Cel Kulasekaran

Does it matter?

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:45:22 -0400

Does it matter?

Flight BA 666-0057, working on the instrument landing system at...

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:00:00 -0500

Flight BA 666-0057, working on the instrument landing system at Heathrow in a Boeing 737-400 with Captain Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden). Photographed by flight-crew Kim Phillips. Click on the photo for the Flight 666 experience on Flickr.

Recorded live at Beach Street, Boston. For my father, M....

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:17:00 -0400

Recorded live at Beach Street, Boston. For my father, M. Kulasekaran, in celebration of his 60th year. This version is a cover of Judas Priest’s acoustic take, which was originally written and performed by Joan Baez.

This performance has a number of firsts. It is my first solo song recorded with a vocalist. It is also Kim’s (vocals) first recording and she has never sung before. We had a lot of fun recording this track.

Guitar: Ibanez SA 420X
Bridge: DiMarzio Tone Zone and Piezos
Neck: DiMarzio Air Norton

have you updated your analysis on par11 vs. hiho recently? Your game times are significantly longer in your 2009 analysis than are actual.

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 23:15:00 -0400

How so, measured in number of rallies? I have not revisited the simulation since. The study was intended to compare the relative game/match length against the HiHo scoring system. It was never intended to simulate game times in minutes, but rather measured by the number of rallies played under both systems (relatively, not absolutely).

If you would care to elaborate on your observation, then perhaps I could offer a better discussion. Do you have data?

A recent shot of my current Iwagumi. I have been letting the...

Tue, 17 May 2011 10:53:00 -0400

A recent shot of my current Iwagumi. I have been letting the eco-system take it’s course naturally. While barely feeding the eco-system, it’s inhabitants remain happy with the current cycle. The Baby Dwarf Tears have bounced back from multiple algae outbreaks and a miscalculation of nutrient dosing with the help of Amano Shrimps and Three Ottos.

Photo

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 11:38:00 -0400

Play Dirty

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:46:19 -0400

Capt. Douglas: ...How did the other English officers die?
Capt. Cyril Leech: Unexpectedly.

Cultivating Baby Dwarf Tears (Hemianthus Callitrichoides) Emersed

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:12:00 -0400

“Hemianthus callitrichoides, sometimes known as ‘dwarf baby tears’, or more commonly as ‘HC’, was discovered by Tropica founder Holger Windeløv during an expedition to a small rocky stream east of Havana, Cuba; it was described in aquaristic literature for the first time in 2003. Since its introduction into the hobby, HC has become increasingly popular and a foreground plant of choice, making this once rare plant moderately easy to obtain.” - Aquatic Plant Central.

I was first introduced to the world of aquascaping and Iwagumi through Takashi Amano. I find the field quite inspiring and complex. One of the first few aquatic plants I fell in love with were HC. As an initiate, I found that while there were a number of resources for reading available, they were not aggregated into a single coherent and comprehensive guide for these delicate beauties. This report I intend for initiates or as a reference to those unfamiliar with the species. I hope it will be of some help for anyone seeking to successfully replicate and cultivate a beautiful dense carpet of HC.

Emersed (Dry Start) or Submersed?

I started cultivating HC emersed rather than submersed for my planted tank for three important reasons:

Relatively quicker for HC to densely carpet my scape emersed;
Allowed roots to establish itself deeper into my soil. This prevented floaters when my tank was first flooded which was extremely frustrating;
Algae threat is minimized to zero as it allows HC to establish it’s dominance prior to flooding;

Tank and Lighting

I first housed my intended scape in a tank and a good light source. I have a 20 liter (5.5 gallon) rimless tank with a 27W, 8000K power compact fluorescent bulb. This works very well for a tank of this size and is sufficient for HC.

HC demands a substantial amount of light. I remembered, it is a tropical plant and tried to replicate it’s natural habitat for it to flourish. If one has to ask “does one have enough light?” - one probably doesn’t. At the very least (the common general rule), one should follow the two watts per gallon rule and it doesn’t hurt to have more light. I used 8000K lamps, which has the same spectrum as daylight.

