For the heck of it

Chris Fernando Dot Net Launched!

2007-11-01T00:29:00.000-07:00

I have launched a new website - Chris Fernando Dot Net and so have moved this blog onto Wordpress and integrated it into my website. The entire archive has also been moved to the new website. You can visit the website here.

Is it Time to Head Back Home?

2007-10-02T23:46:00.000-07:00

GulfTalent.com, an online recruitment site, recently sent me a press release with a headline that screamed "UAE salaries rise by 10.7% - study". I think they forgot to add "Finally After 100 Years!" after the "UAE salaries rise by 10.7%" bit.

Let's face the truth - the salaries are still what people used to get paid probably when Dubai was a desert and when people used horse carts for transport. Here's an excerpt from the study:

Regional salaries increased by 9.0% in 2007 compared to 7.9% last year
Oman, UAE and Qatar lead the regional trend with pay hikes of 11.0%, 10.7% and 10.6% respectively
Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia had pay increases of 8.1%, 7.9% and 7.7% respectively
Sectors enjoying the highest pay rise were construction and banking

The salary rise percentage is quite pathetic when compared to annual pay rises in a supposedly "third world country" like India. At least in India, I used to get a pay hike every year. The situation has worsened over the last few months, due to the slump in US Dollar, which has in turn affected the Dirham.

When I moved to Dubai 2.5 years ago, I used to get an exchange rate of about Rs. 11.75 for a dirham - there also used to be days when I used to get as much as Rs. 11.85 for a dirham. As of today, the exchange rate stands at Rs. 10.48 for a dirham, which is awfull. I have to now wait for days when there's a slight increase in the exchange rate, before I transfer funds to India.

Sure, there's no income tax in the Gulf countries - but then, there's a hidden agenda here. We pay an exorbitant amount (sometimes 70% of our salary) as our rent, which I feel is not justified at all. In fact, this place is overpriced for its standards. I can probably buy my own flat for the amount I spend as rent in a year.

Transportation within Dubai sucks. I used to work in Mumbai, which has one of the best transportation systems in the world. The train system in Mumbai is awesome, while the bus system, though not as stylish as those in Dubai, is efficient. Sure, you don't get to travel in air-conditioned Volvo and Mercedes buses, but at least there are buses every 2 minutes or less in Mumbai. In Dubai, there's a bus every 15 minutes to an an hour, depending on the traffic.

It's most frustrating when you want to hail a cab in Dubai. The cab drivers here, give you an attitude as if they are doing a favour by giving you a ride to your destination. Many of them even refuse to pick you up - they first want to interview you and if everything goes right, they will offer you a ride. Before These are some things that will happen, when you try to hail a cab - so be prepared:

Cab Driver: Kidhar Jana Hai? (Translation: Where To?)
Cab Driver: Kyon? (Translation: Why?) (huh?!! None of your business dumb ass!)
Cab Driver: Traffic Hoga Kya? (Translation: Will there be traffic?) (How do I know? Do I look like the traffic department to you?)
Cab Driver: Kya Yaar... Wahan Bahot Traffic Hai! (Translation: Lot of traffic on that road)
The Cab Driver sometimes won't stop - he might just speed off without even looking at you, or worse, point his finger in the direction he is driving to. (So, what am I supposed to understand from that??)

So, think twice before you accept an offer in the Gulf - it might not be your worthwhile at all.

Weekend at Jebel Hafeet

2007-09-30T03:49:00.000-07:00

The climate in Dubai is cooling down a bit right now, with winter just around the corner. Well don’t say “Yay!!” yet. The temperature has been hovering around 26-30 degrees – usually it is well over 40! So, if you are in Dubai or anywhere in the UAE, now is the right time to visit places such as Ras Al Khaimah, Al Ain, or better still… Jebel Hafee t. Why? Because according to a study, the Jebel Hafeet road has been awarded “the best road to drive in the world”! So, it was weekend for us, and we HAD to check it out.

The Road Going Towards Al Ain.

We (me and two of my roommates) took off at 3:00 pm on Friday (28^th September 2007). A drive to Jebel Hafeet takes around 1.5-2 hours. So we were planning on reaching Jebel Hafeet by 5 pm, because by 6 pm, it would start getting dark and hence we would miss the panoramas and the view of the winding roads from the hilltop. Since it is the holy month of Ramadan here, we figured it would be great if we could pack some munchies from some restaurant. McDonalds was the obvious choice. Then, we went to Spinney’s, grabbed a couple of water bottles, some snacks and candy bars.

My roommate's Peugeot 206.

For those ignorant enough, the holy month of Ramadan spans an entire month. During this month, many restaurants are shut during the day, and they only open at Iftar timings. Smoking, drinking or eating in public is prohibited by law in most countries such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, and so on – so if you are caught doing any of these, you might end up in jail for up to 3 months, in the UAE. It might be worse in other countries such as Saudi Arabia. So, we were careful enough to not be seen eating in public.

The beautiful desert on both the sides of the road.

Here's one more view of the endless "sand land".

The introduction of Salik has been a pain in the ass and my roommate didn’t have a Salik tag on his Peugeot 206 – so taking Garhoud Bridge was out of our options. We hit the Business Bay Crossing, before coming on to Emirates Road, and driving towards Al Ain.

Inside Al Ain. Beautiful trees on both the sides of the road.

And we were on our way to Jebel Hafeet. It was amazing to see that on both the sides of the road, we could only see dunes and dunes of sand. We couldn’t resist stopping for a while to snap up some images.

Getting ready for a photo shoot.

We didn’t have any maps on us and this was our first time towards Jebel Hafeet. So, we had to follow each and every sign on the road – we couldn’t afford to miss one.

Yay! We found the desert!!

Luckily the signs were as easy as they could get. Every road sign had an entry such as “Tourist Destinations”. Need we say more? So we followed the “Tourist Destinations” sign, till we came across a sign that yelled “Jebel Hafeet” with an arrow pointing to the left. And we liked what we saw.

I can jump, too!

Though we weren’t yet on the Jebel Hafeet road, we could see a mountain in front of us with beautifully lit winding roads, all over it. It seemed as if the mountain was decorated with a bunch of twinkly lights! So we started to drive up the mountain – the roads were as smooth as butter. It was a piece of cake for my roommate’s hatchback.

The zigzag roads were amazing to drive on. The roads were clearly marked – two lanes going upwards and one lane coming down, with barricades on the edges. Finally we reached the top of Jebel Hafeet – it’s something like a table-top mountain, except that the “table-top” bit is man-made.

The Jebel Hafeet Table Top.

We got a really nice view of Al Ain below and the Oman road. By the time we reached the top, it was Iftar time already. We had a quick cuppa, before we started descending from the mountain and hitting our way back home.

Are You a Tour Guide?

2007-09-28T23:51:00.000-07:00

I got an e-mail, from VIAmigo.com. The web site is run by Jeff Goldsmith, a Photographer. The mail that was sent to me, asked me whether I knew of any tour guides in the Middle East, who might be interested in sigining up at VIAmigo.com as Tour Guides.

The mail also asked me to post the e-mail on my Blog, to spread the word around. Since I don't know any Tour Guide in the Middle East, I went for the "posting"part of the mail. ~~No, I don't know Jeff Goldsmith personally, and so, cannot vouch for the authenticity of this site. But if you are interested, read on.~~ So, Read on!!

We saw your blog on life in the United Arab Emirates and as a foreigner, we thought you might know interesting tour guides who might want to join http://viamigo.com/. A "tour" guide can be a professional deep sea fishing vessel captain - or a person who can get you past the velvet ropes of exclusive clubs.

We're interested in signing up both people who help travelers with common experience, like finding great boutiques,to unique idea, like bungie jumping in very remote spots. Both of these experieces are available on the site right now. If you feel this service is appropriate to announce on your blog, please do.

And if you want to pass our information on to people you know in the United Arab Emirates, that would be appreciated.

Thanks so much.
VIAmigo
http://viamigo.com/

This is what it says on its "About Us"page - VIAmigo.com helps global travelers find authentic, local experiences and insider adventures - by connecting them with personal tour guides from everywhere. We simply let independent tour guides tell everyone what travelers can see chez eux - and we let travelers rate guides. VIAmigo.com is, pardon the jargon, a one-to-one destination marketing platform. Go beyond the guidebook. Go everywhere. Get into everything. Pre-launch, VIAmigo signed up 1500 tour guides from every corner of the planet - with a great many more expected soon. Professional tourist guides to diving instructors to archeologist to connoisseurs of every sort, you name the adventure.

So, if you are interested, sign up here.

Saving is Sin. Spending is Virtue.

2007-09-21T23:01:00.000-07:00

Came across this piece of reasoning by one Professor Jagdish N Bhagwati, Department of Economics, Columbia University. It's titled "Saving is Sin. Spending is Virtue."

Japanese save a lot. They do not spend much. Also Japan exports far more than it imports. Has an annual trade surplus of over $100 billions. Yet Japanese economy is considered weak, even collapsing. Americans spend, save little. Also US import more than it exports. Has an annual trade deficit of over $400 billion. Yet, the American economy is considered strong and trusted to get stronger.

But where from do Americans get money to spend? They borrow from Japan , China and even India . Virtually others save for the US to spend. Global savings are mostly invested in US, in dollars. India itself keeps its foreign currency assets of over $50 billions in US securities. China has sunk over $160 billion in US securities. Japan 's stakes in US securities is in trillions.

Result: The US has taken over $5 trillion from the world. So, as the world saves for the US , Americans spend freely. Today, to keep the US consumption going, that is for the US economy to work, other countries have to remit $180 billion every quarter, which is $2 billion a day, to the US ! Otherwise the US economy would go for a six. So will the global economy. The result will be no different if US consumers begin consuming less.

A Chinese economist asked a neat question. Who has invested more, US in China , or China in US? The US has invested in China less than half of what China has invested in US. The same is the case with India . We have invested in US over $50 billion. But the US has invested less than $20 billion in India . So, why is the world after US?

The secret lies in the American spending, that they hardly save. In fact they use their credit cards to spend their future income. That the US spends is what makes it attractive to export to the US . So US imports more than what it exports year after year.

The result: The world is dependent on US consumption for its growth. By its deepening culture of consumption, the US has habituated the world to feed on US consumption. But as the US needs money to finance its consumption, the world provides the money. It's like a shopkeeper providing the money to a customer so that the customer keeps buying from the shop. If the customer will not buy, the shop won't have business, unless the shopkeeper funds him. The US is like the lucky customer.

And the world is like the helpless shopkeeper financier. Who is America 's biggest shopkeeper financier? Japan of course. Yet itʼs Japan which is regarded as weak. Modern economists complain that Japanese do not spend, so they do not grow. To force the Japanese to spend, the Japanese government exerted it self, reduced the savings rates, even charged the savers. Even then the Japanese did not spend (habits don't change, even with taxes, do they?).

Their traditional postal savings alone is over $1.2 trillions, about three times the Indian GDP. Thus, savings, far from being the strength of Japan , has become its pain. Hence, what is the lesson? That is, a nation cannot grow unless the people spend, not save. Not just spend, but borrow and spend. Dr. Jagdish Bhagwati, the famous Indian-born economist in the US , told Manmohan Singh that Indians wastefully save.

Ask them to spend, on imported cars and, seriously, even on cosmetics! This will put India on a growth curve. "Saving is sin, and spending is virtue." Before you follow this neo economics, get some fools to save so that you can borrow from them and spend. This is what US has successfully done in last few decades.

Xbox 360 Rocks!!

2007-09-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I am a bit too late in saying this, but I finally got my hands on an Xbox 360. While the gaming console launched in 2005, in the US, it took a little over 2 years for Microsoft to bring it to the Middle East. The gaming console finally launched after a few hiccups in April this year.
We then received the 360 pack at PC Magazine's office some time back from Microsoft. Not that we hadn't reviewed Xbox 360 - we had reviewed the console long time back. But I was hoping that Microsoft could deliver a sample review unit for use in our PC Magazine Labs. This is because, we recently extended our Gaming section in the magazine to a whopping eight pages.

And the console finally arrived. It's now set up at my bachelorpad, where me and my roomates spend hours battling the demons of darkness!! :)

Yes! We are playing "The Darkness" right now, and I agree that the graphics and audio quality is awesome. Expect a full-on review soon!

Free Speech? My A***

2007-08-28T01:45:00.000-07:00

Unless you have been living under a rock, you know what Wikipedia is. It's THE best and FREE encyclopedia you can ever lay your hands on. It's the biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the internet, and contains over 7 million articles in over 200 languages - which is still growing on everyday.

Virgil Griffith

Most of the content on Wikipedia is user generated - so you can imagine the size of its content database. Users log on to the web site to contribute new entries and edit and update existing entries, too. With power in the users' hands, it's no brainer that people who already have an entry on their name on Wikipedia, will jump on the editing bandwagon, to make themselves look good.

So, to identify these people, Virgil Griffith - a student and a hacker - created a software program called Wikipedia Scanner, which discovered that Wikipedia entry editors included giants such as Microsoft, Coca Cola, Apple, FBI and the Vatican. These entities altered text on Wikipedia, which showed them in bad light.

Wikipedia Scanner

This list shows some of the things, Griffith's software managed to find out:

Apple adds negative comments to entries about Microsoft.
The Vatican edits Irish Catholic and IRA leader politician Gerry Adams’ page.Exxon Mobil edits text that highlights environmental damage in the oil spillages article.
Scientology removes criticism and negative articles from the Scientology page.
Al Jazeera TV station adds that the foundation of Iraq was just as bad as the Holocaust.
Amnesty International removes negative comments about its working.
Social networking website MySpace removed paragraphs when their website was hacked.
MSN Search is “a major competitor to Google”. That’s what MSN added to their page.
Dog breeding association deletes whole paragraphs about fatal attacks by dogs on humans.
Portuguese government removes entries about Prime Minister’s scandals.

This is just the tip of an iceberg. To find out, who's been editing what, check out Wikipedia Scanner.

Finally A Home We Can Call Ours!! (I Hope)

2007-08-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows how it is to be single in Dubai. I can say it in one word - SAD!! No, it's not that the girls here aren't pretty (or hot!!). Neither do I intend to say that the night life sucks. It's just that there aren't many places in Dubai, which single people (bachelors and spinsters) can call home.

Take my case as an instance - me and three of my roommates used to live in this beautiful and huge studio in Karama happily for a year and a half. But that's until our lease contract expired. Taking the rising real estate prices in Dubai into consideration, we thought that our real estate agency would ask for more money to renew our contract. Instead, we were slapped with an eviction notice for no fault of ours. The contract read:

"This is to inform you that we do not wish to renew your tenancy contract for the next year. Hence, we give you a month's notice as required by our agreement, to vacate this flat by <> date. We thank you for your co-operation."

Co-operation?? My ass! Why the F*** do you need us to co-operate, when we can clearly see that you are asking us to vacate the flat for no reason!! For those ignorant enough ...you see, single people don't have enough say in anything in Dubai. Even if it's not their fault. And this is what we discovered when we asked for the reason for our eviction notice. Instantly came a reply, "You are bachelors. Bachelors are not allowed to stay in a building where families stay" in resounding "Mallu" English.

We have been renting this flat for about 6 years (I moved into the flat only 1.5 years ago, but the other guys staying there, had been there for six years). So all these years they didn't realise that we were bachelors - and then suddenly, one fine morning, they said to themselves - "Let's kick these stupid bachelors out. They won't agree to a 70 percent rent increase, when we renew their tenancy contract for the next year."

And so, we had to vacate the flat. After hunting for places around, I gave up. Then I enquired around, and I came across this real agent agent, who said that he might have a bedspace vacant in his two bedroom flat in Golden Sands area, in Bur Dubai. It was the building next to Golden Sands 10, behind Spinneys. I went to check out the bedspace - I was to share a room with three other guys.

Since I didn't have any other choice, I moved in. Everything was going on fine for three months - then suddenly another notice to vacate the flat. The same stupid "bachelor"reason was given. Our third accomodation hunt started. For about three weeks, we checked everything - from the classifieds in newspapers and web sites, to notice boards in Spinneys and Lulu Supermarket.

Then, one fine day, we came across this posting in the classifieds section in Gulf News, which read, "One room available for bachelors in Satwa." We immediately went to check it out and we were impressed. It was a huge room, which could easily accomodate four guys and the rent seemed nominal by Dubai standards. We signed the deal.

We moved in, and were just starting to continue with our lives, when we were served another notice. First we were shocked - it hd been just two months since we moved in. But we were pretty sure that it can't be the same "bachelor"problem. That was because the Dubai government had recently passed a ruling that bachelors around the city were free to live in flats, except for villas. And we were staying in a flat.

So we argued with the guy who had the sublet the room to us. He said that he had rented out the flat from the landlord for commercial purposes. However. he then started using the flat for residential purposes, which essentially breaches the contract. Hence, the landlord asked him to vacate the flat. We then asked him, why we weren't even informed that the flat was essentially a commercial one? Had we known that, we wouldn't have even agreed to move in. He had no answers.

Our fourth hunt for home started. We searched the entire Dubai for a place, where could stay peacefully, without anyone bullying us to leave, just because we were bachelors. After a week of careful searching, we finally found a room in a two bedroom flat, in Old Pakistani Consulate area of Bur Dubai. It's an amazing room, with a view of the Deira creek.

The view from our new home.

We move on Thursday. I just hope, nobody asks us to vacate again, because we are bachelors!

Fake iPhones in Dubai

2007-08-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

Chinese-made fake iPhones are flooding the Dubai market, reports Gulf News. According to the news report, a mobile phone store in Bani Yas Square, is selling a fake version of the phone (made in China), parading it as a genuine Apple product.

The Real iPhone

The imitation retails for AED1,400 ($381) and no warranty is on offer. The news report also claims that the salespeople selling the fake phone are telling customers that no refund or exchange is possible, once brought. The iPhone costs $500 (about Dh1,836) or $600 (about Dh2,203) in the United States, depending on the phone's capacity.

The imitation available in Dubai, runs a version of a Linux operating system that is commonly found on Motorola phones. Once you turn on the phone, Apple's logo is followed by a background image of fish and coral, similar to the one seen in iPhone commercials, on the screen. Check this video out - it's again a fake Apple iPhone.

EnGadget meanwhile claims that there are a hell lot of fake iPhones, currently doing rounds on the market. However, if you are one of those, who look at their current phones and think: "I wish I could have an iPhone. Those iPhones, I've heard, are darn pretty hot," you have two options. Either buy the real thing, or you can try software applications that can enable many phones with some, if not all, of the features that Steve Jobs has shown on his fancy magic slab.

