To P or Not to P, is the question

Blog XXVIII of Thirty Days – Thirty Blogs series

You must have heard by now about HP Labs researcher Vinay Deolalikar who has claimed to have presented a proof for P != NP in over hundred pages long paper. You must have also read that experts have pointed out certain problems in the analysis which need to be fixed by Vijay. Overnight this has become a trending topic with almost every technical blog worth its salt wanting to do a piece on it even if admittedly many of the authors have no idea about the consequences of such a proof.

Inspired from comments by a newbie on one such blog (cannot find the link anymore), I came up with the following joke:
Teacher: Who can solve this… (jots down on blackboard) P = NP
Ram (student): Sir, I think I have a solution.
Teacher: Go ahead..
Ram: P = NP, dividing both sides by P, we get N = 1. So P = NP iff N has a value 1.
Teacher (totally dismayed): Does anybody in class want to point out a critical flaw in Ram’s proof.
Shyam (another student): Sir, may I ?
Teacher (excitedly): Yes yes, go ahead !
Shyam: Teacher, the flaw in Ram’s proof is that he divides both sides by P which would be incorrect if P is zero…
Teacher (getting a bit uneasy): Umm..actually..
Shyam (going on): ..so if we were to subtract both sides by P and take P out common we get P(1-N) = 0 which means that  P = NP only when either P = 0 or N = 1.
(Teacher faints)

Few secrets of getting that ring

Blog XXVI of Thirty Days – Thirty Blogs series

Few blogs back, I talked about my pursuit of naukri, which was a global overview about how and what helped me become employed. I tried to share some tips and tricks and I was surprised at the enthusiasm that the blog received. I had made a mental note then to elaborate on certain aspects of job search in future posts.

One of the most dreaded stage of job search is the waiting period when you apply through various channels and cross your fingers hoping that you would get that golden ring from employers soon. Everybody have their own tips & tricks when it comes to beating others at getting an interview call, here are some of mine:

• As an old adage goes, teach your child how to fish and he would eat for the rest of his life. Many of the points below were borne out of an innate desire to get some kind of a competitive edge over other job aspirants because frankly speaking, there exist very few differences. Everybody is smart now-a-days and you simply cannot afford to let your skills speak for yourself. Often in USA, it is not the best technical resume, but the best marketing resume that gets the initial call. To be in the priority list of employers, you need to adopt this kind of attitude. Once you do that, remaining points would appear trivial. Utilise all available resources you might have at hand for your job search.
• Portfolio/proof of work accompanying your resume helps the employers in making the leap from “Can he do this for me ?” to “Alright, he can do it, lets call him !”. Before you think this point is applicable only to arts majors, think about your LinkedIn recommendations, letters from professors or word from an ex-colleague.
• Professional website, in continuation to the point above, can be used to provide past work samples as well as detailed information that you could not squeeze in your one page resume. I log visitor statistics on my website & I can tell you that many prospective employers checked it before calling. It also gives you a 2-3 days heads up on whom to expect a call from to fine tune your preparation. Of course, as you can see on my website, one does not need to be a webmaster to develop a basic website template.
• App marathon was the name I gave to my Friday night or Saturday morning sessions when I would stop breathing, sleeping, eating and drinking for few hours and do nothing else but apply to various positions online. Also I would update an excel matrix with the status and date of my application so that I do not miss out visiting any company’s website for too long. This helped me a lot in going systematically through my desired company’s list. It also helps in maintaining temporal locality as explained in previous post.
• Be proactive in replying to even mundane HR emails asking for same old stuff. I am not saying HR would put an endorsement on your application but atleast it helps them understand that you are sincere about application. If the HR person gets to make a random call, he would surely reject people who took a week just to reply back. Also if you are speaking to a consultant, it would help him understand your interest in job seeking and will directly determine his commitment towards you.
• Resume crowd-sourcing: sometimes there are different ways of saying the same thing and you realise it only when you observe other people’s resume. If your employers are using a keyword search or looking for a specific phrase in your resume, you can miss out, so be sure to ask your peers to review your resume time & again and also politely ask for their resumes to see what kind of keywords/phrases have they used.
• Never too late: If in the last post, I was driving the point that you can never be over-networked then let me also emphasise that it is never too early to start networking. I attended my first career fair at TAMU as a fresh student. I was carrying along a handbag then to collect various goodies being distributed and in between, I tried talking with people from various companies. It might be coincidental but one of my later interviews happened on the basis of a recruiter relation that started in the first semester with a a free T-shirt request. Three semesters later, the recruiter was impressed to see me appear for every career fair and probably put in a strong endorsement for an onsite call. At another company, I was able to answer one of those spot on questions about “what do you know about us” pretty well because I had been hearing that marketing talk from them for over an year.
• Second chances are rare but when you see them, you should grab them. On one specific instance, I landed a dud interviewer who for sure would have thrown away my resume but I salvaged the situation by simply re-entering the company booth but this time choosing to approach another interviewer. Second time around, interviewer was more patient  and I was more confident, we clicked and I got an on campus interview call soon afterwards.
• Read through your resume also, and not just keep on preparing the technical stuff. Remember most interviewers would start off with “tell me about yourself” and “tell me about this project” questions and if you have not read your resume ever since the day you typed it, you are going to be in a tight spot.
• On-campus and on-call interviewers are professionals but humans first. They are equally susceptible to sleep and limited attention span. When given a choice, try to schedule your interviews at around 10am in the morning because that is when people are most charged. In case there are multiple people being interviewed, try to get yourself in second/third spot and then try and find out from the first person the kind of questions they are asking so that you are not caught off guard.
• As you would personalise your resume and cover letters, it might be difficult to keep track of different versions. A good option is to use some way to indicate versioning in your resume. I include a LUO date on the footer of my resume. On two occasions, I remember asking the interviewer for the LUO date to figure out if they had my latest resume or not.