Substrate

There are three layers to the substrate scape. First, I layered the bottom with ADA’s Powersand Special which is basically a fertilizer type substrate with additional nutrients and beneficial microorganisms.

Next, I add a layer (at least 4cm depth) of ADA Amazonia 1, Normal Type. This is the main substrate. I prefer this over Amazonia 2 (ADA has recently updated the composition) as it does not crumble easily once flooded and has a more desirable chemistry (less acidic) with my source of freshwater.

Finally, I topped it off with Amazonia 1, Powder Type. The powder type has finer granularity which is much more suitable for HCs rooting.

Hardscape

I then added my hardscape. This included my choice of Seiryu stones. Once happy with my scape, I sprinkled a little more Amazonia Powder soil to cover any gaps and to make the hardscape seamless with the substrate (i.e. makes it look more natural)

Planting

This was the “fun” part. Actually planting HC, I ended up with a sore back at the end of the process. I had a friend help me (and lined up a back rub afterwards) - I did not regret it.

How many pots of HC do I need?
I found that most aquatic plant suppliers will sell you HC in pots of rock wool. I started with about six or seven pots for a tank of this size. The more I had to start with, the faster it carpeted. I kept the pots in a humid ziplock back as I worked through planting.

Do I need to remove the rock wool or can I just plant HC with it?
I removed it. It is a little extra work, but I found that as time goes by, I did not have to deal with excess dirt, rot, etc. and got better results.

I started by cutting off the excess rock wool at the very bottom with a sharp scissors. Next, I used tweezers to separate out the HC into smaller clumps or stems.

I wet the substrate so that it was uniformly moist as I did not want to work with a dry substrate. I was careful to not let any puddles or flooding to occur. I used a mister and spray over the scape a few times.

Next, I individually planted these clumps/stems with a tweezer. Tweezers made it a lot easier, one’s fingers / hands are never small enough. When planting, I allowed about 5mm to 10mm of spacing between the clumps/stems. HC are no different than people as they need space to grow and flourish.

Humidity

As the HC are from the tropics, they require high humidity when grown emersed. To control for this, I got a clear saran wrap and covered the top of the tank. This kept the humidity high and heat within bounds after a day’s worth of lighting. I was then done with the initial set up of the HC’s environment.

Photoperiod

I set my lights on a timer for 8-10 hours a day.

The Daily Process

I then followed this daily routine which requires under 10 minutes a day for the next month or two:

Every Morning, when I wake up

I would wish good morning to my HC
then unwrap the saran wrap cover
then mist the whole terrain with water, including the hardscape
I then would cover the tank with saran wrap

Every Evening, before bedtime (Optional)

I would inspect the tank without opening the saran wrap
If the hardscape appeared dry, it is an indication of insufficient humidity – I would mist more and check that my saran wrap is sealed is tight!
I would wish good night to my HC and get some rest

How Long Before I Get My Carpet?

Patience is key. The longer I waited, the more the HC established itself. It took about a month before I saw a dense carpet. I was not concerned that I did not notice any progress the first couple of weeks. I placed faith and trust in mother nature.

Important Notes

When I mist excessively during my daily routine, it will caused flooding in the soil. Flooding / excessive pools of water is not desirable as partially drowned HC will require CO2 supplements and will take longer to establish;
I kept the tank in a relatively warm place, avoiding cold draughts;
I avoided unwrapping the saran wrap at night as heat trapped from the photoperiod will dissipate. Heat is good, it encourages faster growth. So I confined all unwrapping / open air maintenance work on the tank to the mornings at the start of the photoperiod;
Every two or three days, the saran wrap will cumulate water from evaporation / humidity (dew). I replaced the saran wrap so that layer of dew would not decrease light exposure;
The hardscape (stones) and glass walls of the tank are good humidity indicators. If they appeared dry, I would immediately mist more and ensure that the saran wrap is sealed tightly. I also considered increasing the misting dose every morning;
I refilled water in my mister with overnight tap-water. This reduced chlorine traces. I usually use water from my refrigerator’s filter. Alternatively, I preferred Brita-filtered tap-water to unfiltered tap-water.

