BE stands for brain...

What is a BE degree? Others may call it a technical course but for Dr B S Sudhindra, the regional director of Indira Gandhi National Open University, BE is nothing but a phenomenon of eight which ends up with an uncertainty.

During a seminar, Dr Sudhindra expressed his views on BE. “BE is an eight semester course with 80 GB Syllabus where students get 80 MB studies.

At the end of your course, students could remember only 80 KB and in examination they give answer in 80 bytes. The marks at the end are given in binary. “On the basis of the marks, a two letter degree is given, which is called BE, which can either be Brain Empty or Brain Empowered,” quipped Sudhindra.

G Manjusainath

Conspicuous by silence

These days any function attended or not attended by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa makes news. What is more interesting is that whether both these leaders talk to each other on the dias or not is also hitting the headlines.

The other day when both these leaders attended a function at Ramanagara to inaugurate the newly formed district, a national daily reported that these leaders did not interact for nearly half an hour though they were seated next to each other.

Looking at the way both leaders are behaving between themselves at public functions, a reporter observed, here afterwards journalists will have to keep a timer and count how many times both these leaders looked at each during a function as talking to each other has become a thing of the past!

K N Reddy

Gold doesn’t glitter!

Here is another instance of how a simple question can ignite the mind paving way for scientific discoveries and applications.

Among many scientific studies to his credit, renowned scientist C N R Rao is also known for his pioneering research in nano-technology.  His lab in Bangalore has succeeded in creating the “y-junction nano tubes” for which India had to depend on other countries till now.

At the launch of Bangalore Nano-2007 recently, Prof Rao narrated how he was beguiled to the subject.
Some three decades back when he was teaching in IIT, Kanpur, Prof Rao was asked a question by a young student.

The query went, “how many atoms of gold is required to make it shine ?” The question sent the scientist thinking and captivated his interest in nano-technology. Research has now revealed that at nano-scale, gold indeed does not glitter.

Now should not Shakespeare’s adage - all that glitters is not gold - need some reframing.

 Vijesh Kamath