How I Kicked a Virus on its Butt, When it Said "I DNT HATE MOZILLA BUT USE IE OR ELSE..."

2007-08-06T01:57:00.000-07:00

I got home from work yesterday and switched on my laptop. I wanted to check a few mails and so connected to the Internet. I double-clicked on the Firefox icon on my desktop to open my favourite web browser. Firefox opened for a second and then closed abruptly, displaying a message in my face, which said "I DNT HATE MOZILLA BUT USE IE OR ELSE...".

And it just had an OK button. I tried again, and the same thing happened twice, but this time with different messages - "Orkut is banned you fool, The administrators didnt write this program guess who did?? MUHAHAHA!!" and "YouTube is banned you fool, The administrators didnt write this program guess who did?? MUHAHAHA!!"

So this was a serious issue. I opened IE and immediately Googled out a solution to this problem. It turns out that this virus called w32.USBWorm, spreads through USB flash drives. I remember plugging my roommate's USB drive into my laptop, because he wanted me to copy some of its contents on my laptop. Apparently, he wasn't able to browse through the USB drive's contents simply because when he double-clicked on the USB drive in My Computer, nothing happened. I tried opening the USB drive on my laptop and the same thing happened.

My antivirus (AVG) was unable to detect the virus. I am told that most antiviruses don't detect it. So, you will need to manually remove the virus from your PC. The following steps will help you to remove w32.USBworm completely from your system. First you need to see all the running processes on your system, for that you need to press Alt+Ctrl+Del. This will launch 'Task Manager' then click on Process tab to see all the running processes. Then you need to manually search for 'svchost.exe' (you will find many but you need to carefully select the one which is having 'User Name' as your Windows login name).

After finding the process, right click on the process and click 'End Process Tree', and then click on OK. This will kill the running virus on your system. To remove the worm completely from your computer, you need to remove Registry keys written by the worm

Press "Window key" + "r" or go to Start-->Run, then type "regedit" (without quotes).

You need to navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,SOFTWARE\
Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\Advanced\ Folder\Hidden\SHOWALL, checkedvalue" And reset the “CheckedValue” key back to 1. This is to show all the hidden files.

Then navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer\Run " and delete the "winlogon" key. --- This will stop the worm installing at the start up.

Now you need to search for the worm which is located on your hard disk. For that you need to use the windows search and search for svchost.exe in your hard disk drives. Delete the file, which looks like the one below:

Also, once you are done, you might want to format the USB drive to reuse it. I for one, will always scan everything I plug into my laptop hereon, before opening them!

Freelance Writing: Always Ensure That You Get Paid for Your Services

2007-08-05T03:24:00.000-07:00

Though I have a full-time, I have also been into a freelance writing gig for quite sometime now. Three good reasons for doing so:

Extra income does help. I can earn more by using my free time (including weekends).
I don't have to limit myself to writing about technology. I can try my hands on different styles of writing: lifestyle, trade, industry, travel, case studies, press releases, and so on.
I can build my portfolio and my contact list, which will be of help when I plan to switch companies.

Though the money has been good so far, I have also learned one thing. Every freelance gig comes with its share of risks. While most companies I have freelanced for, have been good paymasters, there are some shameless firms, who have either refused to pay me (even though they have used / published content developed by me), or haven't paid me for months (they keep telling me that my cheque has been sent to the head office for approval).

Then there are some who want me to write a sample article for FREE. They say, "Can you write a sample article for us? If we like it, we will publish it and then you can start writing for us regularly for a fee." I have been here too. Some months ago, I sent a FREE article to one of these magazines. I was hoping that if my article got published, they would send me requests for paid articles. Well, turns out that my article did get published, and I haven't heard from them since.

And there are some who say, "This a low paying job. But if we like what you write, we will double the money on the next assignment." While there are some publishers who have such a plan in place, there are many who don't and won't.

Here are some things you need to take note of, before taking up a freelance gig:

Writing an article involves time and effort. So, ensure that you are getting paid for the your time and effort invested.
Never respond to queries such as "Write an article for us and we will pay you if it gets published." Usually, these companies collect as many samples as possible, sell it to publishing companies and make money.
Don't fall for schemes such as "Low paying job. Will increase money on the next assignment." If the company likes your article, there isn't any reason why you shouldn't be demanding the right price for it.
Follow up on your payments. If you don't, the content buyer might just take you for a ride.
Insist everything in writing. Don't rely on verbal contracts. It's better if you can convince the content buyer to provide you a small percentage (usually 30%) of the agreed number as an advance, with the remaining amount being paid on completion of the project.

Remember - you aren't investing your time, skills and efforts for charity.

Slim and Trim

2007-08-04T03:12:00.000-07:00

Samsung has unveiled its smart and stylish designed external slim slot-in drive. The model, named SE-T084L is a slot-in type DVD writer with USB connection for both Lap-top and desktop users. With easy insert and eject function that slot-in drives give (just push the disc to insert), this drive has special features that sets apart it from other external slim or slot type drives is the point that this drive supports disc burning from USB BUS power.

While most of drives in the market support USB BUS power reading, SAMSUNG supports both reading and writing media, unleashing you from heavy carriage. It means that you don’t have to carry AC adaptor (which is as heavy as the drive itself) with you. 8cm disc support is another attractive point that only SAMSUNG ODD presents.SE-T084L supports 8cm disc reading and writing so that you can have much compatibility with your Disc Camcorder which uses 8cm disc inside.

In case of black out or damaged PC, or in case you turned off the DVD writer forgot to take the disc out SAMSUNG slot-in DVD writer suggests an easy and simple way. You can pull the disc out by just tipping the emergency hole with included pin. No need to connect the drive to PC or AC adaptor again. The drive reads and writes DVD+R and DVD-R at 8X speed and DVD-RAM at 5X. It reads DVD+R Dual Layer at 8x and write at 6X, about DVD-R Dual Layer reading and writing speed is 8X and 4X each.

Nokia's N800 Internet Tablet Arrives in the Middle East

2007-07-29T03:02:00.000-07:00

Emirates Computers has announced the launch of the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet in the UAE. The sleek, widescreen Nokia N800 Internet Tablet combines seamless wireless connectivity with a host of advanced features, for anytime, anywhere internet access. The N800 represents the ultimate portability, integrating the internet into daily life for a new level of connectivity.

The ultra-sensitive touch-screen and handwriting recognition features provide an intuitive user interface. Users can enjoy an extraordinary multimedia experience thanks to the integrated multimedia capabilities, high-resolution display and high audio quality speakers. The device comes with a host of free, built-in applications that provide easy access to everything from internet radio and instant messaging to web browsing and email. Users can also take advantage of internet calling with video or conduct video conferences with the integrated web camera.

A wide variety of freely downloadable open-source applications further enhance this Linux-based device, such as the Maemo Mapper, a free GPS software that allows it to be used as a convenient personal navigation system. Other applications include Orb, which lets users instantly enjoy digital media providing total connectivity to stream photos, music, video and TV.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers ‘Power of Mobility’ Hits the Road

2007-07-29T02:14:00.000-07:00

Fujitsu Siemens Computers has announced the launch of its ‘Power of Mobility’ project. This sees a series of high-profile individuals, heavily reliant on mobile technology push Fujitsu Siemens Computers’ mobile products to the absolute limit. Fujitsu Siemens Computers has one of the broadest mobile product ranges from handhelds to notebooks and tablet PCs, from entry level to the very high end.

In a bid to demonstrate the level of efficiency that its mobility products exude, the company is giving its mobile devices to a number of people to use on their travels. They will submit pictures and maintain an online diary of their experience. The project started with accomplished mountaineer Sorin Nistor and extreme road warrior Richard Bron. Both are proficient in putting a device through its paces, and will be looking for the very best in connectivity, reliability and durability.

They recorded their experiences twice a week through regular on-the-road reports that are available at http://www.fujitsu-siemens.com/aboutus/testimonial/mobility-experience.html Sorin Nistor has accumulated 40 years of mountaineering experience and taken part in six expeditions. He took the LIFEBOOK P7230 on his latest expedition of the Himalayan Gasherbrum 2 – at 8,000 metres it’s the 13th largest mountain in the world.

He tested the notebook’s embedded connectivity and integrated video camera in some punishing mountain conditions, including ice, snow, high winds and high temperatures. Richard Bron is CEO of digital media company Blueprint Digital. His customers include Hollywood movie producers, and some of the world’s largest retailers and recording artists including Robbie Williams. In a typical month he crosses three continents, so connectivity is crucial for keeping in touch with customers and associates around the globe, as well as his family in London.

Richard trialed the LIFEBOOK T4215 convertible notebook with integrated UMTS and the Pocket LOOX N110 mobile navigator. “No other vendor on the market can match the diversity, design and depth of our mobility offering,” said Louis Jouanny, Head of Mobility Marketing at Fujitsu Siemens Computers. “Our broad portfolio of devices with embedded UMTS meets today’s growing need for ubiquitous connectivity, and we pride ourselves on having a mobile device for every scenario.”

Bambaiya Lingo

2007-07-25T02:28:00.000-07:00

Was reading through an article at Mid-Day.com. The article suggested some Mumbaiya (Bambaiya) Lingo. Here they go...

A for Aila
A Marathi exclamation made famous by Sachin Tendulkar in a Pepsi ad when he says ‘Aila, plane’

B for Bhendi
A mild expletive or abuse. The ignorant might think this is local lingo for a vegetable (okra). The tapori knows better

C for Chindi
Some say it means insignificant. For others it denotes tight-fistedness. Eg: ‘Bindi is chindi. She won’t even pay for the trip.’

Arshad Warsi played a tapori in the film Munnabhai MBBS.

D for Dhasu
It means great or fabulous. Like what a ‘dhasu’ idea it is to read this tapori talk

E for Ekdum
Not that hard to figure out. Ekdum means absolutely. So ekdum bekaar means absolutely useless

F for Fadoo
Good, fabulous or beautiful quite in the same vein as Dhasu. A fabulous broom might be explained as a ‘fadoo of a jhadoo’

G for Ghanta
Means rubbish or nonsense. If a politician claims: ‘I will eradicate corruption’, the janta comprising Santa-Banta might say Ghanta

H for Hatke
Hatke actually means original or slightly different. Not to be confused with ‘hat gayi hai’, which means he’s lost his marbles

I for Item
Used to refer to a sexy girl — Kya item hai. These days girls also use the word to describe a handsome man

J for Jhol
A common word for a scam or a bungle. Examples: What Jhol is all this?; Sounds like some jhol to me, yaar; Solid jhol in this poll

K for Kalti
This means to give somebody the slip or not keep a promise. It may also mean a turnaround. Example: Usne aaj kalti diya

L for Lafda
Fairly common usage for a squabble. The lafda can also have sexual connotation — Are they having a lafda (affair)?

M for Maal
Dial M for money. That is what maal stands for. It’s also a derogatory slang for a woman — Kya maal hai!

N for Nastar
The taporis tell me this means bad omen or what is more commonly known as ‘panvati’. Another says, it means atheist

O for Ookhad
The word is used rather combatively. Two men in a skirmish might growl at one another: ‘Ookhad kar phek doonga’

P for Punter
It means source or informant. Yeh dekh punter aaya, is the way it is said

Q for Qeeda
This rather strange word means a person who is always up to something, some mischief or is posing as a major irritant

R for Rapchick
More commonly pronounced as ‘raaapchick’, it is used to refer to a sexy, curvaceous woman

S for Sumbdi
This stands for a rather secretive person or somebody who is clever enough not to reveal all. Not to be confused with shy or reticent

T for Tapori
These are roadside rowdies. Tapori talk is becoming more mainstream and losing its stigma

U for Ungli
A rather obvious obscene interpretation. It also means to bait or rile a person and try to get a rise out of them

V for Vaat
Means this is the end of you today. It all means the end, khatam, finito — Aaj toh vaat lag jayega

W for Wohich
It simply means him and him only — Wohich hai, aur doosra kohich nahi

X for Xhun
Xhun is used to describe the sound of a slap. Crack. Xhun se laafa maara

Y for Yeda
Also known as veda in Marathi. It means mad and used in a derogatory tone

Z for Zandu
Zandu stands for Lallu (not Prasad Yadav) or Mamu, one who is spineless. Apologies to Zandu Chawanprash

via Mid-Day.com

Smells Like...

2007-07-25T02:15:00.000-07:00

Microdia has launched a series of flash drives called Flash-key Fruit-A-Roma. The company has added fruity scents and colours to these new flash drives.

According to the company, "Fruit-A-Roma USB drives are the first of their kind to offer fresh fruit flavours that you can actually smell." The Fruit-A-Roma flash drives are currently available in four different fruity scents - Orange, Strawberry, Grape and Green Apple.

HP Launches a Range of Accessories

2007-07-24T05:28:00.000-07:00

HP Middle East has announced the launch of its new range of accessories for its latest notebook and desktop PCs that have been designed to ensure users get the most from their PC. Whether it’s increased data storage or easy docking, they are intelligently designed to enhance performance and increase convenience. HP claims that with its Notebook QuickDock, users can plug in their HP notebook and instantly gain access to all their connected peripherals. Alternatively consumers can integrate their notebook into their home entertainment solution with ease.

With one quick and simple connection, consumers can seamlessly maximize their mobile lifestyle, taking advantage of peripherals such as a widescreen monitor, internet connection and printers or connecting to their television and audio system. Elena Danici, the Consumer Products Category Manager for PSG at HP Middle East, said, “HP aims to provide its customer with stylish accessories to make the most of their computing experience, whether at home, in the office or on the move. HP’s entire range of accessories is optimized to enhance the user experience, enabling consumers to store more, share more and achieve more.”

The HP xb3000 Notebook Expansion Base is a solution for comfort and organisation in the home or office. With an ergonomic design, users can elevate and angle their notebook to an optimum viewing position, whether working on presentations or viewing movies and photographs with friends. Compact in size and with a single cable, the expansion base maintains connection to the internet, networks, power sources and peripherals whilst simultaneously saving space and minimising desktop clutter.

With a sleek high-gloss silver exterior, the expansion base is purposefully designed to compliment the new HP Imprint notebook line-up and look just as great in the home as it does in the office. The integrated Altec Lansing speakers produce immersive stereo sound, perfect for enjoying movies and music from HP’s latest entertainment notebook PCs, such as the HP Pavilion dv9500 Entertainment Notebook PC. In addition, a wireless keyboard and mouse (sold separately) provides increased convenience and maintains the sleek appearance of a notebook PC.

For securely backing up, storing and transferring media and other files, the HP Pocket Media Drive offers up to 160GB of additional storage. Users can share entire photo albums and digital videos with friends or family by simply saving them to the drive and conveniently transferring it to another PC. Small and slimline, at just 1.6 cm in height and 13.6 cm wide, this device fits in the pocket, connects via USB to any desktop or notebook PC and docks in a select range of HP Pavilion PCs.

EA Announces Medal of Honor Heroes 2

2007-07-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

Electronic Arts has announced Medal of Honor Heroes 2, a new game from the Medal of Honor franchise, designed completely for the Wii from Nintendo and the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system. On both the Wii and PSP system, players have the option to tackle all-new missions in traditional single player campaign or engage in massive, 32-player online, continuous-joining multiplayer battles where they could jump into the battle at any time. The Wii version features full support of the Wii Zapper allowing for a more immersive experience than ever, claims EA.

In addition to a fully-fledged single player campaign, Medal of Honor Heroes 2 also features an all-new mode designed specifically for the Wii that simplifies gameplay for players of all skill levels, for easy pick-up-and-play action. This mode plays like an old-school rail shooter — the Wii moves you around, while you do your part—taking enemies out and achieving objectives. According to EA, Medal of Honor Heroes 2 for the PSP will deliver the most comprehensive shooter experience to date, with robust single player campaign and on-the-go 32-player multiplayer capability that’ll allow players to battle it out, anytime and anywhere. From the same team that brought Medal of Honor Heroes for the PSP in 2006 (EA Canada), Medal of Honor Heroes 2 will be available this year for the Wii and PSP.

Absolute Nirvana - Creative's Aurvana DJ Headphones

2007-07-21T03:26:00.000-07:00

Creative has announced the Creative Aurvana DJ Headphones. Sophistically designed with brushed metal and diamond-cut finishing, these powerful headphones offer precise audio reproduction for discerning music listeners, DJ mixes and home studio monitoring use. Built for ultra-comfort using high-grade acoustic components, the Creative Aurvana DJ Headphones are ideal companion products for any MP3 or portable media players with a regular headphone jack.

It also perfectly complements Creative's latest range of X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio systems, offering a truly remarkable listening experience. The Creative Aurvana DJ Headphones follow after the launch of our award-winning Creative Aurvana In-Ear Earphones to bring forth Creative's leadership in offering premium performance personal audio products to complement the demands of today's digital music. The Creative Aurvana DJ Headphones are designed with high performance and optimal comfort in mind.

The powerful yet lightweight Neodymium drivers with Copper-Clad Aluminium Wire voice coils allow the headphones to accurately reproduce music or sound from any media source. The plush leatherette earpads significantly reduce ambient noise, making the headphones ideal for use in a noisy club environment or in the quiet comfort of your home. Key Features and Benefits of Creative Aurvana DJ Headphones Acoustically-tuned 40mm Neodymium drivers with Copper-Clad Aluminum Wire (CCAW) voice coils for accurate and linear response.

Angled earcups optimally direct sound into the ear canal. The Circum-Aural closed-back design with comfortable leatherette ear-pads ensures excellent noise isolation. The Creative Aurvana DJ Headphones can be paired with the high-fidelity Creative X-Fi audio solutions such as Creative Xmod, Creative X-Fi Sound System Z600 and any MP3 or portable media players with a regular headphone jack, including Creative's latest ZEN series of MP3 players such as the Creative ZEN Vision W, Creative ZEN Vision:M and Creative ZEN V Plus. The Creative Aurvana DJ Headphones are now available in retail stores in the UAE at a suggested retail price of AED379 ($103).

Speed, Style and the Ducati Name - But its not a Motorcycle!

2007-07-19T05:19:00.001-07:00

Inspired by Ducati’s legendary racing motorcycles, Sandisk has launched its new flash drive - the sleek Sandisk Extreme Ducati Edition. A tribute to Ducati’s distinctive Italian design and engineering, the new drive has the same glossy red chassis and black trim as the Ducati Corse team motorcycles now racking up victories on the MotoGP circuit.

The true “Ducatisti,” as aficionados of Ducati motorcycles call themselves, will appreciate the attention to detail in the Sandisk Extreme Ducati Edition USB Flash Drive, including the Ducati Corse logo on top of the drive and the red tail light that illuminates whenever the drive is inserted into the USB port of a computer.