Frequently Asked Questions, Concerns, and Fallacies

HC will suffocate if I do not leave a small gap in the saran wrap seal.
On the contrary, my HC did dry out over time and perish when I left a small gap in the saran wrap seal in one of my first experiments and has this surprisingly affected me emotionally. My subsequent trials proved that the seal does need to be tight and that air flows in when you execute the daily misting in the mornings, sufficient to sustain growth and life until the next morning.

Is it okay to miss a day of the daily routine? They are plants after all and plants have slow reaction times.
I found that HC will perish from neglect as they are extremely sensitive and delicate. I learnt to treat them with respect very early on.

The soil seems a little flooded.
It took me awhile to practice a balanced level of daily misting. Excessive water will cause mold/algae to grow in the cumulated pools of water. This creates difficulty for HC growth in establishing roots and new stems. I used a syringe to extract excess cumulated water.

Other Resources

Many thanks to Jordan Alexiev, Kim Phillips, and Anya Obizhaeva for introducing, inspiring, and helping me throughout my experiments. I have also learnt a lot from discussions with members of the PlantedTank forums. I am in no way affiliated with ADA.

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but...

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 21:17:00 -0500

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed” - Gandhi

"Detriments? Well I want to remind you that it was detriments like us that built this bloody..."

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 10:30:00 -0500

“Detriments? Well I want to remind you that it was detriments like us that built this bloody Empire…”

- Peachy Carnehan, Gentleman At Large

Quick illustration of Spider Jerusalem on a Shrinky Dink sheet...

Mon, 31 May 2010 02:00:00 -0400

Quick illustration of Spider Jerusalem on a Shrinky Dink sheet before baking. The outcome of the glass bake was quite entertaining.

In The Middle Of Nowhere: Illiniza Norte (Ecuador)

Mon, 24 May 2010 08:00:00 -0400

“Just five more minutes please Anya” – would have been almost my last words. Not too long ago I managed to convince a good friend of mine, капита́н (Kapten) Anya, to squeeze in the peak of Volcán Cotopaxi (19,347 ft) to our Ecuador escapade. With my daily regimen of excessive squash, I did not give much pause to attempting one of the world’s highest volcanoes despite the risk of hypobaropathy.

Confined by Anya’s teaching schedule, our power-trip would include riding (horses) through El Chaupi’s mountain side followed by a quick climb on Illiniza Norte (16,818ft) to acclimatize ourselves for Cotopaxi. Prior to this, my exposure to pain was limited to those inflicted by Taiwo Kuti’s extreme training methods.

I was slightly concerned about hypobaropathy as I share similar blood chemistry with my younger brother – who suffered some effects at 13,435ft when he attempted South East Asia’s highest peak. Despite all our concerns, we chose to forgo taking Acetazolamide (drug aid for rapid ascents) and wanted to see how far we could reach in our natural state.

We began our climb up early on the third day. Hiking up the Illinizas was a treat. The mountainous landscape of the Andes is diverse, colorful, and breath-taking. We neither saw nor heard a single soul. The skies were clear, the air clean and crisp. We heard the earth speak as we paused periodically on our ascent. These were the most peaceful moments I have experienced albeit short.

Throughout our climb, Kapten Anya was completely unaffected by altitude. Of course, this was convenient to her Russian preen and justly so – if not, another affirmation to my suspicions of her secret agent background. In addition to setting a relatively rapid pace, her rehydration rate was almost zero! (No, unfortunately, she is not a squash player)

I, on the other hand, succumbed to hypobaropathy past 15,000ft. As my brain began to gasp for additional oxygen, it was constantly reminded every second by a theoretical jackhammer in my skull. Anya kept conversations going with me, but I had no physical desire (perhaps even no capability) to respond verbally. Although I did not feel any real physical fatigue, I slowed a little and was completely indifferent to the freezing atmosphere about us. When I stopped and lay on the rocks - a rush of serenity fed my brain.