Some interviewing anecdotes

Blog XXV of Thirty Days – Thirty Blogs series

During my pursuit of naukri, I gave several interviews at various places and while almost all the interviews were very professional and regular, once in a while there would be some comic moments. Sometimes they make you smile right during the interview, sometimes you smile over them later. Here’s a brief compilation of some interviewing anecdotes that are purely based on my experience. Company/interviewer names and questions have been altered to avoid any conflicts.

How would you test a whiteboard marker ?
This was the first question & I was ecstatic because I had been preparing for such kind of questions. I almost barfed all my responses. Interviewer was looking for a specific response and was happy when I gave that. He communicated this to next interviewer who said “Normally I ask a testing question but I would ask a coding question now". Perhaps the word had spread far & wide. Over lunch I was asked to test an ATM. Interviewer kept on smiling throughout my answers. Apparently interviewers like barf-puppies.

I would let you speak as well..
Interviews were being held en masse in a crowded room and it was hard to listen as it is. To top it, half of interview was already past and John had not let me utter a single sentence and was introducing himself & his work instead. I tried to politely interrupt only to be snapped back “I would let you speak in a short moment..”. I spoke only for 5 minutes out of total 15 minutes of interview.

He is fast with logic..
(I generally like to derive things instead of putting the answer upfront.)
John: Design an AND using MUX
$ (after deriving the equation): Here
John: Design an OR now
$ (after deriving the equation again): Here
John (slightly worried): Design NOT using NAND
$ (Without deriving this time): Here
John (a bit relieved, left and said this to next interviewer): He is fast with logic.

How would you solve this problem ?
It is last interview at the end of a long day full of interviews and a sleepless night at hotel. Even after a coffee dose, I am feeling lightheaded. Thankfully, the interview is with a trainee and he assures me that it was more of a formality. He goes on at length explaining his work (that I was supposed to take over) and I try as hard I can to not doze off. Then comes a question that drives away my sleep, “How would you have solved it ?”. I had no idea what ‘it’ was. Needless to say even before speaking a word, I had lost my case. The only consolation was the interview ended soon afterwards and I got to catch up on my sleep.

We have bunch of hardware here
$ (at career fair): Excuse me, you told me your company has hardware jobs.
John: Oh yes ! Are you interested ?
$: You bet !
John (pointing to a bunch of hydraulic machines): This is the kind of hardware we design.
$: Thanks John, it was nice meeting you.