On the inside, the drive offers a generous 4 gigabytes (GB) of capacity and front-of-the-pack read and write speeds of 20 megabytes per second - the fastest of the Sandisk portfolio of consumer USB drives. In other words, there isn’t a long wait to fill the drive’s big fuel tank with documents, photos, music and other digital data.

The Sandisk Extreme Ducati Edition USB Flash Drive comes with a custom lanyard, as well as Sandisk’s RescuePRO Deluxe software for recovering data that is accidentally deleted. The drive is compatible with Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and versions 10.1.2 or better of the Mac operating system.

The drive has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $124.99 in the United States. It is expected to be available in North America and Europe in August, and worldwide in September. The drive will be sold through high-end niche retailers, high-end department stores, Ducati network shops and other outlets, including on-line. It is also available for pre-order on Sandisk's web site at www.sandisk.com/ducati.

LG Redefines TV Design with its Latest LB9 Series

2007-07-19T03:55:00.000-07:00

LG Electronics has announced the launch of its latest LB9 LCD TV range, the first in the company’s Design Art series. With tempting black pearl-inspired LCD TVs, LG hopes to build its reputation for design-focused TVs with quality to match. A unique ring-shaped stand is the key feature of the LB9 series. The ring, available in red and black, is utilitarian as well as stylish. Perched atop a ring, the LB9 series incorporates the high glossy piano black frame and a wave-design at the bottom of the panel.

The LB9 series offers viewers a vivid and lifelike viewing experience with LG’s exclusive XD Engine and enhanced 10,000:1 contrast ratio, which creates deeper black levels and provide a fuller range of colours. The LB9 series incorporates LG’s intelligent Eye technology to optimise brightness and contrast, accounting for ambient light.

LG’s proprietary Simple Link technology allows greater control of other compatible equipment such as DVD players and home theatre systems. Also incorporated into the LB9 series televisions are LG’s Dimple Speakers, which create a complete movie watching experience by providing dynamic and powerful sound through minimised air flow turbulence, without disrupting the television’s sleek aesthetics. The LB9 series is currently available in 32-inch, 42-inch and 47-inch models.

After JAM, KJAM and a Hundred Words Funny, Imate Launches JAMA

2007-07-18T01:23:00.000-07:00

i-mate has announced the arrival of its latest Pocket PC for people who want to be instantly mobile without all the fuss of complicated technology. The i-mate JAMA perfectly combines ease-of-use with a very light and extremely compact design and the Instant Messenger Mobile allows you to stay in touch all day with your friends and colleagues while on the move.

Heavily packed with Windows Mobile features, the conveniently priced JAMA has proven to be a hit with customers and will be soon available in stores in UAE, Egypt, Jordon, Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. JAMA has an attractive, 15.6mm slim and a stylish form that allows for a rich multi-media experience with a high quality 2.4-inch touch screen for easy navigation and a 2 MP effect-digital camera.

It is also equipped with Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC giving the user the familiar benefits of all Microsoft Office Mobile applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint Mobile, Internet Explorer Mobile, Direct Push e-mail via Outlook Mobile and Media Player 10 Mobile. The JAMA comes with three useful i-mate applications to enhance the user experience such as i-mate Profile Controller for easy profile and ringtone management.

i-mate Media Controller is a handy application that allows you control your Windows Media Player content with one easy tap on your homescreen. The i-mate Configurator is a utility that automatically sets your GSM, GPRS, Web, MMS and WAP service for many countries, making it out-of-box ready to use.

Samsung Launches the U3

2007-07-17T02:53:00.000-07:00

Samsung Electronics has announced the launch of its latest in its range of MP3 player, the Samsung U3. Samsung U3 is driven by flash memory and equipped with USB that weighs only 22.8-gms. The U3 is available in five colours such as white, black, green, pink and blue, with colour-matched EP360 earphones and reel. Models range from 1GB to 4GB with 12 preset equaliser settings to suit the users’ tunes or customise their own settings.

Samsung claims that its U3 has removed the need for cables, cords or docks, or the need to install programs. Its USB allows easy charging and managing of music files by simply dragging and dropping them to the player. The U3’s Samsung Media Studio (SMS) provides Automatic Mood Playlist that enables songs to be organized according to the users’ mood. Other features included in the MP3 players are voice recorder and flash drive with up to 15 hours of playtime on a single charge. The U3 is available in all major electronics outlets and is retailed at $199 for 1GB, $299 for 2GB and $399 for 4GB.

EA to Launch Crysis Soon!

2007-07-16T06:33:00.000-07:00

Crysis is a next-generation PC first-person shooter from Crytek, the award-winning developers of Far Cry. A stunning technical achievement, Crysis combines incredible visuals, cunning gameplay and an epic story that challenges gamers to adapt to survive.

Global tensions have reached boiling point as the US and North Korea square off in the South China Sea. At stake: a mysterious artifact uncovered by a team of US archeologists. The North Korean government quickly seizes the area, prompting the U.S. to dispatch an elite team of Special Forces operatives on a rescue mission.

During the siege the true nature of the artifact quickly emerges, pointing to the existence of an alien presence on Earth, and ultimately the trigger for a massive-scale alien invasion. The battle to save Earth begins as the aliens’ flash freeze the tropics into a ghostly-white frozen landscape.

As gamers take up arms against the aliens, they will be outfitted with customizable weapons and a high tech Nanosuit, allowing them to adapt their tactics and abilities to a hostile, ever-changing environment and a mysterious enemy.

Powered by CryENGINE 2, Crysis delivers the ultimate DX10 gaming experience for the PC, including unparalleled graphics, special effects and artificial intelligence. The game is also scaleable to deliver a breath-taking FPS experience for older DX9 PCs.

i2 Opens its First Café and Flagship Digital Store in Dubai

2007-07-15T00:20:00.000-07:00

i2, one of the region’s largest and most diverse mobile providers, has launched its first café and flagship digital store in Dubai, at BurJuman Shopping Centre. The latest addition to i2’s retail portfolio is located on the third floor of the popular shopping destination.

This is the first time the company has introduced the café concept in the UAE. First launched in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia almost a year ago, the i2 café is distinguished by its futuristic green and blue décor, and optimal use of wireless technology. Customers, for instance, can place their orders via mobile phones provided on each table.

1000 gift vouchers worth AED 250, 000 in presents given away as part of launch day special promotion “Freebies Frenzy”

They may also enjoy access to mobile services, free internet connection, as well as up-to-the-minute news and information on mobile devices and accessories. Aside from enjoying the trendy café, customers can also take pleasure in a unique shopping experience at the company’s 1500 sq.feet flagship store adjacent to it. The store displays a wide range of IT products alongside mobile devices and accessories from brands such as Nokia, LG, Samsung and Motorola.

As part of the gala launch event, i2 also hosted a special promotion, the ‘Freebies Frenzy’, providing customers with attractive gifts like mobile phones and accessories. Free vouchers were given to the first one thousand customers who redeemed it for gifts worth AED 250, 000 ($68000) in total. Many gathered to take part in the promotion, which created an atmosphere of excitement and fun.

The Smallest FM Transmitter for iPod: Says Promate

2007-07-15T00:06:00.000-07:00

Promate has launched what it calls is the smallest FM Transmitter for iPods. The product looks sleek and cool - similar to the new iPod Shuffle. It is compatible with iPod 4GB, iPod Mini, iPod Nano, iPod Photo and iPod Video.

According to the company, the product comes packed with the latest hi-fi stereo radio audio frequency chip, PLL technology, provides music quality comparable to CD players, and allows you to listen to your favourite music through your car stereo system. For more info, visit: www.promate.net

LG Looks Forward to Good HomNet Sales

2007-07-12T03:59:00.000-07:00

LG Electronics has underlined its keenness to be at the forefront of the Middle East’s thriving hospitality industry with their latest concept in digital lifestyle – HomNet, where it expects to achieve significant turnovers by the year-end.

The LG HomNet Server

Partnering with leading system integrators in the region, LG will be looking to further demonstrate the versatility of their Home Networking division for the hotel industry. In one comprehensive package, LG HomNet integrates eight different solutions - Community Portal, Home Tasking, Home Management, Home Entertainment, Home Safety, Home Communication, Well-Being and Community Management.

LG's PR shot of something that is possible with the HomNet solution.

Last month, LG Electronics confirmed contracts with Sungwon, and Bando & Royal House to outfit more than 1,200 homes in the UAE with comprehensive and tailored HomNet solutions valued at $8.17 million. These include prestigious projects such as Santeville Tower and U-Bora Tower, both in Business Bay, Santeview in Cultural Village as well as Al Naseem Towers in Sharjah.

While technologically enhanced features enable the apartments and villas to be connected through a centralised community server. The residential units are also connected to each other for better community living and homes can be controlled through internet or WAP mobile phones without huge monthly charges. LG HomNet links apartments using a variety of devices and technologies including televisions, internet and mobile phones and offers a more convenient and safer lifestyle.

EA and Steven Spielberg Get Together to Develop Original Games

2007-07-11T01:28:00.000-07:00

Electronic Arts has revealed the first details surrounding two of the three new original intellectual properties in development at EA Los Angeles (EALA) in collaboration with Academy Award winning director and producer, Steven Spielberg.

Steven Spielberg and Louis Castle, the Vice President of Creative Development at EA Los Angeles, enjoy a game on Nintendo Wii.

"I am a gamer myself and game development has always intrigued me,” said Steven Spielberg. “Now I’ve been able to jump in and do it, enjoying the creative collaboration with the EALA team on our first two games and I feel we have two incredibly unique projects in development. I am truly enjoying the creative collaboration and we hope that gamers will be as excited as we are about what we can bring to the medium through our shared vision.”

As an exclusive for the Wii from Nintendo, the first of the two projects will allow for players of all ages to compete in over a hundred challenging, action-packed interactive games that take blocks to a new level of creativity and fun for single player, co-op, and versus gameplay. Additionally, use the Wii remote to build your own fun games and structures or turn the same Wii remote into a destructive tool to bring them crashing down.

“Steven’s vision as both a storyteller and a gamemaker makes partnering with him an incredible experience,” said EA's General Manager, Neil Young. “Together we’re making games that are unique and that we feel will each move the medium in their own way. Through our partnership we are delivering games that are not only engaging and compelling with interactivity, but we hope can also move people emotionally."

The second, and more ambitious project in development, is a contemporary action-packed adventure that puts you in the leading role of an emotional journey where your actions tell the tale. Set against the backdrop of an epic story, the game focuses on a touching and ever-changing relationship between you and a mysterious female character who holds the key to many futures. The game is in development for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Harry Potter Rumour Spreads Computer Worm

2007-07-10T08:15:00.001-07:00

Beware of the rumours that say Harry Potter is dead, say Trend Micro, one of the leading providers of network antivirus and internet content security software and services. The demise of the fictitious boy wizard is being reported by malware authors, who are spreading the rumour together with a malicious computer program.

Potter fans who investigate the rumour run the risk of infecting their machines with a computer worm which Trend Micro detects as WORM_HAIRY.A. This is not the first Harry Potter-related malware that TrendLabs, research arm of Trend Micro, has encountered recently. Just a couple of weeks ago an email promising free premiere tickets for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie was discovered to carry a Trojan. (A Trojan is a program which installs malicious software under the guise of doing something else.)

Each Harry Potter story follows twelve months in the life of a young sorcerer and his school, Hogwarts. Anticipation is at an all-time high, with the pending release of both a movie adaptation and the seventh and final novel in author J.K. Rowling’s best-selling series. This massive interest makes “muggles” – non-magic folk, according to the books – into targets for computer crime.

Unfortunate individuals receiving this worm may find that a variety of “dark magic” begins to unfold. Their computers might start displaying a threatening message (“the end is near”). Without its owner’s consent, a computer’s browser can be redirected to a parodic knock-off called Harry Putter and the Chamber of Cheesecakes, in a bid to trick people into accidentally buying this spoof publication.

Loud and Clear

2007-07-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

Having a conversation in and out of the car is about as simple as talking to yourself, thanks to Nokia’s first speakerphone, the stylish Nokia Speakerphone HF-300. This detachable Bluetooth speakerphone hosts a powerful speaker and microphone. Its audio quality is enhanced even more with Digital Signal Processing (DSP), canceling out excess noises and echoes.

No need to concern yourself with the power button – this clever device knows when to turn off (auto power off) after you stop talking. The Nokia Speakerphone HF-300 offers a number of elements that enable easy communications, in and out of the car. It is operated with battery power, so you’re not confined to using it with a power outlet. The speakerphone comes with a sunvisor clip, so you can easily position it for use in the car.

You can talk freely too – the speakerphone has illuminated keys for easy use, without all the fuss of blinking lights. For those extended conversations, take this lightweight (80g) speakerphone outside, into your home or office, and mount it to a surface with its rubber feet. You can enjoy up to 20 hours of talk time! The speakerphone will automatically turn off after five minutes after the connection to the mobile device has been severed. When the battery runs low, the LED battery indicator will light up to alert you.

Available globally, the Nokia Speakerphone HF-300 is compatible with a wide range of Nokia mobile devices supporting Bluetooth Specification 1.1 and higher and Handfree Profile 1.0 and higher. It is expected to be available in the third quarter of 2007 and will cost an estimated $123, excluding taxes.

A Screwless 3.5-inch External Hard Drive Enclosure

2007-07-06T02:25:00.000-07:00

Crema Technology has launched a simple and elegantly designed MB664 Series of hard drive enclosures.

The entire series is compact, slim, and lightweight and is built for 3.5-inch external storage devices. The device comes with a hot swappable screw-less design to enable you to exchange, expand and manage your data with ease.

Protected with a layer of solid aluminum plate plus a partial glossy finish, MB664 Series makes your data mobilisation attractive and secure.
The enclosure is convertible from horizontal lay to vertical standing utilising the retractable foot stands built within the device. According to the company, the enclosure is design to fit and enrich all high-tech lifestyle.

Titan's TTC-G7TZ Notebook Cooling Pad

2007-07-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

Titan Computer, which designs and manufactures a range of computer cooling solutions, has announced the availability of a new notebook cooling pad, TTC-G7TZ. This cooling pad is lightweight and contains two 80x80x15mm fans, and it is compatible with most notebooks, with screen sizes of up to 15-inch.

Today's mobile processors generate a lot of heat. If you put your notebook through long hours of work or play, you will definitely need a cooler. With two powerful fans, the TTC-G7TZ is able to provide great ventilation to your hard-working notebook and keep your notebook cool. Also, the TTC-G7TZ is an economy model with a low price, and it definitely one of the choices for budget users.

The use of this cooling pad is quite simple. Just place your notebook on top of it and connect the USB power cable to a free USB port on your notebook. No batteries or any power adapter is required. For more info, check out the company's web site at http://www.titan-cd.com/em/g7t.htm.

AMD Unleashes the ATI Radeon HD 2600 and ATI Radeon HD 2400 Series

2007-07-04T02:39:00.000-07:00

AMD has announced the arrival of the ATI Radeon HD 2600 and ATI Radeon HD 2400 series, the mid-range and entry-level graphics processors in the ATI Radeon HD 2000 series. These next-generation graphics processing units (GPU) bring premium support for Windows Vista with feature-rich DirectX 10 graphics, and built-in multimedia functions for an immersive HD video experience on the PC.

Ranging from $89-$149 for the ATI Radeon HD 2600 series and $50-$85 for the ATI Radeon HD 2400 series, the new graphics solutions deliver compelling performance and image quality at an unbelievable price point. The ATI Radeon HD 2600 and ATI Radeon 2400 series have enjoyed broad customer adoption and are designed into a significant number of major OEM mainstream and value DirectX 10 PCs to be shipped in 2H07.

The ATI Radeon HD 2600 and ATI Radeon HD 2400 series deliver remarkable gaming performance and maximise the HD visual effects within Windows Vista and DirectX 10. The powerful second-generation unified shader architecture introduces the era of immersive HD gaming, delivering an ideal balance of high performance, advanced visual effects and breathtaking realism for both the casual and avid gamer. Gamers wanting more horsepower will discover that both series feature native ATI CrossFire technology, allowing for a wider variety of multi-GPU configurations.

The ATI Radeon HD 2600 series and ATI Radeon HD 2400 series provide powerful graphics performance for quick multitasking between applications with the Windows Aero 3D user interface. ATI Catalyst graphics management software is certified for Windows Vista and is designed for quick and easy setup of graphics, video, and multiple displays. Both series feature the Unified Video Decoder (UVD) for advanced hardware HD video processing and HDMI with built-in HD audio controller for stunning big-screen entertainment.

Home theatre aficionados will be captivated by ATI Avivo HD technology that delivers sharp images and vibrant colour fidelity for Blu-ray and HD DVD content. With support for Blu-ray discs and HD DVDs, CyberLink’s PowerDVD Ultra, now offers support for UVD technology from AMD, ensuring enhanced video quality with low CPU utilisation. Using an energy-efficient 65nm process technology to reduce power consumption, certain ATI Radeon HD 2600 series and ATI Radeon HD 2400 series models are designed to be passively cooled for a quieter home theatre experience.

Get a Grip on Hot Spots

2007-07-04T02:21:00.000-07:00

Buffalo Technology has launched its Wireless-G High Gain Omni Directional USB2.0 Adapter (WLI-U2-SG54HG). Designed for consumers and business travelers seeking improved wireless Internet signal, the device attaches to the back of any laptop screen or any flat surface with its suction pads, offering a convenient way to achieve high-speed connectivity on the move.

The Wireless-G Omni Directional Adapter can connect to a laptop with an available USB port via its USB 2.0/1.1 interface. It features a built-in multi-directional high gain antenna, providing consumers with better coverage in wireless hot spots than the standard 802.11g wireless network and also features Buffalo’s AOSS (One-Touch Secure System) technology, which allows easy, one-touch wireless security installation.

The device can reach distances up to twice as far as Buffalo’s existing adapter and being on the 802.11g network, hot spot users will be able to experience data rates of up to 54-Mbps. In addition to AOSS, the device incorporates advanced security features such as WPA-PSK with AES/TKIP and 128/64-bit WEP. Backed by a limited two-year warranty, the Wireless-G High Gain USB 2.0 Adapter (WLI-U2-SG54HG) will be available immediately at an estimated street price of $44.99.

Tracking Activities of this Blog Just got Easy

2007-07-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

I have subscribed to the FeedBlitz service. This service allows you to keep your Blog's readers up to date with updations on your Blog. This is what its web site says:

FeedBlitz is a service that monitors blogs, RSS feeds and Web URLs to provide greater reach for feed publishers. FeedBlitz takes all the headache out of converting feed and blog updates into email digests, delivered daily to subscribers' inboxes. FeedBlitz manages subscriptions, circulation tracking, testing, and is compatible with all major blogging platforms and services such as Blogger, Typepad and FeedBurner. Unlike other blogmail services, FeedBlitz is reliable, scalable and fully supported. No betas, wish lists or road map items here. You're in production, and so is FeedBlitz.