All I wanted to do at this point was to nap on the mountain side, my brain physically begged it. Mentally, I was determined yet broken about reaching Norte’s peak. I could not believe how this physical constraint regulated my will. I begged Anya to leave me be for a short undisturbed nap on the rocks.

Kapten Anya, however, duly insisted this was no place to fool around and that she had a responsibility to return me back to my boss in good order. She convinced me on a little further to safety at her hunch of the nearby refuge between Illiniza’s peaks. I have no idea how I obliged on my own two feet with a painfully suffocating brain.

At the refuge, a couple of Spanish firemen climbing the Andes helped with some tea and pills. I rested as Anya decided to finish Norte’s peak alone. Her recount of her experience made me happy - but still leaves a slight disappointment in my personal burning ambition. The rest of our trip was diversified with hiking along Quilotoa (volcano crater), bungee-jumping of a river bridge in Baños (I had to compensate for something), a scenic offroad-bike descend from the Andes into the Amazon, and some time on the beach.

I had mixed feelings about returning back to sea-level Boston after such a colorful trip. I was, however, compensated with super-human strength/endurance on the squash courts due to the time spent in the high-altitude geography. I did not anticipate such an impact on daily performance at sea-level but now understand why some athletes choose to train on higher ground.

first published for the Boston Racquet Club, May 2010.

Active Credit Portfolio Management in Practice (by J. Bohn & R. Stein)

Sat, 15 May 2010 11:30:00 -0400

Active Credit Portfolio Management in Practice (by J. Bohn & R. Stein):

“Bohn and Stein, two veterans, satisfy their objective of providing a clear and comprehensive guide to credit risk management. Active Credit Portfolio Management in Practice is an excellent risk management text that is well structured and insightful which covers modeling, business research, data issues, and organizational implementation problems, as well as potential developments. I highly recommend this book to both the practitioner and academic.”

reviewed for Journal of Investment Management, 2010, Second Quarter

Fritty

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 03:00:00 -0400

Fritty

Comparing the PAR-11 against the HiHo-9 Scoring for Squash

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:04:00 -0400

Comparing the PAR-11 against the HiHo-9 Scoring for Squash:

Summary statistics of simulated squash games in Matlab between two theoretical players of varying skill levels comparing the Point-A-Rally (PAR) scoring system against the Hi-Ho scoring system. The mini-experiment was suggested by Mohan during the time US-Squash was making the transition at the state level.

“What I noticed that’s interesting is the likelihood of the weaker player winning when the dominant player is between 50-60% stronger than the weaker one. I suspected that the PAR system would be more favorable to the weaker opponent (I think I might have hinted this in my email to Rip on the PAR system earlier).”

Results: parComparison.pdf
Matlab Source Code: comparePARSystem.m
Excel Workbook: parComparison.zip

The Mohan Private collection.

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:00:00 -0400

The Mohan

Private collection.

Henry Bender with Ramy Ashour (Egyptian Squash Prodigy)

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Henry Bender with Ramy Ashour (Egyptian Squash Prodigy)

Alpha King, The Early Years.

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Alpha King, The Early Years.

Sainsbury Shower Gel: Cleans, no added promises

Sat, 04 Aug 2007 04:00:00 -0400

Val: "What about this one? It's only 19p!"

Cel: "19p? You sure it won't give you fungus instead?"

Best laugh we've had.

Financial Modeling of the Equity Market: From CAPM to Cointegration (by F. Fabozzi, S. Facardi, and P. Kolm)

Tue, 15 May 2007 11:30:00 -0400

Financial Modeling of the Equity Market: From CAPM to Cointegration (by F. Fabozzi, S. Facardi, and P. Kolm):

“Frank Fabozzi teams up with an academic and practitioner to write this comprehensive book
on equity modeling. Financial Modeling of the Equity Market is a well-organized text giving
a complete overview of deﬁnitions, notation, and sufﬁcient formal descriptions of the mathematical tools common in asset management today. The book is intended as a reference for quantitative practitioners and students of mathematical ﬁnance…”

reviewed for Journal of Investment Management, 2007, Second Quarter