When sky is all thats above you.

School days were such bliss 8->. Soo many nights I used to spend time in the terrace with my cousin brother (who happens to be a physist now *smug*). We used to watch X-File episode late night with all lights turned off and feeling cold and sleep with scary :-s thoughts of alien beings or new life forms peaking in through the window or comming out of the water closet :)).

And one of the following days when the power blows off, we hit the terrace with a beam torch light and shine it @ the sky. For a while we would be wondering about the parabolic reflector and its impreciseness to deliver a parallel beam ;)). And slowly science turns into fiction. My cousin would send an S.O.S using the torch straight up into the sky, and one of us would invariable say "maybe aliens are listening to us da" and exchange a smirk =)).

Even though its been long since, we still do the same up in the terrace watching the stars and trying to identify constellations (me never spotting anything more than orion, ursa major / minor, pole star and venus). So it did happen again recently when I manage to coax the lazy bums to sleep for a while over our water tank (highest above in our appartment) during a power break. And yes with our torch light :).

This time I noticed something faint drifting across the skies. The neon lamps in the street render the sky with the misty orange ting, so to spot such things in the night is a rarity. Thanks to my sharp sight (which non of the others had that night @ least), I recognized it as a flock of migrating birds \:D/. Since we didn't get a pint of sleep we started with our conversation starting with the physists question.

Phy: Guyz why dyu think the birds take the arrangement you see.
Me : Are you refering to the triangular formation that they take?
Phy: Ever wondered why they do?
Me : (In Jest) Coz they 2 love pyramids :-/
Phy: Good one but not what they expected!!!
Me : Well, the formation luks much like the wing of an aircraft :-?
Phy: So? Why would that be of any advantage?
Me : Maybe the formation decreases the drag they experience during flight :-/
Phy: Exactly da!!! Much like the foils of a formula one race car :).
Me : He He ... nature's own formula one
Phy: All thats fine buddy. But don't you think the guys leading the flock would get tired over great distances? Aerodynamics just doesn't solve the problem you know :p.
Me : hmmmmm ... I have no clue over this one
Phy: Well you see, these guys keep rotating their position in such a way that a few of them spend the energy taking the drag whilst the other relax until it their turn. Thats how they reach long distances.
Me : WOW :-o ... that ingenious da, ;)) in a simple way. Wonder how they learned all that.
Phy: God?
Me : You know I was'd thinking that. Darwin maan!!! Evolution :).
Phy: Dyu remember the BBC Documentary that said darwin was wrong and that life has an inherent capability to learn to survive?
Me : Don't tell be me you buy that BS da. It quite simple da, take the case of these flocking birds. They migrate to live in a place more conducive to their livelyhood and change of giving birth to healthy offsprings. Those who didn't simple perished over time.
Me : Even their behaviour w.r.t. their formation dude. Those birds which did not would not be successful in their migrations over generations and ultimately perish.
Me : I think everything we see is given to evolution. Nature being the womb for all possibilities, nurtuting those inadvertent choices an organism makes.
Phy: Of course da, survival of the fittest!!! And you say its nothing more.
Me : Its easy observed everyday da. We see so many stray dogs. I saw one run over his foot by a car when he was sleeping close to the road. Felt horrible listening to his cries, n wished I could speak to animals :(. And realized those dogs who didn't sleep besides the road we choosen to survive by nature.
Phy: Think that scales for all beings?
Me : I believe so da, rather I choose to. Everything is perception da ;), even science per say.
Su : I dun know about you guyz, but I am hungry!!! And I think the power is back :).
Me : Its true that this is the age to grow da, but adhukaage saaptundeee iruka koodaadhu.

Silence fell in and there were more such questions (unanswered) and conversations before we moved indoors. And am hoping for one such next week :).

Have a lovely weekend folks. Adios!!!