FeedBlitz also enables end users to monitor any feed or blog, anonymously if they wish, regardless of whether the publisher of that feed is using FeedBlitz. FeedBlitz therefore provides a simple way for users to receive updates from their trusted sources using a familiar and ubiquitous medium - email.

In the image above, I have marked an area which mentions the number of people who have subscribed to this blog. If you want to subscribe, all you need to do is click on it and you will be redirected to the subscription page, where you can enter your e-mail address.

Once subscribed, you will receive an e-mail similar to the one featured above. The e-mail is sent once a day and includes all the new blog-posts posted on the site on that day.

Nokia's Communicator Gets Cool

2007-07-02T05:07:00.000-07:00

Nokia has launched its newest version of the Communicator - the Nokia E90. The mobile phone giant claims that the Nokia E90 Communicator sets the standard for an uncompromised “mobile office” experience.

The Nokia E90 Communicator is now based on the S60 platform. It also comes with an integrated GPS and Nokia Maps application, which allows users to find routes and locating services. For increased personal convenience, the Nokia E90 Communicator is equipped with an FM radio, a music player, a video player and two cameras - a 3.2-megapixel auto focus camera with flash and a second camera for videoconferencing.

PSP's new Video Camera Accessory - the Go!Cam

2007-07-02T02:32:00.000-07:00

Sony has announced the arrival of the PSP (PlayStation Portable) camera, called the Go!Cam. According to the company, Go!Cam promises to bring the creativity of film, photos and the fun of PSP together to create a camera for all ages and all occasions.

With a retail price of $54, Go!Cam, Sony says, "this is yet another example of how PSP is a mobile entertainment system with no limits." With up to two and half hours video recording time and the ability to take and store over 40,000 photos, Go!Cam seamlessly converts PSP to a portable, functional and fun camera.

Go!Cam offers a built in microphone to ensure continuous audio, the ability to change the direction of the camera lens vertically by 180 degrees and Go!Edit, an editing software package which allows users to save and edit photos, video and audio clips. The Go!Edit editing software, which is downloadable from here allows you to transform your PSP into a portable editing suite, letting you edit on the move.

With the ability to enhance movies and photos with sounds and graphical effects, Go!Edit provides everything to make a mini masterpiece. Go!Edit also allows you to upload creations onto the internet directly from the PSP, meaning that nothing need stand in your way to share your masterpiece with the world.

Comfort at its Best

2007-07-01T05:07:00.000-07:00

After Dubai Government announced of air-conditioned bus shelters across the city, it's time for UAE's capital to hog some limelight. Abu Dhabi is in the process of installing the Middle East's first modern public facilities across the city.

One of the air-conditioned bus stops in Dubai, UAE.

The Abu Dhabi Municipality has claimed that it will be installing 60 state of the art, advanced public toilet facilities in strategic locations throughout the city. The location of the public toilets will be decided by the Abu Dhabi Municipality and will focus on strategic areas with high footfall.

Automatic Public Toilets in Abu Dhabi.

The first two public toilets are located on Salam Street and on the Corniche. According to the official statement I received this morning from Abu Dhabi Municipality, "these facilities are top of the range, state of the art and are in line with the modern public toilets found in major cities and world capitals such as London and Paris."

Hooked on to Heroes!!

2007-06-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

I am a great fan of Sci-Fi thrillers. So when my colleague Hatim (who also happens to be my boss), introduced me to Heroes - a science fiction running on NBC, I jumped right in! He offered me an entire series in HD format, which he had freshly downloaded off the internet through torrents.

That was on Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, which happens to be weekends in this part of the world (Middle East), I finished 19 episodes - 9 on Friday and 10 on Saturday. FYI - Season One of Heroes includes 23 episodes. Today I am on the final four episodes.

A Brief Backgrounder via Wikipedia...
Heroes is an American science fiction drama television series, created by Tim Kring, which premiered on NBC on September 25, 2006. The show tells the story of several people who "thought they were like everyone else... until they woke with incredible abilities" such as telepathy, time travel and flight. These people soon realize they have a role in preventing a catastrophe and saving mankind. The series follows the writing style of American comics with short, multi-episode story arcs that build upon a larger, more encompassing arc. Even with small story arcs that move the story forward, Kring said "we have talked about where the show goes up to five seasons".

When the series premiered in the United States, it was the night's most-watched program among adults aged 18-49, attracting 14.3 million viewers overall and receiving the highest rating for any NBC drama premiere in five years. On October 6, 2006, NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly announced Heroes had been picked up for a full season, and on January 17, 2007, Reilly announced Heroes had been picked up for a second season. The second season of Heroes will consist of 24 episodes,[6] and the first season of new spinoff Heroes: Origins will include 6 episodes.

I am really amazed at the quality of production Heroes has. I didn't expect a series to be top notch - you could only name a few series that are brilliant, like CSI for instance. But Heroes is definitely one step ahead of most sci-fi thrillers I have seen, as far as direction, story line and the amount of production quality it accompanies, is concerned. If you are someone who loves Sci-Fi Thrillers, Heroes is definitely a must watch. I am now eagerly waiting for the Season Two of Heroes.

And now... the Media Player Review

2007-06-12T06:33:00.000-07:00

I am back to Dubai from my trip to Taipei. I was there to cover Computex Taipei 2007. During my 7-day stay, I visited the computer street in Taipei and bough myself a hard disk drive case, which also doubles up as a multimedia player.

As promised in my post, here's the review. I bought the hard disk drive case for about AED190 (NTD 1800). While such cases are also available in Dubai, they cost on the higher side. For instance, the case I bought from Taipei for AED 190, would easily cost around AED350 (NTD 3500). The build quality of the case is awesome and the UI is quite easy to use.

Yesterday evening, I went to Computer Plaza here in Dubai and bough myself a 120GB 2.5-inch hard disk drive for use in the multimedia player case, for AED260.

Last time I checked in Taipei, a 120GB 2.5-inch hard disk cost about NTD 2000 (AED200). But I was a bit wary buying a hard disk from Taipei - what if the hard disk refused to work, once I was back in Dubai? There would definitely be no way for me to get it replaced or exchanged.

I removed the hard disk drive from its packing and connected it to my Compaq Presario laptop. My laptop immediately recognised the hard disk.

Next, I downloaded CompuApps SwissKnife V3.22 to do the partitioning and the formatting bit. True to its name, the tool worked wonders - the 120GB spanking new hard disk was partitioned into two different parts and formatted within a matter of seconds.

I then proceeded to transfer some DivX, MPEG, VOB, MP3 and some images onto it, to check out the compatibility of such file formats.

Everything seemed to play well. In fact, the quality of the playback was awesome. In fact, it also automatically played subtitle files!

Bye Bye Taipei

2007-06-09T22:47:00.001-07:00

I am all packed up and ready to go.

My flight leaves in about 4 hours time. It was nice visiting Taipei and I hope to come back sometime soon...

Tech Shopping in Taipei

2007-06-09T04:54:00.000-07:00

Have been busy for the past few days, since my meeting schedule was packed, thanks to my magazine's agent in Taipei - PRISCO. Got time today and tomorrow for my shopping before I fly back to Dubai tomorrow. I had been wanting to buy one of those 2.5-inch hard disk casings, which also double up as multimedia players. Such casings are available from companies such as Sarotech, Vantec, Sedna and so on.

At Computer Plaza in Dubai, I have only seen such casings from Sarotech and few "no-name"companies. While the ones from Sarotech sell for a whopping AED 450 (US$123), those from "no-name"companies sell for about AED 180 (US$49). Sarotech cases flaunt a really good build quality and user interface, while those no-name ones are made of cheap metal and crappy UI.

I went to the Computer Street (I think it's called Guang Hwa Computer Market) in Taipei to check out the wares. I asked a representative from PRISCO to write the name down for me in Chinese, so that it becomes easier for me to communicate it to the taxi driver, and it becomes easier for him to undertand where I wanted to go. Here's the location name in Chinese.

Print this image out and show it to the taxi driver, if you want to go to Computer Street in Taipei

You can print it out and hand it over to the taxi driver, if you intend to go to the Computer Street in Taipei. On the computer street, you will find big technology superstores, medium-sized computer stores and small kiosks that also sell IT and CE products. The taxi driver told me that it's much better shopping at the kiosks, which are situated into a building that is divided into six halls. Each hall has numerous little shops / kiosks that sell a variety of gadgets.

I visited each and every shop in the building looking and enquiring about the 2.5-inch hard disk drive cases. And I did find a variety of them - ranging from NTD 990 (US$ 30) to NTD 3400 (US$ 103), in different colours, materials, and features. I bought one from a "no-name" company for NTD 1,800 (US$54).

The HDD case. Seen here is the AV cable, the USB port, the multi-cable connector, and the power connector.

The build quality was excellent and the UI was awesome. As you can see below, it came with a variety of connectors, too. Watch this space for a detailed review.

The contents of the box - the cables, the remote control, the pouch and the manual.

Before I left for Taipei, my good friend Siddharth, who also happens to be an excellent photographer, asked me to buy one of these casings for him, too. However, when I asked the guy selling the case, he said he only had one piece left, since many people who were visiting Computex, went out and bought such cases, too. He claimed that he himself sold about 32 such cases to visitors from various countries, over the last 2 days.

I then enquired at other stores, and luckily found one from a company called Vantec, which featured an OTG function, and cost NTD 2200 (US$ 67). I immediately mailed Siddharth telling him about the case, and asking him whether I should buy it. He replied back with an affirmation, and so I bought this one for him.

The HDD case showing the AV connectors, the USB port and the /off switch.

The contents of the box - check out all the cables, remote control, software CD and manual.

I hope to post a full-on review of the case some time soon. So watch this space for more!

Great Food in Taiwan!

2007-06-09T00:34:00.000-07:00

Taipei is well known for its hospitality. It's a heaven for food lovers. I am a food lover, too. While there's a huge variety of food and cuisine available in most hotels, restaurants or food stalls in Taipei, I have an advice for visitors from the Middle East - especially Muslims.

According to Islam, it is forbidden to eat pork. However, in most restaurants, hotels and food stalls, you will definitely find pork on the menu. While most hotels and restaurants mark dishes made using pork separately, you might not find such classification at most night markets, food stalls and local restaurants. So it is better to ask the restaurant managers or those selling food at the food stalls to let you know about those entries on the menu that don't contain pork.

If you want to be on the safer side, you can always opt to dine at places such as McDonald's and KFC. Believe me - there's an McD on every corner of the street! By the way, if you do choose to eat at McD, I suggest you try the chicken burger which is made using burger buns made out of boiled rice! Take a look at the picture below - it looks something like this:

I tried it, and I can give it an 8 out of 10! It was yummy. The rice in Taiwan becomes sticky, whne boiled, and so it's easier to make burger buns out of it. Yesterday in the evening, I went to the Raohe St. Night Market - which is just 10 minutes drive from Rebar City Crown Hotel. As soon as I entered the market, I could smell stinky tofu everywhere!!

The street was filled with small food stalls selling everything from tofus, fried chicken, beef and pork stew, to Chinese meat balls, ice-creams, and so on. There were also a few dishes, which I can't really explain - looked like fried duck neck with the head and the beak intact to me. Needless to say, I avoided eating from those stalls.

While roaming around the night market, I faintly heard something, which sounded like a Hindi song. I immediately walked towards the sound and the next thing I know was that I was standing in front of an Indian restaurant, which was run by a Pakistani guy. Don't believe me? here's the menu:

I ordered a Chicken Curry dish - which came with chicken curry, rice, naan, soup, salad and a drink. The price - NTD350 - is a bit on the higher side, and the food tasted OK. Here's what it looked like:

And the Award for the Most Courteous Taxi Driver Goes to...

2007-06-08T04:17:00.000-07:00

Teddy!! Teddy?? Teddy, who??? Well, the guy below.

Why? Because, I am from India, and now live in Dubai. As you might have read from my previous entries, I am in Taipei to cover Computex 2007. I haven't seen a taxi driver anywhere as yet - in India, Dubai or Taipei - go over and above his duty to help his customers! I wanted to get to Computer Street in Taipei, and so hailed a taxi from Grand Hyatt hotel, right next to Taipei 101. As soon as I got in, Teddy (he called himself that, but I don't know his Chinese name) greeted me with a Ni Hao, and a "good afternoon". Throughout the journey, he was like this chatterbox that went on chattering and chattering, without boring me.

He was funny and was quite helpful - by the way he spoke really good English for a Taiwnese (and a taxi driver). He told me that he used to work with a furniture export firm in Taiwan earlier. But since his father got sick, he had to quit his job to take care of his father. But then he had to support his family, too. So he started driving a taxi. He says that by driving a taxi he earns money enough to keep his family going, and it's also a job with flexible timings. So he doesn't have to think twice, if somebody from his family needs him for a moment.

Since it was raining, he didn't think even twice before handing me his umbrella. He said, "You are here to shop, not catch cold and fall sick." I asked him how would I return his umbrella. He said, "That's OK. It's an umbrella, a passenger left behind."And then quickly added, "Oh, I was just kidding." I gave him my hotel's card and asked him to collect it from the reception. He nodded. I then, took his phone number and told him that I would need a ride back to the hotel to drop off the stuff I would be shopping for. He promptly gave me his number.

After shopping, I called him on his cell and he arrived to pick me up within no time! In Taipei, if you book a taxi, you need to pay extra. Teddy didn't even speak about the money. He just drove me back to the hotel and as usual the journey was a plesant one, with Teddy chattering away. If you look at the picture closely, you would see that he is chewing on something similar to beetle leaves. Here's a cloese-up shot.

Teddy says that most taxi drivers chew on these leaves to stay awake, so that they don't doze off at the wheels. Most taxi drivers are hardworking and do extra shifts for that extra piece of revenue. He also adds that these leaves are good for keeping the blood-pressure under control.

I will be leaving on 10th for Dubai. I have already asked Teddy to pick me up from my hotel and drop me off at the airport. I had a really great experience, travelling with Teddy. I would certainly recommend Teddy to anyone travelling in Taipei. If you are in Taipei or are travelling to Taipei and are looking for a taxi driver, Teddy would be your man. You can contact him at: 0970157639. And yes, if you do meet him, wish him on my behalf.

Marriages are made in heaven... well almost!

2007-06-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

Someone in the olden days, said something right - marriages are made in heaven. I am in Taiwan currently and am here to cover Computex 2007. I have been around the city and I am only impressed each time. Yesterday was a surprise! It started to rain, and for no reason, I glanced at Taipei 101 to have a look at the world's tallest tower touching the skies above. And Iwas amazed at the sight. The tower displayed "Marry me? Diana" in lights. I immediately clicked the image below.

Click on the image for a larger version

Apparently a Taiwanese guy wanted to propose his girlfriend, and chose this novel way to let her know about his feelings. It was really cool idea - his girlfriend would have clearly said "YES!"

The heavens must surely be missing some angels...

2007-06-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

... and I found them at Computex Taipei 2007!!!

Computex - Part Duex

2007-06-05T06:31:00.000-07:00

Having to cover Computex Taipei this year, I landed up in the city of great electronics and IT products, and stinky Tofu, for the second time. Took a long 11 hour flight from Dubai via Hong Kong to Taipei, Taiwan. I came to Taipei last year for the first time (again to cover Computex) and immediately fell in love with the city. This time too, it wasn't any different. It was a pleasant surprise to be welcomed by rains! Aaah... finally a relief from Dubai's HOT and dusty weather. But the relief will only stay on for 7 days until June 10th, when I return to Dubai. Sigh.

Taipei 101 at night

It was great to see some folks from TAITRA - the organisers of Computex - waiting at the Chiang Kai Shek airport to receive journos from around the world, turning up for the event. Computex by the way, is world's second largest IT exhibition, only second to CeBIT, which is held in Hannover, Germany. After a 1.5 hour travel through amazing locales and beautiful sceneries, I reached my hotel - Crowne Plaza (now known as Rebar City Crown) at 3:00pm, entered my room (911) on the 9th floor.

Room 911, Rebar City Crown Hotel, Taipei

I then hit the shower, dressed up smart, and then headed to the opening ceremony of Computex, which was to start at 5:00 pm.

Taiwan World Trade Center

Was feeling sleepy all through the event, since I hadn't slept a wink on the flight, and was a bit tired with all the travel. But the event went well. There was a live orchestra playing in the background, while we were all having dinner.

The live orchestra at the opening ceremony of Computex 2007

The biggest surprise at the event was meeting a few friends from my first job as a journalist - Cybermedia. I joined Cybermedia way back in 2002. Din din done, and I headed straight to the exit of the event hall to get to my hotel and hit the hay. As I was exiting, one of the cute girls at the reception booth of the event, handed me a fluffy doll - the Computex mascot.

The Computex Mascot Doll

I took the doll, smiled and thanked her, and left.

A Serious Breach of Security

2007-05-16T03:51:00.000-07:00

Watched Breach yesterday - a really nice thriller. Breach is a story inspired by true events, which is being labelled as "the greatest security breach in the history of the US intelligence". The movie is based on Robert Philip Hanssen, an American former FBI agent, who spied for the Soviet Union and Russia against the United States for a period of at least 15 years.

After years of investigation, Hanssen was arrested on February 18, 2001, at Foxstone Park near his home in Vienna, Virginia, charged with selling American secrets to Moscow for $1.4 million in cash and diamonds over a 15-year period. On July 6, 2001, he pled guilty to 15 counts of espionage. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison.

Breach is a movie that follows Hanssen's story - how he cheated the whole nation for monetary benefits, and the investigation, which finally led to his arrest.

Great Movies Among Uttter Crap

2007-04-27T02:10:00.000-07:00

Hollywood has been churning out movies by the minute. However, not all of them are great. I watched a bunch of movies over two weekends such as Benchwarmers, Old School, Perfume, Syriana, Are We There Yet, Kaw, and what not! And I can safely conclude that only two movies - Perfume and Syriana - were brilliant. Old School and Benchwarmers were OK. Are We There Yet and Kaw can be trashed.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Perfume is the story about Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, who was born in the stench of eighteenth century Paris. Since his birth, he develops a superior olfactory sense, which he uses to create the world's finest perfumes. His work, however, takes a dark turn as he tries to preserve scents in the search for the ultimate perfume. The movie is based on a 1985 literary historical horror novel (originally published in German as Das Parfum) by German writer Patrick Süskind.