Can you design it using a regular FSM now ?
(Ever heard the proverb of right arm not knowing what left arm does ?)
Lisa: Design a sequence detector.
$: Here, I have used FSM.
Lisa: It is all bookish knowledge, everybody does it the same way. Do you know any other way ?
$ (after some quick thinking): Here is one without using FSM
Lisa: Great, I would call John now.
John: Design a sequence detector.
$: Here is one without using FSM.
John (a bit baffled at the unconventional answer): Show me how it works
$: Here.
John: Write the code & test it.
$: Here.
John (still a bit unconvinced): Can you design it using a regular FSM now ?
$: (sigh) Here.

Is that how your name is pronounced ?
Lisa (walks in with a resume in hand): Hello there, I am sorry how do you pronounce your name ?
$: Soo-bodhh
Lisa (a bit perplexed): Could you please repeat ?
$: Soo-bodhh
Lisa (showing the resume to me): It is strange, your name’s spelling seems so different from your pronunciation.
$ (taking a glance at resume): That is because, it is not my resume.
Lisa (profusely apologetic): Ohh, I will print yours right away.
$ (feeling happy to get rid of a resume printed long time back): Here you can have my spare copy.

power of backup

Blog XXI of Thirty Days – Thirty Blogs series

Not a long time back, big computer racks were needed to compute (hold your breath) KILOBYTES of data. Punch cards were used to work with such limited memory. Fast forward to 2005, when I got 40GB disk space in my first computer, my neighbour with ‘only’ 20GB of data burned in jealousy. Back then, data was carried in floppy disks of ~1.4MB and data backup meant either emailing yourself ‘things’ or carrying an army of floppy disks. Soon came CDs but they gave this false sense  of security. Unlike their floppy siblings who cried out aloud every time as if it was their last time, CDs would silently lap up 700MB of data or more and then become unreadable after few weeks of usage or months of storage. Random files would go corrupt rendering a whole heavyweight application unusable, precious pictures would be lost for ever and movies would appear choppy intermittently.

Today with DVDs and mammoth USB HDs, a lifetime of memories in photos, songs, videos and documents can be stashed away in a book shaped device. No surprises then, that Apple named its device Time Capsule. However, it also means that a data calamity that previously could happen only in case of a major fire, flood or earthquake could now happen merely by dropping/misplacing your laptop, or your dog mistaking your disk for a shiny rug or your daughter deciding to use your DVD for her art project.

Few months back, I went through a similar HD crash. Luckily I was prepared. Unluckily I was not fully prepared. While I had been taking regular backups and synchronising stuff online, there was some data that was still lost. As a result, I had to rebuild my music collection from scratch, go to Facebook and Orkut to download some of my photos that were not backed up. Some photos and some licensed softwares were lost for ever. It came as a lesson that one can never be too backed up.

After the crash I made a list of things that one should do as part of backup plan.

• Primary is not backup: If you are using it regularly, it is no longer backup. So your laptop/desktop HD, USB drive, used DVDs do not qualify as backup since they are also susceptible to damage.
• Classify and rule: your data can be classified along three dimensions of relevance, replaceability and updating frequency. Only important or irreplaceable data needs to be backed up. Data that is updated frequently (emails, work files, resume) should be online auto-synchronised (Dropbox, SugarSync, Syncplicity) so that they are backed up as soon as they get changed. Rest of the data can be backed up at regular intervals either online or offline (but note above rule).
• Backup ALL irreplaceable data: I was not fully prepared for my crash because I had skipped out on this chunk of data. Installation setups of licensed softwares, custom playlists, music albums seem like data that are not so important but are not easily replaceable. As a result it took me a long time to restore all my data after a crash.
• File structure image: it is a good idea to create an image of file structure of your hard disks so that during recover stage you can know what all data you had (Use DiskManager).
• Good thing about backing up less: In case everything else fails and data is lost for good, forget it and remember the lesson. A good thing about any crash is that you lose some old junk which you did not need but could never get yourselves to delete.

DISCLAIMER: In above post, I am talking about personal backup. In corporate realm, backup has always been a major concern. Some of the links above are referral links, but I would have recommended them regardless of the referral. Here are the plain links: Dropbox, SugarSync, Syncplicity.

