The Observer

The strange-face illusion is a psychological effect in which a person’s face begins to look distorted, unfamiliar, or frightening during prolonged eye contact in dim light. Research on this phenomenon shows that under unusual viewing conditions, normal face perception can become unstable and produce vivid distortions.[1][2] This effect has been studied by Italian psychologist Giovanni B. Caputo. In these studies, participants either looked at their own reflection or stared into another person’s eyes for several minutes in low light, and many reported seeing strange changes in the face before them.[2][1] ## How the illusion works A typical version of the experiment is simple. Two people sit facing each other, usually about one meter apart, in a dimly lit room and silently maintain eye contact for several minutes.[3][2] After some time, participants may begin to notice unusual visual changes. The face in front of them can appear warped, older, unfamiliar, unreal, or transformed into a di...

# The Power of Becoming Dangerously Self-Educated In a world overflowing with information, formal education is no longer enough. Degrees, courses, and institutions can give us structure, but they cannot fully teach us how to think for ourselves. Real intellectual growth begins when learning becomes personal — when curiosity takes over and we start exploring ideas beyond the limits of a syllabus. This is the idea behind becoming “ dangerously self-educated .” The word “dangerous” does not mean harmful. It means intellectually independent . A dangerously self-educated person is someone who cannot be easily controlled by trends, manipulated by shallow opinions, or limited by conventional thinking. Such a person questions assumptions, forms original views, and connects ideas from many different fields to understand the world more deeply. ### Why Self-Education Matters Many people spend their lives depending on institutions, media, or social circles to shape their thinking. They absorb info...

Procrastination isn’t laziness. It’s your brain trying to avoid uncomfortable emotions like fear , anxiety , boredom, or self-doubt . When a task feels stressful, your brain treats it like a threat and pushes you to escape it. Avoiding the task gives you temporary relief — and that relief trains your brain to keep procrastinating. Over time, this becomes a habit . But the good news is: habits can be changed . Every time you start a task despite discomfort, you train your brain to handle it better. Small action weakens fear and builds control. Key points to remember: - Procrastination = emotional avoidance , not laziness.   - Your brain sees difficult tasks as threats.   - Avoiding gives temporary relief → habit forms.   - Taking action rewires your brain .   - Start small — progress matters more than perfection .   - Change your thoughts: “Just start” is enough. Procrastination is learned — and anything learned can be unlearned. If you are here I’m Not teachi...

 The Sirens of Titan" by Kurt Vonnegut is not just a science fiction novel; it's a profound commentary on human existence, free will, and the absurdity of life. Having read this masterpiece, I felt compelled to share my thoughts and reflections on this unique journey. The story follows Malachi Constant, a wealthy man from Earth, as he is manipulated into joining a space expedition that takes him to Mars, Mercury, and finally Titan. Along the way, he encounters Winston Niles Rumfoord, a man who has become unstuck in time, and Salo, an alien robot with a mysterious mission. Vonnegut masterfully weaves themes of free will and determinism throughout the novel. The characters' journeys are shaped by forces beyond their control, prompting readers to question the nature of human existence. Reading "The Sirens of Titan" made me reflect on the randomness and purpose of life. The novel's satirical tone and profound questions left me pondering the nature of human existe...

     The world is in constant and rapid change, and you are the outcome of the experience of these changes. We have a tendency to resist changes that we don't want around us. Understanding what fuels this tendency is very important, as the outcome of our resistance brings actions that can forever change the course of our efforts. So, how and what drives our emotions that create the tendency to resist change?      The most significant of all is the feeling of being redundant to society, the insecurity of not being able to participate in the new adaptation of generations. There are different changes that come from various aspects and perspectives of society's functions, some being progressive and some being degenerative, which is subject to debate and not discussed here. There are some questions that need to be answered, such as "Can there be any solution that can make the transition of change smoother?" and "How are changes made acceptable to the resisting m...

Have you ever heard people say that common sense is not so common these days? What could be considered common sense, and what not? Have you ever wondered about that? Let's explore the answers to these questions, which you may find both common and uncommon at the same time. Common sense is sound practical judgment concerning everyday matters or a basic ability to perceive, understand, and judge that is shared by nearly all people. This definition is taken from Wikipedia, the common source of knowledge these days. It says that common sense is the ability to perceive, understand, and judge everyday matters, which is shared by nearly all people. So we can say that common sense is what is available to people, what is accessible to them, and their ability to perceive what is available to them. This ability is shared by others too. Humans are finite creatures. Their lifespan is smaller and finite compared to the universe. They can only perceive a sliver of reality, the universe, and wh...

A few days ago, I read the quote, "Only dead fish go with the flow." My whole life, I tried to go against the flow. As a born rebel, I never learned to go with the flow, and I always tried to get things done my way (at least I tried and failed sometimes and succeeded many times). More or less, I was satisfied with how things were going (a sound-minded person doesn't need more than that) . Then, things happened, and you fell into the trap of society, thinking you need to change some things in your life to make it work . You start believing one side of the story as reality; you try to go with the flow, and you stop fighting as hard as you used to . You become so resilient that your instinct to fight back dies, and all you get is a metaphorical dead fish and the flow of society's opinion. Resilience against this simply doesn't work; it's not an option. It's a sissy move just to maintain the status quo (my failed experiment). What you really need is ...

Lots of problems in our lives are comparatively smaller than we think, but our reaction towards them makes them much bigger and worse. I have written about it before, but today I'm going to share a story by Sundar Pichai; it may change your perspective on a few things in your life. At a restaurant, a cockroach suddenly flew from somewhere and sat on a lady. She started screaming out of fear. With a panic-stricken face and trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her hands desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach. Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group also got panicky. The lady finally managed to push the cockroach away, but it landed on another lady in the group. Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the drama. The waiter rushed forward to their rescue. In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter. The waiter stood firm, composed himself, and observed the behavior of the cockroach on his shirt. When he wa...

Everyone is bound to play one character, knowing nothing about what's going on and going with the flow, completely drowned in it. That's the encapsulation of human life, or should I say modern human life. Believe me, that's not your purpose. You are not here for 25 years of study, 25 years of life, and another 25 years to upbring your offspring so they can live the same repetitive cycle of life. There is much more to it. A single pixel won’t make an image, but every single pixel is unique and has a purpose. The same goes for every life. I can't tell you what it is because everyone is unique and special. You have to find out for yourself. When you reach out to the world, tangible or intangible, you watch people crying over their problems. Buddy, you gotta relax. Crying over it won’t fix it. If it's fixable, you have to fix it first, and if it's not, crying won’t make any difference. What I’ve learned from life is that it goes on, and you deserve to feel its b...

From the reader’s point of view, I would want to see three areas covered in my first blog post: Who am I? An observer, an engineer, and a rebel. No, not the one with firearms. Why am I blogging? When you have so much on your mind and want to put it in the public domain, I thought it’s time to make it a little organized. Ahha, now you are thinking that there are platforms for that like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Then why go old school? Well, I believe in a little privacy, less censorship, and to be honest, this way you will be a little less prejudiced about things. What will I be blogging about? Something about this, something about that, but mostly politics, science, and some spiritual stuff which crosses my mind. But if you have some ideas and are unable to put them into words, you are most welcome to suggest them in the comments. You will see them in future posts (I certainly love to put some emojis here and there).