More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfume_(book)

Syriana

Brilliant story, direction and performance sums it all. A missile disappears in Iran, but the CIA has other problems: the heir to an Emirate gives an oil contract to China, cutting out a US company that promptly fires its immigrant workers and merges with a small firm that has landed a Kazakhstani oil contract. The Department of Justice suspects bribery, and the oil company's law firm finds a scapegoat. The CIA also needs one when its plot to kill the Emir-apparent fails. Agent Bob Barnes, the fall guy, sorts out the double cross. An American economist parlays the death of his son into a contract to advise the sheik the CIA wants dead. The jobless Pakistanis join a fundamentalist group. All roads start and end in the oil fields.

More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syriana

Brilliant Tamil Remix

2007-03-31T04:12:00.000-07:00

There have been a variety of remixes lately of old Indian songs. Sometimes you come across a few that would just sound like "shit". You would think that the original 80's song was much better than the "next-generation" 2007 song. Then there are some you would think, "What an awesome song". In fact the remix would sound better than the original one.

I recently came across a brilliant sounding track by a Malaysian Tamil Band called "Madai Thiranthu" from their album "Vallavan". The song was simply superb. Then a quick Google search revealed that the song was a remix. The original song was composed by music maestro Ilaiyaraaja for the film "Nizhalgal" in the 80's.

Check out the song from Vallavan:

And then go and check out the original song from Nizhalgal:

Though the original song is great, I really feel the remixed song sounds quite cool, probably because it sounds more like a rap / hip hop track.

Korean Movies are Awesome!

2007-02-28T02:39:00.000-08:00

I watched two Korean movies last week. No, I don't understand Korean - I used English subtitles. I liked both the movies - they were brilliant.

Old Boy (2003)

This one's as movie critics say "A true masterpiece". Remember the forgettable Hindi movie "Zinda". Well, the Hindi movie starring Sanjay Dutt and Mahesh Manjrekar was inspired by Old Boy, a Korean blockbuster. Right to the infamous tooth "plucking" scene! And believe me, some of the torture scenes in Old Boy are scary. They will scare the shit out of you. The plot of the story revolves around a guy named "Ho Dae-su", who after being kidnapped and locked in a shabby cell for 15 years, without any reason, is suddenly released for no reason. He is equipped with a cell phone, new clothes and money. Now, he has only five days to figure out why such a thing happened to him - otherwise he will die.

Salinui Chueok or Memories of Murder (2003)

Another Korean blockbuster, which deals with two detectives investigating a serial killing event. Some people say the movie is inspired by true events which occurred in 1986, when South Korea was under military dictatorship. The movie is quite dark and scary - some of the scenes will send a chill down your spine!

At the start of the film, in October 1986, a young woman is found raped and murdered in a ditch near a field. Soon after, another woman is found raped and murdered in a field. Local detective Park Doo-man, not having dealt with such a serious case before, is overwhelmed; key evidence is improperly collected, their investigative methods are suspect, and their forensic technology seems close to non-existent. Detective Seo Tae-yoon is sent from Seoul to assist them; their methods clash and he is unable to convince them they are dealing with a serial killer until his predictions of another murder come true. He realizes that the killer waits until a rainy night, and only kills women wearing red. A female police officer realizes that a local radio station is always requested to play a particular song during the nights the murders are committed.

Images © www.imdb.com

Harris Jeyaraj Chruns Out Good Music... Again!

2007-02-24T05:48:00.002-08:00

Harris Jeyaraj seems to have done it again. Following the resounding success of Vettaiyadu Villaiyadu, he has rendered songs for two more movies - Pachai Kili Muthucharam and Unnale Unnale. While Pachai Kili... is Director Gautham's next movie after the blockbuster VV, and Jyothika's first movie to be released after her marriage with Surya, Unnale Unnale seems like a mushy love story - with new faces. I have heard music from both the movies and it's brilliant.

Pachai Kili... is inspired from the Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston starer "Derailed", which was released in 2005. Pachai Kili... stars Sarath Kumar, Jyothika, Andrea Jeremiah and Milind Soman. The story is about Sarath Kumar who is married to a Andrea, but has an affair outside his marriage, with Jyothika. Milind Soman starts blackmailing Sarath Kumar, when he comes to know about the affair. The rest of the story is how Sarath Kumar tries to put everything back in place. Songs worth listening to include Kadhal Konjam, Karu Karu, Unnakul Naan, and Unn Siripinil.

Unnale Unnale meanwhile seems like a candy floss mushy love story, that stars a Bangalore-based model turned actor newcomer Vinay, Sadha and Tanisha Mukherjee. Some of the songs that are worth listening to include June Pona (which has an uncanny resemblance to "One Love" by Blue), and Vygasi Nilave. There's one more song called Hello Miss Imsaiye - but I got bored after listening to it a couple of times.

Images © www.indiaglitz.com

Andhra Pradesh Government Order on Media Lifted

2007-02-23T07:07:00.000-08:00

Finally... a ray of hope. Or should we rather say, the Andhra Pradesh government has finally come to its senses. On February 20, 2007, the AP government had issued a government order against the media, saying that special permission has been granted to the Special Commissioner, Information and Public Relations, to initiate legal action against publishers and editors of newspapers / TV channels which have published / telecast reports defamatory to the Government.

Then, last night, the government mysteriously withdrew the order. Read about it here...

Please Help This Boy Live

2007-02-16T00:32:00.000-08:00

Kiruba, one of the most influential bloggers in India has started an initiative to help Prabhu, a college student, who fell off a building and critically injured himself. The boy and his friends were on their hostel terrace, three floors high. While playing around, one of his friends tripped over the side wall, and while trying to hold on to anything to keep him from falling, he unfortunatley grabbed his friend's shirt. So, both the boys crashed to the ground below. Luckily, both the guys survived but with terrible consquences.

Half of Prabhu's ribs are broken, heavy internal bleeding, hands and legs fractured and he's become limp waist down. Kiruba also says that though the other kid is also serious, we right now have no information about his status. Right now, Prabhu has been admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Chennai, since an operation needs to be performed on Prabhu. The total estimated cost of the operation works out to Rs. 8.5 Lakhs. Thus, Kiruba has set up a PayPal account to collect funds from the Blogger community or from anyone who visits his Blog.

You can too help Prabhu and his parents by contributing some amount towards his operation, even if the amount is too little, it will be of much help to them. Please visit Kiruba's Blog and help Prabhu live. Or you can use the widget below to make the payments. Your help will be highly appreciated.

A Sweet Little Journey

2007-02-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

Kabul Express is an amazing trip into Afghanistan post 9-11 and the American "war on terrorism". The film takes place after the events of 9/11, when America has invaded Afghanistan, which was then under the control of the Taliban. The survivors of the old regime are trying to escape the wrath of the Afghans. At great risk Suhel Khan (John Abraham) and Jai Kapoor (Arshad Warsi), two Indian television reporters, enter Afghanistan with a dangerous aim: to film a documentary on the condition of Afghanistan.

They attempt to get an interview with a Taliban soldier captured by the Afghans. Helping them is their Afghan guide, translator and driver, Khyber (Hanif Hum Ghum), with his Toyota jeep called Kabul Express. They soon come across Jessica Beckham (Linda Arsenio) who is a photo journalist.

Their road trip becomes hell when the group are kidnapped at gunpoint by a Pakistani soldier who was once part of the Taliban regime. The soldier, called Imran (Salman Shahid), orders them to drive him to the Pakistani-Afghan border. Jessica is soon captured by Imran after she follows the Indians thinking they have found a huge story. The film follows the next 48 hours of the five individuals.

As the film unfolds, a special relationship develops between the Afghan, the Pakistani, the two Indians and the American.

The Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts

2007-02-07T06:09:00.000-08:00

Saw Black Friday over the weekend. An awesome movie - good performances by the actors, great direction, nice execution of the plot and good background score. Black Friday, which is India's only entry this year at the Locarno Film Festival, is the story of the 1993 bomb blasts that took place in Mumbai.

Based on a book by S. Hussain Zaidi, this docu-drama tries to recreate those events and the intense feelings that followed them. The film has Kay Kay Menon (as the Commissioner of Police), Aditya Shrivastava as Badshah Khan, and Pawan Malhotra (as Tiger Memon), among the star cast.

Synopsis
On March 9, 1993 Gul Mohammed turns himself in at Nav Pada police station, Bombay. His statement: there is a conspiracy underway to bomb major locations around the city. The police dismiss his confession. Three days later Bombay city is torn apart by a series of explosions. The death toll is close to 300.

Investigators discover that the bombs were made using a high-powered explosive, RDX. It could only have been obtained through the collusion of a foreign power. And a large amount of illegal money.

The first arrest
An abandoned vehicle is found -- filled with explosives and weapons. Registration papers in the name of 'Rubina Memon', sister-in-law to one 'Tiger Memon', resident of Mahim, Bombay. Tiger has a criminal record for smuggling.

On March 14, 1993, Asgar Muqadam, Tiger Memon's secretary, is picked up for interrogation. He is beaten till he confesses what he knows about the bomb blasts, and the police begin their search.

Arrests and Interrogation
Inspector Rakesh Maria is put in charge of the investigations. Between March and April his men tear Bombay apart in search of suspects. The lock ups are filled with detainees, including Mushtaq Tarani, Parvez Shaikh, Abdul Ghani Turk, Imtiaz Ghavate, and Shoaib Ghansare.

Still missing are Badshah Khan, Javed Chikna, Anwar Theba, Bashir Khan, Iqbal, Farooq Pawle, Irfan, Tainur, Shahnawaz, Babloo, Moin, Naseem, Zakir, Firoze, Mehmood.

On the run
Following the blasts Badshah Khan had left Bombay and gone into hiding. He shuffles around the country waiting for word from Tiger but it never arrives.

Badshah tires and finally halts at his village in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, North India, where the police catch up with him. It is May 10, 1993.

He is brought back to Bombay and to Rakesh Maria for questioning. He admits being a part of the conspiracy, but continues to justify his actions. For the first time there is a glimpse of motive: the blasts were revenge for the atrocities suffered by the Muslim minority community during the December 1992 and January 1993 Bombay riots.

The RDX
There is still a large amount of unused RDX (Research Department Explosive) explosive stashed in the city. A man called Yeda Yaqub Khan is responsible for keeping it hidden. But when his brother and sister-in-law are picked up for questioning by the police, Yeda panics and hurriedly moves it to other locations.

On March 30, 1993, just eighteen days after the blasts, local youths stumble upon part of it while fishing at Nagla Bunder Creek, Bombay. A stroke of good fortune for investigators.

And Yeda, still rattled by the arrest of his family, turns informer. He offers up information on the whereabouts of the rest of the RDX in exchange for his family's release. The point of origin of the explosives is determined as Pakistan.

The Conspiracy
Badshah Khan realizes that there is no justification for his acts, and decides to become a police witness. He completes for Maria the story behind the blasts - starting with smuggling in the explosives, going to Pakistan for training, and his first meeting with Tiger Memon. On November 4, 1993, the police file a charge sheet against 189 accused. The Central Bureau of Intelligence takes over the case.

Then on August 5, 1994, Tiger's brother, Yaqub Memon, willingly turns himself in to the authorities. In a candid Newstrack interview on national television Yaqub states that it was Tiger and his underworld associates who orchestrated the conspiracy. And Tiger Memon has now disappeared.

What is past is prologue
Before the blasts there were the Bombay Riots, bloody warring between the Hindu and Muslim communities between December 1992 and January 1993. It was an unprecedented outburst of violence and abuse, resulting in emotional trauma and property loss. Tiger Memon's office was burnt to cinders.

The suffering of the Muslim minority community in the riots incited a meeting of underworld leaders in Dubai, who then took it on themselves to seek retaliation. Tiger was also looking for his own revenge, and suggested an attack on Bombay as the strongest message.

Leading to Friday, March 12, 1993. Twelve explosions at key points around the city. 300 people dead. 800 injured. And a trial that awaits verdict. A must see!!

Through www.wikipedia.org

Got Myself an E61

2007-01-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

I recently got myself a Nokia E61. I have been toying the idea of upgrading my cell phone for over four years now. All this while, I have been using a Nokia 2100. I had my eyes on the Palm Treo, but didn't want to take up the gadget. Don't get me wrong, the Treo is an impressive piece of technology. However I wanted my next phone to support wireless internet, which the Treo doesn't (as yet!!!).

During my recent conversation with Palm officials at the GITEX 2006 IT event in Dubai, I did pose this question. The officials has this to say: "Yes, Wireless LAN is definitely on the radar for Palm... but not as yet." Duh! What's the use of a gadget that doesn't support wireless LAN today? So, I researched on the internet and ultimately Nokia E61 seemed as a much smarter choice.

What impressed me most was that E61 supports Symbian's 60 series 2nd Edition OS. I really didn't want to go for a phone that supported Windows Mobile OS - so phones such as those from Imate, O2, and so on, were out of the picture. And since my colleague Shravan had been experimenting with his E61 for quite sometime, the sheer usability and the functionality of the phone got me interested.

A run down of the features:
* Supports the most common features of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel (Microsoft Office 97, 2000, XP and 2003). Compatible with Zip Manager and Adobe Reader
* Multi-tasking abilities: send and receive emails while talking on the phone
* Access to up-to-date calendar and contact information
* Works in offline mode – read and write email even when network is unavailable
* Large user memory: up to 64 MB + support for miniSD card
* WCDMA provides fast, wide-area connectivity
* WLAN provides fast, local-area connectivity
* Large, advanced high-resolution screen shows images sharper and reduces scrolling
* Supports push email solutions that provide immediate notification when a new email is received (Intellisync Wireless Email, BlackBerry Connect, Good Mobile Messaging, Seven Always-On Mail, Visto email technology)1

More...

My Trip to Oman

2006-10-30T03:10:00.000-08:00

Spent my Eid / Diwali holiday in Khasab, Oman. The road trip was awesome. Perfect roads for a long drive beside the seafront winding over the mountains surrounding it. We were eight and so used two cars for the entire journey: a Ford Focus hatchback, which was driven by Anuj - my room mate Solomon's colleague and a Honda CRV, which was driven by Solomon.

We were supposed to get to Khasab, which is first town you hit as soon as you enter Oman's border. We were then to take a boat to a place called Mussundam, which is a small collection of islands. However, we didn't know that Oman infact shared two different border with the UAE. One is the border which is used to enter Khasab and the other is a border which is used to enter Muscat.

The Muscat route is used by people who are travelling to a place called Salalah, which is being claimed to be a kind of hill station in the Middle East. To reach Salalah, one can expect to travel about 1,200 kms by road, one way, from UAE. Thus, it is always advicable to take a flight to Muscat and travel to Salalah by road. However, we were first timers to Oman and so we didn't know the two border secret, and thus ended up losing our way.

We were supposed to leave by 5:30 in the morning. However, we only left at around 6:30 and by the time we reached Ras al Khaimah (an emirate in the UAE), it was about 8:00 in the morning. We then asked a few local people and one guy told us that there were two borders for entering Oman through road. So we asked around and we came to know that to go to Mussundam, we should be travelling towards Khasab and not Muscat.

Fortunately we were on the right track - we were travelling towards Khasab and by the time we reached the UAE-Oman border, it was about 10:00 am. But there was another surprise in store for us. Being Eid holidays here in the Middle East, it seemed as if the entire Dubai was travelling towards Oman for a holiday! We had to wait for three hours, just to get our visa!! Don't believe me? Check out the queue of cars below.

Finally everything was sorted out, visas granted and passports stamped. We spent AED30 to get the visa, which was quite cheap. We continued on our way and finally reached Khasab by around 2:30 pm. We were hungry and so headed straight towards a restaurant to have our lunch. However, yet another surprise was in store for us. Though Eid had been declared in the UAE, it was still the holy month of Ramadan in Oman. This meant that most restaurants only allowd take away meals. For those who don't know, it is against the law to eat and drink in public during Ramadan.

So we had to settle for a lousy burger and had to finish it in the car with the windows up! Lunch done, now time for some fun. our next stop was the Khasab port. We bargained and we booked a entire boat for AED250 for our trip to Mussundam. The boat cruise was amazing. The trip turned out to be special because we saw lots of dolphins swimming around. Guess we were lucky, because according to boat owner, the number of dolphins we saw that day was far too many compared to other days. Guess, our 12 hour gruelling journey to Mussundam, Oman was worth it.

Some Pix:

Is this the Future of Digital Entertainment?

2006-10-01T04:36:00.000-07:00

Years back, when digital audio players such as the iPod took the industry by storm, people wouldn’t have imagined that these players would soon mature to chic looking gadgets that could pack in much more capabilities. The world of the iPods is finally being eclipsed by a new breed of digital entertainment products called personal media players. These are a slew of devices that let you do it all on the move: play games, watch movies, listen to music, browse through snapshots, and even—if you insist—connect to the outside world.

And I’m not complaining, since I myself own an MSI Megaplayer 566 and I love the gadget already. It lets me play videos, listen to music, browse through my digital album collection and most importantly, record videos or music from any source. For instance, I can now directly record MiniDV video footage into ASF file format directly from the television, using the MSI Megaplayer 566. This really is a relief, as I would not have to spend hours trying to convert MiniDV footage to a video format, which I can then use to burn onto a CD or a DVD. That’s awesome!

For More... Head Here...

Getting Around Barcelona

2006-09-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

Since I had nothing better to do the whole of 19th, I visited the nearby Diagonal Mar Mall. I window shopped for a while, before having my lunch there. After lunch I returned to the hotel and asked the conceirge about city tours. I was told that a service called Barcelona Bus Turistic takes care of city tours - they operate double deckered busses with open tops, for a ride around the town. The attendant at the reception told me that the bus leaves every 15 minutes from the hotel.

The ticket cost me 18 euros - the cost includes ride on three different tourist routes around the city for the price of one. I jumped for the offer. I left the hotel on the bus at around 1:45 pm and toured the entire city on the bus, until 8 pm! The best thing about the Bus Turistic Service is that the service has stops all over Barcelona.

If you want to have a closer look at the place you are visiting, you can always get off the bus at any stop and explore the area. Once you are done, return to the bus stop and hop onto the next Bus Turistic bus as per your convenience. I think the idea is awesome - since you pay just a flat fee and use the service as many times as possible the whole day. The service runs on three different routes - the Northern route and the Southern Route are two hours long, while the Forum route is 40 minutes long.

You can get into any route from any Bus Turistic point in the city. Here's a collection of pictures of a few places I visited on the city tour:

The images include some pics taken from my hotel's elevator, some interesting buildings - one of which Spaniards claim looks like sea waves of the Mediterranean sea, while the balcony represent the sea weeds. One building looks like a castle too.