VM510 (LG Rumor Touch) also does

Blog XX of Thirty Days – Thirty Blogs series

PROLOGUE: Continuing with the theme of making choices that one believes in, for sometime now I was planning to buy my first non-basic phone. Some of the must-haves were

• Camera (2MP atleast)
  
• GPS/navigation tool (preferably Google Maps)
  
• Media player (atleast audio)
  
• A regular Internet browser (atleast Opera)
  
• 3G access for anywhere internet access
  
• Bluetooth and PC connectivity
  
• Nationwide coverage
  
• Optional: keypad, large (touch) screen
  
• Allergic to contracts but will do if coverage is good
  
• Cheap (a default requirement)
  

***

One of the first thoughts that I had was to ape everybody else and purchase the then latest Android phone HTC Droid Incredible. Verizon was an attractive option coverage-wise. However I had been allergic to contract plans all along. If the mandatory smartphone data plans and bloated prices of monthly plans and so-called subsidized phones was not enough, the fact that I was stuck with a carrier for two years with a penalty for breaking contract seemed so wrong to me (remember how you feel on hearing employment bond).

Then I decided to compare Virgin mobile plans despite the fact that I live in partial coverage area of Sprint (Virgin carrier) and was I shocked to see that Virgin was offering data+voice plans in the price that Verizon was offering voice (that too at corporate discount). And the most expensive phones on Virgin (no contract) were cheaper than similarly featured phones on other major carriers. Notably, Sprint was offering the same phone for double the price. How this is possible is beyond my comprehension except that carriers intentionally bloat the no-contract pricing for their handsets so that customers are forced to buy contracts.

As you can understand, by this time I had tipped towards purchasing LG Rumor Touch from Virgin. I had to face numerous questions about why I took a phone that was so unconventional but I am happy with it. Thank God that I did not read the faulty review here.

***

EPILOGUE: The title of this post is a spin on the Google-Verizon marketing campaign of Droid Does aimed at things that Droid can do that iPhone (who else but its main competitor) does not. Here is a list of things that I have been able to achieve with a 130 $ VM510 LG Rumor Touch phone with 30$ monthly plan with no contract (in addition to must-haves above):

• watch videos on YouTube.
  
• upload photos/videos to a host of services: Blogger, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube & more.
  
• casual internet browsing, the physical keypad comes in handy in typing, a feature which would be sorely missed by most of the other smartphone users
  
• dedicated app for email/IM on Yahoo, Google, AOL & Microsoft with option for custom IMAP
  
• not that I am very active, but a social networking app for Facebook, Twitter & MySpace
  
• a paid app for voice based navigation, Google Maps is free.
  
• makes calls without dropping in partial coverage area.
  
• does not need to be held in a particular way.
  
• setup custom ringtones, wallpapers although third party apps are blocked.
  
• apps multitask (except media player, which engineer came up with this dumb idea !).
  
• access to notepad, voice memo, document viewer.
  
• unlike what is said in many reviews, has an easy touch screen (takes a little getting used to after touch calibration)
  

Agreed it is an exaggeration to compare it with Droid, but my point is can Droid do all that for 130$ ?

Making the choices you believe in

Blog XIX of Thirty Days – Thirty Blogs series

This post is about two different ways in which choices manifest themselves. Both manifestations are rooted in the fact that humans by nature are social and tend to seek acceptance of society.

Often in my mentoring sessions (Mentorpolis, NSIT, ISMA, GSC), I come across students who know what they want to do & have a stellar profile to help them in that but yet when it comes to final execution moment they decide to take a backup ”just in case”. Now, backup is a good thing in general, but if I start working out of my USB drive instead of HD, then it is no longer my backup but working copy. There is a thin line between taking backups and losing focus. When a HW engineer thinks about learning a bit of software so that he can apply for SW positions, that in my view crosses this thin line. When a  GRE aspirant talks about preparing for CAT, that also in my view crosses this line. Now what was that proverb about trying to stand on two boats..or was it the other proverb about a pigeon in hand being worth two in bush..

Another trend is to go along with what everybody else does or what is fashionable. I am also guilty of this at times. People want to do MBA or engineering, purchase smartphones, cars, SLRs, switch jobs, because that is what everybody else is doing. It is cool and happening. Often in doing this, they do not care about what they themselves want or if the cool thing fits their case or not. That explains why people run after 3G phones in places without a 3G coverage or look at DSLRs when what they want really is a P&S.

This post is neither a lament nor a criticism. It is just an observation. C&C (comments and criticism) are most welcome.

