Machu Picchu If you read part 1, you might be wondering why there is no mention of the holy grail of Peru tourism, which also happens to be one of the 7 wonders of the world. I am, of course, talking about Machu Picchu. This is an Incan citadel set in the Andes at an altitude of about 8,000 feet. … Read More
Wonderful Wanderings in Peru – Part 1
The world has about 200 countries. Each of these has its own unique special flavor and reasons for visiting. The world also has a lot of history. One of the illustrious groups of people of the past were the Incas. They occupied portions of modern-day Peru during the 1400s and were one of the largest and most organized empires in … Read More
Handy entertainment notes for new move-ins
It’s that time of the year when old students and interns leave to make way for the new batch of people entering USC. The first thing to decide on is a place to stay. Once you’re done with that, you will want to go about and make the place feel like home. One indispensable thing which every household needs is … Read More
An Indian twist to Roast Beef
Roast beef, despite its deliciousness, isn’t a traditional Indian dish. Being an Indian living in the US, I thought I would come up with my own twist to roast beef which blends the flavors of the subcontinent with those in the US. To what end? Read on to find out. Thou shalt not be disappointed. What you’ll need: Roast beef … Read More
A Guide to Car Rentals in LA
Los Angeles is known as a driving city. A quick stroll through most of LA’s neighborhoods will vindicate this – you’ll see dozens of car zoom past but be hard-pressed to find people walking along the pavements. It is no surprise then, that a number of students buy cars when settling to study in LA. However, this is not always … Read More
A Quick Introduction to Model Search in Neural Networks
In my previous article, I gave a quick introduction to neural networks and how they can become really smart. Now, think of the brains of different organisms. Is it mere coincidence that humans – the smartest of all species – have really large brains? Not really. Humans are smart because they have large brains, because their brains have millions of … Read More
A Quick Introduction to Neural Networks
After writing a myriad of articles on places to visit, sporting events, exercising and recently a book review, this article deals with what I do for a living – my PhD. While thinking of a PhD usually conjures up images of nerdy people working on concepts beyond a normal person’s level of caring or understanding, it… um… isn’t really like … Read More
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
Assuming you have not been living under a rock, you know who Harry Potter is. He lives in a magical world which co-exists with the normal world as we know it, i.e. the Muggle world. He, and people of his kind, can cast spells and curses with their wands to achieve magical effects. If you’ve read the original Harry Potter … Read More
Scenic drive along Angeles Crest Highway
Los Angeles is known as a driving city. While this is not exactly great for traffic congestion or air quality, the fact remains that Los Angeles and its surroundings give people who love driving a lot to live for. There are several excellent drives around the City of Angels, such as Mulholland Drive, Pacific Coast Highway, Palos Verdes Drive and … Read More
When European football (soccer) came to LA
Last Wednesday – July 17th 2019 – marked the silver jubilee of the final of the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Football (known here as soccer, but I’ll refer to it as to football in this article) was a relatively new and unknown thing to most Americans in the 90s, and there were numerous other sports such as American football, baseball … Read More