Then there's a set of pictures of the Sagrada Familia Church, which is under construction. It is famous because of its unique architecture. Then there's La Rotonda building - I don't know what it is for, but that's what the building says:P Then there's one more old church building. There is also the stadium of the Football Club Barcelona. And finally, the Olympics torch, which is a part of the Olympics Village built for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.

Reached Barcelona

2006-09-20T01:52:00.000-07:00

Reached Barcelona (Spain) yesterday at around 9:00 am. Have come here to attend HP's Preffered Partners Conference. I had left for Dubai airport at 10:30 pm on September 18th 2006. My flight was at an ungodly hour of 1:45 am. But now I think the timing couldnt have been better because I got the whole of yesterday as off, because the conference only starts today after lunch time.

I took a Swiss International Airlines flight from Dubai to Zurich, which took about 6 hours and then a connecting flight from Zurich to Barcelona, which took another 1.5 hours. The flight was nice and I was asleep the whole flight. People from HP were present at the airport to receive us and hotel transfer coaches took us to our respective hotels.

I was put up at Hotel Barcelona Princess. I checked into the hotel and I was shown my room (no: 712) on the seventh floor. The room was amazing, and it had an awesome view of the conference halls below, alongside the shoreline. Here are a few pics of the room:

India Inc helped Uncle Sam

2006-09-10T06:45:00.000-07:00

An interesting read on Mumbai Mirror.

Study finds that Indian cos pumped more than $2 bn into the US during 1995-05; helped sick firms, created jobs

India Inc is no longer just an outsourcing partner for the US business community.

In fact, according to a report, Indian companies’ presence in general and their contribution in particular to US firms as competent business associates is becoming increasingly significant.

So much so that American firms don’t mind an Indian connection at all.

It’s no wonder then that American companies have emerged as India Inc’s largest business partners, with USA alone receiving the highest amount of RBI-approved investment at $225 million between April 2005 and January 2006.

In the decade leading up to 2005, the US attracted the highest share of Indian direct investments approvals ($2,159 million) followed by Russia ($1,763 million), Mauritius ($1,038 million) and Sudan ($964 million), says a FICCI-Ernst & Young report.

The report – ‘Direct investments in the US by Indian enterprise’ – notes that the software/BPO sector accounted for the largest share (58 per cent) in terms of the number of deals into the US during 2004-06.

Healthcare accounted for 17 per cent while the remaining 25 per cent deals were in other sectors such as telecom, textile, automotive and financial services.

Talent projected India Inc well

High levels of technological expertise and knowledge along with entrepreneurial development and management skills helped Indian companies emerge as competent business partners.

Additionally, India Inc learnt a lot as service providers looking for outsourced IT/BPO work from the developed-countries. This imparted the knowledge to conduct international business, and induced outbound investments through demonstration and spill-over effects.

Indian firms are actually helping America

FICCI-Ernst & Young further observed that not only are Indian companies creating new jobs and boosting wages, investments from India are strengthening US manufacturing and contributing to rising productivity.

Indian companies have acquired several units in the US that had filed for bankruptcy and also set up manufacturing facilities in the US.

Indians are successfully handling the restructuring process of sick units and are increasingly gaining over their American rivals in cost and efficiency.

Outbound investments from India help US companies penetrate foreign markets, and increase exports and provides a global platform to smaller and mid-sized companies.

More on the way...

The report stated that outbound investments and acquisitions in the US by Indian companies are likely to witness a further increase.

The new found confidence in the Indian buyers, supported by strong economic fundamentals is expected to foster this growth trend.

Acquisition of manufacturing companies is likely to be gain momentum as there is a scope for significant value creation for Indian buyers to acquire manufacturing companies in developed markets and then restructure the manufacturing model by either offshoring some or all of the production activities to India.

Lage Raho Munnabhai!

2006-09-09T22:43:00.001-07:00

Plot spoiler warning: You might want to watch the movie, before you read this post

Munnabhai is back and he is not alone! I watched this sequel to the hugely popular Munnabhai MBBS at Lamcy Cinema and I was amazed. This is definitely one of the few movies, where the sequel scores much more than the original. Lage Raho Munnabhai is surely one slot higher than Munnabhai MBBS.

In the sequel, Munna (Sanjay Dutt) and his quintessential henchman Circuit (Arshad Warsi) try to recreate magic of Munnabhai MBBS and they succeed. From start till the end of the movie each person in the theatre was in splits. This time around, Munna is in love with a radio jockey called Jhanvi (Vidya Balan). Boman Irani meanwhile plays Lakhbir Singh aka Lucky - a greedy businessman.

Munna falls in love with voice of the Radio Jockey Jahnvi . He is finally given the chance to meet her when the radio station announces a trivia contest concerning the life and beliefs of Mahatma Gandhi. He formulates a clever scheme and wins the contest. However, in the process Jahnvi is led to believe that Munna Bhai is a professor of history and subsequently asks him to present a lecture on Gandhi to the community of senior citizens which she takes care of at her home, Second Innings.

Munna decides that the only way out of this situation is to use the days prior to the lecture to learn as much as he can about the Mahatma. He puts himself through an intensive period of study in a library devoted to the life and works of Gandhi. It is during this period of study that the image of Gandhi begins to appear to Munna Bhai. With Gandhi on his side, Munna not only wins Jhanvi's heart, but through a radio show also teaches others how to solve their problems using Gandhi's principles. Soon, however, Munna finds his own life falling apart until he learns to practice what he preaches. The problems he faces lead him to cultivate a new life based upon Gandhism, particularly non-violence and telling the truth.

Director Raj Kumar Hirani has once again proved his mettle with the sequel. He presents a humorous and enlightening bouquet full of drama, emotions, earthly simplicity, romance, real life portrayals. Definitely one step ahead of the original. Some film critics might compare Lage Raho Munnabhai to Woody Allen's Play It Again Sam. However, I feel this comparison is utterly rubbish! Where did the film critic get such a foolish idea? The plot of Lage Raho Munnibhai is as original as it can get - you will believe it, when you watch it.

Raaghavaaaaan... Good Cop!

2006-09-09T03:45:00.000-07:00

Saw Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu yesterday at Galleria Cineplex. Stepped into the theatre with lots of expecatations, and I have to admit that I wasn't dissappointed.

Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu stars Dr. Kamal Haasan, Jyothika, Kamalinee Mukherjee, Prakash Raj and the music composed by Harris Jayaraj. The film is directed by Gautham Menon. The story revolves around an honest cop in Tamil Nadu called Raghavan(Kamal Haasan).

Raghavan is deputed into an investigation of his colleague Arockiaraj's (Prakash Raj) daughter's murder case. After a few months Arockiaraj and his wife move to New York, to get away from the bitter memories after their daughter's murder. However, both Arockiaraj and his wife are found executed at their residence in New York.

Raghavan then goes to New York to investigate the cae. The investiagtion leads him to a series of corpses in New York at an abandoned fort. The rest of the story is all about how Raghavan finds out the culprit.

Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu is an awesome movie - nice direction, brilliant camerawork, cool story, and awesome performance and music. However, compared to Kaaka Kaaka, Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu does fall short of praises.

The Croc Hunter's Dead

2006-09-05T01:04:00.000-07:00

Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and environmentalist known as the ‘Crocodile Hunter’, was killed on Monday by a stingray while filming on the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44.

Irwin was in the water at Batt Reef, off the remote coast of north-eastern Queensland state, shooting a segment for a series called Ocean’s Deadliest when he swam too close to one of the animals, which have a poisonous barb on their tails, said John Stainton, a friend and colleague.

“He came on top of the stingray and the stingray’s barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart,” said Stainton, who was on board Irwin’s boat at the time.

Crew members aboard the boat, Croc One, called emergency services in the nearest city, Cairns, and administered CPR as they rushed the boat to nearby Low Isle to meet a rescue helicopter. Medical staff pronounced Irwin dead when they arrived a short time later, Stainton said.

Irwin was famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchword ‘Crikey!’ in his television programme Crocodile Hunter, which was first broadcast in Australia in 1992 before it was picked up by the Discovery network, catapulting him to international celebrity.

He rode his image into a feature film, 2002’s The Crocodile Hunters: Collision Course and developed the wildlife park that his parents opened, Australia Zoo, into a major tourist attraction.

“The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest dads on the planet,” Stainton told reporters in Cairns.

“He died doing what he loved best and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. He would have said, Crocs Rule!”

Prime Minister John Howard, who hand-picked Irwin to attend a gala barbecue to honour US President George W. Bush when he visited in 2003, said he was “shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin’s sudden, untimely and freakish death”.

At Australia Zoo in Queensland, flowers were dropped at the entrance; drivers honked their horns as they passed.

Via Mumbai Mirror

The Newest Addition to my Gadget Collection

2006-08-21T23:27:00.000-07:00

My penchant for technology and gadgets seem to be increasing by the day. I have now added another IT product to my collection of IT gadgets and accessories – a HP Compaq Presario V5233EA notebook. The notebook made a comeback in the Middle East region and to mark this entry, HP invited selected journos from the UAE for the launch at Carrefour in Mall of the Emirates, Dubai, at an unearthly hour – 11 pm!

However, those journos who turned up for the launch were in for a surprise. The officials gave away 50% discount coupons to journos present at the launch event. The notebook was already available at an introductory price of 3,499 dirhams (Rs. 44,500). For journos however, with the 50% discount coupon, the price of the notebook translated to just 1,750 dirhams (Rs.22,250). Plus add to it 200 dirhams (Rs. 2,550) gift voucher from Careefour, which makes the effective price of the notebook as 1,550 dirhams (Rs. Below Rs. 20,000) – which is awesome!

The specification of the notebook is also quite mind-blowing.

Microprocessor: 1.60 GHz Intel Core Duo processor T2050 with Intel Centrino Duo Mobile Technology
Microprocessor Cache: Level 2 cache 2MB
Memory: 1024MB DDR2 667-MHz (2 x 512MB)
Memory Max: Up to 2GB
Video Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Video Memory: Up to 128 MB (shared)
Hard Drive: 100GB (5400-rpm)
Multimedia Drive: Super Multi DVD Writer (+/-R +/-RW) with Double Layer support
Display: 15.4” WXGA High Definition BrightView Widescreen (1280 x 800)
Fax/Modem: High speed 56K modem
Network Card: 10/100 LAN Ethernet integrated
Wireless Connectivity: Intel Pro/Wireless 2200 802.11b/g Integrated Wireless LAN
Sound: Altec Lansing speakers
PC Card Slots:
• One type I or II PC card slot
• One ExpressCard/54 slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
External Ports:
• 6-in-1 Memory Reader (xD, SD, Smart Media, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Multimedia Card)
• 1 VGA port
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• 1 IEEE-1394
• 1 RJ 11 modem connector
• 1 RJ 45 Ethernet connector
• S-video TV out
• Remote control infrared port (Remote Control optional)
• 1 Headphone-out w/ SPDIF Digital Audio, 1 Microphone-in port
• Cable docking connector
Weight: 2.98 kg (6.6 lbs)

We've Been Expecting You!

2006-08-13T01:52:00.000-07:00

Well, that's the tag line of Silent Hill. I saw Silent Hill yesterday and though the movie isn't frightening enough, the storyboard was great and the visuals, awesome. However a few cheesy graphics also formed part of the movie - a la "Itchy the Killer" style.

The film is about a girl called Sharon (played by Jodelle Ferland), who sleep-walks and continuosuly mentions about a place called Silent Hill, which haunts her in her dreams. Sharon's mother Rose Da Dilva (Radha Mitchell) and father have tried everything they can to cure her of these nightmares.

After being unsuccesful everytime, Rose finally decides to take Sharon to Silent Hill. However, the road to Silent Hill is anything but easy to access, and Rose creates a high speed chase between herself and a police officer only to end in a crash for them both. However, when she wakes up, Sharon has disappeared and Rose is at the entrance to the deserted, dream-like town of Silent Hill.

As Rose begins the search for her daughter, she does not realise the terror and mystery surrounding her. Rose is led on a blind search for her beloved daughter, finding herself getting more and more entwined into disturbing past of Silent Hill.

Though Silent Hill is based on a computer game by the same name, developed by Konami, I am told that the central plot of Silent Hill - a city with coal mines, that burns till now - is actually based on an existing town of Centralia, in Pennsylvania, in the US.

Centralia experienced a trash fire in 1962, which accidentally ignited an exposed coal vein. Today, over forty years later, the mines underneath the town are still on fire -- and will continue to be for at least another 100 years, say experts. The population has been reduced from over a thousand down to just eleven. Smoke and steam continue to pour out of the ground.

You might want to read about Centralia, here and here.
For images of Centralia, head over here.

Online Auctions Come of Age

2006-08-09T06:27:00.000-07:00

Lots of things have been said about online shopping and auction web sites. With millions of products and services at your fingertips, online shopping is an experience anyone can afford to indulge in, without having to venture into the hot sun. While the eBays and the Amazons of the world can rule the globe, one web site that's shaping the Arab e-commerce revolution is Souq.com.

The site claims to be the world's first Arabic/English online auction, and was launched as MazadMaktoob in 2000. It then slowly evolved into the present Souq.com. The online auction site then went onto to add an online payment service called CashU in 2002, and currently claims to be generating millions of transactions worldwide. I have been quite fascinated by the idea of online shopping for quite sometime. I have been a frequent user of an auction web site called Baazee.com in India, which was later transformed into eBay India, when online auction giant eBay decided to buy it.

Souq.com follows a similar business strategy, except that it needs a little bit of tidying up to do, as far as the interface of the web site is concerned. Nevertheless, the web site does its job quite well. The best part about the web site is that there are no subscription charges — you neither pay for putting your product up for sale, nor do you pay any charges to Souq.com for buying any stuff off their web site. One of the things that caught my eye was Souq.com's offer for free shipping of products that weigh up to 5kgs. This essentially means that I don't pay a single fill to get the product delivered to my doorstep. Now that's neat!

Read More...
Via PC Magazine Middle and Near East

Make Your Own Pinhole Camera

2006-07-30T04:09:00.000-07:00

A pinhole camera is a small, light-tight can or box with a black interior and a tiny hole in the centre of one end. It is essentially camera without a lens. You can design it to accept roll or sheet film. The two ends of the camera are parallel. The end opposite the pinhole is flat so that the film is held in a flat plane. The pinhole has a cover to prevent light from entering the camera when you aren't taking a picture. Pinhole cameras are used by many photography enthusiasts around the world.

In order to produce a reasonably clear image, the aperture has to be a small pinhole on the order of 0.5 mm (0.02 inches) or less. The shutter of a pinhole camera usually consists of a hand operated flap of some light-proof material to cover and uncover the pinhole. Pinhole cameras require much longer exposure times than conventional cameras because of the small aperture; typical exposure times can range from 5 seconds to hours or days.

Linatree.com has a pdf file which contains the design of a pinhole camera. All you need to do is download the pdf file and print the image on a card paper or stronger paper if you like. Follow the instructions on the site to create your very own pinhole camera. And if you are an aspiring shutterbug, you might just want to show off your talent by heading to the Pinhole Gallery.

BusinessWeek Links Me!!

2006-07-13T05:21:00.000-07:00

It was about a year ago that I added a web counter to this blog, to check out the profile and the kind of visitors landing onto my blog. However, I had forgotten about it all this while, simply because I was busy with other stuff. Today curiousity got the best of me and so I decided to check out the statistics of visitors of my blog.

Click for bigger image

Amidst the visitor details, I was surprised to see one visitor coming from BusinessWeek's web site. I was curious. I checked the web site and realised that Olga Kharif, one of the writers at BusinessWeek's web site, had linked my blog entry about search engines that use diagrams to show off search results, in her article. That's really great. My blog IS going places :)

Don't believe me? You might then want to check this article titled "Web Search's Future: Anything but text."

No One Messes With Mumbai

2006-07-12T04:28:00.000-07:00

This is a letter I got as a forward from one of my friends, which shouts "No one messes with Mumbai. If you think Mumbaikars get frightened by such antics, you are terribly mistaken."

Image Courtesy: Xinhua.net, Indiavarta.com, Webulagam.com and Rediff.com

Dear Terrorist,

Even if you are not reading this we don't care. Time and again you tried to disturb us and disrupt our life - killing innocent civilians by planting bombs in trains, buses and cars. You have tried hard to bring death and destruction, cause panic and fear and create communal disharmony but everytime you were disgustingly unsuccessful. Do you know how we pass our life in Mumbai? How much it takes for us to earn that single rupee? If you wanted to give us a shock then we are sorry to say that you failed miserably in your ulterior otives. Better look elsewere, not here.

We are not Hindus and Muslims or Gujaratis and Marathis or Punjabis and Bengaliies. Nor do we distinguish ourselves as owners or workers, govt. employees or private employees. WE ARE MUMBAIKARS (Bombay-ites, if you like). We will not allow you to disrupt our life like this. On the last few occassions when you struck (including the 7 deadly blasts in a single day killing over 250 people and injuring 500+ in 1993), we went to work next day in full trength. This time we cleared everything within a few hours and were back to normal - the vendors placing their next order, businessmen finalising the next deals and the office workers rushing to catch the next train. (Yes, the same train you targetted)

Fathom this: Within 3 hours of the blasts, long queues of blood donating volunteers were seen outside various hospital, where most of the injured were admitted. By 12 midnight, the hospital had to issue a notification that blood banks were full and they didn't require any more blood. The next day, attendance at schools and office was close to 100%, trains & buses were packed to the brim, the crowds were back.

The city has simply dusted itself off and moved on - perhaps with greater vigour. We are Mumbaikers and we live like brothers in times like this. So, do not dare to threaten us with your crackers. The spirit of Mumbai is very strong and can not be harmed.

With Love,
From the people of Mumbai (Bombay)

For your eyes only

2006-06-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

Am back from Taiwan, and boy the trip was awesome. Though I didn't get to see the whole of Taipei in these four days, I did see the better part of it. So, till the time I upload all the images and a quick travel report on this page, here are some images of "Booth Babes" at the Computex 2006 exhibition for you to enjoy. ;o)

The Computex Mascot with two cuties

Am off to Computex

2006-06-04T00:52:00.000-07:00

I will be travelling to Taiwan for four days of IT extravaganza called Computex. Computex is the world's second largest IT exhibition, which is held in Taipei, Taiwan every year. Imagine four days being surrounded by the best of technology!! I hope to make a good use of this opportunity and engage in some interesting discussions about upcomming technologies. I also hope to explore Taipei a bit - have already made a list of places to visit (and snap up some pictures :o) )

I'll be flying Cathay Pacific from Dubai to Hongkong and then take a connecting flight to Taiwan. The approximate flight time from Dubai to Hongkong is about 8 hours, while the flight time from Hongkong to Taiwan is about 1 and a half hours. Hope, the jetlag wont be too hard to take.