International Students Funding 101

Blog XII of Thirty Days – Thirty Blogs series

I receive emails which start off like “Can you tell me about the research/group/academics at ..?” but end up with “Also can you tell me how is the funding scenario for ..?”. It is hard to miss the true intent of these emails. My replies start with “Texas A&M has …” and ends with “Btw, if funding is a big concern for you, then RELAX because..”. I imagine that last paragraph sends a smile across most people because their next few emails are solely about funding ! I figured from a past article, that a blog on the basics of securing funding for international students might have some utility value. (Who is interested in what I could have ended up as ??) Ok so first of all, 101 code refers to a basic primer course in any subject, often used in academic lingo.

First things first, this article is aimed towards international students who are going to be studying abroad and (often) are in need of financial aid to sustain themselves. Please note that notwithstanding the aid options available, you would often need to show enough financial resources to visa officers to convince them that you can financially support yourself through the whole course duration, unless you have received some aid ALONGWITH your admit offer. In reality, the living cost estimates made by colleges are often conservative and one ends up spending only 50 to 80% (depending upon location). This is possible due to sharing apartments, cooking at home, living frugally, sharing / lending / downloading books, relying on free food opportunities (religiously !!), etc. In addition, following aid options are available to ALL students :

• Scholarships: Often there are plethora of one-time financial aid options available in the form of scholarships (link) through university. Often these are merit based and in some cases almost always offered once student accepts an offer and reaches university. These may also be available through various departments/research groups or communities. Loan based scholarships (link1, link2) are also available in one’s home country which are marginally better than taking a loan.
• Graduate Assistantships (GA): As the name suggests, GA are assistantship options available for graduate students. Usually GAs imply that students COMPLETE tuition is waived in addition to receiving a monthly stipend/pay. Senior UG students MAY qualify depending upon local policies.
  • Research (GAR/RA): If you have got a PhD or MS admit AND been conversing with some professor for your research topic, chances are high that you could get an RA. Sometimes, professors may insist on seeing you perform for a semester before funding. RA is the best option available as you get paid to perform your research. However, it implies a commitment which may scare those unsure about their future plans.
  • Teaching (GAT/TA): If you are a graduate student, your department may need you to assist a faculty in conducting undergrad classes as a TA. Opportunities may be availed by applying to department OR talking to concerned professor in advance. Often prior working relation with professor may be required. While RA options are limited by research funding, TA options are limited only by courses and department funding. The flip side is you might have to attend UG classes, evaluate loads of marksheets and help UG students understand their course.
  • Non-teaching (GANT): If you are REALLY good in office skills like IT, programming, web development, helpdesk, customer handling then you could seek part-time employment in various campus offices as GANT. While this implies working 20 hours a week on non-academic work, but can be a great value addition to your resume (apart from offering the much needed aid). These positions are fiercely competed for and requires due diligence during application.
• Fellowships: Many government / research organisations and companies institute a fellowship to promote work in a field of their interest. While fellowships accepting international students are far & few in between and fiercely competed for, landing one ensures worry free education and a bright future. Some fellowships may require participation in campus activities or exhibiting exemplary performance in campus. Many fellowships require endorsement from faculty or multiple references.
• Part time (SW): If nothing else works, one can be a student worker by working on-campus part time UPTO 20 hours a week during session and 40 hours a week during holidays. Some universities may also allow international students to seek off campus employment (please check your college’s international students organisation link). Usually universities have some system for searching and applying for such jobs (link). Tasks may be as varied as cafeteria, sports centre, librarian, support. Some senior SWs are incentivised by offering them GANT.
• Full time (CPT/OPT): During the complete education term, based on local policies, usually students are eligible to work full time provided their work is related to their academic field. Often students achieve ‘breakeven’ by working in companies during summer (internship) or regular semesters (co-op) thus avoiding the need for any financial aid (although it would require you to pay tuition cost initially and recover it later). It also entails a chance of being extended a full time offer once academic course has been successfully completed. The flip side is one’s academic plans may get delayed due to being absent from university.
• Others: Depending upon locality, other options such as participating in a research experiment, contests, etc could offer additional sources of income although these are not strictly considered as aid. In USA, FAFSA is a good resource to claim federal aid but involves a long drawn process.

DISCLAIMER: Since I have only one MS to speak for, this blog may/may not stand true for situations in colleges other than Texas A&M but should come close. Please use discretion.