Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.

How, you think, one would compare each programming language to a religion! Here you can find one interesting page by ‘amz’ (Rodrigo Braz Monteiro) titled “If programming languages were religions…”. It _is_ nice. So, try not to carry jokes and tricks with C++ too far, or you’ll be found dead the next morning in the gutter.

Mike Vanier have done another comparison of a more or less same kind but between programming languages and cars. It is also interesting. Find it here.

Today I had set the time for my comprehensive exam, in which four professors from the department gave me an exam asking questions about different fields of science (computer science, I mean). In Iranian universities and a lot of universities around the world, a PhD student after passing the courses takes an exam called comprehensive exam. In Iran most likely four different courses are chosen for the comprehensive exam.

Today, I took the exam. My supervisor and I have chosen these four courses for the exam: Advanced Topics in Image Processing, Advanced Topics in Computer Vision, Advanced Topics in Evolutionary Algorithms and Advanced Computer Networks. Since I had a good GPA no written examination was needed, so Dr. Fathy, Dr. Rahmani, Dr. Zargari and Dr. Berangi gave me an oral examination. I did well enough, in my own point of view, in the first three courses but I sucked in the last one, advanced computer networks, as was not my field of work. After the questions in the exam I was asked about the idea on my PhD thesis and I talked about 5-10 minutes or so.

Well, what is important is that finally it is done. What motivated me to write about this exam here was that in my opinion and my friends’ opinion as well as most of the professors’, this exam in its current form is a havoc. It should be improved and much of related things should be asked for the exam. Courses previously passed are gone and the student should present her own talent, achievements and ideas on the filed she is doing her research. Well, there are a lot of things here needing improvements, this case is just a tiny portion. So, forget about it.

انالله و انا الیه راجعون

It is a short journey from birth until death.
Seek to enjoy the journey as much as you can.
Savor the scenery and the people you meet enroute, for it is all there is.

Well, it’s a month or so my grandfather passed away. One Tuesday afternoon, my brother called me and sent me the word. I was in Tehran, first thing in the next morning I went to the Mehrabad Airport of damn Tehran hoping to find a ticket to Mashhad. I could find one for 12:45 on a Boeing 727. Unfortunately when I arrived to Mashhad the funeral had just been finished! I found my mother, uncles, and aunts gloomy, all in my grandmother’s distressed arms. Still I can not believe he is gone. He was hale and sound the previous time I parted for Mashhad for my brother’s wedding.

He was a great man, someone everybody adored. Brilliant and loyal, I loved him a lot and everybody, believe me everybody loved him greatly. Good for him, he is living his other life the best way possible, I bet.

Not how did he die, but how did he live?
Not what did he gain, but what did he give?
These are the units to measure the worth
Of a man as man, regardless of birth.
Was he ever read, with word of good cheer.
To bring back a smile, to banish a tear?
Not what did the sketch in the newspaper say,
But how many were sorry when he passed away.