Taking a Bite out of Apple

2006-05-22T06:38:00.000-07:00

Intellectual properties have always been subjects of debate in the IT industry for quite sometime. Intellectual properties that manage to create a sense of anxiousness on the market, find themselves face-to-face with copyright infringements and court cases. The other day, I came across a news item on the internet that screamed “Creative sues Apple over technology”. The news item further went on to elaborate as to how Creative filed a lawsuit against Apple in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, because it saw Apple being involved in a "willful infringement" of Creative's self-termed Zen Patent.

Creative defines the Zen Patent as “a method of selecting at least one track from a plurality of tracks stored in a computer-readable medium of a portable media player configured to present sequentially a first, second, and third display screen on the display of the media player, the plurality of tracks accessed according to a hierarchy, the hierarchy having a plurality of categories, subcategories, and items respectively in a first, second, and third level of the hierarchy.” In layman terms, it essentially defines the way music tracks are organised and navigated on a player through a hierarchy using three or more successive screens. For instance, this would be a sequence of screens that could display artists, then albums and then tracks.

Creative claims that it shipped the NOMAD Jukebox in the US during September, 2000, and by November the same year, PC Data confirmed that it was already a top revenue-generating product in the US in the digital audio player category. The Apple iPod meanwhile was only announced in October 2001, a full 13 months after Creative had been shipping the NOMAD Jukebox. According to Creative, Apple’s iPod player was also based upon the user interface covered by Creative’s Zen Patent.

Reports also suggest that Apple was in talks with Creative in 2001 to license Creative’s driver source code and explore joint business opportunities. However, the discussion failed to take off further, since Creative declined Apple’s offer to spin off its digital media player business into a separate company that Apple would invest in.

Thus, Apple went ahead and launched its own version of digital audio player in October 2001. Meanwhile in 2005, Creative was awarded the Zen patent. That brings us to a big question – why did Creative wait for almost an entire year to sue Apple over the alleged infringement? There could be two answers to it. May be Creative tried ousting Apple from the top position, by launching new and innovative player models every now and then. But when its efforts failed to materialise, it went ahead and sued Apple following the rule, “if you can’t beat them, sue them”.

Another reason could be that Creative was planning out the lawsuit all this while and found this the right time to get its message aboard. This law suit certainly means that Creative is all out to sue Apple (and other MP3 player vendors) that use the same type of interface. This is because most MP3 player models on the market today, allow you to sort music either by the genre or even the artist name. I am not however sure whether Creative will pursue a licensing agreement with Apple. It might even try an out-of-the-court settlement, similar to what happened between NTP and Research in Motion. However, if Creative's intention is dethroning the king of MP3s, it seems likely that it will pursue the law suit till the end.

Meanwhile Apple surely won't go down without a long, bitter fight. More likely, Creative will push for a rather large sum in damages and a hefty licensing fee to bring in continuing revenues for the struggling music player manufacturer. I feel that Apple will be spending a lot of time and money in the courtroom defending its digital music empire. Why I say this? Well, I just read another news item that said “Apple countersues Creative”.

That's a hat-trick!

2006-05-08T00:58:00.000-07:00

"...or shall we say "Third Time Unlucky"? Well, I have lost hope. Every time there is something good waiting to happen, something or the other just goes wrong. I try so hard to make it happen... I almost tell myself... 'oh, we are almost there'. But No! Fate doesn't like me fooling around and there I go again - lost, and hopeless. So close... yet so far... hmmmm, life goes on."

The next Indian woman in space

2006-05-04T06:57:00.000-07:00

Following the footsteps of Kalpana Chawla, an Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams will now be a part of the replacement crew for the six-month-long International Space Station Expedition. This space programme will be carried out in September this year.

Sunita's selection caps the prospects, which began in 2003 when she was selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Agency as a backup crew member for one of its missions to the space station orbiting about 240 miles above Earth.

She is the second astronaut of Indian origin after Kalpana Chawla, whose space odyssey had a tragic end on February 1, 2003, when space shuttle Columbia exploded over Texas during re-entry.

Check out Sunita Williams' profile on NASA's web site here.

Her entry in Wikipedia is here.

Via Rediff.com

The advantage of being Chinese

2006-05-04T04:51:00.000-07:00

If you cannot decipher anything, then try pulling the corner of your eyes as if you were Chinese.

Welcome To Your Worst Nightmare

2006-05-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

Spoiler Warning

I watched Hostel yesterday and I should say that it's frickin' sick! To describe the movie in two words - Sleazefest and Gore. Well, it's a usual Quentin Tarantino movie - the first half of the movie seems like fun, while post interval is where you encounter a shock. The movie has however been directed by Eli Roth - the director of "Cabin Fever". Hostel is the second mainstream film by Roth, whose Cabin Fever was a playful throwback to 70s gritty horror. It was gory, to be sure, but much lighter than Roth's second effort - Hostel.

Hostel has been shot in Europe entirely. (UPDATED: Now though the directors will have us assume that the movie has been shot in Bratislava, Slovakia, the story has actually been shot entirely in Prague, Czech Republic). The story revolves around three guys who are backpacking in Europe - two Americans (Paxton and Josh), and one Icelandic (Óli). The movie opens with them having fun in Amsterdam (UPDATED: which is again Prague and not Amsterdam, as the directors would like us to believe) - doping and checking out brothels. After they are denied entrance into a hostel where they stay, because they arrived after curfew, they go to an acquaintance's apartment to spend the night.

At the apartment they learn about a hostel in Bratislava, Slovakia, with incredibly hot women who will do just about anything for foreign American boys. That idea alone should sound off an alarm, but our friends are, well...stoned and horny and looking for a hands-on experience in multiculturalism. The trio thus decide to track down the hostel by train. Everything seems well, but unfortunately there is more to the hostel than meets the eye. The next morning, Óli goes missing. Later Josh is also missing. Paxton, then sees that there is something worng going on and thus embarks in his search for Josh.

The rest of the movie is whether Paxton manages to find Óli and Josh. The movie has some major disturbing scenes - one is shown where Josh is being tortured using a drilling machine. Another scene shows Paxton's fingers being cut using a saw. The movie has been rated R for voilence, blood and gore, strong sexual scenes, explicit language, and drug use. Some countries have even banned this film, due to its graphic nature.

The City of Bratislava, Slovakia, which has been portrayed in the film as being a sex and crime capital, has condemned the makers of the film, saying that the film shows the beautiful city of Bratislava in bad light. The authorities had asked the makers of the film for an apology, stating that Bratislava is in no way like what it has been portrayed in the film. Check out the press release here

NOTE: Sentences in BOLD have been updated recently.

Google manages your life!

2006-04-16T04:07:00.000-07:00

Well not literally, but certainly allows you to manage your "To Do" list quite precisely. The company has launched its web-based calendar service that ties into its excellent mail serivice GMail, and allows you to add meetings and events using your own words.

Dubbed Google Calendar, a beta version of the service went live last week. Using Google Calendar, you will be able to create new events directly out of your GMail messages. You can also use a feature called QuickAdd in order to add appointments using natural language, typing "Candlelight dinner with girl friend" to create a new calendar entry, for instance.

Once events are created, Google Calendar will send out e-mail invitations to other participants and send event reminders and change notifications to the Google user. According to the search engine giant, setting up a personal calendar is only part of the picture.

Google Calendar will also allow you to search for and then subscribe to publicly available calendars -- the schedule of a cricket match for instance -- and then integrate that information into your calendar.

Google Calendar, which will support the iCal data exchange standard used by a number of groupware products, will also allow you to share your calendars with others using the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) syndication technology.

Find Google Calendar here.

Hell and Thermodynamics

2006-04-03T03:38:00.000-07:00

One of the mails, which I received as a forward. Though the story's nice, I am not sure whether it's true.

The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic(absorbs heat)?

Image courtesy: Dustylens.com

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.

One student, however, wrote the following:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.

As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell.

Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion , we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell, because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it? If we accept the theory given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you, and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct ...leaving only.

Heaven thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."

This student received the only "A" given.

Ms. Pratibha Naithani (and Forum Against Obscenity) goes nuts!

2006-03-30T05:14:00.000-08:00

I was just reading through one of my favourite tabloids apna Mid Day, when I came across a news story that announced "Stop this nudity, violence and sex!" The article is in fact a letter that was sent to Mid Day by "Forum Against Obscenity", of which Ms. Pratibha Naithani (a political science professor of some Mumbai college) is a part of. The letter states that Mid Day has become an obscene newspaper and resembles a pornographic magazine such as Playboy(!). Now only if somebody could throw some light and explain the meaning of "pornography" to Ms. Naithani and the "crusaders" (read losers) from Forum Against Obscenity.

Well, I have been reading Mid Day for the past 15 years and I really like the crispy style of reporting they do. I really think that Ms. Pratibha Naithani and Forum Against Obscenity need a brain transplant immediately. This only goes to show that Ms. Pratibha Naithani and the Forum Against Obscenity, can do anything for cheap publicity.

The Forum Against Obscenity claims that Mid Day only writes about "sex". The letter further adds - "What kind of journalism is this? Where are your ethics of journalism? Where is your regard for the law of the land? If you think that by writing only about sex and by printing semi nude photographs of women, by titillating the readers, by writing abuses, you are able to sell your newspaper, then do not call your self a newspaper, become a sex magazine like Playboy."

I ask - "What about freedom of speech and expression?" May be it's time we started covering up ancient statues and scriblings found at many temples and historic sites in India. Going by what Ms. Pratibha Naithani and the Forum Against Obscenity wants, everyone in India should destroy their television sets and refrain from watching any TV channel. All media houses should shut shops.

I couldn't control my laughter when I read the letter on Mid Day's website. I think Ms. Pratibha Naithani and the Forum Against Obscenity have totally gone nuts! I would advice them both to go get a life and stop this bullshit about ethics once and for all.

Say the Colour. Not the Word!

2006-03-27T21:48:00.000-08:00

Here's a perfect example of Left-Right Conflict, as claimed by many web sites. No, am not talking about some politics involving some leftist and rightist parties. According to most web sites on the cyberspace, the image below shows how a conflict between the left and the right brain works.

"While you start identifying the colours, your brain also starts reading out the words, before you even realise it. Why is it so difficult? Because the right half of your brain is trying to say the colour, while the left side of your brain is trying to say the word," says one web site.

However, I believe that this can not be an example of Left-Right conflict. Well, if I were to identify colours slowly, like a 4 year old kid would do, then I get all the colours right, without ending up reading the words.

In fact this phenomenon is called The Stroop Effect. The famous "Stroop Effect" is named after J. Ridley Stroop who discovered this strange phenomenon in the 1930s. So, if you're like most people, your first inclination was to read the words, 'red, yellow, green...,' rather than the colours they're printed in, 'blue, green, red...'

For instance, for the word BLUE, you should say "RED". But sometimes you end up reading the word, than identifying the colour.

Vennilave... Velli velli nilave

2006-03-27T07:05:00.000-08:00

Nowadays, I am hooked onto this song from Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu. I also quite like the songs Nerrupae and Karka Karka.

Vennilave however reminds me of "Punnagai" from the film "Alaipayuthe". The brief guitar note now and then in Vennilave also reminds of an 80's song by Laid Back, called "Don't Run From Your Shadow". Coincidence? I think not.

Sivaji... punch lines

2006-03-19T04:46:00.000-08:00

Some speculative punch dialogues from thalaivar's next movie - Sivaji - The Boss! I got this list as a forward from one of my friends, who's also an ardent Rajni fan. Yenjaaaaaaaaay!!!

Dekhoji, naan thaan Shivaji

Singathe konja mudiyathe...Sivajiya minja mudiyathe..

kanna...aalu rounda iruntha podhathu...aatathula all roundera irukkanum...

Kanna, naan pakka dhan software, erangunan mavane hardware....

Sachin adicha sixer indha Shivaji adicha stretcher

amaidhikku babaji adidhadikku sivaji!!

Naan 1 centimetre dhooratthukk nallavannaa 20 kilometre distancekku kettavan

Naan nenacha athu nadantha mathiri, naan nadantha athu jeycha mathiri

Thanneerai Killa Mudiyuma? Sivajiya vella mudiyuma?

paambe patha padaye nadungum,indha SivaJiya pathe pambe nadungum!

phone adicha ringu, inda shivaji adicha sangu

Kanna andha sivajikku nadikka mattum dhan theriyum, indha sivajiku nadikkavum theriyum adikkavum theriyum

unaku Aandavan vekkaraan da date annaiku unaku Shivaji vekkaraan paar vettu

Naan nallavanukku sami, Nayavanjaganukku tsunami

Kanna, vitukoduthavan ennaikum kettathillai, kettavan ennaikum vittukoduthathillai

Solli adikiravan veeran, sollama adikiravan kozhai, naan sollavum maaten, adikkavum maatan... aana konnuduvan

Nallavanukku naan DHARMAN Kettvanukku naan YEMa dharman da

A Sandstorm and a Desert Safari

2006-03-19T02:21:00.000-08:00

Well, it was a mixed experience- both adventurous and frightening. On Friday I went to an event sponsored by Western Digital, the hard disk drive manufacturer. The event was supposed to be an adventurous day out - we were to meet at the Jebel Ali Shooting Club for a quick hands on experience of using a shotgun on clay pegions, before heading off to a "secret place" - a distant desert spot near the Sharjah border for Desert Safari.

I was accompanied by Shravan - the Technical Editor of PC Magazine and Bevill - the Marketing Personnel. On our way to Jebel Ali, we encountered intense sandstorm. This was my first sandstorm experience during my one year stay in Dubai and boy was it frightening! Strong winds blowing everywhere and sand surrounding Shravan's speeding Ford Mustang. Some images here.

Well we sure made it safely to the Shooting Club, and tried our hands at targeting clay pegions. The courteous instructors at the Shooting Club gave us all the instructions needed - right from handling the shotgun to loading it with cartridges and shooting the targets. It was a hell of an experience. I managed to shoot 7 targets out of the total 20. Shravan and Bevill meanwhile did 8 each. Bevill specially managed six targets in a row - not a bad number for a beginner!

We then headed off to IBN Batuta Mall to park our cars, where a caravan of four wheel drives were waiting to pick us up for a date with the desert. After an hour's drive, we finally reached a camp site, where the beasts (Toyota Land Cruisers) were ready for rock and roll in the desert, with us seated inside them. Nice experience altogether - it was my first trip to a Desert Safari and I was really amazed by the kind of skills these drivers had. They had total control over the 4WDs and the Desert. Some images here.

Nice car stunts, good camel rides, hot belly dancer and a sumptuous dinner, sums it all.

** UPDATE **: FRESH IMAGES ADDED. CLICK HERE

Vettayadu Vilayadu...

2006-03-15T02:55:00.000-08:00

If rumours are to be believed, Kamal Hassan's most awaited movie Vettayadu Vilayadu should see the light of day sometime soon. I have been waiting anxiously for this movie to release - especially after sampling the awesome songs the movie has. Well, we already have a genious in Harris Jeyaraj - so the songs of the movie are anyways a hit already. Some of the brilliant songs in the movie include "Paartha Mudhal", "Manjal Veiyil", "Uyirile Enathu", "Karka Karka" and "Neruppae". Well, this list covers all the songs of the film!

As for the story - the movie revolves around a CBI Officer played by Kamal in the film. Following a horrendous incident in Tamil Nadu, the CBI steps in, and sends its officer to the US on the trail of the culprit. How the cop, using his brain and brawn, tracks the anti-social gang and its leader is narrated with a lot of action scenes thrown in. Along the way, the cop meets Jyothika and falls in love with her.

Majority of the movie has been shot in New York, with the climax shot in an interior village of Tamil Nadu. The movie has been directed by Gautham Menon, who gave super hits such as Minnaley and Kaaka Kaaka. The awesome music is by Harris Jeyaraj.

My favourite by far in the entire album remains "Manjal Veiyil".

How dumb could people get??

2006-03-07T02:37:00.000-08:00

I was browsing through apna Mid Day, when I stumbled into this news item. The news item ellaborates on how a couple in Mumbai, who were engaged and about to be married soon, lost their cell phone in an auto rickshaw. Well, people lose cell phone everyday - but if I had a cell phone with an MMS video on it, which I had shot during a private moment with my girl, I would guard my cell phone with all my life.

This couple forgot their Nokia 3230 camera mobile phone in an auto rickshaw, while alighting from it. Now they have nowhere to run. It's just a wait and watch game and it would be worse. The couple haven't yet found the phone, which contains clips they shot of themselves in private, as an experiment. They are now paranoid that somebody will find it and circulate the images / video clips.

Some tips for people shooting MMS clips of themselves:
1. Never shoot an MMS clip containing you or your partner in intimacy.
2. If you do however feel the urge to shoot such a video clip, store it in a secure place and hide it away so that nobody gets their hands on them. Remember, an intimate MMS clip of yours, on your phone is the worst mistake you could ever make.
3. If your phone has a Bluetooth or Infrared function, make sure its turned off and not in a "discoverable" mode. There are sick people out there with the tools required to hack into your mobile phone through these wireless technologies.
4. If your phone ever gets infected by a virus, be sure to delete the MMS clip, before you send it off for servicing.
5. Never install any unexpected application received by MMS message from any senders (including your friends!). It could be a virus, which would forward all the contents of your phone, including the clips, to an unknown recipient.

Where are the missing GBs?

2006-03-06T22:36:00.000-08:00

Ahem... GBs as in GigaBytes and not Guest Books! Let me ask you a question - how many times have you observed that a flash disk or a hard disk drive, provided you with lesser storage space than advertised, after you partitioned and formatted it? I guess everytime, right? After months of speculation, just yesterday I bought an 80GB Samsung notebook drive to use it as my backup mobile hard disk. The drive claimed a data transfer rate of 5,400rpm (rotations per minute) and came with an 8MB buffer (onboard memory). The storekeeper offered me either this one or a Toshiba hard disk, which came with a data transfer rate of 4,200rpm, one year warranty and no buffer at all. In contrast, the Samsung one came with a 3-year warranty. The price difference between both the drives wasn't much and so I settled for a 80GB Samsung hard disk. I also bought an external USB hard disk casing to go with it and paid 400 AED (Arab Emirate Dirhams) for the entire deal.

Nice deal ofcourse. But once I partitioned the drive into two and formatted it, I was in for a surprise. One of the partitions showed me a usable storage space of 38.9GB and the other showed me 35.4GB. I paid for 80GB hard disk space and in return I get only 74.3GB. Where did the remaining 5.7GB go???

