedi during our excursion earlier this Spring through Death Valley, California.

My solitary figure at the Stovepipe Wells sand dunes in Death Valley, California
Photo by: Sanjeev Trivedi

In Death Valley, California
Photo by: Sanjeev Trivedi

Salutations to Ganesha, the Wise One!

Ganesha

Welcome to my Photo Blog. Today’s inaugural post also marks the launch of my online Photo Gallery . This blog will serve as a slate to discuss my photos, experiences in photography, and point to updates in my image portfolio.