Well, there's nothing wrong with the hard disk it seems. There are various possibilities as to why a hard disk would show lesser storage capacity than it's actually supposed to show. Experts say that as a general rule, you can expect to lose about one-quarter of the space on a disk drive to things such as formatting and hidden partitions. You'll probably lose a smaller percentage on a smaller disk and more on a larger one. You might also lose toward the high side if the disk is the main disk on a system that came with the operating system installed and toward the low end if it's a second or third disk you've installed after you bought the computer. In other words, if you got 225 Gb out of a 250 Gb disk, you beat the guesstimate.

According to industry experts the missing capacity goes into several places such as contributing the space for setting up file tables, hidden partitions, storing critical system files, and so on. Also, its no brainer that one megabyte (MB)equals 1,024 kilobytes (KB), by industry specifications 1 MB is measured as 1,000,000 bytes. This might also be another reason, why your hard disk ends up showing lesser number of MBs.

Read more about it here...

For all the dopers and smokers...

2006-02-26T02:45:00.000-08:00

There's a modern saying - "Kissing a smoker is like licking an ash-tray". While this is what non smokers say, there are a few people who advocate smoking - some people have gone to the extent of producing a song to encourage smokers.

I got a similar song as a forward from one of my colleagues recently. The song titled "Suttah" - which means Cigarette, is a brainchild of a Pakistani band called Zeest. The band was interviewed by apna Mid-Day last month.

The interview reveals that Zeest is made up of founder, composer, guitarist, lyricist and lead vocalist Skip, manager and supporting vocalist Abeer and Anas, Aneel and Raheel on conga, tabla, and drums.

Says Skip:

I guess the real creator of the B C Sutta phrase is my dad, Abdullah Bhai. In the good old college days, I remember bunking classes and smoking with my friends all night long. When my father came to know what I had been upto he’d often say, “B******d! Sutta peeta hai inn lafungo kay saath”

I created this satirical, comical, slang song just for fun, but I always wanted to compose a song that could reflect my life story and that of other optimistic losers too. The song is so popular only because every average “tapori bachcha” can relate to it.

The song can be downloaded here.

The lyrics of the song can be found below:

WARNING: Contains explicit lyrics.
------
Coughs... OK, this song is dedicated to all the smokers and dopers by Zeest, the Band

Doston main biatha, main suttah pee raha,
abba ne mujhe suttah peete dekh liya,
ghar jab main pohuncha, mujhe danda ho gaya,
b******d sutta, mujhe sutta na mila - (4)

College mein gaya, mujhe pyaar ho gaya,
usne bhi mujhse mera sutta cheen liyaa,
sadkon mein ghooma, main tanha reh gaya,
b******d sutta, mujhe sutta na mila - (4)

Shaadi huyi, main husband ban gaya,
raat bhar thoka, main thak ke gir gaya,
khushiyon ki khatir, mera sutta chin gaya,
b******d sutta...

b******d sutta, mujhe sutta na mila - (4)

b******d, m*******d...

... And Again!

2006-02-22T23:49:00.000-08:00

It rained again today - heavy rain - nice weather and I'm down with fever :( But that won't stop me from posting a few more images of rain in Dubai on my blog, would it? So, here we go...

Images courtesy: Puneet Miglani

The following images courtesy: Narayan and Vipurva. These images were taken on a drive from Sharjah to Dubai this morning.

But it rained...

2006-02-20T21:44:00.000-08:00

It started raining in Dubai last night - well, not rain exactly, but drizzles. The time right now as I write this entry is 9:47 a.m. and it's still drizzling. Water, Water everywhere. The weather is pleasant. Not a perfect day for work. As my colleague puts it, it's a perfect weather to "h*mp" :o)

This is an image I shot in the morning today. It's a service road near the entrance of my workplace.

The grass on the manicured landscapes across the city looks much cleaner and greener. The smell of mud makes your soul soar carefree. And yeah, the chilly wind blowing gives you goosebumps quite often. Makes me hum the song "But it rained" by Indian band Parikrama.

UPDATE:

The weather is back to normalcy. This is how Dubai looked at 2:00 p.m.

Bad Google!

2006-02-19T04:56:00.000-08:00

It was just last week that Google launched its new version of the popular desktop search client. The new Google Desktop 3, which is now available for free download at the search giant's web site, has hit a controversy.

According to news reports floating around, the software's new search-across-computers feature could put sensitive data at risk and violate federal data-privacy regulations. Many news web sites suggest that IT administrators at many public universities and large corporates have already banned the software from their networks.

The reason? Google Desktop automatically stores copies of files, for up to a month, on Google servers, in order to let users search across multiple computers for files. Now, that's a hideous feature!

So, why hideous? Because the way the great US of A government is acting up, it could even force Google to turn over the data to the government. According to industry experts, if Google is subpoenaed, it might be forced to turn over personal data, even if the data is stored on Google servers temporarily.

By doing this, your personal data would be compromised in the name of "investigation" by the great US of A! Though the feature is disabled by default, it doesn't solve the problem since all it takes is a single user who is unaware of the ban to turn it on.

That reminds me... I need to uninstall Google Desktop 3 from my machine!

Where there is a will, there's a weapon

2006-02-08T00:18:00.000-08:00

Lord of War is a film that charts the rise and fall of Yuri Orlov, from his early days in the early 1980s in Little Odessa. The film goes through a phase of Yuri's ups and downs of his weapon-trafficking business right from him selling guns to mobsters in his local neighbourhood, through to his ascension through the decade of excess and indulgence into the early 90s, where he forms a business partnership with an African warlord and his psychotic son.

The film also charts his relationship through the years with his younger brother, his marriage to a famous model, his relentless pursuit by a determined federal agent and his inner demons that sway between his drive for success and the immorality of what he does.

The film portrays the role of the assault rifle AK-47 also known as Kalashnikov, which today is one of the largest and the most trusted weapon used worldwide. So much so that this weapon is displayed by many countries as a weapon of pride. For instance, Mozambique uses an AK-47 on its flag!

AK-47 Guide has a very in-depth coverage of this weapon.

This news report on ABS-CBN is a very nice read about arms-dealing worldwide:

>> The world’s five largest arms dealers, top manufacturers of nuclear armaments and weapons of mass destruction, are the United States of America, United Kingdom, France, Russia and China, which are ironically the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. These states account for 88 percent of the world’s conventional arms exports, which contribute regularly to gross abuses of human rights.

>> The arms business guarantees an annual expenditure for global military weapons amounting to US$839 billion. Even the Security Council’s permanent nonvoting members lucratively engage in the manufacture of war weapons and ammunition—Germany produces G3 assault rifles, with seven million units available worldwide, while Belgium and America manufacture FAL and M-16 rifles, respectively, with the same number of units worldwide.

>> The governments in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America spend at least US$22 billion for stockpiling weapons alone. This amount surpasses the US$10 billion needed for the Millennium Development Fund (MDF) to achieve universal primary education plus the US$12-billion MDF goal to reduce, if not eradicate, infant and maternal mortality.

>> America’s principal companies engaged in the weapons industry remain the turf of America’s top politicians. Former US President George Bush Sr., father of incumbent President Dubya Bush, heads the Carlyle Group, which manufactures war armaments, formerly for Afghan mujahideens against Soviets during the Cold War, and presently for Arab Muslims and the Jews in the Middle East.

>> The death toll from small arms exceeds the death toll of atomic bombs unleashed on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Kalashnikov (AK47), the favorite assault rifle of military and police forces, has at least 100 million units scattered worldwide, constituting 80 percent of the total number of assault rifles.

Wanna get your report card signed from your Dad?

2006-02-07T02:50:00.000-08:00

Father passing by his teenage daughter's bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was neat and tidy. Then he saw an envelope propped up prominently on the centre of the pillow. It was addressed "Dad".

With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands:-

Dear Dad,

It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you, but I'm leaving home.I had to elope with my new boyfriend Randy because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you. I've been finding real passion with Randy and he is so nice to me. I know when you meet him you'll like him too - even with all his piercing, tattoos, and motorcycle clothes.

But it's not only the passion Dad, I'm pregnant and Randy said that he wants me to have the kid and that we can be very happy together. Even though Randy is much older than me (anyway,42 isn'tso old these days is it?),and has no money, really these things shouldn't stand in the way of our relationship,don't you agree?

Randy has a great CD collection; he already owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. It's true he has other girlfriends as well but I know he'll be faithful to me in his own way. He wants to have many more children with me and that's now one of my dreams too.

Randy taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and he'll be growing it for us and we'll trade it with our friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want. In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Randy can get better; he sure deserves it!!

Don't worry Dad, I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grandchildren.

Your loving daughter,
Rosie.

At the bottom of the page were the letters "PTO".

Hands still trembling, her father turned the sheet, and read:

PS: Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at the neighbour's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than my report card that's in my desk centre drawer. sPlease sign it and call when it is safe for me to come home. I love you!!!

There is no justice without sin

2006-02-05T05:50:00.000-08:00

Watched Sin City over the weekend. Sin City is a brilliant movie adapted from Frank Miller's collection of graphic novels about an imaginery town called Basin City. Basin City is also called "Sin City", because it is a violent city where the police department is as corrupt as the streets are deadly. "Sin City" is infested with criminals, crooked cops and sexy dames, some searching for vengeance, some for redemption and others, both.

The movie follows three stories: The first part based on "Sin City" is a story about a soon-to-be-retiring policeman called Hartigan (Bruce Willis) who is incarcerated for a crime he didn't commit.

The central character of the story is Marv - a tough-as-nails and nearly impossible to kill street fighter who goes on a rampage of vengeance when a beautiful woman, Goldie (Jaime King), he sleeps with for only one night is killed while lying in bed with him. This story, which is based on "That Yellow Bastard", shows how Marv joins hands with a group of prostitutes (which also includes Goldie's twin sister) to avenge the death of Goldie.

The third part of the story is based on Frank Miller's "The Big Fat Kill". The story is about an ex-photographer called Dwight (Clive Owen) who accidentally kills a hero cop called Jackie Boy (Benicio Del Toro) and has to cover it up.

After watching Sin City, I can't wait for Sin City 2 to be released! Sin City 2 is based again on Frank Miller's "A Dame to Kill For". The story follows Dwight, as he is experiencing some problems when him and his girlfriend, Ava Lord, get reunited. Meanwhile Nancy wants to avenge Hartigan's death by going after the Roarks. In this film, we also get to explore some details about Hartigan's past.

My roots...

2006-01-31T05:21:00.000-08:00

Conversion of paravas by St. Francis Xavier

I belong to the Paravar cast. I didn't know much about it, till I got to this post in WikiPedia. It's awesome that my cast has a really great history!

Parava or Paravas, also known as Bharathar, Paravar, Meenparavar and Fernandos, is one of the oldest Tamil castes.

Traditionally, the Paravas had been for centuries, Pearl-Divers - until the 19th century, when pearl-oysters in the Gulf of Mannar, between India and Sri Lanka, became scarce. Tuticorin city in Tamilnadu, India, still a stronghold of the Parava community, was the centre of the pearl trade. The Paravas later diversified into fishing, salt-making and other maritime professions.

Paravar also refers to the people living on the coast of Tamilnadu state in India and in parts of Northern and Western Sri Lanka (Ceylon). (In Tamil language and literature, the coastal areas where they lived were called 'Neythal Thinai') - The other old Tamil castes, the Maravars (Devars) and Kuravars live in the neighbourhood and in ancient times were believed to be akin to the Paravas. Now, the Paravas are also commonly referred to as 'Fernandos'. Significant numbers of well-educated paravas, many of whom have diversified into major professions and business also live in the major cities of southern Tamilnadu and in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Paravas in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) migrated from India during the British colonial days ; many prosper in trade and business in Sri Lanka and now generally speak Sinhala, the language of Sri Lanka.

Paravas were the first whole community in India to get converted to christianity in the mid 16th century. The name 'Fernando', a predominant surname and other surnames were acquired from the Portuguese, under whose influence the Paravas came into, in the 16th century. There are as many as 100 or more of these surnames - Fernando, Fernandez, Mascarenhas, Victoria, Miranda, Devotta, De Cruz, De Souza, Gomez, Dalmeida, Vaz, Desoyza, etc., which were given by St. Francis Xavier, other missionaries and Portuguese officers during the 16th century.

In the olden days, the Portuguese called the area where the Paravas (or pearl-fishers) lived as "La Pescaria" - or land of the pearls.

It all started with A.. - Part 1

2006-01-28T22:15:00.000-08:00

He saw her the first time at Sr. (forgot her name)'s house. He was in the 10th standard, and they were all gathered there to practise for their parish's annual day, which incidentally was celebarted on Don Bosco's birthday. They were to perform a gujarati dance item (also called garba). She was to be his dance partner. For the D-day, he was to don a colouful gujarati dress, which he borrowed from one of his neighbour's son, who was saving it up for Navratri.

(Image Courtesy: Getty Images)

She, as pretty and cute as she was, was to wear a traditional gujarati dress meant for girls. He had no idea how she would look in those colorful dresses... but right now at Sr. (forgot her name)'s house she was looking like an angel from heaven. When he looked at her, he thought - "My God! Heaven must surely be missing an angel!!"

So there he was... love at first sight. Since his first encounter with her at Sr. (forgot her name)'s house, his eyes would automatically start scanning the prayer hall for her every Saturday evening. He used to go for the Saturday evening mass at 7:30 p.m., which used to be held at a marriage hall. This marriage hall, called Perriera Hall, was made available to the Chirstian Community in Virar by Mr. Perriera, till they got an official church in place.

So where was I?... yeah...eyes scanning, scanning, scanning... and there she was. Sitting admidst the huge congreagation gathered for their weekly mass. As soon as his eyes found her, his heart would pound twice as fast... He would get goosebumps too quite often, as and when he looked at her. Though he was physically present in the prayer hall, he would mentally be with her.

Then, after communion, he would close my eyes to say a little prayer and include her too in prayer. Well, yeah... you would just think of him as a stupid loser. Every second a sucker is born into this world and may be he was one of them. Hmm... this happened every week and he started looking forward to go for the Saturday evening mass... he became religious all of a sudden, his parents thought. He still remembers his first Christamas Party of their parish with her (with her... in the crowd of course). It was fun, with her around. He got to know at the party about the school she goes to, the apartment she lives in, etc, etc.

Since their parish was growing, one fine day the parish priest announced that the church council would soon be forming a Youth Group. This group was formed with a purpose of bringing the youth of their parish together, and then create a proper parish choir, a festival group (who would take care of arrangements for special masses such as Christmas, New Year, Good Friday, et al), and so on. He go to know from a friend that she joined the group... and it was time that he joined it too. Why, you ask? Well, first of all he was a religious guy ...remember? Ok, Ok... he was not a religious guy. The reason was, he wanted to make friendship with her. Friendship was obviously the first step towards growing much closer to her, which would soon bloom into a really nice relationship...

Failed six times already...

2006-01-26T03:36:00.000-08:00

Well, you'd laugh your heads out, if I said I failed six times trying to obtain a driving license. But then, that's the case here in Dubai. You don't get one unless you have failed at least once, since the rules are very harsh. And yeah, if you passed in the very first instance just like my cousin Jerry, you'd be expected to give a party and considered God!

It was about 2 months ago that I enrolled with Belhasa Driving Centre in Dubai with an intention to get my license "ASAP". I started off with just 15 classes and since I had the Indian driving license, I was exempted from giving the Parking test. I was only supposed to attempt the Signal test and the Final Road test. I was happy - just 15 classes and I would be touting my driving license soon...

Unfortunately fate had something else in store for me. My instructor Abdul Azeez asked me to extend my classes by 10 more, since I wasn't looking "relaxed" enough while driving. My instructor kept saying, "Body ko thoda loose karo" and "Dimaag thoda relax karke gaadi chalaneka". For those unfamiliar with Hindi, the translations of the above quotes would be "Don't hold the steering too tightly" and "Be relaxed".

After about 20 classes, I attempted the signal test and passed it!

"Mission One - completed," I said.

Then one week later I was asked to attempt the Assesment Test - here's where your driving will be assessed by another instructor of the institute. I was given a green signal and asked to appear for the Final Road Test, which was scheduled at 8:00 in the morning, two days later.

The D-day dawned. I reached the driving institute at 7:30 in the morning and waited in anticipation for my name to be called. I was instructed to get into a ca. A traffic cop was sitting inside the car and giving me a look as if telling me "Your driving sucks!" The test started... and it ended in a flash. The cop handed me a paper with doodles everywhere. I had failed!

I said to myself - "Hey, this was just the first attempt..." I guess I was just assuring myself that in the next test I would certainly lay my hands on the license.
Some of my colleagues even suggested me to stay at a certain colleague's house for a night to get passed the nest time. "You know, he stayed at Rameshwar's house and passed the driving test the next day!!"

However, the number of classes went from the initial 15 to 30 (and still counting), and my driving test went from "just the first attempt" to the current sixth. After having spent a huge fortune on classes and test fees, I decided to take a break for sometime... so that I would change my instructor.

I now plan to start my classes again next month... and here's hoping for the umpteenth time that I would pass in the next test!

BEST will soon run Volvo buses on Mumbai roads

2006-01-16T03:43:00.000-08:00

It’s called City Bus and though the Sweedish automobile giant will soon be delivering the first batch of 25 swanky and comfortable Volvo buses to the Bangalore Metropolitan Corporation, the company has also forwarded a proporal to aamchi Mumbai!

The BMC has finally awakened!!

What will a City Bus have?
* 256 Horsepower engine (BEST buses currently have a 115 HP engine)
* Fully air-conditioned interiors
* Low-floor, without steps to make entry and exit easy
* Automatic doors
* More standing space
* Comfortable reclining seats
* Automatic gear change
* Better fuelling
* FM system to entertain commuters

Intel Leap(s) Ahead

2006-01-03T22:24:00.000-08:00

Intel Corporation, the world's largest chip manufacturer has changed its logo ...and its tagline from "Intel Inside" to "Leap Ahead"!!

The company claims that the new brand identity, "represents a significant milestone in the company’s history and further signifies the company’s evolution to a market-driving platform solutions company". By this, the company wants to convey to the world that from now on, Intel is not just "a processor company". The company plans to expand the use of its technologies in areas such as mobile, digital home, enterprise and health.

Eric Kim, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Sales and Marketing Group, says, “Intel has one of the most valuable brands in the world, and we intend to grow the value of our brand as we evolve the company. This evolution will allow Intel to be better recognized for our contributions, establish a stronger emotional connection with our audiences, and strengthen our overall position in the marketplace.

Though the new logo looks good, Intel could have definitely done better.